Do I need a double buggy?

[Wilfie2024]

Hello! Would love some advice. Our second baby is due in November, our son will be 23 months when she’s born. We live in London and walk a lot (don’t have a car), but also get a lot of buses and trains where a double buggy would obvs be a massive pain. Do you reckon a double buggy is a must? Or can we get away with baby in sling/toddler in buggy + baby in bassinet/toddler on buggy board?

Our son walked at 11 months and now runs around the playground for ages… but atm can’t be relied upon to get anywhere on foot safely/sensibly (maybe that will change?)

Reluctant to get a double as cumbersome and expensive but don’t want to make life unnecessarily difficult for myself! While on mat leave I’ll have them both for 2 days a week.

thank you xx

Yes, my eldest was 21mths when DS2 was born, the double buggy was very well used.

I had my second when my first (with Down syndrome, so was in a buggy for longer) was nearly 3, and my preference until DD2 was about 18m was the single buggy and sling option. We did get a buggy board a bit later but it didn’t work brilliantly with the buggy we had. I also had a double baby jogger city mini which I used when we were out and about with DH.

I had the same amount of months between mine, yes you’ll need a double buggy.

I would - I had an early walker in my first son at 10 months, and I had his younger brother when he was 2yr8 months. got a baby jogger double second hand. so worth it. also in London, and it fits through a normal single door.

I am in london as well and with a 26 month gap it was brilliant. Had the bugaboo donkey duo, so could switch to single configuration if just with the little one / or with the lottle one in the sling. We used it for quite a long time as it is just so much easier and safer with all the cars around.

I have almost exact 2 year age gap with the younger being nine months now - also had toddler home two days a week on mat leave so 2:1 ratio.

We have kept with the single buggy for toddler and a sling/carrier for baby. It’s worked really well and I’ve never had a moment of thinking I wish I had a double buggy instead. I think I’ll be able to keep baby in the carrier until at least a year, maybe 18 months (a properly fitted carrier should allow you to carry a pretty heavy child comfortably) by which point toddler will be more
like 3.5 and can be expected to walk most places.

Mine are 22 months apart, also don't drive although live in a town where most things are walking distance. We did use the car when DH was home.
We did have a double buggy and I would use it if we were just walking to baby groups or whatever, but by about 6 months, my toddler was old enough to reliably walk/use buggy board and when she did get tired, I'd just hold her for a bit and push one handed. Sometimes I'd let her sit in behind him in the buggy, which they both used to love!
If I were to go back in time, I'd never bother with the double (or rather any of the doubles I tried 😂) as it was a nightmare for anything other than just walking. Even going to shops it was a pain as side by side are too wide and the one in front of the other is really heavy and awkward.
If you've got the storage space for two buggies then it's probably worth having a double just in case, but if not, I'd say go for the single and alternate between baby wearing and toddler walking.

I had my third baby when my eldest was 2, so already had a double buggy. She did sometimes need to hitch a ride but I’m pleased I didn’t buy a triple one because it wouldn’t have been needed. You will manage but those boards that clip on to the back of the buggy would have been helpful at times.

If you want to get out and about on the days you have the both,.I would say definitely. We were really on the fence about getting one too, I am just finishing mat leave having had 2 days with both kids (now 3 and 1) and feel like it made the days much easier and enjoyable being able to strap them both into something for a bit and have a walk for my mental health. It's good to be able to push the baby around to get them to nap whilst taking the toddler out and about. I couldn't have managed with just a sling, trying to change a toddler nappy with a baby in a sling is hard and after 3 months they get heavy. We also live in London and I got on second hand on FB market place. Yes they are annoying and cumbersome but think it was needed for us

24 months between ours and we didn't have a double buggy and it was fine. However I was an avid sling/carrier user with my first, I really hated the buggy on London transport and didn't drive at the time. We had a bugaboo bee with the cocoon so it could be easily switched between baby and toddler depending on who needed to sit. Had a buggy board. And I could back carry the toddler as easily as sling the baby so lots of versatility. My toddler also never liked napping in the buggy, or at all, so that wasn't a consideration for us.

We figured if we needed a double buggy we could go out and get one the same day easily enough. We never did.

We had a 28 month gap (also London) and did without for about the first 4 months, tried to make do with buggy board then got a double buggy and I’m still using it (oldest now 3.5yo). My baby was happy in sling first 3-4 months then much preferred buggy and was 90th centile so got too heavy. My older one wouldn’t stay on the buggy board when she was being uncooperative so I didn’t have the confidence to take them anywhere alone without the double, especially busy places or near traffic, but also even getting her home from nursery, 10 mins through a park, could turn into a 60min trip as she wanted to get of, pick up sticks etc and I just couldn’t get her home!
As long as you get one that isn’t massive it is actually fine on busses/trains (I’ve been on a bus with my double and two yo-yos), and you just have to plan routes with no stairs. Buy second hand. A lot of friends recommend the mountain buggy one which is the most compact I think, we have a bugaboo donkey and it is heavy but compact enough that it has never been a problem on public transport. It’s also really useful when they are tired or for big days out as they get too tired to stand/sit on buggy board and stay holding on.
That said I would recommend waiting until after the baby comes. I think it wouldnt have worked if my babies came in the other order as my first HATED the buggy and would only go in sling until she was almost 12 months. The first 3 months you can easily manage with sling (if baby likes it), then you can see if you think the double would be useful once you know what your baby likes.
another friend has a hoppie (like a hammock that goes on the back of their buggy) for their older child and that works pretty well for them, although they aren’t strapped in so could be tricky during a tantrum moment, especially when younger.

It is so hard to know as ours were great with a buggy board from about 2 and it is so much more compact than a double buggy.

But some seem not to be very reliable and try to step off.

If you do get one, I’d definitely go for one with a 22kg seat limit. Ours has had a longer life than expected, and a 15kg would have been limiting. (Eldest 50th centile)

Yes 1000% I have a 16m age gap so smaller but they are now 2.5 and 14m and my 2.5yr old is always in the buggy

24 month gap, never had a double buggy. Had a C-section with eldest and was concerned I would not be able to manage a double buggy if I needed a section with DC2. So we invested a LOT of effort into ditching the pushchair & getting DC1 to be a confident, energetic, reliable walker before the baby was born.

Initially when DC2 was born, I used a front carrier. When we did transition to pushchair for DC2 and buggy board for DC1 (we had a pushchair for which this worked really well, with DC1 standing between the two handles and me being in a normal pushing position), DC1 found not having to walk everywhere a real luxury and was very compliant as a result.

Never regretted not having a double.

Start with sling and single, then see how you are doing as dc2 gets bigger. You may need a double, might not. Some kids are out of buggy by three, others not at all. Baby might love the sling, or be a huge 6 monther who needs to be in a buggy alongside.
You don’t have to decide now, wait and see what’s right for your kids.
The likelihood is you will need both single and double buggy’s for different situations in due course. Second hand buggies can be great.