The Best Stroller for a Baby and a Toddler? Here's How We're Using Ours, And Why The Austlen Entourage Gets The Top Spot
I love this stroller.
When I was getting ready to use the Austlen Entourage with my now 3-month-old and 2.5-year-old, I didn't want to choose one configuration and hope it would work for the next few years.
So I prepared for pretty much everything.
We got the Entourage with the Sit + Stand, and I also purchased the Second Seat and infant car seat adapter.
That means we can change the stroller depending on how old my kids are, how they want to ride, and even how much stuff I need to carry.
Right now, though?
I think we've found our perfect configuration.
My 2.5-year-old rides in the Primary Seat up front and can recline when he needs to, my 3-month-old rides in her infant car seat in the rear, and the space underneath becomes an absolutely enormous cargo area.
Baby + toddler + maximum storage.
I'm loving it.
The Best Stroller for a Baby and a Toddler Isn't Always a Traditional Double
Before using the Entourage, I think I automatically pictured a double stroller as two traditional stroller seats.
But that's not necessarily what works best when your children are at completely different stages.
My 2.5-year-old is perfectly happy riding in the Primary Seat, which holds up to 65 pounds and gives him room to recline comfortably.
My 3-month-old can stay in her infant car seat using the appropriate rear adapter.
And because the Entourage's patented frame expands to accommodate that rear infant car seat, there's a huge open cargo area underneath and between the two kids.
That's one of the reasons I think it's such a great best stroller for a baby and a toddler candidate.
I'm not trying to make my toddler fit into a tiny secondary seat just because he's the older child.
And I'm not giving up the storage I need to carry everything that comes along with two little kids.
Just Look at All That Storage Space
Honestly, the storage in this configuration is one of my favorite parts.
Two kids come with a lot of stuff.
Diaper bag.
Extra clothes.
Blankets.
Snacks.
Bottles.
Toddler water cup.
Toys.
Whatever we buy while we're out.
And somehow, even when I think I've packed lightly, we still come home with more than we left with.
The Entourage's lower storage basket is rated for up to 70 pounds, while the included Market Tote adds another 30 pounds of dedicated storage capacity. The entire stroller can handle up to 200 pounds of kids + cargo, depending on configuration.
So when I talk about the stroller with the best storage capacity, I'm not talking about a basket that technically fits a diaper bag.
This is storage I can actually use.
And with the way we have the stroller configured right now, I can really take advantage of it.
Yes, It's Long Right Now. That's Kind of the Point.
When I look at the stroller with my toddler up front and infant car seat in the rear, it definitely looks long.
But I actually like knowing why it's long.
We're using the Entourage expanded because right now we need room for two very different riders plus all that cargo.
The Entourage can extend to 50.5 inches long in its fully expanded position. But it doesn't have to stay that way forever.
That's the difference.
The frame has three positions, from 38.5 inches long when retracted to 50.5 inches when fully expanded.
So when my baby eventually grows out of the infant car seat and our needs change, I can reconfigure the seating and shorten the stroller again.
I'm not permanently committing to pushing around a giant double stroller just because I have two children.
And That's Where All Our Other Seating Options Come In
This is what made me feel especially good about buying the Second Seat and Sit + Stand.
Right now, the rear infant car seat setup makes perfect sense.
Later, it won't.
As my baby gets bigger, we can switch to the Second Seat, which is designed for children from 6 months up to 40 pounds.
That gives us a traditional two-seat double when that's what our kids need.
But my 2.5-year-old is already entering the age when independence becomes a very big deal.
So we also have the Sit + Stand ready.
Instead of always being buckled into a traditional seat, an older child can stand on the integrated Platform Rider, sit on the Jump Seat when tired, which does have a three-point harness for added safety, or hop off and walk.
It's rated for children beginning around age 2.5 with good balance and coordination and supports up to 75 pounds (an average 9 year old!).
We can switch between the Second Seat and Sit and Stand depending on what makes the most sense for our kids at that stage.
That's exactly the flexibility I wanted.
My Definition of the Best Stroller for Two Kids Has Changed
That's why I don't think the best stroller for two kids is necessarily the one with two identical seats.
