Review

Graco Stadium Duo Midnight

The Graco Stadium Duo is a great all-rounder tandem pushchair , designed for 2 children of different ages. Affordable, feature-rich and practical, it also transforms into a Travel System when a Graco car seat is attached to the rear seat.

Graco Stadium Duo: The Pros

It’s called “stadium” because the rear seat is higher so that the child on the rear can see over and beyond the front seat’s hood. It means that as the younger child grows they can get a good view of the world around them. And because the rear seat is higher, it’s also closer to you, making it easy to check up on your younger child. Each seat has a max capacity of 15 kg.

It comes with 2 hoods, both of which are easily adjustable. There are also windows on both hoods, positioned to let you to easily see what either of your kids are up to.

Both seats are well padded, soft and very comfortable as well as having an easy, simple recline mechanism. Both seats also have an easily adjustable 5-point harness.

There are height adjustable shoulder restraints, allowing it to suit your fast growing babies, but some parents find the buckles a tad fiddly. There are play trays at front of each pushchair, which comes handy for toys and food. However, when placing a child in the seat, you may want to take out the play tray first as it’s easier that way.

The front seat has 2 recline positions and is suitable from 6 months to 3 years, and comes with an apron. The rear seat on the other hand has 4 positions, from flat to completely upright. It also comes with a head support for newborn babies. Another feature you’ll find really useful about the seats is the removable and washable seat covers.

For a tandem, it is actually easy to fold and has a self-catching clip. It folds in a concertina style and can fit in the boot of most medium sized cars. It also stands on its own when folded, making it easier to store.

The storage basket is fairly large, can hold up to 5 kg, easy to access when the rear seat is fully upright.

The brakes are easy to engage and disengage in a single motion. The front wheels are swivel wheels that can be locked when going over rougher terrains.

Graco Stadium Duo: The Cons

Note that when buying tandem pushchairs, there will be issues inherent to this type of pushchair because of its structure. Tandems are supposed to accommodate 2 children, so naturally its length will be longer than average pushchairs, and it will be heavier, too.

So for the convenience of having one stroller for 2 children, you may have to learn to put up with using a pushchair that’s bulky, heavy, difficult to carry, more difficult to manoeuvre than a single stroller, and harder to push.

If you anticipate that you will need to lift this tandem pushchair up and down stairs regularly, be prepared to always have someone to help, as it can be heavy. It will be trickier for the person holding the front of the pushchair to carry it as there’s nowhere to get a really good hold on the front of the stroller, but on the bright side there’s a carry handle that one of you can use.

One thing about its design that could annoy you is that accessing the basket when the rear seat is fully reclined is awkward, if not impossible. However there’s space in between the seats that you can use to access the middle of the basket. If this is too much of a hassle for you, you can always purchase pushchair accessories designed to give you more storage solutions like net bags that you can hang on the pushchair’s handles.

The Stadium Duo weighs 14 kg (30.8 lbs), so you can imagine how heavy it might feel for you. It can also be difficult to get up kerbs – remember that your older child is sitting on the front – however most pushchairs with the combined weight of two children would be difficult to get up on kerbs anyway so it’s unfair to blame this factor on the Pushchair.

Lastly, it doesn’t come with other useful accessories like a compatible car seat, rain cover, or changing bag. However this is reflected on the price so if you want these accessories you can just get them as extras.

Conclusion

The Graco Stadium Duo isn’t the lightest nor the most compact of pushchairs out there, however the price, comfort, practicality and features make it a very good option for anyone looking for transporting two children of different ages, especially those on a budget. It is by no means the perfect stroller but it does the job and is very good value. It’s obviously not as easily steered as a single stroller and can at times feel like a tank, but it is manageable.

Specifications

Graco Stadium Duo: Specifications

Graco Stadium Duo is Available in Colours

• Midnight

Gallery

Video

Accessories

Accessories Included in Price (please check before buying):

• Play trays
• Cup holders
• 2 hoods
• 2 footmuffs

Optional Pushchair Accessories

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Alternatives

Think this pushchair isn’t the right one for you?

These are pushchair models that are strong in the areas where The Stadium Duo is weak.
Mothercare Phoenix