Two under three - do I need a double buggy?

[incognito1991]

My DD has just turned 2, she will be 2.5 when newborn arrives. If I don’t take her pram with me she will walk for a few minutes and then wants carried. I’m so undecided if I need a double buggy once the baby arrives, I’m going to buy a buggy board soon in the hopes she’ll like it and use it often but I’m torn what to do, I have two decent prams that I can use when my DP is off. If I buy a double will I be wasting my money as she’ll only use it for less than a year I’m assuming or by not buying one am I just asking for a difficult time. Anyone with any similar experiences please I could use your advice

I had the same age gap and I had a double buggy. Don't regret it at all, it was cheap secondhand and it got used, then I sold it for about the same so it wasn't a waste. I had a buggy board as well but a child can't nap on that so not useful for longer days out. We used 2 singles on weekend trips when DH was with us. It meant I was never afraid to do long trips out on my own, and we weren't restricted to the same old local attractions during the week, which I would have found pretty boring. We don't use a car much as we're in London with excellent public transport.

I had 2 exactly 2 years apart and a double was a huge help but I don’t drive so that also factors in! My oldest wasn’t ready for a buggy board untill he was about 3 as he didn’t understand he couldn’t just step off when I was pushing the buggy 😂 I do think not driving factors in though as everywhere we went it was with buggy/bus etc

Funnily enough I still have it in the shed and that youngest I was talking about is now 4 but was off school
today feeling unwell. I had to walk 30 mins to a pharmacy and I now have an 8 month old so they both went in the double (it’s boiling here today south east) I really recommend the out ‘n’ about double !

I didn't go down the double buggy route. My dc were 2 years 8 months apart.

I carried the baby in a sling for quite a while, then got a buggy board for the toddler and they swapped. BUT I didn't walk miles with them, I had a car and could drive the longer distances.

If walking/buggy is your main mode of transport then I'd say it's probably worth getting the double.

I had 2 under 2 and couldn’t have survived without our double! Ours were 18m apart though and my eldest was a late walker, she was quite happy in the pushchair for ages! I’d have a look if you can borrow one or buy a secondhand one, I did find it useful to have somewhere to contain the toddler if we needed to just get somewhere. Both kids did nap in the pushchair to be fair. We got a bugaboo donkey £400 on marketplace and it’s been used as a double and a single through my 3 kids!

It’s been essential for us. Currently one is 3 and 10 months and one aged 2 and 4 months. 17 months apart so 2U2! Only the last month has my eldest confidently start to use a scooter so the double buggy hasn’t been needed as much.

Yeh that's where I started off looking at side by sides, but I figured i would always have the wrong pram in the car if I have two, so a tandem seems the ideal compromise for me, can be used predominantly as a single with the second seat unit to add on as and when I have the toddler.

I also dont have the most practical car for getting a pram in and out and put my back out a couple of times with my first lifting a heavy bulky frame in 😅

I had a 2y9m age gap and a single that converted to an inline double. I used it as a double lots for the first 6months in bassinet + toddler seat mode. After that we switched to single buggy plus buggy board. I must say, in the first year i found myself wishing for a proper double a lot. Especially days out / holidays etc. Not so much day to day. So might depend on how adventurous you are planning to be!

I think it depends. I have 2.5yrs between my first 2 and didn't think we needed a double as we'd make do with sling and buggy board. This worked fine for about a year then when DD turned 3 she went through a phase of wanting to either be in the pushchair or carried which was tricky with a 1 yr old. We do quite a lot of walking/days out so we bought a second hand double and it was the best purchase. We still use it now very occasionally when we go on long days out as it's easier for us to let our eldest hop in there rather than her whinging her legs ache etc. Plus it means we can get around quickly. We're due our 3rd soon with another 2.5ish gap and have decided to for the bugaboo donkey so we've got the choice of a double from the get go this time.

Oldest was 2.5 when baby was born, they just went on their scooter or occasionally in the buggy and the baby went in the sling. Then when the baby was big enough to go in the normal buggy they could just switch occasionally if the oldest was also tired on a long day out.
For daily getting around like nursery run or getting to the shop it was just the scooter though.
There might have been one or two time it would have been convenient to have a double but not enough to ever feel like it was worth dealing with the hassle.

I had two under two as mine are only 19 months apart and the double pram was and still is an absolute life saver a year on. My little one is nearly one and my lazy boy is 2.5 and I use it pretty much every day. It’s lovely going on walks, shopping, national trust places without my boy intermittently climbing my legs saying “pick me up mommy” with his little puppy dog eyes! We debated back and forth for months when our second was on the way as to whether or not we needed it but honestly I could not do without it, it turned out to be one of our most used and essential purchases. It depends on the older child, some find their feet and hate it and some still really need it. Mine was (is) the latter 😀

I have three children, with a 22m age gap both times. I don’t drive, and live in a city.

I’ve used a combination of (single) pram with buggy board and sling, which has worked well and still does now they are 5, 3 and 1. I’d have hated a double buggy as I find the single cumbersome enough on narrow pavements, public transport and in the pram shed at nursery!

I had tandem and preferred it as it was easier to get through doors/ narrow pathways