Would I need a Double Pram????

[jersey]

Hi doing some research! We have just started TTC no2 and are wondering whether we will need a double pram. If I conceive within a few months our son will be 2/2.5. At that age will he still need to go in the pram or will a buggy board/seat be enough?

He is walking on reins now at 15months and goes in the pram as well and sometimes sleeps in the pram still.

Anyone been through this or in same boat with some advice please.

Thanks

Jersey - My ds was 3 yrs 1month when dd was born. He just had to walk as we couldn't have fitted a double buggy in the car! What about a buggy board?

My dd was 22 months when ds was born - we bought a buggy board but she doesn't use it that much and walks most places easily. If we are going a long way we put ds in carrier/sling and dd goes in buggy.

Good luck ttc - put your feet up while you can as once you have number 2 they won't be off the ground!!

Thanks, sounds like a buggy board should do. We have a carrier from DS which we could use, just depends on time of year really.

completely depends on your tot...ive bought a double as ds will be 2.2mths when baby comes. MAin reasons i have bought double is

1. ds can be a tinker and if he runs dont fancy chasing him while trying to pull pram along as dh is always in work so trips are made alone.
2. ds still falls asleep sometimes while out
3. the weather will be bad so walking in the rain etc will take ages as he is obsessed with shutting peoples gates and takes ages. 4.if he sees a pram he wants to get in or be carried.

no I wouldn't get one.
Sling for baby and toddler in buggy up to 6mo, baby in buggy and toddler on b/board from then on. Worked for me (gap was 2yrs exactly then 22mo).

Thanks Nemo, I think we will have to leave it till last minute and see what time of year it is and how long it takes to conceive.

Thanks Scaryclary that was our original idea, especially as doubles are very expenise and difficult to get around shops etc.. (so I have been told).

see i couldnt do the sling as i have a bad back and also have heavy babies..lol ds was 9lb 1 and the way this babe is going it will be a bit bigger. I would leave it till about 8wks before.

My DD was 2.6 when DS was born. I got a tandem and it was a godsend. DD tucked up in front and could snooze whilst DS was tucked up in back. I used it for ages as a "hop on when you're tired" option and because she was a good walker but couldn't go as fast as I needed to sometimes!

Couldn't carry mine in slings - too big!

Did you find the tandem dificult to get around shops/heavy, etc. KBear?

Not at all. It was blissful with the swivel wheels on round the mall and i kept the wheels fixed on the pavement because of all the dropped kerbs (the weight of the front child makes it dip down them)!

It was just no easy having both of them "on board", no whinging toddler that didn't want to walk or that wanted to sleep etc. I got mine in the sale in Mothercare, half price but I would check out your local paper for a second hand one if you're not sure you'd get your money's worth.

(Mine is for sale if you're in SE London!).

so easy not no easy...!!

the pram i have got is a tandem type..marco sky L which is smaller than a tandem but plenty of room in the seats...im sad and all excited about using it..lol

nemo, heaqr what you are saying about bad back but fwiw ds2 was 9lb and I carried him in my trusty Babybjorn until he was about 10 mo.
You can often pick up a double quite cheap and in good nick secondhand (I think this is because they are a bit of a pain lol).
I wd say the problem is fitting them through shop doorways/into yr boot (we have a citroen picasso and our single 3-wheeler takes up lot of space!)
and into your hallway. Also there's the issue of pushing the heavy double - remember that the older the baby the bigger and at least with a b/board they can hop off to walk a little way.
But it really is a personal thing. I see Kbear's experience is quite differnt from mine.
The sleep thing is a good point - all of mine have dropped the daytime nap by their 2nd b/day (because otherwise they don't go to bed, I find!) but if you have a 2.5 yo napper then a double may be the answer.

I have been asking myself this question! I am due end of Jan/beginning of Feb when DD1 will be nearly 16 months - and I have come to the conclusion that she will be too young to use a buggy board - and she often sleeps when out and about.

I am going to but a Phil & Ted E3 Explorer which is a 3 wheeler and can be used as a single or a double - has a toddler seat which slots at the front or back depending how old they are. They dimensions are smaller than my Jane Powertrack which is also a 3 wheeler - seems a good compromise - and seems to have had good reports on here - so could be an option?

