Since our kids will only be about 20 months apart, I want to have the option to strap 'em both in without feeling like I'm driving a steam train from behind or trying to move a double-wide mobile home through the aisles at the shops. And since it's our second baby, we won't need much in terms of "gear" this time... just some more cloth diapers (I'd like another 10-15) and a double stroller. (And of course some cute dresses if baby turns out to be a girl!)
So the double stroller - our baby #2 big ticket item.
Pretty sure I've found it... my dream stroller: the Baby Jogger City Select.
Check this high-roller out:
Holy moly.
This stroller boasts sixteen different options for the seats - facing toward each other, away from each other, both forward, both backward, using a car seat, using a bassinet, and all sorts of variations and combinations. (I highlighted my favorite ones.)
I tested one out in our local baby store and it is a dream. One-handed steering? No problem. Quick, easy fold? Check. Amazingly huge sunshades (a must for life in Australia)? Bingo. Massive shopping basket underneath? Yup. Nice wheels for a smooth ride? Done. Easy to move the seats around? Unbelievably. Good fit for both my 6'3" husband and me? Yes! Packs down well to easily fit in the small trunk of our car? Uh-huh.
I could go on and on about this stroller. I'm totally in love... and Ryan is too.
It looks great as well - comes in black, diamond (kind of like a silver/light gray), red, or deep purple.
Another thing I love about it is that you can remove one seat and use it as a single and it still works beautifully. (And doesn't feel like a double stroller "missing something.") It's just so incredibly versatile.
I can envision using this stroller not only with Levi and the new bub, but also if we have any more kids down the road (which we most likely will).
The only problem? The price tag! Here in Australia it retails for $1200. I'm not even kidding... that's nearly the price of my first car back in the early 90's!!! And that's not even including the car seat adapter or any extras.
The good news is that I found it online at a baby boutique in America for $476 with free shipping. Yes, nearly 1/3 of the price here!
Looks like I may be asking my parents if they want to stuff that gigantic stroller into their carry-on when the come visit the baby (and us!) later this year.... We'll see what they think about that.
Dear friends, are your kids close in age? Have you found your dream stroller yet? Any tips you'd like to share about choosing one?
a girl can dream, right?
p.s. This is not meant to be a product review as I don't own it and haven't used it enough to give a complete review. It is not a sponsored post either... Merely a mom's opinion as I shop around, research, and compare.
Are you an expecting mom? Have you linked-up?! Join the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011 here.
adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
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I recently was contacted by the folks at Valco Baby and may be reviewing their ION EX 4 Two. Have you seen this thing? It's SO cool - really light weight, works with a toddler and a newborn, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://valcobaby.com/products/strollers/model/ion-ex-4-two.html
I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but I'm already obsessed!
M
i use a city mini stroller and like it a lot though the one thing about it that bothered me is that the vinyl seating makes it hard for my daughter to stay sitting up. She constantly slides down on the slippery material and it doesn't sit directly straight up so she is always leaned back further than I would like. Otherwise I love it. Dang, this stroller has a TON of seating options. That is CRAZY awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteI actually just scored one of these second hand but in brand new condition from Gumtree for $540. Maybe that's a different route for you?
ReplyDeleteGood luck :)
Wow that stroller is quite the machine. Can it cook and do laundry too? J/K. I cannot help - we are still a unistroller family. Hopefully sooner rather than later we can join you in having a doublestroller. So good that you found it for less than $1200 - yikes!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are 23 months apart and bravo to you for researching. I thought I had found my dream, the Combi side by side, returned it after first use. Not 23 month old friendly. So I did the ol' standby huge two seater boat. Uggggh. Having the change to do it all over again, I would've done the sit and stand. You can optionally put in an infant seat, while still strapping the toddler in. It seemed the toddler as she grew was more in and out than in. I don't know how it handles, but I was envious of my friends who had them. Good luck hunting:)
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog, and am looking forward to following your adventures! I spent a semester abroad in Cairns, and am so jealous of your time over there :) I am due in September with our second, who will be 22 months apart from our son... and strollers have been on my mind. I'm going to look into this one - thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteWe just got a Chariot for Isak and brother to be...works as a bike trailer and stroller/jogger. It's probably not the best option if you are going to be throwing it in the back of your car very often, but for us it works as just about everything is within biking/walking distance.
