Almost every new mother-to-be asks, “What stroller should I buy?” But if you are a future twin mom, the answer can be a little more complicated. I had a lot of stroller confusion when I found out I was having two babies. Although there are way less options for double strollers, navigating the needs of twins can be tricky. Here are my suggestions and regrets from my past experiences.
Many people purchase a double stroller because they are going from one child to two. Typically that stroller needs to meet the needs of a baby and a toddler. But double strollers for twins are different because new twin moms need a stroller that is equipped for the use of two infants.
I prefer the use of a side by side stroller, but when R + M were born in 2011, there were no strollers that would accommodate side by side car seats, so we needed to go with a front to back configuration. Most side by side strollers will not be able to be used immediately after birth if you want to utilize your stroller with a car seat adapter. I believe the Bumbleride Indie Twin (2012 and later), the Bugaboo Donkey and the Mountain Buggy Duet are currently the only side by side strollers that accommodate two car seat adapters.
My first stroller was:
B A B Y J O G G E R C I T Y S E L E C T
Pros: Can be used as a single or a double, great storage, various configurations, relatively lightweight without the seats added, easy to fold, narrow (easy to fit through doorways/malls), also can purchase 2 bassinets for full reclining for infants
Cons: Adding carseat adapters was a pain and difficult, have to remove one adapter to fold stroller in the car, felt small for my “bigger” kids, I find front-back doubles harder to push and turn
I don’t regret the decision, but putting the adapters on and attaching the seats to them felt like rocket science to a mom who was already stressed beyond belief. Plus, one adapter always had to be removed to put the stroller in the car, as is the case with most front/back strollers. We did eventually use the seats some once the kids were bigger. While I appreciated the numerous configurations, I found that my “larger” kids had trouble fitting in the seats comfortably. I also hated the turning radius. However, the best part of the purchase is that the Select can be both a single and a double stroller. So we now use it as our token single stroller, should one of us be out with only one child. Plus the storage is great.
In hindsight, I think the Snap n Go is more infant friendly for twins, and I suggest new moms buy the double snap and go. I preferred to keep the kids in a car seat friendly stroller for about two and half months. They were born 5 weeks early and undersized and I liked the idea of easily transferring them from the car seat to the stroller without removing them from the car seat. The Snap n Go is a little long, but the frame is relatively inexpensive and lightweight.
My second stroller was:
B U M B L E R I D E I N D I E T W I N
Pros: Very comfortable for kids to sit in (it has grown with my kids), easy ride/all-terrain and not bumpy, great storage underneath, really like the visor on top and how I can maneuver it to give more air circulation, reclines fully
Cons: Heavy and hard to get in the car, not easy to fold, tires always need air
I love this stroller and still use it often today. When we bought this stroller it was not possible to add 2 carseat adapters, although after 2012 that was feasible. However, side by side carseats would make this stroller very wide and difficult to fit through door frames. Today, this stroller is always fully assembled in our house. We take it on walks everyday. We go to our park in it. The kids can be in it a while and stay comfortable. Originally I thought this would be my all around stroller, but at 35 pounds, putting it in the car was hard for me. Assembly/disassembly was annoying. It had great storage but we were always filling the tires with air. Eventually I realized I was a sweaty mess by the time it went in the car and I needed something else. So our next stroller was…
My favorite stroller ever:
C I T Y M I N I D O U B L E
Pros: Easy to fold, not too heavy to haul into your car/assemble. wheels never lose air, so easy to push and maneuver, narrow for a side by side, easy to add snack bar and still fold up, reclines all the way, double visor with clear peer through panel so you can see the kids
Cons: Storage isn’t great, a little rougher ride for the kids compared to the Bumbleride/all terrain, not as comfy {I recommend a liner if you’re putting younger infants right in here} for a little more cushion
The City Mini Double is a breeze to push/turn. The storage isn’t great but I use the mommy hook. It’s a cinch to get the kids in. The clear panel on the visor is great to check if they are sleeping. I love this stroller. The best part is that it lives in my trunk because it is a breeze to take in and out of my car.
. . . . .
I used to feel guilty that I have three strollers, but my friends with one child usually have just as many or more!
A few notes:
– My kids had some reflux issues so we never used our bassinets.
– The Bugaboo Donkey, it wasn’t available when R + M were born, but my twin mom friends who have it now say it is better for a older/younger sibling than twins. It is also heavy and hard to disassemble.
