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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

Franca123 · 06/12/2021 03:47

Uppavaby vista has been well worth it for us. We have a 21month gap. The youngest is now 10months old and it's now very heavy so we might not be using it much longer. But we it has been very necessary. My friends with the same age gap also have a double pram which they definitely need. I'd go second hand though. We've also kept our single pram as still use that frequently too. Assume we'll soon get rid of the double and then keep the single with a ride on board.

SherryPalmer · 06/12/2021 04:18

I also had a Phil and Teds (kids didn’t seem to mind sitting in the back seat). I preferred that it was narrower than a side-by-side but also it was available cheaply second-hand at the time. Seems some people are pretty tribal about these things though

Also used a single with a sling and buggy board at times which also worked ok but with two so close in age it was just nice to have them safely contained and not touching me for 30mins or so!

MinnieJackson · 06/12/2021 04:18

20 month age gap, we had a graco double buggy, £35 second hand. It was pretty heavy though.

Bunnycat101 · 06/12/2021 04:46

It’s full days out where you’d really struggle without a double I’d have thought but also restraining eldest if they go through a bit of a stubborn/bolting phase for shopping etc.

I had a bigger age gap so not directly applicable but my eldest refused to use the buggy board and preferred walking but we still ended up giving her lots of piggybacks well into the 3s on longer walks/days out. My youngest is approaching 3 and we very rarely use the buggy now but I would if I needed to get somewhere walking fast or was out for a day trip with lots of walking.

I used the sling a lot but sometimes a buggy is just easier.

Gooseysgirl · 06/12/2021 05:33

21 month gap here, winter-born DC2, and I couldn't have done it without double buggy. Due to my age we had planned a small gap and deliberately bought a travel system that could be converted to double... this is 8 years ago now and I know there is a newer model, but we had the Uppababy Vista and we loved it! We also used varying combos of sling (carried DS in a Boba 3G until he was nearly 3), buggy board etc. it just gave us flexibility for naps, tired legs, long days out, obstreperous DC etc.

UnLunDun · 06/12/2021 05:41

Mine were 21 months apart and I didn’t have a double buggy. I used the sling for the first wee while, a lovely stretchy & supportive fabric one, but there was absolutely no need for a double - we walked to nursery daily but just added plenty of time. I would add, however, that my youngest has development delays and she didn’t even start to walk until she was over 2.5, so really, you cannot know if you’ll need one until the youngest comes out of being slinged. Slung? 😂

Youhaveyourhandsfull · 06/12/2021 05:44

Two of ours are 19 months apart. Definitely used a sling but main buggy was a Phil and Teds. Side by side would have been too cumbersome.

Can you even get these now? This was 12 years ago now.

CanIPleaseHaveOne · 06/12/2021 05:44

I had the Phil n Ted - one on top of the other with more or less this age gap. It was brilliant. Even though it can seem tight there is actually a lot of space for the underneath child. It configures in quite a few really helpful ways that change as the children age.

Best of all, it is light as a feather, you can push/turn it with one hand. It folds very easily, opens and clicks into place very easily and can get in most door ways!

It is probally the best baby product I ever had besides muslin cloths!

welshladywhois40 · 06/12/2021 06:40

My age gap was slightly bigger so my son was 30 months. We tried the buggy board but my son would only stand for 5-10 mins before being asked to be carried so I think he was too young.

Also I found my buggy felt like a tank to push once the board was attached. Couldn't turn and the weight was awful.

For the first few months - he used to climb into the shopping basket or I would sling the baby.

Finally we found the best solution - out and about single buggy. There is a pointy but at the front that a toddler can sit on. This has been the best solution for us.

With your age gap though would recommend having a look at the out and about doubles though. I tested out and about vs mountain buggy and out and about way more lighted and easy to manoeuvre

Cosmois · 06/12/2021 06:54

You definitely don't need a double buggy if you don't want one. I have a 16 month gap between smallest 2 and I baby wear the "baby" (15 months) and the ~ 2.5 year walks.

