Sunday, June 10, 2012

Seeking Opinions

I am debating whether to buy a double running stroller and am seeking opinions:

1. Which double running stroller, if any, do you have? Why do you (dis)like it? Which double stroller running stroller have you heard good things about or wish you HAD bought?

2. Can the same infant car seat adapter be used in a single stroller or in a double? I know it probably depends on the model but while I am being lazy and asking rather than looking up information, I thought I would find out other people's experience with this.

2. Does anyone know when exactly it is safe to RUN (not walk) with an infant in a stroller in their car seat (with car seat adapter)? Does anyone know when it is safe to run with an infant in an running stroller in the lie flat position? Where did you get your information? (Yes, i will research this myself too but thought I'd throw it out there).

Thanks!
PPC - the lazy researcher :)

13 comments:

  1. No input on the double stroller, but I can talk about running with an infant in the stroller. We never had a car seat adapter since O was born in January and living in the frozen tundra I wasn't taking her out to run! We started running with her in the reclined position in the BOB (using a Snuzzler with head roll) when she was about 10 weeks old. Our pediatrican and anyone else I talked to said as soon as they can hold their head up it is safe to run.

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  2. We bought the Baby Jogger Performance Double. After having a single Baby Jogger, I ran with a few other brands of double joggers before we decided where to invest. in my opinion, Baby Jogger has it cased. The Performance Double has two individual seats, which can recline on their own. It also has individual canopy so our older child could have it up to look out and the baby could have it down and the seat reclined. We loved this jogger, which brought us through all three of our kids. We just sold it in the fall, which was tough to see after so many miles and memories with it! I started running with baby #2 and #3 when they were about 8 weeks, also using the Snuzzler for head support. There is decent storage below and behind the seats. The only downside is that it does fold up somewhat flat, but not to be doing daily. Ours has 20 inch wheels, which is what made it so smooth for running. We are fortunate to live in a city that has a great pathway system. Good luck...I think it is a great investment!

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  3. Hi Marathon Mom & Anon. Thanks so much for your opinions. Anon - I looked into the Performance Double and agree it looks really wonderful. The 20", thin wheels seem like it would roll way better than the double Bob. Major drawback to it... I can't find it for sale anywhere! Not even on the BabyJogger website. Not on Amazon. I wonder if it has been discontinued.

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  4. Even though I got a stroller (Phil & Ted Sport) with the intent of running with it, I have only used it a handful of times for actually running. I really really detest running with a stroller and have managed (at least for the first almost three years) to leave my children with someone else while I run. If I'd done a lot of running with the kids I think I would have had BOB envy. For our use (lots of walking around but the knowledge that I can run with it if I must) the Sport has been fantastic. The seats are inline which means it will fit through all doors unlike the strollers where the kids are side by side, and the second seat attaches easily but comes off if you are only pushing one kid around.

    I think my personal recommendation would be to invest in a second husband to stay home with the kids while you run alone. :-)

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  5. Hi PPPC! It's chris, from "When I Talk About Running." You left some questions on my blog, and I'm responding here (seems better to throw it out for a public conversation, in case any of your readers are interested / care about my opinion.

    You liked my review of the Babyjogger double, but unfortunately I can't give you of my opinion after four months, because it was stolen about two months ago! Really -- who the hell steals a double jogging stroller? It's like stealing a mac truck or something.

    Fortunately the double jogging gods were with me, and I found a BOB double jogger for $120. So I actually can give you first hand info on both.

    My preference is for the BOB. It is MUCH lighter than Jogger, and while turning is still a major undertaking, its much easier to steer than the Jogger. The jogger I had was an older model, so it lacked some of the things other commenters liked -- there was one cover for both seats, for example -- so I can't say if a newer model would also be lighter. In my opinion, the BOB rolled a bit smoother, had a few more pockets, and was just an all around better product.

    That's not to say the Jogger was bad at all. If I had to choose between a $60 jogger and a $120 BOB I would go with the BOB, but a cheap used jogger v. a new BOB I'd take the jogger.

    Regarding your second question, neither will fold up for convenient storage. They are beasts, and even folded take up a huge chunk of floor. I live in NYC, where floor space is limited, so I keep mine (locked, now) out in front of my building.

