The 2 under 2 discussion thread - **labour arrangements**

[katieandfras]

Hello Im Kate and have a 10 month old and am 4 weeks pregnant with number 2!

 

[katieandfras]

Hi all! My names Katie Im 27 (just) have a 10 month old little girl and am pregnant with number 2

 

[amyw044]

I can't wait to get some tips!!!
I'm Amy, 22 and I have 2 boys. Harry who is 4 and Joseph who is 13 months and I'm 19 weeks pregnant. I'm sooooo worried about how I'm going to manage! And the fact my eldest starts school fulltime the month I'm due, so getting 3 children plus myself ready by 8.45!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh x

 

[TigerLady]

^^The key to that will be to do as much as possible the night before! When I am really on my game, I have the house clean, lunch made, dinner for the next night organized to go in the crock pot, and clothes laid out before I go to bed at night. Makes the next morning much more managable. And I find when I start the morning off well, the entire day goes better. But when I start the morning off harried, the entire day is a bust!

 

[suz29]

Hi I'm Suzanne. My little boy is 1 today and I'm 28 weeks pregnant, I have no idea how I'm going to manage

 

[chele]

:wave: hello ladies

Ok so let's crack on with the first topic this week:

Pushchairs/Travel Systems/Car seats - generally moving babies/toddlers around.

For some of you a pushchair will be a necessity, for others maybe your child prefers or will prefer walking.

Personally I really don't know what to do. Max will be 19.5 months old when Chichi is born and we go out every day and will probably continue to do that.

He's not walking yet but might be by then and might not want to get in a puschair, but we spend a lot of hours in Meadowhall shopping centre, so I am pretty sure I will still need a pushchair.

I love my pushchair (M&P Lunamix) and begrudge spending a small fortune on another one.
I've been looking at the P&T Exlporer with double kit, but at 3x the price of my Lunamix, I think I might go second hand.

I then considered keeping the Lunamix for Max and using various slings for Chichi.

Car seats are easy - Max is in his 9month+ one and so our old one will be used for Chichi

One thing I will miss though is a travel system. I loved the ease of taking the car seat out and using the system thereby not disturbing Max as he was sleeping. I've just seen you can make the P&T a kind of travel system and also stopped a couple in Boots the other day (who prob thought I was crazy) who have a double used as a travel system but I've forgotten the name . They said it was fabulous, so I need to do a lot more research.

I think I am going to get one when I am about 7 months gone then I'll know what Max will want to do too.

What will you do? Have you bought something already? What did you do if you've gone past this stage?

 

[topazicatzbet]

great first topic.


im going to be using the car seat i had for callum which was part of a travel system, i ve already sold that pram that went with it.
i only used the travel system for about 14 weeks before switching to a push chair cos it was a big heavy thing so im used to having to get Lo out into the pram.

callum has been walking since he was 11 months but i still like to have him in a push chair when we go out so i have bought a double.

i went for the first wheels city twin. its big but does everything i want it to. i love the carry cot for newborn and then that the seats can face forward or back.

im also planning on keeping my mamas and papas ollie and getting a toddler board for if we are just nipping somewhere.

 

[pinkclaire]

I've decided that to start with I will use a wrap and a stroller for James. I have also got my old travel system so she will have his old car seat and I will use it when James is at nursery and for short walks as it does have a built in buggy board for James if he's ready to go on it. I think not right now but maybe soon! I haven't bothered with pram type doubles but I have bought a second hand silvercross pop duo that I can sling in the boot of the car as the others are way to big for my titchy boot!

I haven't spent much so if anything doesn't get used much it doesn't matter plus I will assess things once she's here and see how we're getting on!

 

[TigerLady]

By the time DK arrived, Otter was in ERF Radian seat. I used his infant seat for her for the first 6 months (Chicco KeyFit 30) and then got her an ERF Radian, too. I'm definitely extremely happy with that set up.

As a resident of the rural US, there is no public transportation here and nothing is within walking distance. So, pushchairs are more of a luxury than a complete necessity for me. I drive everywhere I go. So, I don't need a fancy stroller with all the bells and whistles. I use it for walks and have only rarely put it in the car to use at a destination (like the shop or doctor).

I currently have a Chicco Cortina travel system that I got for Otter. Generally, until now I would use that for one of them and babywear the other (in a ring sling, mei tai, or kelty backpack). When we go out as a family, I carry one of them and DH carries the other. Sometimes I will put DK in a sling, sometimes not. DH generally handles Otter either by letting him walk or putting him on his shoulders.

