Pushchairs for older children?

[allaboutme]

I have a 4yo Ds who has not been diagnosed with any special needs, but is being assessed for ASD. He has a developmental delay in communication and social areas.
At the moment in busy places or unknown places I have him in a double pushchair (with his 1yo brother) as he is unpredictable and WILL run off very quickly or lay on floor and scream etc.
I cant really manage busy places like a zoo or town centre without the buggy.
But he is too big for the pushchair now and his feet drag on the floor and the straps only just do up around him!
I looked on ebay and saw lots of 'special needs pushchairs' but no ones with an extra seat for my 1yo. My youngest is too little to walk or use a buggy board just yet.
Also I feel a bit bad thinking of getting a 'special needs' pushchair when DS doesnt actually have any diagnosed special needs. Will people think I am just lazy and cant be bothered to control him?
What do you think? and what sort of thing (on a budget!!) would be suitable for him and also DS2??

Thanks for your help

this

Sometimes they come up on e-bay. Also, i know someone who uses this for a 4 year old (i can fit a 5 year old in the single)

Also the urban detour double (older style) is large enough for a 4 year old, again you might be able to get one on e-bay.

I have a almost 4 year old with ASD and i am trying to get a pushchair (sn) through my health visitor but i have been waiting 4 months so i don't hold out much hope. People wont think your lazy, i still put dd1 (5.6) in a buggy if we go out for the day (zoo etc..) and she only has mild Aspergers.

You can pick up a Maclaren Major (special needs buggy) on ebay quite cheaply..and it's what The wheelchair services would supply if you went down that route, so I'd be inclined to just buy one yourself.

There isn't a magic solution for carrying two children tho..the double major is a) whopping b) not suitable for a baby as it's totally upright
I managed with 3 kids under 2.5 yrs by using a sling, then a backpack for the smallest child when I had to, and seperate buggies if there were two of us to push. Would that be an option?

Don't feel guilty for needing to use a buggy for your son..diagnosis makes no difference to the need and safety matters most!!

Thank you both, very helpful!
I really need a double I think. My youngest is 20 months so too big for a sling now, but he was a late walker so is not so steady on his feet yet to walk!
Its when I am on my own with them both that I struggle most so 2 singles wouldnt work for me I dont think.

The mountain buggy one looks amazing. Looks £££££ though!!

Very interesting to hear that the Urban Detour is big enough for a 4 yo.
How will I know which ones are older style? Do they look very different?
I have seen this one on ebay - is it the older style?
this one

Thanks!

I have had a Phil and Teds for my 2.

dd1 is 5 now, and very big for her age - she still fits in fine in the main seat.

dd2 is 2.7, and so fine in the rear seat too.

do get the sport, not the vibe though, as the footplate is much bigger - obviously important when transporting older children around!

It also has the bonus of being the same size as a large single, and of course can be used as a single if one child at home/school etc.

they come up a lot on ebay, but not sure what sort of prices - I woudln't be scared of getting a second hand one htough - ours has taken enugh punishment over the last two and a half years, and still has plenty of life left!

Hi, I have a joovy caboose sit and stand stroller - google it. It is an ordinary seat on the front and a combination seat(with harness)/buggy board on back. Fits in the boot of my honda civic just when folded.

I have not used mine in a year and it's in reasonable condition- they just don't come with raincovers, but have a huge hood and I used my old raincover.I have asked all my friends and nobody wants it.

If you like the look of it you can have mine for free - I live in the east midlands if you could collect or I could find out the postage -not sure how you post a pushchair?

Just want it to go to somebody who would use it.

What I should have said is that I had my very large 6 yrold with asd on the back part last year and he was fine.
I suspect that the mountain buggy types are a lighter push as their wheels are bigger, but this is good if you want to avoid the people looking at a large child in a buggy scenario as you can't really see them when they're sat on the back.Also good as it's the width of a single.

I actually had my twins and my eldest on it at some points!

defineme - I just googled your pushchair and it looks ideal! Thank you so much for your kind offer, that is really lovely of you to offer it to a stranger
I dont live near you, so would have to be a postal/courier delivery though.
I am happy to look into couriers and to arrange it if you would be ok to package the pushchair up to send it? I think you can get pretty cheap couriers for things like buggies (have friends who have bought off ebay and got delivered for £10 or so!)
I'm pretty sure I have a CAT thing on my mumsnet account so you could CAT me and we can make arrangements if thats ok.
Thanks again

Have cated you

Allaboutme, I had something similar to the Joovy, and it was great! I used it when ds3 was born and ds2 stood on the back just fine (with a few sweets for good measure). So kind of you defineme