Baby Trend Sit N' Stand Double Review

For over 26 years, Baby Trend has designed a variety of baby gear, from walkers to car seats. The company strives to make affordable products for babies. Their innovations have led to the first Sit and Stand stroller and the first diaper pail that didn't require brand-specific refills.

Ease of Use

A few issues, like a fiddly fold-and-unfold, limited storage, a shallow child tray and cup holder, and stubborn brakes, make the Sit N' Stand less user-friendly than other double strollers. It earned one of the lowest scores in the review.

Fold and Unfold

Folding and unfolding any double stroller involves a size challenge. The fold here isn't too difficult with one hand and 3-4 steps, but one-handed folding requires the user to bend to the ground. If you can't bend down that far, you can fold this stroller with two hands and avoid it. It can stand on its own and auto-lock, which is convenient. Unfolding requires two steps and two hands, but it's easier than folding. It can be awkward the first few times you do it, but it gets easier with practice.

Storage

The storage bin is smaller than most of the competition, with access that is hard to use from the back and sides. It also has top access, but depending on the seat configuration, it will be harder to access the bin from the top. We could squeeze our large diaper bag in it, but it has an allowable weight of only 5 lbs. We question whether or not the bin is even designed with a diaper bag in mind.

The parent tray cup holders on the Sit 'N Stand are deep enough to prevent most items from falling out, but the covered portion of the tray is too small to be very useful.   Credit: Abriah Wofford

The child's tray is virtually useless as it is very shallow and has bumps for car seat attachment. The cup holder however, will accept a baby bottle or sippy cup.   Credit: Abriah Wofford

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This stroller has parent and child trays, but sadly, not all are great. The parent tray (above left) has two cup holders that are compatible with water bottles, baby bottles, and sippy cups. The child's tray (above right) has a shallow tray and an almost as shallow cup holder that accepts baby bottles and sippy cups, but nothing larger. While it takes a bottle, it is likely to fall out shortly after you squeeze it in there, and it is probably more for looks than for actual use.

Harness

The harness on each seat is a 5-point harness that is average to adjust and use, but adjusting the lower straps is less than ideal and requires some patience. The shoulder height is only adjustable by two inches, so it might be hard to fit all children. It has a re-thread harness that is usable, but not the best. The harness buckle can be managed with one hand, but it is much easier with two; when you press the button, the sides pop out on their own, which is nice.

Brakes

The brakes are hard to set and even harder to release. The pedals are double-action, requiring you to set and release both sides. They are so stiff that we gave up trying to release them with our feet and used our hands instead. The roughness of the underside of the pedal, where the top of the shoe/foot goes, will hurt your foot and scuff your shoe. When we set them, it felt like they were set with an initial push; however, this is not the case, and we had to press them a second time to truly set the brakes.

Maneuverability

If you weren't already disappointed with the Sit N' Stand, the maneuverability would probably seal the deal. It offers poor maneuverability and is not particularly impressive. Many inline options are hard to push and turn, but the better ones have nicer wheels and tires than this one.

It takes more effort to turn this stroller, and while the narrower design makes it easier to fit through smaller doorways, its longer length presents its own challenges. Pushing and turning on hard ground is tough, but it gets harder on rougher surfaces and gravel. The dual plastic front wheels make the entire stroller wobble and give it an overall rickety feeling. Single front wheels work better; anything but plastic is the way to go for a smooth ride.

Transporting and Storing

The Sit N' Stand is slightly lighter than most others. It's not ultra-light or ultra-compact, but smaller than the largest double strollers in our selection.

Weight and Folded Size

The Baby Trend weighs 31 pounds and 5 ounces, which is below the group's average and much lighter than the heaviest options that approach 40 pounds.

The folded size of the Sit N' Stand is just over 21,000 cubic inches. This stroller is long and might not fit in all car trunks.

Kid Ride

The Sit N' Stand struggles in this metric due to minimal features in the child seat that enhance comfort and disappointing canopies.

