Thank you to Evenflo for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.
Last week we enjoyed our last week of ‘summer’ here in Seattle. Meaning that the temps were a wonderful 70-80 degrees and now we’re down into the 50’s with some rain here and there. Wah wah.
But, the crazy thing about being in the PNW is that people actually welcome the rain, and I’m included! Bring on some cozy weather so I have an excuse to stay inside and do indoor things. The summer weather is almost too perfect in that I feel like I need to be outside 100% of the time because there’s absolutely no reason not to be.
That being said, last week we soaked up every last drop of vitamin D we could and got out and about almost every single day.
We went to the Ballard Locks, the zoo, and to quite a few parks and friends’ houses.
I am a person who loves going on ‘adventures’, so it’s vital to my sanity to be out and about. Unfortunately having toddlers 21 months apart in age makes doing anything a bit difficult practically impossible.
However, I am finding that it’s getting easier and easier to take the girls out together. I don’t know if it’s because we’re down to only one nap for Isabelle (and none for Clara), or whether it’s because both of the girls can listen to basic instructions, or because the girls can hold hands and it just melts my heart, or because I don’t need to pack a ton of things in my diaper bag anymore, or because I’ve had tons of practice… but for whatever reason, being out with both girls is seeming less intimidating lately.
One thing I think helps tremendously is having a good stroller to haul both girls around in. I have learned my lesson and will never leave the house with a single stroller again. A few weeks ago I went to the zoo and brought a single stroller, assuming that Clara would walk. This was a disaster because both girls wanted to ride in the stroller, neither kid would walk… you know how this goes. It was tantrums and chaos.
Then I got the Evenflo Minno Twin Double Stroller and brought it to the zoo, thinking that both girls would serenely ride through the animal exhibits. It’s like I don’t know my children at all. Why do I even bother having expectations?! What actually happened was that Clara put both of her baby dolls (strapped in) into the seats and made me carry Isabelle while she walked alongside the stroller. Carrying 25 lbs through the zoo, while steering a stroller with one hand, while making sure Clara didn’t run away was no easy task. It was actually really difficult. Not to mention that my friends and strangers all laughed at us and the general scene we were creating. But did I want to risk the absolute tantrum that would have occurred if I had taken those baby dolls out of the stroller? Not a chance. At least the girls were happy (I reasoned with myself), so I gave myself a partial win for the day.
Then two days later when I returned to the zoo (thankfully it’s a 10 minute drive from our house so we get to go there often!) I didn’t allow any baby dolls and it was bliss. Or as blissful as an outing with a 1 year old and 3 year old can reasonably be. Both girls sat in the stroller and were able to get in and out at the exhibits, no one threw a tantrum, no one had to be carried… I lived the good life for a few hours there.
I prefer the Evenflo Minno Twin Double Stroller to other models of double strollers we’ve tried because:
- It’s an umbrella stroller so it (easily!) folds up fairly small and can easily fit into the trunk of my car
- It’s relatively light weight
- Each of the seats has a canopy sun shade (or rain cover, as I’ve recently used them for!)
- Each of the seats reclines, which is great for Isabelle, because she’ll still nap in the stroller.
- There’s a cup holder for me (which is essential and not always included in strollers… which just boggles my mind)
- It fits through almost every doorway I’ve tried, which is vital for running errands!
… Plus the price is right and it’s easy to push… I love it!
I’m sure by next week the girls will present me with a new challenge, but I’m glad I’ve figured this one out (for the time being)!
