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

in return for telling you there's one of these kiwi things on ebay at the moment for £207, could someone PLEASE tell me what they think of an M&P twin aria. (am sure the kiwi thingy is great but is so big for small person with small car and bad back). ta

MBB - I can't give you my opinion on the twin version but I have single Aria for my 12 month old DD. It's a good shopping buggy for her but I wouldn't use it as an every day pushchair.

My major probs with it are that there are only 2 back rest positions, the footrest is not adjustable and the hood is just too small (doesn't come out far enough IMO).

The pluses are that it is incredibly light and easy to fold. It folds into a very compace shape. The basket is roomy and seems fairly strong. The fabrics are nice and removable for ease of washing.

I bought a lovely cosy footmuff (M&P one) which does help to make it better for a newbie but in my opinion they are just not cosy enough. Have you been to your local nursery stockist for a test drive ?

Sorry, should have read 'compact'

You can buy pushchair/buggy connectors in the Uk from Perfectly Happy People on the web (£19.95 +p&p). (They make 2 singles into a double - the singles have to be identical pushchairs/buggies.)

I used them with 2 back pack carrier/pushchairs from Mothercare on holiday - the connectors are great - easy to put on and quick to take off, but the back pack buggies have no life in them at all - 2 weeks of use on a 5* Gold Crown holiday resort ie no bad pathing and the back tyres are falling off! Anyway, the connectors are great if the pushchairs are thin in width as they still fit through standard doorways.
Hope this helps,
Di.
PS I had an Emmajunga Grizzly with toddler seat which was great! Then I bought a Maclaren Opus Duo - lovely but my car boot's not very wide or deep so I can't get much else in there with this pushchair! I thought two v small buggies with connectors would ideal and I still think this - sadly the buggies I chose are not robust enough!

Bear - are you still delighted 2 days later? How has your DD taken to it? Most importantly, does DP think it's worth it? I need this as ammunition for DH!

Sorry MBB - don't know the M&P Aria.

Gem 13,

He may walk for a while but I suspect the novelty will quickly wear off ! Also you may be grateful to have somewhere safe to put him when you are in a busy shopping centre or near a road so that he can't run off. Friend of mine bought a double for her nborn and 2.3 yr old although older one was perfectly capable of walking cos she would just run off and you can't really abandon the baby to go after them. She also had a buggy board on her single one for shorter runs.

Gem, sorry for the delay. Erm, have to admit we haven't used it yet - haven't needed it. DD insists on walking, or we've travelled by car this weekend. DP's niggles were listed in an email to Phil and Teds one evening and first thing the next morning answers were back again - excellent service which should placate her. She also accepts that I had thoroughly researched every double/tandem on the market first and didn't plump for the best and most prestigious gadget. All that said, I'd better get around to using it, because the more I admire it next to its trashed predecessor (Mothercare Urban Detour Glacier), the less inclined I am to let the monster loose on it. Will let you know.

I, on the other hand, let fellow mumsnetters do all the detailed research (and THEN plumped for the most expensive gadget on the market... )

Are the niggles anything worth sharing?
I imagine our first one will be trying to find somewhere to keep the damn thing....though dh has got excited about a new project to accommodate it in the yard under the bike shelter...

Re research - that's exactly what I did, but DP doesn't know that.

Niggles (copied from email response and not that interesting unless you've got one in front of you):

1. With the main seat in newborn position and the 2nd seat above it, which I think you refer to as "sibling position", how do you strap the baby into the newborn "bed" if you're not using the cocoon? The instructions refer to the "adjusted safety harnesses", but the main part of the harness (the breastplate/crotch strap) is going to be at the baby's feet. Please explain.
   THE NEWBORN POSITION IS GENERALLY USED IN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COCOON. THE HARNESS IS NOT NECESSARY IN THIS POSITION AS YOUR BABY IS LYING COMPLETELY FLAT AND CANNOT GO FORWARD OR BACK. HOWEVER THE NEWBORN BREASTPLATE IS EASIER TO ATTACH IF YOU USE THE TOP STRAPS AND PUT THEM IN TO THE SIDES OF THE BREASTPLATE INSTEAD OF OVER THE SHOULDERS.

