Friday, March 9, 2012

This MoM Can't Live Without: Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller

The stroller question haunts the Twin Mom from the minute she finds out there are two babies in her belly. I remember stressing and researching to death to try and figure out exactly what stroller to spend my hard-earned cash on. After all, double strollers are not exactly cheap and are a necessity if you ever want to leave the house, since lugging around two babies isn't exactly a piece of cake. I searched dozens and dozens of Web sites trying to find the best stroller options possible.

Many MoMs go right for the Baby Trend Double Snap'n'Go, but I didn't think that was the best option for me. For one, you can't use it once they are out of the infant car seats, so why shell out money for something that will be obsolete in a matter of months (plus my babies were born in the winter/flu season, so I knew I wouldn't be taking them many places those first few months). I also knew I would buy a side-by-side eventually, but a tandem (front and back) stroller seemed more practical in the beginning to get in doorways, ease down store aisles and in those emergency situations when I had to get into my older daughter's school.

There are not many "compact" versions of tandems available. Let's face, no matter how you cut it, you're going to feel like you are driving a bus when you first get behind those stroller handles. After reading many reviews, both positive and negative, and checking out the options at our local Babies'R'Us (which were not many!) I decided on the Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller.



The Quattro Tour Duo (which is a mouthful to both say and type!) is more compact than most tandems in both overall size and when it's folded up. You can fit two infant car seats on it (we bought two new Graco Snugride 32 seats), and when they are old enough to sit in the actual stroller seats, the back seat is slightly higher than the front seat which gives the back passenger a better view. And oh yes, it rides pretty smooth. Right now, it's my go-to stroller, the one I keep in my car for shopping, or other trips which require going into a building. (It's narrow enough for all doors, at school, at stores, etc.) There are cupholders for both kids as they get older, and cupholders for MoM too. There's even a little collapsable pull which allows you to get at your stuff under the seats.

Here's what it looks like in the trunk of my Honda Pilot:



See, it's pretty compact, and there's room to spare for shopping bags and more. That's why this is the stroller I keep in my car at all times.

The twins are now 2, and I'm still pretty happy with it, and I was happy with the price too. My mother and father got it for us for my baby shower, and we were able to get it on clearance plus use a Babies'R'Us coupon. Graco products change patterns and colors so often that you might be lucky enough to get a discontinued color, like we did, at a discount.

My last piece of stroller advice is this: Try to see a stroller in person so you can really check the options out, the size out, and give it a whirl.

We also purchased a side-by-side jogging stroller, but I'll tell you about that in a future review!

To find other products which have saved my sanity
as a MoM (mom of multiples),

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