Will I need a double pram?

[Pinkstuffs]

Have a 15 month old and I’m due a second in December, so will have a newborn and 20 month old. 15 month old can walk confidently but not reliably and not far. We live rurally and with my first I used the pram every day, either walking or taking in the car to the shops etc.

Will I need a double? DH says to wait and see how we get on when baby is born, but I like to be organised. His reasoning is that baby could go in a sling, we do have a big travel system and stroller already so it would be ok when both of us are out, and it’s more money to buy another pram.

Im worried about relying on a sling as DC1 never really liked it especially when we weren’t moving, if we went to a coffee shop etc I would need to put him in the pram. I also think I will need the pram to contain DC1!

What have other people done? Is it essential?

My age gaps are 3yrs and slightly bigger and if they'd been any less than 3yrs I'd definitely have bought a double. I've even found the first 6-9 months or so with the 3yr gap tricky at times without a double and one hindsight it would have been pretty useful to have had one for that short time. I will caveat that by saying the elder one in that gap for various reasons isn't as physically able as the average child of that age. However definitely still more so than an average 20 month old. It's the naps on the go too. I don't drive and one of the 3yr olds would have napped a lot more if they'd had a double buggy to go in, which would have benefited them. Im not really a big baby wearing fan though for various reasons so never did the baby in sling/carrier and toddler in pram thing. Partly due to physical discomfort but partly due to the unpredictable weather where I live, and both my 2nd and 3rd were autumn babies.

Unless things are really tight financially I would get a double. It'll be so much easier to have the option to contain them both at the same time.

Yes. I had a section with both babies and they were 20 months apart. So I walked everywhere fur first six weeks, and of course beyond. It was essential to have a double, but I didn’t go for anything fancy but one side did have to lie flat. My babies were 10lbs at birth so no way was I going to be carrying one in a sling for long. Also I live in London and there were times I needed them both in the pushchair to control them!

We had a similar age gap and got a cheapish double buggy for when we were out with them both, although we didn't use it for more than a few months and quite often alternated with our 'posh' single pram + buggyboard.

We are not hard up so could afford another pram, I think he is just thinking of the money already spent on the prams we have! I would buy a second hand pram if I can find one in good condition.

I’ll likely be having a section as I had one with my first. There have been some more good points made on the sling idea as well; might not be practical in bad weather especially with baby born in December and might be too heavy. My first baby was only 5lb so was actually too small for a sling for a while as well.

I had a similar age gap.

If I was solo with baby I'd use the bassinet, if I had the toddler and the baby I would either have baby in the sling and push the toddler, or I would put the buggy board on the back of the pram and let the toddler ride on there.

Yes you will. I have a 20 month gap. For first 3 months I used a single for toddler and sling for baby, which was fine. Like you I wasn't sure if I needed a double.
But getting the double at 3 months was brilliant. Baby liked sleeping in it next to big brother. I did actually still sling baby a lot but it was so so useful to have somewhere to
pop her down for a minute. From 8-9 months I didn't sling her as much and she took to buggy napping like a pro, and they both napped beautifully side by side. Double is just so perfect for longer walks the big one can't manage. Even now youngest is 18m we use it a lot, big one hops in and out as he wants. I am very keen on sitting for snacks so it's useful for that!
And like you say I definitely needed it to restrain eldest. I needed to keep him safe whilst I fed baby or changed her. I have an out and about nipper double and really recommend it.

I would buy a second hand one. Sometimes you don't want to carry the baby and the if toddler is in a silly mood it is infinitely easier ans safer to be able to strap them into a buggy. We got a secondhand bugaboo donkey, so could shift to a single buggy when toddler at nursery. We then sold it again for most of what we bought it for and are now back to our original buggy with the 2 year old while my 4 year old scoots.

I have a similar gap and 20 months on still use it! I found it really helpful as my first was a bit of a bolter, they still enjoy it and I find it useful when you want them both a bit more contained, like the supermarket or something. I have friends that didn't bother though and managed fine.

13 months between mine and wouldn’t have survived without my Phil&Teds sport- absolutely the best!

