Multisite for local, single for prod?

Hi folks,

Soon I’ll be starting a total revamp of a bloated old WordPress theme. There are three production sites that use variations of the exact same theme. I’m looking to make this new theme as efficient and easy to maintain as possible, so I’ve come here for help on a few questions:

1. Would using Multisite for local development, and then “regular” installs for production be a wise move? The material is practically the same across sites, but wording and images will likely be different.
2. If the material is so similar, would using the “main” theme for the primary site, and then two child themes (with the minor theme changes) for the two alternate sites make sense?

I have no practical experience with Multisite, or with child themes, so if there are any glaring drawbacks or deployment issues please let me know.

Thanks!