– I really considered purchasing the Bob Revolution last year, but I’ve heard it is just as heavy as the Bumbleride Indie Twin and has the same types of tire issues. Plus, I’m not a runner and the Bumbleride does great with brisk walking and is easy to push.
– I’ve considered the Maclaren double to have a lightweight umbrella stroller for traveling, but the City Mini has really served me well and I haven’t seen a huge need for it.
Good luck twin moms!
Do you have a double stroller you love? Do you use it for siblings or twins?
Double Strollers part 3 of 4
1. Double Strollers by Mrs. Bee2. More Stroller Options for 2 Kids by Mrs. Bee
3. Double Strollers for Twins by Mrs. Cake
4. Choosing a Double Stroller by Swarm
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I’m not a twin mom, but this was still very helpful!
Glad to hear your rave review on the City Mini Double because I have a single Britax B-Agile, and love it so much that I was thinking about getting the Britax B-Agile Double when the time comes. Reviews all say it’s very similar to the City Mini.
pear / 1723 posts
I have three double strollers for my 10 mo twins and have been happy with all of them.
1. Double Snap n Go – our only stroller for about the first 6 months. So nice to just pop the carseats in and out of.
2. BOB Revolution Duallie – our outdoorsy stroller for most runs and walks, and if we are going to be on gravel or boardwalk.
3. Combi Twin Sport – our shopping stroller that lives in the car, folds up super compact (for a double) and is really lightweight.
Storage kind of sucks on all of them, but I have a mommyhook and a big diaper bag
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
We are using the snap ‘n’ go right now, but I need to start researching what our next stroller will be. Thanks for the pros and cons. It’s really helpful to hear what other twin moms have used.
pomegranate / 3053 posts
I bought a double stroller (Maclaren Twin Techno) for a long overseas trip and it was awesome except that it was a little painful to push through some of those smaller Asian doorways. LOL! But in the U.S. it’s not a problem at all and I can hang bags on the back without it falling back. Folds quite small but is on the heavier side for a double umbrella stroller at around 26 lbs (or a little more?) compared to brands like Jeep. I got used to the weight quite fast considering that my 35 lb 4 year old still wants me to hold him from time-to-time.
nectarine / 2765 posts
Wonderful list, thank you! I will be referencing this in the next couple months when we’re choosing a stroller for the twins. Feels so overwhelming with all the options, but, this really helps : )
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
Thanks!! I’m gonna get the City Mini GT sometime soon, so it’s great to read that you like it!
persimmon / 1165 posts
We’re still using our double snap n go with our 4 month old twins. Once they’ve outgrown their infant car seats, we’ll be switching to the Britax double side by side. I’ve heard good things about it and it’s comparable to the Cities Mini GT, but $100 cheaper.
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
I have to admit, I was totally stroller obsessed before baby M was born. I wish I could rent strollers and try them all out, I love them! We have the single BOB and use it all the time. In 17 months it’s only needed air once. I wonder if there’s something different about the double version that would make it lose air faster?
guest
We have 7 month old twin baby girls and we have the Stroll-air my duo. We love it! It takes two infant car seats side by side and can still fit through a standard door. The stroller seats are two separate seats so one baby can lie flat while the other sits upright. Seats can face forward or towards me. It comes with a ton of free accessories. It folds easily with the seats or adapters attached. It isn’t light, but no double stroller is. Unfortunately it is only available online, but it can be purchased through the website of many major retailers such as BuyBuyBaby.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
We have a combi double sport and while the handling is nowhere near as smooth as the city mini (we also have a city mini), it is the double stroller that best fits our city needs — easy fold, small footprint, stands when folded, and lightweight. If we lived in the burbs, I’d definitely go for the City Mini double!
grapefruit / 4049 posts
We have a Mountain Buggy Duet and love it. The narrow width for being a side-by-side sold me!
GOLD / apricot / 341 posts
We have a Bugaboo Donkey for our boys who are 19 months apart (Alec is almost two and half years old and Louis is 9 months old), and we really like it. We live a very urban life in Stockholm, Sweden. We hardly ever use our car but the Donkey works really well on buses and the subway and of course walking. Every morning Louis and Alec and I drop Alec at nursery school and quite often we leave Alec’s seat at his school so that Louis and I can go about our day in the single stroller configuration. I love that I don’t always have to have a double stroller when I’m just out with Louis. But for twins, I’m not sure I would really see the point of this particular stroller.
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
Do you know if all of these have the option for a carseat attachment? I dont have twins but I just realized I need a doube stroller now with the new baby on the way and am trying to figure out whats best for us. I dont think a baby can sit in those side by side seats until a certain age right?
