go to Main Reports Index update: 6/25/00 okay, now for the *second* baby: with number two due in july, i figured it was time to start looking around at tandem strollers. the comparisons can be found in the tandem stroller listing. why a tandem? well, two babies, of course. my oldest will be just turning 2 when the next one arrives. before i got pregnant again, i asked a friend about the necessity for a tandem (her kids are spaced about the same distance). she said "are you kidding? if i don't strap the older one down when i go shopping, i'd never get anything done." i believe her advice is sound. but anyway. first off, factors to consider when you're shopping for one of these monsters: front-to-back vs side-by-side: i actually can't imagine why you'd want a side-by-side unless maybe you had twins who played with each other. the argument i hear a lot is that front-back ones are much easier to maneuver, wedge through doors, through narrow aisles, etc. storage: remember to check!! surprisingly, manufacturers sometimes seem to think that now that you have two children, you have *less* to haul around. yeah, right. size and weight: will it fit in your vehicle? and how much does it weigh? remember that a lot of these things start in the 30-35lb range and only get heavier from there. some are coming out in a lightweight aluminum, putting them in the 25 lb range, but the tubing may not be as durable over time as a slightly heavier model. seat features: do you want the back seat to fully recline? do you want the front seat to turn and face the back so the kids can see each other? IMPORTANT: is there enough room in the back seat for the child to actually put their legs down when the front one is in recline mode??? (cramping here is a frequent problem.) a new feature on some strollers: stadium seating, where the back seat rides higher than the front. (we'll see how useful that truly is over time.) also, do you care if it will accommodate an infant carrier? wheels: do the front ones swivel for maneuverability? are there shock absorbers on any or all of them for a smoother ride? ease of use: absolutely have someone show you how to deploy and (more importantly) collapse the stroller in the store. do it yourself a few times. try it holding a squirming bag of puppies to give yourself a realistic view of wrangling two children and a stroller at the same time. (sorry, i cannot provide a resource on where to find puppies for testing purposes. that's a secret.) our choice: the graco duo glider. why: pumpkin seat accomodation. this was one of two strollers i found where the back seat will accept an infant carrier. remembering how useful this feature was the first time, i decided this was key. never violate the first rule of infants: DON'T WAKE A SLEEPING BABY. weight: weighs in around 30 lbs. there are lighter ones but you lose a few features and i wasn't that wild about the durability. i figure 5 lbs is a small price to pay for a longer lifetime with the stroller. also, i could probably use the workout. storage: this is probably the factor that decided between the graco and the peg perego: the peg only has a leetle slide-out tray. you've got to haul gear for two kids now so they give you a smaller basket? what's that about? granted, the baby has yet to arrive, so i don't have usage experience with the stroller (that review comes later.) but i'm pretty comfortable with my choice so far. it also seems to be a very popular choice - two people on our street have the same stroller and love it. we all came to the same conclusion: it was this or the peg perego, and when you consider the features that this had and the peg lacked, it became real hard to spend $380 for a stroller that had virtually no storage. the peg does seem to be the number two choice in this area, but i don't personally know anyone who has purchased it. View the tandem stroller page.

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