double buggy or tandem

[susanita]

Hi
I'm expecting nr2 in May when my son will be just over 2 years old. I doubt he'll be able to walk for long periods of time so I'm considering buying a cheapish double buggy or tandem.
I've heard that tandems can be a problem because the heavy child sits in the front and this can make it difficult to go up & down kerbs etc. I'm concerned about a double buggy 'cos of the width and being able to get through doors (and whether my 2 year old will fit nicely in the seat).
Does anyone have experience of one/either/both or could anyone recommend either double buggy or tandem. I know that there are reviews on the site but it's just confused me more.
Thanks

Cha

Not impressed then - I agree the newborn bit is an acquired taste and some people won't like it.

However, the front wheel should not drop out of swivel mode. I had the same problem and then realised that all I had to do was just turn the knob so that the metal spike was not over the hole. You probably have done this but I only realised that was a problem after a day or two.

I agree the instruction book is s**te, it took me ages to sort out.

Hopefully, you will start to like it - it certainly took me a few days to warm to it and now both my DS and I love it.

Kaz33

Can recommend the Kingswood tandem pram. Now ds has arrived, have "road tested it" with both children and it is very light and easy to steer, a little bit on the heavy side to put in the car but other than that can thoroughly recommend it. Good price too, £149.00 which includes apron for the front seat, raincover and changing bag

As Kaz33 said the wheel is prob falling out as the retaining push button has not engaged properly. If you remove the black cap from the top of the wheel holder and look inside you should see the top of the wheel post and the push button. If not you need to fiddle with it untill the button pops out. Basicaly the same thing as hold the back wheel on. Hope you can figure it out with out having to wait for a new one.

It's worth noteing that the web site has online clips that shows you how to do the different things. I found the instructions confusing at first glance, but when I broke it down sentence by sentence it did not take me more than an hour.

Also as Kaz33 said it does take a few days to get used to, but now I think it's fantastic. Dh took it up the South Downs at the week end. Before he went he thought taking a pushchair was a bad idea, once back he sang it's praises! We previously had a Bebecar radier AT so I am also missing the size of my old massive shoping basket, however the clips for the bacpac hold shopping bags very well indeed!!

Hope you like it soon.

I will get dp to look at your 2 (willum & Kaz's) advice re wheel - I am not very good at 'seeing' what is wrong from written instructions. Thanks. I did email the people and they wrote back saying it was a faulty nib and they are posting one to us as we speak. Let's hope there's no more VAT to pay....
Having had an initial moan (did, after all, miss my fave night of TV) I think the buggy is fab. We just have it set up for the one kid and it is a dream around the park. I used to puff up and down hills pushing the Quinny tank, now it's much easier. DD loves it too, especially as she is higher up now too. I agree about the seat back being not quite upright enough - did try with a small cushion one day but dd looked uncomfortable. I don't think she really minds actually, being a very laid back child. The only problem so far is not really the buggy's fault. My dd had only just learned to climb into the old buggy and tried this the other day with the Kiwi in the park. Because it is so much lighter, it fell over and she went flying. No harm done, apart from the shock, don't think she'll be trying that again! This weekend we will see if it'll fit in the back of our Polo - tiny weeny boot - if it does, we are well and truly sold!

Glad to hear that things are coming good Cha.

I bought a special "boudoir" pillow which gives DS the support to sit up properly.

Good luck with the Polo.

Good to hear more feedback - I've just got another 2/3 weeks before I can let loose all my suppressed shopping desires! I am fairly well decided that I will get an explorer - might wait to hear your verdict on the newborn attachment once cargo is on board - but not too put off so far as I can imagine it will appeal to me (I've never had a proper big pram or pushchair to 'miss' anyway). I quite like the idea of having a pushchair no-one will have heard of (and I live miles from London so not even any danger of bumping into fellow mumsnetter users!)

What is a 'boudoir' pillow though?

Number two is due 03/01/04, so now able to have a practice with the newborn part without tempting fate of falling to concieve!.

Congratulations willum! (sorry, penny hadn't dropped that you weren't already expecting number two!) Hope you aren't feeling too bad.

Thank you. We got the kiwi so early as it was the last of the pale blue

Congrulations Willum.

A boudoir pillow is just a small pillow really, no idea why they call them that.

My mum got me a mothers day present - a little pillow which says "A mothers place is in the wrong" - so he is now propped up by that !!

