Will we need double buggy?

peachyprice

I think I would go for a buggy board and a lightweight buggy for family days out when there are two of you to push.

Having twins and having to have a double, I wouldn't wish them on anyone.

clairec79

2.5year gap I probably wouldn't bother (I did when I had 15 months and 22 month gaps) - I'd be more likely to take a sling and if toddler gets tired stick baby in the sling and toddler in pushchair or get a buggyboard.

My youngest is that age now and it's very rare we take a pushchair

amus

I had a two and a half year gap with mine and never felt I needed one, i got a buggy board which DS1 liked to go on if we were walking longer distances. Double buggies (especially the side by side ones) are more hassle than theyre worth unless you really need one imo.

Hiddenidenity

I have a 2 year gap between my 2 and I never used the double. Although DS was happy to walk I did get a buggy board because we didn't drive and its a good 6 mile round trip to town. Although I think the buggy board was hardly used it was easier than carrying him lol!

Only you can really decide, only you knows how capable he is off walking and how far.

dizziblonde

Depends where you live and what your child's like (we've got some hills round here that are brutal to a grown adult so I imagine they'd be awful on toddler legs - although someone did put a park with swings halfway up as a pitstop). I wouldn't spend a fortune on one though since realistically you're not going to be using it for ages - or what about one where you can convert between a double and a single as you need to (I know my double I was using in single mode for a good few months prior to my baby arriving).

Lots of doubles seem to go fairly cheaply second hand since people only use them for a brief period of time really - people suggest buggy boards but there's no way I could cope with having to push a buggy and avoid kicking the board - it would kill my back (I find it arkward enough not kicking the bottom seat when it's in fully lie-flat mode on my pushchair).

For what it's worth - I have two doubles (well, three if you count the one living at my mum's) but I have a much narrower age gap (11 months)... I've got a b-dual tandem - which I picked for the proper carrycot option and the fact you can raise the top seat up and away so there's actually a fair bit of space between the seats (I always felt a bit sorry for the child on the bottom like someone mentioned in lots of them) - my eldest loves the bottom seat - she can look up and grin at me, she's got toys dangling from the base of the top seat, she can kick her legs up and in the air to remove her socks and throw them out of the side of the pushchair... but it IS heavy to lift up kerbs (not as bad as many since more of the weight is over the back wheels not the front) and it's always going to have trade-offs... I also have a second-hand side-by-side Cosatto one - which is better than I'd thought it would be (it lives in the car since it slides behind the front seats in the footwell) - although even with a 1 year age gap (albeit my eldest is more the size of a smaller 2 year old) it does tend to pull to one side when the weight isn't balanced - but I guess you could chuck all your stuff in the shopping basket on the opposite side to stop that.

Or you could get something like a mei-tai that will fold down small (hence not suggesting a full-blown sling since they take up more space) and if your eldest doesn't want to walk - change over and put the youngest in a sling - but that requires readjusting pushchair straps and whatever and depends if you're up for that level of faffing about or not.

Bufger

I have a 20 month gap between my 2 and we do use the double buggy. We bought an O Baby Zoom as you can have a pram and pushchair combo which can then convert into a double pushchair.

The eldest does like to walk alot but we find he still likes a rest as he has little legs and we do go to the park and to town alot. Also in the winter months he likes to wrap up and rest. He also enjoyed facing his new baby brother and talking to him.

Another important part for me was being able to control them when out and about. Pushing a pram and handling reigns at the same time is tough. Explaining to my eldest that we needed to sit in the buggy to cross the road or in a busy supermarket was easy.

I found it was really good

Get a second hand buggy as they depreciate in value very quickly. I'm going to sell mine soon and im looking at least a £200 drop in value in less than a year!

BigThelma

We have a hauck freerider, i don't use it that much tbh but its handy to have it. 22 months between our boys. what we have found is that eldest has regressed a bit since baby was born and whilst ds1 was happy to walk most places before, he now refuses to and sets down on the ground and has a tantrum. So I couldn't really manage at the moment without it. It's not too heavy and is actually easier to manouver than my single pram. Whether a 2.5 year old would behave like that I don't know, but ds1 will be 2 next month.

EL.Smith

I only have one little one so cant speak personally, but my friend's DD1 was 2.5yrs when her DD2 was born last year and she bought a Phil & Teds double and has never used it.

She uses a sling fulltime for her DD2 (either on her front or back) and on the rare occasions that her DD1 gets tired on a long walk she has a second sling which her husband uses, or if she's on her own she carries her baby on her front and her 3 year old on her back.

Have a look to see if you have a Sling Meet in your local area, lots of them also have Sling Libraries running alongside them and you can borrow a sling to see what style suits you best, as it really is like finding the perfect pair of jeans! Most are on Facebook, just search for your town (or neighbouring town) and 'sling meet'.

Someone at the sling meet can help you find the right sling for you and can advise you on what will be most comfy for you, your new baby or your 2.5 yo. Whichever of your little ones is in the sling they should always be sitting down into the sling with their thighs supported, which is best for their hips and best for your back!

hngrymummy

I suggest you try out a buggy board (can you borrow one from a friend) before baby arrives. If you get along with it also get a baby carrier so that you can carry baby if needed and have the older one in the pushchair.

We have a 23 month age gap and the buggy board works well for us, but that's because our eldest likes walking and has enough energy to manage longer distances.

It all depends on your circumstances and your children.

indebtinsussex

we have 26 months between our dds, and we have a joovy caboose which has a buggy on the front and a bench type seat and a buggy board behind it. we brought it for about £50 secondhand

Its absolutely fantastic as it means that if dd1 wants a rest during walking there is somewhere for her to sit down or stand on the buggy board if we need to go a bit quicker than toddler pace.

although at the moment I'm using a sling a single buggy as dd2 is only 14 weeks