My Experience of the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller
When I was pregnant with my twin boys, I wasn’t keen to buy too much equipment until they were safely in my arms. However, I knew that certain essentials would have to be purchased before they arrived – shopping with two newborn babies was going to be a challenge!
High up on my shopping list was a double pram or stroller. I was going to need a way of getting all three of us out of the house together for some fresh air and a change of scenery. So, I did some internet research, but in the end it was chance, not a review, that led me to choose the Baby Jogger City Mini Double.
Initially I had my heart set on a Mountain Buggy. This was due to two main factors.
First and foremost – the width of our front door! When we got the tape measure out, we realized that the Victorians did not built terraced houses with standard width double buggies in mind! Be warned – the narrower your doorway , the narrower your buggy options will be so measure up early!
Secondly, I liked the idea of snug detachable carry cots which would allow the babies to face me whilst they were very little. So, despite the fairly hefty price tag that came with the Mountain Buggy it seemed to fit the bill and we decided to go for it.
However, by a twist of fate, the Mountian buggy double became unavailable for a while in 2009 when we were looking to buy it. It is now freely available again and in fact was chosen by one of my best friends for her twin girls who were born in 2012, but it just wasn’t an option for us at the time.
As my due date approached and we still hadn’t found an alternative double buggy that matched my criteria, I began to worry that I wasn’t going to be able to leave the house. Then, at an ante-natal class at the hospital, I spotted some baby twins in a smart black double buggy – the Baby Jogger City Mini double.
It looked really easy to manouevre and most importantly – it looked quite narrow! In fact, this turned out to be one of the only double strollers that would actually fit through our front door without taking chunks of wood out of the frame. It is 75.5 cm / 29.7 inches wide.
Whilst it didn’t meet all of my original requirements (it was only forward facing and without carry cots), I found that it got great reviews and best of all was much cheaper than the Mountain Buggy. So, we picked a colour (red), purchased online and within days a lovely new double buggy arrived.
Although this standard version of the City Mini Double stroller was perfectly adequate for our needs, there is a GT version that comes with all-terrain wheels and a number of other extra features. You can read my husband’s review of the GT version here.
Why I Love the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller
It was very easy to fold up & down. The stroller is in one piece and folds in half in one movement by pulling firmly on the straps on the seats (see video below). This makes putting it into the back of your car a very quick process (important in heavy rain!) and also it doesn’t take up too much space. It folds pretty flat with the wheels on, but you can make it even flatter by removing the wheels. Putting it up is just as simple, the stoller just unfolds when you pull the handles up and then clicks securely into place.
The steering on the buggy was fantastic. I remember reading a review which boasted that this stroller can turn on a dime. I never tested if this is literally true but I can vouch for the fact that it be steered beautifully with one hand through the supermarket aisles whilst holding a basket full of shopping in the other and that is good enough for me! I even found the turning capabilities of this buggy helped me keep up at the post natal buggy fit classes that I went to, even with the extra weight of 2 babies on board!
The city mini double has a great sized shopping basket underneath which I made full use of. One downside I should point out is that over time, the weight of shopping in the basket carrier caused it to brush against the ground and a hole appeared. This was our fault for overloading the basket rather than a design fault of the stroller. We looked into buying a new basket, but in the end we decided to save the money and just used a “Mamma Clip” that you can hang shopping bags from.
The handle bar height is non-adjustable. It is fixed at 107 cm / 42.1 inches off the ground. Whilst this fixed handle did not cause my husband or I any problems (5’6″ and 5’9″ tall), this might be an issue for parents that are unusually tall or short. If you fall into this category, you might like to check out the GT version of the City Mini Double, which comes with an adjustable handle. The GT’s maximum handle height is only 110.5 cm, so there’s not that much difference.
It is one of the narrowest double strollers on the market – 75.5 cm / 29.7 inches wide and fits through most doorways.
The babies were securely fastened into this buggy and although not rear facing, I could still keep an eye on them through the clear plastic windows in the hood. In the end I was pleased we didn’t pay a small fortune for a double carry cot system. Within 6 months, most babies want to be front facing and sitting up anyway.
The babies could lie perfectly flat in the reclined seats, which meant that they were suitable from birth. The recline mechanism is very easy to use. To recline, you simply squeeze the clip with one hand to release the strap and ease the seat back down. To make the seat more upright requires 2 hands but is also very simple – you squeeze the clip with one hand and push it up whilst holding onto the strap with the other.
Although we managed without them, you can buy car seat adaptors to fit the City Mini series of strollers.
Best of all – the city mini double was the only pram I needed.
It withstood 3 years of high frequency use from birth in all weather conditions (including a memorable incident when I got stuck in very deep snow and had to pull the boys backwards) In fact, I still have the pram in the garage, waiting to be passed on to my sisters should they ever need it.
This durability makes this stroller, in my honest opinion, excellent value for money.
BabyJogger City Mini Double Stroller Accessories
There are a range of accessories that can be purchased for use with this stroller. I found the footmuffs to be an absolute necessity on cold weather days.
You can also buy:
The Color Options
Where to Buy the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller
Buy the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller in the US.
Buy the Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller in the UK.
The GT Version of the City Mini Double Stroller
There is a GT version of this stroller that comes with a number of additional features, including all-terrain wheels, adjustable handlebar, hand brake and extra seating room.
You can read my husband’s review of the GT version here.
Do You Need More Help?
If you have any feedback or questions about my Baby Jogger City Mini Double Review, please leave a comment in the box below or send an email to kristian@kidsafetyfirst.com
Click here to read about the Baby Jogger City Select Stroller.
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