I'm so glad I stumbled onto this thread. I went buggy shopping yesterday as I'm expecting DC2 in November, by which time DD will 2.1. I do a lot of walking with her but live at the top of a mile long hill which gets pretty steep. She manages to walk some of the way but not all and I doubt she'd manage to traipse around the shops too if I had a single buggy for the baby, despite some family members saying that I should just make her walk.

So I decided that I wanted a double buggy but was completely and utterly bemused by the range, particularly as some are only up to age 3 and are over £500 for the basic pram, never mind the add ons (pricey for the sake of 11 months). I had looked at the P&T online but when I saw it in Mothercare, I was concerned about either baby or toddler being almost squashed. I think I'll revisit the P&T in a more positive frame of mind next weekend.

What about the Vector Duo? The seats can be placed in any combination you prefer on the day, you can attach the bebecar car seat onto the chassis if your just nipping somewhere, It has a large shopping basket and has chunky wheels. I couldn't say if it will fit in your boot but if you go on the bebecar website I'm sure it will have the sizes on there for you.

I have seen online an icandy pear, it looks expensive but it converts back into a single buggy afterwards, and looks like both children have more room & higher up off the ground than a p&t.

I have a jane powertwin which was given to me but not that pleased with it. DS1 looks all hunched up and doesnt have much room in the front, and DS2 looks like he will slide straight out the bottom of the back seat. BUT it is umbrella fold & goes into my feista boot with no probs and pushes like a breeze - although you have to watch going up kerbs as easily ecomes unbalanced. so far i have used it for shopping trips.

i tend to use my mountain buggy/single maclaren still for local walks with ds2 in a sling & then put him in buggy when DS1 gets out for play in park or wants to walk!

We got a really good price on a red sport (also had black) at toys r us as both the buggy and doubles kit were on offer, then if you buy their magazine thing for £1? then they had a £15 off voucher - think we got everything for £334 - Was a great deal, about 3 weeks ago - not sure if it is still on - cant get on the website at the moment (also not sure if it was on there), might be worth calling them to see?
good luck

Kiddicare have really good deals if you check they're doubles deals, you should be in luck.

I got mine from here - they delivered it the next day and I have bought off them before, I used to leave near to their shop and they were great to deal with.

I got the black and I am glad as it is quite an awkward pram to get up and you have to lie it on the floor a lot, any other colour will get filthy I can imagine.

kiddicare have pink one on offer £299 but otherwise not sure on other colours. i got mine from oxford pram centre last year and they were fab when i had a problem.

Does anyone know where a good, cheap place to buy one is?

And which accessories will I need? Cocoon I guess, and rain cover - anything else?

Another vote for Phil & Teds. Excellent buggy, good for when you have small age gaps between dc's. It just keeps going and adapts effortlessly to your family's needs.
I have found that as the older child (2-3 years)often wants to walk the back seat only gets used for when their little legs get tired. Or for somewhere to sit while eating

yes you can get a carseat adapter but don't think its recommended to use as a double with it?

Does the p&t come with a car seat attachment? Can't see that it does and don't want to haul baby out of her seat to put her in the carrier. If it does I think I'm going to buy one.
Bugger miserable tight-fisted dh. He doesn't have to take kids & dogs over the fields every day.

i had camo blue was gorgeous!! i like apple and orange colours too! but really i'd get black!!

colour? ;)

sport.

so, the Sport, the Vibe or the Dash ? ;)

Definitely 10000% get a P&T - I too didn't want one for a multitude of reasons but after buying a M&P Aria Twin (which was okay) and then finding that half of the time DD2 was walking or with my DH or Mum I found I was putting a tiny baby into a huge double pushchair and had one seat empty. The fact that with a P&T you can use it for one child as a single and then quickly add on the doubles seat when you need it is what I love so much about it. It is also lovely to push.

P&T all the way! I am a total convert.

You will also find that if you spend money on a tandem now you will not get enough use out of it as your DS is nearly 3. He won't be using it in another year or so and you are left with a double buggy for one child.

agree after resisting buying a p&t for a whole year i bought one a year ago and it was fab!! in reality the little one in the back sees alot from the sides and as they grow they will go in the front and you will use doubles seat for you ds but by age three you won't use it so much anyway. but this time next year i bet you aren't using it hardly at all. so a secondhand p&t i'd go for!!

or if you can get over the side by side thing double nipper would be fab for your bad back as super super light!

Why are they shite OtherMary?

Not that I don't believe you, I just wondered why you thought that...

Graco do a stadium double. A friend of mine has a single Graco and loves it - are the doubles different?

Mothercare, Marco Sky, Jusonne, Cossatto all do the one higher ones, but they are totally shite.

You described a P&T up there, This is what you need. Sorry!

I know you say you don't want side by side, because of getting through doorways, but I've got the Out N About Nipper 360, and never had any issues. It really is a good solid buggy!

