Strollers *agh*

[Smurfette]

We ordered a Leebruss... scratch that. I ordered a Leebruss
double pram. I saw one in use at Disneyland and just had to
have it. When we got home I researched it and was like
"uhh... Graco will do." So fricking expensive and only available
in Europe. But I have always wanted a pram. It's so vintage
looking. So I bit the bullet and bought one.
http://www.jusonne.co.uk/ekmps/shops/jusonneuk/images/dsc-0010-2.jpg

Nick's family lives in Umbria, Italy and there was a store
in some town over yonder that had one in stock. And this
store was willing to ship it! Yay. Boo. :( It would take 6 weeks
to ship. Date of arrival, April 4th. That wasn't a big deal at
the time but dangit, they're here now... I need something!

I took back all of the strollers given to us at my shower(s)
because I already knew what I wanted and had purchased
their carseats. Yup, I even took back the umbrella strollers
to Walmart. So basically I had nothing but a cheapy swap
meet stroller with no name. You know the kind. :yesnod:

Well today, I sent Poppa (my DH) to bed and took the girls
out into the backyard in this cheapy stroller. It's not a twin
stroller either but it's a really wide seat, at least 25 inches
so I laid them down side-by-side with the seatback reclined.

THEY LOVED IT!!! The fussing stopped. We walked around
the entire neighborhood and when I got home, they were
asleep. I left Poppa at home while I ran to BevMo for some
vino (today is my b'day) and told him to push them around
the house in the stroller if they cried.

If? Please. WHEN they cried he put them in the stroller and
*silence*. I went online looking for other strollers with more
realistic options (the Leebruss is super heavy) and found the
City Select. Anyone know about these?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9foKD_MCBBg/SwVZu3n2BxI/AAAAAAAAAqA/hBzqLuTajR8/s1600/BabyJogger-CitySelect-DoubleInfantSeats+%5B%5D.bmp

Oops. I just bought one. :no:

[Smurfette]

My criteria for a double/twin stroller:

I need to be able to face them. At least while
they're in the infant stage. I'm okay with the
stadium seating (like the City Select) but I
don't like the idea of one sitting behind the
other as newborns.

I want them to sit side-by-side and be able
to fully recline. I don't think it's fair for one
to sit in front and while the other kicks her
in the back. :lafhard:

The stroller needs to be able to go thru a
standard door. I HATE the minivan looking
strollers. So it has to be narrow.

I don't like the jogger wheel. I'm not jogging.
I already know that.

I would prefer a stroller that will take me into
the toddler age. I'm not keen on the carseat
carrier strollers but it will be helpful for Poppa.
Men don't like fuss, I know he won't push around
the Leebruss.

Cost. It needs to be under $100. LOL! Okay,
maybe I can spare $200 but if I can't cancel these
other orders, I need a $25 stroller.

[savepaws]

I just used Baby Trend Snap N Go that I got cheap off of Craigslist. Since we didn't plan on taking them out much in the winter we didn't need anything fancy. Their car seats just snap into it.

I'm on the search now for a stroller that they can sit up in and enjoy the view. But I can't decide if I want a tandem or a side by side. I like side by sides but have read that they don't always fit through doors and are sometimes too wide to navigate through stores. But I hate how long and limosine-like the tandem ones are. I think they are hard to steer. I really like the set up of the Kinderwagon and its compactness. And I don't think we can afford to buy a new stroller since the nice ones are $200 (kinderwagons are $299) and up and since Kinderwagon is a new product, it is hard to find reviews and you certainly can't find any used ones for sale.

http://kinderwagon.com/images/4nohoodred.jpg

[ikkin510]

Double strollers are a pain to shop for. While I don't have twins, I still find I need one with my two boys. Ryan just turned 3 and can do some walking when we go for walks, but can't make it the entire time. And this summer we plan to walk farther to a park, let them play and walk back. He'd never survive that.
At the moment I have 2 double strollers. And umbrella double, which obviously won't work in the newborn stage, but is great to keep in the van and we can use it at the mall or what not.
I also have a tandem double stroller. Both seats come off and you can put carseats on them and the seats can be put on facing forwards or backwards. They lay down really flat so you can always lay a baby right in those. I haven't had a problem with my oldest kicking my younger one yet. The seats are far enough apart that by the time they can each to kick the front seat, you should be old enough to tell them to stop and they should (in a perfect world) listen.
The side by sides, most of them will not fit through regular door ways. My umbrella does, but again, it is way to small to hold car seats. I have found any side by side big enough to hold a car seat won't fit through standard door ways. At least not ones that don't cost an arm and a leg.

