Which double stroller is best? Nuna, Zoe, UppaBaby, Bumbleride, Thule review

I tested five different strollers and will share my honest, comprehensive thoughts to help you on your quest. I've focused on a few primary areas that I've found to be critical to my lifestyle – storage space, weight and how you can configure it to fit two kids.

And just so you know where I'm coming from on all of these, I'm a mom living in New York City. I'm five feet tall, and my husband is six feet tall, so we need a stroller that works for both of us in terms of our varying sizes and our preferences for style and priorities. We also don't use our car for errands, so our stroller is our car day to day, and we are out of the house from 9 am until at least noon every day.

And I will say that the biggest downside of any of the side-by-side strollers I tested is that they don't fit through my apartment door or into my elevator. They do fit through my building's front door, though, which makes me think my apartment doors aren't ADA-compliant. So, that's a personal issue, but if you also live in an apartment, it's worth measuring your doorway before you buy a side-by-side.

Harder to open than side-by-side strollers

Going into this review, I honestly didn't think I would like the UppaBaby stroller. Call me biased, but my friends all have side-by-side double strollers and raved about them, so I was riding hard on the side-by-side stroller train. But UppaBaby really won me over.

First off, this is the only stroller I realistically could have if we stay in our current apartment in New York City because it's the only one that fits through our door. That's a personal problem, but if you live somewhere a double stroller won't fit through your door and the UppaBaby Vista is your only option, it's a great one.

In my professional opinion, the storage on this is unbeatable. It runs the length of the stroller, and because the top seat sits so high up, you can really pile things in. We were able to fit our diaper bag, some groceries, toys for the playground, and even my son's ride-on hippo, which was a necessity to bring after he tried to steal another kid's toddler bike the other day.

When it comes to the bus or walking down the sidewalk, I was a lot more comfortable with this than the side-by-side strollers because it takes up less space.

This stroller also allows you to have a bassinet or car seat attached to it while a second child is seated, and you can also turn the seats around to face you. The downside is UppaBaby's official recommendation that the bassinet go on the bottom and the toddler seat on top, which seems a little nonsensical to me. Newborns need more attention in a stroller than toddlers, so I'd want the bassinet on top.

However, moms have posted hacks online that there are adapters you can get to put the bassinet on top and the toddler seat on the bottom. Apparently, there are also adapters to put the rumble seat on the top and the toddler seat on the bottom. The rumble seat only goes up to 40 pounds, whereas the toddler seat goes up to 50 pounds. I can't speak to those because I didn't test them out, but they're out there for you to look up if you're interested.

My husband didn't like the handle on this one. He described it as "sharp" on his hands, which I decoded to realize he meant it wasn't rounded enough, so it pushed on his palms more than some of the other strollers.

Without the rumble seat on it, the UppaBaby stroller is comparable in weight to any single stroller. But, with the rumble seat on it, I did find it to be heavier than most of the side-by-side strollers and harder to open. To fix this, I just took the rumble seat off before I folded it so I could close and open it easier.

Overall, this is a great stroller if you're looking for the quality of UppaBaby but want a side-by-side. It's also a great option if you already have an UppaBaby car seat because you can attach the Aria or Mesa infant car seat to it with adapters.

My husband has the same issue with the handle of this stroller as the other UppaBaby. He felt it dug into his hands more than others because of the shape of the handle, but personally, I didn't have that issue.

It's also really easy to close this stroller, which I think is an extremely important feature, and it's light enough for me to pick it up.

The storage is also great considering how compact the stroller is, which, as you know, is critical for me.

If you're looking to be budget-conscious, the Zoe Twin stroller is a great choice. The biggest con is that, like every other side-by-side stroller, it did not fit through my apartment door, but again, that's a personal problem most people won't have.

Overall, it's lightweight compared to other double strollers, but it gets heavier if you attach a car seat to it and have a toddler in the seat. The wheels are normal stroller wheels and not all-terrain, but I had no problem pushing it around the various ground and pavements in New York City.

It's also really easy to fold; all you have to do is pull up on the seats, and it closes, which I really like. I find a lot of strollers overcomplicate the folding part, and when I'm tired, trying to get the stroller into the car and manage a toddler on the verge of a meltdown, the last thing I want to do is fight to get my stroller folded. It also folds compactly, and that's huge for me because I live in an apartment where I don't have extra storage space to spare, and I drive a sedan with a small trunk.

Now, you can't attach a bassinet to the Zoe Twin, which is a con in my book because in those early days, I like to be able to see my baby and don't always want them in a car seat. But each seat is designed for a newborn and lays nearly flat like a bassinet, although you can't make it parent-facing. Granted, this period when you want to be able to see your kid is only a short span of time in the grand scheme of things. And I have friends who love the stroller and never found it to be an issue that they couldn't attach a bassinet.

Of the side-by-side strollers I tested, this is one of my favorites. It has slightly bigger wheels than a traditional stroller but aren't as wide as a jogging stroller. It means there's a smooth ride, and the stroller can handle going over bumps and down curbs without your kid feeling like they're on the Oregon Trail.

I also found this stroller very easy to get up a curb. I was able to lift it myself, which is actually really important when you're outside walking around a lot. And speaking of weight, this stroller really surprised me with how lightweight it is. I was able to fold it up and carry it without any real problem.

