Do I need really need a double? Stop me spending!

[8dpwoah]

Second child due in October. DD will be nearly 2.5. We already have a 'town' travel system, a set of off road wheels for the same system, a backpack and a baby sling. We live rurally and do a lot of walking so with two DC we will be using carriers, no worries there. The off road wheels are used for when we go walking somewhere suitable (country park tote of thing) to save having to carry. The 'town' wheels are used for popping to the shops, doctors, pavement walks round the village etc. So all the kit I've had so far has been well used and well loved.

BUT I have a nagging feeling that with two smaller children those 'town' wheels would be really useful if they could carry two, I don't like using slings in shops nor do I want to walk DD round free range 😂. I did buy a really old second hand tandem pushchair that is compatible with the other stuff but the chassis isn't very sturdy. I'm going to see how it feels using the double frame piece with our newer chassis, I'll put some potatoes in it and check the stability!

Or shall I just buy a cheaper side by side buggy and try to find somewhere to keep it? Anyone recommend a good one?

I keep looking at the icandy orange with the buggy board but I really can't justify that even second hand...can I?

I had a 20month gap. I used the double about 10 times.

Toddlers mature a lot in a few months... You child may completely reject the pushchair by the time the baby is born.

Well I will say I am a totally bad influence and saying get the double! - I bloody love pushchairs and baby gear 🙈😂 had over 50 pushchairs with DS (3), 10 slings etc 🙈🙈🙈🙈

I’m 32 weeks preg with baby 2 and a 3yo DS. I walk absolutely everywhere (7-10 miles in a day isn’t unusual) I was hoping buggy board and our bugaboo cam would work, but the times I’ve tested DS on the buggy board he’s gotten tired with holding on etc.

We have a preschool carrier but DS isnt keen on it.

I’m now looking at either getting a buggy board with a seat attached for him, or a second hand side by side double.

If I go for a side by side, I’ll probably go for the Britax b agile double. I expect DS to occasionally need to jump in a buggy for a while yet on big walks.

Think about naps, not just walking. I had a double for about a year, mostly so my 3yo could have her nap if we were out all day. And for carrying toddler and baby stuff. Once she could cope without a nap I found basic Maclaren plus emergency sling (so could if necessary push the toddler and carry the baby) worked best - but that was for a London lifestyle with no car and lots of public transport.

I'm due in April with a similar age gap and live rural. I purchased a phil & ted sport for £25 second hand as it transforms easily into a double buggy whilst almost being ideal for the type of surfaces around here. To be fair, we actually hated our current travel system and couldn't use it around here so we would have had to make a change regardless.

DS1 was 2.5 when brother born. We had a tandem pushchair from the first time around but only ever used it as a single. If eldest was desperate for pushchair then baby could go in carrier, but we never got to that point. Eldest walked and used buggy board.

Now my youngest is 3 I can’t believe how much walking my eldest did!! Little bro gets away with so much more 😄

Following as also having this debate! DD will be 2 years 9 months when baby is born. I'm swaying towards not bothering with a double, when dd was small she preferred the sling/carrier until about 6 months so figure if i do the same with this baby then by the time it needs in buggy DD will be well over 3 so probably not keen to sit in the buggy anyway?? But i also can think of the few occasions when i potentially would use double for whole days out etc when dd might need to sleep in buggy

My little girl isn't even two yet and is happy to walk most places so unless you've got a massive walk to shops maybe invest in some reins and a buggy board?

We have these reins which are fab as they do up at the back.

www.argos.co.uk/browse/baby-and-nursery/travel/harnesses-and-reins/c:29045/brands:trunki/

I had similar to an Out N About Nipper double V4 with a newborn and 2.5 to, as I did lots of walking. It was worth its weight in gold. I used it for a good two years. Even at 4 the eldest would still want to jump in for a rest on a long walk.

Similar gap here, we had a double. Although we didn't get massive amounts of use, we were damn glad of it when we needed it. I'd get an inexpensive one, or second hand.

I had a 20 month gap. I got dd walking as much as possible while I was pregnant, trained her to hold on to the buggy. I am semi rural and at that time dependent on buses so a double was out of the question really.

I absolutely didn't need one, I used a sling for the baby quite often, dd rarely needed to go in the buggy.

Wow thanks everyone for thoughts so far. I hadn't thought about naps if we're out all day, though I try to time things so she sleeps in the car as we generally travel to meet family. But then the baby WILL definitely sleep in the pushchair. Argh!

It's really the 'urban' side of life that's making me question if I'd manage without a double, I hate using the sling when in shops and I wouldn't let DD walk loose in the supermarket.

