Side by side stroller for twins?

[donthasslethehoff]

Very infrequent poster here, but hoping someone has a recommendation. I am looking for a side by side stroller that will accommodate 2 infant carseats with universal adapters. I really don't want to have to buy new car seats that are made to fit in a specific stroller. We have a chicco keyfit and a graco snugride and would like to keep those.

So far, I've found the Stroll Air my Duo which is like $700, plus the universal adapters, so it's expensive AF, but it's the front runner right now.

I've also found the Baby Trend Navigator Double stroller which I've found conflicting information for. Some things say it takes universal adapters, and other things say that you must use baby trend car seats. The baby trend website has been down for maintenance for the past 2 days, so I haven't been able to confirm either way.

Does any one else have any other ideas? I really don't like the front / back stadium style seating strollers.

[Deleted]

I’m pretty sure the City Mini double does this. We had it for awhile, but not with car seats, and really liked it. It’s also popular so you can find used ones on Craigslist, that’s where we got ours for $200.

[vtdiamond]

Mar 2, 2018 11:29:37 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I’m pretty sure the City Mini double does this. We had it for awhile, but not with car seats, and really liked it. It’s also popular so you can find used ones on Craigslist, that’s where we got ours for $200.

The Citi Mini double only allows 1 car seat.

I am not aware of any side-by-side that does this.  So, we used the Joovy twinroo for the first 6 months with the car seats then switched over to our City Mini double.

[donthasslethehoff]

Mar 2, 2018 11:29:37 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I’m pretty sure the City Mini double does this. We had it for awhile, but not with car seats, and really liked it. It’s also popular so you can find used ones on Craigslist, that’s where we got ours for $200.

It doesn't seem like it works with 2 car seats, unfortunately. I've heard good things about that stroller though!

[donthasslethehoff]

Mar 2, 2018 11:36:49 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

Mar 2, 2018 11:29:37 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I’m pretty sure the City Mini double does this. We had it for awhile, but not with car seats, and really liked it. It’s also popular so you can find used ones on Craigslist, that’s where we got ours for $200.

The Citi Mini double only allows 1 car seat.

I am not aware of any side-by-side that does this.  So, we used the Joovy twinroo for the first 6 months with the car seats then switched over to our City Mini double.

Does the twinroo take any car seat? I hate the seating arrangements on the twinroo LESS than I hate the stadium type seating with other doubles, so it's definitely an option (assuming it will take any 2 car seats).

[vtdiamond]

Mar 2, 2018 11:40:27 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Mar 2, 2018 11:36:49 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

The Citi Mini double only allows 1 car seat.

I am not aware of any side-by-side that does this.  So, we used the Joovy twinroo for the first 6 months with the car seats then switched over to our City Mini double.

Does the twinroo take any car seat? I hate the seating arrangements on the twinroo LESS than I hate the stadium type seating with other doubles, so it's definitely an option (assuming it will take any 2 car seats).

We used it with 2 chicco keyfits so I know it works for those, I'm not sure about other car seats though. 

[pandora89]

Bugaboo Donkey does this and has amazing reviews, but is really pricy.

eta - I'm fairly certain bugaboo has an adapter for chico and graco. We have a bugaboo buffalo with a britax car seat adapter and I think I saw adapters in store for the chico and graco.

[kath16]

You sure you want a side-by-side? I have a tandem that could fit two carseats if needed, though I never used it this way since my 2 are 16 months apart.

[donthasslethehoff]

Mar 2, 2018 11:51:55 GMT -5 pandora89 said:

Bugaboo Donkey does this and has amazing reviews, but is really pricy.

eta - I'm fairly certain bugaboo has an adapter for chico and graco. We have a bugaboo buffalo with a britax car seat adapter and I think I saw adapters in store for the chico and graco.

Yea, that one I looked at but wrote off immediately due to price. The donkey is like $1200 without any of the add-ons. Why the hell are strollers so expensive?!

