Which double buggy would you recommend? Post Reply

[Franklens]

Baby number 2 is due in 6 weeks and I am wondering whether we will need to get a double buggy and would welcome other peoples advice. Our daughter will be 23 months. She already prefers to walk next to the buggy and can easily manage about 15 mins of walking before getting tired. She also happily uses our nanny's buggy board. However, if we wanted to go out for a full day we would need somewhere for her to sit when tired. She rarely sleeps in the buggy so I am not too worried about a toddler seat that does not recline but other than that I have no idea where to start. Everyone around here seems to have a Phil and Teds which probably speaks for itself, but which model is best? We currently have an Uppababy Vista so could buy a rumbler seat but they have mixed reviews and you can't use them with the carrycot, not ideal for a new baby. Space is not too much of an issue as we have a large estate car that we could leave the buggy in and we don't often use buses as I tend to walk everywhere so should I be looking at a side by side buggy like the mountain buggy? Any personal experiences/recommendations greatly appreciated!

[ladyofacertainage]

MY kids are big now, and maybe my recommendations are out of date and unfashionable but I would go for a side by side mclaren type umbrella folding buggy. They are lighter, and narrower than most of the modern fancy ones and take up much less space. I had a similar gap between my first 2 and only used it rarely, mixing between buggy board for toddler or sling for baby with my single sturdy pushchair. The times when the double was most useful were days out or when the older one was not well. Otherwise I rarely used it so was pleased it was light and folded up to a reasonable size. I also managed to buy it secondhand so felt if it didn't work out I hadn't lost much as I could resell it, but in the end I gave it away to a friend as we did use it.

[MrsAmanda]

My elder was 21 mths when my younger son was born. I huffed and puffed for ages about getting a double - could I make do with a single, a babysling and a buggy board?

In the end, though, I got a double. We plumped for the Baby Jogger City Select. I liked the fact my elder could sit at the front, forward-facing, whilst the baby was up high, facing me. When he got older, he sometimes faced me, sometimes faced outwards. It is a couple of inches longer than a P&T but not by much. I compared them side-by-side in Twist in Balham and was surprised at how little difference there was. It's quite narrow, slightly more so than my old Quinny Buzz, so it could cope with narrow doorways and pavements.

It also converts back to a single buggy in the push of a button. Oh, and has a very large shopping basket.

I really liked the BJCS and was sad to see it go when my children no longer needed it. They also have pretty good resale value, too.

[dudette]

I had the Out n About Nipper when my children were younger and it was fab. Really easy to push - you could easily push it one handed if you were carrying an umbrella etc. We took it up a gondola and pushed the kids along mountain paths with it in the Alps! It also had lots of storage space (if you bought the shopping basket attachment) so I could use it to do a shop! The only downside is unless you've got a wide hall way you'd have to fold it in the house - which I think is why most people opt for the Phil and Ted's but personally I always felt sorry for the kid at the back who couldn't see anything.

[tomsmum2008]

Try this website:
http://www.buggypod.com/

They have some great options

[Martina1]

I have a 23 month gap between my two and decided to go for a double buggy. We went for a Baby Jogger City Mini as I liked the idea of them being side by side rather than one having to stare at the back of the other one. I was looking at this and the Mountain Buggy version but went for this as the seats are 2cm wider (from memory), the wheels can't get flats (I am useless with stuff like this) and the sunshades have the ability to come down really low.
I have really liked it and think that, for its size, it is very easy to wheel about. It folds up fairly easily too though we hardly ever put it down.
I walk about a lot and got great use out of it.
Nine months on and we still use it quite a bit if I'm going on longer journeys or if it's raining as the raincover is very easy to put on.
If it's a short journey, we tend to use the single Bugaboo that I had for Baby 1 and a buggy board. Or he walks.

I did wonder about just sticking to a single initially but am glad that I didn't. He got a little stroppy at times about six weeks after the baby arrived and I was glad not to have to try to make him stay on the buggy board. It was better to be able to either encourage him to climb into his special chair like a big boy or, if needed, karate chop him into it and strap him in there with the harness.