Would you get a Double buggy or not?

[Elisabeth3468]

Baby due in Jan , son will have just turned 3 years old.
He currently loves walking but we use the buggy too- mainly for safety because he loves running off!!!
He will walk to places but gets very distracted so if we need to get somewhere on time he goes in the buggy.
I'm more worried from a safety aspect. Eg trusting him to walk and having a baby in the pram and he runs off.
I was thinking of a buggy board with a seat?
But others have said to get a double buggy?

Yes I get this. He gets plenty of opportunity to work and trying to teach him about road safety but he is very high energy and he just wants to run. He's very fast and pregnant me can't always keep up.
So try to get to a safe place where he can run! Eg the park

I didn't bother, there's just over 2 years between my DC. Used a sling for DC2 when tiny and DC1 kept the buggy.

Had planned to get a buggy board but it's very hilly where I live and I think it would have been hard to push uphill if I had! DC1 is a good walker though.

I don't think I would to be honest.

DC1 was 3yrs 4 months when DC2 was born. Got kicked out the buggy and moved to buggy board. I did get them to improve their walking in the run up to DC2 arriving but they definitely weren't the strongest walker compared to some other children of the same age and it was still absolutely fine. I'm a little less confident this time round - DC2 will be only just 3 when DC3 is born, and DC2 has delayed gross motor skills due to a hip condition and joint hypermobility, so he can't walk safely/reliably anywhere near the distances that DC1 used to be able to. However this is definitely our last baby and I really don't want to shell out on a double buggy just for this year or so, so I'm hoping we can just about manage ok again with the buggy board alone.

I walk loads too btw, because I don't drive. But I also get the bus sometimes particularly in winter and wouldn't want to wrangle a double on.

No way not at 3. Mine was 3 and 3 months when youngest was born, we got one of the buggy boards but found it a pain in the arse tbh so barely used it. Best thing was baby in carrier and toddler in a stroller. Both of mine were very good walkers which I take some credit from the fact we did try to avoid using strollers/prams for too long.

We had a double buggy and used it a lot, although we switched between different options depending on whether DH was with me or if I was planning to use public transport. We also used sling and a single, and a buggy board and single. The double was best for longer days out with lots of walking and no car or public transport. My eldest napped until she started school so a buggy board was no use for that. We had a secondhand Phil and Teds which was no bigger than a single, and didn't really cost anything as I sold it for more than I paid. When I used it with just my youngest I could fit lots of shopping or bags/coats for days out in the second seat.

DCs are both school-aged now and have done long distance walks with no issues, so it's had no impact on their stamina in the long term.

Can you borrow one from anyone you know rather than buy? There is a 2yr 9month age gap between DD1 and DD2. Our day to day buggy is one that converts to an inline double. It's heavier and more cumbersome than a side by side nipper, but it was very useful when doing long journeys (live in London, no car) for the first few months.

However, since DD2 moved out of the bassinet, we haven't used it as a double (and i didnt fancy spending £250+ on the second seat). DD1 is now 3yr 3months, more confident walking longer distances and better at not running off. Either she is on the buggy board and DD2 in the seat, or DD2 is in the carrier and DD1 in the seat. I thought i had needed a double but am glad I held off as even second hand, it really wouldn't have been used that much.

We have a travel buggy as well and have decided if we think we really desperately need seats for them both, I'll push DD2 in the main buggy and DH takes DD1 in the travel buggy. But the only time we've done that so far is when we were taking a 2hr train to visit family with a long walk to the station at each end.