Graco Stadium Duo Stroller (Orbit)

A few years ago, I felt very relieved when I sold my bulky double buggy to a friend. I had downsized to a stroller, with a buggy board on the back, glad I wasn't going to have to huff and puff with a big pushchair ever again. Or so I thought. Within a short time of getting rid of the double pushchair, the inevitable happened. I got pregnant again.

When the baby arrived, my oldest son was 4 and my daughter was 2, so I definitely needed a double pushchair for the new baby and my daughter. I didn't like the idea of a side by side pushchair, as I knew it would be impractical getting the pushchair in through the narrow doorways of the local shops and library, as well as on the bus, which I used regularly to get to town. In the end, we settled on the stylish Graco Stadium Duo, which was on offer for an amazing £70 from a local independent retailer. This was about half of what these pushchairs usually cost.

The pushchair is a tandem style, with the front seat designed for the older child/toddler and the back seat for the baby, as it reclines completely, and has four recline settings. It would not suit newborn twins, as the front seat is only suitable for a child who is old enough to sit up unaided, and has only two recline settings. You can buy a raincover for the pushchair, which will set you back £20. Be warned, the raincover is prone to catch on things and rips very easily, so you may get through more than one over the lifetime of the pushchair.

The pushchair is as narrow as a regular pushchair, which means that it is really easy to get through doorways. When you are pushing very young children in the pushchair, it is easy to manouevre. However, when the kids get older, it can be really tricky to get the pushchair up kerbs and steps and I found that when you get to this point it is usually best to put the lighter child at the front and the heavier, older child at the back, so that the front of the pushchair is easier to lift.

The puchchair has a HUGE basket underneath, which is really practical to store your shopping and changing bag/accessories. There is also a bar that you can put on the front of the pushchair to put food and drinks, although I found it more practical to remove the bar. The two seats have their own individual hoods, which you can adjust as necessary. The back hood completely shades the baby when the weather is sunny.

The pushchair is easy to keep clean and maintain, and I had mine for about two years, before downgrading back to a stroller again. In that time, I had no problems at all with the pushchair and nothing broke or needed oiling during that time. When I sold it at the end, it was still in really good condition, as it was well made and excellent quality.

The only problem I had with this pushchair, and it was my fault really, is that I forgot how to fold it! The lady in the shop did show me, but the chair was in constant use and I never needed to fold it until one day, when I went to town and my husband came to pick me up in the car and I realised I hadn't got a clue how to fold the thing and didn't have the manual on me at the time! As I say, that was MY fault, and I would recommend that anyone using the pushchair thoroughly familiarises themselves with the working of the chair if they need to fold it down regularly!

This pushchair is really practical and perfect for anyone with a young child who is expecting a new baby. I recommend it and give it a deserved five star rating.

I think this pushchair is really great. It takes a bit of getting use to the length and manoueverablilty but after using it 2 or 3 times I find it fantastic. Its brillaint for cars with limited space in the boot as once the hoods are detached its very compacted when folded. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a toddler and a baby. Seats are very comfy and its very easy to use.

This stroller is extremely good value, easy to use and comfortable for the kids. The harnesses are good and easy to use, the only thing is it is quite heavy and large. It's easy to control and maneuver, it is great.