oh dear. I don't like my double buggy

[blondiep14]

I got the Nipper 360 as I didn't fancy the P&T putting the baby in the underneath seat. Probably best as DS2 is an absolute whopper!
The Nipper is ok once up but it's bulky, heavy and cumbersome to put up and put in the car (Astra estate). I don't drive and there's no way I'd be able to collapse it on buses etc. It also doesn't fit thru my front door.
What can I do? Would I find these problems with all doubles? Have thought of ebaying the Nipper and getting something else, maybe a Maclaren double. What do people think? DS1 is 2yrs, DS2 3 months.

no one does like doubles do they?

sorry, that wasn't at all helpful - didn't mean it to come across like that.

What about slinging the baby and having the 2yo in the buggy. And let the 2yo walk at times and then put the baby in the buggy.

It would limit the amount of time that you have to use the double. But I don't think you could do without it entirely.

no probs Squirrels, I think you're right and I'm going to have to lump it. Have done sling & walk or sling & Maclaren options but DS2 is too heavy to wear for very long and as I don't drive I often do quite long walks

the maclaren twin techno double is wider 78cm. i hated mine, the seats are small and the ride is terrible with the little wheels and i couldnt get anything in the basket. the airbuggy (14.8kg) and mountain buggy (18kg) are narrower 73/74cms but i think they are heavier than your nipper i have just ordered the baby jogger city select which looks fab. i have twins so i am stuck with a double for ages.

what about a single plus some kind of baby carrying device/sling/carier etc.

I'd have gone with the P&T though I think as the doors thing would really bother me!

I don't mind carrying short trips but if say I go to the park it's a. too far and b. a bit restricting when I need to help DS1 climb the slide etc!
I don't think DS2 would go in the bottom of a P&T either tbh, he's awfully chunky!

ive spent all day looking for double buggy and came up with a few options: first wheels city twin, look nice and have options on how children are facing and seats are a good size for 2yr old,

Or a buggy board on single pram/buggy and always take a carryier with you just in case 2yr old gets too tired to stand or sit on board (or just wont)!

tried a tandam today and dont think much of it and the icandy is very unsteady and clumsy, have u thought of a tandum?

hope this helps

I have a P&T sport and I love it. DS1 is nearly 3 and hops in and out of the front. I have recently moved DS2 (4.5mths) to the reclined bottom seat, he is well cushioned with a padded snow suit on, or blankets and the head hugger from my maxicosi car seat and he's v cosy in there. I only moved him out of the cocoon as he was getting more alert and couldn't see much from the cocoon.

I really recommend the P&T as its so adaptable. Ds1 will hopefully rely on the buggy less and less at which point it will revert back to a single buggy. I also have a small house and can't have a buggy that takes up too much space and its good on that front as well.

Can you try a P&T out? I really do think you'll like it if you try it!

I also keep a maclaren with a buggy board in the boot of the car which I use if I am out and about, which works pretty well. I wouldn't want to rely on that for all of the time though as ds1 sometimes gets a bit tired and wants a sit down.

I keep a sling in the bottom of the buggy as well, to cover all bases!

When we thought we were going to have a 3rd child I was considering one of these because it looks fairly compact and seems so adaptable.

A Baby Jogger City Mini double might also suit you better than the one you have, although I'm not sure how wide it is. It would definitely be easy to fold though as it's the same fold mechanism as my single BJCM which is effortless to fold.

According to the Baby Jogger website the double City Mini is just under 30 inches, so ought to be ok to go through a door.

Would you be able to manage with a single pushchair and something like this? Your 2 yr old could sit on it, and would only need to go in the pushchair if he needed to nap, and then you could carry your DS2 in a sling.

I've got the city mini double and bought it because it was meant to be narrower than the nipper but it wouldn't fit through our front door! It's wider than they say. I can check for you next time I've got mine out if you're thinking about it. It's a doddle to fold up. But still on a bus you might struggle with any double (have never done it). City mini way easier than the p&t sport which I just got rid of (hideous horrible thing, horrible to push, ghastly to fold urgh). In fact the sport weighs more than the nipper I'm fairly sure.
You do honestly get used to having a double in time, I hated hated hated it for a few months but doesn't bother me now (luckily as I have twins like mel - hi mel!).
I'd stick with a double for home & maybe a single & buggy board for car/bus. You've probably got a year of the double & the nipper is a good one really, easier to push than the city mini once they both get bigger.

