Advice please!! Tandems/double buggies :)

[fifemum85]

Hi there, have been researching a couple of weeks now and totally clueless.. Think I've made my mind up, then something puts me off and I'm back to square one.

I am expecting my 3rd child in October. My middle child will be just over 2 when he/she is born. She was a late walker so I have ruled out taking her shopping on a buggy board for a few hours, she likes her naps. I am needing a tandem/double which is light, fits though most doors, that I can preferably interact with baby in. I don't drive so do a lot of walking and shopping by foot. I have sold my single pram and am looking early incase I have to set up payment plan for oct Thanks x

Ps my main contenders have been bugaboo donkey (pricy), icandy peach blossom (mixed reviews), Baby jogger city select and gracco Quattro tour duo (long and heavy)

Any help greatly appreciated x

 

[Dream.dream]

I had the graco one when I was a nanny for 2 kids age 3 and 6 months and it worked great . But if you can get one if get a sit and stand stroller or one like this

https://m.toysrus.ca/skava/static/p...ductId=12968889&domain=https://www.toysrus.ca

The other ones are harder to use as they get older since your older child will probably still want to be using it in 1-2 years you don't want one that her legs will get to long for

 

[karen1stbaby]

I have the baby jogger city mini double that my 2 yr old and 3 month old used and I will use again for 1yr 4 months and my newborn.
Excellent to move about with a bigger and smaller child, very easy to push. Little wide but that was what I had to compromise on.
Each to their own but I was never a fan of the phil and teds style ones where the 2nd child looks at the back of the first child!
I would live the donkey bugaboo but too pricey for me when I already have a perfectly good one already!
Good luck hunting for one!
Xx

 

[MumToEva]

I'd suggest going and trying them out in a shop to see what suits you. i was convinced i would go for a side by side like the city mini or the out-and-about nipper, but when I tried out the different options I found I really liked the phil and teds navigator.

If you interested in the phil and teds, I've only been using it in single mode, but I like it so far. It's lovely and light to push because of the air tyres, and Eva seems to like the seat position a lot better than my single (M&P Sola) because she is sitting up nice and straight, so can see a llot more round her. Positives for me are that I can use it as a single or a double depending on if I have both kids with me, and when Eva wants to walk more, it fits around shops where a side by side wouldn't, and you can take off the front seat and attach a carseat while the older child's in the second seat. Downsides are that it is bulkier / heavier to fold and lift than some other prams - more of a walking pram than an in and out of car boot and shopping pram by my reckoning, but then that's what i was looking for.

I think any pram has positives and negatives, particularly doubles, so it's about working out what's important to you!

Not sure if that helps any!

 

[alicecooper]

we used the graco stadium duo tandem for ours when they were young and that was fine.

 

[lau86]

My LO will be two and 3 months when this LO arrives. I am holding off making the decision till nearer the due date as things might change- my LO can walk but gets tired quite easily and is a runner! So I would have trouble 'controlling' him when we're out.
I'm considering one of the sit and stand buggies like the joovy caboose. It can also be made into a tandem with the new second seat. Otherwise I will probably go for a regular light weight tandem, probably second hand as I can't see it being used too much

I should add the joovy will take a car seat so can be a travel system, the down side otherwise is that it is a forward facing for both kids. It is £250 so not horrendous conpared to some!

 

[blessfull]

I am in the same situation, I bought baby jogger city select , as it can also can become a single then attach buggy board, I don't drive, walk or public transport, I have been using it a single and I love it!!!! Easy to get in shops, holds lots of baggage, kids have plenty of space

 

[Caroline:-)]

I've just bought an icandy peach blossom 2 (my lo is 20 months & I'm due in 3 days). I love icandy and had the cherry for ds and tbh, the only double I liked was the peach blossom. Obviously not got to use it yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be happy with it! Ds loves it so far too, tried it out for him in the shop & at home & he didn't want to get out either time. I think he loves that he's higher up & can see more. I also like that I've got a good view of baby compared to other similar systems, that the 2nd seat is not virtually underneath like some others, & that the child in the seat behind has a bit more space than most. I personally didn't want a side-by-side as they are so bulky, but the peach blossom only has the footprint of a single pushchair. If you've sold your single, the peach blossom is also great because you can use it as a single later on when your other child is ready to walk everywhere... The only downside that I can see is the price - it's gonna set you back over £1k for the peach blossom 2 plus a carrycot... But I personally love icandy!

 

[babyhopes2010]

its a mind field isnt it

i like the mountain buggy its v expensive side by side one BUT its not much bigger than a single buggy, u can use a car seat with it and then put a joey basket in place of a seat to convert it to single

 

[Heramys]

Hi we're having twins so been looking at the bogaboo donkey. I know it's pricy but is only 14 centimetres bigger than a single and as your middle one gets older - you collapse it into a single! I thought that push chair had excellent solutions so we are having that one. Plus I've got a tiny Volkswagen Polo that needs to fit 2 adults, 2 kids AND a twin push chair lol! The choice was easy

 

[mspotter]

I am in the same situation, I bought baby jogger city select , as it can also can become a single then attach buggy board, I don't drive, walk or public transport, I have been using it a single and I love it!!!! Easy to get in shops, holds lots of baggage, kids have plenty of space

I'v got a BJCS too and i love it! Am the same and using it as a single at the mo, looking forward to converting it to a double
Quick question if you dont mind, how do you find it on a bus? I do drive but hardly ever have the car cos hubs does for work. So far iv been too scared to take it on the bus and i just take my tiny stroller!
Xx

 

[Aliciamll]

Hi Heramys,
I have a Polo too and I'm also expectin tweens.
May I know if it fits well in the car back? It's really hard to choose the right buggy!
Did you try the mountain buggy duet?
Thank you very much for your advise and help!

