Double buggy - recommendations please?

[LucieB]

There is going to be an 18 month gap between my two and I am starting to think about whether I will need a double buggy. Please tell me what you would recommend? I already have a 3 wheeler which has a carrycot etc but I don't think my ds will want to be deposed and put onto a buggy board at 18 months! Any advice would be very gratefully received. Apologies for starting yet another double buggy thread!!!

whats your budget?

DON'T GET A TANDEM !!!!

Have been recommended the Emmaljunga pram that has the toddler seat and also the mountain buggy. Want something thats not too unwieldy to take out and about and that fits into the boot of a golf!
Budget - I know that the MB is pricey so ideally would like to find a second hand one if I go for one of those. Otherwise, can spend up to about £350 I guess (although prefer it to be less of course!)

Hmm, I've never used one but I would guess that Emmaljunga one might be a bit tough to manouvre around town due to it's fixed wheels (bouncy pram type).

The bestest bestest best BEST double buggy (and I can't stress this enough) is the Kiwi Explorer. Check out www.babybuggy.co.nz for what it looks like. It is neither a tandem or a side by side, more like a double decker. It is as long as a 3 wheeler, has a swivel wheel and is very light and easy to manouever. It collapses down to fit in the back of our VW Polo which has a tiny boot.

I absolutely love it (you never would have guessed, would you?) and am always being stopped by other parents and asked about it.

We had to order it from New Zealand as there are no stockists in the UK, though that may have changed (got it about 8 months ago). Check out a previous thread in Products 'double buggy or tandem' (I think) and you will find links to other NZ websites stocking the buggy and possibly selling it cheaper. The one I got ours from was www.winkalotts.co.nz and I found them very helpful. When we got ours it was about £280 including p&p from NZ, but we had to pay an additional £70 odd in VAT. Some people have avoided this by getting the company to write GIFT in big letters all over it (VAT is then about £25 I think) but winkalotts forgot to.

An added advantage to the Explorer is that it can go back to being just one buggy just as easily as a double, and there is a newborn attachment with a flat bottom for when your 2nd is still tiny. I got ours soon after I found I was pregnant with No 2 and chucked out our other 3 wheeler. When dd1 is wanting to walk (probably when she is five), I will convert it back to a single. This means we will use it for at least four years, probably six, so in the long term it is well worth the money. The first Explorer I saw (which prompted me to ask where it came from and how I could get one) was second hand and the two children using it look about six and four now, which shows me that Explorers are very hard wearing.

Have I sold it to you???

We got a side by side Mothercare one - Duolite, £140. The reason I like it is because a) it is very lightweight and b) it's not too wide

Mothercare urban detour has been fab for my two. Very light and easy to move - gets through most doorways and is comfortable for the baby and toddler.

Thanks everyone.
Cha - my only reticence with the Kiwi explorer is that I am not sure that no 2 will like staring at the back of ds's seat the whole time. Thats why I am veering towards a double (side by side) at the moment. But if you can persuade me otherwise, that would be great as the Kiwi is cheaper than the MB new!
Anyone have any comments on the MB double?

LucieB - I was quite tempted by the Explorer and thought it sounds ideal for 2 different aged children. To be honest though, I (and DH) want to be able to show off D? and not have him/her hidden away (hands up those who don't peek into prams with new babies).

I was also concerned about the fact that he/she would be quite close to the ground (fumes, etc.) and further away from my (over protective) grasp.

It really does seem very practical but how do you push and gaze?

anyone got any thoughts on the Instep double?

Gem13: I have a double buggy which is also a travel system; infant sits in back, facing you, good for making them feel close to you, is that what you want? It's a Graco tandem model.

LucieB: Don't know about the models you're discussing, but the Graco buggies come with the back child sitting higher so they can see better. Also, on my tandem, the back seat is more comfy so my older child preferred it . So even though you are supposed to only put heavier child in front, I put the baby in front from 8 months old so she could see better and the older child could stretch out in the rear, comfy seat. By 8 months old the baby was heavy enough to make that practical. Heck, half the time my older child preferred riding/sleeping in the shopping basket, anyway. [Yes, we get many strange looks].

Got to second Cha's recommendation of the kiwi. It is the GREATEST double buggy ever. I'm still using it in the toddler/newborn position (dd is 3mths, ds 2yrs) - when you push it you get a brilliant view of the baby (she stares straight up at me) and I reckon that more people have ooooohed and aaahhhed over dd BECAUSE of the buggy - once they realise you've got a baby in the back they go bananas!! At first it does seem like the baby is quite low down but the newborn bit is very cosy and you quickly get used to the design. I havent yet used it in the two toddler position but I did assemble it just for a look and there is actually quite a good side view from the back seat - I've read on the other thread that the back seat is actually the most popular seat!

I don't drive so don't know about fitting in cars but the kiwi is so easy to use and I think it is great value for money. I wouldn't be without it - you'd have to kill me before I parted with it.

