Alternatives to a double buggy
Buying a double buggy can be expensive and awkward to store if you only need it for a year or so between siblings, so what are the alternatives?
Posted: 27 August 2009
by Sarah Lawson
| | Red Castle Sport Carrier |
Unless you are expecting twins, you might not need to use a double buggy for very long, so it's worth seeing if the alternatives are good for you.
Alternatives to buying a double
If you are about to have a new baby and your other child is two-to-three years old and soon to be giving up his time in a buggy, you might want to use a baby carrier or sling for the earliest months of your new child's life, and then use your regular single pushchair once your older child is ready to walk everywhere.
If you have limited storage space and don't want to bust the budget on a new double pushchair, this is a good option.
Another enduring, popular alternative is to buy a stepboard fixed to the back of your pram or pushchair. There are various models, like the Lascal BuggyBoard, which mean your older child can stand on their own little platform on the back of
the pushchair. The rrp is around £50 for one of these. They are handy, but there are a couple of drawbacks: make sure the handlebar of your
puschair isn't going to bump into your child's face if you child is quite short, and be aware that the presence of the step means you have to push the buggy from a
slightly awkward angle which can play havoc with your back.
One of the newest ideas on the block, is the Buggypod which is a second seat that clicks easily on
and off a single pushchair. The rrp is about £75 and you can get a sunshade or rain cover to fit over it.
It's newer 'sibling' is the Buggypod Smorph which is like a full-on sidecar!
There is also, however, the Kid-Sit (pictured, right) which is like a back-board but because of its shape its' easier for you to get into a stride without bashing your feet against it, plus older children can sit down rather than having to stand up as you walk along.
Discuss this story
I have a 3 month old and a 2 and a half year old and brought a Kid-Sit for the older child to sit on and he loves it! (he calls it his big brother seat) I can`t prase it enough. But before buying one go to the makers website and look at the list of compatable push chairs as due to the way it fits on it does not fit all pushchairs and with some makes it impossable to use the brake, but this is covered on there site. Also it can be fiddaly to put on and take off but now I have the `knack` I can put it on in about 2 min and take it off in the same time. Another alternitive to a double buggy with children of differant ages is a `Swiss Stroli Rider`which is basicaly a bike that goes on the back of the pushchair(my mum who is a childminder uses one) this woks best on pushchairs with ovel supports,(also child must be old enough to sit still as he/she is beside you)every child who has been on this including my son loves it. Both of the above get admiring commnts from all who see them as so rare - including teens wishing they were small enough to have a go. Also with both of them we (my mum and I) put rains on my son and attach them to the pushchair with a mummyhook(basically a soft clamp from jojo maman bebe) so if he decides to jump off (because he sees something for example) he can`t run off into the road so he is much safe.
Posted: 06/09/2009 at 12:43
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