Buggies for siblings approx. 2 yrs apart- what did you get or planning to get (if anything!)?

[madmumNika]

Hi everyone,

We're expecting no. 2 in July, when DS will be 2.3 yrs old. I usually walk the dog everyday (v hyper dog!) and carry DS in a backpack, but since I have got a bigger bump we are now using our much abused 3-wheeler on the nearby beach or walking v slowly together without anything.

My question/dilemma is what to do when LO arrives- should we invest in a 3-wheeler buggy for 2 (I could get one secondhand from a friend) so we can still walk dog, or will I be able to cope with our existing 3-wheeler and a sling? And would this be practical when heading about town (which I don't do as often as walking dog!)?

DS is good at walking but not always in the same direction as me! I may also end up with another c-section so bearing in mind that too!

Sorry for long post just wondered what you are planning to do or have done with buggies for 2 siblings approx. 2yrs apart in age?

Thanks xxxxx

Mine were 20 months apart - had buggy board and the eldest liked to walk anyway. Had one of those wrist leads on him just in case .

Didn't have a dog and so din't have to walk it everyday.

If you can get a second hand 3 wheelie from a frined I would grab it while you can , I would imagine they are very expensive to buy and it may get snapped up by someone else.

You will still have the single buggy but at least it will give you an option.

We're expecting no.2 in August. We are considering a Phil & Teds with extra seat at the moment because I don't drive and tend to walk a lot - DS will be 2, and he walks really well (but similarly not always in the right direction).

I initially really liked the idea of just having a buggy board but because we are out and about so much I think he really needs a seat to rest in as well.

Just out of interest does anyone know if you can fit buggy boards to Phil & Teds? - I vaguely remember seeing somewhere that you can't.

You can fit a standard buggy board to a Phil and Ted's - I know someone who uses one with the extra seat as well with her 3 children. I don't think it is extremely comfortable for the person pushing though.

also because of the handle the child on buggy board would find it v difficult to hold on as normally he/she would go between the handlebars IYSWIM. i had a phil and teds but when i wanted a buggy board i ended up having to get a seperate buggy with handles plus the board. i found at age 2 ds2 had far too much freedom for my liking on buggyboard and would freq get off/fall off half way across road.
i have seen a separate seat you can get which attaches onto side of most buggys that folds up when not in use. no idea how to do links but i saw it in Urchin (which is also online)

BTW mine were 23 months apart.

ivelostmyboobsboohoo

It's called a buggy pod
If you have a Blooming Marvellous store near you they can tell you if it's compatible with your current buggy

tandems are so heavy when your eldest is at the front. I have one from mothercare -HOXTON.

At the moment i bring out a buggy which I can use for both dd1 & dd2 - I can put dd2 in a sling or dd1 can walk if she is being good.

I will have a 2 yr gap very shortly
I am buying a Phil & Teds as I want to contain/control my 2 year old

I've got a phil and ted's - have a 3-week old and a nearly 3 year old - it is excellent. There was a feature in the Guardian family section (Annalisa Barbieri) a few months ago, worth looking at, as she went through a few options.

www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,1862384,00.html

there's the guardian article. or if the hotlink doesn't work just type Annalisa Barbieri and buggy into the Guardian search engine.

I'd suggest a phil & teds e3 the older one will probably walk but if you're going to be going out walking all day will need to sit down at some point. I'v had all the prams you can think of and I found the e3 the best, expensive but worth it. You have all the benefits of having a single buggy but an extra seat for those little occasions.

Thank you everyone, the Guardian article was very helpful too. I am going to take a look at my friend's double 3-wheeler as don't think we could afford a new phil & ted's at the moment... But I might start off using a sling & usual buggy anyhow... and then maybe look at the buggy pod. To add to the issues to consider our house is up 10 steep steps from the street at front and 6 at back, so heavy buggies are tricky!

Lots to think about, thank you all for your advice!

Just to add - we now have a P&T, but managed absolutely fine for first 3 months with single buggy & sling ... we could easily have kept going for a lot longer like that ... but I LOVE my P&T - best baby purchase I've ever made - & we still use P&T a lot when I want to get them both to go somewhere fast in the same direction (DS is now just 3, & we had 2.1 mths between them)
We got our P&T on ebay for £250 (with most of the extras)
HTH!

I hated my P&T (i can often be found on P&T threads ranting about how rubbish i think they are!!!!) for lots and lots of reasons. i personally would never recommend anyone to get one, despite being really excited when i first bought it and loving the look of it, in practice it wasnt all it should have been, far from it. biggest waste of my money ever. shant start ranting now, suffice to say i sold it after about a year.

one thing to bear in mind is-do you tend to use the car? How much do you need to walk?

That makes a big difference. We walk around 4 ish miles a day, there was NO way I could do that with a 22 mo and a newborn.

