What pram to get.

[allthecats1982]

So we are having triplets in October/November and are struggling to work out what pram to get. Everyone is giving us advice and it's a bit overwhelming at the moment. The options people are suggesting are as follows- with my concerns.

1. Buy a triple pram online. Some come with all three carrycots, seats and car seats - concerned that the car seats are off brand and might not be good for tiny babies. Also they're HUGE. I'm 5ft2 and it's massive. There is another triple that's side by side and the seats convert from carrycots to seats again so less bulk. More expensive then the big one and we have the cost of car seats as well (but I would prefer to get good car seats). Both options would be a one off purchase and nothing more needed till toddler stage.

1. Get a double pram and carry one in the sling. Seems the most practical but the one we have been offered the cost of everything we need such as car seats and then a triple buggy for later (or maybe we carry one forever) makes it a similar cost to just buying a triple.

1. Someone has suggested reusing the single pram I have already and putting two in at first and carrying one and then carrying two. Whilst the cheapest option by far it means carrying twins for a good while before they're big enough for the buggy anyway. Not sure I have the energy 🤣

1. Never go out 🤣

Any advice is welcome 🤗 I'm still freaking out we are having three all at once. I've got plenty of time though I just need a plan. We need to be 100% we are coming home with three so it's just a case of a plan so I know if I'm getting car seats

There’s a minimum weight for slings. Usually about 8lbs but can vary by model. Depending on the size they all are when you first bring them home, you might not be able to put some/all of them in the sling.

@Carryonkeepinggoing I had a look online and you can get a twin sling. The lady on the video for it was very adept and it looked ok. I just worry that we would be all squashed up very quickly and still not big enough for a buggy. My son was born 7lb at 41weeks and even then was nine months before he was big enough not to slip around in the pushchair part! Premie's will be similar.

But how big do the babies need to be before you can put them in the twin sling? It might be less than 8lbs but if your babies are 5lbs when they are released from the hospital and they need to be 6lbs to go in the sling it’s still going to be an issue.
I don’t have experience with multiples but I carried my singleton a lot and it’s hard once they get to maybe 8kg. I used to take the pram and the sling out so that I could either put him down t some point or so I could put any bags in the pram. Past 3months I would regret taking only the sling for anything longer that a half hour walk.
How much help will you have to start off with? If you always have someone with you you could do a double plus your single pram - or two doubles if your older child is still using a pushchair sometimes.
Once they are old enough to sit up it will be easier. There are some much better options at that point including fairly compact quadruple pushchairs that I’ve seen childminders use around my way.

@Carryonkeepinggoing it's suitable from 4lb newborn as it's the stretchy wrap so it supports their whole head and body. I carried my son till 5yr old but on my back in the carrier once he was bigger. I don't think the single pram is the best option but is the easiest at first. People keep telling me not to bother getting anything because we might not have all three and that's itself makes planning worse!

Oh gosh what a horrible way for them to put it!
I think part of your decision might depend on how easily you can get hold of a double/triple pram you like. - What’s the wait time on delivery basically. If it’s only a week or so then you could hold off until they’re born and you know potentially how long a NICU stay they might need (I guess there may be a chance they won’t need NICU but I think most triplets do?). If you need to order 2 months in advance I can see why you’re wanting to get it sorted early.
One option could be to buy a double second hand, - then with the single you already own you’ve definitely got pram space for three albeit with two adults present. And then if it’s not right for you when they are born you can sell it on without losing out much or maybe at all financially. I’d also definitely look into getting the twin sling. That’s a smaller purchase and again you could look second hand. It’s the kind of thing that’s very helpful but only for a very short period of time, so might be some on the 2nd hand market. For carseats, again, as long as it’s easy to get hold of them where you are, you could hold off until they’re here and you know what size they will be coming home and what models might work best.

@Carryonkeepinggoing with car seats we are cost saving and will need get them before 13th august as my mum gets 25% discount up until then. With three to get we need to save as much as possible. That's when we need to get the decisions made. It's the same with a car. We could buy second hand but it's a case of finding one and getting lucky. Ordering new we will have to wait till January for delivery they said today!

