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Original poster

If you had 2 babies 21 ish months apart..

171 replies

Jamesolo1 · 05/12/2021 17:21

Hi all, just looking to see what others did when they have a 21/22 month gap between babies regarding double pushchairs
We can't avoid getting a double buggy can we really?
I was thinking the older one could go on a buggy board but that's not practical for longer trips out
Or have the new baby in a sling for a while but that's only really doable first 6 months (I'm v short and will more than likely find it hard to carry baby in a sling post six months)
So what would you do/did you do please? What double pushchairs are best? I really would like as slim as possible really (not side by side
TIA

OP posts:
oneglassandpuzzled · 05/12/2021 21:48

I had to do dog walks on roads when they weren’t at nursery so had first a tandem double so the baby could go really flat and then a side by side, which was lighter.

At first I used a single buggy and a sling when the baby was tiny.

FelicityBob · 05/12/2021 21:50

I know you said not side by side but the out n about nipper double is the best thing I ever bought in my life

Feetupteashot · 05/12/2021 21:54

20 mth
Sling and single buggy to start, double buggy ( phil and Jim voyager ) invaluable from about 6 mths. 2nd hand

Always fancied the city baby jogger or the out and about too

We travel a lot by bus or foot. Might be different if you're in the car more, depends in boot space

Feetupteashot · 05/12/2021 21:54

Also had buggy board but didn't use it that much except on holiday

Kpo58 · 05/12/2021 22:05

I have a 22 month gap between mine and used a mountain buggy duet. I had no problems getting through doorways or getting on the bus with it.

I wouldn't recommend one where you have one child Infront of the other as they take up so much space on the bus and in the shops. They aren't the easiest to turn either as many shops have really tight aisles and you will struggle to fit in many public toilets with it.

MrsDeaconClaybourne · 05/12/2021 22:09

I had a Phil and Ted with my eldest 2 - 22 months apart. DS2 is 14 now though so there might be more choice but it was fantastic for us. Did lots of walking with the dog so was definitely needed. I actually used it loads the 'wrong' way round with the little one in the front and DC1 hopping in and out of the seat at the back between walking. You're not supposed to do that as it can tip up but I was just careful to keep one hand on it. I also found the backseat was great for piling bags and stuff into if DS1 was walking to have a hand free to hold onto him. P&T super easy to push with one hand too. I still have a little pang of nostalgia when I see a Phil and Ted about!

MrsDeaconClaybourne · 05/12/2021 22:13

I did had a buggy board which I used with my original buggy from having DS1 and found it good for short trips or just if I wanted to go quicker than DS1 could walk. However I found that often if DS1 was too tired to walk he was too tired to stand on the board. It was much more useful when I had DD (DC3) with a 3 year gap between her and DS2.

AliceMcK · 05/12/2021 22:14

Just under 24months apart. I didn’t get a double. I only used the sling once as was so uncomfortable with my giant boobs. I mainly used buggy board then pram and buggy when out with DH or he used the sling.

elliejjtiny · 05/12/2021 22:15

21 month gap between dc1 and dc2. We had a Phil and teds.

Scelletring · 05/12/2021 22:16

Cannot recommend Buggypod enough. it's a clip on seat that folds away when not needed. Creates a double buggy on any pram.
We found ours by chance and we were stopped every time we were out by people asking where it was from Smile

Smilerjone · 05/12/2021 22:22

Out N About Nipper - absolutely amazing. They fit through a standard door, can easily fold one handed and can be used from birth. Excellent off road as well.

TokyoSushi · 05/12/2021 22:22

22 months here and a double buggy was a lifesaver. Mainly because it was really hard if you had the buggy & a 'loose' very young toddler. With the double, at least you had somewhere to keep them both safe and under control!

NoSquirrels · 05/12/2021 22:26

@SteggySawUs

We had a Phil& Ted's, works well as a single as well as a double so got years of use. Baby underneath and toddler on top at first, then as baby got bigger (6-9 months) they went on top and the toddler used to walk and then jump in the bottom when they got tired.
Exactly this.

Was pretty standard issue kit for all the mums I knew with 2 the same sort of gap.

LSLLM · 05/12/2021 22:36

I had a Phil n teds and regretted it so fast, it was cumbersome. City mini jogger was fab for a side by side when mine were 21m apart and I thought they would be huge and annoying.

I did get a single mini jogger too, and a sling.

trumpisagit · 05/12/2021 22:44

20 months apart.
I had a sling and buggy, and pram with buggy board.
Scooter ASAP for 2 year old.
Never felt we needed a double buggy and did lots of walking .