The front seat on the Baby Trend Sit N' Stand has limited recline opportunities thanks to close proximity of the rear seat, and it has an old school bar that rests in predetermined grooves.   Credit: Abriah Wofford

The rear seat can recline further than the front on this Baby Trend stroller.   Credit: Abriah Wofford

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Seat

This stroller does not have adjustable leg rests, and in fact, the leg rest is barely there and pretty bleak. Both seats recline, with the front one-handed and the back two-handed. Reclining the seats is only average; the front is easier to operate, but it offers just two recline positions. The rear seat has unlimited recline options, though it doesn't recline very deeply. The double child trays are swingable and removable. Overall, the padding on the seats is nonexistent, and older kids might find the available seat space to be a tight squeeze.

Sunshade

Baby Trend tends to prefer strollers with smaller canopies, and this one is no exception, featuring small, chintzy canopies. The rear canopy is stationary and won't cover anything but the baby's head, while the front canopy rotates forward to help keep out the lower sun, but it will be worthless if it rains. The canopies have small mesh peek-a-boo windows with hook-and-loop closures on the window flap.

Continuous Sleeping Comfort

We tested the Sit N' Stand on average terrain to estimate how often napping kids would be woken by going over asphalt, bumps, and cracks. Potentially due to its plastic wheels, lack of rear shocks, and heavy tandem load, this stroller recorded an average of 16 potential wake-up events. Basically, it might be a rougher ride with no shock absorption.

Quality

The Sit N' Stand doesn't stand out for its quality, earning one of the lowest scores in the group. The fabric on this stroller feels flimsy and has little padding. The webbing on the harnesses feels cheaper than the competition's, and the canopies don't stay open. The whole thing looks frumpy, like you've owned it for years. The frame feels solid, but looks cheap. It has several plastic components and flexes, making the stroller feel like it might fold in on itself. The overall fit and finish are sloppy and disappointing compared to the competition.

The wheels and tires are plastic, with a dual-front-wheel design, which we don't like. It is hard to push, but the pushing gets harder the more weight you put inside.

The handlebar is not adjustable and has minimal space for hands, thanks to the fold button in the center. The foam cover is fine, but that center handle will dig into your hands.

Car Seat Compatibility

This Baby Trend accepts two infant car seats with a strap. It works with infant car seats from Baby Trend, Britax, Evenflo, and Graco. We are not fans of using a strap during installation because we worry that parents will forget or forgo it.

Attaching the car seats isn't easy. While you don't have to remove the canopies to install the seat, it is easier. The rear seat is more difficult because you have to tuck the car seat foot under the rear canopy. The hook on the back of the car seat tends to get caught on the tray, which causes the car seat to tip back. We felt like we were going to drop the car seat.

Ease of Setup

The Sit N' Stand is pretty easy to set up, taking 7 minutes.

It has average instructions in the assembly manual, similar to those found in other Baby Trend products. Everything snaps together easily, and you don't need any tools to assemble it.

Twins

This stroller will work for twins thanks to the ability to accept two infant car seats. However, the difference in rider experience between the front and rear seats will likely lead older kids to fight over which seat they get. The seat in the front has more legroom, while the seat in the back can recline further. Both have a child tray, but it can make the back seat feel cramped. The last problem is the sit-and-stand styling, which can cause issues if neither twin wants to sit in the front seat but prefers the freedom of standing. We think this product is probably a better fit for families with children of different ages and abilities.

Also, we found that when a car seat is attached to the back seat, holding the handlebar is significantly more difficult because the seat interferes and leaves little room for the hands. We aren't sure what they were thinking, but parents with larger hands will rub their knuckles on the infant seat every time they push.

Should You Buy the Baby Trend Sit 'N Stand?

No. No matter your strolling goals or children's ages, this stroller offers nothing worth even the lower price. Given its poor performance in maneuverability and ease of use, we think most parents will be frustrated trying to make this stroller work. It has limited storage, is not adequate for two, and neither seat offers useful features for napping. Overall, it is not even the best Sit 'N Stand we've tested.

What Other Double Stroller Should You Consider?

If you are looking for something to carry your slightly older kids around at a similarly affordable price, we very much recommend a wagon over this option. The Radio Flyer City Luxe Stroll 'N Wagon is lightweight, easy to transport, and lets kids climb in on their own, taking some of the strain off your back. While it isn't a traditional stroller, it did score higher than the Sit N' Stand in almost every category we tested. If you want to give a side-by-side, lighter-weight jogging stroller a whirl, we love the Baby Trend Expedition Double. This three-wheeled stroller has a wallet-loving price and better features for maneuverability, comfort, and convenience than the Baby Trend.

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