[donthasslethehoff]

kath16, positive that I want a side by side. That's why I am having the issues. There are a whole bunch of tandems that have adapters that can pretty much fit any car seat.

[vtdiamond]

I think the Bumbleride Twin may also accept 2 carseats, but I'm not positive.

[monkeyfeet]

I had the stroll air and really liked it, but the cs sucked! Ie, bought mine off Zulilly. They sent me a defective frame that I had to return on my own dime. There went my savings from zulilly. I was at a playground where someone had a bugaboo and they looked very similar. No other complaints.
Doesn’t bob make a double? You’d likely be able to find one of those used if you needed to?

[donthasslethehoff]

Mar 2, 2018 12:32:37 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

I think the Bumbleride Twin may also accept 2 carseats, but I'm not positive.

Bumble does, but it's only cybex, maxi cosi and pipa that it's compatible with 2. It's an expensive stroller that would also cause me to have to buy 2 new infant seats, which I am trying to avoid.

[janegold]

If you’re not wedded to side-by-side (I would prefer tandem personally), the Uppababy Vista can accommodate two infant car seats and is compatible with both of those models. It’s not cheap though. I have it for a singleton and I love it. (Looks like there’s some decent sales out there on last year’s model right now.)

ETA, saw the above that you definitely want SBS.  Nvm.

[Koala]

Ditto everyone else, I'm pretty sure the Bumbleride Twin and Bugaboo are the only ones that accepts two car seats.

You can always get a double snap and go for the carseat days and then get a city mini double (side by side) when they are a bit bigger. That is what a few people in my twin group did.

We have a city select. I loved being able to put two car seats on and not have to buy a new stroller later on, but I know you don't want a tandem.

[origami]

I loved my City Mini Double and I definitely see why you’d want a SBS. I had a City Select too, but stopped using it long before I retired the city Mini Double. I just used the snap n go double when my twins were in the infant car seat stage. It’s so light and easy I didn’t even bother buying the car seat adaptors for the Select.

[Deleted]

Mar 2, 2018 11:37:25 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Mar 2, 2018 11:29:37 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I’m pretty sure the City Mini double does this. We had it for awhile, but not with car seats, and really liked it. It’s also popular so you can find used ones on Craigslist, that’s where we got ours for $200.

It doesn't seem like it works with 2 car seats, unfortunately. I've heard good things about that stroller though!

Ahh bummer.  If you don't mind a tandem for awhile you could get a snap and go double for when they're little and get a city mini (or similar) when they're older and out of infant car seats.

[lemoncupcake]

Have you done the math on a cheaper stroller and replacing one of the car seats so you have 2 of the same brand? I wouldn’t spring for a luxury stroller if a new car seat would fix the problem!

[donthasslethehoff]

Mar 2, 2018 15:14:09 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Have you done the math on a cheaper stroller and replacing one of the car seats so you have 2 of the same brand? I wouldn’t spring for a luxury stroller if a new car seat would fix the problem!

It's a 6 in 1 half dozen in the other type situation. It's around $400 for what I consider a 'good' SBS, plus 2 new seats that will work with it, or ~$700 for what seems like a 'better quality' SBS with adapters to keep the same car seats we already have. In the end it's about the same.

The other issue that comes into play here that I didn't mention, we're trying to fit 3 across the middle row of a Honda Pilot. I know the car seats we have work in that configuration so I am sort of set on keeping the car seats that we have.

[melsbels]

We used the Joovy Twin Roo for about 8 months. I loved the configuration! You can’t buy them in Canada (my parents brought one back from a trip to Las Vegas) and I got stopped EVERYWHERE I went with that thing. People commented more on the stroller than the twins, I swear lol. You have to buy an adapter for your specific infant seat, but I think it was only like $30 extra. We had Chicco Keyfit 30 seats.

I dislike tandem strollers as well so we use a City Mini GT Double full time now that they’re in convertible car seats, and I absolutely love it!

[sparty04]

I know it's easier to use something that accommodates a car seat, but I've always put my kids in the city mini once they were 4-6 weeks (without car seat).

