After finding out baby #2 was on the way, one of the only items I felt the need to thoroughly research was a good double stroller. I researched absolutely everything for Natalie- the car seat, the high chair, the diapers- but now, we get to reuse nearly everything, which is just great! So for the past couple months, I’ve been reading reviews and testing out samples at baby stores, trying to figure out what kind of double would work best for us. I had a basic list of requirements for the new stroller: it must have all-terrain tires (an absolute must- typical plastic tires just plain suck. They ware very easily and result in a bumpy, uncomfortable ride), it must be compatible with our infant car seat (a Chicco Keyfit 30), it must be somewhat compact and fold small enough to fit into our car (a Nissan Murano), and it must not cost a fortune. But I soon found that these seemingly basic requirements were hard to come by in a double!
I learned that there are two basic types of double strollers- tandem and side-by-side, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. It seemed most tandems were long and hard to steer, but narrow enough to fit through small spaces whereas side-by-side models were wider and bulkier, yet easier to push. And all of them were enormous! Plus, my options were very limited based on my need for all-terrain tires and compatibility with the infant car seat. I looked at Mountain Buggy, Baby Jogger and a few other “high end” brands. I was almost sold on the City Select by Baby Jogger- a compact tandem that seemed just perfect! But upon sampling, I found that Natalie barely fit in the seat! Plus, it was super pricey… I couldn’t justify the cost for a stroller that Natalie would outgrow in no time.
Anyway, I kept coming back to Bumbleride. We already own the single Indie and just love using it with Natalie. It’s versatile enough to take out on a light jog or out and about shopping. It’s a breeze to push, it folds compactly, and it worked great with the infant seat when she was smaller. It was so convenient to just pop the seat out of the car on onto the stroller when she was napping. It made outings much easier! So naturally, I was intrigued to sample the double bumble and see how it measured up.
But I couldn’t find one at the local baby stores! And double bumbles don’t come cheap- new ones sell for at least $600 and that classified as a fortune for us (I guess I was lucky to nab our single Bumbleride on clearance for about $250- which seemed like a lot at first, but we’ve found it to be well worth the cost). So I started scouring Craigslist and Ebay in search of a decent used one and I finally found one! In the color I wanted to boot- plain black and grey. There are some weird colors out there, like orange and lime green that I just don’t think I could learn to live with. The sellers were a nice couple in the city who were selling theirs for about half the cost of a new one, so I called and we arranged to meet that night. It was a terrible drive in pouring rain both there and back, but luckily Natalie took a little nap in the car. We were happy to find that it was in great condition- they claim to only have used it twice, as their older daughter now prefers to walk wherever they go. And they had all the original attachments and accessories along with the owner’s manual. SOLD!
So here’s our new double bumble!
Ready for two with our Chicco car seat installed on one side
Four air-filled tires make for a lovely smooth ride
Full canopies
Big under basket for lots of goodies
It's a little cumbersome to fold, but what double isn’t… at least it fits in the car! And there's even a little space left over for groceries, so I'm happy :)
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