Quite a few people have asked what my new buggy is like so I just wanted to follow on from my post a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t want to review the buggy too soon without having got to grips with its features but now I’ve taken it out to town, parks and off-road so feel able to give you my opinion.
The Baby Jogger City Mini Double is a fantastic pram. It does have it’s downsides like everything, but it has a lot more positives than negatives.
Lots of people get joggers for their singletons, so it’s great to have an option of a jogging stroller for twins too.
We were lucky enough to find a second-hand 2011 model on ebay. The reason we wanted the ’11 model was because it has backboards in it (so the seats don’t sag as apparently can happen to earlier models) and it also allows one or two carry cots to be attached. We went for this on the off chance that we might decide to have another baby while the boys still need a buggy (are we crazy I hear you cry?!) If we did have another we’d be able to accommodate a single baby (assuming we don’t have another set of twins) in a lay flat carry cot while one of the boys used the stroller seat and the other used a buggy board on the back. Very forward thinking.
What I love most about the Baby Jogger is that it folds in a second. Maybe even half a second. You literally just pull a strap and lift and it closes neatly. There is a Velcro strap to secure it together and then it stands up on its own without having to lean against anything. In a fight with the Out n About Nipper 360 on these features it wins hands down. To put it up is just as easy, undo the Velcro strap and flip it open. It’s actually quite beautiful if you’re a buggy geek like me.
The seats are upright and they can lay back quite far, making it suitable for little ones. The mechanism for laying the seats up and down is a lot easier than the Out n About (that was a strap and a buckle which gets undone to lay down and done up to sit up, however, when you’ve got heavy babies/toddlers it’s a nightmare to lift them up, hold them there and buckle it back up again). The Baby Jogger has a strap and a toggle type system where you squeeze it and push as you lift the seat. Much easier.
It has fab big sun shades that work independently. These can come right down, providing a great coverage, or you can just pull them out a little to stop the overhead sun. There is no need to hang a blanket over the front of your pram as I used to with the Out n About when they were little and needed a sleep while we were out.
It’s a sturdy buggy; it doesn’t roll away when you let go of it which is a relief after the Out n About. And although the advice is to not hang bags off the handle, I have done and even without the boys in and a heavy bag on the back it hasn’t tipped up (unlike the Out n About out which tips even with light bags hanging off it). But as I said, buggies all tell you not to do that so it’s not fair to judge on this point.
It has solid wheels, so no more worrying about getting constant punctures as we had with the Out n About.
The downsides…
It has a large under storage, although this isn’t as accessible as I’d like. It almost meets the bottom of the buggy, which means you need to undo the attachments to get things in. I can live with that.
The handle is high. I’d read a review from someone before I bought it that said if you’re under 5ft3 don’t buy it as it’s too high. I’m around 5ft and yes it is high and yes when the sunshades are down you can’t see the front wheels. But if it’s sunny and I need the shades (and have a particular need to see the front wheels like if I’m in town) I open the two clear visors and look through those instead to make sure I don’t take out any ankles. I don’t mind walking with my arms a bit higher as it gives me a work out without even trying. I didn’t feel this was enough of a reason not to buy a buggy that sounded perfect in all other ways.
It isn’t as manoeuvrable as the Out n About. You really need two hands to steer it, so no leisurely Starbucks latte drinking unless you’re heading in a straight line on even ground, and it’s not quite as easy off-road or to go up pavements.
My only real frustration I have is that it still doesn’t fit through our front door, although I believe it probably will fit through most others (I think we just have a weird sized doorway). Again, I can live with it as I want a side-by-side and I’ll have the same problem whichever I choose.
My dream would be for Out n About to meet up with Baby Joggers and produce a Baby Nipper that has the beat features of both buggies. But that’s not going to happen so in the meantime I’ll stick with my Baby Jogger.
