After much research (thanks to those who answered my other threads), and measuring of car boots and front doorways we finally decided on the Bugaboo Donkey...
however have now realised we didn't allow for the space the doors take up in the doorways and taking that into account the Donkey will not fit through the house in duo mode 
.
I'm really stumped now, have looked at loads of other doubles/tandems and I just don't love any of them. My Mum and MIL are very 
at the baby in the basket type ones which isn't helping either.
Here are my requirements again;
Suitable for newborn and 16mo who will be potentially tall,
preferably parent facing as an option realise this is probably impossible,
suitable for off roading and round town,
preferably a carrycot,
needs to carry much shopping,
adjustable handle (I am 5'4" DH is 6'4"),
will be kept up in the house,
not bothered about budget so much as was prepared to shell out for the Donkey and have a Cameleon with extras to sell to "add to the pot"
TIA
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Gutted the Donkey won't fit in my house - now what?
notso · 03/02/2012 12:03
Thanks.
If I could just pick your brain again sorry!
The Donkey raincovers, are they as horrible to get on and off as the Cameleon ones?
Is there an official release date for the Peach Blossom 2, my local pram shop said "no, well, maybe but we don't know what it is. It will definately be May or June" 
Ha don't go there, PIL want us to move nextdoor to them, they have it all planned out, they already have keys as they house-sit when current owners are away.
Thankfully DH is as much against it as me 
FIL would be getting him to do DIY morning, noon and night.
Just wondering about the Donkey width as the Mothercare woman measured the handle but looking at my Cam the wheel width is slightly wider than the handle width.
There will be no more DC for me planned poorly or otherwise, this one will be DC4 and was a bit of a surprise tbh (though DM knows nothing of this) anyway it's surprise enough to send DH running off to get the snip!
Yes, I think it would be too much faffing. Especially when it's freezing cold! And for another 2ish years. Unless you have another not very well planned baby 
, then it could be even longer. 
You may always wonder if it would fit if you don't try it. You could also take a tape measure to the shop and actually measure the width of the Donkey. Weirdly, the official measurements are often out by a couple of centimetres, in which case the decision may be made for you one way or the other.
Maybe if your Mum and MIL are so keen for you to have a Donkey, they could club together and buy you a big house with a huge hallway so you can dance around with your Donkey all you like.
I did try reminding my Mum that I was 4 when I sat on top of my sisters pram! She goes a bit funny when I am pg, she kept saying to DS2 in Mothercare "Mummy hasn't planned this very well has she?" how helpful.
Carseat won't be a problem, if we used one it would be when already out of the house IYSWIM. We only really go on car journeys on weekends or when DH is off work.
Might do that with the Donkey, I guess at least then I'll be sure.
MIL has suggested keeping it in mono mode and putting it into duo in the front of the house but I think that would be a faff to do minimum of 4 times a day in termtime.
Your son is far too young to be in one of those seats! My daughter's the same age and she certainly couldn't be sat upright all the time, never sleeping. They sound like they're living in the 50s.
The Donkey may well fit then with 1cm to spare. There's no reason for you not to reverse out. I have to do it in my hallway and it's never actually occurred to me until just now that it may not be ideal. I would probably buy the Donkey, set up the chassis and try it out. Just make sure to not allow any dirt anywhere near it and double check with the retailer that they will accept a return of an open box. But if you plan on ever using it with a carseat, it will add another 5cm I think to the width and you'll never get it through. It also won't fit through standard doorways with a carseat on.
The Blossom 2 will be a bit nicer to push than the B-Dual and is just as good as a single as it is as a double. But either will do the job well and you get a good view of the child in the lower seat who will never be covered in mud.
Notice how I ignored the baby in the basket comments!! It's the place to be for most toddlers apparently. These two both have much more space than the likes of P&Ts.
When are you due? Could you hold out for the Peach Blossom 2? I think it's due April/May some time, but it hasn't been confirmed yet. The problem is that if the Donkey is too wide, then all side by sides apart from the Mountain Buggy Duet will also be too wide. The Duet may be an option for you, but reviews are mixed so it's hard to recommend it or not. It's only 63cm wide though. The benefit of something like a Peach is that you can use it until your youngest no longer needs a pushchair. But it would be worth holding out for the newer version (unless you take a trip to the USA or Australia ).
Otherwise, I would recommend the Britax B-Dual. If you don't mind paying the extra over the 2011 version, you can get the 2012 version for about £500 I think. It's lovely to push and has decent sized seats and a huge basket. It can go off road to some extent, but probably not through woods over tree roots and rocks. I've pushed over grass, gravel, cobbles, rough parks and very squidgy mud and it's been fine over all of them. You can get the parent facing option of a sort. You would need to get a soft carrycot for the baby and put it in the lower seat, then put the toddler in the upper seat facing you. This will be fine until the youngest is around 10-12 months and needs more space. Then you will need to turn the top seat around using the adapters that push the upper seat forwards. The benefit of the 2012 is the foam wheels that should make it even better to push, the harness is in 5 pieces (currently, the shoulder strap loops round to the hips in one piece), the nicer material and, in my opinion, they look nicer. The downside to the B-Dual is that it feels too wide as a single (67cm without mudguards-the same as a Quinny Buzz), so you'd probably sell it when you only need a single.
Sorry for the essay!
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