Double buggy help!

[Summer2008]

Hi,

Hope this is the right place. I have a 2 year old and baby due in Oct. why doubles would you recommend? It needs to be smallish fold and not heavy and ideal for all types of walking, my max budget is £400 as I need a single too as my son walks most places, this is for longer trips and holidays etc. Thanks

I have entered a bump competition on facebook for a mountain buggy duet which looks really good but very expensive! So if you get a moment can you leave a comment under my bump pic and you never know I might not need to buy one lol xxx (it's so much more expensive when you have 2!)

mountainbuggy.com/duet-champions-challenge?a=entry&entry=Baby-love........../50

I've had 360 Nipper, Mclaren Twin Something, iCandy pear, Emmalgunga Cerox and ABC Adventure triple (DS2 born when DTs were 2.5). The Nipper was the first and the one we kept coming back to. There are pros and cons to all of them (except Emmaljunga which was just crap!). TBH if you can possibly manage a combination of single buggy, sling and buggy board then do! I am happily single now with iCandy peach.

I haven't read all of this so don't know what's been suggested so far.

Firstly, the Duet is great in many ways but I know several people who have had their eldest kicking or pinching their youngest as they're so close together.

I've had a few doubles. We have a Britax b dual at the moment which has many good points but is wide and heavy to lift. However it's one of the very few tandems that's suitable for a newborn and toddler. Many need a separate carrycot, or the spacing doesn't work, or there isn't enough recline for each child etc etc. The B Dual isn't an off roader but we've found it copes well with a bit of mud and roughish terrain. This converts to a single, but makes a very wide single, although the basket is lovely and huge!

The new Jane Twone (out around now) is lighter, narrower and a smaller fold than the B Dual but both seats are only suitable from 6 months so you need a separate carrycot or a Jane Matrix car seat. It's also not an off roader as such but I've found Jane's to be really good off road. This converts to a single too.

We had a Jane Powertrack (similar to but an older version of the powertwin) and we really liked it. The rear seat lies flat or you can use a car seat. The front seat doesn't have much recline but just about ok as long as your toddler isn't really tall. It was so so lovely to push and I really miss how easy it was to use. The fold was also surprisingly small, and smaller than the new powertwin's fold. You can pick them up really cheaply on eBay if you keep a look out.

If you just pool your money to get a convertible single/double then look at the iCandy Peach Blossom 2. It's very expensive though.

I personally don't really like side by sides but if you're looking a them the Out N About Nipper is good and light to push.

There are plenty of other off road side by sides like the Baby Jogger City Elite Double, Baby Jogger City Classic Double, Mountain Buggy Duo, Easywalker Sky Duo, I'm sure there a lots more I can't bring to mind right now too. All of which you could easily get second hand well under £400 but maybe not new. There's also the Baby Jogger City Mini GT but I doubt you'll find that second hand as it's so new.

I forgot to say, the best place to look for old threads and tonnes of advice is in the pushchair chat section here.

And at my long post!

Hi.
I have a 14 month old am expecting DS2 in September. I have bought a 2nd hand Jane powertwin duo from ebay. The back (baby) seat doesnt go completely flat but i will use the car seat to start with. It is big and heavy but it folds easily. I would say you need a big boot tho as the front wheel sticks up, and tho its removable its best not to as the break is attached to it. It's a lovely pram tho, easy to manouvre. Cant wait to get started with it.

i would really recommend ebay; whatever you choose! i got an icandy peach (which converts to a double) for about £400 for all the bits, which would have cost £1000 new. It was in great condition and is a fantastic pushchair. for lighter weight i know people who have the mountain buggy, but it is wider. i wonder though if your child will be 2.5 whether a buggy board might be a better option? i dont know many kids that age willing to travel in a buggy!