Doubles - phil and teds navigator vs explorer - is the navigator worth the extra �?

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Hi all

We will have a 2.5 year age gap and DD is not a great walker and will have a long walk to nursery, so need a double.

I think a phil and teds is probably the best option as 1) DD will walk or buggyboard a lot, so want something that is mostly a single with the option for her to hop in and out and 2) I don't want to spend a fortune and there are lots of P&Ts second hand available near me.

I mostly see second hand navigators or explorers advertised. Navigators seem to go for about 100 more than explorers. Seems like the main difference is the ability to recline the second seat on the navigator. Is this worth it? Especially if toddler goes in the second seat most of the time and doesn't need to nap? However I am wondering however what happens when the baby outgrows the layback position at 4 ish months - maybe the recline on the second seat would be useful at that point.

I'm also wondering whether the second seat has more space in the navigator - DD is quite tall and erm not a very laid back child so will want to be able to see...

Any experiences/views welcome thanks! Also if there is anything else I should be considering instead please shout - don't really want to spend more than about 250 second hand though.

I don't have any experience of the Explorer, but we have owned a Navigator for nearly 2 years now. Our children were 2.4 and 5 months when we bought it (having moved out of London so finally having space for a double, and knowing that we'd be doing lots of walking so would get our money's worth!), so the baby went straight in to the doubles seat in recline mode rather than bothering with the carrycot / second seat on top arrangement.

When both children got a bit older DD (the baby) went in the main seat and DS hopped in and out of the bottom seat as he pleased. The reclining bottom seat is an advantage here too as it's easier to climb in and out of when reclined; when the seat is upright it's a bit of a tight squeeze, especially for our leggy boy! It was also handy when both of them wanted to nap at the same time as you can loosen the straps on the back of the main seat and recline it a bit without squashing the second occupant.

My only complaint with the Navigator is the hood that comes with second seat. It's a flimsy load of crap that doesn't even fit properly! Once we'd bought "main seat" hood and fitted it to the second seat it was perfect!

Sorry I can't say about the Explorer (other than it's bigger than the Navigator) but I hope this helps.

thanks very much mrsfrumble, that's very helpful - I hadnt thought about the recline on the second seat giving more space to get in and out. was your DS ok with going in the second seat?

Yes, he loved it, especially with the hood up if he was feeling tired or overwhelmed as it makes a nice little "cocoon" to hide in. He also appreciated not being strapped in and being able to climb in and out as he wished (P&T of course don't recommend this!) Mind you, it's a good job he liked it as DD hated the second seat once she'd had a taste of going up front...

DS is 4.3 now and still occasionally hops in the bottom seat if he's very tired or the weather is bad. The weight limit on the bottom seat is 15kg, which is fine for DS as he's a skinny minny.

Thanks both! I think that convinces me that the recline on the Navigator second seat is probably worth the extra, even if it's only for the short period between DD2 outgrowing the cocoon and being able to sit upright. And hopefully the Navigator would sell on for more once I'm done with it anyway.

15kg limit though!! Erk. DD is nearly 13kg already I think - she looks tall and thin but somehow seems to weigh a lot. I will have to look up when 75th centile hits 15kg.