Buggy Advice Needed - do I need a double?

[SparkyMalarky]

DC 2 due in May, DS will turn 3, 3 weeks before I'm due.I don't drive, live in London and walk/use public transport everywhere.

Do we stick a buggy board on the back of our pram and be done with it? Or should we get a P&T (can't get a side by side buggy in the hall of our house....)

I know that DS may not need to be in a buggy for much longer, but don't want to be too restricted in where I can go with 2 of them - at the moment, we'll quite often head out on a saturday for a few hours at a time and have done since DS was tiny - he's not up to walking that far and if he's tired/whingy, being able to strap him in seems like it would be the only way to get anywhere.....Advice/experiences please

i wouldn't bother personally.
get a nice sling for baby and that way you can take pushchair and sling. baby goes in either, but when older child gets tired he can go in pushchair and baby in sling.

I'd second a decent sling

I do have a double (there's 2 years between my girls) and 99 times out of 100 use the sling instead - even now when DD2 is 9 months and 21 lb!

Yep, a ring sling for the baby - folds up tiny, you can whip it out and have baby in it in seconds while the toddler goes in the pushchair

If you think you'd use the P&T as a single when ds doesn't need a buggy, I would buy one. If you'd prefer a more compact buggy then I think I would go with the decent sling advice. I used a combination of both.

I don't drive either and love my P&T, though I avoid using it on public transport as it's pretty big and a hassle to fold.

I bought it for ds1 and used it for him, then converted it to a double when ds2 was born (ds1 was 2yrs8m then).

Ds2 lasted 4 months in the cocoon then I used it as a single again but for any distances or if there were time pressures, it was really handy to be able to put the doubles seat back in. Also when ds1 has been poorly and I've had to do the school run it's been brilliant to be able to push them both.

I guess it also depends on how good a walker your ds is. My ds1 is a bit of a moaner and there were times when I don't think I would have coped without some sort of double. He uses a microscooter now (he's 3.5) and that's been a godsend.

Why not get a buggy board and see how he gets on with that?

If it turns out to be too much hassle, and you want the security of knowing you can strap 'em both down, you can always get a double when the baby is here.

I'm in the same boat as you-DC2 due in May, DD turns 3 in May-and don't want to shell out on a double that will only get about a year's use, I should think. My big issue, though, is that come September, when DD starts big girl's nursery at school, we'll have 20 minute walk every morning, and she's such a dawdler (and generally quite idle) that we'd probably have to leave at about 7am to get there before lunchtime.

Am thinking we'll cross that bridge when we come to it though, and am just investing in the Buggy Board for now.

i wouldn't personally bother with a p&t they are alot of money for a three year on the off chance. i would start now getting him used to walking and giving up the buggy tho.

my ds2 is 3.1yr and we are on the point of giving up the p&t am holding onto it over the winter.

depends how good a walker your dc is??

Thanks for all the advice It's confirmed my original thinking (think DP maybe just wanted a new buggy to play with!)

DS is a pretty good walker, it's more the busy roads/ dawdling factor that are my concerns....but think I will try with a sling/buggy board initially and see how we go....

dp wanted one??? thats a first lol! good luck

sorry can i hijack this thread?? dd will be 2.4 when next one due. likes to walk everywhere but does get tired and asked to be picked up! was going to use a sling and continue with current buggy but the dog has now chewed the front wheels including the frame and cannot be replaced. so do we
1: buy a new buggy despite dd preferring to walk and still use a sling?

2: encourage her to walk and not buy a new buggy?

3: buy a small buggy and the lush silver cross coach built pram i have my eye on?

i work full time she comes with me most days so its not like we have to do loads of walking, plus when new baby comes it will also be coming with me and would prefer to have a pram for baby to sleep in in the shop. is 2.4 too young to be made to walk whilst newborn in a pram? im also thinking about when im on maternity leave, it would be easier to strap baby to me and pin dd down in a buggy!

Lydia,

A friend had one of these for her Silver Cross, so her DS could pop up there when he started to get too tired to walk. Was fab, and if I had room for a coach built pram I would def. do the same.

toddler seat