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Kidz Kargo Duellette with Children

Here is a 3.2 year old and a 16 month old in the Kidz Kargo Duellette. Whilst we appreciate the eldest is too tall really for these seats, it was useful for us to show the seating configurations and to see how easy the pushchair was to push. Please note that the eldest later had the hood and liner removed to give her more space. Also in the latest version of the Duellette, one seat has a taller hood and the option to add a Britax car seat apparently in either upper or lower position.

The full review can be found under the Kidz Kargo Duellette section on this website, however here are a few comments to go with this particular photoset.

As you can see the children loved both being able to see each other and also to be able to see me. It is very rare on a tandem to find such good seating options.

We loved seeing the children interacting when they were face to face. The 16 month old was unable to kick his sister, although to be fair it wouldn’t be long until he could! Thankfully the eldest did no more than tickle her brother’s feet which he thought was hilarious, but the face to face position does leave either child open to attack from less friendly siblings!! Although it looks like the eldest has the footrest in her tummy and resting on her legs, there was actually enough space for her. But we did have to remove the bumper bar.  The face to face option probably gives the parent the clearest view of the youngest or upper child which could be very useful when they are a baby. The empty pushchairs show that a slight or full recline would not interfere with the lower child because the bumper bar should protect their space. This may in reality be a better parent facing option than the children being back to back.

Forward facing was the best seating option and worked very well. The lower child has a lot of space between them and their sibling – much more than say in a Phil&Teds. Plus even with a long legged 3 year old in the lower seat, we could fit some shopping into the basket.

Parent facing was more problematic. First of all, with both children parent facing, they both had to be reclined. The lower child could have the leg rest down, but the upper child’s footrest really needed pointing upwards. I am not sure many children past say 10 months old would tolerate being reclined in this way. But it would be a fantastic option as long as it lasted. My eldest was very secure on the top ie not wobbly and she did find it fun to see me. Sadly, although this looks ideal, as you can see from the photos, you can not really see my youngest when walking because he is hidden by the upper footrest. I guess a smaller baby would be lower in the seat so may be more easily seen. Plus with a small baby in the lower seat, the upper seat may well be able to be reclined to the middle setting. But this would be something to experiment with. One thing we know for certain is that our youngest at 16 months old was too tall for this seating position. The photos show the buckle from underneath the upper seat footrest is resting on his head. This is something to be very aware of.  We undid the buckle but it did not really resolve this because the upper seat was still too close to the lower child’s head really to be able to push say on an uneven road or off a kerb. So therefore we think there is a maximum age of probably 12-18 months depending on the youngest child’s height to be able to use the two parent facing option. Our youngest is on the 91st centile at 16 months old.

The children being back to back ie the youngest parent facing at the rear, and the eldest forward facing seems like the dream for siblings. However this was more problematic than both children parent facing. The hood of the lower seat dug into the upper seat to the point where our usually tolerant toddler complained that it hurt. Having thought about this, removing the lower seat hood may well resolve this issue and would be worth trying.

I think that although these photos may highlight issues such as with seating positions and relatively small seats, I have to say that we really liked the Duellette and we did wish that we had had the option to buy this a year ago. The seating options are fantastic and to be honest we would have taken advantage of the rear facing options whilst we could, but then there is scope to use the other positions as the children grow up.

 

 

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