Baby Jogger City Mini GT double is great for kids that size. The GT model has a taller seat and much smoother push that the non-GT version. We’ve done City Mini GT as well as the bigger full jogging stroller (Summit X3 double). The Summit isn’t worth the extra weight and size at Disney. The City Mini GT was the perfect Goldilocks of reasonable size, maneuverability, and accommodating for a bigger child.
I agree with all of this right down to experience with the valco triple! Except I have never even tried a wagon because of concerns that they would be exactly like you mentioned. Runner up to bob is city mini gt double.
Baby wearing and double Bob or City Mini GT double with carseat adapter is my vote for this scenario, having been in it 3x. You can baby wear, but its gonna be brutal to do while pushing a lightweight double without good tires. Get a good double stroller that can be used for both big kids OR with infant seat and it's the most versatile setup because if you go somewhere and baby falls asleep in the car, you can move them right to the stroller. Or you can start from home and leave the car seat behind, either baby wearing or (and this is the strength of the city mini double) even have baby reclined in there.
For longer walks with that age spread you definitely want a side by side. I have had both and pushing side by side is way easier. I personally hated the front to back one I had (city select) with the kickboard, extra seat. It was awkward either way. Agree the bassinet is clutch though. Idk if baby jogger makes a side by side city mini double gt that can take a bassinet but if so that's definitely my recommendation! The side by side city mini gt is a GOAT stroller for 2 kids. Followed by double Bob but that one doesn't take a bassinet for sure.
Same here. Took til baby #4 that I switched our single and doubles over to city mini GT and wish I had sooner!! Good wheels, easy fold, easy maneuver , and all of my babies and toddlers sleep easily in it. It is the GOAT of strollers and the older models on FB marketplace are actually better (I've heard) than what are being sold new. The only thing that would give me pause is making sure there's an adapter included or that it's one of the ones you can find an adapter for if you have an infant because that can be a huge headache w this brand.
I have owned 7 strollers and one stroller wagon, but not all at the same time. My sweet spot for strollers with one kiddo was a farm stroller and a BabyJogger City Versa GT that I picked up on marketplace. My happy place for strollers with 2 under 2 was one all-terrain single-to-double stroller (Phil & Ted’s Sport) and a compact single seat stroller (BabyJogger City Tour Luxe). I added a side-by-side BabyJogger City Mini GT Double later. Now that I have 3 kids, I’ve sold most of my stroller collection in favour of a four-seater stroller wagon, but kept the City Tour Luxe.
Fb marketplace is a huge enabler for my stroller problem lol I’ve only purchased two things brand new and everything else is bought and sold on marketplace.
To be fair, “travel stroller” is kind of a misconception as well, as it really depends on what you expect out of a compact stroller. The stroller that fits in the overhead bin is really only going to handle indoors and paved terrain, whereas a compact city stroller will deal with a bit more.
I live rural; we have gravel streets and no sidewalks in our village, and my parents are on a farm with pasture trails. I have a compact city stroller that we would use for travel, and I also had a Phil & Ted’s Sport with second seat and a Baby Jogger City Mini GT Double. I sold the doubles in favour of a Larktale Caravan Quad. I only buy main strollers that will cope with going for a walk at my parents place and get me to and from the local playground by the mailboxes. I also realized by the time my second kiddo was 6 months old that our terrain capable double stroller was not a great travel stroller (we needed to travel with two playpens and struggled to fit the stroller in the vehicle at the same time, and it folded in too many pieces to be easy to deal with at the airport) and we needed something for road trips to the city.
If you’re actually going to run with a stroller, you should get a stroller specifically engineered to do that. You will have a way better running experience if you’re not fighting your stroller the whole time. Also accept that the running stroller will not fit well in the vehicle and will not be ideal for travel.
I have three giant kiddos. My almost-4yo is 45 lbs and wearing girls size medium, my almost-3yo is 45 lbs and wearing girls size XS and some 5T, and my 1yo is over 30 lbs and going into 3T.
My oldest was just starting to find the seat of our BabyJogger City Mini GT Double to be too small; the canopy was touching her head sometimes. I sold our Phil & Ted’s Sport with second seat because my second kiddo had maxed it out for weight capacity already so I couldn’t use it as a double stroller. I upgraded to a Larktale Caravan Quad and LOVE it. My oldest still has room to grow, the seats recline for naps, and everyone has enough leg room.
