Tandem Prams

[LuluHB]

I've been looking at these lately - think they might be easier for shopping than getting a side by side. Only thing that concerns me is the space between the back seat and the front seat seems really small. I put my 7 month old DD in the back seat and she could easily kick the seat in front of her. Does anyone whose got one find this is a problem?

So confused now about whether I should get a tandem or a side by side

[visitor1]

I got a side by side for my 2 girls.

I was thinking of the tandem but then my friend said she had a lot of problems with her 2 yo always turning around trying to get in the back with her newborn...

So the side by side was the best option (my friend also went and got SBS pram and her problem was fixed). I did find Chelsea tried to reach over and get Jasmine but i fixed that by putting the front cover up higher and made Chelseas straps tighter.

Ive had no problems shopping wise with the pram. Most places are accomodating for the width. Only problem i can think of...but might not be a problem for some people, is we go out to dinner with friends or as a couple and the double pram isnt a good thing to take to restruants. So we also have a single pram for Jasmine and Chelsea sits in a high chair.

We have a side by side Swallow Duerto. I loooove it

[*Ali*]

I have a side by side for when no 2 arrives (yet to try it out though) I have heard that the tandem prams can be hard to steer because of their length. For me personally I dont like the idea of my toddler being so far away from me either because I love to chat to her while we are shopping.

[visitor1]

Yep ive heard the same Ali....also...i dotn feel as 'safe' with the tandems due to their length and they feel bulky and not sterdy.

My pram steers freely (can do great donuts with it..LOL)!

[artemis]

I actually always preferred the tandem,i found it much easier than the side by side,it was a pain in the butt!The tandem was much easier with shopping ,manouvering etc imo but what ever works for u is what's best right?

[Liviam]

My girlfriend has just bought a phil & ted one with a d!ckie seat and it is amazing. It is the pram I'll be getting with number 2. You can put the d!ckie seat on top or behind. It is light, easy to fold and fantastic to push. It is worth the $$$

[LuluHB]

Thanks everyone. Dan - I'm probably the only one on the planet but I hate the P&Ts!! I saw one with the toddler seat on when I was out Thursday night and the poor little baby was in a horrible cave. I'm claustrophobic, so the thought of putting a baby in such an enclosed space like that just makes me feel terrible. I also have a friend who clonked her son's head when he was in the bottom toddler seat when she went down stairs - poor little guy. I'm such a clutz its something I know I would do!!

Kim - thanks for your comments. Nothing like talking to mums who use them! I really am torn between the two sorts.

Ali - I agree with you about the toddler being so far away from you in a tandem - its one of my concerns too. I'm a bit worried about pushing the pram into something and bashing DD's legs around!

Artemis - do you have problems with your kiddies with the back one kicking the front one??

[Liviam]

Oh Lulu that is great to know about the P & T's. I love to hear about people who use them, good and bad. I definitely didn't do enough research before I bought our pram.
How are you going deciding on your pram?

[LuluHB]

The P & Ts is such a great concept to get both bubbies in one pram, but I've got a couple of friends who have really had problems with them once the toddler seat is being used.

I'm definitely getting a double Mountain Buggy for proper walks. I love my single MB and hate the idea of compromising and getting a double pram that isn't as good to push with two bubbies. I go on really long walks - 10kms sometimes - so I want a good walking pram. I'm still struggling with my "shopping" pram though. There seem to be such different points of view from everyone who uses them - I can see I'll end up buying one, hating it and then going and buying the other (and then getting divorced probably!!)

[artemis]

Hi Lulu,i always put the baby in the back & the older one in front so i didn't have the kicking problem

[creesmum]

a lot of my friends have the side by side double maclaren for the shops and love it. Quite light and easy to fold. As a huge fan of the single maclaren I would have definately considered it, but as my boy is three and bub due two weeks, am going to stick with my two singles.

[joralyd]

Hi I had a lovncare tandem high rise, now it's going back a couple of years but there is a 22month difference between my first 2 so the front todler style seat was fantastic for my son, he could see everything and with the off chance he fell asleep I could lay him almost flat, plus it had a drink/snack tray for his "stuff". It was very sturdy and had great movement and easy to clean, I only used it for about a year before ds wanted to be the big boy and walk everywere. Good luck finding a good model I guess it's a pretty personal choice because we all have such different needs so what might suit me won't always suit everyone else.

[Meluchja]

LuLu, I used a tandem pram and I loved it. Good points - I bought the Graco Stadium Duo and if your planning on using a capsule, it fits snug in the back seat using the back tray, which was the best thing going for us. I was so paranoid that DS wouldn't sleep whilst being transfered from car to pram etc. But this was great. I never had any problems hitting DD legs up front, and she could hear me fine. I really really loved it. It also has a really great shopping basket, that hits heaps in, I mean several grocery bags, that I found handy when doing a quick trip up to the corner store. And it has great sun canopies. The front seat reclines a little which is enough for DD to have a catnap comfortably. Both seats have a snack tray. Easy to recline seats Bad points - It's a little heavy at around 14kg, but what double isn't. It is a little long, but I still found it not to be a big problem. The back sun hood has a peek hole with no cover, but I made one to fit. Back seat child may be able to kick back seat (not a problem for us yet though).

I have just bought a s-b-s stroller. Bad points - I think it is harder to steer than the tandem. And I find it very annoying at the shopping centres moving in and out of the isles (sp?). Doesn't have snack trays, which probably isn't a bother, just have come to really like them after using the tandem. Sun canopies aren't very good in covering bubs. It's a pain in shopping centers. Not so much the checkouts but just walking around stores like Target, Kmart, etc when it's busy. And forget about smaller store. And like Kim said definately not possible to use out at resturants due to it's width. Recline buttons are hard to reach as is the basket when they are reclined. Good points - DS is old enough now to cop a bit of a bashing from DD, so I like the idea of them sitting s-b-s, might encourage them to get along more when they are older. The stoller I have is alot lighter, 10.5kg. Back seat passenger can't kick front one, but they might just pull on each other IYKWIM.

So don't know which one I'm going to keep now. I love the Graco but maybe I just need to give the Streelcraft s-b-s stroller more of a chance.

Good luck, hope some of this helps.

[Lucy]

We have the Swallow Lite......tandem......it is great!

I have reviewed it here:

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...2&limit=recent

[Amity]

I added my points to Lucy's review.

I really liked our trailer (bike trailer - SBS) but could only use it when Ned was sitting, so no good for newborns.

I think I'm going to be interested in these comments in about four years!