# 4yo too heavy for buggy board.. ideas?



## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

I'm 9 weeks pregnant with my third child, due in September. I'm in a bit of a stroller pickle. DD1 will be 4y9m when baby arrives. She has trouble walking long distances (longer than a block) due to mild hypotonia and motor planning delays. She is currently 48lbs, and tall, and over the weight limit for buggy boards. Standing also takes up much of her energy and if we're going to the park, I'd like to preserve as much of her physical energy as possible.

DD2 will be 2y9m when baby arrives, and is a wanderer, and very spirited, and I know I can't trust her to walk or even stand on a buggy board without jumping off to run and chase a squirrel. I contemplated a kid-leash but with the distances we walk... I don't think it would be doable. And I don't think she'd tolerate it. It's a fight enough to buckle her in the car and in the stroller.

Currently, our stroller is a Mountain Buggy Duo. DH is the only driver in our family, so when he's at work the kids and I walk everywhere with our stroller. Right now things are fine because there are only two of them, and they can both ride in the stroller. When the baby is born, he or she can be worn for the first couple of months until cold weather hits. Once spring comes again, baby will be 5 months old, and, if anything like my other two.. quite a chunker and too heavy for me to wear and be pushing 100lbs around at the same time for miles.

I'm hoping that by then my DD1 becomes able to walk some more. I still don't think it's fair to make her walk for miles though... and kids who don't have her issues would likely protest at walking such long stretches.

What are my options here (for next spring, so ages reflect that time)? Right now i've come up with:
-5yo and 5mo in the stroller, *hope* that 3yo has enough self control to be able to stay on a buggy board (or I could leash her and have her on the buggy board... hm)

-*hope* that 5yo has the capacity to be able to walk, and put 3yo and 5mo in the stroller.

AFAIK, there are no triple strollers that will suit our needs. Someone nearby is selling a cheap Valco twin trimode (so a double jogger with a 3rd seat on top) , but it has a 45lb per seat weight limit, so that's out. I would just get a cheapie triple train stroller, however I'm sure it wouldn't hold up to our "ruggedness" requirements (walking miles a few times per week going over uneven sidewalks and rough terrain), so I haven't even looked into the weight restrictions for those. I could easily sell our stroller and get something else, but I don't know what that something else would be.

I just really, really want to be able to get out of the house next spring. We can't stand being cooped up. If only I could divide myself up into two people.


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## lnitti (Jun 14, 2004)

First thing I thought of is this:

http://www.joovy.com/p-13-big-caboose-stand-on-triple-stroller.aspx

But the seats top out at 40, and the rear has a limit of 45 pounds.

But really, I can't imagine a 5 month old being to heavy to wear even if he or she is a chunker. I've worn my kids when they were 3-4 years old. I wore my oldest through Italy at 3 years old while I was 7 months pregnant. Wasn't the easiest, but do able. My second was a chunk too and 20 some pounds by 5-6 months, but I still wore her. I guess what I am saying is that you may want to consider a different carrier that makes it easier to wear bigger kids. Maybe a Beco or an Ergo or something.

The other thought I have is that MOST strollers top out at 40-45 pounds. But I know the Maclarens go up to 55 pounds per seat. My 6 year old would ride if I let her. They do have two models that are side by side double strollers. Possibly you could use something like that? You couldn't have all 3 in at one time, but you could have one walk a bit, then have the kids swap. And if 2 really needed to ride, you could wear one for a little bit? There are some other doubles out there too that can say that they handle 100 pounds total, and I saw a couple of Valco doubles that said something about a third seat, but I am not sure how, but they are pretty pricey (700 and 800 each I saw on www.letsgostrolling.com)

Good luck!

ETA - A Wagon might be an option too


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you!

You're right, I'm probably going to have to wear the little one longer. My 2yo is only 25 lbs and I have trouble wearing her for longer periods of time  I have a Boba carrier.. my kids are too tall torsoed (as am I) for the Ergo (it didn't work out for us).

I did wear my DD2 a lot when she was around that age.. just not on a long walk.

I like the Joovy.. we had a joovy caboose and ended up selling it shortly after we got it because it wasn't great on the terrain we had to navigate on a daily basis (it would get stuck where the sidewalk had caved in, for instance). It wasn't easy to push, but I guess it is do-able.

The valco also has a 45lb per seat max.

I mean.. how bad is it to go over the weight limits? It's not a car seat.. the most it could do is cause excessive wear and tear on the stroller. When DD1 was an only child, I had a big jogging stroller that had a huge basket- I'd do grocery shopping and surely I put it way over the weight limit! It held up perfectly though.

Here's to hoping it will all work out !  Oh how much easier it'd be if I could a)drive and b) afford another vehicle!


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## Super~Single~Mama (Sep 23, 2008)

Also don't count out your 2yo walking longer distances. She may be a runner/wanderer now, but she will grow and mature between now and then. My ds used to be a runner, but doesn't anymore at 3yo.


