Mama LewisAND THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE HALF-BRAINED BABY

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A few weeks ago, our beloved Britax B-Ready double stroller was stolen from the front of our house. Even more perplexing, one of the wheels was broken, so how they traveled further than our front gate is beyond me. We were managing to use it – with a bit of trickery – while we waited to hear about a replacement wheel, but I was quite certain that no one would take it because of this.

Of course, after, I felt like a complete idiot. Buggies like ours cost almost £500/$850. Why I hadn’t locked it away – when I live in a major, metropolitan city – I have no idea.

Our buggy was irreplaceable. First of all, it isn’t even sold in this country, so it is literally irreplaceable. And, it is a far better stroller than most of the ones out in the market. For those of you with a disabled child with a sibling under-4, you will know that the combined weight of both kids plus the stroller is immense. But, I could turn the Britax B-Ready with one finger. And, it was one of the few that would take her weight until she was four or five years old.

Out of this catastrophe, came a lot of generosity. Many people wrote me with all kinds of suggestions about how I might acquire a new or used double buggy. One of my good friends, lent me an extra one while I figured it all out, while others fished into the black holes of their attics and garages to dust off their old double strollers.

Thank you to all of you! In the end, the good people of Britax helped us acquire a new Britax B-Dual – which is very similar to the B-Ready, only slightly smaller and sold in the UK. (See photo of a happy Ieuan modelling it!)

In addition, BuggyGuard contacted me with their sympathies. They sent me one of their BuggyGuard locks – a very cute panda – which I immediately attached to my buggy (You can see it in the photo to the right). I don’t plan on ever getting in this predicament again. Actually, I’m surprised I don’t see more locks like the BuggyGuard on strollers. It is very small and uses a combination (good if you have a tendency to lose your keys, something I have been known to do, like EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE).

Also, it’s for people like me, who despite having their buggy stolen out of their front yard still leave their purse in their stroller when they need to do a quick diaper change – don’t judge me, people. The thin chain loops around both the stroller and my purse, which is stuffed into the compartment at the bottom, in front of the second seat. (Can you see it? I’m not sure. Rest assured it is.)

Finally, I want to add… for some reason, transportation for two kids under-3, when one is severely disabled is one of the areas I received zero help with. So, at a later date, I plan on doing a post listing all the products I found that would be suitable – from double buggies to travel systems to connectors that allow wheelchairs to push a buggy.

If you use something that you find indispensable, please email me or add a comment to this post so I can add it to my list!

Disclaimer: BuggyGuard sent me the lock free of charge to use in this review and on a daily basis. A big thank you to them for their generosity and to Britax, as well, for their help!