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

23m gap, walked everywhere in all weathers (mostly didn't have a car), got a fairly posh double travel system.
I did manage with buggy board with different sibling set, when it was a 3 yr + 8m gap.
My back was knackered from labour so sling out. Toddler/preschooler always wanted to sleep or go a different direction. Every day I had lots of shopping & cloth nappy bags & school bags & other useful other stuff loaded on the buggy, too.

I thought Phil & Teds double decker buggy was genius but dunno if they are still sold.

23 months between my older dc. I had a lightweight umbrella fold buggy for the toddler and sling for the baby. Dc1 was a late walker and couldn’t walk far at that age but we managed fine.

I wouldn't bother with a double personally. If you do though I would go for uppababy vista with rumble seat. Then you can still add a buggy board and use it as a single. I had two little ones, a newborn and a 12 month old. But the time they were 2 and 3 they were both mostly walking everywhere and I had a buggy for the 2 year old.

There are 2 years, one month between my children. Most of the time I use my original single buggy and my DD walks.
However I got an £80 city stroller on eBay which I have needed on a fairly regular basis- probably on average 3 times a month when the walk is too far for DD.
I got a buggy board but neither my DD or I got on with it. I think the handlebar got in her way and I found the buggy board got in the way of my feet so it was a waste of money.
Just keep your eyes out for a double buggy on eBay- they are regularly sold on there.

DS2 was born when DS1 was 2yrs 6 weeks. We had a buggy board, which worked perfectly for us. DS1 was a very good walker though, and was quite happy to just walk 90% of the time,just hopping onto the board occasionally. A double pushchair would have been a pain in the arse 100% of the time.

I got an out and about double V4 for £150 on the Facebook selling page. It’s been a lifesaver, especially on holidays.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I'm still gonna get the single cybex and use it with sling/buggy board for shorter journeys/when ds is in a good mood and get a second hand double. There's a few city mini doubles near me for around 100 which is great!
Anyone ever had the britax b-agile? They look pretty similar but seem to be cheaper even in almost new condition

I’ve been managing fine with a little buggy for the toddler and a sling for the baby. I don’t drive and this has worked really well.

I have a baby jogger double and also a Phil & teds. Both really useful and there's no way I can rely on my 2 year old to travel solely on a buggy board, she likes to jump on and off. Also she still naps, especially after car journeys so it's great to have a buggy that will carry them both asleep. I can't carry my 10mo in a sling for too long as he weighs waaaay too much.
Phil and Ted is far smaller as one is on top of the other, if I know I'll be somewhere with not much room I'll use that but I don't like having one of them that close to the floor for too long. Otherwise the side by side is great. 14m gap BTW.

Going against the grain...never got a double. 21 month gap. First few months put baby in a carrier and older son in buggy but as he got older the big boy mostly must have walked🤔. However we did get another buggy and for (rare) days out all four of us probably took both buggies.

Ps also had a buggy board but ds never really took to it

I insisted on a buggy board. I HATED the bloody thing. DS was forever sticking his foot on the floor and nearly breaking his leg and I had so many bruises from it along with the bad back from having to push further away than I normally would have.

For us a Buggy Board but with a saddle has been fantastic.

Just the Buggy Board led to some attempts at surfing, jumping on and off and tired toddler demanding carries.

With the saddle (got ours from John Lewis) both small people delighted and no huge expense compared to the cost of a double buggy. Also takes up considerably less boot space.

26 months between my older 2 and we got the sit down buggy board type thing.

I used sling and a pram for the older predominantly. I knew realistically I wouldn’t be putting the baby in the pram much at the start. I tried a buggy board but it didn’t work much.
I guess it just became a very gradual transition to walking for the older because now I don’t take the pram with me at all.

If you possibly can OP I would really recommend going and trying some out somewhere at the weekend. Once you've decided what you like you can try and source one secondhand.

Just as with single prams there is a lot of variation and they all have pros and cons. The good thing is that because they are quite often used for only a year or so there is a good supply of good quality used ones on Facebook and eBay do you shouldn't have too much trouble finding what you want.

I LOVE the mountain buggy duet - it’s such a great buggy, so well designed, and so narrow, but spacious with lots of head height - my tall 3 year old fits in it with ease. The city mini double is also v good but much wider and bulkier. I tried the out n about but the seat unit was much shorter. Just make sure you slime the tyres of the mountain buggy or the out n about to avoid punctures. FWIW we got a double with a just-3 year gap as I had a section and my insurance company was v strict about the 6 week rule for driving, and we do lots of walking - no regrets.