To get a double buggy or make son walk?

[MrsHelsBels74]

Baby number 2 is due in September by which time our son will be 2 1/2 years old. We're trying to persuade him to walk more with mixed success, so I'm really unsure whether to go with a buggy board attached to our buggy or get a double buggy. I appreciate all children are different but wondered if there are any parents with a similar age gap about, & what they did?

I agree. If he's reluctant save yourself some pain and buy a double. Buy well and you should recoup most, all or even make a profit on a double. Theres always barely used bargains on EBay. I have a 3.5 year old and whilst she's a good walker, there's times like tomorrow when I am literally out all day and she will do a mix of riding and walking. We also live on a busy main road, so again she rides for safety reasons until I am confident she can be trusted. Go and have a look around Buggy [[www.bestbuggy.co.uk]] as the girl is aged 2-3 in the photos.

I bought a 2nd hand P&T via ebay and it's been a lifesaver on many, many occasions. I had ds1 at 3 1/2 hitching a ride when he was too exhausted to walk home from nursery and now my nearly 3yr old ds2 gets strapped in when I'm desperate to get home in a hurry.

I got a buggy board for my travel system but can't push it very far/fast because I keep tripping over it! Ds2 also likes to leap off when I slow down and he sees something interesting. I also can't hang the baby bag off the handle bar because the child on the buggy board is in the way.

there are still times when I use the buggy with my 3 YO, usually if it's late in the day, in the morning he walks but not evening

I currently have a 3m old, a 2y3m old and no double. Buggyboard with seat is saving my life currently but the double cannot get here soon enough! I walk most places (or rather I did and will again when the thing turns up) age gap with my previous two was 2y5m, I had a side by side double then which was a pain in our particular location so I got rid as soon as possible for a buggyboard. As soon as possible was when he was 2y11m (best described as non compliant child).

I find it to be of a less tiredness needs a seat issue and more of a 'in an arse and needs a seat with harness' one. It depends very much on you, your children and what you do in your day to day lives. You can survive without for sure but whether you'd want to.. only you know!

I walk a fair bit and had a 2yr 9mo gap. I tried to do without a double and ended up carrying an 18kg toddler under one arm and trying to push a pram overloaded with shopping one-handed for half a mile. I got home and had ordered a double almost before I removed my coat.

I also use a sling a lot (especially if taking the car out as I couldn't be bothered putting the double in). If pushed I could have done just with that and the single pushchair. But really glad I got a double.

Can you have a practice over the next few weeks and see what your DS is like without the pushchair? I'm due tomorrow & DD is 2.6. For the past few months, I have tried simple, every day trips without the pushchair (eg walking from car park to park to duck pond back to car park or from home to local park or from car park to bank to supermarket to car park or around the local farm) and quickly decided I needed a double as, on these trips, DD has, more often that not, ended up in the pushchair (if I have it with me), being carried by me or by DP for part of the trip. Sometimes she's tired, sometimes its too windy, sometimes she wants a snack and I can't be bothered to stand and watch her carefully select and examine each raisin before eating it, sometimes I need to get a move on, sometimes its p*ing it down with rain and once she was scared of the lion she claimed to have seen on the other side of the road.
I'm hoping that in 6 months or so time, DD will have a lot more stamina and I can go back to just using my BJCM for DC2 but will still hang onto the double for full days out etc.

I have 3.1 yr gap and only now DS is 3.6 and starting to use buggy board regularly. We walk a lot though as I can't drive so can be out all day, I always have the sling because either DD gets bored of the buggy or DS gets tired of walking so far

If he'd been 2.5 I'd prob have attempted sling and single (as it was DD had only used the buggy twice before she turned 3months) but caved and got a double quite quickly - especially as DS still needs a midday nap, which he'll happily do in the buggy

We tried encouraging walking, and bought one of these (click here) for when our DD got tired and had done some walking.

Bit pricey, but easier than a double pushchair or dragging a teary child around when they get tired. Bit safer too as they're between your arms (especially net to busy roads).

Izz X