Mum of 2 in London - uses public transport - HELP - how can I transport a 2 yr old and baby

[ScarlettButler]

My LO is going to be out of the sling soon but my 2 year old still can't walk really long distances. Need to buy some mode of getting them round. I have a phl and teds but that's a nightmare on escaltors if I go by tube and havent even tried to get on a bus yet. Anyone got any suggestions? MUCH appreciated...just don't know what to do* and can't face years of only being confined to where we can walk to.

*buy a car but that's not an option really at the moment!

How old's the baby? If you get a mei tai or similar, you can put them in a back carry from 5 months until they get too heavy (around 2 years for my daughter). Then you can have a cheapo, light umbrella fold stroller for the toddler. This is what I did, and I go pretty much everywhere on public transport (also in London).

Use tube stations with lifts, or the bus. Buses are better anyway.

How big is your youngest? Presumably well under 2 so should be able to carry in a decent sling for quite a bit longer. I carry my (98th centile) 1 year old in a BabyHawk on my back and DS1 walks or scoots, but I was pushing him in Maclaren until quite recently. Or what about a buggy board for your 2 year old? I have seen Phil and Teds on London buses but I agree I wouldn't want to take one on the tube. I've yet to try the tube with a pushchair by myself!

Hope some of my ramblings help!

get a better sling? an ergo or similar, I still carry 12kg dd in one daily without any backache.
and second a light umbrella fold, easier on escalator because of 4 wheels. p&t seems to be fine on the bus, I see lots of them around.

We got a jusonne othello buggy - v cheap, v light, no wider and barely longer than a one-person buggy - people would often jump with surprise when they realised there was a second baby in the buggy who had a great view out but was hidden from their view. It fits easily in a taxi (we also didn't have a car).

Problem with p&t on the bus is that if you've got the 2nd seat fitted, it's a nightmare to fold if a wheelchair needs to get on...

FruitSalad there are no tubes near us with lifts (ah the northern line) but also even if there were then getting into central london you suddenly find lifts missing from all sorts of places (i had to change at london bridge completely gratuiutously bcs only stairs from northern line at waterloo)
the only thing I find about buses is that they take so effing long if the traffic's bad and u can be waiting for ages for one
whydo and mousy If you put the baby on your back what do you do when sitting on a bus (sorry if this is a really stupid question)
will look up jusonne othello too
I also need to work out what to do for childminder when going back to work as she has already says she finds phil and teds too heavy.

I use a bugaboo which is fine on escalators with the toddler on a buggy board. Generally works great but of course stations with no lifts or lots of steps are still a nightmare. My buggy can be bumped up and down steps quite well (get a light cheap mcclaren type one?) but I have to have the older 2 walking with me and am always worried they will run off. (Normally my strategy is baby in pushchair/carseat on wheels, 3y old on buggy board, 6y old holding on to buggy).

Only answer for no lift stations is baby in a sling, hold other one I think.

buggy boards generally great btw

Perch on the edge of the seat, or sit diagonally if there's enough room :)

I suppose with the back carrier you either sit at an angle, or on the edge of your seat, or don't sit!

Here's that tandem I think.

yes, I perch as well but most of the times I have baby in the front, so sitting is not a problem. my 4y old walks very well by now, so anything up to a mile is no problem. but I appreciate that a 2y old is not fit enough, and even if he was it would be too unsafe to let him run free.

That's the one, saoirse! The toddler goes in the front and the baby goes behind and up. Both seats are lie-back. The hood has a little flappy bit with a plastic window underneath so you can peek and see if the baby's asleep. Ours came in a rather fetching pale blue rather than the black. If you google images, you can see some better pictures (esp. if you just look for large images). We thought it was fab!!

befuzzled can you recommend any buggy boards
sihilly how heavy is the tandem?

i amn just worried that the 2 year old if she suddenly ran off so need something for her to be on/in

and also overwhelmed by cost!

Ok, I am not recommending this but it's worked for us in emergencies. We have a Baby Jogger City Mini which has a huge lie down area. I have been known to lie my baby (now ten months old) in the flat area at the back with harness on and my two year old sits comfortably on the front on the seat pad. You could easily attach a harness for the eldest on the D rings. Not ideal, not recommended but weight limits on BJs are good and this is the real world. You would need to look for yourself.

ScarlettButler, the Jusonne Othello is 10kg - really really light. It's lighter than some single buggies! eg bugaboo cameleon is 13.5kg

It's also pretty cheap - £150 quid or thereabouts. And it's made of a wipe-clean material too...it really is jolly good!

Here are some of that Jusoone pushchair on eBay. It's similar to the Cosatto Duet Lite. I'm sure there are other similar ones, possibly rebranded by other stores.
Alternatively, there are ones suitable from 6 months with a toddler seat (like a bench seat with straps) on the back like the Joovy Caboose, the Mia Moda or the Chipolino Euphoria. I Don't know if your baby's old enough for them though.

Britax are doing that free second seat in other places too, but maybe you have to call to get the deal, not sure. Anyway, the details are here.

I have used a litaf seat 2 go on the back of a little stroller. It detaches really easily and it is still possible to fold the pushchair with the gubbins still attached. :)

I've seen them in argos and tesco 40-50 quid : )