Stroller #1: GRACO SNUGRIDER (snap and go stroller)
pros:
-inexpensive,
-easy one hand fold,
-folds flat,
-doesn't take up a lot of space,
-HUGE storage basket,
-adjustable handlebar,
-a total workhorse (I always use my strollers as shopping carts!!),
-lightweight.
cons:
-one brake on each side,
-can only use it till baby outgrows the carseat (or it gets too heavy in our case!),
-not great maneuverability,
-cheap tires,
-cupholders not deep enough for my liking (they wouldn't hold bottles or sippies securely enough)
Overall: I'm glad we had it with one kid. And if your kids are far enough apart like ours were (2y9m) and you're not opting for a double, this stroller is awesome in its simplicity. We did LOTS of walks with this stroller and I would definitely recommend it for the first 6-9 months with a singleton.
Stroller #2 (and 3): BOB REVOLUTION 2010 and then BOB REVOLUTION SE 2011
Then on Valentine's day 2011 (so unfair since it was the day before Drew's birthday!) we rolled out to REI with all the birthday and christmas money and I got my beloved BOB revolution. If you look through the review of the 2010, you'll notice the only things (aside from price) that I complained about got fixed in the newer version. I ended up returning it back to REI at the end of the summer (did you know you can do that?!) because with no locking mechanism I was worried it would not survive our cross country flight. I repurchased the 2011 version once we moved to ohio (slightly more expensive but it had a locking mechanism, adjustable handlebar and better seatback, literally almost all the cons I complained about with the older version...AKA it was PERFECT!). Then I got pregnant for the second time and swore I would never get a double BOB. Little A was born and most of the time I would opt to carry her in the Ergo while pushing little d in the BOB, until she was about 5 months old then I just went ahead and put her in the BOB (so that S&G did not get as much use the second time around... and little did I know it would get no more use from us ever!)
*Pros:
-Maneuverability (you have the option to lock the wheel or allow it to swivel but I never locked it unless I was putting it away),
-relatively lightweight,
-you can technically hold two kids for short periods of time (putting the larger child in the footrest, which we have done more than once!),
-and by far the best running stroller on the market. Like I said, I used these strollers as shopping carts and for running errands and this stroller was not even that much wider than most other strollers.
-It fit perfectly into the trunk of my toyota corolla.
-Adjustable handlebar,
-you could push it one-handed,
-large canopy
-lots of pockets,
-5 point adjustable harness,
-excellent back support for baby
-off roading!!!!
*Cons: PRICE. But that's it! It is a hefty pricetag, but if you are going to be running a lot, I would recommend it as your "one and only" stroller... over the years it will definitely be worth it! Any extras (cupholders, snack trays, car seat adapters) cost more which stinks because you are already paying a lot for the stroller. The only accessory I only ever got was the handlebar cupholder for myself.
I didn't get in as many running miles with little a in the BOB as I did little d (since most of my logged miles were from chasing after little d on his bike as opposed to training) and I spent more time in the gym and on the treadmill (but also moving more towards strength training as opposed to cardio as my workout), it was still my one and only. We did COSI, the zoo, grocery store, Boston, and just about everything inbetween with that bad boy. So the day I found out we were expecting twins was the day I realized that my dreams of riding off into the sunset with my youngest child and the BOB were shattered, replaced by... a double stroller? I know I swore against getting one but now that I actually didn't have a choice, I started in on my research and was devastated to see how little options I had for a stroller with two car seat attachments (none of which were the BOB!)
So after doing (ALL THE) research, I settled on the City Select which I was excited for fitting into my new Honda Pilot (a tight squeeze but it fit!). It was a hard choice because you pay for one seat (which costs a lot!) but then you also pay for the second seat and THEN the two car seat adapters (!!) not to mention we ended up getting cupholder/snack trays as well as the roller board for sister (that we never loved but both big kids were constantly fighting over that coveted spot!)... needless to say, it adds up fast. But have you TRIED to push a DOUBLE snap and go stroller? It was impossible to push and maneuver in the store, I cannot imagine with children in it out on sidewalks! The City select was a dream to push around (for a double stroller with two car seats!) and was the only way I made it out of the house so often those first six weeks.
