To ask you knowledgeable lot whether I need a double pushchair?

[NomDeClavier]

DS is 2.3, will be 2.9 when DC2 arrives in December. We live in a second floor flat, no lift, so the pram lives downstairs. Everything is within walking distance. When baby is 3ish weeks old DS will be back at nursery - dark drop off, dark pickup and still needs a conveyance of some kind as he's knackered afterwards.

I'm looking at a Babyjogger Cityselect which can be a single or a double. I have a city mini and a collection of slings and am getting a buggy board.

Pros:

I can have them both confined in case of tantrums/escapeeism.
If it's foul weather they're both under cover
Will go offroad and the city mini won't

Cons:
The carrycot collapses if it's not attached to the pram.
Expense
Space

So do I need one? Is it worth the expense? Should I look at the mini double instead?

See although I do drive I wouldn't. Parking is a nightmare, I wouldn't get much closer to the shops than if I were walking you can't park at the nursery so it would be on street parking and the time/convenience benefit is zero. So we'll be walking.

The Silver Cross seat idea is interesting. I have a vintage carriage pram I could pop a similar seat on.

Don't forget, your first may play up when your second arrives. You will be tired from having been up all night - sometimes you don't want to coax and nag and it's easier to just have them both strapped in to somewhere safe.

Ha! I feel MN is populated by people who give you the evil eye if your 2yo isn't walking 2miles a day under his own steam (in every possible weather, including weather that almost no adults would endure). And as for still having a 4yo in the buggy, I'm surprised no one has suggested shopping parents to NSPCC for that.

Most adults walk less than 10 minutes a day, in total. If you're like most people, you may manage very well without a double.

I have the Baby Jogger City Select for my twins (2.5) and DC1 (4). They love it. My 4 year still gets tired and sits in a seat or rides the buggy board. If the heaviest child is kept near the back (eg not in the front seat), its fine. I used a Maclaren side by side the other week and thought it the work of the devil.

In your shoes, I would get the Baby Jogger. But the carrycots (used when the twins were newborns) didn't collapse once out of the pram. They remained in shape. Maybe they have changed that.

Re where the City Select fits, mine went on both a London bus and in a black cab yesterday. The seats are currently facing forward, but I am almost certain I cabbed it even with 2 carry cots.

Probably, yes. But find a second hand one.

There's a 22 month gap between mine but I used the phil + teds until DS was 4.6 and DD was 2.8. Totally worth it on cold, wet, snowy, tantrummy days.

Just popping back to say the carrycot stays rigid until you choose to collapse it. The bars that go underneath can't come out by themselves. It's a lovely pram to push with the cot on.

Another one with a city select. I've 16 months between my two and have used it constantly. It is showing no signs of wear and tear and looks as good as the day I bought it. I didn't find it heavy, just put the older child over the back wheels and the youngest in front.

I had an 18 month gap between the 2 youngest and didn't bother with a double.

The baby (as he was at the time) went in an Ergo sling on my front and the 18m old in the buggy. It was quite nice on the school run as the baby didn't have to wait outside on his own while I dropped DC1 off inside the school.

20 months between dd1 and dd2, I haven't needed a double, but I use a sling for dd2 if dd1 needs the buggy.

Sounds like you would use a double buggy a lot as you will not be using the car much.