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anyone else going crazy over finding a double buggy? please vote and chose for me!

63 replies

mamaesi · 17/01/2012 17:54

ok. I have been researching this for months and I just can't make up my mind.
I love my light and easy bugaboo bee.. but my 21 month old is too young for the buggy board.

what would you choose in my situation:
small doorway 70cm max width, very large and heavy 98% toddler (under two years old) who still likes to recline a little, never in car much but all around london and need to get on bus.

I really like the looks of phil and ted promenade...but really not sure I can justify the cost.
Britax B dual seems good but wide and bulky and not sure how long toddler will fit in seats.
Kids Kargo Duellette, seems good but not sure of quality and again, how long toddler will fit and not sure can wait till newborn is 6 months.
MB Duet, but expensive for not such great features.
Graco Stadium Duo, cheap but will it be a nightmare to push with heavy toddler in it?

Any others? please tell me what to get as I cannot decide!

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boysenberry · 19/01/2012 21:26

Thank you so much, I have been living on //www.bestbuggy.co.uk lately, your information and reviews are second to none. The girls in the shop had no idea how I was so well up! Im glad you say that makes sense, Im not so worried about the colours, I can definitely make something work. What I really want is a push chair that will last so if the current pip converter isn't working out after a few months and dc2 needs to be sitting upright at least I know now that it will be an option. I saw the incredibly cosy looking babysnuggles footmuff on the Peach Blossom 2012 review which I would buy for dd as it sounds like it would last longer than the iCandy one and the price is a lot more favourable. I think my mind is now made up! Apart from the colour that is.... Grin

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cairnterrier · 19/01/2012 21:48

Hi OP

Sorry I missed your thread - I've just asked almost exactly the same question! I too currently have a Bugaboo Bee which I love but DC2 is due in May and I doubt that DS (just turned 2) will be walking everywhere by then. I'm narrowing it down to either the B-dual or the Phil n Teds Promenade but really need to go to a shop now and look at them side by side and start doing some serious choosing. Hope you manage to narrow things down a little.

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Tiggywunkle · 20/01/2012 00:04

I am glad it was all helpful boysenberry. Having had a whole heap of tandems and doubles this year the Peach Blossom 2 is the one that has worked best by miles for our family. Its still being used and its still light to push with my two heavy lumps lovely children on board, and it just works....no seating issues, no harness issues, no "hanging" children, no squashed legs, storage space for shopping or a changing bag (admittedly access is limited but its a minor niggle and when I need the basket I put the baby on the bottom and rotate the seat to get in and out). I used to love the parent facing car seat option.

People will always find something to grumble about with the Peach Blossom (usually access to the lower child - remove the upper seat if you can!). Yes a longer footrest at the front would be good but the eldest prefers being underneath anyway and stretching her legs out. But in relation to other tandems niggles these things are minor.

But the Peach Blossom 2 pushes soooo beautifully, fits neatly in my car (the new seats nest pretty well - better than the current ones), and looks absolutely gorgeous and I know my children are happy, comfortable and snug.

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HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 20/01/2012 00:14

Re the new Blossom kit and older Peach, I was considering buying the black lower seat and swappong the hoods with my tomato upper seat. They'd then kind of coordinate. Are the hoods interchangeable?

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Tiggywunkle · 20/01/2012 00:20

No, they aren't. The hoods are fixed and I am almost certain can't be removed. I did think about swapping the liners around, but the lower seat liner is smaller and differently shaped to the upper liner. The best way would be to find different liners (or see if iCandy offer liners to buy seperately) or buggysnuggles which coordinate with both seat colours (because in winter you dont see more than the hood and base.

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mamaesi · 20/01/2012 17:42

can anyone give me an idea of how much the current peach costs new?

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boysenberry · 20/01/2012 18:17

Hi mamasei, I just ordered mine today in black jack, very excited! It was €885 in Eire for Peach Blossom which is Pushchair, pip converter kit, raincovers and maxi cosi lower adapters. On today's exchange rate it would be £736 ish. Maybe you can do better in UK, it seems icandy prices are fairly set but I really haven't a clue about UK retailers. Hope someone comes along with more expertise!

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Tiggywunkle · 20/01/2012 19:59

The Price list for iCandy is available for download on the iCandy website. There is little room for retailers to move from these prices but deals can often be done if extras eg car seats are needed.

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south345 · 20/01/2012 20:01

I'm a childminder and if I need another double it would be an out n about nipper 360, my friend has one and can go on the beach etc no problem and light as a feather, she can get it inside with sleeping kids etc.

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HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 20/01/2012 20:32

Thanks Tiggy re the hood swapping. Smile

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Tiggywunkle · 20/01/2012 21:22

I think the OP would struggle to get a Nipper through her 70cm doorway and on the bus.

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ItsMyLastOne · 20/01/2012 21:47

south your friend must have a wide door as the double nipper is 77cm wide. That's not going to work if you need it to go through the door without folding.

mamaesi I actually thought the fact it's 67cm without the wheel guards was a positive thing. The girls are 16 months and can't yet reach the wheels. I'd say that if you use the bottom seat for your youngest then it'll be prefectly safe for a long time without the guards. That will give you a bit of extra space to get through the door then. I seriously think the B Dual would be best for you. But you could still go for the Hauck or Kidz Kargo.

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ItsMyLastOne · 20/01/2012 21:49

I've just checked and when my door is open the gap is 70cm and I can get the B Dual through.

