There is very little about navigating the world with twins that is convenient:
- When everyone wants a chance to snuggle their grand-nephew, it’s handy to have two.
- I have double the chance of getting a decent photo for product reviews.
- I can usually use “I just had twins” as an excuse for minor faux pas.
But beyond that, the logistics of travel—whether to the grocery store or a family holiday—can lead even the superest of super mamas to avoid leaving the house with her adorable duo. (And no, I most certainly do not know how triplet moms do it!)
With my singletons, I accomplished both quick errands and day-long tourism by babywearing. No need to worry about stairs, crowds or tight spaces with baby strapped to my chest or my back.
With the Cub Twins, we of course have our double stroller for getting around our neighbourhood and for taking to the trails in and around Calgary. But what about the thrift store I love that’s tiny and jam-packed? What about a crowded museum at peak tourist season? Most definitely my husband and I could each wear one baby, and we do that sometimes. But I’m usually out with the kids alone, or we need Papa to be baby-free, so he can be in charge of wrangling the older two. Tandem babywearing remains an option of course, but back-carries aren’t ideal under 6 months old, and it’s not easy to do on my own in a parking lot. (It also leaves no room for a backpack!)
Ever eager to seek solutions that don’t require me to be homebound, I wondered if it would be feasible to use a very compact and light stroller and a baby carrier to get through tight spaces with my twins. Spoiler alert! It’s the perfect solution, and the Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller makes the perfect partner for any of my numerous buckle carriers.
The Bily stroller weighs just over 14 lb (6.3 kg) and folds down teeny tiny. It’s so teeny tiny that I often forget it’s in my trunk at all. Because trunk space was a precious commodity on our recent road trip to Vancouver, there was no hope of packing our double stroller. So I slid the Bily in between our suitcases and bins knowing even if we didn’t end up using it, it wasn’t monopolizing any space.
My upper body muscles are likely stronger than they’ve ever been thanks to loading and unloading infant seats and pushing our double stroller up hills, so grabbing the Bily from the trunk and popping it open makes me feel like I’m the Hulk opening a jar of pickles. (In case that analogy makes no sense, I mean that it is ridiculously easy.)
The seat of the Bily stroller reclines fully, meaning you can use it from birth. Flipping up the footrest creates a cozy bassinet! A lot of lightweight strollers I’ve seen can only be used around 3 months because they do not have this feature. The stroller is designed to accommodate children up to 3 years old, 40 lb (18 kg) and 37″ (94 cm) tall.
You can push the Bily with one hand, which means I can wear a twin, push the stroller and pull or carry a shopping basket if I need to do a quick grocery shop. If I have my preschooler with me, she pulls the shopping basket, and I can hold her spare hand with mine.
We recently went to the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, and the thought of exploring a tourist hotspot during peak tourist season with a double-wide stroller didn’t appeal to me. The Bily-plus-baby-carrier combo was the perfect solution. I didn’t knock over priceless fossils with my wide load, and the babies were happy and cooperative for the entire visit.
My favourite things about the Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller:
- Extremely lightweight and compact, ideal for travel and for keeping in the car for errands.
- Easy, one-hand fold … parents rarely have both hands to spare.
- Suitable from birth to toddler.
- Usable from birth thanks to the fully reclined “bassinet” mode.
- Easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces, even with just one hand.
- Easy-to-access lower basket to store a few lightweight items.
- Light enough that carrying it up or down stairs if required is very manageable.
- Affordable enough to be a “second” stroller.
Drawbacks to consider:
- No cupholder or other handlebar storage.
- This is not an all-terrain stroller, nor does it claim to be. Keep in mind that it is best suited for navigating paved sidewalks and parking lots (unencumbered by snow) and indoor destinations like the grocery store, airport, the mall and museums.
- The canopy is very short, so it does not provide protection from the elements.
Twin life being what it is, I couldn’t live without our double stroller. That said, the Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller at just CAN$144.99 makes an affordable solution to the “How will we fit in there?!” quandary I face all too frequently.
If you’ve got a singleton and babywear most of the time, the Bily could easily be your only stroller. If you have a fairly large and heavy stroller as your main ride, you’ll love the Bily for your next trip through the airport or as a back up in your trunk for those times you weren’t planning to get out of the car but you realize you’re out of milk!
The Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller is Distributed in Canada by Elfe Juvenile Products
Shop via my Amazon affiliate link
Leave a Reply