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Parenting

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Original poster

What age gap to avoid needing a double buggy?

39 replies

TheBlonde · 14/03/2006 13:00

DS is 1 now and we are thinking about trying for another baby but I would prefer not to have a double buggy

Is it all about age/walking ability or distance?
What age gap would avoid the double buggy issue?

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Socci · 14/03/2006 13:04

I think you would need at least a 3 year age gap to avoid a double buggy tbh.

Socci · 14/03/2006 13:04

That's just in my experience though...

motherinferior · 14/03/2006 13:05

Two and a half years should be absolutely fine. In fact I had less. Frankly, you can always get a buggy board.

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Feistybird · 14/03/2006 13:05

yes at least 3 yrs

gomez · 14/03/2006 13:08

Well I am hoping to get away with 2 years 4 months so I will be very interested in what people have to say here....

dollybird · 14/03/2006 13:08

I had a 15month gap so obviously had a double buggy, but from the age of two I rarely used it and ds walked everywhere. He is worse now at nearly four for moaning he's tired etc...

DumbledoresGirl · 14/03/2006 13:09

There is 18 months between ds1 and ds2 so we had a double buggy for them.

There is 27 months between ds2 and dd. Theoretically, we didn't need a double buggy as ds2 was more than capable of walking anywhere, but he was my only very lazy child and in practice, dd was pushing him around as he sat in the single buggy a year later!

There is 35 months between dd and ds3 and definitely no need for double buggy by then.

Therefore I am sort of agreeing with Socci but trying to make it plain that it depends on the individula child. Don't forget for a couple of months you could carry baby in sling and have toddler in single buggy.

zephyrcat · 14/03/2006 13:09

DS was born when DD was 2.6 and I carried him in a sling for a couple of months and ever since DD has walked everywhere. This time DS is only going to be 21 months when number 3 comes along and he is definately not up for walking anywhere!!!

NotQuiteCockney · 14/03/2006 13:11

It depends how much you walk, too.

We walk a lot, the school run is over a km each way. DS1 was 3 when DS2 was born, and we did buggy and sling for a few months until he was ready to walk both ways. He's a good walker, too.

Kelly1978 · 14/03/2006 13:12

ds was born when dd was 2 and I used a double for 6 months then a buggyboard. The dts were born when ds was 2.8 months and it was horrendous trying to get him to walk! At such young age it is hard to tell when he will be walking well enough. You couold always use a sling for a bit, then a buggyboard, a buggypod or a seat to go until your oldest is ready. There are alternatives to doubles.

QE2 · 14/03/2006 13:12

2.4 year gap between my older kids and never needed a double. Depends on walking ability of the child I guess. My older ones were good walkers.

However, my younger two there was only just a 2 year gap and oldest of these didn't walk til 15 months so I did need a double.

I'd say 2.5 years to be on the asafe side.

Socci · 14/03/2006 13:15

I agree it definitely does depend on the child. I know people who haven't used a push chair since their child was 2. Dd2 is 2.2 and still needs one (she wants to walk everywhere but fatigue gets the better of her!) but thinking about it she can walk for a good 45 minutes before she needs to get in.

Gem13 · 14/03/2006 13:16

It depends on how confident the eldest is with walking.

DD is 2.1 but only started walking at 20 months so she isn't very sturdy yet. We walk a lot too in a hilly town so I often take the double buggy even though DS is now 3.5.

I would say 3.

HappyMumof2 · 14/03/2006 13:17

my dd is 2.3 and I have just put my double buggy away (I am a childminder - mindee is 15mths) she will now go on the buggy board.

If I was going a long distance however, I would use the double buggy still.

I would say to definately avoid it, 3 yrs, but if you are prepared to buy one and have 'in case' or if you got a buggy board - 2 1/2yrs.

DumbledoresGirl · 14/03/2006 13:19

Cor Gem pushing a double buggy around a hilly town. I take my hat off to you!

Hallgerda · 14/03/2006 13:19

Double buggies are really not the end of the world! I had one briefly as DS2 and DS3 are 20 months apart. Is it really such a high priority for you to avoid one?

I persuaded all of my children out of the buggy by the age of 2 and I didn't have a buggy board. I suspect the age at which children no longer need a buggy depends largely on parental determination. DS1 learned to drag his feet on the ground (all my children are large!) before he was 2, and at that point the buggy lost its convenience.

SoupDragon · 14/03/2006 13:20

DSs are 2y and 1 week apart and I never used a double buggy. Did have a buggy board though.

oliveoil · 14/03/2006 13:22

22 months between mine and my double was a godsend.

I don't drive and walk everywhere and somedays you HAVE to get out of the house.

Guaranteed sleep for a cranky baby too.

I would still use it now if dd1 (3.4) wasn't so big for her age, it keeps them both in one place (!) and you can get around much quicker.

I can recommend the Mothercare tandem, do not get a side by side, they are too big and the eldest always wakes the baby. And they can poke each other and fight.

nailpolish · 14/03/2006 13:22

same as soup.

dd's are 2yrs 13 days apart, dd1 stopped using a buggy when dd2 was born, but we did have a buggy board for long walks etc

SoupDragon · 14/03/2006 13:23

We also discovered that the basket on a Mothercare puschair (the travel system type) can fit a curled up 4 year old.

nailpolish · 14/03/2006 13:25

if you go for a buggyboard, would certainly recommend the Litaf Seat 2 Go, means the older child can sit down or stand. my dd1 even slept on it a few times!

serenity · 14/03/2006 13:27

I've got 2 years and 4 mths between DS1 and DS2. We did use a double buggy for a while, but we could probably have done without it. It's main uses were...

1, Ds2 was born in June, so we had lots of daytrips out during the summer which ended up with both DS1 and 2 asleep in the buggy.

2, Shopping in places like Croydon. DS1 wouldn't stay on the buggy board unless it was moving, and would try to wander off if I dared stop (reins didn't work for us) It was OK if someone was with me but too stressful on my own. I think we used the buggy up until Christmas for that reason only.

Ds1 was far better at holding on to the pushchair and staying with us from about 2.10yrs, which is when we stopped using it. I probably wouldn't bother now, as I discovered Hugabub slings when I had DD and could cope with a sling/pushchair/buggy board combo far better. Plus I've got a lot tougher over the whole running off thing.

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 14/03/2006 13:38

2 year gap and no double buggy. if I'm honest though was possibly being a bit pig-headed about it. There was a period of a few weeks - when dd2 was too big for the sling and dd1 not really happy with the buggy board when it would have been useful. At times I got out the old 2 in 1 pram which was so big they could both sit in it.

SoupDragon · 14/03/2006 13:40

Oh yes - used a sling for DS2 in the early days. Just made sure it was always in the buggy basket.

Dottydot · 14/03/2006 13:46

28 month gap with ours and no need for a double buggy. We're lucky that ds1 loves walking/running and as soon as we knew I was pregnant we'd deliberately start doing longer walks to get him used to it. Ds2 was so heavy that we only used a sling for about 6 weeks and after that he went in the pram/pushchair and ds1 has been quite happy to walk everywhere - he'll do about a mile, anything longer requires public transport/the car!

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