I bought a third hand Graco side by side one last year. It cost £35 out of the local paper and was ideal as it was narrow enough to fit through nearly all doorways and was cheap enough for me not to worry about it getting scratched or anything. DS1 could sit up and see all round, and DS2 could lie flat and get some kip.
It went in the boot of a Fiesta once but we did have to take the parcel shelf out and stand it on its side. Went in Escort and Focus boots no probs.
I wouldn't bother buying one new unless you're planning on having 10 children they're in use for such a short time, and you can get cheap, good quality ones second hand. When DS1 finally decided to walk to AND back from the shops I sold it on and got the same as I paid for it as the second hand market is so strong for these.

zebra - thanks for that. I have a double Mountain Buggy bought in readiness for D?'s arrival. It's just I am buggy obsessed and continually wondering about the next best thing.

Explorer owners are a bit like the washable nappy brigade (DS is in washable nappies but not an explorer)

Well said, Zippy! I have mine on the two siblings setting now as ds2 (now aged 7 weeks) is such a bruiser, his legs were all doubled up in the newborn bit. I have just padded it out with a cushion and some blankets so his back and neck (already very strong) are a bit more supported. The only problem I had with the newborn bit (apart from it being a bit small for my enormous offspring) was that when I dropped off my dd at nursery and then took the dog and new baby for a walk in the park, everyone thought I was pushing round an empty buggy! Felt like getting a laminated sign saying 'baby round the back'.
Washable nappies? Nah. Far too lazy, me.

I'm in the two toddler position on the Kiwi Explorer - agree, great, very manouverable and you get to blow the tyres up at the petrol station which DS1 loves.

However, i do find it nigh on impossible to get DS2 out of the back if he is asleep with our disturbing him. But saying that he seems to be perfectly happy with the view and is always checking out what is going on around him.

anyone any info on width size of seats on any sort of double buggy???my dd will be 3.5years when ds? arrives but she has cp and can't walk unaided-she's also quite big for her age......any ideas suggestions welcome as plan is ds? will live in one of them baby carriers until he's too big when we are out but saying that i'm only small so that won't be too long

Chatee - sorry just seen your message. DH is putting ds into bed in the room where our buggy is parked so once he's off, I'll sneak in and take some measurements from the kiwi.

Chatee - here are the measurements for the front seat of the kiwi, which is where your dd would be sitting. I'm afraid they aren't very scientific - you could probably get proper specs on Phil and Teds sie - www.philandteds.com.
All of the measurements I've taken are of the actual space which your dd would have ie from inside edge to inside edge NOT outside edge to outside edge. Ummm - I think this is going to be clear as mud but here goes...

The narrowest point of the buggy is the front where your dd's thighs/knees would be - this measures 10 inches.

The 'seat' of the buggy is 11 inches wide.

The bit where her upper back and shoulders would be is 13 inches wide.

The vertical measurement from the 'seat' of the buggy to where the hood starts is 23inches.

On the buggy bumph it says that the kiwi double is intended for children up to 4 years or 35kgs/70lbs - at least that is official party line - I'm sure others could tell you whether they have exceeded this limit safely!

Good luck in finding the right buggy!

have seen the kiwi explorer on the website for Daisy and Tom (baby emporium in london) www.daisyandtom.co (or was it co.uk?) but when I rang they were still waiting for a delivery. Buggy was £299 and second seat £59.

It's also being stocked by www.practicalpushchairs.co.uk - about the same price for the buggy and a few pounds less for the stroller.

I e-mailed them last week for more info and haven't even had an acknowledgement from them which makes them look a bit sloppy!

Also, according to Phil & Ted, they'll be updating their website in the next couple of weeks to detail UK stockists so it sounds like there might be a couple more.

Oops ... I meant the same price as Daisy and Tom for the buggy and a few pounds less than D&T for hte doubles kit!

I've got a Maclaren double buggy - the more expensive one, can't remember what it's called. I wanted something light and narrow as we live in London and don't do much trekking o'er the moors, more pounding the pavement and trying to squeeze thru the newsagent's door. It is very good for the baby as it reclines almost flat and is narrow and snug. I have a sheepskin on the baby's seat and the footmuff on and it's very cosy. She will happily go to sleep in there or continue to sleep if she's fallen asleep outside somewhere (she's now 7 months). It is quite narrow for my above-average sized 3-yr old but she's quite happy in it because she's next to her sister. Also she tends to get out and walk quite often, but likes to have the pushchair there if she gets tired. I would definitely recommend it - it's been a very good buy and folds up very small.

A friend has the M&P double aria. She says it's wider so better for the toddler but not so cosy & secure for a small baby - doesn't go flat and the seats are hard & cardboardy. She didn't put her ds2 in there till he was 6 months as she didn't find it supportive enough. She loves it now he's a bit bigger & can sit up straight.

And another friend has a double Mountain Buggy, which cost a small fortune. It's very big, heavy and cumbersome but if I needed a double 3-wheeler I'd definitely pick this one. It's very smooth and very spacious for the kids and has a big basket underneath. You need a wide hall and plenty of space for it to live, though.

Hope this is helpful.

Kiwi explorer on sale on Ebay here if anyone is interested.

I think I am definitely going to order a Mountain Buggy double urban. Has anyone got anything to report on it good or bad, except that it seems to be very pricey!!!