A double pram - for baby and toddler

I think I am going to have to buy a new pram (as we currently only have a single one). My toddler will be 22 months when the new baby arrives and I would like some suggestions about what brand / style I should buy.

I am thinking I don't want one where the baby lies down behind the toddler because heshe won't be able to see where they are going, which won't be a problem for a little while, but when they get a bit bigger they won't be happy with that. When the baby is small I can put him/her in a carrier and use the pram I have, but I won't want to do that for too long.

I am wondering then, stadium style (where the back one can see over the other ones head), one in front of the other, type seating or side by side. Positives and negatives for each?

And are there any brands out there that are better than others, or better value for money than others?

Thanks!

have you checked out the double mountain buggy?
i have one and it's great quality, awesome for taking walking

I know u dont want style but I have Phil and Ted Dash and its been great.

side by side
PRO's
older child can 'see' baby
not long as stadium or back and front type prams
slim fold down
widers parcel area

CON'S
older child waking sleeping baby
older child may hit or hurt baby unintentionally
wider means harder to get into door ways / isle in some cases
harder to place into some cars due to width

One behind the other
PRO's
Baby can sleep peacefully
Older child will be busy looking about
long cargo area
can fit into isle and car's easier
Toddler seat is removeable on some (eg Phil and ted) giving you more $$ for money when older child no longer sits in pram
More protection for the baby whilst toddler can have fresh air ;)

CON's
often with the limo style its harder to get into the undercarriage
stadium style...I found that my baby slid down and was positioned awkwardly due to the staps
stadium style - fold up 'thick' for in the car
limo/stadium style prams often have small wheels, bit hard to steer when there is an older child in the front
bit harder to turn especially for walking.
be carefull what kind of toddler seat pram combo you get....ive had a few tip on me :(

Ive had :redface: alot of prams...best on I had in all honesty was a phil and ted..YES they are more expensive but in the long run you will get your money's worth.
Baby at NB stage is snug, safe and secure..Toddler seat sits over the front and in no way can harm the baby but they can still see baby
when they get older you can put the toddler seat on the back for the baby to sit up in and the normal seat for the older child...great protecction all round...fantastic for walking...fits EVERYWERE easily.

Goodluck on your perfect pram quest :)

Hope you don't mind me subscribing, Joey ;)

Also, are you concerned about the 15kg weight-limit for the toddler seat on many of the brands? Your DD may weigh that soon after your new bub arrives? I think the P+T's are only up to 15kgs...

Sorry, not much help, but keen to see what the other ladies have to say!

i was concerned about the weight thing, which was part of the reason i ended up with the mountain buggy. i'm pretty sure it goes up to 25kg

Im only just now selling on our P&T because v is 4 and m is almost 3 and they are to big for it ..eg width wise M is in to tight in the normal seat
M weighs 18kg and V 15 kg and Ive never had a problem with it

Thanks heaps everyone. I'll start looking into those ones.

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I know u dont want style but I have Phil and Ted Dash and its been great.

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Can the baby at the back see out in front?

Can they sit up?

When you have bub in the laying position, the toddler seat goes on top. So they can't see out front, but they're so young when they're in this position that it doesn't really matter. After a couple of months, you can put bub in the toddler seat which goes at the back, and your toddler goes in the main seat (which is in sitting position). Bub will have a good view from that position.
The toddler seat has a max weight limit of 15kg.

I have a Strider Plus and love it. DD (10 months) sits in the bottom seat and still has a great view. DS also insists on sitting in the bottom seat sometimes where he fits quite well. There is plenty of room between the two seats especially when you put the extension clips on which raises the top seat a few extra cm's. The Strider Plus is also significantly cheaper than the P & T's. It also comes with all the accessories included. It's easy to manouever and fits through doorways and checkouts of most shops. The top seat is reversible as well. I take mine jogging with the kids in and it goes well over footpaths, grass, gravel, firm sand. Does feel heavy to push at times (usually after I've jogged to the shops and have the basket full of shopping plus the kids in it!) but I figure it's only making me stronger :) It's a great pram. If we have a third, I'll be getting the capsule to go on it as well I think.

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Can the baby at the back see out in front?

Can they sit up?

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Yes they can see out sides, it can recline slightly by undoing zip, DS2 sleeps in there easily and doesnt complain being down there (he regularly in main seat if DS1 walking) DS1 occasionally sits in back but he complains as he doesnt get much leg room if anything in baaket)

I am another strider plus lover. I should really work for them the amount of times I have raved about it while we are out and about.

My DS is 2 1/2 and sits happily in the back seat. He can see no problems and has loads of leg space because the basket underneath is massive! Can be accessed from both sides and front as well which is a bonus.

DD is 8mths and she is in the front but still facing me at this stage. She loves being able to see me and this is the part the actually sold me on this pram. The top seat been reversible.
I didnt like the newborn part of the phil and teds as I felt I couldnt see or access the baby easily when the toddler was on the front.

Both seats recline so DD sometimes goes in the back and can sleep comfortably with no issues.

It is a little wider than most prams but the only checkouts I have problems with is K Mart, no biggie though I just lift to one side and squeeze out that way.

Seriously LOVE my strider

I have the Phil & Teds hammerhead & I love it.

