stroller questions

[gravymom]

I am looking for a stroller to purchase for our upcoming trip. I have three kids, 4, 3 and 1.

I am looking at the Maclaren Opus Duo. Here are my questions that I hope someone can answer:

1) The Maclaren website said that the strollers go up to 40 lbs. per side. Has anyone used theirs for a heavier child (my DD4 is 50 lbs)?

2) If my DD is too heavy for the stroller, can you put a kiddy board or a buggy board on the back of this stroller?

3) Will I be happy with this stroller?

We currently have a double jogging stroller, but we do not have room (not that we have the third child) in the car for this stroller (it does not fold down very compactly).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Amy

 

[jel0511]

I haven't had the Maclaren double stroller, but had a Maclaren single and I can tell you that they are excellent durable strollers. When I was in the market for a double, I wanted a Maclaren, but at the time their doubles didn't fully recline. I needed one that fully reclined since I had a very small infant. I bought the Combi Double Savvy and couldn't have been happier. I thought the seats were slightly bigger than the Maclaren's and it was the only double that supported up to 90lbs, 45lbs in each side. It also only weighed 11lbs, MUCH lighter than the Maclaren. Personally, I wouldn't worry about having a larger child sit on one side, as long as you're not exceeding the total weight limit. Just take the 50lb child out for a spin in the stroller to see if he/she will be comfortable in it. My DD started to outgrow my double by the time she was 3 1/2, and not due to weight, but height. It was tight around the sides, but her legs were too long, and it looked very uncomfortable for her to sit. I've since given up my double and now have a Peg Perego Pliko, which has a place for older kids to stand if necessary. If you "can" put a buggy board on the back of the stroller, I'd fear that it would hamper being able to fold the stroller. The Maclaren is an umbrella stroller, and it collapses up and into itself. If you attached a buggy board, the stroller wouldn't be able to fold up, making it very difficlut to transport, unless you wanted to detach it everytime you wanted to fold it up. I'm not very familiar with the buggy boards, but I think they would be very difficult to attach/reattach every time you wanted to use it. It just seem unforunate that they isn't a double stroller built for larger toddlers. My advice for you would be buy a double for your two smaller children and if necessary rent or buy a cheaper large stroller for your older child. I know that my 4 1/2 year old, HATES sitting in a stroller anymore, unless she's tired. And, even my buggy board doesn't help then, since then she wants to sit, not stand.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Still using a single stroller and we just researched buying a new one for our next trip to WDW (March 2003, DD will be 23 months old)


The best price we found by far was at http://www.strollers4less.com I looked at many different sites and stores in our local area. We considered a Maclern but ened up with a combi travel savy DX for only 99.00 (half off ) They also have great prices for Maclearns. We liked the combi better because it has a bar across the frount with cup holders on it.

We ordered it last week, havn't got it yet. Just got the email it was shipped today. Good luck.

 

[gravymom]

Jel,

how small does the Combi double savvvy fold up? Space is at a premium in the car.

I have a feeling that DD will be both too heavy and too tall (she is right at 46"). She still fits into our double jogging stroller but the double jogging stroller won't fit into the SUV (unless we left a person out and that dog won't hunt.)

She still insists on riding in a stroller (and as hard as we hit the parks, I cannot blame her for that). Probably what will happen is the baby will insist on being carried (UGHHHHH), and the 3 and 4 year olds will ride in the stroller, so a single won't work, cause when our backs give out, we will plop DD1 in the stroller and make DD4 walk (and I don't trust DS3 to ride on the back of the stroller - he doesn't follow directions very well and I can just see it being a nightmare). We did fine renting strollers in the park last time, but it just broils my heiny to pay $15 per day to rent a stroller (and then if you go to DD, you have to fork out another $15 for a stroller).

Thanks for the replies.

Amy

 

[jel0511]

The maclaren folds up onto it's self, so it's actually flatter, but wider when it folds. The Combi folds into itself. What it does is it folds into three pieces, latching in the front. It kind of looks like a very long rectangle when it's folded. I found the closed dimensions on the combi website. 16w" x 14d" x 39h" So, as you can see, it's pretty small. We were easily able to fit it in between my two kids in the back seat of our rental car. The Maclaren is 42.5 x 17.1 and it doesn't say how deep it is, so my guess is that they are pretty comparable, with a slight edge to the Maclaren based upon my recollections, but not by much. Also, the Combi has a removable front bar, which the Maclaren doesn't, might be important for the little one. Also, the Combi has dual canopies, I don't know if that's important, but for my kids it was. My older one never liked the canopie, but I needed it for the little one. Maybe you should invest in a backpack type carrier for the baby. That way, you won't have to carry the baby all the time and have room for the older ones in the stroller. If the older wants to walk, then store the carrier on the stroller. I wish you luck traveling to WDW with so many little ones!!!! I'm sure you'll have a great time!!!

 

[KrisRob]

We ditched the idea of bringing our double stroller after the first time we tried taking it on the trams to go from the parking lot to the park. WHAT A PAIN!!!! We decided that we would rather pay for the rental so just figured it into our budget. We just took along 2 beach towels, placed one on the seat & used one for a shade or pillow when needed. Plus our 2 youngest sat in the seats & when tired the 3rd child sat in the footrest part for a break. At www.wdwig.com they have pictures of the stroller. Hope it helps.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

Gravymom,

I can tell you without a doubt that your 4 year old will be way too tall for the Combi Twin Savvy. We went to look at one earlier this week and my 2 and half year old (37 inches tall) was already too tall - her legs were hanging way past the footrest and she was complaining immediately that it was too small. I really liked a lot of the features of this stroller but there is no way my daughter could use it now let alone for another year or so.

The main side-by-side strollers out there in the higher-quality brands (not Graco etc.) are either the MacLarens (Twin Traveller or Opus Duo), the Combi Twin Savvy, the Peg Perego Aria Twin or the Ingelsina Twin Jet. Each has features I like and each has something I don't. Be sure to do lots of research and see as many in person as possible as all of these are quite expensive and you'd hate to spend the money and end up with the wrong stroller.

We have tried out the Maclarens, the Combi and the Peg. So far we like the Peg the best as our daughter still fits but the stroller is compact, lightweight and maneuvers well. The Combi, as I said before, is great as far as size and weight and maneuverability but it just doesn't seem built for "older" kids. I like the Maclarens but I don't like the lack of "nap bar" or the umbrella handles - these of course may not be issues of concern for you. The Ingelsina (which I have not yet had a chance to see in person) is the most expensive but I am anxious to see it as it seems to have lots of good features.

I wish you luck as you go about your search for the perfect double stroller - seems there are just not enough choices out there!

 

[dmonroe]

we used our Maclaren while we were there. Actually we were traveling with 2 other families; and all 3 of us were using Maclarens. None of us had a double though. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that 2 of the kids were bigger (my ds is around 42 lbs, one of the other kids is in the 45-50 lb range) and we had no trouble pushing the strollers around. They held up great!