newborn and 20 month....

[LittleMissSnowShine]

When DS was born last year we decided against a travel system and went for a Britax First Plus stationary car seat and a Maclaren Techno XLR. Both v good value, safe, secure, good quality buy and I was pretty happy with what we got, but in retrospect I might have gone for something with a transportable car seat even if the car seat had only done DS for the first few months.

Anyway, now we're about to start trying for numero 2 and - if all goes according to plan - we're going to have a newborn and a 20 month old to transport about later this year.

So...equipment! Money is definitely still a factor but with two kids to keep an eye on instead of one convenience is also v important. At the minute we only have 1 car and DH usually has it for work so the buggy has to take me and the kids to the shops, to the park, to the doctors, to the library, into town etc. I live pretty centrally and most things are walking distance so I don't really have to worry about getting whatever buggy I go with on or off public transport.

I've done a bit of research and I think I basically have 3 options

1. Use babybjorn for new baby and Maclaren for DS for first few months and then get a buggy board for DS and put baby into the Maclaren - the cheapest option but are these buggy boards any good? Will a two year old be able to use one of these ok?

2. Sell the Maclaren, splash the cash and go for a Joovy Caboose and a Maxi Cosi car seat to make it into a whole travel system thingy

3. A Phil and Ted inline buggy

I'm thinking 1) would be the cheapest but it's a false economy if the buggy board is going to be impractical. From a practicality POV 2) sounds like the best, but do other ladies out there with a Joovy find that they get good use out of them or does their toddler always just want to walk? Is the seat comfy enough for them?

And what about a Phil and Ted - I see you can add a car seat onto them and make it in to a travel system but am I right in thinking that you can't do this with 2 kids on board?

Or does anyone have any other innovative, better solutions? Want to make sure I go for the best option because I can't afford to spend £££ on something that's going to end up under the stairs after a couple of months

Thanks in advance!!

all that sounds too complicated..... I just bought a maclaren side by side pushchair (DS was 15 months when DD was born) - it was pretty light for a double and fit through pretty much any doorways.

tanmu - i do love the maclaren i've already got so i was tempted to just go straight for the side by side but i thought - for the days when i do have the car - that it might be a bit of a pain getting the LO out of their carseat and into the pushchair and vice versa when getting back into the car, esp with a toddler in tow. Have you found the side by side good tho?

I don't remember having any problems with it - but my toddler wasn't one for tantrums or running off really. What I liked most was that they could actually see eachother and interact - not like the phil and ted's (which they didn't have back then anyway) where it looks like you put the baby in the shopping trolley!

i used jane powertwin with carseat, got it off ebay, but you need to check if it will fit in your boot first

I've done that age gap and naively thought ds2 would use a board at same age. In reality he was in pushchair til he was over3. Your situation v similar to mine go as I don't drive and wLking distance to everywhere at 20m your dc may still be napping so p&t no good as literally perched on top when in newborn mode. Mac twins are ok but get harder to push as they grow time over I would have got. Nipper 360 fab push and comfort for child

i had a 19 month gap between ds2 and ds3 and I used my double pushchair a lot.
I actually had a mountain buggy which is great. you can have a car seat or a carrycot on one side. it's one of the narrowest side by sides and it was light to push and easy to manouvre
only downside is that it doesn't fold very small... but then you could always use sling and single buggy if you needed to use the car?

ds2 still regularly fell asleep in the pushchair on school run and stuff when ds3 was born, so it was important for me to have a buggy that reclined a bit and was comfy for him

that said, I did use the sling a LOT with ds3 and then just had ds2 in the single buggy

Hmmm, i have both a mac twin techno and p&t explorer and my DC are 25 months apart.

I love the p&t, you can get a car seat on top with older child in the bottom seat. What i love most is the cocoon, even now DC2 still fits in - though she needs legs v bent - makes transition super easy. My older DC prefers to sit behind when we go out with both in seats. Also super for the narrow pavements round here and far easier to push than the mac twin.

I do like the twin techno but IMO not suitable for a newborn but that depends on whether you are walking on cobbled/uneven pavements or shopping malls.

