please help! pushchair recommendations for future baby + toddler?

[RadgeWeeMidden]

We're expecting our first DC and currently investigating pushchairs. Bit of a minefield! We are hoping to have a gap of around 1.5-2 years between D1 and DC2.
So my questions are: Do I need a pushchair that can carry baby and a toddler?

1. If yes - what recommendations do you have? Ideally we'd want one that can start of as single, convert to tandem and go back to being single.

The uppababy vista is great. I have only used it as a single but you can buy a rumble seat to add on and make it a double.

We have an oyster max and it looks like a single pushchair and we have used it at such! But we bought it when we were expecting dc2. Had we thought we'd have another in quick succession we would have bought it first time round as you just need to buy the second seat. It's great! So many combinations!

Phil and teds. Really good buggy. We bought ours second hand then sold it on a couple of years later for same price!

Another vote for the Oyster Max. It's ideal.

Absolutely the oyster max

We had a phil & teds sport when my two were little. I adored it. So easy to push and use.

I have used a friends explorer and it was so heavy and awful to push and fold so I don't recommend that model.

another vote for the oyster max looks great as a single and its still light as a double with a heavy 2 year old in it.

Sorry to hijack but…

I have a toddler who will be exactly 2 when new baby arrives. She's a good walker already (was walking at 9 months) but obviously wanders and gets tired so I do still use pushchair. But if I'm not in a rush we can walk to the post office and back, etc. She's 16 months.

I live in a flat. I can't face a double buggy. AIBU to plan to use a pushchair and sling for first few months, and hope she is walking reliably by a few months after 2? Or is that totally unrealistic?

Wee - we have a 15 month gap and used a single with buggy board fine. Sometimes eldest was in pram and baby in sling. So glad we didn't get a double as live in flat also and neither used a pram after 2.

I have a gracco trekko duo. Looks similar to a Phil and teds but a hell of a lot cheaper (around £190) its a bit heavy when I've got 2 babies + shopping but its a dam good buggy.

The only down side is its wide, and doesn't fold very flatso you need a big boot.

BTW, 12 month gap between mine

thanks Artanco!

I wouldn't waste money on a pushchair that can take two when you only have one on the way at the moment.

The best laid plans and all that...you might end up with a different age gap that what you're considering now. We have a 2.5 year gap between DC1 & 2 and never needed a double pushchair. The buggy board has to be up there with the wheel for best inventions ever imo and is a darn sight cheaper than double buggies.

If it works out that DC2 comes along before DC1 is able to ride a buggy board then just get a cheap second hand double or even better - by then you'll probably have friends with more than one child who are looking to loan out or give away double buggies.

There's 20 months between my 2 & 3 and a friend loaned me a Phil and Teds, could not have managed the school run without it but only needed it for 6 months. Would have been an extremely expensive purchase for such a short time.

Just get a pram/buggy that is as light as possible, folds up as small as possible and has the biggest shopping basket underneath that you can find. These 3 in combination are not easy to find!

I love the versatility of our Phil & Teds Sport. We've got the double kit and plan to use the Cocoon as well as a Maxicosi Pebble car seat with travel system 4 adaptor for the newborn on top & toddler underneath. The back seat clips in & out so easily to convert to a single or double.

Bubba no.2 is due in June but our toddler son (26 months) has so many baby and toddler cousins (I'm the oldest of 6 sisters) that I've tried it out in most configurations.

We invested in a good condition second hand sport and second hand accessories including Hang Bag & panniers to compensate for the loss of shopping basket in double mode & it works well.

I'd highly advise buying good condition second hand as P&Ts, when looked after, go on forever!

Kez

I'm not sure what the answer is...either way what you definitely need is a buggy/travel system that you can push one handed so that when DC2 does arrive you can keep one hand one the toddler and one on the pushchair.

The other thing is that double pushchairs come up on ebay all the time, hardly used and for a good price. For DC's 2 and 3 I had a double nipper 360 which was second hand and hardly used, I could push that one handed too so if DC2 decided to jump out and walk I could still keep a hold on him. This time I will get a single nipper and put the baby in the sling when DC3 needs to be in the pushchair...slings aren't everyone's cup of tea but they help bridge that gap when your older one is not quite ready to walk all of the time.