Double buggies - advice appreciated

[anniroc]

Hi, we are expecting no2 in 2 months and need to get another buggy as DS will only be 23months when the baby arrives. We are loath to buy another big travel system and are thinking of just getting a side-by-side pushchair suitable from birth. However everyone I know at the moment who is having/has just had no2, just buys another big buggy i.e. Phil and Teds/i Candy Apple Blossom etc. Are we being naive in thinking we can just get by with a lightweight pushchair (DS is tall for his age and so will be quite snug in the new buggy we are thinking of getting). Any advice gratefully received.

Hi Anniroc

Try the pushchairs topic, there's a few threads on there at the moment on this very subject! Current favourites seem to be iCandy Peach blossom, P&T of some sort- their Promenade has just been released and seems good, or the B-dual but it's apparently quite big and bulky.

HTH.

do you take the bus much? side by side sounds like a pita to get on buses? with the p&t if you dont need it as a double for long at least you can convert it back to a single again (albeit a big single..)
if youre thinking mclarens side by side i do know someone whos toddler wouldnt fit in it, and was not even a particularly large toddler, so if yours is tall and big for his age see if you can try it out before buying may be a good idea

When we had ds, and dd2 was a nightmare with walking, we bought a second hand OutnAbout side by side, it was very good and fit into most places. Dd2 fit well in it, she was nearly 4!

we have a cossatto side by side, was about £160. Its ok when you really need a double buggy but DS (who was 21m when DD was born) is a little squashed in it and for the first month or so DD looked a little lost in it, but a head hugger and footmuff helped that. I only use it very occasionally and prefer sling / single buggy / DS walking combinations where possible. DS not over keen on buffy board but coming round to it now he is 2.5. As with all buggy questions it really depends on if you walk much / use public transport / need to get it in a small car but at 23 months your DC1 won't need a pushchair for much longer really so I wouldn't spend £££

Thanks everyone, that's really useful. Think I might check out the Cossatto at Mothercare tomorrow.

I had a maclaren double side by side buggy from birth. Used the same buggy for 5 years after we had another, folds up and down easily and it's cheap. I used those fleecy sleeping bag things when they were babies (and as foot muffs when they got older). I don't regret never spending hundreds of pounds on a 'posh' one!!

I had a Cosatto You2 and it was fine, I didn't adore it but then I didn't have to spend a fortune on it either and it was perfectly good. Reclines fully flat so DD1 could nap/rest in buggy too (something the Phil & Teds doesn't do). It's the narrowest side by side and is the only one that would fit through our front door. I only used it for a few months before switching to a single plus buggy board, but it was well worth it for those few months, it meant when it all got too much I could just strap both children in the buggy and get out of the house.

Ive got a mothercare hoxton which I love, its a tad heavy but means that ds (age 3 almost) and dd (age 4 months) are snuggled up warm when i need to get out somewhere, plus ds gets tired after a long day and is able to rest and nap in there. dd can sleep flat and her seat turns into a toddler seat when you take the baby muff out. generally I sling her and ds walks, or i put dd in single pushchair and ds walks.