If you have a baby and a two year old

[cucumbercookie]

Did you go with a double pram or a buggy board?
DS will be 2 and a half when the new baby comes and I can't make up my mind about which option is best. On the one hand it seems like a waste to splash out on a double for the sake of 6 months max and I imagine it will be bulky on public transport and take up a lot of boot space but on the other I can't imagine a tired, cranky toddler co-operating when it comes to standing nicely on a buggy board.
I'm considering getting the Cybex Balios s so as I could easily swap baby into the sling and put DS in the pram if he gets tired since it's suitable until 4 years but I'm wondering what others experiences are? Apologies for the unnecessarily long post

We had a second hand single buggy with a toddler seat in front - can't remember the brand but it was great. When the baby was older we used Maclaren with buggy board. DS, toddler, was used to walking miles but when DD was born was still little enough to need a good rest every now and then and he loved being perched on the front. The toddler seat in front was great as the whole thing fitted easily through doors etc.

Years later it became the basis for a go cart for them both as it had good wheels!

My double buggy saved my sanity with a 2 year old and a baby. Had a Phil and Teds, which was fine on the bus. I bought it on eBay and sold it 2 years later for the same as I paid for it.

The Joie Aire is also worth a look. It's not amazing I don't think but you can get it new for about £100 odd and it would probably be fine for 6/12 months.

I have 2.5 years between my two. We used a buggy board and a baby sling. We live in a small market town and a double buggy would have been a nightmare on our narrow pavements and my oldest only really went in the buggy for longer journeys or when tired.

I'm thinking I might have to sacrifice the Cybex that I've been lusting after for 9 months and invest in a decent double and a cheaper single😞
Although I have bought a really good sling so maybe I could get away with doing it the other way round...

16 months between mine. I didn’t bother with a double buggy or a board. I just got reins, and my 16 month old walked beside the pram.
She soon developed sturdy little legs. We live in Scotland and I used to take them on long hill walks as toddlers. A friend’s son climbed his first Munro at 3 years old.
A lot of the terrain round my way isn’t suitable for buggies anyway, so kids have to learn to walk. Much better for them, I reckon!

When I was in this situation I went with sling for baby and holding toddlers hand. Every so often I used sling for toddler too. Pushchair wasn’t a practical option for us as it didn’t go half the places we needed to go easily (beaches, cliffs, fields, hills, stiles, cobbled streets, tiny shops and cafes, buses, trains)

If it was me I would get the cybex you want and a second hand out n about. You'll be fine with that combo whatever happens!

When my daughter was born my son was 18 months old and I bought a joie double pram. I loved it!!!! £100 with deleivery.

I still miss it now 😂 I used it for ages. Because even when my son was 2+ I didn't drive and he would get worn out so I could stuck him in if needs be, also was handy for shopping with my daughter in one side.

I have a 3mo and a 2.3 year old and we've got a buggy board and I haven't felt the need for a double buggy at all. Tbh 2yo generally sits in the buggy and baby is in the sling, so much easier this way. In fact I wonder why I bothered with the carrycot when DS1 was a baby! I live in London though so I don't know whether that makes my urge for a small buggy greater.

If I were you I'd try with just the buggy and the sling to begin with and you can always change to dbl buggy if it's not working for you.

we've got a buggy board as ds 2.5 hasn't sat in a buggy since he was oh.. 14 mo but I'm warning you now they are horrid and make big cumbersome buggy even bigger! and i keep kicking it. and it's noisy. stupid thing.

Hmm. I had an 18month gap and only used the double for 6 months. So any gap 2 yr + I don't think I'd bother.

Newborn in a sling - lot easier. Swap them over if one needs to nap. Your eldest will surely have stopped by then anyway?

Another Londoner who couldn’t be doing with a double. We used the buggy board and sling combo for my two (20 month gap). It was annoying sometimes but far preferable to a bulky double for me. We walked loads and by the time she was three I was keeping the board for when dd got tired.

If you are London/city based and want really small you could look at the Yo-yo? I think they have a specially compatible buggy board with a seat?

