Double buggies - side by side, or stacked?

[coco2020]

Mamas with experience of a toddler and a newborn - what style of buggy did you buy? The type with seats side by side, or the type with seats stacked/ back to back?

Did it work well? Did you wish you'd got the other style? I'm getting really stuck with which type to get. Going round in circles. Help a sister out!

DS will be 2 when new baby arrives, in case that makes a difference. TIA x

We had a Phil and Ted's which was great. It was a long time ago so things have probably moved on but anything side by side is just a pain due to increased width - i'm not sure that would have changed much over time.

Don't go for a side by side as they are an absolute nightmare getting through doors and a hinderance on your back.
I have an Oyster Max which is stacked and also have the buggy board attachment. I've gone through loads of doubles and even a triple ( childminder ) and the Oyster has been my favourite as it's roomy for the little ones and so easy to push even when I have 2 in the seats and 1 on the buggy board.

Side by Side - the Mountain Buggy Duet is as narrow width ways as some of their single buggies (and narrower than some Phil and Teds)- it's to do with the way the back wheels are arranged so that they are cleverly tucked in. We had one and never had a problem in shops / public transport etc.

I think with the inline ones, the lower down child has a crappy view and is at the perfect height for breathing in traffic fumes

This photo explains it

We've got a Phil and Teds. 3yo and 1yo, 3yo is a bit young for pram really but if they both fall asleep it's heavenly!

Maybe consider whether you want one where you can remove one seat when your older one is too big. We have a folding small single one but use the Phil and teds even for one child when going somewhere bumpy.

Side by side is a nightmare for doors and pavements I think - zero chance in a Victorian terrace with bins on pavements round about!

In early days, a sling and a pushchair suitable for both kids was my fave - older one walking and baby in buggy but option to switch it round if older one threw a strop!

Have used both as a childcarer and found side by side more stable (especially if you need to haul it up and down one or two steps), and nicer for the DCs, as long as you can still fit it through a normal doorway. I always feel sorry for the one in the bottom of the stacked buggies, and it's awkward and tough on your back to get them in and out of it.

+1 for Mountain Buggy - best double I've used!

Baby jogger city mini double. Fits through doorways and easy to steer. Lies flat for baby.

I've used both and I much preferred side-by-side. The other one fell over a couple of times. Side-be-side has got space for stuff underneath too.

I found the Phil and Teds stacked ideal. Traffic fumes issue not much of an issue here ( I don’t need to walk by busy roads).

I have the same age gap as you and for the first few months the baby slept underneath in the cocoon. The cocoon sling sways and sent mine straight off!

Once the youngest was big enough to sit in the front the eldest was walking a lot and just climbed in when they were tired. I used to call mine the snoozemobile!

20 month toddler and 9 week old baby here and we went for the donkey bugaboo 3 and I love it. It light and so easy to push! It's ment to fit through any standard door so you can fit through doors if you don't then they don't have a standard size door! I love the fact it can eaither be parent facing or world facing! Easy to go from single to double witch is what I wanted something that can be a single aswell as a double. My oh looked at the mountain one as cheaper but I hated the look off it and the big break on the handle bar!

Another recommendation for mountain buggy duet. As narrow as a single and a dream to push - even up and down curbs and across grass etc. Same age gap as you.

Honestly - I'd buy second hand. The thing I found with doubles is that your needs change as the age dynamic of the siblings changes - so going second hand means you can essentially chop and change at minimal to no cost when what had worked for you once no longer does so (I think I came out at a slight profit at the end).

I found a side by side was fine with doorways everywhere other than (ironically) my local children's centre who had to figure out how to unlock the second door - I had a Nipper and it was just so light and easy to push around when I was walking longer distances. That was what I found to work best when I had both mainly non-walking.

Then when the older child was walking a lot more and I just needed somewhere for tired toddler legs and strop containment I swapped over to an ancient Phil and Teds where the bottom seat tended to just get used to chuck coats and bags and assorted junk in lots of the time and then got used for transportation when required.

