I love a bit of pushchairs! Should you get one or should you not? You might have a stubburn toddler who wants to walk a lot but takes ages, then you could forget about a double buggy. You might think to use your baby-carrier and put the older one in the single pushchair like I did, until you realize that your breast-fed baby is so big and heavy for his age that you're gonna break your back!
I started to look at pushchairs in the street a year ago. You've got the tandem and side-by-side. I'm really not keen on the side-by-side if you live in England as the streets are so narrow, I don't see how you could enjoy pushing two children if it doesn't fit on the pavement. This is a blog to give you an idea about it, but you need to actually try the pushchairs at the shop to make up your mind.
Anyway, I was impress by one side-by-side model: The MACLAREN TWIN TRIUMPH Very small for a side-by-side, could fit quite well in the shops but the seats are tiny. Great for older toddlers, I wouldn't put my newborn in there though.
I had the chance to try 3 different double tandem buggy. I like my pushchair to be quite compact and easy to fold for travelling reason, so I bought, 5 months ago, the MARCO SKY LONGHORN. If you're a small person, this pushchair is not for you. You could adjust the handles as high as you need but I know it's difficult if you're not very tall, you're gonna end up lifting your arms and you'll have trouble pushing it properly.
In the "weird" kind of double buggy I found one called :
JOOVY CABOOSE ULTRALIGHT
http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_red_cabooseultralight.php
When visiting my mum in Montreal, I kept seeing this double buggy in the shop and got really curious about it. It looked weird at first like if one of the seat was missing and then I actually went to try it with my toddler, just for fun!!! I think that I might get one after I'm finished with me Jane Twin Two.
So, this double buggy is great for an older child (perfect for kids around 2 1/2 years old and more) and a baby more than 6 months. The seat at the front reclines in one position but not flat, but I found it quite hard, fabric wise. It's not super comfy compare to normal pushchairs so I wouldn't put a child smaller than 6 months old in it but then you get the car seat adaptors so you just have to put the baby in a car seat and traight onto the front seat.
It's excellent with a toddler at the back. The toddler could sit down on a little seat, facing you, that you could adjust. It's super light and has sealed ball bearing wheels (like rollerblades or skateboards). I would really use that to go in the bus! It's so small! Plus, your toddler would love it. Have a look at the link, you'll see what I mean.
http://www.uppababy.com/products/product.php?id=91
Multi-mode, it's amazing. This rumble seat doesn't recline and the child is facing you so it could be a bit boring, but it looks like a single buggy and doesn't take much space(it's like Phil And Ted's style but the extra seat is in front of the pushchair, not at the back).
Double buggy, yes or no?
I love a bit of pushchairs! Should you get one or should you not? You might have a stubburn toddler who wants to walk a lot but takes ages, then you could forget about a double buggy. You might think to use your baby-carrier and put the older one in the single pushchair like I did, until you realize that your breast-fed baby is so big and heavy for his age that you're gonna break your back!
But if you have an active toddler whom also likes to seat in a buggy and a small baby, you need to get yourself a doubble buggy. But which one?
I started to look at pushchairs in the street a year ago. You've got the tandem and side-by-side. I'm really not keen on the side-by-side if you live in England as the streets are so narrow, I don't see how you could enjoy pushing two children if it doesn't fit on the pavement. This is a blog to give you an idea about it, but you need to actually try the pushchairs at the shop to make up your mind.
Anyway, I was impress by one side-by-side model: The MACLAREN TWIN TRIUMPH Very small for a side-by-side, could fit quite well in the shops but the seats are tiny. Great for older toddlers, I wouldn't put my newborn in there though.
I had the chance to try 3 different double tandem buggy. I like my pushchair to be quite compact and easy to fold for travelling reason, so I bought, 5 months ago, the MARCO SKY LONGHORN. If you're a small person, this pushchair is not for you. You could adjust the handles as high as you need but I know it's difficult if you're not very tall, you're gonna end up lifting your arms and you'll have trouble pushing it properly.
