Great way to transport two kids who are 2 to 3 years apart

I just purchased this from Babies'r'us yesterday. I got the red one but since the current reviews are for the orange color, I will add mine to the same.

I've been thinking about getting this when I was pregnant with my second child. I do not want a traditional duo stroller, be it a tandem or side-by-side, mainly because they all seem too long, too wide, or too bulky. Besides, my son is very active and does not like to be strapped in the stroller for too long. I want something that he can get in and out easily without too much trouble or lifting on my part.

There are not that many alternative strollers designed to accommodate two kids. I liked the Peg Perego Piko 3 with a platform between the two rear wheels, but it doesn't come with a seat for the older kid to sit in the back. So I narrowed my options down to the Baby Trend Sit'n'Stand and the Joovy Caboose. I have not actually seen or tried a Sit'n'Stand, though I've read lots of good reviews about it. I just prefer the frame design and color of Caboose, and I believe Caboose is slightly shorter (but have not confirmed so).

One thing that I would advise all parents to do is, research and compare prices online, but try it out in stores before you place an order online. I planned to first check it out in stores and then order from AlbeeBaby.com, because their price is the same and I won't have to pay tax for the purchase, which is a $12 savings.

I went to check it out at Babies'r'us. With the help of a store associate, I played with it for about twenty minutes and decided to buy it. I didn't want to wait one week for it to be delivered by ordering online. Here's why:

1. The major shortcoming of Caboose as compared to Sit'n'Stand, as I read from several forums, is the fact that the front seat, when reclined, takes up space for seating in the back. For some, this means the older kid can only stand in the back. The store associate showed me how the jump seat can slide back and forth, and the difference is about 3 inches. By visual measurement, I determined that when the jump seat slides all the way toward the handle, the older kid can sit down, but the back of his/her neck will come in contact with the top edge of the front seat. This can be a minor or major annoyance for the older kid, but I felt it was worth a try.

2. I also read some complaints about the sliding jump seat. It would have been great if the jump seat can be locked into two positions, but it's not. While in the store, I already contemplated about solving this problem manually, to me it seemed like an easy fix. When I got home, I found a short bungee cord and secured the jump seat by hooking one end of the cord on the right arm of the frame, run the cord under inner edge of the seat and hook the other end on the left arm of the frame. I hope this description is clear, but if anyone wants to see how it was done, just let me know and I'll send over a picture.

3. The Caboose doesn't seem large in the pictures on the Joovy website, but when I stood in front of it, I realized that the mom in the picture is definitely taller than me by 3 or 4 inches. When the car seat attachment was installed, the Caboose is long even when collapsed. There was no way it would fit in the trunk of my Jetta. The attachment bar can be removed with relative ease though, which is what I will do to transport it in the trunk. This is an inconvenience that I will have to endure for maybe another 6 months until the baby can sit up unassisted.

4. The sun canopy provides adequate shade to both kids. One end of the canopy is trimmed with color (red, orange, or blue), while the other end is just black. Originally the end trimmed with color is to be installed for the front, but it can be installed for the back as well. I tried to reverse it because the end with the trim gives more head room for the older kid in the back. If there's not a lot of sun, I will just go without the canopy.

Here are the things I don't like about the Caboose:

1. It seems very sturdy and therefore heavy. I wish the exact same design could be made with materials similar to those of MacLaren or Combi. The plastic parts are very hard plastic, the fabric is very thick and rigid canvas (almost like the type used for duffles), and the wheels are huge as well. I wish they could reduce the overall weight by changing the materials without compromising its reliability and weight-bearing capacity.

2. The footrest for the front seat is useless for the first year. I wish I could remove it and put it back later. Because the materials are rigid and heavy, I'd like to remove as many useless parts as I can.

3. The three point harness for the jump seat (in the back) is linked to the back of the front seat. So when you seat the older child, you will have to reach your hands behind him to pull the straps to the front to buckle up. Releasing the buckle from the front is easy, but whenever I need to buckle him in, it took me a while to locate the straps because I could not see them. On smooth surfaces in safe environments, I will probably let my kid ride without using the harness, provided that he holds onto the hand bars.

When the jump seat is not occupied, the straps dangle between the two seats and partially block access to the basket. I need to poke my hands through the straps to pick up things from the basket. I can imagine items such as a purse or toys getting trapped by the straps.