My kids aren't identical.
They're more than two years apart, and right now one is a tiny baby while the other is a toddler.
What they need from a stroller today is already completely different.
And what they'll need a year from now will be different again.
With the Entourage, I can configure the stroller around the children instead of trying to make the children fit one permanent configuration.
Today: toddler in the Primary Seat + baby in the rear infant car seat.
Next: two traditional stroller seats when that makes sense.
Later: younger child in a stroller seat + bigger child using the Sit + Stand.
Eventually: retract the stroller again when only one child needs to ride.
To me, that's what the best stroller for two kids should be able to do.
Why It's My Best Single to Double to Sit and Stand Stroller
There are plenty of strollers that convert from a single into a double.
What I love about the Entourage is that "double" isn't the end of the story.
My older child isn't always going to want a traditional stroller seat.
Eventually, he'll probably want to walk more than he rides.
But "I can walk" and "I can walk through an entire zoo, airport or all-day family outing without ever getting tired" are two very different things.
That's where the Sit + Stand makes so much sense to me.
He'll be able to walk when he wants, step onto the Platform Rider when he wants to stand, and use the Jump Seat when he actually wants to sit.
Meanwhile, his younger sibling can keep the traditional stroller seat.
That's why the Entourage feels like the best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller for our family.
We're already prepared for the next stage instead of waiting for our current stroller setup to stop working.
The Features That Make the Entourage Work So Well for Us
For our 3-month-old, our 2.5-year-old and all the stages still ahead, these are the features that make the Entourage our best stroller for a baby and a toddler, best stroller for two kids, best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller, and stroller with the best storage capacity:
- Multiple two-child configurations, including a stroller seat + infant car seat, two traditional stroller seats, or a stroller seat + Sit and Stand
- Patented expandable and retractable frame, so the stroller gets longer when we need the room and shorter when our configuration changes
- Primary Seat rated from birth to 65 lbs, giving our toddler a roomy, comfortable place to ride and recline, or a built-in bassinet for our baby when needed
- Infant car seat compatibility, so our 3-month-old can ride in her car seat using the appropriate adapter
- Second Seat rated from 6 months to 40 lbs, giving us another option as our baby grows, and my 2.5-year-old can even fit in it as well
- Sit + Stand rated up to 75 lbs, with both a seated Jump Seat and integrated standing Platform Rider for our older child
- 70-lb lower storage basket + 30-lb included Market Tote, giving us up to 100 pounds of dedicated cargo capacity
- Up to 200 lbs of kids + cargo capacity, so the stroller is built for much more than simply transporting two children
- Easy reconfiguring, letting us switch between the rear infant car seat adapter, Second Seat and Sit + Stand as our needs change
- A frame that retracts again, so today's fully expanded baby + toddler configuration doesn't dictate the stroller's footprint forever
We Bought for the Kids We Have Now...and the Kids They'll Become
That's really what I love most about this stroller.
Yes, I love our current setup.
I love seeing my 2.5-year-old comfortably reclined up front.
I love having my 3-month-old behind him in her infant car seat.
And I really love looking at the huge amount of storage space we still have between and underneath them.
But I know this exact configuration is temporary.
Babies outgrow infant car seats.
Toddlers become preschoolers.
Preschoolers start insisting they can walk everywhere themselves...until suddenly they can't.
Our stroller needs are going to keep changing.
And instead of looking at that as a problem, the Entourage seems designed around it.
We already have the Second Seat.
We already have the Sit + Stand.
We can expand the frame, retract it and reconfigure the seating depending on which stage we're in.
So I don't feel like I bought the perfect stroller for a 3-month-old and a 2.5-year-old.
I feel like I bought the stroller that can keep adapting as those two kids grow.
For me, that's what makes the Entourage the best stroller for a baby and a toddler, the best stroller for two kids, the stroller with the best storage capacity, and especially the best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller.
And one last thing?
Their customer service rocks.
Thanks, Austlen!
Image provided by customer is for illustrative purposes. To read their review and other customer reviews, click here.