Talk to me about getting a 3 year old and a 1 year old abojt

[Thegirlhasnamechanged]

Usually 3 year old will walk everywhere and 1 year old (just turned 13 months) will be in the carrier or pushchair. I don’t drive and will be walking to pick them up from nursery when I finish WFH at 3 rather than wait for DH to pick them up on the drive home from work at 5.30 now that they’re both at nursery at I’m starting back after mat leave

Having totted up the bus fare back from nursery (£5 for a single), part of me is not wanting to do that at all given the price of living crisis right now. It’s just over 1.5 mile walk so not massively far but it’s all up a fairly steep hill and I reckon about 1 mile of it is next to a national speed limit road. On a normal day I know 3 year old could easily walk that but I have doubts she’ll manage it after a full day at nursery

Im keeping an eye out of Facebook marketplace for a bike chariot that I can plonk them both in (will help with my fitness levels too!) but until then does anybody have any other lightbulb moment ideas on how I can avoid extortionate bus fares?

I have had a look at double buggies but the cheapest at Argos has a 15kg weight limit and I don’t think either of them are too far off of that

Do you have a pram that you could attach a buggy board to?

If the children go free on the bus, have you looked at a weekly pass for yourself as they are often cheaper than a single fare.

Buggy board! If there isn’t a manufacturer specific one for your model then look at the universal Lascal ones.

The saving grace for me was buying a second hand Out 'n' About double pram from fbook marketplace. Mine were younger when I got it but they still both get in it regularly and they are 2 and nearly 4. Very agile and manageable double pram!

3 year old hasn’t got on well with a buggy board in the past (we sold it on!) but I’ll keep an eye out for cheap ones on marketplace. Have enquired about a second hand out and about double on marketplace too so thanks for the recommendation @HopelessOptimistism

@ChicCroissant you’d think a weekly ticket would be cheaper wouldn’t you! We’d only need it 3 days a week and nursery is in the Urban zone whereas our village is just outside it so we’d need a county wide ticket which isn’t cheap annoyingly. And they wonder why people don’t flock to buses if there is any other plausible option!

They seem to be in high demand but I managed to get one for £100, worth having a notification on marketplace and gumtree that lets you know when one gets advertised!

Depending on your fitness levels could you put 1 year old in sling, 3 year old in pushchair?

I was going to suggest double pram or buggy board. Is there a reason you don't want your husband getting them on his way home? May be an easier option

I'd finish work at 3pm and spend the 2.5hrs prepping tea, general housework, go for a run, meet a friend etc then all of that is "done" when the family gets home and you can focus on the kids and chillling out in an evening.
It's only 6 or 18 months until you'll be heading out for a school pick up at 3pm... enjoy the downtime while you can

I'd think about just picking one of them up at 3pm and having a bit of one on one time with them and then let DH get the other one at 5:30pm.

I’d happily have DD (3 year old) picked up by DH on his way home as that’s what she is used to whilst I’ve been on maternity leave but I somehow feel DS might struggle being in that long especially since he usually crashes for the night around 6.30 (we’ve been trying to push it to 7 for more time together on an evening but he has other ideas)

Perfect! Pick up the baby at 3pm and DH gets the older one at 5:30pm, problem solved!

I found the out n about double an absolute lifesaver at similar ages. Definitely keep an eye out they always come up second hand.

Yeah, few solutions here - 1) Have DH collect both kids, 2) You pick baby up and leave eldest for DH, 3) Buggy board on the pram - we use the Lascal maxi for our 3 yr old (will be 4 in the summer) when we are on long walks with baby in the pram, 4) baby in carrier (back carrier probably most practical at their age) with 3yr old in buggy but I think that would be very tough on you and particularly crap if it was bad weather.

I'd try again with a buggy board, mine was a lifesaver for a while.

How steep is the hill? Mine is on his scooter now all the time. He's sensible, stops when I tell him to etc

My son rides the scooter home and when he's tired he holds onto the pushchair and I pull him along on it lol!

If it’s only 3 days a week I would leave 3 year old until your DH can pick her up and take DS home at 3pm. Would your DD be upset by that? As a PP has suggested maybe spend one afternoon for you, have some downtime or prep dinner? You could start that when DS is a bit more settled at nursery? A scooter is a great idea too.