Sell it and get something else; maybe a Mountain Buggy double? I believe they are fairly narrow.

MBs are fab generally and often available on ebay, and so very tough and sturdy (or at least they traditionally have been, jury's still out on new models I think, as they have changed the manufacturing setup) that they are usually safe to buy second-hand without massive risk of disappointment.

MB is narrower but it weighs considerably more than nipper, even more awkward to lift I would have thought. Fab though.

several stockists have stopped selling the new MB because of the quality (NOW OWNED BY P&T AND MADE IN CHINA) so i would recommend and older one 2005+ MB urban models have single hood, adjustable handle 2008/2009 also have black bits on the sides of the footplate. there have been some fab bargains on e-bay this week.
also HI AQ!!

TBH measure your door and if the MB is still too big, i would stay with your nipper, they have fab reviews and its lightweight for a double buggy. when you oldest is ready get a nice single with a kid-sit type of board. it will not be long. my MB double urban fits in both my front door and the play lounge door where it lives up, ready for action. the second door is 73.8cm but the MB is supposed to be 74cm?

That's interesting, Mel. Do you know when the changeover took place?
I have an Urban Elite and got it in 2008, but the brake played up no end, so managed eventually to get the chassis swapped for an ordinary Urban (jungle) one last autumn, and the brake on that is perfect.
I spoke to one other person (via ebay) who had issues with the brake jamming, on the elite, but they said they just got down on their knees and did it manually! I didn't fancy that myself.
But anyway, the replacement chassis is lovely so I can't complain, and the elite fabrics are really nice.

That's interesting, Mel. Do you know when the changeover took place?
I have an Urban Elite and got it in 2008, but the brake played up no end, so managed eventually to get the chassis swapped for an ordinary Urban (jungle) one last autumn, and the brake on that is perfect.
I spoke to one other person (via ebay) who had issues with the brake jamming, on the elite, but they said they just got down on their knees and did it manually! I didn't fancy that myself.
But anyway, the replacement chassis is lovely so I can't complain, and the elite fabrics are really nice.

OR you could get an ABC single everest with a toddler seat, they are fantastic and you would get that on a bus no probs!!! i had one for my older two, it was great. hard to get hold of but go for around £250ish on e-bay or a fortune if you import one.

sorry, got the $$$ message first time

I bought an old model twin mountain buggy on ebay and I love it. It is really easy to push and steers like a dream, even when I have completely overloaded it.....

I've got a Mountain buggy double urban and can honestly say that to push it beats a lot of singles. I love it and would really recommend it (so comforable for my 2). But if you are finding the nipper bulky and cumbersome then I really don't think the Mountain Buggy is for you.

The Nipper is one of the doubles that always comes top in reviews. I couldn't decide between that and the MB but went for the MB in the end because it is slightly narrower. I wholeheartedly agree with another poster who said that you get used to a double. I hated pushing my double at first because it seemed to massive. But now I have gotten used to it. So my advice would be that unless the fact that not being able to fit through your front door is a reall big issue to you (because other pushchairs are narrower) then I would stick with it for a while longer. Because I am really not all that sure that anything is going to be much better. If I was buying again though I would be sure to look at the Baby Jogger City Mini.

MB went into administration and was bought out by p&t just over a year ago. the new made in china version has just come out and has two hoods, it is supposed to be slightly narrower. not that i am a buggy geek or anything . it was a sad day when i heard as i knew p&t would reduce the quality as they have over the years with their own buggies. i had two urban elites and i loved them. i now have a 2008 urban double and its such good quality. i liked the idea of the babyjogger city mini but it is a budget buggy and the wheels looked like they were taken from a childs toy buggy. i think the air buggy is much better with smaller airtyres.

anyway when i am pushing my MB around i always think to myself its no wider than a standard wheelchair and most places have to cater for a wheelchair now. the MB double is only 6cm wider than the single.

Thanks all, very helpful.
Pushing it I love, it's on a par with the Maclaren for ease. It's just in some local shops I can't get in the door!
The main problem is the folding and moving I think - DP hates putting it in the car and we have a BIG boot! I am going to try out the P&T somewhere when DS2 is big enough to sit (is it 6m? can't remember!) but if I don't like it then I'll stick with this. We're getting a wider gate so I'll be able to wheel it round the back which will be better.

I do like the idea of tandems, but haven't seen one with good reviews other than the P&T that doesn't require us to remortgage!