I bought the Maclaren Techno XLR for DD when she was born. Its a stroller, which lies flat, and fits a soft carrycot into it for a newborn, and also is compatable with the Recaro carseat. Both the carrycot and car seat are parent facing, with the seat FF. As it lies totally flat, a newborn can lie in it, however wouldn't be parent facing.

Hmm... am sure someone who knows more will be along soon

Oh, and you can get a standy on thing for the back for the older child too.

We love our bugaboo bee for exactly the needs you describe. However it's the original Bee so no faffing about with seat back height etc needed. Cam no good for you as carrycot needed until they can sit up on their own or 6 months. We can amend the straps, seat length in seconds and DD 3.5 loves facing us!

I love my Stokke for this, definitely worth considering. Equally comfortable for my very nearly 3 year old and the baby.

We've just got a Graco Evo, it's suitable from birth without the carrycot attachment and can do either parent or forward-facing. Nice roomy basket as well. The handle is fixed height though so if you or partner are very tall you might prefer something adjustable?

I think the "standy on back thingy" mentioned by a PP would be a buggy board? Not sure which pushchairs they are compatible, but I have seen them in the shops, look handy.

The whole swappy thing is tricky if you want parent facing because so few pushchairs have reversible but lie flat seats that suit newborns. Graco Evo has been mentioned, the Kiddicare Imax has, the Bee as mentioned, erm..... there are more but they're not coming to mind right now!! I may have quietly imported a couple of things to get this feature as it seems so rare, both of these are also low seats too though like the bee so no help to you. The stokke newborn wedge is good but you have to thread the straps through each time so it would make the swap job that bit longer. Not impossible. If you like it them sounds like a decent option for you, the seat is definitely high!

Buggyboards and how successful they are can depend on a lot of factors, for DC1 and DC2 I used the bugaboo one happily for ages, just walking slightly off centre behind the pram. It was better than DC1 constantly crashing into people and things through refusing to look where he's going (still a problem at 5) whereas DC2 is totally different, pays attention mainly to where she's going but much more fidgety so doesn't stay on the board well at all so it does not really help. She may as well be on foot all the time, tiredness not being an issue, were it not for the boundless desire to go wherever the heck she wants as oppose to where we're going.

For DC2 and DC3 with a precisely 2yr gap, I used a sit down buggyboard like this for a few months so DC3 could have a carrycot instead of using a tandem - the only option here too due to narrow front door, pavements, shops, doors etc. Now use a tandem when I am on my own or a single and toddler walks when there are two of us.

Is it ideal that one of them, thought not always the same one, always has to sit low down with a restricted view - no. Do I need to be able to get DC1 to school and collected on time and other places within a reasonable timescale - yes! So compromises were made. This sort of thing was less of a problem with two younger ones and less of a schedule but where some people swear by the sling/stroller you DON'T need a double school of thought I found it really stressful at times, particularly as I seem to need the toddler in the pushchair precisely when they least want to go

I'm paranoid cos of general nightmare DC1 and lovely compliant DC2 getting worse by the day instead of better (this is certainly not unconnected to defiant elder sibling!) This is not an unknown phenomenon in general though - getting less instead of more compliant as they get older.. I'm not saying it will happen, just be open to the possibility!

Dunno if the kiddicare imax is anygood, I saw one a couple of days ago in lie flat pf though so it reminded me. I didn't dislike the graco evo incidentally, nearly got one of these for DC2 and 3. In the end trying to stop stroppy toddler running away at same time as getting baby out of pram into sling then toddler into pram during strop with baby strapped to my front = me having a small quiet meltdown of my own. Or more usually just waiting till toddler had got over whatever was irking her and agreed to continue walking in vague direction we were going in.

Lol re dolls pram, I love that, the thing I imported is smaller than a bee!

I WANT one of those kids that just walks next to me...I know they do exist, I see em and don't go telling me it's all in the training.....

