What to buy - newborn and 2 year old

[elle2392]

Just looking for some advice on pushchair/travel system for newborn and toddler. Would people still recommend a buggy for both? My toddler would be 2 years and 4 months old by the time my newborn is here. Just trying to think of what would be most practical.. 🤔
thanks x

It depends a lot on your lifestyle - what kind of area you live in, how much walking you normally do (or will do), and a bit on your older child and how enthusiastic s/he is about walking, or how reliable on a buggy board, which will also change by the time the new baby is here. Lots of people will also advise putting the baby in a sling and the toddler in a pushchair, though I am sceptical about planning to do that, because you don't know how well you'll recover from the birth, especially if you have a section, and how easy you'll find it to use a baby carrier.

I had a slightly larger age gap and did get a double for occasional use, but could have managed just fine without. I don't regret it, as it has come in handy on specific occasions, it was in budget, and I have space to store it. But I didn't need it because we have to drive to nursery, and my older child has always been a pretty good walker.

What buggy do you currently have? We were going to buy a double buggy but ended up not. Baby didn't like the bassinet was was quickly put into a buggy that can recline which is also suitable for the toddler and the baby can go in a sling. The toddler usually walks, stands on the buggy board or else pop underneath as there is enough space. I'm happy we didn't bother investing in something new to be honest.

I preferred a double buggy over a buggy board/walking for that age. I liked to keep my toddler napping rather than them dropping the nap prematurely because they had nowhere to sit down (I got a nice break in the day when I'd have both napping in the buggy), I had more control over the toddler running off, they could snack on the move, I could keep them both dry on rainy walks, there was a big basket for days out, and I liked to see the dcs interacting together when they sat side by side. The cost or storage wasn't an issue for us (and we did get a buggy board for shorter trips where the double was too bulky) so what was most important was having something that met our needs for the specific trip we were making. If you have the money (buy secondhand) and space to store, I'd recommend getting a double and having a buggy board for your existing buggy too.

My age gap was 2 yrs 9 months and I used a double for a year.we did walk everywhere, I didn’t drive.

I have exactly two years between mine. We do a lot of dog walks, so got an out n about double as it lies flat for a newborn. Also don't underestimate how handy it is to be able to have them both contained at 1yo and 3yo when you need to go to the doctor's or dentist or the bank...

My older two are 24m apart. I just kept our buggy and baby used the sling exclusively until about 9/10m. As they got bigger we used the buggy board a bit more.

I walk everywhere as I don’t drive, so we often cover 15km a day and it’s been fine, though I do sort of hate prams so it might not work for everyone! Only regretted not having a double on a couple of occasions where both needed to nap (eldest kept going with a nap for a loooong time) and I had to walk several miles home with a 3.5yo asleep in the pram plus a 1.5yo strapped to me.

Baby 3 arrived recently, 22m after the middle child. So far, we are doing sling + walking or sling + buggy + walking/scooting or sling + buggy + buggy board. Don’t imagine eldest will be interested in the buggy board by the time baby outgrows the sling, so hoping the current setup will see us through the baby stage.

The age gap between mine was 2yr 9m. I was talked out of buying a double on a MN thread (and by DH to be fair) and we just about managed with various combos of sling + buggy board + buggy. But we dont have a car and DD1 was a late walker (19months) so was still very slow when DD2 was born. There have been times when I was on my own with both of them, trying to get to the dentist or hospital appointment or something and the big one was having a tantrum and the small one was needing a nap and DH was at work so no help, and frankly I just wanted to be able to strap them both in and move on with life without the faff of having to put one in the carrier.

What buggy do you have now? Is one that you could add a second seat to? If not, you could look at a cheaper double. There are decent value Joies that you can get from new (just watch the weight limits - some are 22kg per seat and some only 15kg) or FB marketplace often has good deals for 2nd hand Out n About Nippers or Mountain Buggy Duets. If I was having a second baby now, I'd buy an Uppababy Minu Duo but we are city based and that one isn't really designed for country I think.

There was 3 years between my first 2 and 2 and 3.

I originally had a single and intended to just use a buggy board.

soon as nursery runs, trips to local shop or doctors etc came into play. I very quickly brought a double.

I got one that converted between double and single, but it became a god send to get out and about.

I'll have a 2yr 2 month old and newborn shortly and we have bought a double out n about. We already have a single out n about and live fairly rural