Tinuviel · 05/12/2021 23:40

I had a 21 month gap and had an Emmaljunga pram with a toddler seat. It was absolutely brilliant - we had it set up as rear-facing so I could chat with DS2; DS1 was really good at holding on to the side and DD slept in the actual pram. We had a buggy as well but mostly used the Emmaljunga until DS2 was happy to walk a good distance.

Unfortunately they don't appear to produce them any more.

Mossstitch · 05/12/2021 23:46

Depends on your children, my eldest was still in the double buggy at 4 as he didn't like walking 🤷

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 05/12/2021 23:52

I have a brother 23 months younger than me, so very similar.

My Mum apparently bought a double buggy, but I flatly refused to go in it and insisted on walking everywhere. So I guess she pushed him in the pram as she did with me - I know nowadays you can get those half pram/ half pushchair things.

I think my mum did have a little clip on seat to put on the pram for me to sit on if needed. Or you could get one of those stand on boards?

HelloNope · 05/12/2021 23:57

11 months apart- another vote for the mountain buggy duet- very lightweight!

Hemingwayscatz · 06/12/2021 00:02

Mine are 21 months apart and we had the mountain buggy duo nano. It was great really, so slimline so fit through all doorways and on the slim pavements where we live with ease. Also fit in our tiny 7 seater boot which was the main reason we chose it. Used it for almost a year until the eldest decided he wanted to walk everywhere and that was the end of it, sold it on eBay.

Tellmeagain · 06/12/2021 00:04

20 months between my children. When I was pregnant for the second time, I bought an Uppababy Vista with the extra seat arrangements but honestly it was awful. Bulky, heavy, took ages to set up if I took it in the car.
I reverted to my Baby Jogger City Mini GT with a sling and a buggy board to cover all eventualities - much easier.

ThousandsOfTulips · 06/12/2021 00:08

I got the baby jogger double buggy (can be used from birth for the smaller one) and it was so needed (18 month gap). Not up for carrying babies around constantly and some babies don't like it anyway. Also my older one - who had been walking everywhere prior to the younger one's birth - suddenly decided he wanted to be in the buggy a lot again when she was born so I think not having a space for him would have been drama, especially when out on a trip for the whole day. It was actually very cute, they loved sitting together and used to giggle at each other. Smile

ThousandsOfTulips · 06/12/2021 00:09

In fact I need to get rid of mine as part of my baby stuff clearout so depending where you are OP it may be worth you PMing me if you decide you want one! Grin

MollyBloomYes · 06/12/2021 00:22

Mine were 18 months apart. Initially got a double (oyster max tabdem) and it was an utter nightmare, utter hell to get the toddler in and out of the 'underneath' seat, pain to steer around and far more ruinous on my back than what I eventually did....

Which was sell the oyster behemoth and got a single stroller (can't remember which one now but it's the one that folds in half and you can lift it up with a handy strap. City something? Super light and utterly marvellous) Toddler went in that abs I got a Tula sling which is a buckled ergonomic carrier and made carrying the baby an absolute breeze. There's a newborn insert but as my baby was quite a hefty article he didn't need it. Once he was six months old I switched to back carrying so my front was free and it was the same or easier than carrying a really well fitted ergonomic rucksack.
Best thing about Tulas is that they've got such a bonkers weight limit I could swap about so sometimes the toddler went on my back and the baby went in the stroller (once I felt like he was ready to be front facing)

You don't have to get a solely front facing stroller, if you want to do the swapping about option at a younger age then get a stroller than can swap back abd forth or one that comes with the option of clipping the car seat on etc. Lots of possibilities. But seriously, my baby was NOT a light baby (he overtook his older brother's weight at about 15 months old Shock) and I was very comfortable carrying him on my back the whole way through.

ThousandsOfTulips · 06/12/2021 01:19

Totally agree with PPs that those one on top and one underneath buggies are bonkers. No way would my children have tolerated or enjoyed that (don't blame them, I wouldn't want to sit in a claustrophobic seat under another person!) and as people said who wants to spend half of their life putting together and dismantling buggies?

The side by side ones work much better in terms of practicality (collapses with one click), siblings spending time together, both can look around and get in and out easily, you can see and look after both easily, maneuverability (not top-heavy like the stacked versions and I had no trouble fitting mine through doors, it was quite conpact). So if you do get one OP the side-by-side is a no-brainer.

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