To insist on a parent facing pram with carrycots.

[user1487755366]

I am prepared for you all to tell me that I'm being unreasonable. Currently pregnant with twins - a few weeks ago DP started looking at pram options and measured up the boots of our cars. I have a Nissan Micra (new style) he has a Mini Cooper (ridiculously small boot size).
He found a pram he thinks will fit. Today I said I've been thinking and like a different brand because I want them to be parent facing and also in carrycots when they're tiny. He asked 'can you have it without carry cots' and I said no because they're part of the model and I'd want the other model with optional carrycots he said it categorically won't fit in his car and we'd just have to accept that we couldn't drive the babies anywhere....

I'm really upset about this. Does anyone have either of these cars and have a double buggy with carrycots? How important is parent facing - it's something I really want when they're tiny.

Hi I am a twin mum (they are 6 now)
How much out and about are you expecting to do IN the car when they are tiny?
I would recommend the squashy carrycots that someone else did

Your cars are going to be completely incompatible with having 2 children. You will soon realise it isn’t just the prank but the amount of STUFF they need- especially for overnight stays. You might as well give in and get a bigger car now.

*pram not prank!

(roof box or trailer )

So we have twins and when they were born had a Micra. We used to get the frame in the boot and the carrycots in the footwell. That was a mb duet you will struggle though. We now drive a tank!

Congratulations on your twins! Personally I wouldn’t bother with carry cots. With both of mine we used the carry cot precisely zero times. They both hated it! That’s not to say yours will, of course. But if I were you I would just get a pushchair that you can use forward and rear facing.

I feel your pain. Currently expecting twins, and have a 3 year old. We have a small car, so 3 car seats is incredibly tricky!

In terms of double systems that face you (which I really want too for when they are tiny, it so’s much easier to know what time they nod off/chat to them etc), you’re going to really really struggle with either of those cars. There just aren’t many brands that are parent-facing for twins, and they are fairly substantial and don’t fold up all that much.

With our DD, we mostly used the pram when walking to places, or taking the bus (didn’t matter about folding it up). When she was small enough for a carrycot, I took her in the sling to some places. Shopping, I’d put her car seat into the trolley! When she was big enough to sit up, we still had the big pram for places that we walked to, but got a less substantial buggy that could go in the car.

Basically, can you avoid taking a big system in your car? If you definitely need one, you may have to get a bigger car I’m afraid.

I got a lot of use out of the Carrycot as used it for day time naps and overnight stays. But with twins I’d probably put the larger one in a sling / soft carrier and have the smaller one in the carrycot.

When my twins were newborns I had two Jane carrycot car seats which just clipped into a double pushchair frame. Not sure what frames are available now that might fit in your boot, but they still make this kind of car seats.

Parent facing, yes. Carry cot, no. Massive waste of money - used twice and baby just screamed the whole time. I carried her round in a sling until she was big enough for the upright pushchair bit.

Because I have very little else to do this evening I found these configurations don't know how you'd see twin 2 with the 2 carrycots on but for some reason then being able to see each other in the car seats is very cute to me.

What pram do you want and what's his alternative?

Have you considered a double city jogger with the bassinets? Great pram, bassinets in the small side & they collapse to flat position

We have had twins after our 2 year old daughter. We just bought the Joie aire double, which isn't parent facing and doesn't have carrycots but is suitable from birth and has little windows in the hood so you and peek and see how they are. It's much less bulky than our silver cross we had originally and does the job, they settle beautifully in it.

Get what works for your fam, sounds like two carrycots might be a squeeze with your car models but maybe you can try it out first.

I can remember agonising - nearly twelve years ago - over all of these things. In the end, the pram I got was good for some things and annoying in other situations. If I had my time again, I'd be going for what is most convenient for Mum: lightweight, maneuverability, ease of fitting in the car and a large basket for carrying shopping etc.

I also remember the parent facing thing seemed like such a huge deal, but they get plenty of face-to-face bonding time when not in the pram, so don't worry about it. The children will not get into Oxford University because of the pram you choose.

We bought a roof box to accommodate our carrycot for our twin pram. The pram went in the boot and the carrycot went in the roof box.

But we needed a med size boot (Ford Focus) for the pram.frame

My DD was in a carrycot until 4 months and then in a pushchair where she faced out to the world. I swapped because she kept wiggling up right to the top to see better. We also used slings and baby carriers. She said her first word at 5 months.

If one or both of you can wear slings/baby carriers then you won't need a double carrier cot. (I've seen men and women do this in my area. One baby in a sling another in a single pram)

Regardless one or both of you need to change your cars to a larger model. You will have difficulty fitting in a changing bag for one baby plus a single pram in such small models.

Our car is bigger than both of yours and we struggled with a single pram! We could get in the frame and the carrycot but not much else. A double would have been impossible.

Parent facing was essential for me but the carrycot ended up being a waste of money. We used it a handful of times. When we were out with DS he fell asleep in his car seat while driving and we were never out for more than 2 hours in the first 6 months (too exhausted!) so we used to clip the car seat onto the pushchair when taking him out of the car, instead of waking him to transfer him into a carrycot.

We did used to go for long walks near our house and used the carrycot then, but more often we used a sling.

DS is nearly 2 and still faces me. No sun in his face, I can see him whilst he is snacking so no choke hazard, and we chat! Carrycot parent facing would be even more essential IMO because you want to see your babies!! It’s one of the things I hate about people draping muslins over their buggy (as well as the heat trapped in), you can’t see your child!

She said her first word at 5 months

Is your baby Einstein, or do you mean your baby made a coherent noise at 5months eg dada/mama....

I think you'll regret buying a peak you can't fit into the car. I had a baby jogger city mini and it had a clear panel on the hood, so I could still see the baby.

You need to think about how much you will be using the car and how much you will be using the pram or buggy. If you want a pram with 2 carry cots you will need a bigger car. Or if you will be going on short outings in the car you could get a double travel system and use the frame with car seats. Then you could use the carry cots on the frame for when you go out walking.

My baby loved her carrycot but there's no way i could have fit two.You could always get a lay flat car seat like the sirona cloud. It fits onto a lot of double prams and when you clip it onto a your chassis it's lays down really well. The cloud z also has a base which let's you rotate the car seat when you get it out of the car.

Both mine hated the carrycot. It was my biggest waste of money when it came to baby stuff. I insisted on parent facing too and wished I’d chosen something based on ease/lightweight rather than that. At the time though my mind wouldn’t have been away so 🤷‍♀️

We have a lie flat carseat and there is no way we could get another one into the car.