Five Lessons You Can Learn From Tandem Double Buggy
Buying a Tandem Double Buggy
If you have twins or children very close in age, a tandem double buggie is a great option. They are smaller than side-by-side buggies and are ideal for tight spaces like doors, public transport, and terrain that is rocky.
Many convert into travel systems that take 2 carrycots or car seats. However, they are heavier and longer than single pushchairs and might feel less stable when as they bump up the kerbs.
Convertible
There are many options for adding a second seating or converting a single stroller to double. The UPPAbaby Vista V2 is a spacious, gorgeous stroller that can easily be converted from a single to a double by adding the rumble seat (available separately). It's costly and less mobile than other double strollers since the second seat is placed behind the front seat. Nuna Demi Grow is a similar model but lacks storage underneath the seat when it is used as a double stroller.
Other options include twin buggies with all-terrain wheels as well as joggers that have fixed wheels that can hold two kids. They are generally more expensive but they're designed for long-distance trips over rough terrain, and may have a higher resale value.
Independent seat recline
If you need a double buggy to carry children of different ages, you'll need a buggy that has an recline that is independent for both seats. This allows your older child to be able to relax while your baby is in the bassinet, and vice versa.
Take into consideration the width of your stroller and consider how easy it is for you to maneuver through doors and public transportation. If you have very narrow doors, it may be a good idea to consider a side-byside pushchair, such as the Mountain Buggy Duet which has the benefit of having a footprint comparable to a single buggy, but can still use two seats and car seat adaptors.
Tandem buggies tend to be longer than side by side models, which makes them more difficult to maneuver around and down kerbs. However they can also accommodate a wider range of combinations of car seats/car seats/seats and can make an excellent choice for twins and siblings of various ages. They can also be more expensive than single-to-double buggies, but are worth the purchase if you plan to keep it for many years and have a good amount of resale value in the event that you sell it on after your children have grown out of it.
This feature allows you to place your child in a comfortable position for naps or observation. This is essential for children who are in the back seat and would like to take a nap while the older child prefers to sit and observe the surrounding.
Certain brands come with a unique seat design which allows the back seat to fully recline into a nearly flat position which is perfect for infants. For instance the iCandy Orange has raised stadium-style seating and can recline the toddler seat that comes with it and the additional RumbleSeat into multiple positions to give your kids a a choice of where to sit as well as providing an excellent UPF 50+ canopy with windows that peek out.
More spacious than twin buggies
You don't need to have twins to benefit from a wider double buggy - they're ideal for siblings of various age groups. They allow you to get around without having to worry about your children touching each other. They are usually a little bit longer with one seat positioned behind the other. The seats can be reclined fully for infants, or put in an upright position for toddlers.
A popular choice is the Mountain Buggy Duet, which features the slimmest side-by-side design available and features the same footprint as one buggy. It has an adjustable handle that makes it easier for parents to push, and a handbrake, which is useful on steep hills. It can be used from birth and is compatible with a variety of car seats and carrycots, which means it makes an excellent travel system.
The iCandy Wave is another option. It folds in either mono or duo mode with just one click. Its clever frame can be expanded widthwise to accommodate a second chair and can be used with up to two carrycots or car seats which makes it an ideal choice for older siblings who want to sit together and share the view. It's a bit bigger than the other models, but it still isn't heavy and has a soft suspension for the kerbs.
There are a lot of 3-wheeler tandems inline available such as Phil and Teds inline models or iCandy's Peach and Pear buggies for instance they provide stability and quick steering. They can be folded into a single buggy if you have limited space at home, or need to transport it from your car to the bus stop.
Be aware that a two-wheeled buggy is more heavy and heavier than one compact buggy. Be sure to know what you want prior to making a purchase. You'll have to get it off and on trains, buses and subways regularly so it needs to be easy to use and manage. You may also have to juggle it on and off the car seat when taking your children to nursery or school so you'll need to know it can be easily manoeuvred within small spaces.
From your birth, you are a good candidate
If you're expecting twins or you have a child following your first, you're likely to require an appropriate pushchair for the whole family. Double buggies are typically heavier and bulkier as well as more expensive than single strollers. However they are much easier to maneuver in tighter doorways and around obstacles such as curbs. They are also compatible with piggyback ride-along boards (either from the manufacturer or as an accessory purchase) so you can transport three children at a time.
Tandem pushchairs seat one child in the front of the other, so they're often a better choice when you have two children who are similar in age to function well together. But they're not completely safe: Siblings in side-by-side seats could kick or punch each other, and kids on different heights can squabble over who gets to sit higher. A tandem double stroller high-low model can solve this issue by elevating the seat at the rear, which prevents your child's height from being sat on the bottom and not having much of a view.
The iCandy Wave is a good option for parents who are looking for a convertible Double buggy with carrycot (http://hl0803.com) buggy with a carrycot that is able to accommodate both a newborn and an older child. It features an intelligent frame that expands in width when you add the second hand double buggy child seat. It folds flat to make it a compact storage. The padded straps, buckles, and seats are all of the best quality we have encountered in any of our tests. The seats can be reclined independently, and the canopies are large and generous with UPF 50+ protection as well as peekaboo windows.
The only drawback to the iCandy tandem is that it's a bit costly. But a high-quality tandem will last you for years and retain a high resale price, which means that in the end you'll likely recover some of the cost. It doesn't have the same variety of seating configurations that the other top choices however, the iCandy is a good choice for families who don't wish to spend a lot.