Recommendations for buggy Post Reply

[Herculesmum]

Hello all,

We are expecting our firstborn in October and so now are undertaking the difficult task of choosing a buggy.

It seems everyone locally has the Bugaboo Chameleon, and thats what we were intending to get but someone told me it is quite big and heavy for day to day use.

I'll be using bus / trains as my main form of transport so need something that can fit on these and be carried by me.

Does anyone have strong recommendations for any particular makes/models?

My husband really dislikes the look of the Stokke so I suppose that one is ruled out.

I only ask for
- comfort for baby
- ease of use for me
- some storage so I'm not hanging everything off the handle in a bag.

Budget isn't a concern although I'll be happy to pay less of course!

Thanks so much for your advice.

[RHOB]

I have the bugaboo bee. I chose it as although it doesn't have the great all weather wheels that the chameleon has it is definitely light and small.
You can get the cocoon from birth so the baby can lie flat and transfer to the seat when they are old enough to do so.
It has a bit of storage below but not as much as I'd like
Hope you find what you are looking for and congrats on your pregnancy

[Pop]

If I was doing it all again I'd get the latest bugaboo bee - the one with a carrycot option. It's a great small, lightweight buggy and looks nice. The only reason I didn't choose it when I was looking was because at that time it didn't have a carrycot and I wanted my babies to lie completely flat for the first few months as I'd read that's best for their spines. I went with the icandy cherry, which has been great and has lasted very well despite some pretty rigorous use! It doesn't fold in one piece though and is heavier than the bee.
I agree with your husband re the stokke!
Good luck choosing. There are a few places you can go and try buggies. Kiddicare in Croydon is a huge warehouse type shop where there's lots of space to try buggies.
Pop

[townieatheart]

I love my Baby Jogger City Mini far more than my Bugaboo Chameleon and wish I'd never bothered with the latter.
The Baby Jogger folds with one hand in one motion, and so you can do so with a child in your other arm. It reclines almost flat so can be used from newborn, although there is a carrycot attachment if you prefer. The hood comes over so far that it really blocks the light for a sleeping child. It's very manoeuvrable. My firstborn was too big for the Bugaboo from 2.5yrs but still fitted into the Baby Jogger until 4yrs old.

[Herculesmum]

Thank you so much for the feedback everyone.

The Bugaboo Bee we hadn't even given a second glance in the store, but now we will have to go back and do some more research (hubby is approaching this with gusto).

Do you know if its possible to leave baby sleeping in the Bee for extended periods? The man in Mothercare told us the advantage of the Chameleon (and Stokke and Joolz) was that baby could use the Carrycot as a bed overnight if we wanted to stay away overnight.

The babyjogger also sounds great. We haven't heard of that before and we looked it up online so far. It seems way cheaper than what we have been looking at. Have you found that it is missing any big features that the more expensive ones have that we may wish we had? It sounds like its been all round fab so Im guessing not...

[AnnieH]

I have the icandy strawberry, the benefits are v lightweight, carry cot that baby can sleep in, good storage. Would v much recommend

[Aprilmama]

Have you considered the uppababy - I've got the vista and think its great. It is quite big but has lots of storage space underneath. The bassinet is really good and can be used overnight which we've done on many occasions. It's been well reviewed by others too.

[RHOB]

I got the cocoon for my son as you'll need this as it allows the baby to lie flat. He slept really well in it when we were out and about. Now that it is warmer and he is older we've removed it and he's on the seat.
Have a look at all the accessories you may want/need as the baby grows as if budget is a concern these do add up.

[SMum]

I am also looking at buggies and totally confused, so I am reading this with interest.

Bugaboo and Uppababy were being seriously considered but I was worried about width of wheels, storage section sizes etc, then some other mums I know threw in Phil and Teds...

Sorry to hijack your post, but anyone have feedback on this?

Thanks
SMum

[pie81]

My tuppence worth:

The Bee (which I have):

Plus points: It is smaller than all the others mentioned above (Babyjogger is narrow but long) which is great for buses and crowded cafes and narrow Victorian hallways. Also lighter than the others so good for getting into and out of the car and carrying up steps. Very extendable handle, good for different size parents. Curved single handle is easy to push one handed.
Folds up small and in one piece. Faces both ways. Seat extends for toddler use.

Downsides: the tiny wheels get stuck in potholes. Clamshell seat rather than bucket seat, which is a bit less supportive when they are in early sitting mode. No carrycot (though I gather there is a new version coming which will have one). Personally I don't think the lack of carrycot is a big deal. Babies are very cosy in the cocoon and it's 99% flat.

Cameleon: Lovely except I HATED the brake. It hurt my fingers every time I tried it. If it wasn't for the brake I might well have got the Cameleon.

Babyjogger: Didn't like it at all. Not parent facing. When on full recline it bashed my legs. Very long which is a pain on buses (according to friend who has it)

Icandys: I wrote most of them off because the hoods make a loud click click click noise. Best way to wake a sleeping baby I also hate all the blingy metal on them. However the Cherry is nice - can't remember why we wrote that one off to be honest.

Uppababy Vista: Great buggy - great hood, basket, carrycot, nice chunky wheels - but HUGE so not good if you are a short person IMO, or if you don't have much space at home. Its baby sister Cruz is smaller but handle still very high (and the handle is a bit rattly I find, plus the suspension's not great).

Overall I'd pick the Bee if you have concerns about the Cameleon being big and heavy - it's the smallest and lightest decent newborn pram you can get. However if you personally don't find the Cameleon too big and heavy (and if you don't hate the brake!) then get that. Everyone's perception is different so don't go by your friend's concerns. I am 5'3 and wanted something really small.

[Battersea3]

I love our Bee. I don't drive and have found it great on both buses and trains. Being quite narrow with small wheels, it's also ideal in shops and cafés.

We used it from newborn with the cocoon - our son was only just over 5lb but he was very secure, cosy and able to lie flat. We haven't missed not having a carry cot (I didn't want too much kit to store when no longer in use) and took a travel cot if we were away for the night.

Good luck!

[Lanme]

One thing to also think about is if you are planning on having multiple children what the age gap maybe between them. I didn't really factor this in when I chose the bugaboo cameleon (which I love) and then got a baby jogger city select when the new addition arrived. While quite long when using the carrycot and seat combination, I love the storage space underneath.

[Julialouisebailey]

I had the chameleon & I HATED it. I use public transport every day & it's so heavy & you can't reach the shopping basket when you have the bassinet in, the only plus point was that the maxi cosi car seat clips into it & I tended to use that from 4 months. However; due to it's heaviness it was good at bumping up & down stairs, the turbo x Mclaren which I have now & love is super lughtweight & easy to use but I'm less confident bumping it down stairs & off the bus, but at least I can use the shopping basket. My best friend has the Uppa baby & she loves is, especially as she has both of her kids in it now. The bugaboo is also a nightmare to fit into small cars & horrible at putting down & back up. I wish I had got the bee to begin with.

[Nev123]

I have the cameleon and have been extremely happy with it. It's actually very lightweight and from memory only slightly heavier than the bee. I did seriously consider the bee but am very glad we opted cameleon as friends with the bee have had problems with it: wheels had to be replaced, tendency to tip if you hang a bag from the handlebars, and I personally find looks rather odd as the baby is so low to the ground - particularly with a taller parent pushing it. Like most people we've bought a cheap Maclaren as a second buggy as I agree the cameleon is fairly large collapsed. But overall very pleased with it - there is a reason it's so popular!