4. You cannot collapse the stroller with one hand, instead, you need to first release a small clip on the left side, then use both hands to pull up two switches to collapse it. I wish I could just press one button and see it falls to the ground. This does not bother me that much though, since none of the strollers I've owned can be collapsed with one-hand, even the MacLaren Triumph requires the use of one leg and two hands.

5. As a petite woman who's not used to weight lifting, light-weight and compact-size are the most important factors when I choose baby gears. The strollers I've owned are 12 and 13 lbs, and I felt that was the maximum weight I could handle. If there is a stroller exactly like the Caboose but weighs only half, I will definitely get it (provided that it's not twice the price).

I took the Caboose out for a spin yesterday. It was easy to push and steer on flat and smooth surfaces. The baby's car seat was strapped and positioned securely in the front, so no worries there. My older son couldn't wait to ride on it and really enjoyed it when he finally did. The front seat did not bother him at all, he was seated for the first 15 or 20 minutes when we took a walk around the lake. He then got off to check out some geese, when he returned to the stroller, he stood on the platform so he got a good view of the front. When he got tired from standing, he sat down on the jump seat to rest. I was happy that he liked it.

As for myself, pushing became quite difficult after 30 to 45 minutes. It's heavy workout for me to push over 80 lbs of weight (36 lbs toddler + 16 lbs infant + 7 lbs car seat + 24 lbs Caboose). No matter how smooth the wheels are, it still requires a lot of efforts to push that much weight. I underestimated the distance around the lake and spent almost two hours to go around it. I have no doubt that by doing this on a daily basis, I will shed those extra pounds in no time.

The Caboose is like an SUV for me. I plan to park it in the garage and use it for mostly walks in the neighborhood. For trips to zoos and other places, I will ask my husband to load it into the trunk. I don't think I'll use the Caboose for mall trips or even grocery shopping. What I do now is to find a parking space where the carts are near by, so I can load the baby car seat and my older kid into the cart right away and push them into the store. Now that I think about it, pushing the Caboose with two kids in it requires more efforts than pushing a shopping cart with two kids and groceries.

Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase because now I can take my kids out for walks in the neighborhood, and I don't need to hold my older son when he becomes tired.

07/30/2006 Update

I didn't like the car seat carrier attachment bar because it is quite long. It is obviously designed to fit car seats in different sizes, but for my Evenflo Embrace car seat, it is longer by about two inches. Today I removed the attachment bar and inserted the food tray instead. I was pleasantly surprised that the bottom of the car seat rests pretty well on the tray. I forgot to mention that the Caboose comes with a strap for securing the car seat. After I buckled the strap around the car seat, the car seat is well secured to the stroller. You will just have to try to see if it works. Since the strap is fastened real tight around the stroller, and the rear end of the car seat is sort of clipped onto one edge of the food tray, the car seat does not move from side to side at all. I think I will just stop using the attachment bar.

We took the kids to the zoo today and my husband pushed the Caboose for the most part. He shared the same feeling that it is not very easy to push. In fact, I noticed that on some not-so-flat surfaces, where normally I'd expect the stroller to slide as soon as I release my hands, it did not move. I wonder if there's anything I can do to improve this, like maybe adding a few drops of WD-40 to the core of the wheels.

8/18/2006 Update

Today I took the kids out for a walk around the lake again. It seemed easier to push after I added some lubricant to the wheels, or maybe it was because the wheels are broken in now.

Instead of placing the baby in the carrier and strap the carrier to the stroller, I strapped him in the front seat. I was worried that he might not like it, because the back of the front seat seemed pretty hard and flat. Much to my surprise, he didn't whine, cry, or make any sound suggesting discomfort the whole time he was in there. He sat quietly for the first 30 or 45 minutes, and then fell asleep for about 30 minutes. He is 4 month old now and has pretty good neck support, though he can't sit up unassisted yet. The two-position recline was all right, just enough for him to sleep for a short while.

01/08/2007 Update

I've had the Caboose for about six months now and I believe that it will remain useful for at least two more years. Our infant has absolutely no problem sitting in the front seat, either in the reclined or up-right position. Our preschooler also has no complaints about the jump seat or anything else. I have removed the waist strap and have always made sure that he holds onto the handles. The storage basket is large enough to hold a water bottle, a small pillow, sunscreen and jackets for the kids and me. The Caboose is great for most occasions and on smooth surfaces. The only thing it's not good for is jogging, which is why I decided to purchase a jogger last week.