A got a question last week from Sabrina (thank you so much for your patience in my answering!!!), who is expecting Baby #3 in the fall. Her second child will be 2 when Number Three arrives, and she is looking for a double stroller that is either a conversion or isn’t a big dedicated double stroller.

I’ll answer in two parts. Firstly, there are (thankfully!) soooo many single to double conversions on the market now, but of course some are good and some aren’t. There are surely many I will forget, but here are the most biggest OR best, in no particular order:

Baby Jogger City Select: $649 MSRP (and brilliantly reviewed here)

Britax B-Ready- $649

iCandy Peach/Blossom- $1049 MSRP

 The seemingly infinite list of Phil and Teds (I chose the Vibe because I think its the best- $699 MSRP)

The Uppa Baby Vista with Rumble Seat (Somewhere around $780 MSRP for both pieces….)

Peg Perego Skate with second seat: $799 MSRP

The new Mountain Buggy Plus One: $699 MSRP

Obviously the main difference is whether you want a single stroller with the ability to add a second “jump seat”, or a stroller that has two of the same size (or very close) seats so no one feels they are getting a bad deal. For a older child as young as 2, I would definitely go for the latter- there could be long days where both children are riding and the older sibling just isnt going to be comfy being squashed anywhere. I do think the Vibe is a great stroller (I owned one for my 4th and 5th children, and I used to say it was the only double I would ever buy, before the release of the City Select and the Peach Blossom) however, so if you arent bothered with the second seat being smaller, go for it!!

I think the City Select is great- definitely the 2011 because its bigger with more seat support- and a really brilliant design. People LOVE their Baby Joggers, and I think the fold is brilliant. The seats are identical, so if you need to switch kids around its easy. Good weight limits, I think they are pretty great all around.

However, if it was me, I would also strongly consider the iCandy Peach Blossom. They are a new US import from the UK, where they are huge. The seats have much more padding and support, the footprint is much smaller (its a true single stroller chassis) and I do definitely get the impression its much higher quality than the BJCS. Its also a higher price tag, so that is a consideration. I would be really torn between the two, and I think the final decision would come down to the weights and ages of my children and my budget.

The UppaBaby Vista and Peg Perego Skate seem like they would have the same issues, whether the child underneath is going to have enough room.On the Vista the poor kids nose seems to be practically touching the seat in front, it cant be fun!! And as much as I love the Skates (heavy, but lovely and SO well thought out….) I think it would be the same on them as well.

A quick note about the Britax B-Ready: I am originally from Australia and have spent a lot of time there in the last few years. The Britax B-Ready is stroller that has been rebadged and renamed for the US market, it was originally released in Australia (by Britax/ Steelcraft there) as the Steelcraft Strider. I urge ANYONE who wants to buy one of these things to do some big research on the Steelcraft Strider, which was a nightmarish failure for their Australian market. In fact they had so many problems they totally recalled it and rereleased it as the “Plus” a year or so later. Which are apparently better, but still….I would be very hesitant. I think Britax make the best car seats in the world, and I wish they would just stick to it and stop making strollers. Yuk.

The second part is the Sit and Stand stroller being used instead of the single to double conversions, but I dont know how I feel about talking too much about all that because I have actually never owned one. I do know, simply because of looks alone, that the only one I would buy would be the Joovy Ergo- also because I love yellow on strollers!

Sorry I cant be more help on that, Sabrina! Thank you so much for your question, and I hope I have managed to give you some more information and not confuse you further!!! Congratulations on Baby Three, and best of luck for the rest of your pregnancy and delivery.