    As for age, the recommendation I've always heard is 6 months, because even after being able to hold up their heads the bouncing of running can be bad for young babies. I don't know whether that's true or not, but my partner believed it and wouldn't let me take either kid out before 6 months :)

    Personally, I love my jogging strollers and actually love running with it. I love spending the time with my kids and including them in my running. I've run up to 15 miles with my son, and now that he's three he loves going out with his 1 year old sister and showing her the world. As nice as it will be, I know I'm going to miss it when I finally get to head out each weekend on my own.

    Good luck and have fun!

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  6. I agree with the above.

    We love our BOB double stroller. It's been through a lot and is still holding up. It's easy to fold (not that it folds into nothing, as Chris mentions) and it has never given us problems in airports.

    I think we ended up paying around $600 for the whole thing, including bars to attach the car seat (and the car seat; it has to be a Graco, I think). I had a small stroke seeing how much it all cost, but looking back it was worth it.

    You may know that in Europe (certainly in Scandinavia, not sure of Italy) baby carriages are used for sleep and soothing. Kids spend hours a day in their baby carriages, as their moms drink coffee with the "mommy groups" in cafes. We did not buy a baby carriage, but instead started using our BOB a few days after El Guapo was born. Actually, probably the day he was born. I started running very gently on very smooth bike trails almost immediately, but would walk it whenever there was a bump or a curb. At first, I would not allow Tracy to run with it, just because she is not as anal about avoiding bumps. I think you just have to use common sense. 8 or 10 weeks sounds reasonable, too. It all depends on how fast you go and on the surface. The car seat faces you when you run, so you can make sure the baby's head isn't bobbing too much.

    We have a single BabyJogger and we like that one, too.

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  7. My husband already covered it! But I agree that we love the Bob. It also has that extra added perk that it is made in Canada and there is a very specific graco carseat you need to buy with it. And you need to buy the carseat adapter when you get the stroller. Then remember got get a kidopotomous snuzzler for extra head support. I started running PPD 1 with Mattias in the baby jogger but that was too early. His neck was not strong enough. By two weeks, things were much better. We just gradually took bumpier and bumpier surfaces.

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  8. I forgot to check back on this! Maybe phone Baby Jogger as I don't see any double strollers on their website. I ordered mine through Marathon Sports in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Maybe they would know...they gave me a good deal on it, too. I live in Canada right now, but had the single baby jogger and was so happy with it, we ordered the double through Marathon Sports and picked it up when we were visiting family. I used it for almost 6 years with my three kiddos and turned around and sold it for $250 (paid $400 originally). Since the front wheel is 20", I think that is what makes the difference in how easy it goes. I didn't find it too bad to steer, I ended up just getting in the habit of lift in the front wheel up a bit when I would make a turn. Overall, so happy with it! We still have the single baby jogger as my little one is 4...but she just started biking while I ran...up to 4 miles now. So fun! Hard to believe the jogger years are almost over! Good luck!

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  9. Did you try eBay? I can't remember where you are living right now...maybe that is too hard. I would say they last forever! We bought our single jogger second hand...it is 18 years old, our babysitter rode in it as a baby.

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  10. Hi§ Maybe my 2p come a bit late, but for what it's worth, we bought a single Chariot when Malo was born, and then a double when I was pregnant with the Grenouille. The reason why we chose Chariot is because we are not only running with it but also cycling quite a fair bit, so we needed something versatile. I loved the single Chariot : very comfy for small babies when used with the hamoc, has suspensions so can be used on (not too bumpy!) trails (although I find the normal seat, which can start being used around 9-12 mths - not super comfy). It comes with a sun cover, the child is also very well protected from wind and rain... Handling the two-seater I find however quite challenging : it is bulky, and between the Chariot itself and the kids, you're probably talking pushing about 35kgs... not great as soon as you go uphill. As I don't really run yet, and there is no road or trails I could take the children in the Chariot on around our new home, I cannot comment on how it is to properly run with it, but fast walking was challenging enough! I actually decided to take the one-seater for a little longer for that reason. Last minus : it is expensive, although I believe that, Chariot being Canadian, second hand ones are easier to find in your part of the world than in mine! Also, I cannot compare with strollers that are Lastly, I cannot compare it with running-only strollers, since I have never used them... Hope that helps!

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