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I’ve tried a lot of strollers, I’m pretty picky. Here’s my input.

Graco Double: I’ve only tried the standard one, not the new one that is a little smaller. The features are pretty similar.

• price: on the high end, especially the newer model ($200, $250 for new model)
• weight: again, on the high side, but the new model is a little lighter
• has adult cup holders and kid trays for both kids
• steers the best of any double I’ve tried
• cute patterns and designs
• only works with graco car seats

Baby Trend Sit N Stand:  I own this one too

• price: medium, can find one for around $150
• weight: medium
• has adult cup holders and for front kid, but not for back seat
• harder to steer, tends to careen of the sidewalk in driveways, nearly impossible to steer around a curve with one hand
• choice of colors, but not as stylish
• comes with universal carseat adapter bar
• grows with the kids, can convert from double seater to a sit n stand by removing the back seat (I’ve actually been able to fit 3 kids on mine)

Evenflo Take Me Too - I don’t own this one, but all the review I’ve read are bad.  The price is the lowest, but it lacks features and is hard to steer, heavy, and long.

So it all depends on what features are important for you.  Steering, price, longevity of the product, style.  Weigh the options, because being stuck with a stroller that you don’t like isn’t fun.

What is your favorite double stroller?  Leave me comments.

After using a backpack as a diaper bag for a year, I searched EBay and bought a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag backpack.  It was pretty expensive, even on Ebay, but I feel I got a good deal.  It’s working great.  The backpack style is great so I have both arms and hands free, as I am often carrying two children at the same time.  It looks well made, so it won’t be falling apart any time soon.  It has 4 bottle pockets, 2 inside and 2 outside, so it is pretty organized.  And, it has the PPP fold out changing station; wonderful.  Works for me!

I have two kids, 19 months apart. My older is recovering from a broken leg and isn’t walking well right now. He often needs me to pick him up, or at the very least, hold his hands to help him walk, which is really slow. I needed an easy way to hold my baby while helping my son. I like slings, but the baby didn’t really like the ring sling I had, so I needed something new. I found the Kozy Carrier. I love that there are no buckles to deal with, and its easier on my shoulders than the buckle kind. I can use it in several position including on my back, and my daughter is comfortable in it. I really like the cute pattern I picked out too. I didn’t get paid for this post, I just really like my Kozy!

I bought this walker for my daughter that she totally loves.  Its a Brights Starts Around We Go, or something like that.  It has a center table and a seat that walks around the table.  I like that she can keep going and going.  In the standard walker that we have she constantly bumps in to walls and gets stuck in corners.  The table has 3 different activity stations and a snack area that is handy too now that she can pick up food.  My 2 year old likes it too, and they sometimes play together. Its great for a baby age 5 months and up.  And now that she’s 7  months old she really zooms around it.

Since my son’s cast has been off, he’s been crawling around a lot.  I got him a new tunnel and pop up play house to encourage more crawling, movement, and exercise.  We have a long tunnel and some square playhouses which he pokes his head out of like a little prairie dog.  He loves it.  I love that they fold away.

What do you need for breastfeeding?  Besides your breasts, here’s my list:

• the Boppy ( I also have a Breast Friend which actually has better support, stays in place better, and is easier while you are learning to breastfeed, if you are having trouble with positioning the baby, get the Breast Friend)
• nursing bras (I love the “sleep” bras, I wear them ’round the clock, I hated the underwire ones even though I used to wear underwires before breastfeeding)
• a nursing cover like the Hooter Hiders (or you can just let it all hang out in public, whatever)
• a pump, especially is you plan on working or are set on never giving the baby formula  (if you plan to never leave your baby for more than 2 hours, you can skip this step)

I bought this thing today for my baby called a Taggie.  It is a blanket with little ribbons attached all around.  It follows the theory that babies love the little tags on everything, so why not make a blanket covered in them.  The only thing is that I paid $20 for this stupid thing.  It is about a dollar worth of supplies, figure in time to make it and ship it, and there is still huge profit to be made.  I know that I could make one, but since I’ve never done it, it might take me a while, and the time involved when you have 2 babies makes it not worth it.  Whoever invented this thing, then decided to sell it to chump moms like me is a genius.  Props to you, Taggie inventor!!

Ok, so I think I found my stroller.  Its a Graco Duoglider, fairly new so it has a cup holder and tray for me.  The basket is huge, it stears well, and has trays for both kids.  I found it for $50 on Craigslist and it was in great condition.  We take it everywhere and its working out great.  The only problems so far are that my younger pulls my older’s hair, but he currently sits reclined because of the cast, so when he can sit up again this won’t be such a problem.  And it doesn’t take our Evenflo carseat which I thought it did.  Not too bad, cause the baby sits in the stroller most of the time.  I may have to get a new car seat for the next baby though.  Hope it’s easier than finding a stroller.

So my need for the perfect stroller led to the Graco website where I was looking for replacement parts for my yard sale find.  I figured I could take the bare bones stroller that I liked and add the features that I needed.  The pieces added up to like $60, not an option.  So to Craigslist I went.  I figured I could get another stroller for less than that that had the pieces I was looking for.  I found a couple and gave low offers, about half what the replacement parts would cost.  I haven’t purchased one yet, but I’ve emailed a few people.  In the back of my mind I keep thinking about a side-by-side stroller as my 5 month old is already kicking the front seat of the double.  Those a more expensive, especially if I want to satisfy all the requirements I have.  Here we go again.

My third stroller needed to have everything.  I looked for a long time to find this one.  I finally found a baby trend one that I liked.  It was cheap (under $40), had a tray for my son, a tray with cup holders for me, a basket on the bottom (although not terribly big, it did the job), and steered pretty well.  Then, I got pregnant again, time for a double.  I searched online and in stores and asked everyone I saw with a double what they thought of it.  I found a Graco DuoGlider at a yard sale down the street for $20 so I bought it.  Stroller number 4.  It maneuvers great and had a big basket.  This one being a hand me down however, it was missing both child trays and the front sun shade.  It, therefore, could not hold my infant car seat, and it had no cup holder for me.  I needed something that could hold that car seat and wanted one that could grow with my growing toddler, because my husband said I had reached my limit of strollers.  After hours of research, I picked the Baby Trend double Sit ‘n Stand, stroller number 5.  I figured that my older one would outgrow the stroller sometime and the standing option would be helpful.  I use it as a double seat-er for now, and it has great features like cup holders for me and a tray for the front child, but there is no tray for the back child, a really small basket, and the steering is poor.   Now it’s been a few months, and I’m restless again.  I’ve been searching on Craigslist for a new one.  I know my husband will kill me if I come home with yet another stroller, and my sister makes fun of me for it, but I can’t help it.  I am on a quest for the perfect stroller, optimistic that I will find one sometime before my children start college.