Stroller #4: BABY JOGGER CITY SELECT
Pros:
-5 point harness for the seats, which were super comfortable and could hold both twins when they were little but also my 5/6 year old comfortably.
-could hold two car seats
-many options for variations of car seats and especially the way to face the seats,
-adjustable handlebar,
-amazing maneuverability for a double
-big wheels made it over most surfaces similar to a BOB,
-large underseat compartment could stow a LOT (and did stow a ton of groceries), plus you could access the compartment from any side because of the stretchy fabric.
Cons:
-PRICE. If you haven't noticed a trend by now, some of the most amazing strollers are more expensive, and usually for a reason. That's not to say you couldn't get a good stroller at a cheaper cost, but for the most part you do get what you pay for. And plan on paying (at least) double when you are carrying more than one child. Also because you could load a lot on this stroller (two car seats with babies, toddler on roller board, stuff in basket and the backpack I usually had on the handlebar),
-Instability. We had a couple of times where we overloaded the stroller that it tipped because we did not have the weights balanced.
-Length. It often stuck out much farther than I expected
-a lot of moving parts...for folding up and storage I had to take off both seats and then fold up the frame. once I got the snack trays which I could snap off, it was a LOT of parts to remember to take apart and put back together.
Overall: I would have kept and used this stroller for the rest of the time the twins needed to use it! I recommend it to all my friends with babies close in age or with twins because it was a seamless transition from car seats to regular seats. But I got greedy/antsy because I had that itch to run (and even though this brand is "baby jogger" they do not, in fact, recommend running with this stroller!) and I thought maybe if I could sell this whole thing I could afford the Duallie....
Stroller #5: MACLAREN TWIN TRIUMPH
This stroller is more of an honorable mention since I didn't actually purchase it. It was given to me while I was pregnant with the twins (I think they retail around $200). Despite the fact that the canopy was a disaster (and the bane of my existence), and I hated unbuckling those straps, once the twins were able to sit upright (6-8 months) it was the stroller that I kept in my car at all times for errands, and I saved the City Select for walks around the neighborhood or things like the zoo where they would be in the stroller an extended period of time (because the back support on the Maclaren was the WORST). I only used it for about a year (from the twins months 6-18ish) but I definitely formed a strong opinion on umbrella strollers from it.
Pros:
-it could fit through most doorways easily,
-folded small and quickly,
-was lightweight.
-5 point harness
Cons:
-terrible back support
-canopy was difficult to keep in place (which could have been because it was a few years old, secondhand)
-WORST MANEUVERABILITY EVER. You had to have both hands on both handles which is just not my thing.
-too many wheels. I understand this is part of the double stroller thing, but too many wheels means too difficult to get around because they get stuck in the wrong direction which is a huge pet peeve of mine.
-those straps. I can feel my fingers bleeding just thinking about getting kids buckled and unbuckled. With my psoriasis, this was a HUGE dealbreaker for me.
Overall: This was the only umbrella stroller I ever used. And I finally "got" why people got umbrella strollers! They are quick and light and compact, but I am NOT a fan, probably because I need an all-purpose stroller, one that I can do everything with, and these umbrella strollers are just not that good for more than a few minutes. I would not tell anyone to buy a Maclaren.
So, as most of you well know, few months after the twins turned one I decided to get brave, sell all the parts of my City Select and use that money to buy a BOB Duallie. That was 10 months ago. I had some big dreams to race with the boys and spent most of the summer chasing after my two big kids on their bikes with this bad boy. We fell in love with the BOB all over again and even after I had some issues with my pelvic floor (that I kept trying to ignore because I wanted so badly to get back into running), I continued to enjoy using the BOB for walks.
