Buggy that works as single or double

[Chicci1]

Would really appreciate any recommendations for a buggy/travel system that can work well as a single or double. My daughter will turn three shortly after baby is due to arrive. She has some minor additional needs so is likely to require access to a buggy if we're out and about until she is about four. She'll be at nursery during the day when baby arrives which is why I want something that will work well as a single too. We have the old version of the uppababy vista at the moment (2013) which we love but it doesn't convert easily to a double. Was thinking of the newer upper baby vista but would others recommend this or are there any other options? Thanks

Only one I know of is the Bugaboo Donkey

We've got the 2015 Vista as a tandem. I love it! I had it as a single for DD though so I just needed to buy the extra seat and adapters.

There are downsides to the Vista (e.g. not great if you're on and off public transport all the time, etc) but if you've already got one, you know what those downsides are. And you also know of all the plus sides!!

My DD is 2.5 now and not small (75th centile). She's got loads of room in the second seat. I like it because neither of them are squashed, both can see really well, neither is sat behind the other looking at the back of the seat, they can both recline independently of needed, etc

I might have considered the bugaboo donkey if I'd been buying from scratch with a 22mo gap. But I wouldn't with a 3 year gap. A lot of people say the seats are quite small I think.

Avid Oyster Max fan here very versatile

I have the older vista and love it. I didn't want to change it so I bought the extra rumble seat but actually my 2 year old at the time preferred to use the buggy board. Still uses it at age 3 on occasion but prefers to walk or run now!

I'd suggest you get the buggy board unless you are going a long way and need her to sit down but the rumble seat is adaquate at that age.

Also, saves you buying a whole new buggy.

Cupcakegirl do you know if the Oyster max is suitable to use a buggy board when used as a tandem?

I'd stick with exactly what you have with the additional rumble seat for about £80. I have the same one and when number 2 came along, I used the carrycot when just taking out the baby on his own. Then when I needed to put both in, I used the foam newborn insert in the main buggy seat, and the older child in the rumble seat. Or the car seat plus rumble seat also works easily. It's just the carrycot-rumble seat combo that is impossible on the older Vista. Unless money is no object, I'd suggest trying that out first. Buying a full brand new travel system will be pricey. I also use the skateboard attachment which my elder child loves - would your daughter be able to use that?

Not sure if the models are the same in the U.K., but where I live the baby jogger city select can work as a single or a double.

And you can leave the rumble seat on when not in use, even with the carrycot - it doesn't really make it any bulkier. Or if you want to remove it, it probably takes less than 30 seconds to put on and off each time. Honestly, I think you'd be mad to switch unless you particularly need some sort of carrycot plus toddler seat combo all the time.

We have the Donkey with a 21 month gap and I love it. They have a great resale value too.

I too have DD1 in nursery and use it as a single in the day. You have to remove both seats though to convert it to a single really but it's not a problem to pop the bassinet on the floor, put it into single mode and put the bassinet back in. Then you could leave the second seat at the nursery until pick up time.

DD1 is tall and quite chunky and has plenty of room. The seats are much wider than, say, the Mountain Buggy duet which I doubt would last until 4.

Do you have a shop near you that you could go and test them out with your toddler?

Don't bother with the rumble seat for the old Vista. It makes it so front heavy I nearly toppled the whole thing trying to go up the curb.

We have the new version of the vista and it currently has my two year old DS in the seat and four month old DS in the bassinet. It's great, really easy to convert, we already had it for DS1 so just needed to buy two sets of adaptors to double it up. We'll buy the rumble seat when DS2 is a bit bigger.

Downsides - with the bassinet the whole thing is long (front to back) and a bit unwieldy, I wouldn't be nipping on and off buses with it for example. It's also very heavy. I don't think it's any more difficult to manoeuvre than a standard double but I do think it's heavier. You also lose a lot of your basket when it's a double.

It works for us because we already had the pram in the first place, I only use it for nursery pick ups and shortish distances and have other options for public transport (and a car!), plus we didn't have to spend much to convert it. I'm not sure I would buy it as a double though, I would want something lighter.

Oh, one good thing - if I am using it with just the bassinet, the proper seat also fits in the basket underneath. That means for example I can take DS2 to nursery as a single to pick up DS1 and then just pop the seat on when we get there.

mister Once you're using two seats, you get your basket back!

I wish we had bought a Jane Twone first time round. We have a Rider and couldn't justify buying the Twone for dd2