It’s time to sell my trusty Out n About and embark on a new life with my Baby Jogger. I like it but I think I’ve come to realise that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never find a buggy that ticks every single box. For me, for now, this one is the closest match I’ve found to the ultimate double buggy. And fingers crossed it’s the last double buggy I ever have to buy as I really can’t afford not to like this one.
Excellent review. I think if I still lived in London I’d get it but my vote goes to out n about as I’m in the country. You can’t beat it for off road action! I go on the beach every weekend and it handles it perfectly. I can even get it in the boot of my little Clio! Boys would prefer to be more upright though but they both sleep in it like babies…if you know what I mean.
Yeah, the Out n About is great off road; I’ll miss it when I’ve sold it. It can’t be that hard for a manufacturer to come up with something that is easy to fold and store, has good seats AND is easy to push around can it? Really? Guess it must be as I honestly don’t think there is anything on the market that does it all. Maybe a gang of twin mums should go into buggy design and rent ourselves out to the manufacturers to help them come up with something.
I adore this stroller! I have had a Safety First tandem double stroller for 4.5 years. It is so bulky, hard to steer, and if I put more weight in the front, I might as well forget it. It also took up the whole back of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and was a major struggle for me to get in and out of the bed of our Chevy Silverado. I started shopping for a new double soon after our newest addition was born. I have a very tall 4yo, tall 2yo, and a 5mo. I wanted them all to be able to ride in either seat and be able to manuever, fold, transport, and steer easily. I’m also tall, 6ft, and my husband is 6’1″ so I wanted one with a high enough handle and that we wouldn’t kick.
This one works GREAT! I’ve actually taken all three children shopping in this WITH a shopping cart, by myself! I can have any of the children in it with either one of the other children on either side and it steers like a dream! It turns on a dime and has fit through ever door way. When I go shopping, I can push them straight into the bathroom and into the handicap stall with me! My very tall 4yo LOVES riding in it and can lie all the way down comfortably. My 5mo also fits in it really well. I do recommend the Kiddopotamus Snuzzler to give a small baby some extra stability, but it’s easy to fit in and out. The strap height is easily adjustable and my kids haven’t had any problems with the hardware.
This stroller is light and folds compact. If I pop the wheels off, I can fit it in the back of my mom’s Chrysler Pacifica! It is so easy to do, I don’t mind at all. It also fits in the side door if I just don’t feel like popping them off. I can still fit it in the back with the wheels, but it touchs the glass of the back window. It really is just as easy to fold it as lifting the strap in the seats! There are 4 snaps on the frame as safety straps, but they are no more of a pain for folding and unfolding than the squeeze, twist, lift, lock…of other strollers. I also find I don’t have a problem motivating myself to carry this stroller in from outside from the weather and changing vehicles. So many times, with my other stroller, I wanted to have a stroller with me, but getting it loaded and wrestling with it all day caused me to leave it behind and just struggle without it.
The only cons: 1. The storage bag is as hard to access as they (reviews from earlier year models) say it is. I access it from the sides and use it mostly for coats and blankets. I also keep items packed in individual bags and cases in my diaper bag, so I just toss whichever ones I think I’ll need into the bottom or back of the seats. I bought two stroller hooks for the handle and use that for my bags. 2. I’m going to have to buy the belly bar, console, and snack trays separately. I do think they will come in handy. I’m still debating on whether or not I want to buy the car seat adaptor for it. I’ll be getting a new car seat with our next baby and plan on using this stroller for a LONG time!
I love this stroller so much, I look forward to going out and having opportunity to use it. The price is more than I’ve spent on anything for my kids before. But my tandem was $250 and I dreaded using it! I was looking at the other available doubles at the local baby stores and they were $180 and up and were just as big, bulky, unweildy, and heavy. I’d buy this stroller again in a heartbeat!
Excellent blog! Do you have any hints for
aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform
like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out
there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any suggestions?
Appreciate it!
Hi, I’d definitely go wordpress self hosted from the start. It’s flexible and inexpensive and there is loads of support out there for it. Good luck!