Opinions on a Sit N Stand Stroller

Updated on January 22, 2011
T.S. asks from Langhorne, PA
10 answers

I have a son who will be 3 at the end of February and I just had a daughter 3 1/2 weeks ago. I had been thinking about getting the Baby Trend Sit n Stand LX stroller. My husband thinks that I just want one to 'spend money' but I'm the stay at home mom who does everything, so he hasn't a clue what he's talking about. When the weather is nice (before baby), my mom and I would take my son different places and such. I always took my stroller regardless of whether he walked or not because it carried all our stuff and was a convenient diaper changing place. Earlier in the week I went to the mall with the kids and my mom (first time really being 'out' since I had the baby) and my son was very good walking and I told him that he needed to hold onto the stroller as we walked, and he did as he was told. The only problem I really foresee happening with letting him walk is that it will take longer to get from point A to point B as opposed to pushing him in the stroller to where we want to go. I did a search on Mamapedia to see the other questions that moms asked about getting a sit n stand and I'm kind of torn. based on what I've read, it seems like if I want to go for a walk (to get some exercise), pushing one of these things with 2 kids will be hard (tell me if I'm wrong)... so that was one of the things I wanted it for. That's my only real form of exercise I get. Another suggestion someone posted was to put baby in a sling or carrier (I have both and carried my son in a sling alot when I didn't feel like lugging a stroller) and let the older child ride in the regular stroller (I have a Graco Tour deluxe travel stroller and it holds a child up to 50 lbs)... I thought that was a good idea too. When I looked at the weight restrictions of the sit n stand stroller, I was surprised that the weight limit for both seat and standing area is 40 lbs each (80 total). My son weighs 34 lbs (he's a tall kid for someone who isn't even 3 yet). I'm reading about people putting 4 and 5 year olds on these strollers. Maybe they are sturdier than they seem?? I also thought that maybe I should just see how I make out with just my regular stroller and see if I find the need for a sit n stand. I know that I have a tendency to get excited about a baby product only to find that it wasn't very useful. I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Seems like moms either love the stroller or hate it so I just need some opinions.

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B.M.

answers from Chicago on

We have the Baby Trend Sit Stand and I love it. It really only gets hard to push if you are going up hills (a lot of them!).

I did a charity walk (5 miles) with it with my 2 boys (who were about 50 or 60 pounds together and it wasn't "that bad"). I used the heck out of it when my boys were younger!

The nice thing about it is that you can have the baby in the front and your son can walk and when he gets tired of walking, he can stand on the back part or sit down on the little bench.

I remember going to the zoo and thinking "oh the kids are old enough, we finally don't need a stroller!" But, as they get tired, they get slower and that's where the back part of the sit stand stroller is like a little piece of heaven.

I would definitely recommend it. This is also coming from the person who's husband just said "why do we have more strollers than children?" But having said that, I do think its the best stroller we have! (we have 3 kids and 4 strollers...umbrella, jog, sit stand and the one the carrier seat fits in...single stroller).

Hope this helps!
B.

1 mom found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

We bought the sit & stand when our second was 4 months old and our first was 3. Before that we juggled with one stroller and a sling or Daddy's shoulders. That sit & stand was the best thing we spent money on! We never stay at home, we are always going places. We go to Disneyland all the time, the Zoo, we go to the San Diego Comic Book Convention. We used our first one so much that we broke the wheel off and bought a second one and kept on going!
We never had a problem pushing it anywhere. The only time we did was when we had so much piled on it, including the kids that we pushed the limits of what it's supposed to hold.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.F.

answers from Seattle on

Ever think about getting a standing platform to attach to the stroller you already have? Google stroller standing platform to see the price ranges - definitely cheaper than buying a new stroller! My sister bought one when I came to visit (I had a situation similar to yours and didn't want to lug my stroller with me!) and it worked very nicely!

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H.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi, T.,

We got the Sit n Stand for our newborn and 3 1/2 year old. It's fine. It is very large and bulky, and it does not handle very well. As our kids got bigger and heavier, it got harder and harder to handle. Now that our baby is almost one and our oldest is 4 1/2, we tend to leave it behind unless we are going out on an all day activity, like the zoo, etc. It did the job; it was the cheapest choice. Had I been willing to spend the money (which I wasn't), I know I would have appreciated one of the more expensive models with better tires and stronger structure that would have handled better and been less of a hassle to use.

Hope this helps,
H. S

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H.P.

answers from New York on

I was looking into sit and stand strollers before our move to London. I knew we would be doing a lot of walking and that I was going to have to build up the kids' endurance before I could expect them to walk. My kids are much older. I have a 53lb five year old and a 38lb 3 year old. I am easily pushing 100lbs when both are in it. I have to say that the sidewalks in London are often uneven and and graded towards the street , so the stoller often pulls towards the road, so it's not hard to push, but rather hard to keep straight. When we take the stroller into the parks, it is very easy to push even with both kids in it. Luckily for me after living here for 4 months, both kids typically ride their bikes to and from school so I only use the stroller on weekends when heading to the park or into the city.