A triple pram has a 12 week delivery time but I see what you mean about getting a second hand double. The price of a second hand double that we have been offered is still the same as a brand new triple. That's my only dilemma 🤔

I'd go for the triple side by side. You're going to need a triple at some point, 3 toddlers running off in different directions 🙈

I'm a twin mum and although they could have shared in one buggy for a few months I couldn't have survived without a place to strap them in as they got older.

Good luck, it'll be wonderful!

Big old fashioned pram and put them all in until they don't fit then a triple buggy...

@Thesunwillcomeoutverysoon that would be a dream! But not practical for getting in the car for days out as we are already needing a seven seater and won't have much boot space 🤣 but if I could have a proper pram I would no question!

Will the triple buggy fit in your boot?

And through your front door? And through the supermarket door/over pavements in your town? I would be measuring all these things carefully before committing.

I really don't think putting two in one single pram is a good idea, I wanted mine securely strapped in for going down hills/steps/pavement edges. I'd go with either double and a sling or triple (depending on how unwieldly the triple one is). I had a double for my two and it wasn't as bulky or awkward to use as I'd expected.

@Carryonkeepinggoing yes it will. But not with a ton of other stuff. The pram folds small but not without an engineering degree 🤣 the bugaboo donkey we have been offered actually folds down bigger which is weird.

A triple side by side will fit in wide doorways and we would keep it in the garage to save taking it apart constantly. If we went to other people's houses it might be an issue.

Given that you've slinged your previous child I'd go for a double and a sling. I'd also keep the current single (can it have a car seat on?)

Going out as a whole family with a double and a single has to be easier than one person pushing a triple. Going out alone double and sling.

When they are toddlers just get one of those pull along carts and sit them all in.

look only at babyjogger city select triple hack. You can use it as a triple with the seats or car seats. Can buy second hand as works best for 0-12 months before a bit cramped

wonderfold wagon. It can be used like one big bed for 0-6 months for all three. Then has four seats for baby onwards

zoe prams very popular for compact pram for triplets. It’s a Zoe double with Zoe single pram adapter infront. Meaning you can take off and fold smallish, use at triple, or use as twin with one baby in sling.

Toddler cart

@allthecats1982 congratulations!! I don't have any advice on a triple pram but I am currently 17 weeks pregnant with twins and just wanted to say that with the chance of them being preemies, for car seats we have gone with the Maxi Cosí pebble 360 pro as they're supposed to be amazing for small babies and preemies. Good luck🤍

Congratulations! I didn’t buy a pram until my twins were born because there were concerns about one.

In your position I would get a triple. I have a double buggy and carry baby DS in a sling and it’s hot and sweaty. The triplet mum in our multiples club has one where there are two babies (like a double) and one on top.

Ask about with multiples groups and also the health visiting service in case a triplet family has got beyond that stage and is looking to sell. I've also seen rentals in the past. A big old fashioned pram may be able to accommodate them all for a few months

I think there are some prams where you can connect singles together (babyzen yoyo possibly?). If it's possible to connect 3 that might give you the best options in terms of configurations?

I have twins so not triplets but have the bugaboo donkey. Which we brought second hand off marketplace. The carrycots on this are quite big. I did manage to put both girls in 1 carrycot for a couple of months. In terms of width it can be difficult to get this through some doorways and the ones it does fit through it only fits by a bit of a wiggle. Hence sometimes using it in single mode and putting both girls in the 1 carrycot. So if the triple pram is wider than the bugaboo donkey I dont think you will get in many shops/pubs/cafes etc with it. In terms of slings you can also get a weego sling which means you can carry 2 babies at a time from 4lb. But I struggled to use this with my girls once they got to 3-4 months due to the weight of them.

wow congratulations!!!
Im a childminder and I can’t say I’ve ever met a triple pushchair I’ve liked. So cumbersome.
I would get the mountain buggy duet - it’s the best and smallest double pushchair and a wrap/ ergo baby. Then you can have a buggy board when they are toddlers to make it a three. Or when they are older you can get a push wagon - so much better than a double pushchair.
best of luck with the trio. Triple the blessing!

If you can get hold of the older twin version on the mountain buggy. They actually did a full size twin carrycot, which I have seen many people use for triplets the first 6-8 months.
It was called Mountain buggy DUO (not the new duet). You can only get secondhand now, but I think it gets passed around triple circles still just for the carrycot phase