Stroller Options for Twins Plus One

When I found out I was having twins, I quickly realized that I was going to have to figure out how to leave the house with two babies. Taking twins out in public is challenging enough but I had a toddler too. All of a sudden the logistics of leaving the house felt overwhelming. My daughter was barely 2 when my twins were born — still a baby herself. She was still in the habit of riding in the stroller most of the time but finding a triple stroller option that wasn’t ridiculously bulky turned out to be a bit tricky.

Fortunately, there are good stroller options out there for twins plus one (or triplets or just 3 young kids) if you find yourself in need of one. There are pros and cons to all of them. I actually went with a combination of 3 strollers simply because I’m obsessed with strollers there just wasn’t one that fit every need we had.

With 6 kids in my family we are constantly on the go. Since we switched a gigantic van when the twins were born, space wasn’t exactly an issue. My husband makes fun of me now because I have at least 2 strollers in the van at all times.

There are a few options when you have 3 young kids who need to be in a stroller:

• Use a double stroller and a baby carrier – I did this for the first few months of the twins lives. For short trips my toddler likes to walk anyway so she would walk until she got tired and then I’d pop one of the twins in a baby carrier and let my toddler ride in the stroller. This works great for short trips or with small babies, just be sure and use a good carrier. I like my Lillebaby Complete carrier and it’s easy to switch back and forth between me and my husband.
• Use two strollers – If you are going somewhere with two adults, one option is to just take two strollers, one double and one single. This works just fine for full day outings with two adults. For a while I thought I’d put my almost 12 year old to work pushing a stroller when we went on full day outings like the zoo where my toddler would need a break but that’s awkward and gets old really fast. It works fine with two adults, provided we aren’t in crowded places where two strollers are just bulky.
• Use a double stroller with a standing board – Several stroller brands are starting to offer standing boards that attach to double strollers. If you have an older toddler who just needs a break from walking every once in a while, this is a great option.
• Use a triple stroller  – The most obvious choice when you have 3 kids who need to ride in a stroller is to use a triple stroller. The choices are kind of slim pickings though and these are definitely a bit pricier. They do get the job done though so if you’ll be going out often or if your oldest child will still need a stroller for a while this is definitely worth looking into.

Stroller Options for Three Kids

Valco Baby Tri-Mode with Joey Seat

We ended up going with the Valco Baby Tri-Mode with a Joey Seat. After all my research, this was just the best option for us. The Joey seat sits on top so the older child isn’t tucked away or stuck in a tiny seat and the seat itself can be removed when you no longer need it so you can go back to a double stroller when your older child outgrows the need for a stroller.

This stroller is BIG. The Joey seat on top makes it seem a lot bigger. It does fit through standard doorways but it’s a lot in a crowd. We always get comments on this stroller when we are out. People think it is awesome. . . unless we are trying to push it through a crowd, then they aren’t really a fan.

At 10 months old, my twins are now big enough to sit in the Joey seat so my toddler can ride down below when she gets tired and wants to fall asleep while we are out. All three of my girls LOVE the Joey seat because they get a great view of everything. This stroller is nice to push and has a higher end feel to it. The air filled tires are nice and big so I never have a problem going over most surfaces. 

I LOVE having my younger kids all contained in one stroller when we are out for the day. Sun coverage is great on this stroller and storage space is decent. For the stage in life we are at right now it’s an absolute must-have.

The crazy thing is this could even turn into a quad stroller if you need it to by adding on the hitch hiker ride-on board (or use this without the Joey seat and make it a double with a ride-on board).

To turn this into a triple stroller you’ll need:

• Valco Tri-Mode Stroller
• Valco Joey Seat

Bob Revolution SE Duallie

I know this is just a double but I’m obsessed with my BOB stroller. I have the BOB Revolution SE Duallie and it really is great when you have a bunch of kids. The seats on this stroller are nice and wide so even older kids are comfortable in it and the storage space is awesome. The Bob Revolution SE Duallie is my go-to stroller for beach trips, hiking, parks with lots of grass, and pretty much anything where all 3 kids won’t have to ride the whole time.

I stash my baby carrier in the bottom of this if I need it but what’s awesome about the BOB is it has a nice long front end that is perfect for a makeshift toddler seat. You obviously don’t want to be running around with a toddler sitting on the end of the stroller but when we stop to look at animals at the zoo or are waiting in line somewhere my toddler loves hopping up and resting her legs.

I LOVE the way my BOB pushes. This stroller is just so smooth, even fully loaded with kids and everything else we drag along with us. This is a big stroller but not hugely bulky so it works really well for an everyday stroller.

Joovy Big Caboose Stand-on Triple Stroller

If you need a triple stroller that is slightly more budget-friendly, the Joovy Big Caboose tandem triple stroller is a great option. I’ve had several friends with twins plus one go with this option and they have loved it. This stroller has space for two infants up front (you can even fit two infant car seats if you want) and space for an older child to sit or stand in the back. This is a long stroller so it takes a bit more effort to push than some of the others but it certainly gets the job done and the price is right.

The basket on this stroller is HUGE so you’ll have plenty of space to stash all the stuff you need to bring with you when you have three kids.

Uppababy Vista with Rumbleseat and Piggyback Ride Along Board

 

The UPPAbaby Vista is an awesome stroller for three kids. Adding the rumbleseat turns this into a double stroller (perfect for infant twins). The Piggyback Ride Along board lets an older toddler or preschooler stand on the bag and give their legs a rest.

This is really a great set up. It’s a bit pricey when you add all of the accessories you need to make it work for 3 kids but when you consider the fact that you can get away with never buying another stroller then it’s still a great investment. I don’t even want to tell you how much I’ve spent on strollers over the years trying to find the perfect one.

This is compact enough that you can get in and out of stores easily and can weave through crowds without needing someone to clear a path for you. Storage space is awesome in this. You should be able to fit just about any size diaper bag (which is kind of a plus when you have twins and have to bring enough to stock a small baby store whenever you leave the house).

To set this up as a triple stroller you’ll need:

• UPPAbaby Vista stroller
• UPPAbaby Rumble Seat
• Piggyback Ride Along Board

 

It definitely takes some research but there are some great stroller options out there if you have twins plus a toddler.

Are you expecting (or do you already have) twins? What stroller option do you like best for twins plus one?

 

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How to Choose the Perfect Double Stroller