Double buggy/buggy board with 22 month age gap?

[PiccadillyCircus]

DS will be 22 months when DS2/DD makes an appearance in September and we're wondering about the double buggy/buggy board dilemma.

He started walking last weekend so at the moment I have no idea what sort of a walker he will be like in 7 months time and am interested in anyone's experience.

[PiccadillyCircus]

Anyone with a age gap like this?

[iota]

seems a bit borderline to me -you may want a double buggy at first - there's 28 mths between mine and we managed with the buggy board, but sometimes carried ds2 and put ds1 in the buggy.

[KathH]

We had a 25 month gap between ds2 and ds1 and had a double buggy where theres one seat in front of the other. Only used for about 5 months as ds2 could walk small distances but definately needed it for longer trips.

[wilbur]

I don't have an age gap like that - ds was 28 months when dd was born but we went for the buggyboard and it worked well for us. Dd is currently 21 months (she started walking at 14 months) and is already happy on a buggy board the few times we have used it for her. She is easily distracted though and lets go, so it's good for short walks and going to the park, but if you use your buggy a lot for getting around/shopping then perhaps a double might be better for a little while. The other alternative is to use a sling for the baby for the first few months which we also did a lot and then your ds will be over two and probably very happy on a buggy board.

[chipmonkey]

We had 26 months between DS1 and DS2, would def go for a double buggy. DS1 often used to sleep in it and would have been a raging antichrist if he had had to remain standing when he wanted a nap. At that age they really can't walk far. one seat in front of the other is probably the best.

[PiccadillyCircus]

Thanks for the thoughts so far - I have also been thinking about slings (never really happened with DS but I think our choice of sling was probably responsible).

I can't really see DS being able to walk for long journeys, but that is probably influenced by the way he looks drunk when walking at the moment .

DH has seen a red Urban Detour three wheeler in the Mothercare catalogue and has made excited noises .

I was also having a look at a website called Chariots on Hire which hire buggies but sadly they are stopping due to the service being abused by some people .

[Ellbell]

Hi PC
I have exactly that age gap between my two dds and went through exactly the same dilemma.

We did buy a double buggy (actually we got a tandem one for purely practical reasons - could get it through the gate and round the back of our house without folding it up!) although I didn't use it much or for very long. DD1 was happy on the buggy board, but only for short trips - down to local shops etc. I tended to do quite a lot of walking in those days - only way to keep both children quiet (baby went to sleep and dd1 looked at the view - she stopped sleeping during the day on her 1st birthday, so needed some quiet time during the day if not to be in the worst mood by bedtime!) and the double buggy was good for that. I also invested in a new sling for dd2 and that worked well. Get a Wilkinet... they look 'challenging' but are the only ones that I can use without crippling myself. Maybe a combination of child 1 in buggy and child 2 in sling, and child 1 walking/on buggy board and child 2 in buggy would be OK.

One other thing to bear in mind... it may depend on your buggy, but the buggy board is quite annoying. You do bump your feet into it when walking (well, I do - but have size 7 feet, so maybe it's just me) so again it may not be the most comfortable thing to use if doing a lot of walking.

Hope this helps.

Ellbell

PS It's a great age gap. A bit hard work at first, but my two dds are now the best of friends and play really nicely together (... well, most of the time )

[stripey]

Hi I have a 23 month gap and would say I used a double buggy for at least a year (2 boys think they can be lazier than girls?). I couldn't have gone shopping with a buggy board as its too easy to jump off. A friend of mine with the same gap opted for the buggy board but after 6 months bought a double as her dd kept running in the road. I had a tandem Graco and thought it was great but I am more of a shopper than an outdoor walker. I did get a buggy board (a friend gave it to me after only using it twice) and I have to say it is much easier to push the double than the buggy with buggyboard.

[morocco]

do you do a lot of walking? I do loads near the house and much preferred the double buggy but mine was pretty big and doesn't fold into the back of the car. For journeys out and about by car I used a single buggy and first a front then a back carrier and that also worked fine but I wouldn't have liked to have used it all the time - massive back ache! I don't trust the cars/roads where we are so even though ds1 can walk really well now, I don't have to worry about holding his hand, trying to catch hold of him as he runs off etc. The age gap is smaller, 17 months, but ds1 could walk well by the time ds2 made an appearance.
Buggy board drove me mad with all the crappy pavements we have near here so lots of getting on and off the board - just as dangerous as walking imo

[chocfreeclary]

Picadilly I have 22 mo between dd and DS2. what worked really well for me was a sling (baby bjorn, recommend it) for DS2 while DD was in the buggy, then once DS2 was about 8 mo he started going in the buggy while DD would walk/use buggy board. DS2 was in the sling on and off until about 10 months, by which time DD was 2yr 8mo and fine to walk or ride everywhere (tho she occasionally hitched a ride in the 3-wheeler if DS2 was in the backpack on a walk!).
Now she is 3.8, ds2 is coming up to 2, and she walks everywhere. In fact we haven't used the buggy board since about last October I would say. Even a walk to our big park which is 20 mins+ away is not beyond her now. She?s a good walker but not the best ever IYSWIM (that?s DS2 actually!)
I rave about buggy boards and slings, have found both very easy to use, but I know there are different opinions so perhaps it?s worth trying one out (borrow from a friend?) before you buy. i just hate double buggies (so big, hard to get in car, heavy to push, difficult to ditch (this last I gather from friends))

[Pimpernel]

Hi PC, we've got a 22 month gap between our two, but decided against buying a double buggy to start with - we thought we'd see how things went first. I carry ds in a sling, and have dd in a buggy. ds is now five months old and, although I've often consciously asked myself 'Would this trip be easier with a double buggy?' when we go out, I've yet to answer yes. I think it depends a lot on the types of trips you make frequently.

