Annalisa Barbieri
Saturday September 2, 2006
The Guardian

I’m expecting our second child this month and by then our daughter will be 18 months old. Consequently, we need a twin pushchair that can accommodate both children. What do you suggest?
Jo Warren, Loughborough

The first thing I’d say is, are you sure you really need a double buggy? The best way to carry a newborn is to sling them in something like a ring sling (not those Baby Bjorn-type carriers). Little babies adore being carried next to their parents, they cry less and sleep more when held next to you. You can also be much more mobile because you can put your toddler in the buggy you already have and away you go, rather than wielding a bigger pushchair. Then you can reassess in a few months’ time and see if you need to buy a double buggy (at which point you have more options as some double buggies aren’t suitable for newborns). You may find by then that your toddler doesn’t want to go in a pram any more anyway. The advantage also is that a sling only costs about £30, so it’s a much cheaper way to “upgrade”. We’ll be doing a column on slings in a few weeks.

The other option to consider is a buggy board (they cost around £30 from all pram suppliers), which you can attach to your current pram. Your toddler can ride on it standing up and you fold it up when not in use. However, this isn’t very good for long distances and you may find that, at 18 months, your daughter is a bit too young for a buggy board.

If you do decide to get a double buggy you need to consider a few things: will you be going on public transport a lot? Will you be doing a lot of shopping, and if so, what are the shops near you like? Do they have narrow doors or big, automatic ones? Will you have lots of steps to climb? Will you be predominantly going across pavements or uphill/on rough terrain?

Prams with pneumatic tyres are much easier to push and the bigger the wheel the easier it is to push, too - a particular consideration if you do a lot of walking over any sort of surface. (Personally, I would never consider a pram without pneumatic wheels now.) However, air tyres make a buggy heavier.

The advantage of side-by-side pushchairs is that both children have the same view. The disadvantage is that they are wider and some people find them impossible to use on public transport. A tandem pushchair has one child at the front and one at the back. They’re as wide as a one-seat pram so easier to get in and out of doors or up and down aisles, but the disadvantage is that one child has an obstructed view and generally only one seat folds back to recline.

The other thing to remember is that there is no such thing as the perfect pram so it’s a case of working out what you want to compromise on. A double buggy that is very highly praised among parents (an important factor) is the Marco Sky, £149.50 (www.2become4.com, 0870 950 2884). It’s a tandem buggy, it has solid (ie, non-pneumatic) wheels and for the price it can’t be bettered. It folds to not much bigger than a single buggy and it’s remarkable value for money, but it can be a bastard to push, as with any pram with solid wheels, and it won’t win any beauty contests. The First Wheels City Twin, from £349, (www.twinsuk.com, 01670 354463) is brand new and is a unique double buggy in that you can face the seats toward or away from you and independently of each other. It’s also very easy to steer and has air tyres. Disadvantage? Price, lots of extras to spend money on and not the easiest to fold (you have to take the seats off). The Instep Double Nipper, £299 (also from Twinsuk) is a double buggy that’s very light. A comment from a parent: “I love mine to death, easy to push, light and narrow, but downside is price and it’s large when folded.”

Phil and Ted’s E3 (www.mothercare.com, 08453 30 4030), £299.99 plus £59.99 for the doubles kit and £39.99 for the cocoon, which parents say is pretty essential for a newborn, is the only buggy that can convert back to a single buggy once your need for carrying two children is over; the doubles kit is an extra seat that you add to it.

The advantages are that it is versatile, and is the width of a single buggy, but it’s expensive and some parents don’t like the fact that you carry the newborn in a very low position. You also have to be careful how you unload your children as that can tip it over, but that’s made clear in the instructions. The luxury alternatives are the Chariot Cougar 2, from about £475, or the Cougar CX2 from about £620 (www.amba-marketing.co.uk, 01392 840030). These are light, gorgeous, super high-spec, side-by-side buggies with huge wheels that are actually bike trailers - you convert them with a buggy kit (included in the prices I have quoted above).

My advice? If you’re short of money go for the Marco Sky, if not, splash out on one of the Cougars.

· Shopping problems? Contact Personal Shopper, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER or email: annalisa.barbieri@mac.com