But first, thank you so much for your comments on my last post. Just hearing that this is hard from other people is so helpful. I have to admit, I find it a bit funny that my readers are uniformly in support of a cleaning service. Getting JD to recommit to cooking two full meals a week is much, much higher on my priority list (and something he could also do on any night, late at night) than cleaning ... but then I realized that's because you might not know that while we live in a truly luxurious apartment (dishwasher, walk-in closet, laundry about 15 feet from our door - everything but AC a girl could want, really) it does happen to be ... a little under 600 square feet. Which means that a good, energetic hour of cleaning a week gives me plenty of time to vacuum, mop, dust, sanitize the bathroom and kitchen and general straighten up. And the readers who suggested that I should not let JD be in charge of the pursestrings did make me laugh. We have lived apart for so many years that I can't imagine him giving me a budget/allowance. However, that doesn't mean that I can commit to something he is entirely opposed to without his support.
Anyway, many more thoughts on stress and my life (and nursing too) coming up.
But in the meantime a rather pressing stroller question. See, I had fairly well picked out our new stroller (s) for the springtime and even got some very generous grandmothers to commit to helping out with the cost until I saw a craigslist post in our neighborhood ...
I had been planning to buy the City Mini Double Stroller come springtime. It's not a fortune (about $400), lightweight, and most important of all really easy to fold. Since, you know, I'll have to fold it up every time I want to take it into or out of my apartment door. This after a good half hour at the stroller store trying the folding mechanisms on the Urban Mountain Buggy Double, etc. The huge downsides are that it's hideous (truly, those colors always look dirty even when brand new) and I see a lot of 2-3 year olds who look really squashed because they don't have enough foot room.
(For the record, I am also looking for a board for our buga.boo (another great CL find) and acquired for $40 a second Maclar.en single stroller. I can't stand the Maclaren double, and figure that anytime post-the first couple of months that JD and I are going out together to meet friends we'd take 2 single strollers so that we could each just carry one down the three flights of stairs to our subway platform).
Anyway, this is the almost-new stroller currently on Craigslist for the same price as a city mini double: Double Bumbleride. The upsides are that it is easier to push, prettier (hey, if Ms. J can put on make-up mid-labor I can admit that the aesthetic value of the object I spend at least an hour a day pushing around the city through rain and snow matters to me), and can also fit a carseat or bassinet for the first few months, which I really like.
So, advice?
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I have the double bumbleride and love it. However, I am not sure it is as toddler friendly as other strollers can be. The foot rest area doesn't go down in a 90 degree angle, and the end flips up a little, which would be uncomfortable for an older toddler with longer legs. The back also doesn't sit up all the way (which I also heard from friends is the same with the city mini) so they are always reclined a bit. Have you checked out the UppaBaby Vista? It has a jumpseat that I hear is perfect for a toddler, and very easy to take on and off. And I have also heard great things about phil&ted from my friends who have 2 kids in baby/toddler age. :)
I really don't have much advice on the double strollers- all I can say is test out as much as possible because being happy with your stroller is paramount! I HATE the one we got for Pumpkin with her baby registry- I was seduced by it's good looks & ample storage & tricked into not testing thoroughly for the horrible maneuvering & crap folding. Aesthetics are important. But the prettiest stroller that works like crap & makes you angry every time you use it is a waste of money. I have seen a ton of the phil&ted by me & always drool a little over them.
About the previous post- I think there were a ton of great suggestions and ideas- but mainly- you need help. And whether that is JD helping- you hiring help or just deciding what needs to slide a bit- you need to have an easing up so that you & dream baby are taken care of too. Hope you get a break soon!
Hmm. Though I have some definite "expertise" in the dual department, I can't say I did a whole lot of crazy research before I registered for our stroller. However, that said, it is the one that seems to be fairly popular for it's durability, flexibility and price. I think it may actually work pretty well for an infant/toddler combo. It's the Kolcraft Contours Options tandem stroller. Side-by-sides are great, as long as you don't encounter narrow doorways; alternately, tandems are great as long as you don't encounter any ridiculously tight corners. I guess I'd think about places you go on a daily basis and determine: do you need to worry more about width or turning radius?