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## chel (Jul 24, 2004)

I've pushed the weight limit on many a stroller. While visiting my parents and doing a lot of walking my dd1 was 10yrs and probably 80lbs and sat in a stroller from the 80's.

i would suggest a double seat stroller with a riding board. (not sure if that is already your set up)


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

I use this for my daycare kids. Although, I bought mine at an Ace Hardware for just over $100. It's awesome, but not worth over $300.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/360385329929?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

Anyway, we take one side off. The kids sit sideways with their feet out the side, and leaning against the other side. I use velcro straps to hold the littlest ones in. I can easily pull four kids, or three kids and an infant carseat, or three kids and a large bucket of sand toys. It's heavy, but not that hard.

The metal wagons get very hot, and don't allow the kids to sit comfortably as the wooden ones.


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## pianojazzgirl (Apr 6, 2006)

You might need to play around with different carriers. I have a toddler-sized Bamberoo mai tai that was the only thing I found comfortable to use with ds after he reached a certain height/weight. I have a lot of problems with my back, neck and shoulders, and he was in the 90th percentile for height and weight, and yet I was able to carry him till he was close to 2yo. If you're lucky the babywearing club in your city has a library of carriers that you could try out to see if anything suits you. The ideal carrier (and carry!) varies greatly depending on your body type, your needs and your baby's size (and stage of development). I'm fairly confident that you could find something that would allow you to carry this baby a little longer anyway.

I also would feel comfortable pushing the weight limit of a stroller or boogie board, depending on how much over we're talking.


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

Even with 2 I used to set of with the single buggy, buggy board and a sling in the basket and mix and match depending on the moods of the children.

I was worried about 2 1/2 year old DD stayiong on the buggy board but mostly she did OK. On a single it worked out that I was stood behind her so it was pretty difficult for her to hop of while we were moving. We did use to use a harness, especially if it was somewhere like the supermarket where I was not going to be standing behind the buggy the while time. Another thing we used to do was sit DD on the footplate of the buggy, the 3 wheeler gave her just about enough space and worked in a pinch.

The problem for us was when she didn't want to go somewhere, eg home form the playground. I could sit her in the buugy and distract her with a snack but it was not possible to get her to stand safely on the board. That's when the sling came out and I would carry DS.

FWIW I found it was actually easier to carry him and push the buggy once he was old enough to go on my back. I found having him on my front and leaning forward to push the buggy pretty hard going.

Would either of your older ones be able to manage a scooter, I see a lot of kids on these http://www.kickboardusa.com/for-ages-2-to-5 who seem to do really well.


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you for the ideas, everyone! I had dd1 in the stroller yesterday and my goodness she's too big for it







her head is over the backrest and wedged against the canopy top so that she has to tilt her head to one side. And her legs hang off because it's hard for her to keep them bent and on the footplate which is much too high up for her (but non adjustable?). Sigh. I'm contemplating just getting a single jogger with a buggy board for my 2yo, and having my dd1 ride either on the footplate or walk or ride on the buggy board when she gets tired.

Another option is if dd gets good at riding her bike.. We could just take that and lock it up when outside a store. I've actually contemplated a bike trailer with a baby seat on the back for next summer when baby is bigger and can sit up... But I'm terrified of riding in the street  especially with kiddos. By myself, I manage, and suck it up, but with kids.. Eek. I don't know.


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you for the ideas, everyone! I had dd1 in the stroller yesterday and my goodness she's too big for it







her head is over the backrest and wedged against the canopy top so that she has to tilt her head to one side. And her legs hang off because it's hard for her to keep them bent and on the footplate which is much too high up for her (but non adjustable?). Sigh. I'm contemplating just getting a single jogger with a buggy board for my 2yo, and having my dd1 ride either on the footplate or walk or ride on the buggy board when she gets tired.

Another option is if dd gets good at riding her bike.. We could just take that and lock it up when outside a store. I've actually contemplated a bike trailer with a baby seat on the back for next summer when baby is bigger and can sit up... But I'm terrified of riding in the street  especially with kiddos. By myself, I manage, and suck it up, but with kids.. Eek. I don't know.


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## butterfly_mommy (Oct 22, 2007)

With my woven wrap I could easily carry DS at 2+ (40 lbs) on my back for more then 5km. My DS was a chunker as a baby too and was 30 lbs by a year and I wore him daily in my Mai Tai or woven wrap. So I would definitely check out other types of carriers for the baby. I also wore him in all seasons including in blizzards with a big fleece wrap over us.

As far as the 2 year old DS was also a runner but he outgrew it and he walks very far distances now at 4 and did from 2.5 years or so (when he refused to go up in the wrap) we would often walk 2-5km round trip. So your middle child may outgrow her running and build up her walking stamina. I actually gave my stroller away when DS was about 2.5 as he was just too big for it length wise and preferred to walk. I did get a wagon and when he would get tired he would ride in the wagon also when I had my daycare kid who is a year older then DS they would ride in the wagon together. Now they both just walk or DS rides his scooter.

I have also seen a seat type attachment for a stroller and one that looked like a bike with a seat that was attached to the stroller but I have no idea what they are called.

Anyway hope you find a solution that works.


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