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Original poster

Double buggy dilemma - 34 month old crap walker

38 replies

givemesteel · 27/12/2017 00:09

So... Giving birth to DD2 in a couple of weeks and really only just started thinking about the practicalities of two dc.

My intention was to get a buggy board for DD1 and convert existing buggy back into the carry cot.

Issue is that DD1 is almost 3 but is a really terrible walker. I've tried to get her to walk more / use a scooter but she can only do pretty short distances on foot. I have really bad back trouble so I can't go cold turkey and just go out without a pushchair as if she refuses to walk I can't carry / drag her like my dh does.

I'm just not sure she will manage standing on a buggy board for long distances, she still very much likes her pushchair.

Unfortunately because of the back problem a sling for newborn isn't viable either.

Dh really doesn't want to buy a double buggy but I'm starting to wonder if there's any alternative. I do like to walk and get out the house so it will be really restrictive if I can't get out without DD1 being a pain.

Hopefully DD1 will surprise me and enjoy the board more than I think but anyone got any experience of this and have any words of wisdom?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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statetrooperstacey · 27/12/2017 00:15

I think the walking will get worse when the baby is here especially if the baby has commandeered her old pushchair! Expect her to regress a bit, it's normal. Have u seen the clip in the side fold out chair things?
If it were me I would consider that yes you might well need a double buggy and plan accordingly
Forcing a reluctant militants small walker is dreadful and add a crying hungry baby when you are in a rush to get home. . . . You could be facing that every day. Of course you may not but I would just get a sidw by side umbrella gold that lies flat. Good luck.

just5morepeas · 27/12/2017 00:23

I'd buy a buggy board - I loved mine. You can try it out and if it doesn't work out you can soon buy a double buggy and you'll probably still get some use out of the buggy board eventually, or they generally have a not bad resale price.

pomegranita · 27/12/2017 00:23

There are 3.5 years between mine and I thought DC1 was too big to be in a buggy when DC2 arrived. I wouldn’t have bought a double buggy but was given an old one (third hand) and actually it proved far more useful than I ever anticipated. Could you ask around or look on local selling sites and see if you can pick one up very cheaply? Just for a few months of transition.

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EagleRay · 27/12/2017 00:23

DD1 has just turned 3 when DD2 was born and we managed ok but just as DD2 turned 1, DD1 became disabled by a sudden illness. It was impossible to juggle wheelchair and 1yo so I spent £60 on a second hand Phil and Ted and they both went in that and it was fine.

I didn’t really want another pushchair but it would have been impossible to survive without it!

NorthernLurker · 27/12/2017 00:24

Is she nearly 3 or nearly 2? Your thread isn't clear. In any case if she's rubbish at walking you need a double. Look on eBay and get something second hand that you can use for a year.

AJPTaylor · 27/12/2017 00:25

Get a double buggy.
Mumsnet seems obsessed with 2 year olds being able to yomp 5 miles. When i had a 2.5 year gap i literally would have gone nowhere without a double. Buy second hand if needs be.

donajimena · 27/12/2017 00:29

I had a double buggy. 2.2 year gap. I couldn't have got anywhere without it.

MrsGB2225 · 27/12/2017 00:31

I'd get a buggy board with a seat

rachrach2 · 27/12/2017 00:32

There are 20 months between mine - my eldest is a great walker and loves her scooter. Still couldn’t have been without a double though - used it (on a decreasing basis) for well over a year. It’s a Phil and ted sport and we still use it for both of them (4 and 2) for running.

FretYeNot · 27/12/2017 00:45

Get a double buggy. If your toddler is up for walking, you've still got the other side of the pram to dump shopping/ changing bags etc.

There is 2 and a bit years between my older two and it was a nightmare of juggling a toddler and a newborn with a single pram. I used to stand dc1 on the edge of the shopping tray, holding on to the pushchair handles. Or dc2 in a sling and toddler in the pushchair. This was before you could get buggy boards. Dc1 had been a champion walker too, up and about at 9 months old.

I also had 2 years between my younger pair of kids. I had a double buggy for them. Dc3 only started walking at 18 months, so wasn't up for longer walks. The double was much easier. Also, its amazing how much extra shopping you can pile on one.

slimyslitheryslug · 27/12/2017 00:49

DD was 2yrs8mth when DS was born and we used the double regularly for the first 9mths and only sold it when DS was 18mths old and realised it hadn't been used for a good few weeks. I knew I'd want to be getting out & about and life can be tricky enough with two without throwing walking issues at it. Often DD would be happy to walk so I'd just fill her seat with the coats & whatever other gubbins we had for that particular outing.