For average people like me (height wise), I didn't find it difficult at all to push. I love the back seat, it's like a cocoon, the baby feels safe and it's not exposed to the wind or the sun because of the big hood covering it. The front seat is also great but doesn't recline if the baby/toddler wants to have a little nap. The back seat reclines in 3 different positions so it's very good for smaller babies. It's super easy to fold and you could easily remove the front wheels for extra space in the boot of your car. I had my heavy toddler in front so it was a tiny bit difficult to maneuver sometimes but he reached the maximum weight for any buggy so...
 |
| Jane twin two |
Still, after that, I decided to get the JANE TWIN TWO.
I already had the jane matrix cup car seat and it's compatible with this double buggy. For use with the normal seats, it's very good, quite long compared to the Marco Sky Longhorn so I kept banging into things at first. Then, I got used to the lenght of it and I love it! It's quite difficult to maneuver but really great to go straight. I love the different options on it, with two car seats or one car seat and one normal or two seats. It's very strong but light in the same time ( around 9 kilos). It's very easy to fold but quite bulky once folded. It's bulky anyway in general like the regular double buggies. Very good for any ages as both seats recline into a sleeping position. The hoods are tall so it's practical for big toddlers. The shopping basket is great because you have a tiny one at the back, and a big one under it.
But the lightest tandem double buggy I discovered, even if I don't like the look of a 3 wheeler, is: PHIL AND TED'S VIBE
Yes, everybody's got one now! Except me, but I had the chance to try my sister's in law one for two days and I wanted to run away with it! My heavy toddler was on top and my smaller son at the bottom, in the low back seat. SoOOOOOOOOOooo easy to maneuvre, incredible! You actually feel like running to catch your bus with it. It's very very easy to maneuvre and go up and down the pavement. The back seat is super quick to set up and feels safe. I would just think that the baby at the back eventually gets fed up to not see in front and have his legs in the shopping basket but except that, it's good for a toddler and a smaller child. I wouldn't use it for twin though. The shopping basket seems too small but you could actually put lots of things in it, it's just harder to access with the back seat in the way. You've got a massive choice of style for Phil and Ted's, I only tried the VIBE.In the "weird" kind of double buggy I found one called :
JOOVY CABOOSE ULTRALIGHT
http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_red_cabooseultralight.php
When visiting my mum in Montreal, I kept seeing this double buggy in the shop and got really curious about it. It looked weird at first like if one of the seat was missing and then I actually went to try it with my toddler, just for fun!!! I think that I might get one after I'm finished with me Jane Twin Two.
So, this double buggy is great for an older child (perfect for kids around 2 1/2 years old and more) and a baby more than 6 months. The seat at the front reclines in one position but not flat, but I found it quite hard, fabric wise. It's not super comfy compare to normal pushchairs so I wouldn't put a child smaller than 6 months old in it but then you get the car seat adaptors so you just have to put the baby in a car seat and traight onto the front seat.
It's excellent with a toddler at the back. The toddler could sit down on a little seat, facing you, that you could adjust. It's super light and has sealed ball bearing wheels (like rollerblades or skateboards). I would really use that to go in the bus! It's so small! Plus, your toddler would love it. Have a look at the link, you'll see what I mean.
In another style, I really like the look of the UPPABABY VISTA WITH RUMBLE SEAT.
http://www.uppababy.com/products/product.php?id=91
Multi-mode, it's amazing. This rumble seat doesn't recline and the child is facing you so it could be a bit boring, but it looks like a single buggy and doesn't take much space(it's like Phil And Ted's style but the extra seat is in front of the pushchair, not at the back).
Great again for fussy toddlers, they could sit for a while then have a little walk. It's not so good if the toddler falls asleep as it's quite straight for their back but it's still better than a buggy board. I would give it a go but £££££!!!!
BUGGY BOARD
I had the chance to borrow my neighbour's buggy which had a buggy board at the back, it was the "heaviest" experience ever. It goes smoothly from the curb to the pavement but it's so hard to steer. I would not recommend a buggy board unless you're really broke and can't even afford a second double buggy. Start saving now! Seriously, you get some nice deals on ebay.
 |
| Marco Sky Longhorn |
