Britax B-Dual 2011 Review

On the whole, I love this pushchair, but it does have some flaws as you might expect.

The top seat is spacious and the hood can be extended to make room for a tall toddler. The crotch strap sits too far fowards and allows the child to slump in the seat. Having the footrest horizontal or a bit higher helps keep the child in a better position. The bottom seat isn’t huge though. The straps in the highest position leaves little headroom and so the child’s head tends to tilt sideways a bit. I use the straps in the lower position and push the child down so that their legs are further into the basket, which leaves plenty of headroom. The bottom seat also has the option of undoing two buckles on the back so that the seat converts into a sort of carrycot with high sides. Neither seat sits as upright as I would like, but surprisingly, my daughter and niece don’t seem to mind being slightly reclined.  The shoulder straps are like those on a carseat with a 5 point harness, which means to add or remove a footmuff you need to unhook the shoulder straps which is really difficult. The hoods on both seats are a really good size and have a mesh panel that can be zipped up which you can see through to look at your children.

The basket is gigantic and can be accessed from all directions. The raincover fits well, but it would be nice if it had windows to allow you to access the top child in particular.

The B-Dual pushes really well and is easy to steer. It also goes over bumpy, gravelly or muddy ground with ease. If I were to use it with a newborn baby and an older child, I would use a soft carrycot in the bottom seat and have the older child parent facing on the top. I love that there is the option to see both children directly up until the youngest is about 9 months and too tall to sit comfortably at the bottom with the top seat rear facing. There are so many possible seating options that you’re likely to find the right arrangement for you.

This pushchair folds with both seats on facing forwards, which makes life easier. It’s also surprisingly small when folded with the back wheels popped off-it fits in the boot of a Peugeot 207 with plenty of room left over. I like that it can freestand when folded, taking up as little room as possible in the house. It can be a bit awkward to unfold. I find it easiest to stand it on its end, unhook the lock and pull the handle as the front wheels roll along the floor until it’s set up. One significant downside is that it’s wide at 69cm. This isn’t a problem unless you’re going into cramped shops or cafés, but it would be nice to lose a few centimetres off the back.

If the B-Dual was a bit narrower with upright seats, I think this would be a near perfect tandem. As it is though, it is probably the best value for money tandem on the market in my opinion.