I'm another Strider plus lover! we have the same age gap, and its been the best buy. DD at 2.5 loves sitting in the bottom seat, although am beginning to get her to sit in the top seat more as she's close to the weight limit. I like that both seats can recline fully, which was one thing that put me off the phil and ted, as DD still has sleeps in the prams if we're out at sleep time. Like Eluned said the basket is massive. I've been putting DS in the bottom seat recently, and he can still see out, and he's totally happy down there too, in fact he's currently asleep in that after our walk.

Just to let you know of another option you haven't mentioned- the ABC Adventure Buggy. You can get a side-by-side but you can also get their single pram and add the toddler seat up on top.

we have a 'front and back' jogger after trying my sisters side by side. her twins were different weights and it would pull to the heavier side. it was also hard to fit in places and in the car.
not sure what brand t was (5yrs ago)

Sorry if this has already been answered. Information overload! What's your opinion about the Phil and teds style where baby is underneath compared to a normal looking pram with a litlle toddler seat that looks like it clips on the front? Is there more of a weight restriction with the little seat on the front? Thanks heaps :)

The reason I didn't go for the toddler seat that clips on the front is firstly, my brand of jogger pram couldn't take one (a weight and stability issue) so I would have to get a new pram anyway, and then secondly, my dd still sleeps in the pram, and i felt that she'd would be better in the strider plus as they seat is full height and both recline, whereas a toddler seat doesn't. Also, I thought that it was fine in terms of space whilst my 2nd was a tiny baby, but as soon as they would get to an age where they wanted to sit up, it would be pretty squashy for the baby, especially as they got bigger. Saying that, it depends if you think your DD will still be pram riding or not. I went for the strider plus as I felt both would be comfy, especially for long walks.

I have the P&T Vibe where baby initially goes in the big seat laid completely flat with toddler above on the little seat and then when baby wants to sit up s/he goes under in the little seat (it clips in either position) and toddler goes in the big seat in top. We got the Vibe because you can fold the whole thing up in one go - no unclipping seats etc like the other P&T models.
Oddly enough my toddler actually likes to sit in the bottom (little) seat because he can hop out if he wants and hop back in while we are walking and because I can talk to him easier. Baby is happy with this too - he gets the seat up front most of the time and gabbles away to himself :) People look at me a bit weird sometimes (I think they are wanting to tell me that I have the kids in the wrong way!)
A good friend has a toddler seat clipped on to the front of a valco and her baby is quite squished in now he is a bit bigger (8 months).
I'm sure you could do a quick call to a pram retailer to find out the weight restrictions on each of the seats, or google it. They always seem to release new models and they all have new features.

I too have a Phil & Teds, initially i wasn't a fan but when i too was faced with a similar gap between my two i decided i needed to make a decision on a double pram. The first pram i had i loved but it was wide and it did pose a few issues sometimes when i was out and about, so i never really considered a side by side as i knew this would be the similar.

As i suspected there was only i'd say 5 or 6 months of me still being able to coax DS1 into the pram before he started to refuse it. So for a short while i used the pram with bub lying in the newborn set up and then the set up where the younger was behind the other. It really has been a great pram.

When we walk now DS1 will still have a little wander himself but if he gets tired he actually sits on the foot rest part at the front point of the pram and DS2's feet just go either side of him. I'm about to have my third and i'm wondering if i'll end up pushing 3 kids at times? One on the front, one in the seat and one in the extra attachment :lol:

Like you said also you have the option of a carrier, it's great to have a few options for you and for your little one.

Subscribing :) Hope you don't mind! DS will be 20months when this bubba is born so we are keen to buy a great double stroller, great info so far ladies :D

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When you have bub in the laying position, the toddler seat goes on top. So they can't see out front, but they're so young when they're in this position that it doesn't really matter. After a couple of months, you can put bub in the toddler seat which goes at the back, and your toddler goes in the main seat (which is in sitting position). Bub will have a good view from that position.
The toddler seat has a max weight limit of 15kg.

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You mentioned that you can put your baby in the toddler seat once she is a bit bigger ... is that an additional buy or it is just the laying down part pushed into a seated position?

Thanks heaps Ladies for all this information. I really need to go looking now I think. Will probably buy one second hand off ebay, but would be good to see them in real life first.

So looks like these are the recommendations so far ... so I can get my head around it and also for the others who are looking at buying:



Double mountain buggy - side by side option
Phil & Teds Dash ($150-$200 extra for toddler seat)
Strider Plus (both seats fully recline, top seat reversable, good for jogging, a bit wider than P&T, baby accessable from both sides and front)
Phil & Teds hammerhead ($150-$200 extra for toddler seat)
ABC Adventure Buggy
Phil & Ted Vibe (folds in one go, no unclipping seats, $150-$200 extra for toddler seat)


Please let me know of any positives or negatives you think I should add to any of the styles listed above as this could be a good reference for a lot of people.

Thanks!! :)

The toddler seats are an additional buy on all of the prams I have checked out (except for the side-by-side, obviously). About $200 extra for the P+T. The covers and saddle bags also need to be bought separately if you are planning on those.

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You mentioned that you can put your baby in the toddler seat once she is a bit bigger ... is that an additional buy or it is just the laying down part pushed into a seated position?

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The seat that you attach on is additional. I have the P&T Sport, and I don't have to unclip the attachment seat to fold it. The attachment seat (doubles kit is what they call it) is usually around $150 if you buy it separately.

Does the strider have a lot of foot room for the adult pushing it? I know when I walk with my jogger it's good, but when I go to the shops with my other pram and try to walk fast (and so my stride becomes bigger) i keep kicking the bottom of it. ??