Double buggy with 2yr9mth age gap?

[Yeni]

Hi! This is my first post on MN. I hope it's okay if I jump straight in with a question.

My DD will be 2 yrs and 9 mths when my second baby is born in February. At the moment we still use the buggy a lot, as she tires easily and can't walk long distances. She is also exceptionally small for her age. I think I will need a double buggy for the first few months at least.

I'm torn between buying one in advance and using it from the beginning and waiting to see how I get on without one. I'm having a Ceaesarian so I may not be able to drive at first and I don't want to be stuck at home.

I'm hoping I will have a 3rd child in the future so a double buggy could possibly be used then but I'm not sure what age gap there will be between no2 and no3.

I've looked at buggy boards but I'm very short and I think I would struggle to reach the handlebar over the buggy board.

In a way I think she ought to be able to walk further by then but we do tend to go out for the whole day and I don't want a grumpy, overtired child.

Can anybody please share their experiences of a similar age gap? Thanks!

You could always get the phil and teds as that can be used as single or double! I only had a 16 months age gap so i needed one!

Welcome Yeni

I have a 2y 10 month age gap between mine, and my dd was/is also small for her age - and so am I!!

I didn't bother with a double buggy. By the time ds was born, dd was at playgroup and then Nursery school so I stuck with one pram and the stroller. Any long or tiring trips were done at the weekend with dh, so we had one each.

And tbh, you may find you are stuck indoors more than you might expect when you have two.

How about a sling? (don't know if it's possible after a CS though)

i have exact age gap though my 1st one was (and is) v. good walker, in fact stopped using buggy really when she was about 2.5. However in your circumstances I'd be loking at thephil and teds on mentioned before, some friends with smaller gaps had them and they are v. good.
All the best - my 2nd was a feb baby too (2 next feb!)

Ds2 was 2.6 when ds3 was born a couple of months ago. Before that ds2 would walk everywhere given the choice and I rarely use a buggy for him. However I have bought a tandem buggy - got it really cheaply from ebay (about £25 new). Where it's been invaluable is: when I've had to go out when ds2 was ill, going out in torrential rain, staying out late in the evening (he can sleep in it), if I need him to nap in the day, and when I've had to do the school run mid-tantrum. So far I've probably only used it a dozen times, but feel I've had my money's worth. Not sure if I'd be feeling the same yet if I'd spent loads on it.

I would recommend a double buggy as you may want to go for some long walks with the baby and it is no fun to have a complaining toddler walking along with you - you can then put your DD in the buggy with a snack on her lap and it will help your sanity. Also there will be times when you go for a day out and need a buggy for your toddler.

We sold our Mamas and Papas Aria double buggy on ebay for £10 so there are some bargains out there.

Buggy boards are OK for short distances, but I found that it really strained my back to use it as you have to have a long "reach".

I also have a P&T and a 2 yr gap. DS is now 2y8m and if I need to get anywhere in a hurry then he needs to be in a buggy

I struggle for a while with a sling + a macclaren but found it really hard. I wish I had bought my P&T right at the beginning.

4 months is a long time for a toddler and by then she may be walking a lot longer distances.
I would really hold of on buying one until you see if you really need one.

Thanks everybody. Some good ideas there. I like the P&T but I wrote it off after trying DD in the lower seat a few months ago. She had a major tantrum in it in Mothercare but I think I will take her and try her in it in a shop that doesn't have toys on display! Also I will try her in the upper seat that you would use with a newborn in the bottom. They didn't have it set up like that in the shop so I didn't try it.

A sling is a good idea. I had a Baby Bjorn with DD but I never really had the confidence to use it. Now that I've looked into it a bit more I think I will try a different type of sling and hopefully make use of it but I don't want to rely on it in case I end up not using it again.

I was thinking of using two pushchairs at the weekend with my DH so I'm glad that can be successfully done! DH also uses an Ergo sling sometimes but I just can't manage it at all.

It's so tempting to buy another pushchair for an easy life but I think I'll try to exhaust all the other possibilities first. Thanks for the ideas!