Wow. Thanks everyone. Will leave the P&T at the top of the list for now...

I know I've seen some where the back child sits higher than the front...just can't remember who made them.

P & T convert!

As Silverfrog says the child in the bottom seat really doesn't miss out at all, people LOVE stopping to marvel at the small child tucked in there! especially when we took it to spain, it was a show stopper!!!

DD is too old now but it was the ease of steering the P & T that i loved the most, it is a dream to use, and really can be steered around and up curbs with one hand!

Get a Mountain Buggy Urban with a Kiddy Board attatched. I think it's the only buggy/buggy board combo where you are not hunched over the standing child. I don't have to alter my stride at all. The mountain buggy is built like a tank, if my very lazy just-turned-5 year old gets tired she can sit on the footplate and I can push them both that way no problem (I don't suppose they recommend that though).

I obviously didn't read your post thoroughly!
I have no idea then, sorry!

how about this? I know it is a car seat but the jane ones can lie flat just not sure if they can when on the pushchair because of the front seat.
However the pushchair does also have a fully lie back bit for a baby at the back.
Otherwise I can recommend the P&T. The baby does not mind at all where it is at first and looks not at the saet but up at you!
Then when older can go in the front seat and Ds in the toddler seat on the back. Or vice versa.

You have just described the P&T,

I know you said no to a P&T but I have one and the one at the bottom sees quite a lot through the sides.......

What about some of these contraptions? on a single buggy?

Or a rider I had one of these and used it all the time for childminding.

sorry, DS1 distracted me so other posts appeared before I actually hit post!

tbh, I don't think your perfect double exists. I have been looking for many years and I am looking for many of the features that you are. I like the look of the iCandy Pear as that allows the baby to lie down but it doesn't have a big basket and hasn't got great reviews. With DS1 and DS3, I ended up getting a Bertini 905 with toddler seat which was fab but didn't fit in my car so only for use walking near home.

With your age gap, I think the phil and ted might be good as you won't need to worry about the back child not seeing much as hopefully, by the time the youngest is big enough to be sitting up, the eldest might be walking.

Good luck though - looking for buggies is a nightmare!

I honestly think a P&T is the way to go.

I have one and love it.

when dc2 is small, baby gets to lie flat and look up at you.

from around 5 months ish, if you get a sport or vibe, which recline, they sit in the bottom seat and can be reclined and still see you really easily (at this age, they are more interested in looking at you than all around)

by the time dc2 is 10 onths or so, your older child with prob be walking a lot more, so baby could go in main seat.

or, if they stay in the rear seat, they don't miss much, believe me.

dd2 has always been in the bottom seat, and she gets into far more conversations wiht nice little old ladies than dd1 does. and sees all the ITNG rides/ballons etc. so the view can't be that bad

Oooh I love a buggy challenge.
What about this Says only up to age 3 though so you wouldn't get much use out of it for your DS....
I'll keep thinking......

I have a VW Polo and a Phil and Teds. Fits fine in the trunk.

bump

Anyone at all?

Anyone?

I'm due in December with DC2, DS will be 2.9.

We do a lot of being out and walking and DS is good but cannot manage walking very far on woodland paths. I usually take his trike so he can have a sit down but won't be able to manage it with a new baby - espcially if I end up having to have another c-section. We had a baby carrier for DS but I couldn't use it for the first couple of months due to the section and he was too heavy (due to a back problem) after about 6-7 months.

A friend with a similar age gap has also recommended a double buggy after she tried to do without one with her children.

So I really think I need a double buggy.

I would like a double buggy;
- that has the children in line rather than side to side to make it easier to get round shops
- that allows both children to see whee they are going (I love the Phil and Ted but feel sorry for the child at the back who only has the back of a seat to look at)
- that does parent facing for the new baby
- that does lie-flat for the new baby
- that has a decent sized basket underneath
- that will fit in the boot of my Polo!
and ideally - has large wheels to make the woodland paths easier to negotiate

Am I going to be able to get a double buggy that does all this?

I met a woman who said she could get her double Phil and Ted in the boot of her Mini Cooper but as I said above, the fact that one child ends up staring at the others bottom puts me off.

I really don't like travel systems where the baby has to sit in a car seat as I always find that once you've packed everyone up, gotten to where you're shopping and left enough time to get back, you can only shop for an hour before the baby has been curled up for longer than the recommended 2 hours.

I did look at the clip on side cars for buggies but everywhere I looked they were being slated for falling off and hurting the child!

I also looked at Buggy boards but having used one in the past with a friends child who I used to mind a lot, I know you end up walking with your bum stuck out to make room for the child. This wouldn't work with my back back, with the section or on a woodland path. I also witnessed a woman with a buggy board having to carry her tantruming toddler under one arm as he would not stand on the board while tantruming and that really put me off.

Can anyone help me find my perfect buggy??