I'd honestly get a snap and go and then use the city mini double sans car seats after a month or so.

[lemoncupcake]

Mar 2, 2018 15:31:13 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Mar 2, 2018 15:14:09 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Have you done the math on a cheaper stroller and replacing one of the car seats so you have 2 of the same brand? I wouldn’t spring for a luxury stroller if a new car seat would fix the problem!

It's a 6 in 1 half dozen in the other type situation. It's around $400 for what I consider a 'good' SBS, plus 2 new seats that will work with it, or ~$700 for what seems like a 'better quality' SBS with adapters to keep the same car seats we already have. In the end it's about the same.

The other issue that comes into play here that I didn't mention, we're trying to fit 3 across the middle row of a Honda Pilot. I know the car seats we have work in that configuration so I am sort of set on keeping the car seats that we have.

If you get a stroller with a graco adapter, wouldn’t you just have to buy 1 new graco seat (to replace the Chico)? But I get that it’s an expensive position to be in either way!

[redheadk]

My sis has twins. A friend purchased the joovy twinaroo or whatever it’s called frame stroller for her but she said she sees them offered inexpensively in her moms of multiples group FB page regularly. Have you joined a multiples group? That might be a good option and then you can purchase whichever stroller you’d truly prefer without worrying about bucket seat compatibility.

[fryjack2]

My twins are almost 6 and I still have my Bumbleride indie twin. I see that you don't want to buy new car seats, so I'll tell you what I did in case it's an option for you I never used the car seat adapters or car seats with the stroller. I just put the stroller seats all the way flat for the first few months until they could sit up better. I LOVE the bumbleride.

I had a Bugaboo Donkey and sold it after less than a year. I hated that thing. It felt so cheap (which is insane) compared to the Bumbleride.

[sakura]

I have twins as well, we had the tandem snap’n’go for car seats and a side-by-side when we weren’t using the car seats. One of the difficulties with a side-by-side is fitting it through a doorway, they’ll fit-but just barely. A standard commercial doorway is 36.5 inches. Have you measured the width of your two car seats next to each other with a little space in between to see if they’ll fit? That might be a limiting factor.

[oswin]

I'd recommend the BabyTrend Navigator. We had one when DS1 was born, so only one car sear in it at a time, but it was a good stroller. Huge, but the big pneumatic wheels mean it's good on all terrain, and all side by sides are huge. Right now I'm seeing it as cheap as $221 on Amazon, and if you don't mind the colors not matching the cheapest Flex Loc seat is the Carbon color for $70. The seat is relatively narrow, We're using ours as the third next to two Radians in our Nissan Leaf (not a big car), so chances are you could fit 2 next to a narrow seat for 3 across.

[incognitony]

Mar 2, 2018 12:00:30 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

kath16, positive that I want a side by side. That's why I am having the issues. There are a whole bunch of tandems that have adapters that can pretty much fit any car seat.

What about a double snap and go? I think they are like 80 and you can use any car seat, I know you would still have to buy a double when they are around 9 months but at least you would have a ton of options then.

[atarianna]

I am not sure about two adapters simultaneously, but our side by side City Mini Double was a life saver for me when I had 2 under 1.

How old are your twins? The most cost effective way to accomplish what you’re looking for is getting a click n’ go stroller frame for the time being and move to another double once they are sitting more independently.

I am so cheap, but bucket seats are such a short phase, I personally wouldn’t buy my double stroller just to work with them.

Eta: I see the snap n’ gos used for super cheap all the time!

[janegold]

I'm reviving this thread because I just saw the Mountain Buggy Duet and it can accommodate side-by-side infant carseats. One is a bit higher than the other, but they are both front-facing. I took a quick look at the stroller specs and it looks like they definitely have adpators for the Chicco carseat, not positive about the Graco.

[puppylove64]

I agree with fryjack2 for the first few months just lay the seats all the way back. How much will you use the stroller for the first 6 months anyway?

I really like the city mini gt single that I have and I have a joovy double that is ok. The city mini is definitely better quality.