I think we'll probably get a buggy board when ds gets too heavy for the sling.

[Kelly1978]

Hi,
I had a gap of 24 months and used a double for abt 6 mnths or so. I didn't really want dd walking in the cold weather, and with a newborn it is much easier to be able to have them both secured and get around quickly. I never liked baby slings, found them heavy and uncomfortable. I did use a buggy board after that for a while, only abt 3 mnths or so tho. it wasn't until dd was 3 that she could be relied on to walk everywhere - we don't drive and do a lot of walking.

[Clayhead]

I have a 20 month age gap, ds (youngest) was born in September too. For the first 8 months I used a double pushchair, I walk quite a lot each day and they were both cosy and warm. Then, I started using the buggy board, which we are still using now (dd is 3 and ds 18 months now). Personally, with the amount of walking I do, I don't think I could have got by without the double pushchair.

In the first few months I used a sling and buggy if I went into town (very rare!!).

[roisin]

Hi Piccadilly! I have a 22 month age-gap (they are nearly 6 and 8 now and it's a great age-gap btw!)

I couldn't have coped without a double buggy. Ds1 was big, so pushing a double buggy was hard work, and I encouraged him to walk as much as possible, but he still needed the security net of the buggy there to get into when he needed a rest.

Also I did a lot of walking, and at that stage ds1 was still having a nap in the afternoon, and would often nap in the buggy.

Personally my back just wasn't up to carrying a baby in a sling at all unfortunately.

Once ds1 was 28 months I often went out with just a single buggy, and rarely used it all once he was 2.5: But he was a very good walker by this stage. But I couldn't have coped without a double for those first 6 months.

[alison222]

For me it had to be a double buggy as DS couldn't walk as far as I needed at the time and a sling made my back ache as I had big babies. the gap for me was 26mths.
I guess it depends if you will be out at times when you think they both may need to rest/sit/nap in it.

[zubb]

Hi PC - have already told you this I think but I have a 22 month gap between my boys and didn't have a double buggy or a buggy board (wouldn't fit!). It really depends on the amount of walking you do. When I was on maternity leave with ds2 (a November baby), ds1 still went to his childminder so I'd walk round town etc with ds2 on his own. Ds1 walked well anyway so if we walked anywhere up to half an hour - to and from childminder for instance, or to the park, he'd walk.
At weekends dh was around so if ds1 was tired then he'd go on his shoulders, or if it was a long walk we'd take his lightweight pushchair.
I'll have 22 months between ds2 and the next one in September as well, and hope to avoid buying a double again.

[geogteach]

There are 26 months between DS1 and DD, DS1 never went in a buggy after DD was born and we managed with a buggy board, this time I have a 16 month gap and as DD couldn't walk when DS2 was born I was left with little choice and bought an E3. Now she is 20 months and I do occasionally go out with a single and a buggy board so it might be possible. I hate doubles, the E3 is the best i've seen but if i'd had the option I would have avoided even that

[sacha3taylor]

There is exactly 2 years between my DS & DD. We bought a double pushchair as neither me or DH drives. We found we only used it for long journeys but most of the time DD was quite happy to walk. Was very handy if she was tired though! My pushchair was stollen two weeks ago, she is now nearly 3 [may] and we found now that we dont have it we probebly havn't really needed it for a long time.

[binkybetsy]

I have two kids 20 mo apart. Dd was quite a good walker when ds was born and we bought a twin pushchair just before he was born. It was a nightmare to lift and manage to drive. Opted for a tandem which was much better. Ds was born in January so the weather was awful and we needed a double buggy. Once dd turned 2yr we went back to a single landrover all terrain buggy with a buggy board, which the best option of the lot. When she wanted to walk she could, and when she wanted a rest she just hopped on. The buggy board is ideal for us because of the type of pushchair we have, but as others have mentioned here it may impede your stride when walking depending on what pushchair you attach it to. Also worth noting, the buggy board is not all terrain. HTH

[LizP]

I have a 20 month gap between ds1 & 2 - couldn't have managed without the double buggy and used it for ages - but then I tend to walk a lot when others might drive and the small people could be bundled up against the cold and wet. With ds3 I tried a buggyboard for ds2 (3 and a bit) for the walk back from the school run but found the hill so steep he was falling off the back! So currently have him in a single and ds3 in a sling. I expect I'll go back to the double in a few months time until ds2 starts school and doesn't have to walk up the hill.

[Prufrock]

23 1/2 month gap and never had a double buggy. And I can't drive so we do a lot of walking. For the first few months we had toddler in buggy and baby in sling, but ds was a huge baby so that didn't last too long. Dd loves her buggy board, and likes walking alongside me. It might be a good idea to get your ds used to walking distances now - from when dd could toddle I used to let her out of the buggy on the way home from nursery so she could toddle around. It turned an 8 minute walk into a 30 minute meander but I do think she has far more stamina than other kids here age who only got to walk to and from their car seats

[Pollyanna]

I have 22 months between ds and dd1 and dd2 and dd3 and have had to have a double buggy both times. dd3 is 2 now and still can't walk long distances and I can't trust her on the buggy board yet. i think by 2 and a half she will be alright on a buggy board but not yet. I also try with the sling and single buggy, but dd3 is getting too heavy (she is 7 weeks) to do this for long distances.