Twinsclub Buggy Guide - Winter 05.

Getting the right buggy is half the battle in enjoying your new arrivals and being able to get out and about (relatively) easily.

Buggy design is constantly evolving - with manufacturers striving to bring you the safest and easiest options available. This is great news for the consumer, but makes it difficult for anyone trying to keep a buggy guide up to date! Consumers now have a vast choice of options available, but this in itself makes the job of choosing somewhat harder. First of all decide what you need from your buggy.

• Where are you going to be using it most ?
• Will you mainly be using it in conjuction with a car - ie does it need to be light enough for you to get in and out of your car easily ?
• Do you need something comfortable and easy to push because you do a lot of walking ?
• Do you need something with three wheels or an all-terrain if you are walking over unmade roads or in the countryside ?
• Measure the doorway to your home to make sure your chosen buggy will fit (unless you have outside space such as a garage where you plan to park it)

Even with these questions answered, there is still a problem with which type of buggy to go for. Do you prefer the traditional pram or something more modern such as a three-wheel tandem ? As with anything, prices differ vastly, and we know from experience that it is not an easy thing to try and sort through an online-stores complete stock just to look at one or two buggies. Hopefully, we've made things easier for you with our online buggy guide. We have put together a reasonably comprehensive list of all the buggies available, to help you with your choices. Please note some of the following may only be available second-hand as they may no longer be manufactured, but we appreciate that there is a vast second-hand market, so details are included for those looking to buy second-hand.

Traditional Style Pram	3 wheel twin buggies	Tandem buggies	Side-by-Side 4 wheel
All terrain buggies	Travel systems	Umbrella fold buggies

Traditional Pram Style

Karen - Mother of 15 month old twins, said : " My twins are 15 months old now and I've had a Maclaren Duette since birth, it's ok (just ok!). There`s a couple of things I wasn`t happy about but nothing major, the bar between the handles broke after 7 months and the guarantee (from the shop I bought it from) ran out at 6 months. I think that's something you need to look at when you purchase a pushchair. Only having used the Maclaren I don't know what the others were like, but I have heard the Mamas and Papas twin buggy is pretty good. I think the umbrella style is more convenient especially if it's going in and out the car quite often, and the babies grow so quickly you don't get the use out of a proper pram anyway."

This from Janet, mum of twin boys : " My twin boys are now almost 2 1/2 and I have used a Twin Mirage by Graco since they were born. I really don't have any negative comments about it, it is light weight and easy to push and folds away very quickly and easily. The only annoying thing is that you have to disconnect the rain cover before folding away. We road tested many makes and models before buying this and I would certainly reccommend it. I would completely stay away from tandem (one in front of the other) as they may be easier to get through doors but not very easy to control." There were several nods of agreement to this type of buggy :

From Kate : "I also had twins in December and they were fairly small. Therefore I opted for the Graco Twin Mirage (incidentally £100 cheaper in ToysRUs than Mothercare at the time.) I found it very good for everyday use and it's still going strong 2 years later. Since then I have bought a second-hand Maclaren Duette for travelling purposes mainly. The Graco is much more padded, enclosed and cosy for the winter, especially for tiny new-borns and generally seems more comfy, though I agree that having to take off the rain cover is a bit of a pain at times. It does fold flat and stands up against the wall in my hall and I was able to stand it up in the boot of my Astra,having removed the parcel shelf! The Maclaren is better now the girls are bigger, have more of their own padding and are sitting up more."

From Jeanette : " My twin boys are 3 years old and we are still using the Mothercare twin mirage that I got when they were born. Lightweight. good handle for pushing, they have always been comfortable in it. Covers easily removed for washing. Very useful large baskets for carrying things. Good for loading up with groceries doing a shop&go, pay and then load into boxes that I kept in the front-seat of the car. Baskets handy for then to use to push the buggy along when they start to walk. Felt it was a very good buy. Not disappointed with it. We did buy two single Maclarens when they were one year old to go to Singapore. Useful for holidays and doing things as a family. Share the weight and easier access to places. Makes it a little more fun ie buggy races. "

Louise also opts for 2 single buggies : "If you do (or are planning) a lot of walking with your husband and the twins I would also invest in two single buggies, (if you can afford it, although the basic ones can be quite cheap). Perhaps consider it next summer. It is a joy to push one child in a single pushchair, it makes you feel like rally driving it!! " (Editors note - I heard recently that Mothercare were doing a single All Terrain pushchair for £70 - which definitely makes this seem like a good option for those with a love of the great outdoors)

A word of warning about certain umbrella types from Victoria : " I've got the Mamas and Papas twin micra (umbrella fold) and it was a complete waste of money, do not waste your time looking at it. It has so many things wrong it, I hate it and just wished I had asked the same question before I bought it. My friend has got the Cosatto twin buggy (umbrella) and that looks so much better. Until a few weeks ago I had a 3 door Renault Clio and my umbrella fold fits in the car fine, so I would recommend an umbrella fold style for a small car"

So that's a start..

In summary, the Twinsclub readers advice to choosing a new buggy would look something like this :

1. Don't get a tandem - they're far too difficult to manoeuvre and aren't really suitable for newborn twins.

2. If you live in the country or plan to do any walking on uneven ground, don't get an umbrella. They have much smaller wheels they aren't the best at jumping over potholes or roughing it across parks.

3. Outright favourite is the side-by-side type by Mothercare or Graco, known by various names including Atlanta and Twin Mirage The wheels are bigger than an umbrella, it's still quite light but it's much nicer to push and can handle rough ground much better. It's also surprisingly smaller (width-wise) than other umbrella buggies which one would assume would be smaller. It folds in half really easily. It has nice padding for newborns and is cosy in the winter.

4. Definitely check out nearly new sales with your local twins club and the surrounding clubs. Free ads papers always seem to have a couple, or check out the trading post here at www.twinsclub.co.uk/ to see if there is one on sale.

Either visit the forum, or email me direct on Lindsey@twinsclub.co.uk. - where your comments count!

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Page last updated: 29-Jan-2008

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