However, I have now come to the stage where both kids are too heavy to pack around for very long (24 and 35 lbs). So, I have decided to get a tandem. I will use it for walks and at destinations where it isn't practical to manage both kids separately. After looking into them, I have decided to go with a Sit and Stand model. I've heard great things about them. Both parents and toddlers seem to really like them. They aren't expensive. Because I don't need a stroller that both kids can recline and/or sleep in at the same time, this is perfect. It is small, easy to handle, lightweight, and priced right.

https://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_cabooseultralight.php

If you want a full on tandem, I have heard great things about the P&T with the doubles kit from more than one lady with 2 under 2.

 

[Becyboo__x]

Hey :wave:
even though when my newborn will
be here there will only be a month till DS is
2 so i won't have 2 under 2 but i will
untill January 28th 2012

 

[E&L's mummy]

Hi im late to the party as usual! lol
Im E&L, 31, mum to 3 girls, E is 8 nearly 9, L will be 3 end of aug and H will be 1 in june. so there was a 21mth gap between L and H and will be 15mths between H and nugget and L will only just have turned 3! ekkkkk i sound like a mad lady wheni write it all down dont i? lol

I have no idea how im gonna manage in the early days with the 3 of them at home and me recovering from another section, this will be my 4th.

Tiger lady lovely to see you again. not sure if you will remember me picking your brains about BFxxxxx

 

[TigerLady]

:wave: E&L, I remember! Hope you are well!

 

[vickie83]

I have the same one as Topazicats Like she says it's big but I wanted a carrycot for a newborn and parent facing for both so that really limited our options.
I will also be wearing the baby in either the moby wrap or Mei Tai a fair bit whilst Evie is in her pram. That lies flat and is parent facing too so if needs be I can put the baby in that and carry Evie in the Mei Tai.

 

[E&L's mummy]

:wave: E&L, I remember! Hope you are well!

yeah im good thanks hun. managed 11days in the end of just bf then till she was a month old of bottle feeding EBM. so proud of myself.

anywho...pushchairs..... i have 3 doubles a big mothercare 3 wheeler which is awesome on the beach and the feilds for walking the dog, a m&p stroller which is good for small boot etc but i dont really like it and a tandem one which is flipping heavy but the back bit for baby is sooooo snug its ace. i relly need to findone that does all but havent yet.

 

[suz29]

I've ordered the Baby Jogger City Select, although Dario has been walking since 9 months I still think he'll need a pram. I did look at the Icandy peach but the seats seemed really small.
New baby will use Dario's old car seat as he is now in a new 9 months + seat.

 

[chele]

I've ordered the Baby Jogger City Select, although Dario has been walking since 9 months I still think he'll need a pram. I did look at the Icandy peach but the seats seemed really small.
New baby will use Dario's old car seat as he is now in a new 9 months + seat.

I'm sure thats the one I spotted the other day. Are you going to use it with a car seat?

 

[hayley x]

hubby wants this:

https://www.cosatto.com/products/pushchairs/twins-and-tandems/you2/007941

 

[topazicatzbet]

hubby wants this:

https://www.cosatto.com/products/pushchairs/twins-and-tandems/you2/007941

i can see me buying this one if mine proves to be too big

 

[ellie27]

Hello!!

Our 2nd baby is due November, Anna will be 22 months by then.

Anyone with any experience at all.....will I need a double buggy??

What age do toddlers usually get to when they are happy to walk if just out for half an hour??

Am thinking maybe since baby will arrive winter we are not going to be out for long walks til a few months later - Anna will be past 2 then??

At weekends it will be me and OH out for walks so Anna can be carried by her daddy whenever she doesnt want to walk??

I am happy to spend the money on a double buggy but not if it only gets used about 10 times then left in the garage!!

Anyone any advice at all?
Thanks!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Hey Ellie,

I won't be having 2 under 2 obv so hope people don't mind me barging in, but I have one 2 year old so can give some insight on the walking issue, we're TTC now and will not be buying a double, when I'm on my own I will wear the baby and Ruby will walk or go in a single pushchair. (or, if she chooses, I can wear her and the baby can go in pram.)

However - now, at 24m, Ruby can't be relied upon to walk consistently. She does get tired, and some days she doesn't want to walk at all. Some days she'll walk for ages, but like I said, can't be relied upon, and you would need to rely on it if you were to avoid buying either a double OR a sling / carrier.

Personally I'd have thought that you'd get a lot of use out of a double if your oldest is only 22m. Unless you rarely go out without daddy, in which case like you said he can carry Anna