I'm really short and never had a problem using a buggy board. I would honestly say you should be fine without a double. Secret of using a buggy board is to have the board attached as close to the buggy as you can. Yes 2 pushchairs at the weekend is a good idea.

I probably only used a double buggy until the older one was 2yrs 5 months at the most.

I have a (very small) 2.5 year old and a 6 week old, and no double buggy. I have ds2 in the sling (a fab thing called the Marsupi - google it - atm it seems only to be sold in Germany and Italy) and ds1 in the buggy. Later I will switch to an Ergo for ds2 and hopefully ds1 will gradually stop using th buggy. When I go out alone with ds2 I use sling or single pram. When we go out as a family dh takes ds1 in the back carrier.

FWIW, our reasons against a double buggy were the expense, the prob short useful life, the fact that I use public transport a lot (and when 2 other mums with pushchairs are trying to get on the bus too it's a nightmare), that we live in a late 19th c building with flats and need to leave buggy/pram in the downstairs hallway without totally blocking it (our upstairs neighbours have a ds and are expecting another soon), and (last but by no means least) really wanting to do the babywearing thing with ds2.

Yeni, my circumstances are eerily the same as yours.

Age gap is 3 years, small dd that can't/won't walk, small mum.

PHIL & TEDS E3 Explorer - we use it almost ALL the time, in all its configurations - single, tandem, baby/toddler setting, toddler/toddler setting. Dd has been in every part of the buggy (yes, including baby lie-flat back setting - but only for play). Heck, once she even sat on the foot rest.

Don't worry about the tantrum in Mothercare. Just try again. If she will go in a buggy, she will love being in front in the baby/lieflat-at-back position. It is high up and quite a novelty. Then once baby is bigger (6 months+), you will quickly go into toddler/toddler position with baby probably being able to sit up shortly.

Then you can swap dd in front or in back. My dd gets to choose which one she prefers each time, which is fine as baby ds does not have an opinion.

Another problem with a buggy board is that I can envisage dd not wanting to stand either. Compounded by being too short to reach the handlebars comfortably.

Get a Phil and Ted, especially if you are going to have another.

I have 2.6 between my two

DS1 is now gone 4 and DS2 is 19months and they still both get it it.

Yeni, if you are in the south west I'm happy to give you our double buggy. It's a mothercare, still working well . I had a 22 months gap between my two and used it a lot.

My DS had tantrum in mothercare when I tried putting him in the Phil & Teds too...don't think it was the buggy tbh as he loves ours.

My DS' ages are 2.3 and 3mths.

P&T is a truly fab buggy IMO!

We used a Phil and Ted's buggy for dcs 2 and 3 and this worked fine as I could take dd to nursery in it and then take the seat off the top and ds2 would stay in the main buggy as a single. ds2 is now 2 and we still sometimes use as a single buggy so I have had my moneys' worth.

I have 14 month gap, so had to have a double.
I love my Phil and Teds, and its good that it can be used as a single too. Dd1 won't sit in back seat, she goes on top dd2 underneath. Its great because dd1 is happy to walk for a bit and then jump in when she's tired, and they are both happy to sleep in it.
Also always keep a sling underneath for dd2.

Have a 3yr2month gap and a double buggy. Ds1 also small for his age, but was beginning to walk decent distances in the weeks before ds2 arrived. When ds2 arrived he refused to walk anywhere and this went on for 6 months, so it has been a godsend. I walk us everywhere (do 5-9 k a day depending on what we've got planned) so a buggy board is impracticable. That said struggle now with 4 wheeler when ds1 wants to walk and hold my hand, so would definitely recommend 3.

I will potentially 2y6m gap between DD2 and DB3, I'm debating the double buggy thing too.

I had 18 months between DD1 and 2 and had a Twin Aria which wasn't that great then had a tandem which was better but still not great, I so wish I had bought a P&T from the start but DP wasn't too keen on the second seat, why did I lsiten to him?

I'm thinking about a P&T this time as I will have a 4yo walking, a 2.6yo and a newborn, the thing I like about the P&T is that you can hook the second seat on put the baby in the front and if the toddler gets tired they have a seat. Also good for rainy days.

I was also thinking that I will sell the P&T as they are highly sought after so could recoup some of the money spent that way.