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Double buggy - side by side?

37 replies

chloechloe · 10/09/2016 12:57

DD2 is due at Xmas when DD1 will be 21 months. We live in town and pretty much walk everywhere so have decided to buy a double, also as DD1 is great at napping in her buggy if we want to be out after lunch.

I'm not too keen on any of the slimmer buggies where the toddler is on top and the baby at the bottom - the poor baby pretty much seems to be lying on the floor! Does anybody have one of these buggies that can promote it to me?

Otherwise I'm wondering about getting the double Bugaboo (though the price is a little eye watering, but I guess the resale value is high). I will be keeping DD1 in nursery so it would be great to leave the toddler seat there then put it into single mode to go out with the baby. I'm not too keen on how low down the bassinet is on the Bugaboo though.

Help me make my mind up!

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Summersalmostgone · 10/09/2016 13:01

I have the donkey. The shopping basket underneath isn't great but the side basket makes up for it in single mode. I've found it great for being able to take my two out and about over nap times. It is a pain to get around shops etc though.

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chloechloe · 10/09/2016 13:18

I could probably cope with the basket as I currently have a Joolz which doesn't have much space either.

What's the main problem in shops do you find? Getting through the door or manouvering the aisles or both?

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Randytortoise · 10/09/2016 13:20

We had the britax double (side by side) and it was fantastic. It had one handed steering which is great when one is walking and holding your hand. You can also fit a car seat to one side. It wasn't that wide either and fit through all doorways that I tried.

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EvansAndThePrince · 10/09/2016 13:25

Have you looked at the out n about? We are in exactly the same situation as you (freakily so!) and I'm after getting the out n about double.

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EvansAndThePrince · 10/09/2016 13:26

It's the same width as a wheelchair so fits most places too.

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chloechloe · 10/09/2016 13:29

Thanks for the recommendations - I'll check them out too!

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Bagina · 10/09/2016 13:34

I had a second hand double then moved to a tandem when no longer a newborn, as I felt the same as you. The tandem was brilliant but it was down to it having huge wheels that meant it was light to push and steer.

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Summersalmostgone · 10/09/2016 14:12

The donkey is the same width as a wheelchair too. Getting in and out of places is fine if they have electric doors. It's awkward if they are heavy doors you have to open yourselves, but that's the case with any buggy!
I find in a lot of shops they put racks too close together so you can't get through or take out half the display. Next is particularly bad I find.

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neversleepagain · 10/09/2016 15:46

I had the Nipper, a fantastic buggy and very reasonably priced too.

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chloechloe · 10/09/2016 19:13

I've been having a look at the strollers suggested here (thanks ladies!) but wonder if they're suitable from birth? I would rather have a bassinet part to put the baby in which can later be switched over to a toddler seat.

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golfmonkey · 10/09/2016 20:00

I would get an uppababy vista 2015 or later model. Babies can face each other or one faces away and one faces forward...lots of options anyway. You will find you use a sling/carrier more initially, but pretry sure the car seat will attach and that you can use the pushchair flat from birth. I have an earlier model which is nowhere near as good but the new one is fantastic. I got a side by side stroller but found dc2 wouldn't be put down initially and still is only ok facing me or dc1 (at almost 5 months!) and freaks out if facing away with no one to look at. My dc1 was nothing like this, hadn't banked on dc2's personality being so different!

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golfmonkey · 10/09/2016 20:01

P.s. I have 16 month gap and dc1 in nursery 2 days-uppababy can be used as a single or double.

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EvansAndThePrince · 10/09/2016 20:06

The out n about nipper is fine from birth. You can get a carrycot but I'm just going to get an infant support as the back goes totally horizontal and the seat base is actually slightly tilted up so thy aren't going anywhere.

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KayJBee · 10/09/2016 20:06

I've had the out and about nipper 360 both single and double and love them both. I had a newborn in the double, it is very almost flat and wouldn' t be a problem using it as is. I put a phil and teds cocoon in it though. It fitted nice and snuggly in one side of the nipper and made transferring baby out of the buggy nice and simple.
This was 5 years ago now though, they might have their own version now!

