As any triplet parent will tell you, getting out of the house every so often is critical for your mental health. As any triplet parent will also tell you, having the right equipment can mean the difference between going out in the world or going completely out of your mind by staying inside all the time.
Very soon, young babies will grow in to roaming toddlers and then, exploring preschoolers that may or may not want to ride in a stroller. And even though a young child may be fully capable of walking, sometimes the parents of those young children would prefer that they are contained. If not for the child's safety ... for the parent's sanity.
This is a partial listing of some different means (with advantages / disadvantages) to accomplish the simple task of taking a walk to the mailbox with your children.
Peg Perego Triplette
Advantage: works with infant carriers, in-line, collapsible, good sun protection offered by removable canopy shades, seats fully recline.
Disadvantage: Very heavy to push as children grow older.
RunAboutAdvantage: maneuverable, in-line, heavy duty, sun protection canopy can be purchased separately.
Disadvantage: not designed to hold small infants, seats do not recline, doesn't collapse and may require tow hitch to transport.
Triple Jogger
Advantage: heavy duty stroller, good on a variety of terrains, many brands come with a sun shade.
Disadvantage: limitation on how much seats can recline, not designed to hold small infants, width may prohibit use in certain areas (i.e. stores), can be difficult to transport without disassembly.
Triple Decker
Advantage: maneuverable, in-line, moderate duty, holds infant carriers, can also hold larger seats for when children outgrow car seats.
Disadvantage: Weight restriction on larger seats(?), no sun protection if larger seats are used.
Choo-Choo Wagon
Advantage: kids LOVE it, has seat belts and cup holders for each individual compartment, comes apart easily and can fit in the back of a van.
Disadvantage: cannot be used until children are able to sit up on their own, no sun protection, may be difficult to pull as children grow older.
Safety Harness
Advantage: great way of keeping a handle on children that are able to walk. Cost is around $5.00 per harness.
Disadvantage: you may be criticized for walking your child like a dog. Also, with multiple children, chances are great they will get tangled quickly and fall down in a crying heap. But, with time and practice, they will learn to sit, stay and heel.
Walking Rope
Advantage: Each child gets to pick a favorite color, then just announce "grab your color" when it's time to go. The five-ring version fits right in your diaper bag or in the car door for easy storage. Never once do you hear "so, you're walking the dogs?" comment. Unless, of course you also happen to be walking dogs, while you are walking your children. These are relatively inexpensive at less than $20.
Disadvantage: Sometimes a lagging child will get "pulled" by the rest of the chain gang. Also, the children must be willing to hold the rings, unlike a harness, where if they won't walk - you can just drag them along.
Walkodile
Advantage: great way of keeping a handle on multiple children that are able to walk without the risk of them getting tangled up.
Disadvantage: Not yet available in the US. If it was, would you buy one??
** Now in the comment section, it would be great if you could add some experiences that you have with any of the strollers listed above >> or >> any other strollers that worked for you. I can go back and edit this post with whatever comments you have, links & pictures. I think price & age range would also be useful... feedback?? ***
5 comments:
We had the "original" Peg Perego stroller. I don't even see it on their web site anymore. It was like an English pram. I loved it but it did get heavy later on. It folded down enough to fit in the back of our Suburban. The seats reclined and could face front or toward me. Seven years ago it came directly from Italy and was expensive ($600.00). It lasted until I couldn't push it anymore and then went on to a Mom with twins who was pregnant with a sigleton.
Once the kids were walking I used leashes. They didn't like the harness part so we just used the wrist straps. By the time they were using the leashes I was pretty good at come backs for the "dog walking" comments.
How about an area for the cars that all this junk fits into?
We had the Peg Perego that Heidi talked about too. It was perfect for about the first year. Then they are just too heavy to push. I ended up getting rid of mine and getting the Triplet Jogger. I loved my Jogger. It was so easy to push compared to pushing the Peg Perego with older kids.
I used the Triple Baby Jogger until the kids were 4.5 years old. Big disadvantage would be putting it in a car or taking it places. It had to be taken apart. But with practice you get really good at this part.
I mostly kept mine at home and used it for walks daily. Now that my kids are 6 I actually miss pushing my stroller around town.
When I meet new people in the neighborhood now, I often get the comment, so you were the one I saw pushing that red triplet jogger a few years back.
We've had 8 strollers over the years. Here's the upshot:
We started with the Peg Perego stroller, but it couldn't hold up to our heavy walking use. We went all over the neighborhood, four miles at a stretch. Corners were tricky, then finally one day one of the front wheels just caved, bending right under the stroller! For stores, it was great. Otherwise, hated the clunky, cheap, wobbly thing. I preferred using a BOB double jogger stroller and putting the third baby in a carrier on my chest or in a baby backpack when he got bigger. I got around all stores fine that way.
When Baby #3 was too big to ride Mommy, we moved up to a triple jogger. A GIFT FROM HEAVEN ITSELF! Gotta say, I wish we'd started with the triple stroller for our neighborhood walks, and used the double jogger and carrier for stores. By age 22 months, we didn't need a stroller in stores anyway--the boys used the Walking Rope and then, after 28 months, just walked through the stores on their own, no tethering needed.
Debbie
Thanks for the rundown on the strollers, I'm trying to decide on one (and then I have to be able to find it used...)
Now, how did you manage, with infants, to get them all in and out house, to vehicle, to stroller and back again. Or did you on your own? I have a fear of leaving one in the stroller and then leaving him alone in the parking lot as I climb back into the van to get the others. I can get them in okay...but I can't seem to get comfortable with the getting out.
We also have the same Peg Perego stroller, and it was a God send for the first year. It was absoutly necessary to be able to just click in the infant seats and go. These days, we use it a little less, and resort to either the Choo Choo wagon or the single/double Combi light-weight strollers. After reading your post, I am about to look for the "leash" for our trio!!
Post a Comment