This balmy winter is an exception. Most years, January means snow, ice and temperatures that weld your eyelashes together. Since I absolutely must get outside in winter (not to the mall), I need an all-season stroller: wheels big enough to plow through snow; good suspension; and coverings that are wind-resistant yet breathable.
I also need a stroller that can be easily folded into the back of the car, fits through an average doorway, and safely and comfortably carries two babies, preferably side-by-side.
Most of the strollers that fit all of the above criteria are “jogging strollers”. After researching on-line, (www.joggingstroller.com and stroller-advisor.com are somewhat useful) we chose a double Chariot. It has the added advantages (for us) of being made in Canada, available locally, and convertible to a bike or ski trailer.
We bought the Chariot when twins were three months old. Strollers for that age are usually rear-facing. Chariots are front-facing, which is one disadvantage of jogging strollers in general. We also had to buy the Chariot’s “baby slings” to provide additional support for the twins until they were about six months old. (There’s a crucial difference between the “baby sling” and the “baby supporter”, we learned after several trips back to the shop. Two supporters will not fit in the double stroller; two slings will.)
The twins loved the Chariot from their first wintry excursion. We liked it too – enough to buy the single version for our toddler. Family outings are now a walking product endorsement. There are, however, a few aggravating features of the Chariot. Nothing is perfect. For anyone shopping for a double stroller, here are a few other things to consider:
-The Velcro that holds the Chariot’s plastic windbreak in place is loud enough to wake any sleeping baby. Not a problem in a single stroller: your child wakes up, you take him out. But twins seem to never wake up at the same time, and Velcro closures makes it impossible to take one child out of the stroller and leave the other sleeping.
-While it’s cozy in winter, the Chariot can be a bit of a greenhouse on a mid-summer day. Even with all the vents open, there’s not much air-flow. We were concerned enough to buy a thermometer to monitor the inside temperature, and it does get several degrees hotter than the outside air. With the plastic covering down (on a warm rainy day) it can get much hotter inside.
-With a few jostles, bumps and expletives, the double Chariot will just fit through most doorways. This is more of a gripe with building design than stroller design. I hadn’t noticed, prior to wielding a gigantic stroller, how narrow doorways, aisles and checkouts are; how many shops and public places are accessible only by stairs or do not allow strollers; how few doorways have automatic openers; and how snow plows leave a small (but sometimes insurmountable) bank at every intersection.
I attempted to bring our twins to a playgroup at the neighborhood library. The room was on the ground floor and there was a ramp bypassing the few stairs to the door. All good. The staff, however, informed me that strollers were not allowed inside the building. Again, not a problem with one child: park the stroller and bring her in. But it’s a big problem with two infants unless you can safely carry them both at once – and someone gets the door. These inconveniences have changed how I plan outings and ultimately where I go with the twins. It has also opened my eyes to the much greater frustration that must be felt by people with permanent accessibility challenges.
-Finally, a double stroller doesn’t really get us around “with three under two”. We didn’t consider triple strollers. They’re just too big. So when we take all three kids out, we bring two strollers and two adults – or Thomas has to walk, which is not such a bad thing for a toddler with energy to burn.
Hi there,
I just came accross your blog and thought I would comment on the stoller dilemma that you face. I also had three under two (my son was 21 months when my twins were born) and we continue to have great success with the Double Urban Mountain Buggy stroller. My twins are almost two now and they ride in the stroller seats while my son has (for the last 1.5 years) sat on the front for the ride. There is a long metal foot rest (which the twins can’t reach with their feet yet) which is perfect for him and even a little place for his feet on the wheel axle below. This has allowed us to be very mobile- I am home with them for the most part and we regularly get out to the store etc. It even gets through our recently arrived Toronto snow! It is really a great solution to this particular challenge.
Good luck!
Heather
Thanks for your note. Your stroller does sound like a great solution. Did you buy it in Toronto? We considered making a trip to Toronto or Montreal to get a better selection, but never found the time….
I bought it on ebay and had it shipped to my parents who were vacationing in Florida- this saved some shipping costs. Overall we saved about 25% or about 250$ doing buying it on ebay instead of buying it here. I would recommend this route as these strollers are so expensive- it was brand new and I even got a recall notice via email. I know they are available here (in TO) and the Mountain Buggy Canada office is out of Vancouver so maybe they can help you get one.
I reread my last post and it sounds like an advert for Mountain Buggy but it truly has been so great being able to push all three around- we go back and forth to the kids’ morning nursery school- about a 10 minute brisk walk everyday.
It’s great to read your blog- I sort of felt very alone in this situation- I have come to know many families with twins but hardly any with an older child so close in age. I was petrified when I found out at an ultrasound in the 6th week. Of course it hasn’t been at all as “bad” as I thought it would be. Very busy but great too! I’m not sure how old your boys are now but I’m sure you find that they entertain each other (for better or worse!).
I’ll be eager for an update on the stoller front- it is SO important for me to be able to get out!
Heather
We are now parents of 6 week old twins. Yesterday I took our almost 3 year old son to the snow slides at Jacques Cartier park (minus twins). It was great to get outside, and so it has become obvious that we should spend the $100+ for the pair of Chariot baby slings so that we can get out with the twins. This now seems like a no brainer, especially since the canal is now open for skating.
Another comment re: cloth diapering, we used cloth and washed our own for our first son, and continue to do so for the twins – the exception is at night, we use disposables, but will probably start double-diapering with cloth at night when they settle into a more predictable sleeping routine.
I also can’t help but link to our favorite cloth diapering store, The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe http://www.extraordinarybabyshoppe.com which is conveniently located in the ‘hood across from the Rosemount Library.
We also took the kids (all of them!) tobogganing last weekend. Our older son loved it but the twins, immobilized in their snowsuits and squished into a single sled, were not impressed. We haven’t bought the ski attachments for the Chariot yet, but that would have worked better.
I know the Extraordinary Baby Shoppe well. They have a great cloth diaper loan program (now Canada wide).
I too have three under two. Our daughter was 20 months old when our twins arrived. For those reading who are having stroller dilemmas. We purchased the Valco tri-mode twin roundabout stroller. It is a double side by side stroller with a detachable toddler seat which sits in front of and above the other two. It was quite pricey but has been worth every cent so far.
Some very interesting and insightful thoughts. I like this.