I had a 22 month gap - I went for a cheap double buggy. The eldest one was still a bit little for a buggy board at that age.

I used a Stokke for DD1 and then put DD2 into a sling when she was born.

OP firstborns often drop their naps and get tantrummy when new dc arrive.

I had visions of dd holding my hand while I had DS in a sling. Reality was dd stropping on the floor til I had to carry her home kicking and screaming with a newborn in a sling as well.

Double pram. You might be able to get your older one to nap in it too.

Have you checked the weight limits? I have a heavy 2 year old (been in size 3-4 clothes since his birthday) so most double buggies are out! It’s so annoying. The joie side by side double is recommended by a lot of my friends and it’s under £200 (and some food buggy boards with a seat are £100 anyway!). Lots of them had invested in more expensive ones and then found that the best.

It’s the joie aire twin stroller I was referring to - currently only £139.99 on Amazon which is great. Up to 15kg weight tho

I had a 24 month gap and never had a double buggy at all. Dc2 was in a sling (wrap) until he was six months old by which time dc1 hadn't been in the buggy in ages and if I had it with me it only had bags in it. It was useful for bags... After 6 months dc2 was in the buggy more.

I didn't use public transport though. We live a very long way from anywhere and although we went for daily quite long walks actually going to anywhere involved the car.I did have a double bike trailer from when dc2 was 6 months but that was mainly for recreational use (we have really good cycle paths away from roads).

If you walk a lot as transport rather than just going for walks I can see you'd want a double, but if you use the car and go for walks just for fun not to get from A to B you don't need a double IMO.

I had a buggy board briefly but didn't get on with it at all and ditched it pretty quickly.

We had a City mini double and a single with a board and used both with a 21 month age gap. I managed with a single plus board and a sling until DC2 was about 8 months old. I had been putting DC2 in the sling when DC1 got too heavy but DC2 just got too heavy to have in the sling while simultaneously pushing a buggy. Sibling jealousy also meant DC1 kept wanting to go in the buggy.

The side by side worked brilliantly for everything except small streets / shops. They loved sitting side by side and for longer walks / days out we really still needed a seat for DC1. A double is better than 2 singles as when one / both of the DC is out walking one of you is free to chase after them while the other pushes the double.

We have a 2 year 9 month gap between DC2 and DC3. DC3 is now 6 months and has just stopped screaming when put in the buggy. I don't think we'll get much use out of the double other than very long days out / walks - DC2 no longer naps and being that year older can walk much further / faster.

We got the Baby jogger city mini double purely because it was the closest available 2nd hand at a reasonable price. It is a good buggy with 2 at different ages though as the seats are big - we have had my then 6 year old niece in it. I had the impression the mountain buggy in particular has very small seats so your older one would rapidly outgrow it.

I have a 22 month gap between my 2 and I use the Mountain Buggy Duet all the time. I use it on the buses, the park (the big wheels help on grass) and it can get through doors really easily. My youngest has just turned 2 and we still use it all the time and sometimes my oldest still naps in it.

Don't get the type of buggy with one Infront of the other as they are a nightmare on the bus as the length stops any other person with a buggy from being able to share the buggy spot with you.

double buggy but also a single and sling.

I had this exact age gap. Didn’t buy a double pram. When DS2 first arrived, he went in the sling and DS1 in the stroller if it was a long walk, or he liked to walk anyway if getting somewhere with the pair of them was not time critical! Then when he was a bit older we used a buggy board, bought second hand for 20 quid. Didn’t seem worth buying a double buggy, though a friend of mine with an identical age gap bought a double stroller 2nd hand for 20 quid in great condition! I’m not confident with a single width buggy never mind a double one and a lot of the shops and cafes locally are pretty small

I had two year age gap. I was adamant I wasn't using a double. I lasted a month. Bought the city mini baby jogger and it was amazing. Roomy sears but narrow enough to fit through any doorway.
My eldest still had two hour naps and I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere in an afternoon without it.
Hated the buggy board with a passion. Just constantly tripped over it.
I resold my double for really good price too.
Used it from 4 weeks old.
Good luck!!