Double pushchairs, side by side or tandem? help?

[Marne]

Cant make my mind up what to get, which is best for a toddler and newborn?
Can anybody find my perfect pushchair, i dont want to spend more than £120 as i wont be using it for very long also cant afford to spend more than £120 so that rules out phil&teds and jane.

check ebay for mothercare urband detour doubles. fab side by side ones, and can get through most doorways.

How old will your toddler be when the new baby is born?

My ds was 33months so admitedly nearly out of pushchairs by the time dd was born - I carried dd everywhere in a sling for four months - then dd got the pushchair and ds walked or used buggyboard.

Doesnt work for everyone but was great for us.

HTH

Jess is 17 months (28lbs though) and becky is 10 weeks.

Ive got a M&P Twin Aria side by side - FAN BLOODY TASTIC buggy.... so light and easy to steer.

They are very similar to the Mothercare Duolite's and although i got mine second hand, they are selling for around your budget x HTH

Marne how old will yr toddler be?
I think doubles are a PITA and avoided one with a 2yr then a 22mo gap.
Like busybusybee, used a sling and then buggyboard for mine.
Mind you, even I would have had a double with yr age gap JARM!

DD will be 25 months. I like the look of the maclaren ralley twin but i dont know anyone that has one. I like the look of the m&p twin area and the urban detour. Theres just too many to chose from.

OOh 25 mo I certainly wouldn't bother. A good sling (I love the Babybjorn) will set you back £50 or less if second hand.
Unless you have major back probs you should be able to carry newborn till at least 4mo, by which time dd will be two and a half. My 2.6 yr old walks everywhere (no buggyboard option for him, alas, as he is the last baby lol)
Once you can no longer carry the baby, switch to buggy and buggyboard, £40 or cheaper 2nd hand.
Also main advantage of this option is that it's much easier than the awkward double that won't go in the car/through shop doorways/etc. Not to mention the advantages (to the baby) of carrying a baby.
Hah! sermon over.

I had a tandem and it was a godsend. My dd was 2.5 when DS was born. She liked walking but often she was tired after toddler group, or I needed to walk longer distances to the shop etc and it would have been hard work to make her walk there and back and hold her hand and carry shopping and push the pram so.... bought a tandem in the sale, kids on board all tucked up warm, shopping underneath, walked for miles and loved it. I didn't have the car in the day though so walked more than some people would. Depends on your lifestyle really but my tandem was great and easy to push.

Thanks Clary, good idea but at the moment dd has a phobia of walking outside, soon as her feet hit the ground she freezes. She walks and runs fine indoors.

Oh Marne I shd have added that special circs might make my idea a non-starer. Like yr dd not wanting to walk!
How old is she now? Has she been walking a longtime or is the whole outdoors thing a bit new anyway?

She's 23 months, she's been walking since 14 months but for some reason she hates walking outside, she has started to shuffle along slowly, soon as she's indoors she's running around fine.

Depends on your lifestyle I reckon - I had ds1 and ds2 25 months apart and managed without - either used two buggies (with two adults!) or made ds1 walk... but then I was working and used a car a lot. When I had dd, ds2 was 22months and my car was written off. Subsequently I had to walk everywhere so I bought a second hand side by side which was great and not that much wider than a big pushchair. IME tandems are a nightmare, the heavier child is at the front (baby can't see anything much) and they are difficult to get up and down kerbs. Side by side they entertain each other brilliantly.

I've have been debating this for the past 9 months. DD is 17 1/2 mo and am due in 6 days!

Was all set for a Phil and Teds but recently went off them as I don't think it will be that comfy for a 6 mo being unable to recline flat to sleep. Also heard some stories on here that put me off.

Other one I like is a M&P Twin Aria but worried about the door thing etc. Also why are the cosy toes/footmuffs so expensive, by the time I buy the pram, 2 footmuffs (I will need them live in Scotland) and the raincover it will be £290! Wonder if you can buy some cheaper footmuffs from Mothercare and use them?

I use the car a lot so will use a sling for DD2 for a while but DD1 is too mad to walk nice outside so needs to be contained!

i found in side by side my 18mth mindee spends his time hitting ds2 10mths on the head!

i prefer a tandom although it is heavy to push and get up kerbs.

i really dislike the maclaren, both boys hate it in there and look really cramped and uncomfortable.

Mine was a mamas and papas and there was no way I would pay for their accessories! (luckily it came with a double raincover) I used the hood and footmuff off my bebe confort for dd and bought another cheap one for ds2, any one will fit - baby will need more protection (I do like hoods) than toddler.

Look at second hand ones - it's a big expense and the older child may end up walking more than you think.

Message withdrawn

I've got a nipper and its the best pushchair i have ever had, its light, really easy to push, fits through a standard door, seats are wide, lies to almost flat. Its absolutly fab. Would have to look for second hand one though as quite expensive new. Bought mine on ebay for about £140 i think.