Hellobee

I blogged about the three strollers we owned with Charlie here (car seat stroller frame, City Mini, Maclaren Quest), and the double strollers I was considering here. We’ve since added 2 more strollers to our collection to accommodate 2 kids, and we’re definitely done as far as strollers are concerned! Here is the final chapter in our stroller saga.

Bugaboo Bee + Wheeled Board

Olive hated not being able to face us in her stroller, so when she outgrew the Graco car seat + stroller frame around 6 months, I looked into purchasing a Bugaboo Bee. I’d already researched the Bee as a possible stroller for Charlie when he was 6 months old, so I knew there weren’t very many options for rear/forward facing strollers that were as lightweight as the Bee. Weight is a huge factor for us as city dwellers because our apartment has stairs and most subway stations don’t have elevators. When someone was selling a brand new Bee with the rain cover and cup holder on my local parenting listserv for half off, I decided to buy it. We also purchased a wheeled board so that Charlie could stand on the stroller while Olive sat.

The Bee is the smaller sister of the popular Bugaboo Chameleon. Its features include:

– reversible seat
– 3 position recline
– adjustable handlebar height
– adjustable backrest height

At 18.5 pounds, I don’t think there is a lighter stroller that offers reversible seats. Other than that and looking super cute (we have the yellow canopy), alas there isn’t that much I love about the Bee. The small wheels are not ideal to navigate the bumpy Brooklyn streets. One of our front wheels has already started to wobble a little bit. I’ve heard that this is a common problem with the Bee that can be fixed by putting in two washers. I don’t love the 3 position recline, as I was used to the drawstring recline of the City Mini that lets you customize the exact level of recline you want. The stroller also won’t fold with the seat in the rear-facing position, so we would have to take the seat off and put it in the forward-facing position before folding it. Finally, the wheeled board sticks out so much, you kick it when you walk. Charlie also rarely wanted to stand on the board and always wanted to sit on it, which put him at risk of falling off.

The main reason we got the Bee was because of the rear and forward facing seat option, and it served our needs well enough. This is still Olive’s every day stroller, but we’ll definitely sell it at some point soon. Luckily it has a pretty high resale value, and since I paid a great price for it, I should be able to recoup most of the costs.

Kinderwagon Hop Tandem

After my original post on double strollers, several readers suggested the Kinderwagon Hop. It’s currently out of stock everywhere but has good reviews from what I’ve seen. The sunshade is not pictured in this image, but there is one that covers both the back and front seat at the same time. The only real negative I’ve read is that it’s tall because of the way the seats are positioned, so that may not be ideal for a short person like me.

– $299
– 24.6 pounds
– 2-position recline
– 5-point harness
– very small footprint for a tandem stroller
– tiered seats offer unobstructed views for both children

Joovy Caboose Tandem

The Joovy Caboose Ultralight Stand On Tandem Stroller is also another popular option. But I really wanted a stroller where both kids could recline and nap on longer outings, so it was out of the running.

– $230
– 21 lbs
– second child can sit or stand
– oversized canopy
– 3 point recline
– easy fold
– large storage basket
– child tray & cup holder

Bugaboo Donkey

I should probably mention the Bugaboo Donkey too, even though it isn’t an option we considered because we were looking for a casual use double stroller. The Donkey is available in three configurations: Mono ($1,199), Duo for a newborn and older child ($1,499) or Twin ($1,659), and is an option for those looking for the most high-end of double strollers. Reviews I’ve read have been mixed — some felt the Chameleon was better made, while others felt the Donkey was the best Bugaboo stroller of all.

Combi Twin Sport DX Stroller

Ultimately I went with the double stroller I was originally learning towards – the Combi Twin Sport DX Stroller.

The 3 main things I was looking for was lightweight, easy fold, and recline. The Combi Sport’s features include:

– $224
– 22.2 lbs
– five-point harness
– fully adjustable drawstring recline
– removable guardrail and cupholder
– easy fold
– stands upright when folded
– carrying strap
– viewing windows on sunshade
– removable and washable seat

We haven’t had this stroller for very long, but I already love it. It meets the three biggest things I was looking for, and even has things that I didn’t know I wanted.

– Initially I didn’t want a side by side stroller, but the Combi has a pretty narrow profile and can fit through most standard doorways. Charlie and Olive also love sitting next to each other and they keep each other entertained!

– I loved the City Mini because it has the easiest fold of any stroller out there. But the downside is that the City Mini doesn’t stand when it’s folded, so it takes up a lot of storage space. The Combi folds down and then in so it’s super compact. It also stands on its own when folded, which wasn’t even a feature I thought about. But it’s turned out to be extremely handy because we only use the double stroller on weekends and store it during the week.

– The handling is much better than I expected. I found the bigger options I initially considered a lot heavier and harder to push.

– The removable guardrail is awesome. It’s actually flexible so Olive chews on it or rests her feet on it.

– There are three snack cups so there are no sharing battles.

– The drawstring recline can be set to any level.  This is an important feature because when we’re out and about all day, we need both kids to nap in the stroller. We took a day trip this weekend and both Charlie and Olive napped in it side by side. In fact, our friends have the same stroller, and we got all four of our kids to nap at the same time — a true miracle!

Overall I’m very happy with our purchase, and would definitely recommend the Combi Sport Double as a double stroller. The only gripe I have is the sunshade could definitely be bigger, but that seems to be the case with most strollers for some reason. And it may not be as stylish as some of the pricier double strollers out there, but with the features at this price point, I think it’s an excellent buy.

Which double strollers did you consider and why?