2. The storm cover has two velcro pads and a black plastic loop at the front. The instructions say to "attach the hook/loop under the footwell" - by "hook/loop" do you mean velcro, or is the black plastic loop supposed to be put under the footwell - a manoeuvre that would require the front wheel to be removed. If you just mean velcro, what is the purpose of this plastic loop?
   HOOK AND LOOP IS VELCRO, THE BLACK PLASTIC LOOP IS JUST DESIGNED TO REINFORCE THE COVER AND LET IT SIT CORRECTLY WHILST ON THE BUGGY.

3. Are the pannier bags available for the e3 and in the same colours, or are they just for the previous model? THE PANNIER BAGS DO WORK ON THE E3 BUGGY.

Storing: it folds away to smaller than the Mothercare single 3 wheeler, so storage needn't be too much of an issue.

HTH

Thanks Bear for getting back to me.

DH is still pleased with the double Mountain Buggy we have already bought in readiness for number 2 and is failing to be swayed by the charms of the e3 despite my best efforts.

this thread is the longest on the world

Gem, Mountain Buggy Double is a silver medal gadget, but the e3 really is the gold. 4 different configurations, zips and straps did it for me and I'm not even the arch gadget-obsessed bloke. On a practical level, it's way narrower than the side by side MB (which we needed having the narrowest hall door in Christendom) and has a swivel or fixed front wheel for ultimate manouvreability, whereas the MB All Terrain has two fixed wheels at the front, doesn't it? All that said, as you know we've yet to use it with two, so what do I know?

I love this thread so just had to revive it - must admit am finding it hard work at the moment pushing my kiwi explorer but thats because of the heat and I only have to get the maclaren out to see the difference....

Elliott - glad you plumped for a kiwi in the end !!!

OK - can I just add to this thread by declaring my love for my Instep Nipper 3 double three wheeler? After a couple of months of a maclaren that did terrible things to my lower back, the Nipper is life changing! I feel liberated.

I am new here, but I must say i like the look of the Kiwi pushchair - what a great idea. DH likes it too - I made him look!
been trying for 2nd baby since M/C last July so hopefully when it happens I can get one. Don't know what DH would say though he thinks I am buggy obsessed!

Kaz33, we are eagerly awaiting arrival, hopefully by the end of the week....

still not arrived
beginning to get a little worried - its now just about 3 weeks...

elliott

where did you order from in the end?

i'm waiting on mine but i've only been waiting a week though!

well, it has landed! now just got to retrieve it from the post office.
Took 20 days following dispatch from Winkalotts in NZ - similar to Bear's 18 days. No idea if that's the 'best' place to buy from but they were certainly prompt in their response to my e-mails, and phone twice to sort the order out.

Congratulations Elliott - let us know how it works out for you

ooh, can't wait to get home....hopefully dh will have spent the afternoon getting it assembled (his day with ds today).

ok buggy-ogglers, or more specifically, owners of the E3, have any of you used it when your kids are a little older? Mine are 3 and 1 and pretty heavy. I've got an Instep double at the moment, but it is groaning and creaking under the weight of the two boys. The Mountain Buggy double says it goes to 25 kg in each seat, how about the E3? (The website just says 0-5 years). And also, how do you rate the folding mechanism on the E3? Any comparion with the Mountain Buggy? Thanks for your help.

Anyone out there know about heavier kids and buggies? Am particularly interested in comparison between KiwiExplorer and Mountain Buggy double.
Thanks, Lorien

Lorien, if you go to the Stroller board on Parentsplace.com (US) and search on explorer and mountain buggy doubles, you will find a comparison. The interface is horribly unfriendly, but both of these buggies are discussed in detail on that board. I would do a link but access to those boards are banned at work!

As I recall, some people argued that the Mountain Buggy double was better for heavier kids because there is a weight limit on the slot-in seat in the Explorer (not sure exactly what it is, although I imagine it would take some time for your one-year old to reach it). Generally I think the weight limits on the MB are higher than for the Explorer. But then again, if your child is 3 you may find that you can move quite quickly to a buggy/buggy board combo, so an Explorer would be better (or a single MB/buggy board). You need to consider the size/weight trade-off as well - unless you have a large boot, you will find it difficult to get the MB double in the back of most cars. The fold on the MB is very straightforward but not very compact. The side-by-side option is probably more stable, better if your older child wants to hop in and out of the buggy all the time, and has a very large basket, so lots of storage. MB doubles are also relatively narrow, but still not as narrow as a single.

Lorien, the E3's smaller child's seat says it's for up to 13k/30lbs only. Re folding - no worries - pull out the lugs and it virtually does it itself.