Maybe the thing to do is ditch the current off road chassis (it's heavy) and get a double that would do the same level of work and also be the town wheels until DD doesn't need it 🤔.
DP won't mind a one in, one out manoeuvre but I think he'd be unimpressed with an additional vehicle in the fleet 😂. My single town one will then come back into the mix as DD will be at preschool while second is still small enough to need wheels.

I'd definitely go second hand, I keep the 'town' chassis nice so I've got one socially acceptable one but the offroader and the potentially bodge it together were both good second hand.

Yeah, I think I need a decent secondhand all terrain double just to make life less fiddly 😂 . Out and about nipper maybe?

I have exactly 2 years between my kids. Fitted a buggy board to our single and encouraged my 2 year old to walk. I couldn't lift her in/out of the buggy much when I was pregnant so she was used to it. My thought was if it wasn't working then I'd buy a double. 3 months in we have no plans to get one! 👍

Had (and relied for naps) a double when I had ds's one after another but a different tale adding a dd
.. She walked everywhere way before 2 yo. Never used a double with her and younger ds..

See I've been mulling it over since I posted again and just thought, bugger it, stick the baby in the sling over the winter and decide again in the spring when DD is rising three and little one is 6 months 😂 I definitely need to wait a bit don't I. And maybe research a better sling than the one I've got now as that's what puts me off bending to reach shelves etc.

I got a side by side double buggy - 2 and a bit years between mine. Ds1 was in no way compliant enough to stand nicely on a buggy board and more than once I had to strap him in while he was in full tantrum mode so I could get home with the newborn. I had a c section with ds2 and didn't feel happy wearing a sling until a good couple of months after it, so the buggy was really useful and very well used the first year of ds2's life. If I'd had a 3year gap and/or a more compliant older child I probably wouldn't have bothered with it, but it definitely was worth it for us.

@Ithinkhedidit do you have a stand on or sit on buggy board? I do like the idea of being able to strap them both in for those times when you just need to get on!

I do really appreciate everyone's input here and the range of tactics you've all used makes me feel much better about being in such a muddle!

My DC are only 20 months apart so we did get a double buggy, but I spent most of the time waiting until DS was old enough to walk without. And, a double buggy in a shop was the worst place. I basically ended up avoiding shops.

You just have to accept that everything takes much longer and adjust accordingly. There's very few places that you really need to get to in a hurry with 2 small children.

Just to say i have the single out n about nipper and love it, if i do get a double i will definitely get another out n about.
I would get a wrap, found that so much more secure and less bulky feeling than a carrier/sling. I would put it on before i went out (you can easily wear a wrap without really knowing it's there, just a length of fabric basically, no buckles/clips or anything) then when you get to shop or wherever it's just a case of placing baby in it.

I’d get a really cheap Phil and teds double. It’s not essential but with two small kids there will be moments when you just want to strap them in and get on with stuff. After the first 6m-1yr I’d sell it on and get a buggy board. It’s just really helpful for those initial months when you might be too touched out to wear a sling all the time and too mentally tired to manage the toddler walking/on a buggy board.

What about a mountain buggy duet? You can remove one of the side seats I believe and use it like a single with a side basket

If you’re after a buggy board recommendation then I found the best was a bugaboo (I’m sure all the names have changed in the last few years but I used a frog and a bee at times) and a lascal maxi board. My toddler stood in between the chair and the handle so felt a bit more contained. I bought all of it secondhand so it wasn’t a particularly expensive set up.

I had a reclining side by side buggy. It said from 3 months but I just bought a car seat head cushion and it was fine from 6 weeks or so (used front carrier at first then my parents visited for 2 weeks so didn't need it until then. Graco - bought in USA, very cheap. Once dd2 was older, around a year, they sat one behind the other in the normal single pushchair, both my DD's were petite, still are all grown

There are 18 months between my two. I had a baby jogger city mini that I bought second hand in perfect condition for £150. It was heavy but would go over all terrain although a little tricky to manoeuvre in shops due to size - it just fits through doorways. The seats laid back independently of each other so if one asleep, the other could sit up. I couldn’t have done without it and sometimes, they would both go to sleep in there 😂😂

Once DC2 was a little older we swapped in for a twin umbrella fold Maclaren that was used mostly when out and about it nap time arrived but they were not as often in there at the same time which was probably more when my daughter was 2.5 - 3 ish.

This summer was my last summer of needing one (just my old umbrella fold single for DC2) and no more buggy now! They are 5 and 3.

You might be able to get away with waiting as the age gap is larger - enjoy!

We also had these nifty clip things to attach two buggies together, perfect for holidays when we might only need one most of the time (dd1 preferred shoulder rides) or there were two of us to push, but I might need to be alone with them for a while, the clips (3) were small enough to fit in my pocket

*if nap time