One of the things I realized in looking for a stroller is that this purchase, almost more than any other baby purchase, is a deeply personal choice. It's all dependent upon your lifestyle and where you live. I tried to select strollers that were recommended by other multiples moms on message boards and blogs, but in the end it came down to the husband and I in Buy Buy Baby pushing strollers around and seeing what worked for us. Here's what we've picked and why.
0 - 6 Month Stroller
I picked this stroller up used on Craigslist for $50. The benefit of this stroller frame is that it's compatible with infant carseats from multiple manufacturers making it easy to get around quickly with infant twins. Simply pop your infant seats out of the car and lock them on to the frame and go. Easy peasy. The frame is super sturdy and collapses down easily. It's really too simple for words.
This stroller is only functional as long as your children are in infant car seats. From what I read most kids outgrow their infant seats by 6 months, which is why we elected to buy the DSNG used. The chance of me schlepping infant twins out in the dead of winter is pretty slim, so spending the full $100 on this stroller just didn't make sense. MoM's groups are another great resource for used DSNG's.
(*If you'll be needing one around June, let me know I'm sure we'll be selling ours then!)
Lightweight/Umbrella Stroller
2011 Maclaren Twin Techno ($329.99)
* not yet available online
We picked the Triumph as our get around town, use in the airport, take when visiting friends and family, fold as flat as a pancake stroller. It's easy to set up, break down and maneuver. A lot of reviews suggested that there was little difference between the Twin Techno and the more common Twin Triumph. I beg to differ. Aside from the obvious difference in price (about $65) there were a few key upgrades on the Techno that caused us to cough up the extra cash.
The Techno's hood is longer protecting baby's face more, the seats have more cushioning and back support for the kiddos and they can be reclined into five different positions (versus only two positions in the Techno), and the leg rest has metal extenders so that when baby is sleeping/reclining their feet can also recline. Add to that bigger tires, greater storage capacity and better maneuverability and we were sold. We preordered the 2011 with a 20% off coupon at BBB, making the Techno the same price as the Triumph.
*Notice the stress on the 2011 model. This is because Maclaren umbrella strollers were recalled for hinge issues (the previous hinges were severing children's fingers. Yes, you read that right, severed fingers). In 2010 Maclaren "fixed" this malfunction by issuing a velcro hinge cover that was placed over the stroller. In 2011, the stroller's hinges were redesigned to be completely plastic and round. The outcome is stroller safe for tiny digits.
Drop the baby weight, get back to normal, run your ass off stroller
(also good for walking, going to the beach and living in general)
Baby Jogger Summit XC ($649.99)
If this stroller were a man I'd make sweet, sweet love to it. Seriously. I had previously selected the BOB Revolution Duallie, but after trying both out in BBB there was no contest between the two. The BOB is slightly narrorwer than the Summit XC (by 2") and had built-in snack holders for kids and that's pretty much where the comparison ends. The Summit XC had better suspension (read: smoother ride for kids, easier for mom to push), a cushier seat, a hand operated break and it was quicker and easier to fold down. Oh and the stroller was a dream to push and maneuver. LOVE.
I can't wait to hit the pavement this spring to start training for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon. I even convinced the hubby to run with me. Super excited because once we tackle that run the twins will be big enough to run with us and we can continue training for the Adirondack Half in the fall as a family.
I can't stress enough how important it was to try out these strollers in person. We had gone to Babies R' Us a bunch of times, but their selection of floor models stinks, so we took advantage of a road trip to see the outlaws, stopping in Rochester to go to Buy Buy Baby. If you have one of these amazing stores near you head over there before registering. Their selection was incredible and their sales people actually *knew* about the products they were assisting you with. We never got that kind of attention or help from a BRU associate EVER.
