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Family Matters:  New Mom looking for stroller advice  |
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Arlene
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Arlene
Lincoln
TX
USA
23 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 9:58:15 PM
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Hello all,
As I've said before I've 2 4 week old boys and am VERY new to motherhood and the world of infants/kids. We live in a rural part of Central Texas and spend LOTS of time outdoors. I'm looking for advice/suggestions on an all terrain stroller for 2. I take lots of walks and we spend a great deal of time in the garden and orchard and while I do have the little baby sling & back pack with 2 it would be nice to have a stroller that can handle the pasture trails, rock driveway & dirt roads I travel on foot. Can anyone suggest one? They're a big investment so I want to be sure I spend it right.
Thanks!
Arlene |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 11:06:08 PM
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We love but broke (totally our fault not the strollers, and we plan on getting it fixed) our first stroller, we've had it for about 6 years. I like it for it's all terrain possibilities, and the LARGE "trunk" space, you can fill that baby up! lol It's not good for "shopping" as it's a little wide for doors and can get cumbersome in that regaurd. But, for walking around outside (especially cause it comes with a rain thing that keeps the rain and elements off the babies, that is attached to it permnantly!) and amusement parks and things like that. However, I think the company went out of business, I believe it was made in Canada. I bought it from Costco. It's called a Kid A Roo. It will hold two children (you would probably have to put inserts in for infants), and a ton of junk! lol haha I love the thing. We over loaded it this summer though in the front, putting way too much weight on one wheel, I just wasn't thinking. (ok, I put a huge loaded down cooler in front, along with my two DD's, and stuffed the trunk too! Then tried to go over large curbs, again this was totally my fault that the small front wheel broke off in this! I am planning on taking it to a bike shop and seeing if they can repair it). But, any way I love it.
The other stroller I like for two, is one where we can turn the babies in different directions, both facing the opposite directions, both facing me, both facing away from me, or both facing each other! I love it. I am not so sure how it does on all terrain though, we mainly use it as our "indoor" stroller for shopping and such. I like it a lot and I see a lot of people with twins using them. I belive ours is this one-http://www.amazon.com/Contours-Options-Tandem-Stroller-Ruby/dp/B002R26LZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1327042904&sr=1-1 but ours is blue, and we bought it at babies r us, a little over 2 years ago.
That was the one I "settled" on. It was in our price range with a 20 percent off coupon. However, if you have a larger budget then we had, I liked one much better at buy buy baby, I think though it was at least double the price and possibly triple the price, but it was real smooth!
If you know much about strollers for two, there is more design/function issues then single ones. And if they aren't designed right, they are harder to move about, and turn etc. The one at buy buy baby was just smooth as you could get, but the price..... the one I bought at BRU that we own is a "good" stroller though, for the price I believe it was probably the best we could get. I did a lot of research and for our price range we were limited to, I like it. However if money were no object or I had a larger budget I would of bought the one from buy buy baby. But, again our stroller is a good one and works well, and I like it especially for the price.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 06:32:06 AM
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Hi Arlene. I never had twins, but my oldest two were close enough together that I needed a double stroller. We got a DuoGlider and I used it outdoors because I go on lots of nature hikes, but it was honestly not made for that much "abuse" and it was destroyed after a year. We did get another one, but I wouldn't recommend it for your purposes (active outdoor use). I ended up borrowing a friend's old, beaten up double-jogging stroller for awhile, but I can't remember the manufacturer. If I were you, I would do some research on Amazon.com. Put "double jogging stroller" or "double all-terrain stroller" into their search engine and read all the customer reviews on products in those categories. Reading those reviews (usually very honest and written by parents) helped me decide on lots of our baby equipment over the years.
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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Arlene
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Arlene
Lincoln
TX
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2012 : 02:54:41 AM
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Suzanne and Heather,
Thanks you for all the stroller advice. I have taken some time and looked at the Amazon reviews for an REI stroller. That was a great suggestion. I did try to find a used Kid a Roo but it's been too long it seems.
This is such a great forum for advice.
Thanks again,
Arlene |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2012 : 04:13:05 AM
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I found a green kid a roo on google, from a bike shop, I'm going to try to get it. It's new and seems to be the same.
There's another brand out there though that looks good that we see at parks and such, but I can't remember their name, they don't have as large of a trunk. lol But, they come with more accessories you can buy. Like skis! Yes you can put the thing on skis! I want to say it's name is something like champion, challenger, something like that.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Montrose Girl
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm
1360 Posts
Laurie
Montrose
CO
1360 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2012 : 08:07:34 AM
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If there is once upon a child store near you, go check it out. I just bought our stoller the other day for about half price. It's a single but they had some nice doubles. I pushed it around a while before deciding and you can return iff it isn't right.
Laurie
http://www.inntheorchardbnb.com/ |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2012 : 1:48:00 PM
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Yeah I have learned it's good to push them around a while in real life. That's how I know the one at buy buy baby was so great. lol I literally will push them around the store for a long time. You get to see how they turn and handle and how easy they are or not that way. Some also handle differently with the kids IN them.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2012 : 07:54:52 AM
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We bought a Chico stroller/car seat combo. It's held up REALLY well, and we do a lot of hiking, antique shopping in wide open fair ground fields, outdoor concerts, city walking, etc. I needed something that was on the "small but mighty side" and that was able to fit in my 1996 Honda civic trunk. It does the job and is so sturdy! The only bone of contention I have is that it's not nearly as easy to disassemble to throw in the washer as they guide says, but then, what ever has been? My daughter is almost 3 and we've used it constantly since the day she was born.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
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SarahJ
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Shreveport
Louisiana
198 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 06:48:12 AM
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After having two of the basic graco-esqe strollers that came as a "travel system" with the car seat, I will be buying a jogging stroller this time around. They are a much smoother ride, especially on various surfaces. My other strollers always felt shaky and jittery.
SarahJ
Farmgirl Sister #116
http://bayoumama.wordpress.com/ |
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Arlene
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Arlene
Lincoln
TX
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2012 : 4:43:26 PM
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Thank you to everyone for all the advice!
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TiaLD77
Farmgirl in Training
27 Posts
Tia
Punxsutawney
PA
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 06:19:20 AM
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I would second a "Jogging Stroller" we picked up one because the DH didn't want to have to fight with Tiny wheels on various terrains, gravel, mulch, yard etc. Granted we have a few weeks before we actually get to see how it handles with kid & junk actually packed into it..at the time it seemed like the logical choice for us ;)
Why not go out on a limb? That is where the Fruit is! |
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Meg
Moderator/Farmgirl True
974 Posts
Meg
Idaho
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2012 : 12:49:47 PM
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Hi Arlene,
Congratulations! I do not have twins but two girls close in age and also needed a double stroller that could basically withstand the farm elements. We invested in a BOB stroller and it is amazing! It is really durable. Light weight, easy to manouver, has a really great shock system...just very well built for the outdoors. We bought ours used as they are a huge investment but I really do think it is the best farmgirl stroller out there! And because they are so well built, there seem to be a lot of used ones for sale because they are still in great condition.
http://www.bobgear.com/
Good luck and again congratulations!
MaryJane's daughter,
Meg
megan@maryjanesfarm.org
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Sharon Denise
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
Sharon
Temple
TX
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2012 : 12:27:36 PM
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Congrats on the cuties, Arlene, from one Texan to another! I hope you find just what you need.
Farmgirl Sister #3754
"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning."
~Louis L'Amour |
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Family Matters: New Mom looking for stroller advice |
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New Mom looking for stroller advice