Honestly, I wouldn't even think about it yet. New pushchairs are coming out every week. If you buy something with a cushion, snug insert, cocoon for the baby, then you need to think about where you put that whilst the toddler is sat in the seat.
I am not entirely sure of your reasoning for not liking tandems but there are so many different types of tandem these days - some are short, some are long, some have the children underneath, some have the children in line, and some have one above the other. Some are practically the same size as a single. There is also a big difference between having a 2.4 year old and a 2.8 year old should you not fall pregnant immediately. There is also absolutely no comparison to having one child walking confidently even at 12-18 months and not being in a pushchair and having a 2.5 year old who is capable of tantrums, choosing their own direction, 'helping' to shop etc. not to mention trying to steer a pushchair and have a toddler holding on / on reins is not that easy especially if like my toddler they prefer to walk in front of the pushchair constantly (grrr!). I honestly honestly would sit tight, look at tandems (on some you can put the seat in the basket until you need it) and see what comes out in the next year.

To be honest we could have not had a double from the age of three..probably a month or so before. Out of the blue DD wanted to walk, was more sensible etc. we do still use a double mainly because we walk along main roads. If you still have a young two year old then I would suggest a decent double but for an older child, as you say probably a second hand pushchair, but one that takes an older child plus newborn well. It's easy to choose a side by side double but tandems are soooo different that the ages / sizes of the children are important. A basket is critical for me....the best ones are the Baby Jogger City Select but I wouldn't recommend it unless your age gap was a certain one; the Mountain Buggy +One - the bigger age gap the better; and the iCandy Peach Blossom - great for any age gap but the V1 is fine for a big age gap, for a small age gap you would need the V2. Do you see why I am hesitant to recommend anything! Your LO may be perfect at holding on or standing on a Buggyboard but my DD drives me nutty moving, turning, dancing etc. and i hate walking awkwardly. I would prefer something like the Micralite Twofold or the Joovy Caboose which offer built in buggy boards.

Oh, and treat a pushchair like a rental / investment. Watch EBay for a bargain second hand double and you may well end up in profit upon resale! Its happened several times with me.

For a budget thing that works well for a toddler and newborn have a look at the smyths toys dimples duo, there's a pic of it on my profile. The baby parent faces on top in lie flat seat, the toddler is in the lower seat but there is basket space and ample head space and view for the toddler. Only thing I'm unsure of is longevity but with a year's warranty you should get at least that long. I sold mind and kind of wish I hadn't really! In some ways the lovely seating positions were worth more than the easier to push and smaller tandem I have now.

We had a Britax B Smart when DD was born. The seat faces forwards or backwards, but it only folds when in forward mode.

Huge basket, big wheels - great on cobbles and grass - slightly higher seat, so you feel a bit closer to them. The seat lies completely flat too, and can be cosied up with a sheepskin or cosy toes. I loved ours and we still use it for long walks with DD who is 2.3 now (she's not a walker, she's a dawdler, drives me bonkers!)

Oh, meant to say, the seat is really spacious too. Apparently there are issues with the 2010 model having straps too short, but Britax will send you extenders if you ask for them. We haven't had that problem, but DD is a dot.

I can see that I'm months behind on this chat, but I've just stumbled on it and as you haven't had no.2 just yet there might still be time..

I have two little ones with 16 months between them and they are now 1 1/2 and almost 3yrs. I have a Jane Powertwin Pro (thanks to ebay) for racing about with the two of them. It's awesome. It glides along so easily and I never bothered with a carrycot for the baby because I just wedged him in with head huggers and the like (they grow so fast anyway!). I have friends with single pushchairs that take up more room than my Powertwin - the size they make pushchairs these days is mad. I catch the train and bus with no problems and can get in and out of the village shops with no bother at all.

Anyway, when my DD wanted to walk more I spent a day in Kiddicare and decided on buying the Imax with a buggyboard attached. It's a fab pushchair and one I would have been happy to use from birth if I only had one small person to deal with. But, my DS is now 18 months and he's not a huge boy but I struggled to get the straps done up over his snowsuit this winter. Plus I bought Kiddicare's own buggyboard and it has been a complete pain to use (has never fit properly and goes all lopsided). Also, the rain cover tucks under the leg rest so once their little feet get past a certain point they are just going to rip holes in it. Apart from that though, I'm happy with the purchase. Maybe I just need a different buggyboard. And some strap extenders. And a universal rain cover..