Please tell me I won't need a double buggy for a 3 year old and a newborn!!

[mrsbabookaloo]

One of the many reasons I planned for a 3 year age gap between dcs was so that I wouldn't need to buy or deal with a double buggy.

I have mentioned this to a couple of friends who have looked sceptical and said..are you sure you will manage without one?

Dd will be just 3 when new dc arrives in June. I know that the whole sling and buggy combo can be awkward to manage, and was planning more on going back to my M&P pramette for baby and having dd on a buggy board. She's not a great walker so I'm not under any illusions that she'll just walk for any distance.

She's not a run-away sort of child, so I'm not too worried about losing control of her etc. We don't have a car, so we do a lot of walking/public transport.

What do you think? Are there certain situations where you still really need a buggy for a 3 year old?

I really don't want a double buggy. Can't afford a good one, don't have anywhere to put it.

TIA

If you feel your daughter will manage without then I'm sure you'll be fine. I have to say I used a double for a year after dd2 was born - dd1 was 2 3/4 when she arrived. We walked long distances and though dd1 gradually walked more and more sometimes we needed to get to places quicker!

I'm intrigued to see some feel that there is an age at which a buggy should be 'given up'. I used a pushchair on the day of the week we went to toddler group right up until dd2 went to school. It was a very long walk and she liked to nap in the afternoon afterwards.

DD is 2.8 and barely goes in the buggy now. I do have a double for if I'm going on a mammouth walk but generally we manage without. She was 18 months when ds was born and to begin with I had him in the sling and her in the buggy, from about 23 months she mainly walked. I don't have a buggy board and she walks at least 1.5 miles most days, easily if a little slowly.

I do still take the sling with me if I'm going to be out for hours because that way I can put one of them in it and push the other in the single if dd gets tired (I have never found the buggy/sling combo awkward either).

For a 3 year old I'd say you definitely don't need a double.

OK: "you don't need a buggy with a 3yo and a newborn" Promise! I have 2.1 years between mine and only used a double buggy for 6 months. He was usually fine walking and we had a buggy board for longer distances. Get your oldest to start walking small distances before your newest has arrived though, that way she gets used to it and wont get jealous of no2 lying in the pram.

Why not get your 3 year old a balance bike or microscooter? I found pushing a buggy with buggyboard on quite hard work and I am not sure it's that comfortable for child. If you get the right bike or scooter they are quite light for you to carry on top of the buggy if DD gets tired and wants to sit in buggy and you can then put baby in sling/ DD jumps on the buggy board for just a short time. Much quicker too with a 3 year old on bike or scooter than walking!

Some good points here, thanks to all.

She has a micro scooter: I'm just not sure what might happen if I'm pushing baby in pram and she gets ahead of me...

I am a bit concerned because sometimes (often) I'm just not prepared to go at toddler speed and want to get places in a hurry - would I be prepared to wait while dd messes about? Hopefully the buggy board will come in handy in that situation.

I do need to encourage her to walk more and be more patient with her before baby arrives.

Having 2DC 22 months apart i fell for the 'you will need a double buggy!' info that many people threw in my direction.

I inreturn bought one and used it maybe 6-8 times then traded it in for a buggy board just for ease around shops and on buses.

Can see the pros to them but my eldest was too independent, big and heavy at 2 yrs old.

All the best with no.2

DS was 3.3 when DD arrived and a pretty reluctant walker. There was no way in hell I was going to get a double so a couple of months before she arrived I started him walking more rather than go cold turkey when she arrived.

I resisted getting a buggy board as they are a bugger to push and I knew that once he had been on one he would never go out walking again, I would never get him off the thing.

3 months later, he walks most places!