 

[Aliciamll]

Hi we're having twins so been looking at the bogaboo donkey. I know it's pricy but is only 14 centimetres bigger than a single and as your middle one gets older - you collapse it into a single! I thought that push chair had excellent solutions so we are having that one. Plus I've got a tiny Volkswagen Polo that needs to fit 2 adults, 2 kids AND a twin push chair lol! The choice was easy

Hi Heramys,
I have a Polo too and I'm also expectin tweens.
May I know if it fits well in the car back? It's really hard to choose the right buggy!
Did you try the mountain buggy duet?
Thank you very much for your advise and help!

 

[Heramys]

Hi we're having twins so been looking at the bogaboo donkey. I know it's pricy but is only 14 centimetres bigger than a single and as your middle one gets older - you collapse it into a single! I thought that push chair had excellent solutions so we are having that one. Plus I've got a tiny Volkswagen Polo that needs to fit 2 adults, 2 kids AND a twin push chair lol! The choice was easy

Hi Heramys,
I have a Polo too and I'm also expectin tweens.
May I know if it fits well in the car back? It's really hard to choose the right buggy!
Did you try the mountain buggy duet?
Thank you very much for your advise and help!

Hiya! Congrats on your twins! We haven't tried to physically fit it in the car but looked at the measures when collapsed and realised it should fit. However the carrycots will probably have to go w the half the back seat down. It's tricky but if there's a will... We moved to Scotland and back to Sweden w that car filled w so much it's unbelievable
If you are unsure of the measures I'm positive that the store could let you try and fit it before you buy? At least our nearest store did offer us that but we didn't have the energy at the time though.

The other one you're mentioning I haven't checked.

Hope it'll fit our small cars lol! xx

 

[Pretty Please]

Big note - a "standard doorway " can be larger than your front door so measure it as last thing u need 2 sleeping babies pram won't go through the door ! (city mini double too wide 4 me)

I've got a mountain buggy duet - now they are advertised £420. it is amazing can have a take out tea / coke and still push 2 heavy babies (4 stone) plus a weeks shopping including 16 pints of milk with one hand no probs. Only 63cm wide it's smallest side by side buggy and really easy to push. Only negative is so heavy to lift into a car ( so I've got a maclaren techno 4 car boot but that's hard to steer I wouldn't recommend them) ..... Also can attach car seats / convert into single pram and Joey and even scooter attachment .....

Reasons why I didn't like other prams
City mini - couldn't get it through my front door quite wide. Also didn't like Mechsnism to open it.
Phil & Ted - 2nd baby can't see, can't carry a weeks shopping and exhaust fumes for second baby
Donkey - far too heavy to lift they are really solid fine if you never need to lift in car .....

One thing got to be careful tandems when toddler is heavy it's really hard to get leverage up & down curbs / bumpy ground - city select .....

 

[kit10grl]

I got the peach blossom (first model not the new one) for when DD was born as a single I LOVE it. But as DS has grown I find it becoming hard to get up and down pavements as PP said the leverage can be hard as you need to tip it down quite low to get up and that's harder with a heavy toddler in front. It was great to begin with as we didn't do long stints in the pram with DD I mostly used her carseat on it so she could parent face me while DS got to see the world. I never had a carrycot on it but Im told the lower one is pretty small and outgrown quickly not sure if this is an issue on the newer model as well or not.

DD is 10 months now but is developmentally delayed to about 6 months and has only recently really started to get bored with being behind her brother in the seat unit. I didn't think much of it as we always gave her toys. But DS is getting so heavy I was considering getting him to walk a lot more now ( he is a very good walker for his age can walk much further than most kids his age) but in case for all day trips I got a cheap double stroller and the difference in my daughter is HUGE. She wasn't fussed about going in the pram before but now she LOVES it. the reaction is like two different babies, now she can see where we are going, she is next to her brother and she loves to watch him. And if people are talking to one or the other child the one facing the opposite way doesn't feel left out which we had quite a bit when DD was little. DS got frustrated because he felt left out of the conversation.

So if you could be sure your older child would be out of the pram in time for your youngest to get into the forward facing main unit pretty soon I would say get it its a great pram (scratches very easily though) but if you think it will be a longterm setup I would go for a side by side. Not sure of what tho as I said its only a cheap stroller as I got a nice stroller for when DS is walking which is a lot of the time.

We did consider the bugaboo as well but the thing that put me off was the look of it once it is in single mode. The look of the shopping basket just didn't appeal to me.


As far as prices for the icandy and bugaboo go you could always consider buying second hand. Generally people who spend that much on prams keep them in good condition so they are still great for a next baby. I got our peach blossom including clip, cup holder, parasol and foot muffs for £600 total bargain as it was a local lady selling it and she just wanted some space back. (the foot muffs alone are around £80-£100) Also she had had a wheel fault a month earlier and so icandy sent her a whole new chassi it was in fantastic condition