You do need to know this IMO. Before dd was born I got lots of advice from friends along the lines of "oh a 2 yo shouldn't really be in a buggy" blah blah. But their 2 yo was in a car seat being shepherded from A-B, so the walk was from the car to sainsbury's etc. Bit of a difference to walking/busing everywhere IMO.

AND and and

sling and buggy fine. I used an ergo, which was great cos my older child could actually go in it at a pinch and I could carry the baby.

and while ring slings are great, they are bloody impractical if you have to bend down every 5 minutes to see to a toddler.

hard to pick up the toddler and hug it too, IME

ergo + buggy, then reassess your options in a few months is my advice

Thanks again for your thoughts/experiences!

I will have a car available (we only have 1 at the mo which DH uses for work, so walk a lot at the moment but we are going to have to get another one....) but will probably still walk about 2 miles a day with our hyper dog & kiddies.

I used a Tomy freestyle baby carrier with DS until he got too big and then have a LittleLife backpack which we used from when he was about 8 months old. The only thing is I found the Tomy carrier not that great when DS was tiny as it wasn't very supportive, but as DS was prem he was little for longer than most babies so might not be a prob this time round. Like you said Filly as much as I loved the 2-ring slings I found it impractical when bending down to pick stuff up a lot, which I know I'll need to do with a toddler on the loose! Did you find the Ergo carrier good for a newborn (I see you have to buy a newborn insert)? I'm considering trying to get one secondhand as looks like it will do the job of my 2 carriers in 1 (& I can save the big backpack for longer treks)....

OK enough waffling! Am going to see my friends double 3-wheeler buggy in a week so will decide then, though don't know where we'll store it (house quite small)!!

Thanks again xxx

ergo was good, yes

if you get secondhand, be aware that there is an old and new version. the old one is pretty cheap now and adequate imo, but you'd need to check if the insert was still compatible.

i had a 19 month gap and Phil & Ted's has been fantastic

but i reckon you could get away with a buggy board or have you tried the strolli rider to attach to the buggy?

will try to find a link...

I hate the ergo - find it increadibly uncomfortable (luckily decided to try out my mates before purchasing...) - apparently smaller people (like my good self) sometimes don't get on with them so well...

I have been given a double bugger by a very generous MNetter - it is a Mclaren one (I forget the type) and it looks/feels fab - though obviously haven't had the chance to road-test it yet! Tbh I'm not sure how much use I will get from it as ds is a really good walker and dh walks the dog . It wouldn't be much good on the beach though I don't think, as the wheels are small (not a three-wheeler).

The thing I found when I had ds was that I just couldn't carry him in the sling - my back was agony for weeks after the birth - so a buggy very quickly became a necessity (had thought I might manage without for a bit, but no!). And as you say, if you have a section you will want to avoid using a sling. I think the secondhand three-wheeler double is the best option for you.

ooops - double buggy

my two are 23 months apart and I muddled through with sling and single buggy for about 6 weeks then got a side by side double and my life changed forever! It has been the most fantastic thing I've ever bought I'm sure. The one we got was a combi, it has everything that opens and shuts, even cup holders at the front for the boys, good storage underneath, handy pockets at the back etc etc. I just loved it. Its light and at the time (two years ago) was the slimmest double on the market. It lays flat so can be used from birth.Its not as easy to push as a three wheeler but the side by side three wheelers are enormous and I've just never been a personal fan of the Phil and Ted.
Happy days ahead!

Phil and Teds for me, walk the dog through fields and woods so side by side not an option as can't get thru gates! Also buggy board unstable over this terrain.
Also 2 years between my 2. Found the cocoon great to stop newborn wobbling around in there even over rough bits. Now youngest is 6 months and one of the best things is if he's ready for a nap you can convert it back to newborn position by just unclipping the backstraps and he'll lie back to sleep quite comfortably. Moving the extra seat around takes seconds.
Was a mountain buggy person when had just the 1 but think this beats a buggy board hands down for the type of walking we do.

there is 22 mos bet. my 1st & 2nd and 2nd and 3rd. There'll be 2yrs5mos bet. 3 and 4. Personally I wouldn't be without a double buggy. I found slings v. heavy after a short while and i go to shop for veg at the market etc so need somewhere to put it all. Also now have school runs - 3 a day, so know DD is a great walker but i can't get to school / dentisits, doctors etc on time if she dawdles. Also easier in the winter.I have a McLaren quest and a single 3 wheeler landrover, so if we go walking we put youngest in that or in backpack on DH. But for me getting out and about in the day we're plumping for an Out 'n About Nipper - v. lightweight 3 wheeler double and not too wide. Did like the look of the P& T but nowhere to put my shopping if 2 kiddies in it - wel, not the amount I have to get every wk! I guess it is whether you want something purely to go walking with or something for everyday getting from A to B.