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The grass is always greener (though your wallet will be less so)Apr 02 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Strollers
The Bottom Line Different strollers work for different families, and it is possible to have the best of both worlds without breaking the bank.
It's funny. When my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child, we were very excited, but there is one thing that he enjoyed doing that I tried and tried to bring to a halt. He liked to joke about us having twins. "Wouldn't it be funny," he'd say, "if we had two?" No, I did not think it would be funny. Really. "We could name them Starry and Stormy," he'd joke, to go with our last name, Knight. No, that wasn't funny either. I was pregnant, even chocolate didn't taste good (!), and nothing related to additional baby stress was funny. Nineteen week checkup: the doctor wanted to know if we had any more questions at the end of the appointment. Just one, I said... is there any chance we could have twins? I have actually had a dream about twins, and my husband likes to joke about it, you know. Oh, of course not... my measurements aren't large enough for twins. Mmm hmmm. Twenty week ultrasound: after the initial pictures and a poker face on the attendant's part, my husband came in and we got to see our little one up on the big screen for the first time. "There's the baby's head... and there's the other baby's head..." Okay, now it was funny. In fact, all I could do was laugh (better than the alternative, I thought. If my sense of humor wasn't already developed, it needed some quick developing). So twins were on the way. "Starry" and "Stormy" were unequivicably ruled out, but it was time to choose names and decide how this "double" thing was to work out. Parents of twins have a lot of choices to make, some more important than others. While it's not the biggest decision of all, the type of stroller you purchase is an important decision that you will have to live with for quite some time. While our experience is not a perfect one, I do think that we have found a way to experience the "best of both worlds." Both worlds, you wonder? Whatever am I talking about? Ah, the world of the tandem (front and back) stroller, and the side-by-side model. Factors to Consider When Choosing a Stroller o Where will you use the stroller? If you live in the suburbs where there are wide, well-kept sidewalks, or you plan to use your stroller for strolling along the beach or through the zoo, you will likely be looking for different things from the person who wants to be able to successfully navigate J.C.Penney's or the specialty shop at the mall. If you'll be walking outside, consider the overall width of sidewalks in your area. Also keep in mind that if you plan to walk with another family, you may want to be able to walk beside the other adult rather than in front or behind. o Do you want to own a double stroller and two singles, or would you rather have an all-in-one setup? The answer to this question will help decide the type and quality of strollers that you purchase (more coming below). o Will you travel a lot with the stroller, or will it be parked at home most of the time? Your answer to this question can help you decide the importance of the stroller's weight and the size that the stroller is when it is folded up. (We're still a non-minivan family, and until that changes, it is important that our necessities, including stroller, can all fit in the trunk!) o Do you plan to jog while pushing your children, or are you a walker? Though it's hard to believe, there are people who have two young children and still have the energy to jog! If you are one of these [sick and wrong] lovely individuals, then you definitely need to take a look at the type of wheel base on the stroller. I have seen "jogger strollers" equipped for two children, though I've never looked too closely. How to Choose Between a Tandem and a Side-by-Side Stroller Tandem Stroller If you know that the places you will most likely go have a narrow enough aisle that it is hard for two people to fit in side by side, then GO TANDEM. When answering the above questions, the tandem would fit you if you want to be able to walk beside someone with another stroller, if you have narrow outdoor sidewalks, or if you wish to walk down the aisles of a department store. On the flip side, this does mean that one child will always be in front of the other. If, like me, you have a child who approaches his or her second birthday and is still virtually bald, this does not present so much of a problem. However, if your children actually have hair, I do know mothers who have told stories of the back child pulling the front child's hair unremorsefully. I can also imagine child B poking and prodding at child A in the front, and this, too, could make a leisurely walk less than pleasurable. To prevent the aforementioned difficulties, you can purchase a tandem stroller in which the front seat can swivel around, allowing the two children to face one another. This way, they can kick each other instead of pulling hair. (Seriously, I do know one mom with a stroller like this who likes it very much.) Side-by-Side A side-by-side stroller does offer amenities that the tandem does not. Both children have a front seat view, one cannot poke the back of the other's head, and leg room is not a difficulty, as it can be in some strollers for the child who is in the back. However, of the mothers with whom I have spoken (and there are several at our local Mothers of Twins Club), I can honestly say that I do not know one who purchased solely a side-by-side stroller and was happy with it. Why were they unhappy? Basically, they couldn't fit the stroller through doorways or down aisles. It is hard enough to go anywhere with two small children, and if that "anywhere" consists of a store or a narrow sidewalk, you're often out of luck with a side-by-side stroller. So before purchasing such a stroller, consider where you'd like to use it. If it's in a store, imagine the two sets of hand reaching this way and that, trying to grab things off of the now easy-to-reach shelves, and reconsider. So What's the Bottom Line Here? Well, if you'd like to know what I did, here is the compromise at which my husband and I arrived. We knew there would likely be times that we would want side-by-side, but we decided that front and back was where our primary stroller purchase should be. Very kind and appreciated relatives offered to purchase the tandem stroller, and we chose the Graco Duo Glider, after visiting several stroller displays in various baby superstores. From other very appreciated friends we received two umbrella strollers - you know, the type that really do fold down to the size of a large umbrella. The one purchase we actually made, then, was a ten dollar set of stroller clips at Babies R Us. The clips come in a set of three, and they clip together two umbrella strollers, turning them into a single side-by-side stroller. You have to use all three clips for the connection to be solid (and the strollers must be the same size exactly), but when you do, they work quite well. The only time I have used these is in the shopping mall when I know that there will be times when both adults will not be available to push the stroller. But this is nice, as it allows us the freedom of having one or two adults attending to the children. And there are times when it just isn't worth it to fit the big stroller in the trunk - the little, lightweight umbrella strollers are much more portable! Ours do not have sun shades, but if you wish to spend a little more, it is possible to purchase two umbrella stroller with shades, making them more appropriate for outdoor walks. (We use our double stroller for that.) No matter what stroller you purchase, there will likely always be moments when you wish you had purchased a different one. "The grass is always greener" rule, I call it. There are fancy strollers for four hundred dollars or more (so I've seen), there are the lower-priced models like our Graco ($150), and there is the umbrella stroller connection possibility (as little as $30 total for strollers and clips). You may be able to get an even better deal at a yard sale! I encourage you to check your area Mothers of Twins Club - ours has a rummage sale twice a year, and we almost always have at least one double stroller. Although I don't know them personally, I do hear and read of parents who are more than pleased with their side-by-side strollers. They probably live close to places where one would walk outdoors in an area with wide open spaces, or they don't mind sticking to the main wide aisles at Sears. Above all, if you have twins, I recommend that you get some type of double stroller. Unless one parent wants to stay cooped up in the house for two years, you won't regret your purchase! Or, of course, once the children can walk, you can have them walk along side you as you shop at the local mall... oh, wait a minute, I think that was an episode of The Twilight Zone or Unsolved Mysteries... or perhaps I dreamed about it. Dreams can come true, you know, no matter how unlikely they may seem. After all, I have twins.  |
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