Double Buggy or Buggy Board for a newborn and 34 month toddler?

[offsidecrown1224]

We live in a hilly area, walk about 10,000 steps a day - a morning and afternoon walk (to the park, shops etc.).

Would it be better to get a double buggy (the sidebyside ones) or a buggy board?

baby is due in Jan 2025, and toddler will be short of 3 years by then. He’s a reluctant walker, but I imagine by then he’ll want to walk a bit more.

I had to have a double buggy (had twins). But if I had the gap you have I'd go for buggy board and a sling. Put baby in sling dc1 in pushchair if needed. Not having a permanent seat will encourage walking. Our local shops became a no go with a double buggy (village shops so old entrances with tiny doors etc).

I completely forgot about the baby carrier. I remember that my toddler from 3-18months almost exclusively wanted the baby carrier and I was pushing an empty buggy around a lot of the time.

Thanks for highlighting that option! I have pregnancy brain coupled with no-sleep toddler-5am waking brain!!

I had a slightly smaller age gap and had a buggy board. Also had a scooter for her to use, and a wrap sling for emergencies as DD obviously couldn't use the bassinet while DS was little.

Buggy board is good, unless they’re still napping everyday then you probably will want the double.

That’s also a good point - toddler is still napping, I’m hoping he’ll drop it by 3, because I can’t imagine managing toddler nap and baby naps.

I wish I could use a wrap sling for toddler, I’ll be having a c section so won’t be able to carry him for some time sadly.

Double.
You don't want to be dealing with a whingy cold toddler on a buggy board next Jan/ Feb. Double buggys allow the older child to rest and as storage.

I couldn't walk quick with a buggy board as it meant I had to take silly little steps. I literally borrowed one, got to the end of the street then turned back and took it off.

I hated the buggy board I used for the 3 year age gap between my oldest 2 - it gave me backache as I couldnt walk properly with it

That’s also a factor, baby is due Jan, although I’ll be out of action for a month or two because of the c section.

I’m wondering what I’ll do with the double buggy once toddler is 4; maybe I should get a cheap second hand one and when toddler is 4, switch back to a single?

I’ve heard from a few people it can give you a backache. I’m guessing that’s compounded when you’re postpartum because the back muscles during pregnancy take quite a beating don’t they?

You're OK to carry after 5ish weeks. Also you won't be walking around anywhere near as much post section because you need to recover. Once you can walk you can carry a newborn tbh.

Buggy board works well depending on your pushchair and height. I don't think you'll need a double unless you start walking miles.

Double. Buggy boards made me weak at a really sunny angle.

You won't be out of action for a month or two!

My first child was only just turned 3 when baby was born. We did exactly this - had a lightweight baby carrier that lived in the pushchair, with a buggyboard attached. Then either child can sit in the pushchair as required. The pushchair rotated between parent facing for baby and world facing for child and it worked really well. Oldest child often sits on the buggyboard with their feet in the basket which also works well.

Also weather is shit early part of the year so you won't be out much til March time when older one is almost 3. Getting a double then discourages walking and they're never ready to drop the pushchair.

I would go buggy board which has a seat.

We had this one-
https://ukbabycentre.com//products/bugaboo-comfort-wheeled-board?variant=32537607504008&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google%2Bshopping&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkdO0BhDxARIsANkNcreZ-2LFc2wT6P_ghPknnIaLKzkS7oeNPUOqj1dKvX_UtwTlAf3BBE8aAp34EALw_wcB

I had twins when my eldest was 3. And she is the laziest child ever. Even at 5 now she will often be the one in the pushchair whilst my 2 year old twins are running around. So I obviously needed a double buggy for the twins and then got a seat buggy board for the 3 year old. This worked fine. Although she wasn't napping anymore in the day.

A double buggy is so much more cumbersome, heavy and difficult to store than a single. So if you can get away with a single I would.

In terms of using a sling, the pram seat we had with our pushchair could be used from newborn. So if I was going for a really long walk (a couple of hours). I would put this on the frame rather than the bassinet. So I could put toddler in the pushchair if needed and sling a baby.

My napped until he was 4, at reception they would find him curled up in the corner and he would love the weekend when he could have a nap. I used to love it when they both slept together and I could have a cup of tea and cake.

