What age gap to avoid needing a double buggy?

[TheBlonde]

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?

for me it was 2 years and 8 months

Totally depends on your child and your lifestyle I think. My ds1 and 2 are 2 yrs 3 months apart and we never had a double, however - I was working part time and didn't do a lot of long walks anywhere on my own. If I was with ex-h or MIL etc we could take a buggy each. When I had dd as well 22 months later we had to have a double to cope with 3 and the endless walks up and down to school when sometimes ds2 needed a nap etc. I also used the car a lot less. Don't be afraid of doubles though, you can get one cheap second hand and they get through most doors etc.

Well I had 39 months and there was no way I was going to have a double. I used the pushchair extremely infrequently from when DS was 2 1/2. It also depends whether you are prepared to use a sling for the first few months with the baby on longer walks. We went on holiday when DD was 6 weeks old and DS was 3.4. We had a couple of long days out (eg Eden project) where we started off with DD in the pushchair laid flat but when DS got tired we sat it up, he went in and DD was popped in the sling which was in the basket of the pushchair. I think this was the last time he went in the pushchair although I suspect he would still happily ride in one now given the choice (he is 5 btw).

Dd was 2.9 but she is very short which I'd guess makes a difference to how far they'll walk happily. She used the buggy board a lot to start with (didn't have a double buggy). Stopped using the buggy board at 3.5 (and the same height as your average 2.5 year old)

Other reasons for getting a (v. cheap secondhand) double buggy:

• helps if your toddler is jealous of baby and feels ousted from "his" pram

• keeps them trapped in the shops, so you can actually look at what is on the shelves

• do you ever want/need to get anywhere fast? Because I'd rather push 2 happy children in a big pram and walk quickly than drag a whining toddler along

• a sling is all very well unless you have a caesarean, or you find it kills your back, or your baby hates it...

This is probably one of those things you just can't second-guess. There are always a couple of double buggies up for sale on the noticeboard in Tescos though.

Dd was born 2 weeks before ds turned 2, and we didn't have a double buggy. Sometimes ds went in the buggy and dd in a sling.

like others have said it depends on how much walking you do. I have 22 month gaps between ds1 and ds2, and ds2 and ds3 and have never had a double buggy. During the week we only walk short distances and they were walking well by 22 months anyway (couldn't fit a buggy board on the pushchair), and at weekends dh is around so we could always take the small mclaren we have as well as the pushchair for the baby. Ds2 is now 28 months and refuses to go into pushchairs anyway, he regularly walks to town and back (a good 15 to 20 minute walk for an adult, so takes us a bit longer with the kids!)so a double would have been a waste of money for us.

We don't have a double buggy or buggy board. Ds1 was 26 months when ds2 was born, but already walked a lot, and I carried ds2 in a sling/carrier for quite a while too.

DS 18mths when DS came along, he was a great walker and hated his buggy so went with buggy board which he loved. I think it really depends on your toddler and how much walking you do.

More than 2 years and 4 months!! I was the same as you and thought I was in the safety zone until I cam to the very sad and shocking realisation that able to walk and willing to walk are two very different things.

3 years is probably good.

Thanks for all the responses
I know a double buggy isn't that bad really
We live in London and I walk or use the tube to get around so I worry that a second child would severely curtail my movements

Agree about the ousting from the pram thing. That's why I stopped DS from using the pushchair other than exremely infrequently from 2.6. He would hold onto the pram though and sometimes up the hill from his nursery it felt like I was pushing both children.

Re: the sling / Caesarean thing. I had a Caesarean and was out with the dog and the baby in the sling in a couple of weeks. The dog pulling on the lead was the main problem, initially - but overall I think having the sling was a comparatively gentle way of exercising my stomach muscles. And while the baby's little, it's not going to put too much strain on your back and hips, if you get one that distributes the weight evenly.

You're going to use your stomach muscles to some extent too, if you're pushing a buggy.

I've got 22 months between mine - I was also pigheaded about a double buggy. I did get a buggy board but think I could have done without that too as it makes the buggy really heavy. DD was a good walker (she's not been in a push chair since she was about 2.4 and says they're for babies so wouldn't get in anyway! - pigheaded like me do you think?!)

We've got a dog so did loads of off road walking early on with dd walking and ds in sling (buy a good one of those if no double buggy - I had baby bjorn active). DH did catch me with dd on shoulders, ds in sling and dog on lead after a very long walk - I got shouted at!

You can always try without first and then get one if you think you need one - there's always loads of adverts in out paper for buggies in good condition.

I would say around 3 yrs too. Ds is 2.5yrs and was 2.2yrs when dd was born. I have a double for long trips but short trips he will walk. By short I mean walking for around an hour to 90mins.