Double pushchair or not?

[Pandakoala8]

My DD will be very nearly 3 when her little brother or sister comes along. Debating purchasing a double pushchair. I will be having a c section and for many reasons will not feel comfortable always using a carrier. We have a 15 minute walk to school to take my eldest and we like to be out and about. The walk to and from school would be too much for my DD and I don’t think she would like to be on a buggy board. My DD is a runner too and sometimes needs to be contained in the pushchair (e.g. when we go into London, shopping centres etc). Am I silly to buy a double pushchair when she won’t be in it THAT long? Would be in budget and would be purchasing a second hand one that could easily convert to a single.

I had a very similar thread last year - DD1 was 2yr 9mo when DD2 was born. We have an uppababy vista, which can convert to a double but you have to buy an extra seat and it's very big and cumbersome. We've mostly managed with a single buggy and a buggy board, but I wish I had just bought a side by side double from the outset. It would have been very useful for trips out / holidays / going shopping etc. DD1 was a late walker and has some hyper flexibility in her joints that means she gets tired really easily. The longer I left it, the less worthwhile it became so we've managed without but it's been really annoying on occasions not to have the option to just strap them both in and get somewhere fast!

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I would like a side by side one ideally something like the nipper. OH not on board with it as thinks in few short months it will be redundant but I think it will make life easier in the meantime so would be money worth spending

My gap was 25 months. Never used a double and never felt it would be particularly useful. I would have struggled to push a double right after my section, I found it much easier to have the baby in a sling and toddler in the pram or scooter for the 15 minute walk to nursery. Now they both go 1 year old is in the pram/ walks a bit and 3y scoots.
I live in London and would have found a double a huge faff in town or going to a shopping centre.

I had a slightly smaller gap and didn't, but in your situation I would – if DD can't reliably manage the walk to/from school and is a runner, then I think you need a way to safely manage them both. Even if you were comfortable with a sling/baby carrier, they are not ideal for sprinting after a bolting toddler.

My only caveat would be how long until baby is born? If it's still a good few months off, you might want to wait until nearer the time, as a toddler can change a lot in a couple of months.

nipper double is brilliant. look for a second hand one and sell on when you are finished with it. worth looking at facebook marketplace

I have a similar situation, due any day now and first is a runner so I bought a bugaboo donkey from market place in great condition. It’s a side by side but converts from single to double. Think we should get what we paid for it when we sell so wouldn’t be a waste of money and it’s more the stress levels with him running off especially if near a road. I am having a c section too. For me it was worth it to have in case we need it and will help with my anxiety around it all. Eldest is very excited to use it with his little brother soon too

Yeah, my DH was the same. But as I soon realised, I'm the one carting them about most places so he doesn't realise how inconvenient it is trying to get them around when the eldest didn't want to cooperate / was lying on the floor having a tantrum! 🙈 There's a good Out N About fb group called Out n About buy sell chat which has second hand ones come up a lot. I also looked at a Joie Estrella as it has a 22kg weight limit. Lots of the side by side doubles only have a 15kg limit.

Tricky one, we didn’t bother but my eldest was 3.5 so it does make a difference. I probably would get something in your situation, even if it’s a second hand one you can donate or sell on after a few months.

I think since your walking the school run I would. I can't think of anything more stressful than trying to get a tired 3yo to walk to school when your in a hurry.

But I'd probably look on the second hand market with the view that you won't really use it that long.

And definitely it's you who'll have the stress of trying to get 3 kids to where you need to be when your battling the clock. Not your DH.

I can see why he thinks it will be short lived and not worth £££ but definitely get one on the secondhand market

It depends a lot on personalities, but I bought one and used it a LOT over a short space of time, then now and then for quite a while longer, just for specific trips.

Bought it 2nd hand and sold it for what I'd bought it for, so didn't cost £££ at all, and kept my dc (who was a runner) safe and meant we could get places on time.

If it was me I'd keep your single buggy and add a buggy-board but also buy a cheap or second-hand front facing side by side stroller with seats that lie flat so can be used from newborn. Then you can use whichever suits the situation better. Quick trips could be single and buggy board but school-run and long day out could be double. Then when your DD no longer needs the buggy you can go back to your single and you won't have spent much on the double.

I would get a second hand one. We got the bugaboo donkey and it was a life saver! When they finally got too big, we resold it!

FYI, if you are coming into London, the Bugaboo donkey is very wide. Depending on the weights of your eldest, it might also be worth looking for a mountain buggy. It's the narrowest double on the market and def fits easier on the tube / bus.

We had a side by side years ago, it was light to push and the eldest could get in when tired. Highly recommend

We bought a second hand mountain buggy duet, and sold it in for the same price 18m later. I was so glad I had one, it meant in the chaos of two small children I could go out for a long walk and have a bit of time to myself iyswim. Plus eldest was a bit of a tantrumer when baby came along so was brilliant for quick exits when needed.

We had the same age gap and similar issues, and we got a secondhand double, but also a buggy board with a secondhand single that worked well with it (not all buggies work well with a board). It was useful to have both options for when we needed a smaller buggy, but tended to use the double for the school run, longer trips and going to places by walking (and not using any public transport).
We sold both of them when they were older, and overall made back most of what we spent, so the cost wasn't an issue.
If you can afford it, and you're the one having to deal with the school runs and trips out, I definitely think it would be worthwhile. It's unfair to make you struggle during the hardest part of recovery when you're the one dealing with 3 kids.