Will I need a double buggy?

[babbaganoush]

I’m pregnant with my second baby. When this one arrives my first will be 2 years and 2 months old. I’m wondering if it’s likely that I’ll need a double buggy or if I could get away with a buggy board? LO is currently 20 months old and I’d say a relatively good walker for his age provided he’s not too tired but generally speaking we take the buggy wherever we go. I know it’s not the easiest question to answer as every child is different but I wondered what others experiences were with a similar age gap.

I'm managing with buggy board and pram at the moment, but my older one is 2.8 months. I think if she was any younger I'd have gone for a double buggy.

I didn’t do a double buggy between my eldest 2 (2years 9 months) but I did between 2 and 3 (2 years 2 months) and it was a lifesaver. If nothing else because I had to get the big one to school and couldn’t walk at a snails pace

I had a buggy that converted to a double, so we just bought the extra parts to adapt it. My eldest was about the same age, though we've only used it as a double a handful of times. Either the youngest will be in the sling and eldest in pushchair or on his trike, or the baby in the pram and the eldest walking. I'd say it's maybe not worth it if you have to buy a whole new pushchair.

We drive though so don't use the pram / pushchair for long distance travel. I imagine if you need public transport or to walk a lot, you might need a double.

Under 2.5 i would get a double. Especially if you dont drive

Meant to say - it will depend too on what time of year you have your second. If it's likely to be cold and wet, a double is better as I don't know if you can cover up a toddler on a buggy board!

Yes , I’d say you will
There are 2 years and 4 months between my 2 , and I walked everywhere
A double buggy also has the advantage of a larger carrying area underneath , so more space for all the bits and bobs you’ll need to carry round all the time

My youngest is 2.2, and if I was having another one right now I'd get a double without question. If nothing else, because sometimes you need to contain two small people in busy spaces and not have one suddenly launch themselves off a buggy board without warning (happened with middle child).

Also, I don't know about your eldest, but mine still sleeps in the buggy if we're out for a long time so there's also that to consider.

2y 5 months. I started with a sling and stroller, then a buggy board. A good front carry sling (not a stretchy one past a couple of months) worked well.

Thanks everyone. @BullshitVivienne hadn’t thought of that, due in September so autumn/winter will be looming. I do drive but most of the places we go are walking distance (park, baby groups, shops). My eldest will be in nursery 2 mornings and 1 full day a week though so I think one that can easily convert between a 1 and 2 seater might be a good option.

Also, we borrowed a double buggy a couple of times and after the umbrella stroller it drove me mad. So heavy and hard to control.

I got mine in a charity shop - it wasn’t expensive. Look on Facebook; you can find a lot quite cheaply!

We've got the Uppababy Vista, might be worth seeing if you can get a pre-owned one.

It doesn’t so much depend on the age gap, but your lifestyle. These threads often attract comments from people who drive everywhere or only have one child, saying how they got rid of the pushchair at 18 months! If you walk a lot, you may need one. When I was in your situation I got a buggy board and thought that since I could get a double within 24 hours (Amazon, JL C&C etc), I’d do a bit of research and see how it went. That way I wouldn’t buy one unnecessarily.

So true @mean. We were still walking long distances with a reluctant (and hypermobile and ADHD) 4 year old and carried on using the buggy board.

I've held off buying one until baby is here. My DS is 2.5 and walks most places but my thought was that if he needs to be in the pushchair I will probably sling the baby anyway as that's what I did with my first.

Following as in same position. Baby due in September, firstborn will be 2years3months. He hates having to go in the stroller most of the time so was thinking buggy board, but now wondering otherwise.

20 month gap. I used the double about 10 times at most. The buggy board and baby carrier option worked a lot better for us, especially after the baby moved from carrycot to seat.

DD1 would walk for miles though... She would happily walk the 2miles home from nursery at two years old for example. At three she walked up Snowden (and mist of the way down).

Until your eldest stops napping completely I'd get the double buggy. We stopped using ours when DS1 turned 6! DS2 is now 4 and still naps every week end in the buggy.

My oldest was 2.3 years when the baby was born and for me the double pram was a must!
He is a really good walker and always has been but I just found the pram to be essential for running errends, messages, if we were in a rush ect. Which is hard enough to complete with two young kids never mind while waiting for a two year old to walk.
I live in an incredibly hilly area which was also a factor for me as I knew my son would struggle to walk to the town centre as it is all uphill.

He is 3 next month and now not using the pram most of the time, but I always keep his seat attached and he will jump in when he gets tired.

As I knew it would only be for a short time use we bought a hwack tandem, it set me back less than 200 pound which is significantly less than most doubles and the only complaint I have about it is the rain cover on the top seat raincover is not very secure. So imo worth it if how much easier it’s made life with two little ones.

We had an identical age gap and found a double buggy invaluable. Though I've somehow managed to lose it the other week 😁

Get a second hand one for just in case. We have the same age gap and I've found it far easier to have DD2 in the sling and use the single buggy for DD1 when necessary.

Thank you everyone, there's some really useful advice here

Yes, probably.
At least with a double you can have both dc's in one place and head off at your speed. The eldest can hop out and dawdle when you have time for it and the extra space is ideal for coats and shopping.
I kept my double until the eldest was 4.6. i still miss it.

I definitely would. I didn't bother (3year age gap) and wished I had. Buggy boards are fine but it's tiring for the older one to stand for long periods if you have longish walks to do.