Now, as a mom in New York City, storage is very important to me. At first, I thought this stroller was lacking in storage because the basket under the stroller doesn't run the length of the stroller. But it runs the full width and provides taller storage space than other strollers. So I can stand my grocery bags up instead of laying them down. Overall, I think the stroller provides enough storage for me to run my errands and spend the day outside without anything falling out.

This stroller also has the ability to put both a car seat and a bassinet onto it. Each seat is separate, so you can have a toddler on one side facing forward and a newborn on the other side in a bassinet. You can also fit two bassinets and two car seats if you have twins.

Folding and opening the stroller is also really easy. All you have to do to fold it is pull two tabs on the side, and it collapses. Although it doesn't fold as compactly as the Nuna Trvl Double or the Zoe.

My husband also really liked the roundedness of the handle and how tall the handle was able to get. Since we're very different sizes, it's always nice to have a stroller with multiple handle adjustments because we both want to be able to use it comfortably.

I picked the stroller up at Albee Baby, and the saleswoman told me that it's her favorite double stroller. The biggest complaint people have, according to her, is the cork handles. But that didn't bother me, and she said you can buy covers for them if you want.

The Thule Urban Glide is a jogging double stroller.

Takes up more space when folded than a standard double stroller

I was pleasantly surprised by this stroller once we got out of the apartment – more on that later. I have to admit, the last time I went for a run or even exercised, for that matter, was a year ago. I have a 16-month-old; give me a break. But I've come to realize that eating healthy and exercising does actually make you feel better, and gyms near me don't have childcare, so I'm going to become a running mom.

The stroller has a really smooth ride. I didn't personally sit in it to test it, but my son didn't whine or cry the entire time he was in it, which indicates to me that he was comfortable.

It also handles any terrain you may find yourself on. I tested it on asphalt, dirt, rocks, and those giant cobblestones along Central Park. It was easy to push across all of them.

The stroller also has the capability to put a bassinet on it, which, personally, I think is critical for a double stroller unless your kids are already out of the newborn phase.

You know I love storage since I'm running all of my errands on foot, and I have to say the Thule has excellent storage. Plus, there's a cover on the storage basket. Don't worry, it's only Velcro, so it's super easy to get stuff in and out. You may be thinking, why do I need a cover over the storage? Well, if it rains, you don't want to suddenly see your clean diapers growing as they absorb the water. Also, if you decide to take your stroller somewhere you might have to leave it unattended (I'm looking at you, Disney World), people can't see what you have underneath.

Now, to the negatives. This is kind of a personal problem, but this stroller does not fit through my apartment door or in the elevator of my building. Which means I had to get my toddler out of the stroller, fold it up, push it through, and then put my toddler back in once we got to the lobby. It did fit through the front door, though, which leads me to believe my apartment door is probably not ADA-compliant, which is why it didn't fit.

For me, this means I probably won't be using it as much as I would if it easily fit through my door and in the elevator, just because I am a tired mom and it takes motivation for me to do extra work.

If you live in a house, this probably isn't an issue because your door is either ADA-compliant or you might keep the stroller in the garage. But if you live in an apartment, you may want to measure your door to make sure it'll fit through before you buy it.

It's also pretty heavy, which for me, living in New York City, means I probably wouldn't use it as my primary stroller. I'm not positive I'm strong enough to get it on and off the bus, and it was harder to get up the two steps into my building than my regular stroller.

Cannot attach a bassinet or make seats parent-facing

Full transparency, I am a Nuna girl. My first stroller was the Nuna Swiv, and I have absolutely zero complaints about it. I brag about my Nuna to everyone I meet. I tell you this because I want you to know my bias going into reviewing the Nuna Trvl Double Stroller.

Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed with it, which is tough for me to admit.

The biggest issue with this stroller that I have is that you cannot put a bassinet onto it. Yes, you can lay the seat almost flat, and the stroller is designed to be used from birth, but you won't be able to see your baby in it because the stroller is only designed to face forward instead of forward and rear, like so many of the Nuna strollers.

You can reconcile this by putting any Pipa car seat on top of one of the seats and having it face you. That's a solution that will work for some people and not for others. And, admittedly, in the scheme of the years you'll use a double stroller compared to the time you need a bassinet, the time you need a bassinet is a blip. So, choosing a stroller just because you can put the bassinet on could be short-sighted.

Now, I do have to say, this stroller is extremely light. I'm a five-foot woman who does not exercise (if I did not make that clear above), and I can easily lift this stroller. That's important because I'm the one home with the kids more, which means I'm the one putting it into the car or getting it on the bus or carrying it up the two steps into our apartment building.

The thing I love about my Swiv and also the Nuna Trvl Double is the amount of storage. As a New York City mom, I'm going from the playground to the grocery store to the post office without stopping at home. So I need a stroller that has room for me to bring everything someone would bring in their car. The Nuna Trvl Double delivers. There's plenty of storage, and since the stroller is already lightweight, piling it up with stuff didn't make it too heavy.

Ultimately, if you're living in the city, I think the UppaBaby Vista 3 is the best option because you know you can fit through every door and it's more compatible with public transportation. If you're not living in the city and you aren't concerned about budget, I'd go with the Bumbleride Indie Twin. But if budget is something you're considering, the Zoe Twin is a great option.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas

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