18 month gap between kids - what should I get?

[nestinginnl]

I'm hoping I can get some suggestions, I really have no idea where to begin with what to buy.

I have a 10 month old but I have no idea about prams, the only one I own is a travel stroller for when my MIL visits and he hates it. I live a very active life and most of our time outside is walking the dogs on the heath, so it never made sense to own a pram. I and/or my husband have carried him every day since 1 week old and we were content to keep doing so until he was walking well.

But I'm now pregnant with number 2 and there will only be an 18 month gap. Although he's looking like he's close to walking he's not going to be able to do much of it.

Our daily life - lots of rural walking, and day trips into cities. We live in the Netherlands so cities and streets are small and crowded. I'd really like to avoid a big double stroller.

I'd like something convertible that will work for both a small baby and a toddler. I don't know if this even exists as a single model?

Bonus if it can handle a bit of terrain.

I'm torn between something light and easy and something that's more of a workhorse.

Needs:
Can do newborn and toddler either because it has two seats or the seat is easily convertible
Reasonably light
Slim
Can handle at least grass in a park

Would be nice:
Can do rough ground
Can fit in and out of shops
If it's a double can convert to one seat only

Things I don't need:
We online shop, I don't need it to lug shopping around.

Money no object.

Current thoughts:

Uppababy vista?
Bugaboo Bee
Bugaboo donkey I think is just too big
Annnnnd... No idea

Sorry for the huge brain dump. I'm hoping someone has pointers!

The icandy peach stacks vertically in double mode so is still the same width as a single. We haven’t used as a double as got the buggy board so that could be an option (we have a two year gap)? It’s definitely a workhorse and is great off road. Once the baby is out of the carrycot (5/6months ish) the normal pushchair seat is pretty generous- our average sized three year old can still fit in comfortably on a long day out and we just sling the 9mo.

Wouldnt you carry the new baby in a sling for many months like your oldest? In that case you just need a single pushchair for DC1 and I would suggest a jogger style one as they are very good on rough ground.

@SeaToSki I would carry the young one on dog walks for sure but on full days, or going to playgroups and activities etc I'd like somewhere I can safely put the baby down so I have my arms free to run after the toddler

@MOR19 I think I have a friend with that one, I watched his 4 year old curl up and take a nap in the bottom bit. I have to admit though it seemed SO heavy and awkward to me (before I knew I was pregnant again). But maybe that's just something I need to suck up whatever I get.

It’s not the lightest but two kids in I’ve mastered dismantling and putting in the car boot one handed. We’ve got a lighter silver cross one too but it’s useless on anything other than tarmac which is the trade off I guess (the icandy has been great on any surface even when pushing one handed)

Babyjogger citymini - super easy to fold, goes over rough ground easily, very manoeuvreable. I never had any trouble getting it up steps, on buses or around shops and I live in an upstairs flat in London with no car. You can get a carry cot attachment for your baby.

You could put your oldest in a sling and put the youngest in the pushchair - I carried DS in a Manduca carrier off and on until he was 4, and I’m a small woman. DS basically wanted to walk everywhere once he turned 2, so you might not need both for long. We used our carrier mostly for hikes and when we were out for the whole day.

The other thing to look at is a buggy board so your oldest can hop on and off as and when he gets tired.

Or use a sling for your youngest and a Micro scooter for your oldest - DS is happy to stand on it and get pulled along by us when he is tired, and it is much easier to transport than a buggy. Your oldest might need to be a little older - maybe 2.5 or 3, but that will come around faster than you think.

Mountain buggy duet - handles all terrain, takes a carrycot, and one of the narrowest out there.

Bugaboo Donkey is so big and heavy and I found it really difficult to fold. Ours was really stiff. Was fine as a single but weighed a ton as a double

What about a babyzen yo-yo? Lightweight and you can stack two of them. They have newborn options too.

@Changechangychange carrying the older one and putting him on a balance bike is definitely a plan (especially as we live in NL where kids can ride bikes before they can run pretty much) but it's the first 6 months when he's still under two and less mobile I'm concerned about. I remember finding birth so rough on my body and struggling to carry even a tiny baby at 3 months postpartum, unlike now where I can carry him all day and a bag of stuff. I need to be able to leave the house with both of them for the whole day or I'll lose my sanity 😣

@Snowflakes1122 I haven't heard of that one! I just checked the dimensions and it would fit in our tiny hall, I'll look into it. Thanks!

@MOR19 you're selling it to me, I'll do some more research and keep it as a strong contender

I had a baby jogger city mini. Used that and a sling for my two (20 month gap). There is a carrycot insert but I just kept newborn baby in the sling for the first few weeks then put a sheepskin in and reclined it flat when using for the baby. Upright for the toddler. It’s light, foldable and good over grass.

Another vote for Mountain Buggy Duet here.

But it was a toss up between this and the Out n About Nipper which is also quite narrow, easy to push and copes with rough terrain.

@Lockdownmummy I liked the look of the out about but it's only 1cm smaller than the width of our hallway 😬 we had hall storage put in which seemed a great idea at the time (hides the mess!) but it's now very limiting with choice of stroller.

@nestinginnl oh yes would be a right fit!

There hasn't been anywhere I've not fit the MB through - doorways/round the corner shop and on public transport

*tight

@Lockdownmummy it's 63cms and our hallway is 73... and a tight turn into the living room. I need to find someone with one who can bring it over and check how it handles.

The mountain buggy is popular due to width.
Air tyres though (I hate having another thing to think about).

@CottonSock true! I did buy the aerotech wheels for that reason.... didn't fancy having to sort a puncture

They are SO awful on uneven ground though - we hired one for a city break once (Stockholm) and I only used it in the airport - wouldn’t go over cobbles, gravel or grass.

Mountain buggy duet. Narrow enough for shops and pavements, but anything with smaller wheels won’t cover any type of terrain. You can convert to a single with side basket and add buggy board once eldest is older.

We have the mountain buggy swift which is the single version, and it copes well through woods, mountains, and snow. But small enough to go in car.

The babyzen yo-yo we have also for travel gets stuck even on random curbs and can’t cope at all over grass or fields. It’s really just for in town.

my Ds is now 2. I still use Toddler sling a lot, and he’s been walking ages, but I wouldn’t want to not have the option for pram for long days, naps when it’s hot or if I just need to get something done.

how about keep carrying him but putting the new baby in a pram

Also suggest the Phil and teds range

The sport or new sport verso with double kits. Both can be used in various combos, decent off road, used as single and narrow

eu.philandteds.com/products/sport-verso-with-double-kit

Ah hadn’t appreciated you wanted something a bit more all terrain. How about an OutnAbout double? It’s a bit wider but will cover all eventualities.