Car seats and prams for twins

[Needtolearntwins]

Hi Im 18weeks pregnant with what we think are DCDA twins- due around Christmas/early Jan. We have a Mercedes V-Class 7 seater and I have two older children.

With my two singletons we just had a maxi cosi but used slings 90% of the time and used the car seat adapters for the pram a bit in the early days.

I think its going to be a bit of a different ball game with twins. We are pretty set on either the mountain buggy duet or the Out n about double nipper for a pram (though the out n about is hard to get here in Germany), neither of which I think you can use car seat adapters for and I don't think I will be able to carry two capsule car seats anyway. So in light of that I have been looking at the swivel stay in car type.

We don't plan to do much driving at all in the first couple of months as I my husband will be off work so can do the school runs and in Germany the midwife does all the appointments at home. Also I can Park close to my house and im not in a flat so I don't need to go up stairs.

I have read some of what @BertieBotts has written about car seats (thank you). So I guess what im asking is it mad to go for a fixed seat strait away with twins, and will I regret the option to not be able to carry them in the car seat.

Also as an aside does anybody have experience with configuration of a 7 seater car- I was thinking 1 twin in the 2nd row with a older child and 1 twin in the 3rd row with an older child, but will it be really faffy to get a baby into the 3rd row should I just put them both together in the second row?

Thanks for reading all this and I have also posted in the multiples forum.

As you're in Germany I would really recommend looking at your local Zwergperten store, they have really good knowledge/training on car seats, and usually sell pushchairs as well. They aren't cheap, unfortunately, but they do have some of the less commonly found brands, I remember a friend saying they were the only place they could get a service on their (Australian?) brand buggy - I forget which brand it was now, maybe Phil & Ted's.

Plus the after service is excellent and they do a hire system as well, which can be great for if you wanted the better fit of say an Avionaut infant carrier, but wanted to move to fixed seats long term for the cost saving or convenience.

Thank you so much @BertieBotts you seem like a veritable well of knowledge. I think there is a Zwergperten store in Stuttgart so I will plan a day out. Thanks again.

It’s a good number of years since I had my twins. However, we had a Baby Jogger pram which was fantastic, so manouverable, lightweight and suitable from birth. I still see them regularly here in the UK.

I initially had a Jane set of pram wheels that took two car seats and later adapted to a double push chair. I think to begin with it definitely makes life easier to click them in and go but you will find a rhythm I am sure.

Dont forget a newborn baby shouldnt be in a car seat for long. Especially if you are 'adapting' it for a buggy.
Ideally newborn babies need to be in a flat buggy

Even if you don't want to put the seats on the pram, being able to carry sleeping babies inside in their seat is a saviour. To get a small baby out of its seat and into the house you would have to put them straight down to go get the other, the chances of them settling are slim and then the same again. I know they shouldn't stay in them but to be able to bring them in undisturbed while you get your coat and shoes off or grab a sandwich, put shopping away, go to the loo etc is much needed.

I'd have a twin nearest the door on either side of the second row.

I never bothered with removable car seats for the reasons you mention. I found carrying one car seat with my singleton heavy enough so would never have managed with two. Instead, I used Snuglbundl blankets so if they fell asleep you could just take them out in the blanket without disturbing them.

I never regretted having fixed seats, and it also meant I could buy ones that lasted from newborn to just over 4 years, rather than baby carrier followed by a seat for an older baby, which is a significant saving when you're buying two at once.