You tend to get a few arsey comments occasionally about the Phil and Teds from people assuming the bottom seat kid gets a rough deal but mine actually liked the bottom seat "den" and one woman looked ever so surprised at "oh what a good idea - bunk bed buggies" which cracked me up.

Agree with second hand - got our mountain buggy second hand and it's been great

I bought a double front to back old style first but it was too heavy to push or manoeuvre. It was a mothercare brand. So I sold it and got a lightweight side by side for first two kids. It was OK. But I got Phil and Ted's for child 2 and 3. Wow. So easy to push around. I wish I'd invested earlier. Loved it. Kept it until child 3 no longer needed a buggy. Downside was the size of it folded. The cheap lightweight side by side was and umberella fold and easy to lift in and out the car. The Phil and Ted's required proper big boot space. However we most used it for walks from home so I just kept it up in the garage.

My friend was given a stacker and hated it. She gave it away and paid for a side by side and says it was life changing! Whichever one she got (I think it might have been the Mountain mentioned above) goes through normal doorways and even fits down my narrow hallway, yet fits her baby and almost 3 yr old in it.

I had an ancient P&T Sport and a Babyjogger side by side. The Babyjogger was brilliant, it's wheelchair width so I fitted most places I wanted to go. The problem with the P&T was the second seat isn't particularly big so DD1 grew out of it before DD2 was big enough to be sitting in a non reclining seat at the bottom. And DD1 is small, the age gap is 2y exactly. But sometimes it was a better choice, there is no terrain it couldn't handle. Basically get both

Side by side.. the bugaboo donkey bought second hand.

Used it to death with my newborn and almost 2 year old, up until my older child was able to walk more and I downsized it to the single so she could hop on and off the buggy board. But still always have the option of using it as a double again for a longer walk with tired little legs. Due with DC3 and will use it as a double again with buggy board so I can get about with all 3 hopefully!

Mine loved being side by side and parent facing so we could all have a chat as we walked. It fits through doors easily and was lovely to push as well 😊

We'll have a similar age gap (25 months) and I'm umming and ahhing over whether we'll need a double. We've got a carrier so I'm thinking we'll just use that and and have dd1 in the pushchair. Won't be able to swap them as it's not a lie flat seat.

Any thoughts on whether a double is worth it or not? (Sorry for hijacking the thread 🤦🏼‍♀️)

Don't go for a side by side as they are an absolute nightmare getting through doors
Not the case with the Mountain Buggy Duet. Another vote for it. I never had an issue getting it through single doors or onto any type of bus.

We had a 22 month gap and used it for over a year because DC1 still napped over an hour and being able to be out and about with both of them able to sleep properly was invaluable.

Yep another vote for mountain buggy duet. It’s the same width as many single buggies, no issues whatsoever with manoeuvrability or fitting through doors. I think it’s much nicer for both babies to be able to see out.

I just bought one today but my needs are very specific. I'm going to have to travel with a lot of luggage soon and needed something that could :

• seat a 21 month old and 2 month old
• have a car seat that fit both the 21 month old (for the plane ride) and the 2 month old (for the car ride)
• fold to a size that is reasonable in an airplane

I ended up getting one that isn't so much stacked as it is front to front (or back to back, it's possible to switch for both seats). It's narrow enough to fit easily on the sidewalk and doorways. The kids can see what's going on easily. The only issue is that it's heavier than I'd like, and bigger than I'd like even folded. Also the price was fairly outrageous. Didn't have a choice though as I'm flying away in a few days.

I did feel like the side by side ones are even more cumbersome (may or may not be an issue depending on where you live) and also did not seem adapted to very young babies.

The brand I got was peg perego. Really expensive but looks like quality stuff. However, if your need are less specific than mine, I'd look for a second hand stroller. I would have if I'd been in less of a hurry.

I had a Phil and teds and I loved it. And the one on the bottom always loved the bottom seat!