Both sets of my kids (10 & 8, 4 & 2) have about a two-year age spread from one other. For the first six months or so of each younger sib’s life, getting around was no big deal—I’d just pop the little one in a sling or backpack carrier and push the older one in a single stroller. But as soon as the younger became too big to carry easily in-arms, going places became an issue. A two-and-a-half year old still needs to be carted, pushed or pulled some of the time (even if he likes to “walk by himsewf” it’s not always safe or practical to let him do that, and there are times and places when more speed is required than a two-year-old’s legs are capable of. For example, have you ever tried to go for a power walk at toddler pace?) Even as both kids grow, a stroller that fits two is sometimes a necessity. Who hasn’t gone for a nice long stroll with a four-year-old who, at some point, sits down and decides he’s had enough of this walking business?
But double strollers always failed me. They were too big, too clunky and too heavy. They’d take up the entire sidewalk, too wide to fit through hallways; or else they were so long you could barely get around a corner, and forget about ever entering an elevator or trying to make it all the way through an automatic door before the thing shuts on one of your offspring. As for portability? Ha! Any “folding down” just converted these monstrosities into enormous, heavy piles of metal and plastic you couldn’t pick up anyway, even if there was by some miracle enough room for them in your trunk or closet.
Enter my new aquisition, the Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller —something I wish had been around when my older two were little. First of all, this thing does not have the dorky, clunky look of an old-school double stroller. Mine is black and silver and sleek, and shorter in length than the traditional tandem stroller. It’s comfy and practical, too: it easily fits my 2.5 and 4.5 year olds together, and the back seat, which reclines for easy & comfy napping, is positioned a bit higher than the front to give my little guy a view of something besides the back of his brother’s head. There are cup-holders galore for parents and both kids; two baskets—and you can get stuff in and out of the back basket even when the seat is reclined—and other little pockets and nooks to stash stuff in. The ride is smooth and you can push with one hand without difficulty, turning is easy, you can brake both wheels by pressing one easy bar with a foot, and folding the whole thing down is a snap—you turn a handle and it basically collapses on itself, which is good for parents like me who seem to forget every single time how to fold the darn thing down. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still heavy to pick up—I mean, it’s a double stroller, after all—but it is physically possible for this rather wimpy mom to haul the Quattro Duo up and down stairs and throw it in the car when needed, unlike the doubles of yesteryear.
As baby products have improved over the past few years, other double strollers have come on the market that offer a nicer ride than those I had the misfortune of dealing with a decade ago. For instance, I’ve been coveting a Baby Trend Sit N Stand stroller for a while, which features a jump seat that bigger kids can perch on when they want to ride and easily jump off when they want to walk. The Sit N Stand is more compact than the Quattro Tour Duo, but it’s also not as versatile—you couldn’t use it for infant twins, for example, or for an infant and a very young toddler. And the jump seat is convenient, but if we were going to be pushing older child around all day we’d probably want something a bit comfier that he could nod off in if the mood struck. The older-kid cup-holders are a nice thing to have, too, since four-year-olds don't take kindly to sippy cups.
I’ve also been eyeballing the Phil & Ted’s inline buggy, which you can buy with a doubles kit to convert into a two-kid ride. I see a lot of posh parents in the neighborhood with those, and I have to admit they are sexy little things with a really innovative design. But…they’re over $700. I’d love to try one out, but I think my younger two are getting a little too close to the end of their stroller days for me to make the investment. And as I've written here before, high-price-tag strollers aren't really my style. At around $240, the Quattro Duo Tour is much more budget-friendly and quite a good price for a quality double stroller. And when Will, who’s pushing 5, is officially Too Old and Too Big to get pushed around, I can use the extra space for hauling groceries or whatever else needs carting. Maybe I’ll load it down with weights to give my walks extra oomph.
Not long ago I saw a friend of mine, another value-minded mom of several kids, at our school pick-up; and she was also pushing a Graco Quattro Tour Duo. “Hey, I think I have that same stroller!” I said. “Don’t you love it?” she asked.
We may not be the hippest moms in the 'hood, but we’re each pushing a couple of kids around in comfort and style and relative cheapness—not bad. Besides, I’ve always been more practical than posh.
