What Stroller Should I Get for My Kids? A Parent’s Practical Guide Based on 2 Years of Trial and Error
It was 92 degrees at the city zoo last July, my 4-year-old had just announced her legs “turned to jelly” 10 minutes from the exit, and the front wheel of my hand-me-down double stroller had just completely locked up. I was holding a leaking blue cotton candy, my 18-month-old was screaming because she’d dropped her paci under the seat, and a teenager on a rental scooter had just swerved around me muttering that I was blocking the whole path. That day, I threw the broken stroller in a dumpster on the way out and swore I’d finally find one that actually worked for my two kids, instead of working for some Instagram influencer’s perfect family photos.
I spent the next two months reading every guide, asking every mom in my playgroup, and testing three different strollers before I landed on one that fits my life. What surprised me most was that almost none of the guides talked about the stuff that actually matters day to day, especially when your kids are different ages. Most just list weight limits and prices, and say “get this if you have twins, get that if you jog.” No one mentions how your kid’s growing need for independence changes what you need, or how your daily routine matters more than any “top 10 best stroller” list.
First I bought a cheap lightweight side-by-side from the big box store, because everyone said if you take public transit you need something that weighs less than 20 pounds. It was light, sure, but the seats were so narrow my oldest couldn’t stretch her legs, and she spent the whole bus ride elbowing her sister in the side. After a week of nonstop fighting on every walk, I realized that I don’t just need the stroller to carry kids—I need it to prevent meltdowns. The side-by-side also was 3 inches too wide to fit through my apartment building’s front door, and it tipped over every time I leaned it against the bus stop pole to fish my bus card out of my bag. I returned it after three weeks.
Next I borrowed a full-size jogging tandem from my cousin. It was sturdy, had tons of space, but it was so big I couldn’t fit it in my front hall closet, so I had to leave it propped by the door. It blocked half the hallway, and my landlord left me a note about it after two weeks. I tried taking it to the grocery store once, and it couldn’t fit down the snack aisle, so I had to squeeze past end caps with the baby bouncing the whole time. The biggest issue was the basket: it was tucked under the back seat, where my napping youngest was. When I got to the checkout, I had to pull her out, wake her up, just to reach my credit card in the basket. That was the end of that one.
Then I sat down one night after the kids went to bed and wrote down everything I actually do on a regular week, instead of what I thought I should need. I walk three blocks to the bus stop twice a day for preschool. I go grocery shopping alone with both kids once a week. We do day trips to the zoo or children’s museum once a month. I have no extra storage space, so it has to fit in a 2-foot wide closet. My oldest is 4, she can walk for miles some days, but crashes hard after two hours and needs to nap lying flat, and she hates feeling like she’s “a baby” so she wants to be able to climb in and out by herself. My youngest is 2 now, she still drops food everywhere, so I don’t want a million little crevices that I can’t wipe clean.
I ended up finding a used compact tandem stroller on Facebook Marketplace for $80, where the front seat is for the older kid and the back seat reclines all the way for the younger one. It’s not fancy, it has a permanent juice stain on the front seat, but it checks every box. What I’ve learned, after all this, is that there’s no one right stroller for every family with two kids, but there are a few concrete things to look for that no one tells you.
First, match the seat setup to your kids’ age gap. If they’re less than 18 months apart or twins, side-by-side works great because both need the same space and can see equally. If they’re more than 2 years apart like mine, a tandem with the older kid up front works way better—it’s narrower for doors and aisles, and the older kid gets the independence of being front and center, which cuts down on tantrums about being “stuck.” Second, test the fold with one hand before you buy. 9 times out of 10, you’ll be holding a kid or a coffee or a grocery bag when you need to fold it, and if it takes two hands and a specific foot position, you’ll end up hating it. Third, skip relying on the big under-seat basket as your main storage. You need a small pocket at the handlebar for your phone, keys, and credit card that you can reach without stopping or moving seats. The big basket is fine for diapers and extra clothes, but you don’t want to dig through it every time you need to pay for something.
It also helps to remember that strollers are just for the season you’re in. I used to think I needed to buy a $1000 stroller that would last from newborn to toddlerhood, but my oldest will probably be done with strollers entirely in a year, and then I can just get a single with a standing board for my youngest. Right now, this $80 used one works perfectly for where we are.
Last week we went back to the zoo. It was 90 degrees again, my oldest walked for two hours, climbed right into the front seat when she got tired, no locked wheels, no fighting, no digging through a basket for my card. It’s not perfect, but it’s what we need right now. That’s good enough for me.
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