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mamaesi · 21/01/2012 10:29

thanks re: the measurements of b dual.

what about the pushing of the b-dual with the toddler at front? my toddler is sooo heavy and large I worry about the weight at the front and getting up streets/into bus.

the secondary problem I have (in this decision) is that it almost impossible for me to get my two kids to any shop which has a variety of buggies to try out

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ItsMyLastOne · 21/01/2012 13:42

I've never pushed any other child in the B Dual. Just the girls who are 16 months. One is about 25lbs and the other is about 20lbs. It doesn't make any difference to us which one goes in which seat. It feels the same to push. The suspension is better on the top seat so it might feel better having the older one in the top seat. The top seat is bigger and the US version has a weight limit of 20kgs at the top and 15kg at the bottom so I guess they have intended to have the heavier child at the top. TBH I'm just not the best person to ask about that. Do you know how heavy your eldest is?

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mamaesi · 21/01/2012 14:57

I think my eldest is 29lbs. my baby is the opposite and only on the 9th %...so light and tiny! so I think the weight distribution will always be a bit funny.

have you ever gotten the b dual on a bus?

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Tiggywunkle · 21/01/2012 15:01

It didn't matter to me which child went in which seat. The weight / kerbs were pretty much the same. My two aren't light!

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TruthSweet · 21/01/2012 19:01

I have just got a 2010 Atomic Denim B-Dual for my DD2 & DD3 (4.2y, ~110cm and 17kg/34lbs & 2.3y, ~84cm and 12kg). DD2 fits in the lower seat and the upper seat but her head touches the hood on the lower seat and her legs take up the whole basket!

The lower seat would be fab for a baby as the back unclips to form a kind of bassinet - it looks really cosy and snug especially with the cosy toes in it (not the apron which goes on the top seat and is frankly useless unless your children have incredibly short legs with size 0 feet).

The basket is amazingly accessible and generously sized. It was easy to steer with one hand today even when I was balancing drinks in the other hand. I just wish we had been able to get it earlier (DD2 had mobility issues last year and is only now getting to the point of being in an ordinary pushchair instead of a SN or extra supportive one).

Not got a B-Dual on a bus as only got it today but I have got a First Wheel City Twin, P&T E3 V2, EasyLife Sport Twin and even a Urban Detour Double (which is something like 86cm and got stuck in my patio door) so our buses won't be a problem.

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ItsMyLastOne · 21/01/2012 19:47

I've never used it on a bus. But I can't imagine it'd be a problem unless you have those really old tpe buses with a pole in the middle and a step as you get one. Most buses these days are accessible for wheelchairs so will be accessible for the B Dual too I'd imagine. It's a similar footprint size to some P&T's and I know people who use their P&T on the bus regularly.

TruthSweet ours didn't come with an apron, they must have realised it was useful and did away with it or decided they could make more money making you buy the footmuffs!

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TruthSweet · 21/01/2012 19:52

It looks like it would be good for a tiny baby if you had the baby in the top seat (wouldn't fit on the bottom one) but it's very very shallow.

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mamaesi · 22/01/2012 17:45

thanks for all the positive feedback re: b dual
it seems it is the front runner.

i saw the hauck today. I am tempted simply because its so cheap...but is the extra 50-100 worth it to go for the b dual or the Kids Kargo?

or should I try a second hand peach? I am really going crazy over this, must stop.

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TruthSweet · 22/01/2012 18:43

I got my immaculate B-Dual (2010 but hardly used) for £175 (that included extension pieces for top seat, cosy toes, apron for top seat and raincover).

So you can still get a 2nd hand one in very good knick for not stupid amounts of money. Check out your local selling pages on FB - there are often baby selling pages too and people tend to sell for less as it's cash and no fees.

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Tiggywunkle · 22/01/2012 19:25

Ok, the Hauck Duett didnt used to come with a raincover. If it still doesn't then that will cost you more. The Duett is narrower, the seating position for the upper child is better, but a small lower child may well slide to one side. I prefer the enclosed basket of the B-Dual to keep all my shopping in. The B-Dual fold is easier but I know the Duett fold has been rejigged. The biggest difference is the B-Dual as bouncy suspension. The Hauck is a very hard ride. It would be hard to use the Duett before your baby is six months old, whereas it would be easier with the B-Dual.
How did you feel having seen the Duett? Did you try a baby / toddler position and the fold?

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Ihateparties · 22/01/2012 19:49

If a used Peach is truly an option definitely go for that over a Duett!

The biggest bonus of the duett is the narrower width (60 compared to the bdual 70cm) and the incredible cheapness. I find it sturdy and both seats are a really really good size. On one occasion in desperation I took my 110cm 22kg 4.1yr old in the lower seat for a journey, he fitted under the hood (just) and although it sure as heck wasn't as easy to steer as before it really wasn't too bad, even 7 months pregnant. Equally though I have read reviews of users saying theirs is hard if not impossible to collapse and even one person saying theirs collapsed during use. Mine appears to be totally fine, even after punishment as above but you never know.

For me the Duett does a job at a price and really you get what you pay for (I got a £7.50 b dual raincover from tesco in a sale so this wasn't a problem). I accepted the harder ride and general lesser quality compared to the b dual in order to have something narrower and also when I got mine save £150. The price difference between the two is possibly less at present. Once again though, had a peach been a viable option I would definitely have got that! With a 23 month age gap I expect to use a double regularly for approx a year so the reclined lower seat would have been something I'd have been willing to accept.

Good luck deciding... Kinda glad I decided months ago as now can't work out what to have for dinner let alone anything else! Grin

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mamaesi · 24/01/2012 14:41

I just saw a second hand i candy pear... why is the peach so much better than the pear??

I only saw the hauck in the street and asked the mother about it she said she liked hers, but her large 3 year old was smushed into the lower seat and the carrycot was in her face...she was not happy about getting in there.

I still like the narrowness and cheapness of the hauck...
Tiggy what do you think you would choose between the hauck and the kids cargo?

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