18 month old & a newborn

[Dannidavies90]

Hi
I'm expecting my 2nd child and my little one will be 18 months old when the new one arrives.

I am thinking of getting a double pram (side by side as these are the only ones I like) but I am wondering if it will be worth while.

My little one isn't walking at the moment but hopefully will be at 18months. Would I still need a double pram.

And also from people's experience would

I would say you will. I'm 7 months and ds will be 21 months when I have baby. I did plenty of looking into it hoping to find that I wouldn't need to spend hundreds on a new buggy. Unfortunately common consensus seemed to be that it might be necessary. I think it depends on your lifestyle though. I use buggy for a couple of hours each day. Ds loves his harness but not sure if I could depend on it! Some people do attachment parenting and would keep the newborn in a sling! It's a tough one!

If you don't use buggy often, you can get really cheap 2nd hand side by sides on local Facebook sites!

I'd suggest getting a double buggy for the early few months yes.

Ds was 17 months when dd was born and he was good at walking - he has reigns and I just strap them to the pushchair - but until he was around 2ish he got tired quickly so having the option to put him in the pushchair was a Godsend; if I'd have tried to make him continue walking when tired and grumpy it would have only resulted in a tantrum. In the buggy he was able to nap which meant I could stay out longer and have a cuppa in relative peace.

The double buggy also came in useful when I had to feed dd. I could sit ds in the buggy with a book, a drink and a snack and he'd be happy as Larry whilst dd was drinking - for up to half an hour! If I'd have tried to feed her with ds loose he'd have created chaos! It also gave me somewhere to contain one child whilst changing the other; a sling sounds like a great idea but what do you do with the toddler when changing the baby? Ds used to try to escape from the changing room or play with the nappy bins and it was a nightmare; with the double buggy he was strapped in and couldn't fiddle!

In the end we didn't have it long; ds was walking everywhere by 2.4 and dd now sits in a cheap stroller - the one ds had before she was born. We bought one from asda online for £120; one of those long ones. It was as long as a train and front heavy (toddler sat at the front with baby in the back) which made it difficult to lift over kerbs etc but the basket was huge, it had big wheels and good steering/maneuverability and fit through the narrow isles and doors in most shops (the thing that put me off the side-by-sides was their width and trying to get them into and through shops etc). I'd suggest you trawl through eBay or other 2nd hand retailers as, although they're very useful, they can cost a lot and you may not have to use it for very long.

My two DCs are 18 months apart and I started off with older child in buggy and newborn in sling.

However, after a few weeks I relented and bought a double buggy.

Although I found travelling with a buggy and a sling was fine, what I found difficult was doing things like putting my eldest's coat on her and getting her in and out of swings at the park with a baby strapped to my front, even though I had a really comfy secure wrap-type sling. 18 months is still really young and my DD1 was only just wAlking, still tripping over lots and needing to be picked up. I felt she needed a lot of physical assistance which I couldn't give properly while wearing a sling, especially after baby gets bigger than tiny newborn size.

Iv 18 months between my oldest 2 and ds1 was walking at 10 months so v confident by time ds2 arrived however he was still only 18 months old and couldn't walk too far. I had a tandem buggy so ds1 in front and a single stroller for ds1 and ds2 went in a sling depending on what mood we r all in. But u will def need a double I also recommend a sling it will leave ur hands free to deal with oldest. It's a brilliant gap tho iv had all 3 v close and they're the best of friends :)

Another option would be a boogie board - if your 18 month old is happy enough to stand, they just stand on the board that attaches to your existing pushchair. We've got an Oyster pushchair and Oyster do their own board that attaches but I think you can get generic ones to fit. Ours has been a god send - I didn't fancy struggling around with a massive double buggy.

My two are 2.5 years apart and my double buggy is my best ever buy. It sounds lovely having one in a sling, but whrn tne older child gets tired, grumpy, tantrums, or just needs lifting on a swing you are basically stuffed.

Also, only ever going out with a sling made me feel like I was still pregnant! Not something I wanted to feel...

I got one on ebay for 180, and will sell it on when we stop using it. I have a baby jogger but having done some research, there are a few good brands. Just make sure you get one that steers one handed for when the older child wants to walk or run (off).