Toddler (2 Year Old) & Newborn - Pram Options?

[LASandOtto]

Hello all,

All being well I'm due in September with our second. At that time my DD will be 2 years old. We currently have a Bugaboo Bee for her which we've loved and has served us well since newborn stage for her.

My question is, what is a sensible solution for when the newborn comes along?

My 2 year old will be going to nursery 4 days a week (same as now) so I'll be dropping her off, picking her up and I usually leave the pram at nursery. In the beginning I could use a sling with the newborn. My 2 year old walks well but won't be able to walk to nursery and back or do any longer walks yet.

For longer walks, trips and outings I do think we might want the option of having both in a pram, the newborn and toddler. What have others opted for? Or what solutions have you turned to?

Thanks for your advice!

We were in the same position. We brought a mountain buggy duet because we do a lot of walking, both in our home city and in the country/nature reserves.
Having a double was so helpful because on days out, both could sleep in the pushchair. We still take it now so that our eldest can have a nap after lunch (he's now 4 but gets quite tired) on holidays and days out where we won't want him to be exhausted at 5pm.
A double all terrain was the best purchase we made!
We also brought a buggy board for our bugaboo where we were just doing a local walk, e.g to nursery.

We have a buggy board but it isn't going so well as our two year old is fiercely independent and just jumps off. I am yet to take the newborn and toddler out alone as I'm so nervous about her running off.
We have also bought a stroller so that when we are both together, we can have one each. I could also put baby in the sling and use the stroller.

We opted to not get a double buggy because we couldn't find one with a seat suitable for toddler and newborn. They all seemed to be aimed at two little babies or two toddlers! They are also very pricey.

The bugaboo donkey looks best if you have the money (which I do not)

Mountain buggy duet bought 2nd hand off marketplace was the best thing we bought. Super slim, lovely to push. We had a gap of 2y4m and I debated whether I needed a double but I love the freedom it gives us for long days out and just general walks about town. Do need a large boot though!

As above, we opted for a Mountain Buggy Duet as our 2yo wasn't a huge walker and still sometimes slept when out and about. I also wanted a very narrow one as we sometimes get the bus, look around shops, etc.

We've been very happy with it.

Baby isn’t quite here yet - due in 6 weeks - but we’ll have a 21 month gap and we’ve gone for a second hand iCandy Orange. I had the Lime with DD and got on well with it so figured the double would work!

Our plan is to use the carry cot and seat combo for the first six months and then see where we are. Ideally I’d rather not buy a second seat as it has an integrated buggy board and DD is a good walker but we will if needed by the time DS grows out of the carrycot. It’s a single to double so the plan is (hopefully!) to just revert it back to a single when he moved into the seat. Couldn’t go for a twin as we have a very narrow entrance to our house which limited our options! Plus I wanted a carrycot suitable for overnight sleeping because DD is still in the travel cot when we go away and I didn’t fancy buying a second one of those either

I would definitely go for a tandem model, at 2yo you'll get the use out of it. I have a 3 year gap between DS2 and 3 and my friend gave us a battered Phil & Ted's buggy which I have actually used several times, and when I haven't had it, DS2 has jumped on the back of the single or I've put DS3 in the sling (we have a Boba Air which is fantastic, folds up into itself, game changer) and DS2 in the buggy.

Probably doesn't matter really whether you get something that can convert back to single or not, keep hold of the Bugaboo and you can just use that.

IIRC these are the only doubles worth considering:

Bugaboo Donkey
Uppababy with doubles kit
Nuna with doubles kit
Mountain Buggy duo
Phil & Ted's with doubles kit
Out n About double
Britax B-agile double

Second hand is fine as these models are hardwearing.

I got a second hand donkey on Fb marketplace. It’s big but I really like it - the flexibility of the seats is brilliant

when i had this combo i had a baby jogger double. Fitted through our front door perfectly. Really really good value

Thank you all, wow so much great advice! I really appreciate it.

We have a car (VW Tiguan) and we live in London in a ground floor flat.

Boot space not a problem and I will check all the suggestions given so far.

Super helpful! Thanks again!

I agree with getting a double but also keeping hold of the Bugaboo. We kept our single one and there were many times my DH used it to just take out the 2yo while me and the newborn were sleeping or something. If you have the space, it's good to have the option of both double and single, especially as the doubles have heavy frames that are a bit annoying to get in the boot.

I have a Baby Jogger City Mini Gt2 Double. Brilliant pushchair. Can put a bassinet or car seat on one side for Baby and the other child is comfy, the GT2 also can raise the bottom of the seat (feet bit) so their legs don't dangle if they want a nap. Wouldn't be without it.

Great, thanks for the additional recommendation on this thread.

I'm looking up all the options.

Presumably a 2nd hand buy is a good choice if it's in a good condition!