There is 19mths and 3wks between my youngest 2 and I got a double. I had an Out n about double. Omg it was the best pram I ever had. I could push it with one hand and could get on buses etc even with it being a side by side. No faffy bits to click on and off just one pushchair. My then almost 19mth old could walk far and regularly but we needed the double for going into town etc.

Yes! 23 months between my two and we got a cheap double pram that was very well used for the first year. I wouldn't spend loads on it but I'd definitely get one. We went back to using the more expensive single buggy when DD2 was about 18 months and DD1 didn't need it.

We tried to muddle through and regretted it. Not rural but we went everywhere on foot.

Eventually sold the travel system and got a Phil and Teds which gave us somewhere to pop the toddler when under time pressure or when her legs got tired. A sling was a useful back up. I found you make more use of this with two when following a toddler around a an indoor area for example. A narrow rather than side by side system worked better for us as we lived in a terraced house.

Personally I’d bite the bullet

In the same situation, 17mo and due in December. Just got a silver cross wave secondhand. Would have preferred a side-by-side pram like the Donkey or Out'n'About as I think it works better when they're both toddlers but it wouldn't have fit through the front door! Make sure you check dimensions before you get any secondhand

I definitely would. I have the same age gap and my second was born in December.

Our plan was to use the sling, but I found it difficult to play with my son in the park with my daughter in the sling.

We are still using the double now at 4 and 2.5 for days out like national trust. My son used to be an amazing walker but as he got older he got lazier. Try and find a cheap second hand one on marketplace.

There are 2 1/2 years between mine and I didn’t get a double buggy just a buggy board, there were loads of times especially in the first 6 months where a double buggy would have been useful, so with a smaller age gap I would say definitely go for it

The age gap with my 2 is 17m (DS currently 7weeks) so I was in this situation not long ago! My advice is get the double pram. I was very much of the mind that I’ll stick to my single buggy and a sling and that will be fine.. It lasted about 3 weeks before I couldn’t hack it anymore. Trying to lift toddler in / out of pram whenever we were out with little one in the sling was a nightmare, if she fell in the park I couldn’t get to her like I usually can because DS was in the sling! I just recently got the Zummi halo and love it (although impossible to hoosh up a kerb so bear that in mind).

I have a 21 month gap and bought one but didn’t actually use it that much because I drove to lots of activities. On the weekend my DH and I found it easier to have a DC each in their own buggy/pram when we all went out (I had a lot of pushchairs!).
If you walk a lot then you will definitely find life easier if you have one.
I did sell the double buggy for what I paid for it so it all worked out ok.

yes! Mine are 2 years apart and it was a lifesaver

Yes. It means everyone is snug, dry and going at your speed. And you are hands free when you stop.
You don't want a dawdling whingy toddler in winter rain when you're sleep deprived.

I am currently 6 weeks pp with my 2nd. My first turned 2 in May so is now 26 almost 27 months old and so far we have made do with 2 separates, but that is only because I haven't been out with them both on my own. I absolutely couldn't imagine going to town or anything without having an option to contain my 2 year old. She now loves to run and listens really well for a little while but it doesn't last long before she gets distracted and sidetracked. Definitely need a double if you go out on your own!

Buy a double on Facebook. Handy for when you need it but you haven’t spent a fortune then

Definitely a double in advance. You don't need the toddler to either make a break for it or decide that their legs won't work anymore. And I couldn't bear a sling when I was post-section due to a combination of back pain and subsequently little feet digging in right onto the scar, never mind it being pretty much the perfect height for a cross toddler to grab at me.

Keep them both coralled in something that you can use until the eldest is about 3. It'll be worth it, even if the last 6 months is largely using the other seat to carry shopping.

What travel system do you have? Is it one that converts to a double? If not and if you are rural, look into the Out n Abouts. Theres a FB group called Out n About Buy, Sell, Advice (or similar) and doubles go for between £250-450 depending on which model / how old. They are also resold third / fourth hand and seem to keep their value fairly well.

We had a 2 years 9months gap and there were still times when i wished we had a double. For 2 under 2, I think you'll get plenty of use out of it to justify the spend.

Definitely recommend a double. Could you sell your first pram and use it towards a double?