Depends on what you have to do on a typical day really. I have 13 months between mine. My DH used to be away on business quite a lot and I had to take the dogs out for a walk twice a day regardless of the weather. Obviously the DC had to come too.
I had a double pushchair as was essential for me, but a single pram (not buggy) which I could attach the buggy board to and have the pram seat facing me and child in board, that worked well. However there were times aged about 3 and 4 when I was on my own, they were both ill, awful weather and the dogs had to go out. Staggering around with 2 big toddlers in a double buggy was my only option then.
My experience was the buggy boards fit and work better on some pushchairs more than others, so you can stand up straight and walk comfortably. So please bear that in mind and try it out before buying. I thought it was a good purchase though, I used it a lot and of course mine could swap round if needed once the youngest was about 3.

I had almost the same age gap with mine. Thought I needed a double buggy and got as far as offering on one on ebay I think (after asking about sizing). They got back to me and we decided my tall eldest was probably already too big for the one I was looking at.

We found that she could actually stand on the edge of the basket under our pram - a rather heavy old silver cross one. So we didn't get a buggy board in the end, but that would have been the right solution in terms of how we used it. We did have a period a year after when she needed the pram again after illness, but I think I must have carried her brother or taken her back to nursery sessions on her own or something - it was a long time ago now!

DD1 was 2yr 9months when DD2 was born (currently 14weeks old). We live in London and have no car, so we do a lot of walking. She also didn't start walking until 19months, so a bit of a late starter. The buggy board is good only for short trips in my opinion - for long trips, it's too unreliable on uneven pavements, going up and down curbs etc plus DD isnt quite sensible enough yet next to busy roads. DD2 hates the sling / carrier. Hoping she might adjust but she is def a baby that likes lying in the pram and kicking her legs. So we've been unlucky with that. We have a buggy converts to an inline double so for now we are making do with that, especially as DD1 hasnt consistently drops the nap, even though its very unwieldy, but if we didnt have that, I'd def be investing in a side by side double. I leave the buggy board attached when its sets up as a double so that if she wants to walk, then she can.

Double buggy so I could strap them in when behaviour was bad and still get on with my day.

2.5 year age gap here, live in London and had no car so loads of walking and public transport etc.

I used a sling for the baby and had dc1 in the buggy for the first 6 months (so until dc1 was 3). Baby hated pram until she could sit up anyway. Then baby went in pram and dc1 on buggy board (with seat). We had a bugaboo bee and the board is off to one side so you can walk more normally with it. I got used to it and didn’t have any issues pushing the pram with it, which was handy as DC1 continued to ride on it until he was about 5!

Double buggies are expensive and cumbersome and if your child will be 3 when the next one arrives I think it would be a waste of money.

I have a 2 year 8 month gap and didn't bother with a double but find it limits me being able to walk places if I know big one will be tired/need a nap etc. if you do go board only then definitely get one with a seat I thought it was a bit of a fad but ours has been great and on the odd occasion I've forgotten that bit I've felt really guilty when big one has bent down and ended up sat on the board itself - you forget that because they're not walking they are still stood up all the time without a rest which could be hours on end if you're out an about like I am

Buggy board. My DC1 didn't want to be in buggy from about 2.5 years (and outgrew daytime naps around the same time).
DC 2 was born a few months later, so we have DC 2 in buggy and DC 1 either walks or uses the buggy board.
Check with the manufacturer of your buggy which buggy board fits properly!

I have a friend who bought a double buggy for DC1 (now almost 2.5 years) and DC 2 (6 months). I think her DC 1 only went in it a few times, then refused point blank.

My dc1 napped until age 4 too, so I liked having a double buggy as we'd usually spend the whole day out and about rather than going home for naps. We had a Phil and Ted's which was cheap secondhand and took up the footprint of a large single pushchair, so it wasn't expensive and cumbersome at all (though it was bigger than our usual single buggy as we're Londoners so need a narrow light one for public transport usually).

We used a buggy board and a single buggy once she'd dropped a nap, or for shorter journeys when we wouldn't be out at nap time. Having a baby in a sling is fine for walking from A to B - not so much when your older child wants to you to chase her around a park or help her climb up a huge climbing frame.

2Y 3month age gap and I just used a single pram and sling for the first 2/3 months and then baby in pram and a buggy board for the toddler.
A double buggy for a 3 year old seems like more hassle than it’s worth.