Cosmois · 06/12/2021 06:57

I am probably bias though as I hate buggies! So cumbersome and I never really got on with them! Personal choice obviously!!! But I have never had one with any of my children so definently not something you "need". Although go for it if you think it will make you life easier/better etc.

Pinkrollercoaster · 06/12/2021 07:02

My kids were born 19 months apart and I got a double pram. My eldest was a stubborn little thing though and insisted on walking everywhere not long afterwards.

logsonlogsoff · 06/12/2021 07:06

Got a double buggy and immediately got rid of double buggy as it was too big/ cumbersome! Used our old super light Bugaboo for baby and toddle was on one of those boards that you stand on or being pulled on little scooters
I had same issue with sling but DW would use it for baby. And when we were all out toddler could get in buggy when tired and none of us or I would hold/ carry baby.
It worked really well.

yetmorewaiting · 06/12/2021 07:11

19 months (to the day) between my 2 ds. We had a side by side Maclaren, was a lot easier for me to handle than a tandem thing and I didn't like the underneath type ones. It fitted through our front door no problem and on London buses, tubes, taxis and trains and brilliant for airtravel as folded easily and as 1 item. DS1 was a very active tiddler though so local walks to the park were invariably a single and sling (soft structured one, rose & rebellion) When ds2 was about 6/8 months old, sold the old big single single and the double and got a toddler size carrier and a superlight Maclaren which was the best combo for us, I was still using the sling for ds2 when on the school run for ds1, and he was a hefty lump and I am not much over 5ft! We also had a backpack type carrier which we used if dp was out with us for day trips so no buggies to deal with.

SwumMum · 06/12/2021 07:35

I had a double - the out and about nipper. Absolutely loved it and couldn't have managed without it. I'm a big sling fan but I needed a 'base' where I could stash everything and I used it for naps, nappy changes, feeding older DC a picnic, restraining them while I went to the loo etc.

JustDanceAddict · 06/12/2021 07:43

I did, 17 years ago! I tried a few double buggy combos and I found a narrow side by side to be the best. I got a mamas and papas one.
I tried tandem(borrowed and bought & sold on) and I could never get on with them.
The ones that the youngest went underneath the eldest came out just too late for me but I def would have tried that out.
The best thing, once they’d both grown a bit, was the buggy board attached to the Maclaren!

TreeLawney · 06/12/2021 07:56

20 month gap. Didn’t need it for long but for a while the double buggy was invaluable. Had a baby jogger city mini, because I wanted a carrycot for the baby & it was one of the narrower & lighter side by sides.

TheWitchersWife · 06/12/2021 08:13

Joovy caboose has been a god send when my littlest one was 6 months+.
It didn't seem super sturdy for a new born but has been amazing for 2 toddlers!
I hated the buggy board. Felt like I had to lean and keep my legs back far and it hurt my back. I do have long legs though.
I'd stick with a normal pushchair and sling for the first 6 months.

user1485813778 · 06/12/2021 08:17

I had 21 month gap and had a Phil and ted double decker. You don’t see them anymore maybe they’ve fallen out of favour, but I was in London and found it easier for buses/busy pavements getting in and out of shops as it was narrower. A lot of the time I used a sling and maclaren as it was light and easy to fold up one handed etc. Tried a buggy board but didn’t work with my children/environment (kerbs etc). It was quite a while before older one didn’t need anything and sling was always appropriate.

user1485813778 · 06/12/2021 08:23

To clarify - a single maclaren for the older child and sling for baby.
Sling was not always appropriate…

Alittlelost0 · 06/12/2021 21:27

I'm so glad I found this thread! I just started one about Phil and teds sport but didn't get many replies!
OP I've 22 months between my two youngest and got a second hand out n about but it's huge and ancient so we are going with a phil and Ted sport (thanks to this thread recommendations!) As it can be a single too. I like using the sling too but need a new single buggy and have a 5yo too so school run that can't be done at toddler pace!
Lots of good advice and experiences shared here! 👍

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