RE: Help! Buggy Boards & many other dilemmas!!

[Guest guest]

My dilemma is thus: Mari is 3yrs 5mths, weighs approx. 35lbs, likes to be in

a pushchair and her nursery is a mile walk from home.

I have been considering the following options and would welcome lots of

feedback/suggestions/innovative ideas/any help at all !!

1) A double buggy *but* difficult to find one that is wide enough for Mari

and where the hood doesn't touch the top of her head. If I could find one

this is my favoured option as Mari would be happy and I would be happier

with her safely strapped in !! Found one 3 wheeler specifically designed

for 'older' children but it is #450 have to keep cost under #200. Plus

also needs to be suitable for a newborn.

2) A buggy board *but* Mari is very wilful and I don't know if it will just

be a fight to keep her on it. Also I worry that they change your position

when pushing a pushchair with one attached and that this will aggravate my

back injury.

3) A buggy board which is also a seat *but* will the little madam kick me

etc. - anyone used one of these? My positioning again a concern.

4) Carry babi in a carrier/sling and push Mari *but* Nia is already 10lb8oz,

I have a Tomy front/back carrier but found it aggravated my back when

carrying Mari so wary with Nia being nearly 1lb heavier from birth.

Wondering if slings are better for carrying?

Jenni

Jenni & Gethyn

Mami & Dadi to:

17yrs - 6lbs - Hospital Birth

Mari 3yrs - 9lb 10oz - Home Birth

Nia 13/09/01 - 10lb 8oz - Home Water Birth

" If you don't know your options - you don't have any "

[Guest guest]

>4) Carry babi in a carrier/sling and push Mari *but* Nia is already 10lb8oz,

>I have a Tomy front/back carrier but found it aggravated my back when

>carrying Mari so wary with Nia being nearly 1lb heavier from birth.

>Wondering if slings are better for carrying?

I've absolutely no experience of more than one child but I'd go for this

option. Ditch the Tomy carrier though and get a Wilkinet

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

Hi Jenni

I started out with a Mamas & Papas twin 2-in-1 type pram (14 month age gap)

which is huge and cumbersome and doesn't fit through my front door or the

local shop doors, but suited me at the time because Josh was still too young

to walk anywhere really reliably, and it let me have Freya facing me and

Josh facing out. Then I graduated to a Graco (I think) twin buggy from Toys

R Us - about £99, which is forward-facing on both sides (which I don't like,

personally, with a tiny baby, but Freya was about 9 months by then). But

now I'm back to my McLaren stroller like everybody has (the blue check one!)

with a sling which I got from http://www.happybabysling.com which I really

wish I'd found in the first place and started out with. Not only is the

sling beautiful, but it's comfortable too and I can easily carry Freya

(20mths) in it for 2-3 hours, and can even carry Josh (3yrs) in it for

almost an hour before it begins to feel uncomfortable. The shoulder padding

really is good! It's a traditional sling, rather than a modern one - when

the babies were small, I had a Baby Bjorn sling, which I found desperately

uncomfortable once they were over 3 months old, but this one is really good!

HTH

Vicki Portman

http://www.plushpants.co.uk

[Guest guest]

I know my experiences are dozens of years out of date but when my

toddlers and babies were little what I found a Godsend was a biggish

old fashioned sort of pram where I could put the baby at one end and

the toddler at the other, sitting facing the baby, legs splayed. Or

else on a child seat fixed across the pram. I suppose that's not an

option these days.

Otherwise I'd go for a double buggy. If you can't afford a new one

look out for a second hand one, this is *definitely* the sort of thing

parents try to sell on. When I had a double buggy I had them lining

up to buy it off me

Ruthie

[Guest guest]

> 4) Carry babi in a carrier/sling and push Mari *but* Nia is already 10lb8oz,

> I have a Tomy front/back carrier but found it aggravated my back when

> carrying Mari so wary with Nia being nearly 1lb heavier from birth.

This is the option I used for new babies 3 and 4. I found that the Baby Bjorn

and Wilkinet front carriers were both really comfortable and didn't hurt my

back at all. BB was easier to put on and so better for using from the car,

Wilkinet was fiddly to put on but slightly more comfortable for longer walks.

I used both from newborn (excellent head support) up until about 9 months,

switching to forward facing when the babes started to want to look around. I

have sold my BB but I think I still have my Wilkinet if you would like to try

it.

Lynda

SAHM to (8), (6), Fraser (3), Callum (15/5/00)

Newsletter editor, Mid-Northumberland Branch

Area Rep, Region 7

www.familygarland.co.uk

[Guest guest]

Jenni,

I've no experience with 2 children but as far as slings go I can defiantly

recommend what the Americans call an OSBH - over the shoulder baby holder!

These are just fabric slings with a padded shoulder part - I got mine from

Sling Easy http://skybusiness.com/slingeasy/index.html. They are a godsend

around the house as well as out. Bethan never went into a pushchair until

she was over 16wks (she was 9lb 11oz born & piled the weight on) - I had her

in a sling and an bought an old fashioned " granny " shopping trolley for

putting shopping in when in town.

I'm actually in the process of selling my Sling Easy as Beth is now 22m but

I haven't heard back from the buyer since she went on holidays at the

beginning of September. I'm not sure if she wants it or not, if she doesn't

do you want me to contact you? E-mail me off list if you do

(susan.crawley@...)

HTH,

[Guest guest]

> However as Mari is older could you perhaps go for a Emma Junga with a toddler

seat? (not sure what their max weight is)

I have one of these (for sale by the way!!) and I wouldn't say that the toddler

seat is suitable for much over 3.

Lynda

SAHM to (8), (6), Fraser (3), Callum (15/5/00)

Newsletter editor, Mid-Northumberland Branch

Area Rep, Region 7

www.familygarland.co.uk