Double pushchair or normal+sling?

[Tanyaaah]

If you were going to have a newborn and a 22 month old to ferry around would you go for a double/tandem poushchair or carry the newborn in a sling and keep the old pushchair?
I have an icandy cherry already and it's great, wouldn't want to trade it in for a really heavy, bulky pushchair if it might not be necessary.

[thisisyesterday]

i did a bit of both.

i used my slings a LOT. but there were still times when the double pushchair was a godsend.
i had a few occasions where BOTH children slept in the pushchair, which meant I could sit down and have a lovely coffee and cake in town in peace :-D

[StuntCubble]

I would definitely get a double. Makes life a lot easier. I've done both btw 21 month old and baby no double. 18 month old and baby double the 18 month old with double was so much easier.

You can pick up Phil and Teds very cheap on ebay, personally I hate them and got a huge double 3 wheeler which is much easier to push than the P=T's I've had.

[Tanyaaah]

Thanks. Everyone has different views! I would definitely buy 2nd hand in case it didn't get used much.
I can't go for coffee and cake anymore now with a 1 year old, so in 8 months I would be very lucky indeed!

[welliesandpyjamas]

Good question. Pondering the same myself but for a 3.3 year old plus newborn on a two mile round journey twice a day next year.

However, less about me me me, and back to your question. How much walking will there be? Based on my 4 mile a day experience I would say that after your youngest reaches about three months and starts getting a bit heavy for longer distances (anything over a mile?) then you'd probably find you need a double or at least something which attaches to your nice pushchair, like a buggy board, or one of the other clever thingies that looks like a bike (will ttry and remember and link in a mo). This opinion also based on knowing that my 2.7 yr old won't walk more than half a mile without needing to be carried and they are so sloooooow at that age

[welliesandpyjamas]

These are clever: seat and bike but they don't attach to every pushchair, you'll have to check what fits.

[Tanyaaah]

Wow they look fantastic! I have never seen one before.
I do quite a lot of walking, just to the shops, parks, playgroups and sometimes a couple of miles to town.

[Tiggywunkle]

Definitely a double. I have a 21 month gap and it's been worth everything for ease to have a double. Believe me two year olds have their own minds, direction, dawdle, shopping choices and best of all the full blown tantrum in their arsenal. My eldest is about to turn three and is starting to walk more but we still take a double because we know at some point she will be bundled in to save a tantrum or to get somewhere fast. I wouldn't yet go out on my own with her because whilst she's 99.9% angel it's just much simpler than trying to hang onto her, a buggy and shop.

[ohbabybaby]

I have a 20m gap, would definately get a double, but get a second hand one as its use will be limited.

My now 23mo walks better than most of his peers, and often I just take the single pushchair for baby (after all I am on maternity leave and have all the time in the world to look at every single acorn etc etc...), but the double is useful for getting places quickly, for shops (wandering toddler hands), when DS1 might walk part way but get tired, and sometimes to keep DS1 contained while I feed DS2.

Also re the baby sling - I had a June baby and sometimes it was just too hot to have him on me in the sling, also means you are a bit restricted in bending (eg for that acorn examination....), or chasing after errant toddler (as the reality is once they are this age they are in and out the buggy quite a lot).

I've got an OBaby Zoom tandem (didn't go with my advice to get a 2nd hand one!) and although it is on the big side I do love it.

[Tanyaaah]

Hmm, I forgot about how hot babies are and how hot I was in the 1st few months of breastfeeding! Got a while to go yet but I reckon I'll get a double 2nd hand then, or one which converts to single.
Thanks for your comments.

[ContinentalKat]

We had a 23 month gap. I considered a buggy board but in the end the older child was cruelly forced to walk.

[thisisyesterday]

yes, i meant to add to my post as well that we did a lot of walking too and sometimes, in the heat (ds3 was a june baby) i simnply didn't want to do the 35 min walk into town with him in the sling.