Best pram for public transport with twins?

[Linguaphile]

We just found out we're having twins, and I'm freaking out about how we'll get around! We don't have a car and aren't keen to get one, so I'm wondering what the best pram would be for carting twins around the Kingston/Richmond area in SW London. I've been eyeing the Bugaboo Donkey since I like the side-along style and versatility of the seats, but will it be a nightmare for public transport and shopping? Plus, it seems much thinner than other side-by-side models. The icandy Peach looked nice, but I'm not sure about the style of seating, and it seems like a hassle that the carrycots don't fold down... but then, maybe it's worth putting up with if it's easier to get around?

What is your experience with twin prams on public transport? I see mums with prams on buses all the time around here, but don't know if it will be worse with twins... It's not like I'll be able to easily collapse anything with 2 infants!

Recommendations would be much appreciated.

Hi Cornwall! Yeah, we've been wondering that as well about car seats. Seems such a waste of money and (more importantly!) space. Will a black cab be allowed?? That would be amazing... I'm going in for my 13 week scan tomorrow, so can ask the midwife about options for leaving. We did also think that we might be able to just borrow some for the ride home since we've got so many friends with babies.

The BJCM is probably my next choice--looks really good!

Hi, im going for the Jane Twone for my twins. I think the bug looks great but live in a victorian terraced house with a fairly long and very narrow hallway! I tried out many of those suggested here but eventually decided on the twone. The carrycots are also carseats, and although like yourself, we dont actually have a car, there are ties when we will need for grandparents etc this really solved a problem for us. The only real compromise is the lack of basket space, but i keep feeling like with twin prams there just always seems to be a compromise somewhere!

Linguaphile hope you are doing well. I too will ask the mw about the leaving hospital policy and car seats, I have my 16 wk appt this week and very scared!

Well, we were at a bus stop yesterday and DH who has never ever taken any interest in any bit of baby kit spotted an iCandy Peach Blossom 2 go past. He immediately said "that's what we need!" Rats! I thought there goes my campaign to have a purple BJCM.

Anyway, it led to us having our first proper talk about a buggy and how I would prefer a side by side. However we got the tape measure out and as Rowans said some Victorian terraces are not blessed with wide hallways. Our front door is 1m wide and this goes on for a few steps, at the bottom of the stairs it narrows to 75cm and then continues to a 70m wide door to the kitchen. If I got the BJCM I would not be able to take it beyond beyond the staircase. If I've got sleeping kids they are going to have to stay in the hallway until they wake and if I have come back with shopping I am going to have to ferry it up and down the hallway. We have decided that we just need to get home and get ourselves into the kitchen to unload children, dog and shopping otherwise a lot will happen in one of the most limited areas of the house! We are now considering the MB Duet (but I hear it is bulky) or a tandem buggy. Back to the drawing board then!

Cornwall, have you looked at the city select instead? It's the baby jogger's tandem version with stadium seating, and the seats look pretty versatile. Saw it the other day and thought it looked pretty good because both kids have a view. My DH said the same thing about the iCandy as yours when he saw it - says the babies won't care if they're stuck in the bottom seat as they'll be to little to care. Dunno... it could always be good to visit the shop and see them in person with your DH.

Good luck with your scan! Assuming your set is monochorionic if you're getting the 16 week? Maybe you'll get to find out the sexes! They aren't bringing me in again until 21 weeks because we've got the di- kind, which seems like ages away. :(

I did ask about the carseats, and in addition to looking at me like I was a total chav for asking, she told me in no uncertain terms that it is the law. Sad.

Hi mine are non-id, I'm not in for a scan just a mw appt. I really hope she listens to the HBs. My next scan is at 20wks and it cannot come soon enough. I'm so worried something is wrong (I am a born worrier esp after multiple losses). After 20wks thy scan every four weeks.

Yes I have spotted the city select but we will wait unil after the 20wk scan to look at any real life buggies. It would break my heart to do any actual RL decisions on nice things such as cots and buggies then to have go back to square one again.

I have been searching the Internet on the car seat question. As far as I can tell it is the law for private cars and private hire taxis. However, London black cabs are deemed as public transport like trains and buses hence do not require car seats. They are designed to be accessible for wheelchairs and push chairs so long as you park them safely inside with the brake on. I plan to contact the London taxi association to get a definite answer. The other option is to organise a private hire which provides car seats to collect from hospital. We have looked into car seats and highly unlikely to get a 0 group one (the one that as a carry handle). Given the we use a car so rarely we are more likely to get the next group up which works rear facing for babies and forward facing for when they are above a certain weight. We are much more likely to get use out of ths.

Linguaphile, Cornwall - I'm new on here and glad I found this thread. My twins due date is September so they will be induced by mid-late August. We have a car but I would like to be able to get the bus or train too sometimes so which buggy to get is my current project. This is all so helpful. I'll be 16 wks on thursday and I don't have the 20 week scan appointment through yet. I'm a bit of a worrier too - I'm still being sick most days and when I am I feel awful but when I'm not I worry that something has gone wrong. Crazy brain!

Welcome the the thread! I'm due on the 2nd Sept but like you will likely have them in August. My sickness has subsided but I still feel a bit yucky, it's so difficult to eat healthily though. I love carbs! Yes when I feel we'll I think it's all over. It's nice to have someone to feel paranoid with!

The buggy thing is a big conundrum what is one persons perfect combination is another's nightmare.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm due on 5th so just a few days behind you. I love carbs too and for the first three months I just ate what I could stomach which wasn't much and every few days I would go off that and had to find something else, whether it was dry cornflakes, soup (I lived off the same soup for about 2 weeks!) or a particular panini from a local cafe (I've had that about 4 times). I've finally started cooking proper meals again on most days.

I had been thinking about a buggy for jogging but it looks as if I will be spending the first 2-3 months so shattered, zonked and some threads say you shouldn't jog with newborns so I decided it might be better to get a buggy that I can walk with in the park and which I can lift easily (and I want to be able to see both of them properly) then once they are over 3 months I will decide if there's any point in getting a running buggy off ebay or not.

I've also been looking online and not in the shops so I am hoping it will all work out once I've tried a few for real. I wonder if they are all pretty much the same!