HandbagFan · 27/12/2017 05:19

My gap will be 2yrs 3m and my plan is to spend £100 on a used double on a Facebook group. After a few months I’ll re-sell for close to the original price I paid and use a buggy board. DS didn’t walk until 17m and we use his buggy every time we go out. It’s too much to expect him to start walking everywhere at the same time as baby 2 arrives.

Fishinthesink · 27/12/2017 06:37

I had a rubbish walker and a 2.9m gap. I Did manage with a sling but I really regret not getting a double- DD1 napped until 4. I was insistent she was too big but just made life more difficult for myself. I'd get one (she also hated the buggy board and can't scoot).

Original poster

givemesteel · 27/12/2017 07:30

Thanks all for your input.

Sorry post isn't clear, DD1 is nearly 3 not 2.

So I am assuming that this won't be a problem for too many months before she'll walk longer distances. Hence dh not being keen to shell out on a new pram.

I will get a board with a seat but they just don't look very comfortable so it's a big transition from a comfy pram to a plastic bike type seat. Perhaps it will encourage her to walk. I'll look into the side seat suggestion as well.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone I can borrow off but I'll look at second hand, but Alot that I've seen don't seem that suitable for new born age (ie with lie flat / carry cot option).

If you've had a crap walker, at what age do they become better / able to do normal distances (eg an hour round trip to shops?)?

OP posts:

AJPTaylor · 27/12/2017 08:26

I swear my oldest one would jump in a buggy for a push now if she would fit. She is nearly 23

GreenBook · 27/12/2017 08:31

If you buy a fairly common type of buggy e.g. older style Phil & Teds off eBay you may well find you can use it for a year and re-sell it for the same price as you bought it. I did.

So as long as you have enough money to buy it now (and you may get a bargain as people have New Year clear outs and want to get rid of their old buggies) then it won't necessarily actually cost you anything over the long term.

megletthesecond · 27/12/2017 08:36

Get a double. I used mine until just before my eldest started school. They're ideal for storing coats and bags.

BeansMrSeanAndHeinz · 27/12/2017 08:37

We got the Hauck Duett secondhand, it’s been great - fits on buses and through doors, good customer service for busted parts, well designed so it’s not much bigger than a single pram.

We thought we’d need it for a couple of months but a year on it’s still really useful for 3y4 mo to climb into when he’s tired.

chalkyc2 · 27/12/2017 08:37

Get a double - if you have back problems those buggy boards are a killer! They make you have to lean over to push the pram and walk in a weird way - I hated them!

Increasinglymiddleaged · 27/12/2017 08:41

All this 'my 18 month old never goes in a buggy' is usually because they never walk anywhere. I found a buggy board useless as they don't contain the child. Get a double buggy, there are always loads of 2nd hand ones for sale anyway as people don't use them for long!

NorthernLurker · 27/12/2017 08:43

I thought she must be nearly three. Dd1 was nearly three and we lived a good forty minute walk from town so a buggy was essential but I only needed it for a year.

megletthesecond · 27/12/2017 08:44

yy chalky, buggy boards are dreadful for posture. I tried one to the end of the street and back and it made me walk slightly stooped and I couldn't take big strides, only tiddly dolly steps. Useless for going anywhere at speed.

Katurah · 27/12/2017 08:44

2 years between mine and my uppababy Vista is invaluable. No way would my 2 year old be walking around everywhere - it would take forever! He still has the odd nap in it too. Also if we're out and about on our own I need somewhere to strap him in if my DD needs feeding - he'd be off if he had to stand or sit for 20+ minutes while he'll sit in the buggy happily watching Bing on my phone. I bought second hand and it has a carry cot for baby, seat for DS and will eventually have two seats before converting to a single with a buggy board when my DS doesn't need it anymore.

We wouldn't cope with out it. Maybe wait til baby comes and let your husband see how hard it is without a double!

AlwaysPondering · 27/12/2017 08:46

I have the bugaboo donkey which converts from a double to a single plus fits a seated buggy board. It has been a god send!

DD1 is 1 in a month and she has only just started to drop her nap so we have mainly been using the buggy as a single with the seated buggy board. Maybe a seated board is the way to go?

MiaowTheCat · 27/12/2017 08:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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