Double pram advice please!

[LAgeDeRaisin]

Hello MN team, double pram advice please!

I've got a 1 year old and another due in October and just a single pram at the moment. It's an old battered 2nd hand silver cross job I bought for £50 just before lockdown 1- it's been great but it's a bit rickety and certainly won't do once we have 2 under 2.

I'd like a side-by-side (I think this is called tandem?) pram (rather than one on top of the other) which can face either way and convert from bassinet to buggy. We need big wheels as we live in the country and have a big garden with woodland/rocky tracks etc.

I don't really have a cap to my budget as long as it's worth the money- I'd go for 2nd hand again as I think it's sad that prams just fill up landfill, but there aren't any doubles that would do nearby so we'll have to get a new one that will suit an expanding family.

I've seen the Bugaboo and the Mountain Buggy online but struggling to understand the difference without actually seeing them. Our doorways are wide and storage space isn't an issue. Car wise we currently have a Discovery and a Mini- Mini will likely be replaced at some point so compact would be good but not absolutely essential.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a Mountain Buggy duet, it is amazing. I live rurally and I foster, I have an 11 month old and a 15 month old at the moment, the buggy is a dream to push, fits through standard doorways and has good suspension.

The two options really are the mountain buggy duet or bugaboo donkey.

The duet mostly does what the donkey does, but a smidge of the price. All I would say is I personally found the mountain buggy carrycot plus parent facing seat attachment a load of crap and it was unusable.

Both are great Prams though.

Donkey

I've got the donkey and I love it. Both babies sleep well in it, its lovely to push, really light. Easy to put up and down etc. Its really wide, only just goes through my front door and you're restricted to certain tills but thats the same with any tandem. The space underneath is absolute crap though, I struggle to get a picnic and a blanket under there. Other than that its perfect. My sister has a one on top of the other type and hates it, her toddler won't even get in and she's always struggling. Never goes anywhere now without the car.

If you’re looking for an all-terrain double buggy, the Out and About Nipper has to be high up the list. It’s much lighter than the Duet, even though it’s wider (but there hasn’t been a door I’ve not been able to push it through yet). Each seat reclines independently and the sun canopies can also be moved independently so it’s perfect for different aged siblings. I also love the large storage underneath and it’s pouches too.

It doesn't quite fit your criteria as the seats can't parent face (but I believe there is now a carrycot for it so you would be able to see the baby) but you should definitely consider the Out and About Nipper.

I had both the single and double version and they were both brilliant. Loads of storage space, so so light to push even when fully loaded with 2 x 4 yr olds, easy to turn, go up and down curbs, handles all terrains well, even sand, good size seats, you can fit a bigger child with tired legs perched on the footplate (though I'm sure that would be against health and safety, it works well if you just need to get home!), Can push even the double one handed as it is so light, fits through pretty much any door, only once I couldn't get the double in to a shop, and that was a grade 2 listed building with a tiny door. Did I mention how easy it is to push?

Thanks so much everyone! Seems people like both the Mountain and the Bugaboo.

@Flappityflippers1 was the carrycot on the Mountain totally unusable or just in parent facing mode? My first hated parent facing (seems mummy was boring compared to what was happening out in front).

Has anyone else found the carrycot an issue with Mountain Buggy??

Any issues with Bugaboo?

@xyzandabc any downsides to the outnabout? Some reviews say limited bag space - is this an issue?

Trying to work out where you would put a handbag/nappy bag in the OutnAbout- is there a net underneath?

You can get a big storage net underneath www.babyandchildstore.com/shop/pushchairs/pushchair-accessories/out-n-about-nipper-double-storage-basket/

@LAgeDeRaisin no just the seat for after the carrycot - the carrycot itself is fine - if you’re going to go works facing after that then I wouldn’t let it out you off at all (and that also opens up loads of options like the out n about nipper mentioned above, baby jogger double etc)