Double Buggy - Choices and Jargon

How do I choose a Double Buggy from all the Double Buggies on the market?

Buying a double buggy or double pushchair can be one of the most expensive investments you will make for your babies and choosing your double buggy can be quite a daunting task with so many on the market.

If you break down the jargon and consider whats important to you then the whole task gets a little easier. Lets take a journey with the Double Buggy Jargon, Double Buggy Choices and Double Buggy Reviews.

Double Buggy vs Tandom Buggy
A Double Buggy is a "side by side" seating arrangement whereas a Tandom Buggy is a "one behind the other" seating arrangement.

Big Wheels vs Small Wheels
Do you intend to use your Double Buggy in the countryside, will you be travelling over rough ground, sand or gravel frequently, would you be visiting beaches. If so then the smaller wheels are won't be suitable as they don't cope well with the rough terrain. Gravel is a showstopper for the smaller wheels, it's like putting a wedge under the buggy wheels. However, if you are using your double buggy mainly in the town then small wheels will cope and are lighter and reduce the folded up size of your Double Buggy. Big wheels make it easier to push a heavier load and they will cope well with gravel and rough ground because they ride over it rather than get embedded with it. Consider the total "pushing weight" of your buggy as the children get older say, then add a little extra shopping load and you could have a hard task on your hands with small wheels.

Manouverability
Most of your Double Buggies life will be spent manouvering around things, avoiding things, avoiding people and simply changing direction. Consider how a buggy deals with manouvering under load, first of all is it easy for it to change direction and in particular will it let you simply turn around and go the other way.
Can it perform in the same way when fully loaded i.e. does it feel as though it is toppling at any point or seriously resisting the movement. Is the buggy of sufficient quality to cope with the stresses and strains that occur when the buggy is forced to change direction. Does the buggy feel as though it is gliding effortlessly or does it seem to be creaking under the pressure. If it is creaking under the strain is the quality of the buggy such that it will stand the test of time.

Adjustability
Double Buggy adjustability is important as it effectively enables you to set the buggy up to match your height and stature helping to reduce back fatigue that you may experience through pushing a Double Buggy. This is particularly useful if you and your partner are different heights. The mechanism for adjustment is quite simple and relies on a sliding telescopic tube arrangement on the pushing handle. Typically two locking clips, one each side enable the handle to be raised or lowered and the re-locked at the new position. A couple of things to watch here is the quality of the buggy sufficient to withstand this adjustment to be made many times without the locking clips breaking at some point, is the adjustment easy to make and does the buggy feel equally sturdy in any handle position. Does it feel equally sturdy under load in all positions.

Collapsing and Preparing the Buggy
Typically at the start and end of each journey you will be Setting up the buggy or Collapsing the buggy. You will more than likely have your hands full and the ease at which the buggy can be Set-up or Collapsed will be a prime consideration. Try to minimize your frustration by carefully selecting the Buggy or Double Buggy that is most efficient and simple for you. Some buggies have a very neat mechanism where a button arrangement at the side of the buggy enables the buggy base to unfold with a single button press. The top section is then simply plugged into the top of the base unit.

Tyres
I once listened to a colleague of mine on the phone to his wife describing how to fix a puncture in the wheel of a Buggy. After he calmed her down with the children screaming in her ear he was able to describe how she should fetch a pump out of the garage, remove the inner tube using some tyre levers, pump up the offending wheel, immerse the wheel in a bowl of water and wait for bubbles to rise. Having found the puncture she should then use the cycle repair kit to fix the puncture, replace the tyre and prepare herself for the shopping trip that she was about to go on ¾ hour ago. The moral is consider the maintenance of the Buggy you are buying because it may go wrong sometimes at the most inconvenient times.

Suspension
Most good Buggies these days have a suspension system. If you are living in an area that has rough surfaces, or you are frequently in the countryside then it is an area that you should consider to maximize the comfort for your baby. You are not necessarily looking at something that bounces around merely something that removes the uncomfortable thuds and rattles. Consider the way a car suspension works, it absorbs the bumps but doesn’t keep bouncing around it’s a gentle dampened suspension that provides the best comfort.

Safety
Make sure all the Buggies that you consider carry a British Standard Kite Mark. Satisfy yourself that the brakes are adequate under full load conditions. Find a Buggy that doesn’t have a tendency to topple, maybe consider if you would typically have to cope with a shopping bag on the back of the Buggy as well. Is it sturdy without being overweight. Is the Quality good enough to suggest a long useful life for your Buggy.

Baby Comfort
Paramount in all of these considerations is whether the Buggy is comfortable for your baby. Can they see you and can they see the world around them. Will they prefer to travel backwards or forwards. Will they prefer to be above or below decks on a Tandom Buggy. This is a difficult area but all we would suggest here is “put yourself in your baby’s position…would you be happy?Is the back support to your liking; is it comfortable; is the age range of the Buggy compatible with the age and size of your child or children; do older children have comfortable support for their feet etc.

Age Ranges
Buggy and Double Buggy manufacturers will recommend suitable age ranges for their Buggies. Don’t cut corners with these recommendations as they should have been developed to accommodate the ranges they quote with safety and comfort in mind.

You can even take your Double Buggy cycling, take a look at the Double Bike Trailer Buggy.

FAQs

Do you have to lift the double buggy frequently e.g. up and down steps; on and off busses etc. weight is an important consideration.

Do you have a car and does the double buggy or double pushchair have to double as a car set.

Do you need to manouvere the double buggy frequently to get round or avoid obstacles and pedestrians.

Is the height of the double buggy optimised to match your height i.e. do you have to stoop to reach the comfortable "pushing" position.Make sure that both you and your partner are satisfied by the final double buggy height.

Is space at a premium in your home or in the boot of your car, does the folded double buggy utilise a minimal amount of space, does it fit in your car.

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