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... of dreaming about strollers

Actually, I did dream about strollers last night. Double strollers to be precise.

Until yesterday, I had this subconscious delusion that I didn't need a double stroller. I have a great, lightweight, compact Peg Perego Aria stroller and a fantastic Beco carrier that could carry either my 17 month old on my back or my newborn in the front. That's all I needed, right? Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I needed to be able to just put Selah's car seat into a stroller for the first few months at least. You can go anywhere when they are that age because when they're sleeping, you can just take the car seat out of the car, slip it into a stroller without waking them up and be on your way. Abram is getting so much better at walking right now, so by that point he's going to be wanting to walk more, but not all the time for sure. So as much as he likes to ride on my back, I don't think he or my back could handle regular backpack rides.

But, finding a double stroller just isn't that easy! There are soooo many options out there, you'd think I could find one that fit all of these qualifications:

-Under 25 or so pounds.
-Compact-ish fold
-Able to hold one infant car seat
-An actual seat for a toddler (not just a bench)
-Able to fit through standard doorways
-Maneuverable (not crazy long)
-Relatively easy for airplane travel (we will be doing a lot of that)

But I can't.

Also something that seems like common sense would be that the older child would not be facing the child in the car seat - able to kick, wiggle, touch, scream or spit into the car seat.

This is my solution (which I will tell you right now, doesn't exist). The sit and stand strollers (Baby Trend and Joovy) right now only accommodate the car seat in the front seat. The only real seat. And it requires a car seat adapter (included). Then the toddler has to sit on a bench or stand in the open area in the back. The not real seat. I think my 17 month old would benefit from a real, strapped down, temper-tantrum controlling seat. So why, oh why, couldn't they make a car seat adapter for the open area in the back with the bench? Then the toddler can face out in the front, mom can watch and attend to the baby in the back and everyone is happy? When they both get older, the younger one can have the front seat and the older one who is more self sufficient could use the bench/stand feature in the back. Am I being crazy here or doesn't that sound like it would be possible?

Of all the strollers I have found, these are the top contenders at the moment:

Baby Trend Double Sit n Stand:

-32.5 lbs (heavy)
-Car seat can go in back
-49" long
-Not a very compact fold
$150

Kolcraft Express Rider Tandem:

-26.5 lbs
-Car seat goes in back
-One hand fold
-49" long
-Fairly compact fold
-$130

Kinderwagon Hop:

-21.5 lbs!
-Cannot fit car seat (but back seat lays back almost completely)
-Umbrella fold (foot and hands)
-40" long
-Very, very compact fold
$300

I have to say that the Kinderwagon Hop seems like a really great stroller for two kids once the younger one is at lease 3 months or so. I would love to have it a few months after Selah is born when she is older and we are traveling more. But then I would need another stroller for those first few months! So it doesn't really seem that practical.

I don't know!! Anyone else out there have a great stroller that I'm missing that fits my needs? Oh, and not being $1000 dollars would be great. Sheesh, strollers can get expensive!

Anyway. That's been my last night and this morning. I'm trying to decide because that will probably be our only "big" purchase for Selah, so I want it to be the right one. Abram and I might be taking a trip to Babies r Us today to do some stroller testing. Hopefully he'll enjoy that :)
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