I suppose if you will be using buses etc then a 3 wheeler may be a bit of a pain - I just chuck my buggy in the car. Also a tandem is easier to get through doorways/in lifts.

I have seen prams that a toddler seat fits onto but I don't know what they are. Someone will know I'm sure.

It's a bertini shuttle but toddler seat only takes upto 15kg. My ds was 10 lb when born - I treated myself to a babybjorn active carrier and at 5 months and 10 kg still being carried comfortably in it.

dd dropped her sleep the week ds was born - too much to stay awake for! most of my friends with two have also found the same thing happened.

hotmama, I have seen the phil & ted e3 on the web but how do you get the child in the 2nd seat? is there a basket underneath when the 2nd seat is used as this is invaluable when shopping?

the basket is pretty naff in all honesty in double mode with the phil and teds. when used with a baby you can access the basket through a small gap near the front wheel, i have pushed 4 pints of milk through the gap. when used as two toddlers u have tomake sure you dont catch the baby's at the back feet with things, dd3 has short legs so her feet tend to rest on whatever is in the basket.

when used as a single then the basket is ok, obviously not as big as some(graco's) but not as small as maclarens.

thanks misdee.

you cvan get panniers to go on the buggy as well.

One of my favourite subjects - had 23 mnths between my two and couldn't have managed without my Graco tandem.

It does depend on lifestyle - we live in town, don't have a car so spend lots of time on buses & trains and walking and have to do all shopping with buggy.

It was essential because of this but also because my eldest often ran off and so it would have been impossible to breastfeed without him strapped in buggy. I don't like slings - too tiring. Also how do you pick up miserable toddler/ drink coffee etc with small baby strapped on your chest - never worked that out. Buggy board is much harder to push and more tiring for toddler - my eldest often slept in the front seat.

A tandem is a bit heavy and you can't get it up and down steps but you can get it through all doors and on buses/ trains/ in lifts. You can also fit tons of shoppping underneath. Its wheelbase is about the same as most 3 wheelers. Also you can push it with one hand & once you get used to it getting up ad down curbs & on and off buses is pretty easy.

It was only £100 new. I used it for about a year - probably a bit longer than necessary but as I do so much walking & long days out with kids, it was much easier than risking a refusal to get on buggy board tantrum. I know Phil & Teds are v trendy now but they are v expensive and the child at the back doesn't seem to have much of a view. Their main advantage seems to be the baby cocoon thing but you could buy one of those and stick it in the back section of a Graco tandem

I've got a cosatto duo tandem and while it is pretty heavy, I'm pleased with it. Still have a sling and buggy for shorter trips - dd (2.2) in the buggy with ds (6 weeks) in the sling. Can't really use a buggy board yet as when the buggy lies flat it obstructs the buggy board platform. Wish wish wish I could afford a bugaboo cameleon with their specially designed buggy board as ds could be in the carrycot and dd behind standing comfortably. But can't justify blowing £600 for a relatively short time.
Emmaljunga do lovely prams with attachable toddler seats but wouldn;t imagine the toddler could sleep and they're also pretty pricey. Do look on Ebay. We got the tandem on ebay as no cosatto stock in the shops until November at the earliest.

Thanks pooka, hadn't realised the buggy board was blocked if seat was flat in the pram!! Will have a look at the one's you recommend although will prob have to look on ebay as money is going to be tight.

You really do need to wait until you get pregnant to decide jersey. I had a 3.3 year gap between mine so didn't bother. Made DS walk all but the longest trips from 6 months before DD was born to get him used to the idea. I had a friend who had a 2.6 year gap and bought a double but decided in the end it was a waste of money. Another friend with a 2 year gap didn't buy one from birth but used the buggy/sling option until baby was 6 months and then bought an umberella double - she doesn't drive and her dh only as a small car so think that was a factor. I think probably two and a half years is the cut-off - below that you need a double - above that you could cope with a sling/buggy board.

We went on holiday when DD was 6 weeks and DS was 3.4 and took the Graco travel system and hardly used it. DD was nearly always in the sling - easier for getting her onto the beach and in other off road situations/crowded little streets/shops, especially given that DH was there to tote the bags (lets face it major advantage of a pram is all the baggage it carries ). We had a long day out at the Eden project involving lots of walking and DS ended up in the travel system and DD in the sling.