Double pushchair - help me choose from my shortlist

[sadiemcgrady]

I know this topic is done to death, but it's driving me mad trying to decide!

I need a double for my DD who will be 23 months and a newborn.

My front door is 69cm wide, so it seems if I get a side-by-side I'll have to unload kids and bring the buggy in separately.

I don't want a 'long' tandem as I've tried a couple and they seem heavy with toddler in the front. I do want something that lies completely flat for the baby.

My budget is about £400-450 and I'd rather buy new.

So, I'm trying to decide between:

Cosatto Duet Lite or Jane Powertwin (worried that these will still be front-heavy)
Phil & Teds Sport (DD is quite tall and the hood is only about 4in off her head)
Phil & Teds Twin or Baby Jogger City Series/City Mini (neither will fit through my front door)

I guess there's never a perfect product, but whoch of these do you think would suit us best?

We have been really happy with the P&T Sports, DD was older than yours though and we never used it with the hood for her.

I had a Jane powertwin, its it quite big and clumpy, especially to move around when folded. It never felt heay to push but I had a newborn and a petite 1 yr old in it. I wish i had gone for the phil and teds looking back now and seeing other mums with them. By the time dd was 2 and ds was 1 i was back to using normal puschair with a buggy board that dd could sit on when tired rather thean use a big double one

thanks both of you

Five, can you use the raincover without having the hood up? It tends to rain quite a bit here.

Caykon, would you recommend the powertwin? Why do you think the P&T would have been better?

What about the XTS twin twister, very much like the p&t twin, but alot cheaper.

I had power twin, and it fell to bits!

out of that shortlist get the p&t deffo, sport.

i wouldn't get anything you can't bring into the house not ideal? what if children fall asleep in pram or in the winter you don't want to be loading them in/out of pram outdoors. theres always a compromise with a double buggy but to me the p&t ticks the most boxes.

The new xts twister, has its wheels inside the pram frame, and is now only 75cm wide.

Phil and Teds Sport DEFINITELY!

I am very close to getting the P&T sport, but I worry DD'll be too tall before the baby is out of the cocoon. Also not convinced about the baby 'hanging' in the back

That's why I was considering the P&T twin as I thought I could still get the cocoon and carry baby inside in that. DD doesn't sleep much in the buggy now. My thoughts on the Baby Joggers were that even if I was having to unload kids outside, it's such a quick and easy fold.

Never seen a Twister in the flesh. Do you have one Divvy? Is it easy to get about shops etc?

I would go for the P&T sport or Vibe.

A family i worked with had lost the P&T raincover and instead used a universal one we attached with velcro so height adjustable and a cear veiw of the front child.

had no problems with our powertwin, had a 20 month gap. didn't seem front heavy at all, and could get in front door with both kids inside.

not keen on P&T

Well you can look at your DD's red book growth chart and work out how tall she will be when baby is 6mths. Don't they grow about 8cm a year on average? The hood is easily removable if it became a problem.

By then she will be 2.5 and walking a lot more of the time, and if she is in the pushchair probably lying back dozing.

The baby positions in the P&T are truly no problem (either in the flat bed or the backseat) from my experience.

I always thought Powertwins looked very well designed though, if you don't want the option for a single.

P&T wins everytime with me.

Yes I have one, and hood is ideal for tall children. It is so well built too. As its only 75cm wide it goes through my small front door, and most shops.

mines like this but red

It has 4 wheels so is very stable, and light as a feather to push.

Don't get one you can't fit in the house I have that problem right now and it's so stressing/annoying/inconvenient.

I'd go for the P&T Sport and remember that come 4-5-6 months you will be able to put baby in the main seat and older child in the back seat and headroom won't be an issue.

Thanks all

I was swinging madly towards the Baby Jogger just because I love how it folds, but the implications of not being able to fit through the front door in the pouring rain with the basket full of shopping are perhaps not worth it!

Blithedance I checked the charts and it seems she'll grow about another 6cm by 2.5, so probably not a great disaster. I'm just worried about the poor baby being kicked in the head as I'm walking along with the P&T. It seems so low down at the back.

I love my p&t sport and really don't think that there is any chance of kicking baby in head! i have never come close.

But i will say that my baby is now 13 weeks and she is almost too big now for the cocoon. Now she is more alert she also does not like being in the enclosed lie flat area of buggy with top seat on. I kind of expected this tho |(others had warned me) and so at the mo i use a sling and the buggy interchangably. If she is sleepy she goes in buggy, if awake, in the sling. I'll start using seat on back in about 2 months and then i'll put baby in main unit and toddler in back (cos compromised view not so bad for her cos she is in and out of buggy as i let her walk wherever possible).

all in all tho am still really glad i got p&t and would buy the same if had time again. It's defo the most versitile and useable of all the doubles. It is so much easier and lighter to use than side by sides which can be a total nightmare in busy or space confined places. I would just say to be prepared to use a sling if necessary when baby is between 3-5 months as this seems to be a black spot for this buggy if your baby is alert and on the tall side!