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
We actually have a Baby Trend Double stroller. And I like it but it is massive and heavy.
guest
We have the City Select we got for my first set of twins. We lost one of our sons at 5 months and the stroller was great as a single after. My son is 14months now and should meet his new twin siblings in about 4 months! We also have picked up an older ABC Adventure Buggy that needs some TLC so our nanny can walk all 3 babies to the park next year. In addition we were given the new Orbit Double Helix with 2 infant car seats that we are trying to sell since we’d need to spend $600 to get toddler seats to use it long term and out City Select has been great.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
We had the combi sport double that was handed down to us. Eventually we had to switch to the peg perego triple. Craziness! Thanks so much for all these reviews. What a great post.
grapefruit / 4669 posts
@Mrs. High Heels: I totally see us doing the B-Agile double when/if we have 2 kids…I just love the way the car seat pops in! I see a lot more City Minis around, but we love our B-Agile.
guest
i have the bugaboo donkey and still use it for our 15month old twins. i think this is a smooth ride for the boys at birth and now! i LOVE that it fits through regular door widths. other strollers i’ve tried do not and usually need another hand to open doors for you. it folds up and out quickly and i think i pumped air into 1 tire since i’ve had it. it is a bit heavy but once you get the hang of it, it’s fantastic! it’s also great that if i am out with only one baby, in 3 snaps, it converts to a single stroller with an extra side storage option. as babies, we used the adapter for graco car seats and when we used this option, it didn’t fit through regular doors because of the wide set handles on the car seats but it’s not really a big deal. it’s a bit pricey for the whole twin set but i think it’s worth it!
honeydew / 7968 posts
I only have the city select and it works just fine for me. I don’t remember the Chico adapters giving us much trouble. It was fairly easy to assemble and take out. We’ve used it since birth and at about 5-6 months, we put them in the seats. It is annoying to maneuver at times when u have 2 big infant car seats to lug around, but it’s doable.
coffee bean / 36 posts
We have the Donkey and it is worth every penny. Grows with your children, so versatile, and beautiful to boot! We live in a town and walk often, so it’s great for us…if you are always driving a lighter weight stroller might make more sense.
guest
This is fabulous, thanks! I’ve been leaning towards the City Mini Double for baby #2 and you are definitely pushing me over the edge!
guest
We are very happy with our Valco Baby strollers. We have the single Trimode for our first child, who is now 3.5 yrs old and still loves his stroller and we now have the Zee Two for our twins. We first took them out (without their car seats– for which we have the really hard to steer duo snap and go) in the stroller when they were 4.5 months old and it was great. The stroller is 29.5″ wide and just under 27 lbs, with two very large independent canopies and a huge unencumbered (i.e. no middle bar) storage basket underneath. The stroller is great on slightly rougher terrain and is so smooth and easy to steer.
guest
We have 3 strollers for our boy/girl twins and it took me a long time to find the first one. When I was pregnant, we purchased the Icandy Pear Twin Stroller…it is from a British Manufacturer and was wonderful. We loved it. We lived in a loft downtown and it was so easy to get in and out of doors and was so comfortable for the twins. Also, you can pick a variety of colors to dress it up (Shades and Liners to make the seats soft). We got blue for our boy and purple for our girl. Our babies loved it. Only downside was as our babies get heavier, it is gets harder to steer. It also can hold two infant carseats. They have a newer version that I would have loved at the time our twins were born. The new one has been perfected. They also have a great warranty on them. Our second stroller was the Double Bob…works perfect for walks on the beach (even in the low tide). Our BOB has a stationary front wheel so we have to pump the tires a lot. Other than that, it is super easy to use, pop that front wheel off and into the car. It does not fit through doors at all unless they are double (not even at the zoo). Our 3rd strollers are the cheap Target Umbrella strollers. We grabbed two and use them for simple trips out when we are in a hurry. They work perfect for that kind of stuff and are soooo light. Plus they are 10 bucks, can beat that.
guest
Has anyone used the icandy peach blossom 2 twin? They are not available in the US anymore but there are new ones available on ebay. I am wondering how the icandy would compare to the baby jogger city select or the Graco for twins.
guest
Hi, we’re expecting twins in January and live in Chicago where we walk, take the el often (& drive once in a while). Was thinking Bugaboo Donkey Twin would let us get away with only 1 stroller since it has bassinet & seats + we’d buy adapter + 2 car seats that fit through doors like Maxi Cosi. So it’d be like snap & go and regular stroller all-in-one. Would love some twin mom input please!