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Original poster

double buggies - advice needed please

18 replies

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 12:31

I have a 16 month old and another baby on the way in september. I have been ploughing through info on double buggies online, each sort seems to have downsides. Side-by-side ones seem to wide to fit through doorways, tandems too long. I think the Phil and Ted's E3 buggy with doubles kit seems the best, except it has a storage problem when used as a double, and I'm not sure if the child in the back seat would get bored because he can't see, and kick the front seat.
If this is a good buggy I could do with buying it soon and use it as a single as our current pushchair is a bit rubbish and the raincover has ripped where my dd has pushed her feet out on it.
Has anyone out there got any advice about the Phil&Teds buggy or any alternative ideas. Your help would be gratefully recieved.

OP posts:

MaryBS · 29/03/2006 15:02

I was put off buying the side-by-side one because there was 2 years between my two and the chap in the shop said it would cause balance problems due to the difference in weight between the two. I went with a tandem one and never regretted it. The baby went in the back. Then by the time the 'baby' was old enough to sit up/kick out, I was ready for the single buggy/buggy board.

KBear · 29/03/2006 15:15

I had a tandem - best thing I bought! My advice would be to buy a second hand one and if then if later you think you've made a mistake you can sell it and get another one!

hana · 29/03/2006 15:18

curlygirl - I'm in the same boat, with about the same age gap! I have decided to buy Phil and Teds, I've been warned about the baby being too low and getting bored (or the toddler) but I also have an older one that we'll be walking back and forth to school each day, so I need one that's easy to push and also not too bulky to store in the house - although it will prob just be in the corner of living room when not in use!

Pagan · 29/03/2006 15:21

I had a side by side and the weight balance was noticable (16.5 months between my two). And hard to get in shops.

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 16:33

I have just been to look at the Phil&Ted's in M'care. The front seat seems very high up when the doubles kit is attached to the front of the buggy so that you can put the baby in the pull-down bit at the back. I put my dd in it to try it and her head was nearly touching the canopy. She looked at me as if to say, "get me out of this thing". Now I'm back to square one.

OP posts:

hoxtonchick · 29/03/2006 16:36

i saw a double p&t's today.

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 16:39

Yes, you can get a double side-by-side Phil&Ted's, but with that you still have the problem of getting through doors. MOst of the catalogues state an average door as 90cm, and say that a buggy of 76cm width fits easily threough most doors. In my experience, most doors are considerably narrower than that.

OP posts:

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 16:42

KBear - which tandem did you buy. They all look so big. I have tried pushing them around the store and I can hardly see the front of the buggy because it is so far away. My hubby saw someone with what looked like a maclaren tandem which looked ideal but I can't find one on the web.

OP posts:

KBear · 29/03/2006 16:54

I was lucky enough to get the Mothercare Tandem one the day it went in the half price sale! Lots of people say they are hard to push but I never had a problem and DD was 2.5 when DS was born.

Nothing better than DD asleep in the front, worn out from toddler group and DS asleep in the back, worn out from just being born! Nothing worse than dragging a screaming and tired toddler behind you!

Anyway, mine is in the garage looking for a new home if you're in SE London!

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 16:58

Thanks, but unfortunately I'm in the midlands

OP posts:

Kelly1978 · 29/03/2006 17:01

the jane powertwin is an excellent tandem, so easy to push, and can be used as a travel system for your newborn. I love mine.

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 19:38

I was thinking of getting a jane powertwin, despite the cost, because it looked more practical than most, but I tried it in John Lewis one day and thought it was too big. When you are pushing it it seems to stretch forward for miles.

OP posts:

Seona1973 · 29/03/2006 19:54

What about the Marco sky tandem. It is about the size of a normal single buggy and is umbrella folding. There is also the Cosatto duet lite. I dont have either of them but they look compact and are not too pricey.

\link{http://www.jusonneuk.co.uk/twinpushchairs.htm\Marco Sky/Cosatto Duet Lite and a few others too!!}

Original poster

curlygirl · 29/03/2006 20:16

Thanks seona1973 - a really helpful website. I am considering the marco pushchair, it seems much more practical, it doesn't look very roomy for the babies though so I will need to see one before I buy I think.

OP posts:

sweetkitty · 29/03/2006 20:21

I debated this for months too had countless threads on mumsnet too. Had decided on a Phil and Teds but then went off it, it looked fab for toddler and newborn but didn't like the second seat being so low to the ground. In the end I bought a Mamas and Papas Twin Aria side by side, it fits throught most doorways and is quite light to push, negatives are - I bought 2 cosytoes for it too these are for single arias and don't quite fit the double, they are a pain to put on too. Don't quite like the harness as much as a Maclaren for instance. Also DD1 (whos 20 months and very petite) looks a bit squashed in it and overhangs DD2s half (8 weeks). I think when DD2 is older they will be fighting for space for arms.

Am thinking of a Marco Sky but think I may be too short for it (am 5'4") and the handles are really tall apparently.

Kelly1978 · 30/03/2006 11:52

I bought a cossatto duet lite, v similar to the marco sky, and only used it twice. It looked really uncomfortable and the babies couldn't see out. I've got through no end of double buggies but none are as good as my powertwin. You get used to it really quickly and I can't say that I really notice the length at all now. my only problem is that the dts don't like tandems much now they are older, and so I mostly use an emmaljunga pram, but it is very wide.

Original poster

curlygirl · 30/03/2006 19:28

Kelly1978 - does the powertwin fit in the car ok when folded down?
I thought I had found the perfect buggy today in babiesrus catalogue. It is quite expensive but I thought it would be ideal. The mutsy chassis can take a twin tandem or a single seat. I thought this would be perfect as I could use it as a single through the summer until baby no2 is born, then change the top for a twin seat.Then when no1 doesn't need a buggy anymore I could go back to single. Perfect. Or so I thought. I went to try it and couldn't steer the f'ing thing. It is advertised as innivotive design steering. I couldn't even steer it through the store! Also a complete palaver to collapse down. With two babies?I don't think so. It didn't help that the two teenaged shop assistants hadn't the faintest idea how it worked.

OP posts:

Kelly1978 · 01/04/2006 16:15

What car do you have? We can get it in our fiesta, and the parcel shelf was jsut raised up a bit. Also fits easily in our alhambra. We couldn't get it in our old terrano (v small boot) without taking all the wheels off and sliding it onto the back seat.

I liek the look of that mutsy, shame it so awkward to use.

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