The Baby Jogger City Mini GT Double Stroller

Finding a stroller that meets your family’s needs doesn’t seem like it would be very difficult these days.  With so many strollers on the market it should be a breeze, but finding a stroller that has every feature that is important to you and falls within your budget is where the stress kicks in.

I am somewhat of a stroller hoarder – one might say.  I have a single stroller for travel, two double strollers for travel (depending on where we are going), a single stroller for walking/jogging and now a double stroller for walking and jogging.  Every stroller has a particular use, but storing them gets a little tricky.  I am also a budget shopper and really weigh out the pros and cons of products before making a big purchase.

If you’re familiar with The Naptime Reviewer, you have probably seen me ranting and raving about numerous strollers throughout the years.  Every stroller I get is perfect for what it is meant to be perfect for; and if it’s not, I just don’t waste my time telling you about it.

From my experience, you get what you pay for when it comes to baby gear.  If you spend $20 on a cheaply made stroller, you have to expect to get a $20 performance out of it, in the least entertaining way possible.  Perhaps that’s what lures us into buying them?  A stroller that we can thrash – yes please!  Hey, I’ve owned two.  I get it.

My point is here, you have to spend a little more money for better quality and performance with most baby gear – strollers in particular.  I’ve been strolling around with the Baby Jogger City Mini GT Double stroller for a month or so now and I think stroller is well worth the money.  This stroller has everything I love about the single City Mini GT, with the option to carry two kids, for a couple hundred more than the single version.

My daughters are 21 months old and five years old and this stroller has truly met our daily stroller needs.  We use it for shopping, for exercising, on trail walks, at theme park or carnivals, and more.  I even use it for walking my Bengal cat on a harness sometimes. If you are interested in what is required to walk a Bengal cat, you can check out this article by Kitty Cat Reviews. I wouldn’t consider the double to be good for travel, though. 

I prefer a lightweight stroller for travel; one that is easy to get through security and easy to fold up at the bottom of the jet bridge.  The City Mini GT Double is narrow, but still bulkier than the strollers I like to travel with.

The Fold

The City Mini GT double stroller folds very easily by simply pulling the two “lift” handles in the base of each seat.  Once you lift the stroller by these two handles, it easily collapses in half.  Since the stroller weighs in at 32.5 pounds and is quite large, it might be more difficult for some to collapse it, particularly if you are on the shorter side, like me.  I still manage to collapse it just fine, though.

The locking mechanism on the side of the stroller automatically latches if you collapse the stroller quickly, so the stroller stays folded and locked without much effort.  To unlock the stroller when you’re ready to open it back up, you simply pull out on the latch and unfold the stroller.  I recommend that you lock the front wheels and rear wheels before folding the stroller to make it a little easier on yourself.  If you need to get the stroller as flat as possible, you can then unlock the front wheels and swivel them to the side.

The Wheels

This stroller rolls as smooth as butter and turns on a dime, which is pretty darn good for a double wide.  It is only 29.75″ wide so it fits through single doorways at most shops too, with a few inches to spare.

The City Mini GT Double, like the single version, has smaller all-terrain wheels, so you can take this stroller off the beaten path without having to worry about people tripping over the wheels.  Even with two kids in it this stroller is easy to push with one hand or two, which is a very important feature for my family.

I’ve struggled with some strollers having too wide of a wheel base, but this one is perfect.  Also, the distance from the handlebar to the back wheels is not an issue.  I don’t find that I kick the back of the stroller when pushing it.

The Handlebar and Brakes

The Seat and Canopy

More

My five year old daughter is at the perfect height right now to comfortably ride in this stroller.  She should have no problem simply bending her legs to stay comfortable for at least another year, but it might get tricky after that.

Car Seat Compatibility

This stroller is travel system-compatible, meaning you can buy accessories to accommodate your infant car seats. The City Mini GT Double is compatible with the following infant car seats (requires canopy removal) and require specific accessories for each brand (which you can find here).

• Baby Jogger City Go
• Cybex Aton, Aton 3S and AtonQ
• Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30, SnugRide Click Connect 35, SnugRide Click Connect 35 LX and SnugRide Click Connect 30
• Maxi Cosi Mico AP, Mico MAX 30, Pebble, Cabrio Fix and Pebble Plus

Accessories

As I mentioned earlier, this stroller is best recommended for an “everyday” stroller.  You can purchase a Glider Board to accommodate older children, or to make your single stroller work for two children.  If you plan to be using your stroller on rainy days, a Weather Shield might great for you.

 

You can view the entire list of compatible stroller accessories for the City Mini GT Double here.

 

Conclusion

If you are finding that a double stroller is needed in your family, and you have a budget between $500 – $600, the City Mini GT Double stroller might be right for you.  Remember, strollers last for years and are an important investment in the early years of parenting.  They make great baby shower gifts and can be passed on to friends and family members.  This is a great stroller that has fit in very well with our lifestyle.  It’s my most recommended stroller, both in the single and double version, both online and offline.