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S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

My oldest is 3 1/2 & my youngest is 23 months. We borrowed a graco duo from a friend for the first 6 months after my youngest was born. By the time he was six months, it was just too hard to steer. Then we bought a Bob Double jogging stroller (I don't jog, but we live in a wooded area w/o sidewalks) I loved it & used it everyday for about a year. When my oldest turned 3 and my youngest was 18 months, they both were rarely riding in the stroller. They wanted to be big boys & walk everywhere. Since then we have downsized to a single Maclaren umbrella stroller. I use this to hold our stuff. When walking through parking lots I usually make my oldest sit in it & I carry the youngest. Once we are inside a place, they both walk. On our last trip to the zoo (the youngest was 19 months) we carried him in a backpack, so he could see everything. Next time we go to the zoo, I'm sure he will want to walk. When they get tired, the oldest can ride in the stroller & the youngest can be carried, or they can take turns riding.
As for exercise...both my boys have balance bikes. They look like little adult bikes with out pedals. They push on the ground with their feet to get moving. (My favorite brand is Strider). My parents live in a nice neighborhood with bike paths. When we visit we bring the bikes & the boys ride while we walk. Sometimes we have to jog to keep up with them. They can both ride the entire 3 mile loop! They love it & are exhausted by the time we get back to my parents house. (My youngest could ride the entire loop by the time he was 19 months). When we cross a busy street I carry the youngest. We make my oldest run across the busiest street while we carry his bike. (I don't want to worry about the possibility of a fall). I completely trust the oldest to listen to me & I would let him ride anywhere. The youngest I am more cautious with.
So, now that I've drowned you in information about myself...my recomendation for you...
First, only you know your kids. How much longer do you believe your oldest will actually ride in a stroller (for more than 5 minutes)? I know people who have 5 & 6 year olds still willing to ride in a stroller. But, for me its a struggle to get my 3 1/2 year old in one & its impossible to get my 23 month old in. If your oldest is like mine, then I think it would be a waste for you to get any kind of double stroller. For the next few months, you could have the oldest ride in the stroller when he wants & carry the youngest. By the time your youngest is too heavy to carry all the time (9 months to a year) your oldest will be almost 4 & should be able to walk anywhere.
Spend the money to get your oldest a balance bike so you both can get exercise on your walks.
If on the other hand, you think your kid will ride in a stroller for years, then spend the money.
I don't regret getting our double stroller, it was very useful for that year & I plan on passing it around the family & then reselling it. However, it was very expensive & I could have survived without it. If I were to have a new baby now, I probably wouldn't even use it. I would probably carry the baby & use the single stroller. (The double strollers take a lot of space in the car).
Good luck with your decision.

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T.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I was in the same boat - my son arrived when my daughter just turned 3, roughly the same weight as your son. I started looking on Craigslist as my husband also thought I "wanted to spend money" and then posted I was looking on Facebook. A good friend offered me the long term loan of hers in less than 24 hours! It was good last summer when I tried to take them both to the park, but I doubt my daughter will fit in it this summer (age 4 and 90% percentile for height). It IS heavy...2 kids plus the stroller was 80+ lbs. and we live in a hilly area, so my wrist was VERY sore by the end of the summer! I didn't really get "exercise" with it - strictly to and from the park. The days I was able to give my daughter a playdate or her Dad took to on an "adventure", I would put my son in our Graco (we have the same as yours) and get out for a brisk walk. I also have the ErgoBaby carrier and this was GREAT when it wasn't hot. In the hottest weather (when our son was under 25 lbs) I used a friend's Jeep brand carrier that had mesh over his tummy/back and was much cooler to wear.

Borrow or buy 2nd hand...don't buy 1st hand as you WILL have other things that become more important!!!

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J.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

We love our sit & stand but it can get hard to handle as your kids get heavier. We got ours when older son turned 2 and younger was 3 months. It is nice that it grows with them - - - younger started in carseat upfront and older in back; then younger lying in back and older up front; next younger up front and older on the jump seat. :)

We have had it for eight months and have tracked MANY miles including a week long stay in Disney World. I recommend it!

There is a decent storage area under the stroller and we have latched things to the back platform on occassion (bigger diaper bag).

I carried our younger in a bjorn and pushed the older for several months but sure was happy to have this when it got hot in the summer!!!

We found ours on craigslist for $75 so definitely search around!

Good luck!

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J.J.

answers from Allentown on

Hi! I mostly wore my kids when they were little but I also almost always had a stroller. My kids are 2.5 years apart and I fist got a joovy caboose sit and stand. I hated it! My kids hated it. My daughter wanted to ride a lot and didn't like to ride backwards. She also had trouble holding on while standing. Maybe she was just too young. So I tried a side by side(baby jogger), and i still use it to this day. They are 3 and 5(I have had it 3 years), and i love that they can sit and rest or get out and walk, and it is soooooo easy to push even with 80 plus pounds in the stroller. I tried the maclaren side by side but it was like pushing through mud. I do like joovy and have a joovy kooper single for quick trips or where I knew one kid will walk. I have no idea now how the joovy ultralight caboose is, but it looks pretty good. There are times now that they are older, i wish I also had a sit and stand instead of just the single or side by side, but I do still love the baby jogger side by side and they both love being able to ride when needed and it hold all the stuff. I would say you definitely need some sort of stroller for two, either or a sit and stand or a side by side. If i had enough money I would say one of each(LOL). I guess it depends on your kids. Go to the store and try a few out.

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K.H.

answers from Naples on

I did a lot of research on the sit and stand strollers before getting the joovy ultralight caboose stroller http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_red_cabooseultralight.php. I love it! It has a great sun shade for both kids and great storage. (our kids are almost 3 years apart) I bought mine from babies r us and used a coupon and free shipping. I saved about $60. As a stay at home mom...yes you need it especially if you are active and go lots of places with the kids alone. We have a season pass to the local zoo so I take the kids there all the time by myself and the stroller is great.

Ps. They are now 21 months 22lbs and 4 1/2 yrs old 50+lbs. The stroller turns great with both of them in it and you can't even tell you are pushing 75+ pounds.

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