Anyhow, I just recently discussed twin strollers with Julia (Here Be Hippogriffs-- do you read her? If not, you should. She's fantastically funny.). Anyhow, it turns out, she has the same stroller as me, and ended up purchasing it for the same reason that I did (it fits almost any brand of infant seat on it's infant-seat-adapter thingy). And now, with her twins at 2.5 yrs old, she says she still uses it for much of their travel, which sounds promising to me, as I was worried that it's quite bulky and quite heavy.
But silly Kate. ANY twin stroller is going to be bulky and heavy. She did say that once they're sitting up that she preferred the Jeep double umbrella for outings. It's the cheapest one on the market and she much prefers it to her MacLaren (which she just sold on her local craigslist...).
Anyhow, the Kolcraft one that I have is awesome because it lets me position the seats any way I please, so if the boys decide they hate each other, I can position the seats such that they face away from each other. Alternately, if they are enchanted with each other, they can face each other. Or if they both want to see out, or both need to stare at Mama, they can do so. Anyhow, that feature might be nice with a toddler who wants to look at Mom regardless of whether little brother or sister is also along for the ride.
Of course, this stroller is dang near six feet long, which really can make it a pain to maneuver, but I figure it's a billion times easier than carrying two at once. Oh, and it's WICKED heavy. I am just now getting to the point that I can lift it out of the trunk without grunting, and that's without the big-kid seats on it (the seats come off for the infant adapters). Oh, and you can't fold it with both seats or both infant adapters attached (you might be able to fold it with one of each attached, though...). Just things that should be considered if you were to run it up and down stairs often!
So. That's my review of the stroller I use most often. We also got a Graco plastic jobby, which we got because it was supposed to hold both infant seats at once without any sort of adapter (we have Graco brand car seats), which it does not, or if it does, it's not very secure feeling. Anyhow, it is significantly lighter and easier to maneuver than the Contours, but I get the idea that it isn't as durable. Ah, well, it was, like $60 on super sale, so I couldn't really pass it up. It is currently serving the purpose of last-ditch entertainment effort in our house. I can prop both boys up in the stroller, and then wheel them in circles around our house until they fall asleep... usually buys me a few minutes of peace!
Feh. Anyhow, I know I didn't answer your exact question, but that's my input on the zwilling stroller issue, FWIW.
i think the kolcraft would be a nightmare getting to the subway.
phil and ted's might be the way to go. its a little weird to me to have a kid in what i think of as the storage compartment, but it is so slim and short in length that it would work really well for doorways.
Also, I have twins and for the first few months i would wear a baby and push a single tiny stroller if i was going somewhere that i anticipated maneuvering problems. And it could give you some time when the baby is actually here to test out the strollers that you like?
Oooooh, I wanted a bumbleride and baaaad. But I was on a craigslist budget, so. . . I ended up with the first one that came in on my price range, which was the baby jogger city (not the mini). I like the baby jogger, but it still a bulky fold. The reason I didn't go for the mini is that the wheels are not as sturdy and I needed some off-road, nubby wheels.
I also got a car stroller, which is the Chicco Trevi twin. I really like it and it folds like a dream. Again, no nubby tires, but cuter and less expensive than the bumberide.
I have to fold my stroller and keep it downstairs in our walk up, so folding was really critical to me. we went with the phil & ted's vibe, because it is the only phil & ted's that folds with the double seat attached. it is also the lightest because of its aluminum frame, but it's bulky. the others (less expensive) are smaller in size, but you have to remove the second seat to fold them. though with an in line would you still have to fold it to get it out of your apartment door? and you can use a phil & ted's from birth because the main seat fold's all the way back and the second seat attaches on the top for that set up. we also bought the cocoon which helps you easily slide the baby in and out. to be honest though, we didn't really use the double much until Baby H was about 3 months, mostly the bjorn until then. I think the double wides (city mini, maclaren) are tough to navigate in the city. craigslist always has a ton of P&T's.
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