ReplyDeletewe have the double BOB and love it! we used the single BOB when we just had one. i love the side by side seating because we take a lot of walks outside to run our errands, and it means both of my kids can see out really well. we were also looking at the phil and teds'- a double decker option- but that meant that my preschooler wouldn't be able to see out the front and i figured she would get antsy about that.
ReplyDeleteit was a huge investment, even secondhand, but so worth it! we use it about as much as our car!
Hi, Adriel! It's been awhile since I clicked over from my e-mail (really, I read EVERYTHING on here)! Our kiddos are 21 months and 24 months apart--and that stroller sure [still] would be handy, even as they are now 1/3/5!
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky enough to be in our friend's bike shop a couple years ago just after someone returned a very dirty double stroller that could be changed into a bike stroller (Trek Doodlebug, if I remember right)...he didn't want to clean the dirty thing, so he offered it to us for $100 rather than the $350 he could have gotten out of it had he cleaned it up! Score!
It's bulky and doesn't fold down real well, but we live in town and are pretty often on our bikes as a family, so we love it. We even took it on our recent mini-vacation to the Toledo Zoo!
Oh I love that stroller. I searched and searched for our first one. I got the City Mini. I LOVE it... but I wish I would have looked at this one. I thought it was only a double... they always had it set up with infant seat and toddler seat at the store. The AFTER I bought my City Mini... I saw that it can be a single. We want more than one... so this would have been a better choice. Live and learn.
ReplyDeleteYou should totally check out babygizmo.com- the site I write for. My boss, Hollie, does amazing video stroller reviews. I was a huge fan of the site before I started working for her. I have the Zooper Tango, which I used a TON when the baby was first born, and now I use my Joovy Sit and Stand Ultralight 99% of the time. I really obsessed over my double stroller purchase too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis looks cool. My boys are 3 years a part and I was looking for something that I could use for just baby and for both. But it also had to fit my big three year old, at the time, now four year old. I love that it can go down to one. I hope it travels with your parents!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had known when I was buying our stroller before we had Levi that in another short while I'd want a double. I knew we would most likely have our kids so close together, but the option of a single/double stroller never even crossed my mind. This would have been a great one to start AND finish with - no need for multiple strollers!
ReplyDeletep.s. Thanks Melissa, Morgan, Katherine, and Greta for your suggestions. I'm still not *entirely* sold on this one... but pretty dang close. I'll check those others out though! Also, we'll use it a lot for errands so it's essential that it can easily go in and out of the car. I just got a bike buggy/trailer from freecycle last weekend so no need for us to get a "convertible" jogger/bike trailer. Great idea though!! Thanks again ladies.
ReplyDeletethat looks marvelous! my kids are all 2 years apart, so a double stroller was a must-have. i found one at a thrift shop. it was sitting outside, bathed in a stream of light, beckoning to me from the highway ;) it was a side-by-side double....so there wasn't a way to put an infant carseat on it without an adapter. but the price was $75 so i learned to live with it! it was also a jogging stroller which i liked....and it had huge "off-road" tires on it and that made for easy handling on the beach. and THAT is way important living in florida.
ReplyDeleteI have this pram and I LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteI got the main body 30% off on sale and found the 2nd seat brand new in eBay. So saved a bit.
So far I've only used it with my son Archie but baby #2 will be here in about 4 weeks and I can't wait to give it a run with 2 babies. (much like u there will be a 19 month gap between my 2)
I call it 'the roles' :)
was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
ReplyDelete