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Peg Perego Duette
The Peg Perego Duette is the limousine of double strollers. It is luxury through and through but also comes with a luxury price tag as well.
The Duette has two very roomy seats, each accommodating up to 45 lbs. Each seat is wide and tall enough for even our 3 1/2 year old tester to fit in with no problem. Know that with a seat back to canopy measurement of 21 inches tall (19 inch seatback); your taller toddlers (3 years +) may brush their head on the canopy.
The seats are wonderful! Not only is the fabric beautiful (and removable for hand washing), but the seats are padded, roomy and very inviting. Even the sides of the seats have larger padding like pillows which is great for when kids lean their head to the side to take a nap.
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The seats are wonderful! Not only is the fabric beautiful (and removable for hand washing), but the seats are padded, roomy and very inviting. Even the sides of the seats have larger padding like pillows which is great for when kids lean their head to the side to take a nap.
The seats have a 5-point (non-padded) harness that Peg Perego calls a "Freedom of Movement" harness. This type of harness doesn't secure your child to the back of the seat but allows your child more room to move around. Now, we'd like to say we like this harness, but honestly, we don't. In theory, it sounds good. But our little Houdini toddlers many times need a straight jacket in their strollers to prevent them from escaping, not more "Freedom"! We would feel much better if Peg Perego would scrap the whole idea of Freedom of Movement and put in a secure 5-point harness.
The seats have a four position recline including flat with an easy to do one handed adjustment bar on the back of the seat. Each seat is complete with a removable baby bumper bar but no snack tray or cup holder. Additional thoughtful seat features are an adjustable footrest with two positions and fabulous matching foot muffs to protect your baby from the elements.
Each seat is also equipped with a Child Safety device that prevents the child from sliding forward out of the stroller when lying down. There is Child Safety mesh hidden under the front of the seat pad (when your child's legs hang down). To set up the Baby Safe System: 1) remove the bumper bar 2) take out the mesh 3) slip the mesh onto the bumper bar and reattach the bar onto the stroller. This encloses the seat so there is no way for a small baby to slip out under the bumper bar.
A great feature of the Duette is the versatility of the seats. The innovative design has four adjustable seating positions: (1) both face forward, (2) both face back, (3) they face each other, and (4) they are back to back. We loved the ability to put the seats back to back when our children are fighting. Most tandem strollers cause at least one of our little riders to end up at some point in tears because of pulling hair or kicking seats - but not the Duette. When our kids are feeling friendly, we can put them one behind the other or even facing each other. Note: With older toddlers, facing each other never lasts long as one always "accidentally" kicks the other. When they are feeling feisty, we can put them back to back so they cannot possibly touch, kick or pull each other's hair. This is a great feature for those terrible 2s!
The canopies are HUGE and provide great sun protection. They fold all the way down to the baby bar for not only protection from the elements but for privacy as well. There is also a large zipper on each canopy to open them up for more ventilation. A gigantic basket underneath can easily accommodate two large diaper bags but can be tricky to access. The easiest set up to access the basket is with the seats back to back.
The Duette has four 12 inch semi-pneumatic tires and all-wheel suspension that offer a wonderful, smooth ride for babies. There are also linked rear brakes that are easy to apply.
Another unique feature of the Duette is the steering wheel for maneuverability. There is a steering wheel mounted on the handle bar that maneuvers the front wheels making turning this stroller very easy. You can even turn it one handed (something usually unheard of with a full-size double). The steering wheel is adjustable to four different positions to find a good grip for each parent. It also has a lock on it to lock the front wheels straight for use on rougher terrain. As great as the steering wheel is for maneuvering, we worry about the possibility of it breaking because the stroller cannot be steered without it.
Even with a steering wheel, the weight and size of the stroller is still a workout to keep rolling. Weighing in at whopping 45 lbs (11 lbs each seat and a 23 lb chassis), it will take some effort to push this stroller fully loaded. Like all full-size, tandem strollers, we feel like we are pushing a school bus (a limousine-type school bus - but a school bus nonetheless) when out and about with the Duette. It's one of those eye-catching strollers not only because of how nice it looks but because of how large it is. Luckily, you will not be lifting all 45 lbs into and out of your trunk all in one load as the Duette seats have to be removed in order to fold.
Folding the Duette is easy to do but there are a few steps and you have to have the room to transport 3 large pieces (2 seats and a large chassis). The seats are super easy to remove with two large grey buttons on either side of the seat. The chassis folds down quickly by lifting the grey lever on the handlebar, stepping on the safety lever on the left side of the frame and pushing the handlebar forward until it lays flat. The chassis folds down relatively flat but still being 17 inches tall, 24 inches wide and 42 inches long, it is still very bulky when folded. There is a manual locking strap in front of the basket that locks onto the handlebar to keep the stroller closed when transporting. Since the full-size seats don't fold down, this is definitely a large SUV-type stroller because you'll be hard pressed to fit it in a small sedan trunk.
There are two strong external handlebars that allow 2 people to carry the Duette full assembled with kids aboard if need be. These carry handles also help when putting it in and out of a vehicle trunk.
The Duette chassis also accommodates two Peg Perego Primo Viaggio car seats to make it a double travel system.
This is definitely a "twin's stroller"! We think the Peg Perego Duette is best for twins because of the flat recline in both seats and ability to hold 2 infant car seats, but may not worth the bulk and weight for kids of different ages. If you have an older child that may possibly walk from time to time, you may want to keep looking as we don't think the bulk and weight is worth it.
This luxury tandem stroller is a very sturdy workhorse stroller that has some amazing features but will definitely weigh you down. Retailing for a very expensive $900, the Duette may be out of reach for many budget conscious mamas. While we aren't crazy about the Freedom of Movement harnesses, the bulk/weight and the high price tag, if you have the space to transport this very large stroller, the Duette's roomy, comfy seats, gigantic canopies, versatility with seat positions and the ability to accept 2 car seats at the same time, make this a good option for your twins.
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