The Baby Bunch: Tandem Vs Side-By-Side Lightweight Double Strollers

Choosing a stroller is a hard decision for parents, especially when you need to take care of two young ones, even twins, at the same time. If you are taking care of two small children, lightweight double strollers are a godsend. You can take the kids out at the same time or even use one seat as an extra place for clothes, diapers or baby bottles. They also tend to be heavier and sturdier than single strollers so you worry less about tipping when you happen to need a place to hang your handbag.

What Kind of Lightweight Double Stroller Do You Need?

There are a lot of considerations to make when choosing a lightweight double stroller, the first of which is the children's age. A double stroller for infant and toddler is different from double strollers for twins.

Even though their ages are close, infants that are only a few months old need good back support and can only lie down. If you have one child under 6 months and another way over, you need a stroller for infant and toddler that either:

has a hammock in the front for the older child and a seat in the rear large enough to hold an infant car seat or a baby basket
have two fully reclining hammocks that can support babies lying in a supine position and are able to seat older babies (still useful months after, when both children are old enough to sit up)

These strollers are usually tandem strollers, or strollers that have one seat in front of the other. Another kind of double stroller is the side-by-side stroller. If you have children over 6 months, side-by-side strollers for twins with reclining hammocks can offer both children room to move and the proper support.

Tandem vs. Side-By-Side Lightweight Double Strollers

Tandem strollers and side-by-side strollers both have their own charm, but both also have their disadvantages.

Tandem Stroller Pros:

Flexibility. You can seat children of different ages.
Reclines fully. You can put a bassinet or baby car seat in the back or simply lie the newborn down in the stroller.
More compact. Compared to side-by-side strollers for twins, tandem strollers can be folded into a more compact size.
Narrow. A tandem stroller for infant and toddler can fit through narrow sidewalks, doorways and aisles better than a side-by-side stroller.

Tandem Stroller Con:

Fighting. Both children might prefer sitting either at the front or the back; and object to the seating arrangements. The one in the back might even fancy kicking the one in front.

Side-by-Side Stroller Pros:

Sporty. Some parents take their kids out on a jog in side-by-side double strollers for twins.
Interaction. As they are seated together, the children can see the same things at the same time and interact with each other better.
Easy Steering. If the children are approximately the same weight, this kind of lightweight double stroller can manage curbs better.

Side-by-Side Stroller Con:

Wideness. Hard or even impossible to get through narrow doorways or aisles and hazardous over narrow sidewalks.

These are very general pros and cons though, and if you look at some models, you might find some lightweight double strollers that can answer all your needs. The most important considerations are safety and comfort, theirs and yours.

See Also : Single Baby Strollers iearth Baby strollers