Thank you.

DS has never seemed botherd about the angle of the back, untill I made the mistake of proping him up when we where out for lunch, now he keeps trying to pull him self up. Woops!! To get round it I've tightend the crotch strap as tight as possible, to keep his bum at the back of the seat and thus him more upright

hey, caught sight of my first kiwi explorer 'in the flesh'....about 9.30 near clifton down station in Bristol (have I stumbled on another mumsnet HQ??) will anyone own up to being there??

Not me, I know there is a "kiwi explorer" set for two toddlers which is normally in the Princess Diana memorial playground, Hyde Park.

Any takers ?

Elliott, no way! I was there yesterday (Starbucks caffeine shot) and this morning (Boots prescriptions) but saw nothing. Am going to stake it out now, although that said I seem to be there a lot anyway. Did you speak to the owner, were they happy with it? Would love to see one before sending a lot of hard-earned to the Antipodes.

I know it's still quite a distance from Bristol but, if your interested in having a play with one and are up for a trip to Swindon I will be there visiting at the weekend.

We had it at a wedding in Reading last weekend and even though ds is 16 months, we put the newborn wings in so he could sleep flat in the evening and it worked really well with him sleeping from 8pm till we left at midnight!.

Thanks very much for the offer willum - though unfortunately I actually live about as far from Bristol as its possible to get and still be in England! I was just down there for work the other week.
Glad to hear that the explorer is working well for you- suppose I should get on and order mine now (13 weeks today!! ) How are you feeling?

Willum, if your kind offer extended to us too - sorry we've got to go to Lancashire at the weekend to visit mil. Curses. I'll continue staring closely at every buggy in Clifton until I find the elusive Bristol Explorer. Your wedding experience sounds great.

Bear - just read your other post where you say you're 'about to get' the kiwi explorer - when are you planning to order, and who from?
I guess I could order mine now but tbh feeling a bit nervous about parting with all that cash for something being shipped from NZ....
Are there any mums and babes networks in Bristol/Clifton you could use to track down the elusive Bristol explorer? - how about NCT??

Another thought - planning to be in London (based in Brixton) weekend of 21/22 June if any of you city people fancy letting me have a test drive...

Elliott, I'm breaking cover - I saw the Bristol Explorer on Whiteladies Road this morning - jumped off the bus and ran back to accost its owner (if she's a M'netter she knows who I am - thanks for your time) who couldn't praise it highly enough.

She ordered hers directly from NZ via the website and reckons she spent close on £400 all in. But she did sell her previous buggy to part-fund it. However it has more than paid off for her and her dss. She says the newborn bit is brilliant.

The whole thing looked great to me - the coolest buggy on the block. I didn't get her name or whereabouts, sorry, we only spoke for a couple of minutes. Given she was grabbed coming out of an estate agents, she was very helpful. I'm sure if we come across each other she'll leg it across the road to avoid me, but at least I've seen one now.

I'm either going down the website route or asking a friend in Sydney to buy one and its accessories for us and post it over, if that works out cheaper (and doesn't ruin our friendship). When we get ours, you're welcome to come have a look. HTH

Bear

That's amazing - bet you saw her in just about exactly the same place I did!! As I said earlier, not anywhere near where I live unfortunately (I was in Bristol for work that week) but thanks for the offer. Did you explain that she'd been spotted before??
Ah, the wonders of the internet...

Elliott - i'm based in Earls Court, you are welcome to come round. Get my e mail address from Tech.

I should be able to demonstrate the newborn bit by then as well !!

thanks, kaz33 - I'll contact tech over the weekend.

When driving the other day, we briefly saw a single seat three-wheeler stroller with a toddler "sitting on the handlebars" so to speak. This is the second time we have seen a tot riding on a stroller in this way.

Are the parents just balancing their tot on the top of the stroller or can you buy strollers designed to accommodate a tot on a seat perched up high? Has anyone seen this stroller? Have searched for ages on the net but no joy.

BTW this was not the emmaljunga with a toddler seat.

Also, are buggyboards worthwhile? If toddler is tired, would they want to stand up anyway?

Ta!

Joanie, could it have been this one? abc

Joanie, my buggyboard has been wonderful. DS & dd are 21 months apart, so he wasn't exactly very big when had to give up sitting in the buggy, but he was fine.