tandem vs twin pushchairs?
May 16th, 2010 by islandhippy
With only a month to go before baby #2 is born, we need to solve the pushchair problem.
- Do we stick with our single buggy and force Olive to walk?
- Do we attach a boogie board to the back of the existing chair and let Olive stand up?
- Do we buy a twin (side-by-side) pushchair?
- Do we buy a tandem (front-and-back) pushchair?
- Should we just employ a maid like everybody else in Singapore and let her carry both kids?
Olive will be 26 months old when her brother is born so I think she'll still need to sit down in a buggy of some kind for another year or two. I quite like the idea of riding the boogie board but I can't see Olive doing it. Both the twin and tandem chairs look pretty unwieldy and are very heavy. We live in a walk-up apartment so we'll have to leave the buggy downstairs but I guess that's not really a problem as we do that anyway with the single buggy. Handling a double stroller up and down steps in shops is going to be tough, and crossing the railway line next to the house is out.
Does anybody have any experience with twin or tandem buggies? Do share your thoughts.
UPDATE: We've found what must be the cheapest tandem buggy in Singapore! A local baby store has two units of the Graco DuoGlider Stroller (Safari Sun) reduced to just S$200, which makes it the same price as it would be in the US or UK instead of being ridiculously marked up like everything else in Singapore. It is a bargain basement model but did receive an acceptable review from Which? consumer magazine in the UK. The rear seat folds all the way down and is suitable for newborns and it accepts a Graco carseat (for some odd reason, since we don't have a car, we do have a Graco carseat lying around). Olive can ride in the front of the buggy and act as bow lookout. The photo below, taken from the Graco website, has been shot at such an angle that you don't see just how long the buggy is. At one meter in length, it's not going to be easy maneuvering through tight corners. In theory it can be folded up using one hand but try that when holding the baby and watching Olive at the same time. I guess we'll only use the buggy for day trips and stick the baby in the old buggy or carry him in a Baby Bjorn the rest of the time and let Olive walk.
Hi Phil and Sandy,
My eye was caught by your pushchair dilemma, I completely sympathise as we went through the same thing. Well, I did, Andrew wasn’t as emotionally engaged….
We ended up getting a Phil and Ted’s double buggy which does various combinations of positions. Elsa was 21 months when George was born so she sat in the toddler seat in front initially while he lay flat in the cocoon underneath. Then when he was bigger we changed it around and he went in the front seat and she sat in the seat underneath. People kept thinking we were cruel to put her underneath but she actually chose it!
We bought the whole lot second hand on ebay for about £250 I think and then sold it on a year later to a friend for £200 which was handy.
I found it really useful but it was also handy to have a spare Maclaren that we’d been lent and which we put a buddy board on for Elsa. But you’re right, Olive is still very little and sometimes she’ll just need to fall asleep and won’t have the energy to stand up.
I don’t know how much you’d have to spend out in Singapore on Phil and Ted’s but I think they’re great. They can be heavy once loaded with 2 kids but they’re really compact compared to some pushchairs and I could always get down the aisle of a bus.
So there’s my advice (do you think I could get a commission from P&T’s).
Good luck!
lots of love
Alex
xxx
Hi Phil,
The whole stroller dilemma is nuts, it can keep you up at night. We also managed to buy a used Phil & Ted’s for about $300 and it was fantastic. Peter was 25 months when Juliette was born and it really worked out well. Especially when both kids could sit in the seats. There were a lot of times when Peter would want to be out walking and then all the sudden want to ride so he would hop into the bottom seat. What’s great is that the baby can ride in it really early on and it’s pretty easy to manage. I wouldn’t say it’s light for going up and down stairs but it’s easy to navigate in general. We used it a lot last summer when he was just three and Juliette was one. Any chance you’ll be going home to the UK early on? Perhaps you could get one second hand there and then bring it back on the plane. They’re pretty popular here….Good luck and keep us posted!
Am going to buck the trend and suggest instead of a double buggy (at least yet) you stick with your single one and just carry the little one in a sling. That way you stay as mobile as you currently are, no significant extra weight and little one stays safe and happy up against mum and dad. Baby Bjorn style ones work for this for short distances/times, but they are not ideal for a baby (not v comfortable for baby as all their weight is on their crotch and its not a v good position for baby to sit in, particularly a new born) and not that comfy for parents once baby gets a bit of weight on (straps tend to dig in etc). Have a look at either the long wrap around slings, or a MeiTai or something like Ergo baby (personally I prefer the wrap around ones, see http://www.babyslings.ch), but it does depend if you’ve got anyone who can show you how to use it. Would have thought there would be lots of people using MeiTais in S’pore but if not and you want more info on them just shout. You can carry on using them with a toddler also, so you could use it to carry Olive on your back.
Lots love
Susie
Hi Guys
I hope you are well.
Yes the delights of double buggies. I love my double buggy which is a side by side ( called an out n about nipper – its english but much cheaper than all of the rest) and managed singapore pretty well when we were there. It is really light compared to the phil and ted and much easier to push – dare I say it! I know it is different with twins as I wanted mine to be next to each other but the benefit of mine even for two different ages is its lightness and ease of pushing. A friend of mine is getting one and her children will be exactly the same age as yours when the next is born. Also I didnt like the idea of the lower seat and friends of mine have had trouble getting their baby in the lie down seat bit with the older child on top as they didnt like being totally enclosed without much light! Its real problem I think is the frame which quickly starts to feel very wobbly fairly soon after buying. Mine was orginally a running buggy so is much lighter. I suppose the aussie or kiwi version is the mountain buggy and I know the latest one of that is really very thin but I think heavier – mine was 10 kg. The one thing I would say is my mother in law, as a spare pram, has the graco one (both her children have twins so she thought it might come in handy!) that you are looking at (all be it an older version) and it is very unwealdy and difficult to push.
I dont think this helps but mine is about half the price of a phil and ted so you might even be able to get it shipped – or a kind granny could bring it or any pram for that matter!
Kate
Thank you so much for all the replies … I’m relieved to know we’re not the only ones who faced this problem.
Phil & Teds: nice buggies! I popped into Mothercare and drooled over the latest models. Until I saw the price tags! They’re retailing for about S$1200 to 1500 (GBP600 to 750). There’s not much of a secondhand market here. And no suitable buggies on Singapore eBay at the mo. I know Singaporeans don’t buy secondhand goods so what happens to all the old buggies? I suspect they’re given to maids, who ship them back to the Philippines. Maybe I should pop over to Manila.
We may explore shipping out a cheapie (used or new) from the UK and going with the sling/Baby Bjorn option first. I think Sandy was fine using slings but, honestly, I had problems tying them and getting Olive in. The Baby Bjorn was easier for me, but only when baby is older and, in this climate, both baby and porter get horribly sweaty.
Website specialises in double pushchair sales. Also deals with baby products in general including Cots and Cotbeds, car and booster seats, other pushchairs, baby walkers, safety gates, travel cots and playpen, high chairs etc.
http://www.doublepushchaironline.co.uk