Stroller #6: BOB REVOLUTION DUALLIE
Pros:
-See same (okay, similar, just bigger) Pro's for the BOB Revolution
-rode like a dream
-fabulous maneuvering
-huge canopy
-big basket
-adjustable handlebars
-off roading!!!
-comfortable and adjustable 5 point harness
-easy one handed fold (for an enormous double jogger!) and snaps together.
Cons:
-PRICE.
-Bulk. I could fit it in the back of my car, but It was not easy. also it was heavy, the heaviest stroller I have had to date. Would I have kept it with a minivan where I wouldn't have had to lift it up so much? I guess we will never know.
Overall: I would definitely recommend this to my running friends. It is worth every penny for a running stroller with twins or even two kids close in age. It is a wonderful stroller, just not "all purpose" for me when I am not even using it for running.
When I sold my Duallie yesterday, I knew exactly which stroller I was going to get next (I even priced my BOB accordingly!). I wanted to get the City Mini. I had tried the GT version with the twins at the store a few weeks before and loved the umbrella stroller-ish-ness of it, while still being supportive structurally enough that it felt like a substantial stroller (which made sense considering the price tag!). But when I actually tried the standard City Mini, I was grossly disappointed. The handlebar was awkward and the wheels were rumbling around even though I was on about as smooth of a surface as I was going to get. So I tried the GT again with the twins and liked it... but did I like it enough to pay $100 more than I was planning on paying for a stroller? Luckily for me, a couple next to me with two kids was also looking at strollers and they were investigating the sit and stands.
When I really thought about it, with these being our last kids, coupled with the fact that they were already almost 2 years old, so we would get at most 2 years use out of it, was it worth it to spend so much money on what I already knew was a nice stroller (just not one that I could justify spending so much when it was not a long term investment)?
And if I was perfectly honest with myself, Lan is really the only one left that NEEDS to be strapped into a stroller, my darling little runner boy. So I started trying out about a half dozen sit and stand strollers (roughly half the price I was planning on spending, so that was also a bonus). Which brought us to...
(disclaimer: we have only had this stroller two days)
Stroller #7: JOOVY CABOOSE ULTRALIGHT
Pros:
-lightweight for a double stroller
-can use with infant carrier (I would have probably gotten this one if the twins had only been one baby, so with two kids close in age)
-"sit" part can be pushed towards the second seat to give more room for the standing part
-generous sized snack tray (some of the ones we looked at were so small!)
-easy one handed fold and locking mechanism means it folds and fits in the back of my Pilot easily
-generous canopy can cover both kids from sun or rain
Cons:
-the handlebar takes some getting used to, it isn't super conducive for pushing forward heavy weight on the stroller, but I suppose time will tell.
-it moves similar to the snap and go (a harsh difference from the BOB!)
-hard to access bottom storage
Overall: After looking through a LOT of similar looking sit and stand style strollers, this one stuck out to me for the pro's I have listed, most of the others just did not do as well in my mind. I only liked one other stroller initially (that was more expensive) but it did NOT have a locking mechanism, which is crazy and a total deal breaker!
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It is hard to believe that 7 years after buying our first stroller, we are nearly done with strollers. If I had to pick one I loved more than all the others, it was the single BOB revolution, hands-down, even when we had two kids. But the twins were a gamechanger (and the reason why we needed to try out 4 different kinds of strollers in less than two years!) and I am grateful for the experience we had with each of our strollers. They each suited our needs for the time we had them, even with the time was relatively short. It feels good to be on our last stroller, especially as I think about how much I love and look forward to running, biking, and walking with my kids alongside me! My hope is that no one will ever have to go through as many strollers as we have (especially in such a relatively short period of time!) but hopefully one of these stroller reviews will help someone depending on what situation and phase of life they are in. I can certainly imagine 2018 being the year we say goodbye to our final stroller!
**All these opinions are my own, I was not compensated or sponsored to do this post, I just wanted to share my hundreds of hours of research so that other friends and family members can hopefully benefit!**