I had 3 kids under 3, and have owned several different kinds of strollers/wagons.
Single-to-double strollers that put the second seat over the front swivel wheels can quickly feel like pushing a loaded Costco shopping cart. They’re often (not always, but usually) designed to put the smaller/younger one in the front and the toddler in the back. This is not convenient from a parents perspective, but it is the better way to distribute weight on the stroller frame for an easier push. Major benefit of inline strollers is that the storage basket is easy to reach.
Side-by-side strollers are easier to push as they distribute the weight more efficiently on the frame. The basket is harder to reach. They’re usually quicker and easier to fold, and you don’t have to remove any parts for a nice compact fold. Usually the seats are a bit bigger as well, so will fit an older toddler. Both kids are within easy reach (compared to an inline that has one kid further away)
I opted for a Phil & Ted’s Sport stroller for a single-to-double. The second seat goes underneath the main seat, over the back axle. Less recline options this way, but an easier push. Loved the giant storage basket and how accessible it was; toddler often helped with groceries because she could reach to put stuff in the stroller. Downside is that the second seat is smaller and has a lower weight capacity, and I have giant babies.
Then I upgraded to a BabyJogger City Mini GT Double (side by side). We LOVED that stroller! The side by side seats meant better naps on the go since each kid could recline as much or as little as they wanted. Fold was fast and easy and compact. Hardly ever used this stroller for grocery trips because the basket was so hard to access.
Now I have a Larktale Caravan Quad (four seater stroller wagon) and a compact single seat stroller. The seats on the wagon still recline slightly, so it works for naps on the go in a pinch. My almost-5yo is still happy to sit in the wagon and climbs in and out by herself. Sometimes it is a good peace of mind to be able to strap all three kids in and not have to worry about them.
Also, please remember that you don’t NEED to buy new! I’ve owned many other strollers than mentioned here, but only purchased the Phil & Ted’s and the Larktale brand new. Everything else was bought and sold on fb marketplace for a fraction of retail price. Just check over the moving parts of the frame, test the brakes, and remove the fabrics to wash them.
I had 2 under 2 and then 3 under 3, and I have a stroller obsession that fb marketplace is just all too willing to accommodate. I’ve owed many strollers.
I also live rural, so our stroller needs at home are very different than our stroller needs in town.
To me, the ideal set up is a dedicated double stroller and a dedicated single stroller (ideally a compact city stroller with a lay-flat seat and huge canopy for better naps at church and events). The compact stroller stays in the car, the big double stroller gets loaded up when needed and is used more for walks at home. I had a Phil & Ted’s Sport stroller with second seat, and then added a BabyJogger City Tour Luxe that I picked up on fb marketplace. Switched to a BabyJogger City Mini Gt Double side by side stroller and kept the compact stroller for when that was a faster and easier option.
Now I have a four-seater wagon, and only recently retired the compact stroller because my youngest has maxed out the weight capacity and I can no longer push it one-handed.
I dislike in-line doubles where the second seat goes over the front swivel wheels. They get hard to push and maneuver. The Phil & Ted’s Sport puts the second seat in the back, underneath the main seat. This was a great set-up while I had a toddler and a baby, but I have huge babies and they rapidly maxed out the second seat. The side-by-side double was a better push and had better weight capacities for my large kids, but the basket was harder to reach and harder to get stuff in and out of. I used the Phil & Ted’s stroller for small grocery shops all the time but never used the side-by-side for anything other than grabbing a couple of quick items.
We did the baby jogger city select lux during the infant car seat stage.
Moved to the baby jogger city mini GT double about the time they got too heavy to lug around.
Now we have ditched the city select lux for good; and added a veer wagon (that seats four) because we have four kids and sometimes the older two want to hitch a ride.
We still use the city mini GT double a ton, but the twins are only 18 months old.
We have 2 city mini gt singles ( one for each kid as they're in different areas during day and my parents watch kid and need it at their place) and city mini gt double for when together. We also own Bob single and double for jogging but use them very rarely ( free on buy nothing)
Aporthole
