Buggy Boards ... can anyone describe what they are like to push?

[SoBroken]

I have a 3.y.o. DS and another DS on the way at the beginning of September and need a new pram. Starting to panic a bit, so we're going to Toys R Us on Sunday to have a push of everything and then try and see if we can get it cheaper on ebay.

Really in a quandary as to what type of thing to go for as we live in an upstairs flat and there isn't a lot of room at the bottom of the stairs to store a pram, so it will have to fold up and have a carrycot which can be taken off easily and brought upstairs.

My biggest problem is that DS1 is a terrible walker. He has no sense of danger and will run about madly if left off reins, and often just hangs off his reins when he is on then. The idea of getting on a bus and going round town with him loose/on reins while I also have a baby in a pram fills me with horror at the moment. I'm aware that this may change soon, but with only 7 weeks to go, I am not expecting it to change before baby is here!

One idea is to get a buggy board with whatever we decide to go for and then tether DS1 to the pram with reins or a wrist strap so at least he can't dash into the road.

But I've never pushed a pram with a buggy board, how does it work? There are essentially three sets of wheels, do they all move independently? How easy is it to get up and down kerbs or on and off buses?

Are they more trouble than they are worth, and should I just cut my losses and get a double buggy, maybe one with a double kit so that I can just add DS2 to the back?

I'd really prefer a traditional parent-facing lie-flat pram but at this point anything suitable from birth (except with a clip-on car seat as we might be out long periods) is an option!

Please help!

I found buggy boards really awkward to push on the back of a single buggy. You have to walk a bit hunched over to allow room for the toddler to stand on the board and it's not great on the back esp with a heavy toddler.

If you are short then they are a nightmare to push as you have to hunch over the board and child and struggle to push/hold the buggy handles, i also found ours was noisy (got lots of odd looks) and dd1 fell off of it after dh attempted to go down off of the pavement and then she refussed to use it again. How about buying a 2nd hand double for long trips (maybe a maclaren as they fold up small).

I used a lascal buggyboard (the mini one) and I found that while there was a bit less room for your feet to go, it steered nicely along with the buggy and DS took to his surprisingly well. He was 2.10 when DD was born and also a terrible walker - but his problem was that he got fed up easily. He loved the buggyboard and he eventually stopped using it about 6 months later (just decided he didn't want to anymore and that was the end of it). It comes with a clip which you can use to raise it out of the way of your legs when not needed. It also comes off easily when you want it to (you attach fittings to the pushchair which the buggyboard clips to when you want it).

If you go on Kiddicare to look, there's a link to a compatibility chart for the lascal buggyboards and they show pictures of how they fit to most models of buggy and give you an idea of which is best.

Hope that helps.

PS. DS went on the other side of the pushchair handlebar from me (i.e. inside it) and DD was in a rear-facing prammette-type pushchair (O'Baby Zezu Prammette) so there was no hunching for me . Maybe it's easier with different models of pushchair?

Yes, they are pretty awkward to push, you lean forward and they are hard to steer- BUT my son loved his, he found it really exciting. They go up steps fine and fold up on to the back of the buggy when you don't need them. We used ours loads, until the little one got big enough to want to go on it too and they fought over it.

The problem with a buggy board is that it doesn't 'contain' the child - if they don't want to co-operate you won't be able to push it even with reins because they have to stand nicely and hold on for you to be able to move. I have both a buggy board and a double but when I'm on my own and it's more than a 5 minute walk I always use the double for my sanity and her safety. It's not easy to push a buggy board up kerbs either, he would probably have to get off.

I have a side-by-side but as your DS is quite old I would think something with a double kit would suit you better.

buggy boards not easy to push tbh. I used to get terrible back ache as you are pushing the buggy with your bum sticking out to make room for the child on the buggy board iyswim.

It also depends what type of buggy you will put it on really, I had mine on a pushchair with the handle as a bar across but it might be easier to use with a pushchair without the bar but two handles iyswim as there would be more room for the child on the board.

Thanks everyone. DS is big for his age and I am quite small so it does seem as though hunching over might be a problem. And if he can't stay on if he's not co-operating, that sounds like him all over.

Right ... double kit it is! Can anyone recommend something that I can either get second hand or that is quite cheap?

Thanks again!

I would have thought there would be lots of 2nd hand Phil n Teds around, or you could consider a twin or tandem and a single one as well if that works out cheaper.

phil & teds, or a nipper 360 double both fab for us :)

Hi,

Just read your post and wanted to add, if youre looking at the phil and teds, make sure you try your DS first in the shop, as we have same dilemma.

Due Oct and DS will be 3, big for his age and wanted a double, cos he is a runner offer!

Went into shop and you have to put baby in the main seat so it can lie flat and bigger child in the extra seat on front to begin with, cos the extra seat when on the back isnt suitable for a newborn, we put DS on the extra seat to check out the size, and he was too big for it, and his head came out the hood if the chair.

Try looking at the Joovy caboose, someone else on here recommended it to me, and you can strap the bigger one in the back, unfortunately, my car isnt big enough. Just an idea.

would 2nd the nipper 360 double or the urban detour double (which is what I had with a 2.5yr ag gap) although it is v wide.

You can remove the back wheels to make it easier to fit in the car.

Personally I would go to mothercare or somewhere similar and physically try them out

Then look online for 2nd hand ones if need be

How about carrying baby in a sling and then your three year old can go in a pushcair? It would save the expense of a double.