I also use my babybjorn a lot but no good if you need the loo/need to tie shoe laces/it's raining/need to pick up toddler from floor/etc.

There is no such thing as the perfect buggy, you just need to get the closest match based on your lifestyle.

The Joovy Caboose probably wouldn't be a great idea if it was your only double as tiny babies shouldn't be in car seats for long periods...I think it's suppose to be a total of 2 hours in any one day...Obviously if it's a long car journey there might not be much you can do about it but hopefully that's not very often...Whereas it could easily happen if the Joovy were your only wheels.

Thanks for all your thoughts everyone!

I live somewhere with a lot of narrow pavements etc so I don't think a side by side is going to be a great option for us and I think realistically DS is going to be a bit young to use buggy board all the time. Although I love the babybjorn I have problems with my back and after DS was about 3 months I found him too heavy to carry for very long in the sling so I think a single buggy and babybjorn would probably only be a handy short term solution.

Like suzie38 says, I'm v aware that too long in a carseat isn't great for newborns which is why I went for a stationary carseat and a lie flat buggy for DS but I can't help but think being able to use a car seat along with the buggy might be v handy in the short term.

Anyway, from everything that everyone has said here, it looks to me like it's going to come down to a choice between Phil and Ted Explorer and the Joovy. There's about £100 difference between the two, with Phil & Ted being the more expensive...

Anyone got an experience on which is better? I'm also going to check out the Nipper 360 as per your recommendation nicolamumof3 :)

LMSS I don't have experience on which is better - perhaps a new thread may help?

The reasons I chose the p&t over the joovy where manoeuverability, longevity (is also great single), both DC can sleep in both modes, better weather protection and off-road ability. Added bonus was small fold but this was not a decision factor.

However, it is more expensive and don't forget the cocoon and raincovers!

Good luck

Phil & Teds classic V2 (in black) is just as good as the explorer (not quite as dulux) and quite a bit cheaper. You can also put the car seat on with another child in - groovy style and oxford pram centre have both

do you think a 20m old would be comfy tho perched in doubles seat on top if they need to sleep? that is my only concern? My middle son regularly slept in pushchair (otherwise would have been stuck in house every afternoon!) til at leat 2.5yr.

hmmm...thanks everyone, this has all really got me thinking!

when i first started looking into all of this i was v much in the phil & ted camp. then the price made me choke a bit and i was really leaning towards the joovy. but now i think i'm doing a complete 180 and i'm thinking the phil & ted might be the best option for us. You're right nicola, I can still see DS wanting to nap in the buggy if he's only 20 months when new LO arrives...

the Phil & Ted are pricy, but i've seen a couple on gumtree with all various accessories included which aren't too bad, esp if i manage to see the maclaren for about £150. i'll prob still have to sweet talk DH he he, sure he'll have a heart attack when i tell him how much this piece of kit is prob going to end up setting us back!

Hevster - Any chance you could tell me, briefly, what the more delux features the phil&ted explorer has that the V2 doesn't? thanks!!

Hevster

I had 17 months dead on between mine so DS needed to nap daily - and the Phil and ted worked fineat a push. We used the car seat on the main seat and LO in the back seat too which worked fine (even though you're not supposed to). We initially had an E3 but bought a reclining Sport double seat as it really helped - but did end up with a double MB so they could both sleep properly when out and about for a full day - as because DS was so huge he outgrew being on top before DD was ready to go int a seat (but he was a monster - 17kg at 17 months)

littlemisssnowshine
the break is different, the exporer has a plastic footwell rather than a fabric one, more cushioned seats, comes with the 2nd seat sun hood (can buy for £20) and has airvents.
there may be more, thats just off the top of my head

ivew had the p&t for a simaler age gap...i cant use a side by side as our front door is too narrrow(shame as i loved my BJCM double) i didnt like the p&t though as DD couldnt nap,or even really fit when she was in the small seat up top,in the end after lots of different buggies i found the britax b dual,it ticks all the boxes,and has made my life A LOT easier!

here
(you can pick them up cheap on ebay)

this might be a better one

nope,thoes are both rubbish