[ikkin510]

This is the tandem stroller I have
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11268793
Right now, through the 24th I believe, BRU has a coupon you can print from online for 20% off all strollers. They are offing free shipping at the moment too.
One thing I'm finding is stores don't carry double strollers either. We have been looking for a new umbrella since the one I have we got at the thrift store and it has seen better days. They have a few doubles in store, but most options are online only.

[Smurfette]

Savepaws is spot on! I hate those extra long limo looking
strollers. They seem so clumsy. I ran into a big ole bus
type stroller yesterday on the bike path. It was huge!
The dad could hardly navigate it around the skaters and
scooters. That won't be me.

Another thing I noticed is the wheels on strollers are
getting smaller and smaller. Problem is, the smaller the
wheels are, the more effort it takes to push. And we're
beach people so I definitely need something all terrain
with big, bubbly wheels.

I have yet to find a stroller that is a "Euro-pushchair,
all terrain, rear-facing, stadium seat, double pram." :D

Not to mention lightweight. The Leebruss I ordered is
going to be a mini bench pressing workout for me each
time I use it. Oooh but it's so cute.

[flyerso6]

my mom got us a chicco side by side, which I love and it is soo easy to steer, it is wide and i worry about it fitting. We haven't used it much though. We ended up buying a baby trend double snap and go (savepaws was talking about it). It is a frame with wheels that their infant seats snap into. I love it because it is so convenient, but man is is a pain to steer sometimes. worth the money, but now my twins don't like being in their infant seats while in the store because they can't really look around and see much. And I am soo ready to move to convertible car seats.

[Smurfette]

I figured out the twins just didn't like their infant carriers
so I bought the First Years True Fit. Such a difference. I
think the Graco carrier was uncomfortable for them. The
only downside is taking them in and out but its not a big
deal. We are on the road right now in our RV about 40 mi
from Kirkwood/Tahoe and they haven't made one little
peep, even when they were awake. I know one week old
is a bit early for travel but we're pretty much contained in
here. Poppa and I love snowboarding and we're in a car-
avan of 3 other RVs so we're stoked to be enjoying our
spring break with friends and our little family. Our RV is
a teeny little 21 footer but I figure we save on hotel and food
expenses when we bring our home with us.

The Leebruss stroller arrived on Monday and the box was
so big, I had to uncrate there at the Fedex office. Oh wow,
that sucker is heavy and luxurious and soooo not me.
Sucks that to return it would cost me about $200. The
dang thing only cost $350 so what would be the point?
A bonus is that the stroller will accomodate our girls up
to 65 lbs. Same with the carseats, they will take us clear
to 6 years of age. They better.

[Heywie]

Sounds like you've got everything pretty well taken care of! I also got a pram because I had always thought they were so cute, but it was just not practical! It was impossible to steer around windy areas (like a sidewalk, lol) and you couldn't come close to loading it in a car. Too much of a hassle. I sold it on craigslist after using it twice!

I see you mentioned Disneyland and beach... we must not live too far from each other! Those are our two favorite past times!

[Smurfette]

Sounds like you've got everything pretty well taken care of! I also got a pram because I had always thought they were so cute, but it was just not practical! It was impossible to steer around windy areas (like a sidewalk, lol) and you couldn't come close to loading it in a car. Too much of a hassle. I sold it on craigslist after using it twice!

I see you mentioned Disneyland and beach... we must not live too far from each other! Those are our two favorite past times!
I live in Long Beach but no longer on the beach so to speak.
I am in Signal Hill now until the attorneys figure out whether or
not my ex gets the old house. We live at Disneyland too! Its also a
great place to check out strollers. The Leebruss pram has front
swivel wheels but its still very clunky. What was I thinking?

My twins hate their infant carriers so I think I will wait a bit before
I try buying another stroller. Why is everything so expensive?

[Heywie]

I live in Long Beach but no longer on the beach so to speak.
I am in Signal Hill now until the attorneys figure out whether or
not my ex gets the old house. We live at Disneyland too! Its also a
great place to check out strollers. The Leebruss pram has front
swivel wheels but its still very clunky. What was I thinking?

My twins hate their infant carriers so I think I will wait a bit before
I try buying another stroller. Why is everything so expensive?

Not to hi-jack your thread, but I own a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu business in Signal Hill! Small world!

[Smurfette]

Not to hi-jack your thread, but I own a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu business in Signal Hill! Small world!
Cool. Where? My husband does that Brazilian
dance fighting stuff. Tapioca... or something
like that.

I would be down to some kickboxing - anything
to speed up my weight loss. PM okay?