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EvansAndThePrince · 10/09/2016 20:12

kay most people do what you did (I've been doing loads of research!). They've got a carry cot for it now but they're quite narrow apparently so lots of people use a cocoon or just a cozy toes, we are due in Jan so I plan on a cozy toes with blankets!

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Gobbolinothewitchscat · 10/09/2016 20:20

I've got 3, aged 3 and under. Have the bugaboo donkey and adore it. I have the buggy board seat that clips on the back. I've had the donkey since my 3 year old was born.

I also have a baby jogger gt double as a buggy and for holidays

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Iguessyourestuckwithme · 10/09/2016 20:25

Would reccomend the mountain buggy.

There is 19 months between dc1 and dc2 - I am only now thinking of getting rid of the pram at 2 years 10 months; dc1 doesnt nap as much and can do the walk these days.

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skankingpiglet · 10/09/2016 23:52

I have a 2yr 2wk age gap between my DDs (they are currently 27mo and 11wks) and I've got the Mountain Buggy Duet (bought second hand in very good condition for a quarter of the new cost). I'm overall very pleased with it.

Pros:
DCs seem very comfortable in it
Handles well on all terrains, light to push
Not had a shop door it doesn't fit through yet.
Nice big basket (well, compared to the one on my Mountain Buggy Swift!)
Durable
We have the carrycot, but the seats are also suitable from birth

Cons:
Although light to push, it's heavy to lift eg into the boot
It's still fairly mahoosive when folded so no good if you have a small car boot
Although it fits through the door of shops fine, I sometimes struggle to pick my way through the gaps around their free-standing displays once in

I must admit it's not in every day use, but on average 3 times a week at least. As mentioned by a PP, I also use a sling/single pushchair or single pushchair/buggy board combo depending on where we are going and for how long.

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Maplessglobe · 11/09/2016 00:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hypercrazycat · 16/09/2016 07:49

Have a look at the Strollair My Duo. It is very similar to the Donkey but much more affordable and you don't have to get all the extra bits separately. Nice to push, good suspension and fits through standard doorways. We tried quite a few and I trawled for hours trying to find something suitable. Tried my eldest who was at the time just over 2 but tall, she had hardly any room in most. Especially the Uppababy vista. Of course she decided to walk 90% of the time once I forked out for it!

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Fourormore · 16/09/2016 07:59

I've just been through the whole thing and ended up buying a second hand Bugaboo Donkey on eBay. You'd never know it wasn't new except for a few small scuffs.

I love it. I love being able to switch between double and single mode, which takes about 10 seconds. It's easy to push, isn't cramped like some of the other options, folds down surprisingly small (if you get the 1.1 version).

I read loads of posts like this and reviews and the Mountain Buggy consistently came out on top but when I went to John Lewis to test them out, I just didn't like it at all.

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mostlyrain · 16/09/2016 21:09

I have a 2yo gap and live in a city and walk everywhere (sometimes big distances). I did lots of research and bought an icandy peach. But....have just bought an out and about nipper double. Best buggy ever!! The icandy just got too heavy to push. My 2 love sitting next to each other and its light and manoeuvrable. Today I had my friends big 3yo in one seat, my 1yo in the other and my 3yo sat on the foot plate. Still push able!!

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Buttwing · 16/09/2016 21:14

I've got the donkey and hate it! The seats are small my eldest was really squashed. It's good if you do a lot of walking and don't need to put it up and down. I and out of the car and rebuilding it each time is a pain. The reason I got it was because it was (2 years ago) the only side by side buggy that you could clip a car seat on the top of. I thought that I really needed that with hindsight I didn't if I would go back I would have got the baby city jogger.

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terrifyingtoes · 16/09/2016 21:14

I used an iCandy Peach 2. Loved it. Especially when using the car seat where newborn can be close to you facing you with older child sitting up front.
The older versions aren't so versatile so check its no more than a few years old if buying 2nd hand.

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minipie · 16/09/2016 21:27

In your shoes I'd go for the Uppababy Vista 2015 - tandem but rear child is higher rather than lower (which I think would also make it easier if they both need to nap at once - something which is difficult with a lot of tandems)

For a side by side look at the mountain buggy duet or nipper 360 - both very narrow

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