Stroller Woes

T

tembesbingit

New member
I leased my dream car last year- a Kia Soul EV. I love it SO much but... I did not anticipate that I would soon be pregnant with twins. I am having a HECK of a time finding a double stroller that will fit (dimensions 38"W x 25"D x 29" H). Neither of the go-to double stroller frames (Joovy Roo and Snap N Go) will fit (both too long at 46 or 48 inches). So far I have found a Graco double stroller that will fit, as long as I use a Graco car seat. However it is REALLY heavy and not really my first choice (I was planning on getting the Chicco KeyFit carseats). I see other double strollers that will fit but they will not accommodate newborns, especially if they are preemies. So here is my question:

When your babies were newborns, how often did you NEED a double stroller? How often will we actually get out of the house with both babies (given that both my husband and I are homebodies to begin with...)? Can I just wait to get a stroller until they can hold their heads up?

Also, bonus question: car seat bases. How many do I need? Both sets of grandparents are nearby and SUPER EXCITED- do you think I will need two bases for each set of grandparents in addition to 2 for me and 2 for my husband?
 
@tembesbingit My twins are currently 2 months and I use the baby trend snap n go with my Chico keyfit car seats almost daily. Today I was just visiting a friend but she lives in a complex and it would have been too far for me to park and carry both seats and diaper bag etc. plopped them into the snap n go and off we went. I would highly recommend getting one, but you could definitely take them in and out and into a regular double stroller, it would just be a pain!
 
@hopelesslysaved Agreed... we have 6week old twins and we wouldn't even be able to go to a doctors appointment without our snap n go double. We also are using Chico keyfit car seats. Even being homebodies (we are too), you will need a double clip in stroller. Taking them in and out is a pain and carrying two car seats and a diaper bag is too hard. It's all about doing things efficiently and the easiest way with newborn twins. You will be exhausted enough with the lack of sleep. After I take them out even for a short time I'm ready for a long nap!
 
@jayamahit Ahhhhrrggh yes doctors appointments... they will definitely get us out of the house and I will be out on maternity leave much longer than my husband so I will likely be doing many of those alone.

I was also thinking about using the TwinGo baby carrier but now that I think about it that also is a big hassle coming in and out of the car.

sigh I guess it will have to be the Graco system then?
 
@tembesbingit My twins were born at 34+6 and spent 27 days in the Nicu. We were probably home about a week and then decided that we'd go out to eat during one of their nap times. This was great because they slept through the whole meal. For that we didn't need a stroller since we just carried them in I'm their car seats. We use the Chicco keyfit 30 seats. Our stroller is a Joovy. However we do also have a graco double stroller but that doesn't allow us to use the seats. So basically if you're going out for a bite to eat probably don't need a stroller, however we use our stroller all the other times.

It is too much of a hassle to take them in and out of their seats in the car. Keeping them in their seats is so much easier. They are 10 months now so if they are awake in their seats when we're out at like Target than we just push back the canopy so they can see everything but they are usually fine staying in the seat.

As for the bases, we have two sets. One that is always in my car the other is usually in my husbands however they are so darn easy to install that we have frequently taken them out and put them in my in laws car if needed. But rarely there is a time that I'm not with them so having all those sets of bases would be worthless simply because you are their food source.
 
@wn12345 Thank you so much for the reply!!! So you use the stroller a lot then? If I can't have the Joovy, would you then recommend getting the Graco stroller that can be used with the Graco car seats?

Also thanks for the base recommendation- sounds like two sets is the way to go. I had no idea what installation was like but if they're easy to install then I don't need 50 bazillion sets!
 
@tembesbingit There are Graco seats that you can get that would snap into it, just make sure you check that you get the correct ones. There is like a classic connect and a click connect. I made that mistake so when someone bought us the stroller I realized that the seats that I registered for were the other ones and wouldn't connect. So I quickly changed seats and just got the Joovy. This way I have just a base stroller right now that we use all the time and at home we use our Graco for walks and then will eventually use that stroller put when they get too big for their infant car seats.

Most newer cars have latches that you just buckle the base to and then just level it. That is how our Chicco seat bases work.
 
@tembesbingit The baby trend double snap and go actually kind of trifolds in length. It might work for your vehicle. I'll measure it in the morning and let you know. As for bases, you don't need a base to use a car seat, it just makes it convienent. I would get bases for your cars and then see how much the grand parents drive the babies around. Using the seatbelt strap on the car seat until you know for sure.
 
@ilma Thank you! Good to know- I really am a n00b, I just assumed that it required a base!

Edit: Also, thank you for measuring! Depending on the length I might be able to fit it if I take out the bottom part of my trunk that has the storage and/or MAY be able to fit it diagonally? GO MATH AND USING PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM!!!! (See kids? You really DO use it in real life!)
 
@tembesbingit Yay! I'm so glad. So when it comes time to get it in the car, the seat at the front of the stroller has two little sliding pieces that will allow you to shorten the length significantly. You will find them, one in each side, just above the bar that leads down to the front wheels! The only was to survive Life with multiples is by making things easier!
 
@tembesbingit There are two versions of the snap n go, newer ones have the seats in a tiered arrangement and fold up shorter than the earlier flat ones. I just got rid of our "tiered" or I'd measure it for you, it was quite a bit shorter than the older flat one I first got.
 
@lucillehiltner Thanks for the info! It's somehow difficult to find folded dimensions online, particularly for this brand/model. You would think they'd put it on their website! I finally ended up calling Baby Trend only to find it was still too long :( But that's assuming the help person knew what they were doing and gave me the new dimensions?
 
@tembesbingit I probably have the same Graco stroller you're talking about. Got it bc I already had the seats and wanted them to snap in, and I did not want a side by side type stroller. I don't love it a lot, and it is heavy, but it was super convenient with the seats snapping in. We still use it now when my girls are 14 months, but mostly because I'm cheap and won't buy another one. We go out fairly often and it is worth it to us to have it.
 
@tembesbingit We're pregnant with our twins currently but I'm stroller obsessed. We're currently looking at either baby Jogger city select ( folded: 12.5" x 25.75" x 32.75" ) or Mountain Buggy Duet (folded: 37.8" x 24.8" x 12.6") which is a side by side.

Edit: both are new born friendly. The BJ City Select has several car seat adaptors as well as optional bassinets. From 6 months on you can use the toddler seats which also allow for parent facing. The MB Duet has lie flat seats which can be used from birth but if you want parent facing you must buy the optional bassinets. MB also has several car seat adapters and has the most narrow wheel base for a side by side stroller. Both have a great push but the MB has bigger air filled tires which will give you a better push "off road" like at the park or during light hiking.
 
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