Bugaboo or Maclaren? Post Reply

[ftm77]

I am due to have my first child in a couple of months and still can not decide which pram to get. Walking around the common this afternoon I noticed just as many bugaboos as maclarens.
I need a pram which is easy to maneuver on public transport but also one that the child is not going to grow out of in 12 months time.
Can anyone help me make this decision please?

[jnakiwala]

Hi There,

I would personally go for a Maclaren. I had a Bugaboo and changed to a Maclaren after 3 months. Maclaren's are cheaper, you can hang your shopping on the handle, its easier to get on the bus and fits easier into the car boot. Bugaboos are very trendy though!

Hope this helps.

Good Luck

J

[mlm]

Hi,

Between those two, I would also vote for Maclaren for all the reasons mentioned...but you might want to think about Phil & Ted if you think you might be pushing two around in the future. Yes, expensive and more bulky but might be helpful and sure is less expensive than buying twice (like me!) Good luck!

[ordinarygirl09]

The bugaboo has the advantage of either facing you or facing out. I went for the bugaboo and i'm glad i did. I loved looking at my daughter when we were out and about. However I walked most places and didn't get on tubes etc with baby. Maclaren much easier on public transport or when travelling abroad.

[Abi_88]

Hi
I absolutely love my Bugaboo Cameleon! We also recently bought a Maclaren to travel with, but I think it's not a patch on the Bugaboo.
A big difference between the two is price - up to £800 depending on the models you look at!
I would go into a John Lewis and have a good look round, try them out and ask for advice from the sales assistant. Other makes I would consider are iCandys and Baby Joggers.
You might also find it useful to prioritise what you want from it and what's important to you, eg, weight, price, rear facing aswell as forward facing, width, do you want a carrycot or happy to have a nest/cocoon, do you use public transport, does it need to fold easily to get in the car, etc, etc.

Good luck!

[Francesca]

I am also a Maclaren fan! I bought the bugaboo cameleon with my first and it's not easy to push, a nightmare to fold and really bulky in the boot of the car. Mine was on e bay within 6 months!!! I went for a city jogger for everyday and a Maclaren which lived in our car.....

[MrsAmanda]

When our first was born, we bought a Quinny Buzz, which I really liked. (I'd considered Bugaboos, but was put off by the sheer number of them I saw on the streets of Balham ) We then bought a Maclaren as a lightweight option for holidays etc. We only got bottom of the range, the Triumph, but I can't tell you how much I hate it. The worst thing is my son never looks comfortable in it.

We then had a second child pretty quickly, so I needed a double. The Quinny was ebayed and we got a Baby Jogger City Select. I love this pram. It's a single that converts into a double. If it'd existed (or if it did, I didn't know about it) at the time, I wish I'd got one first of all.

However, my absolute favourite single pram is the Stokke Explory!

[townieatheart]

I used my Bugaboo Chameleon with my firstborn till he was nearly 3. My second child is still in it at 18 months and I love it. Have used it on the bus, train and tube quite a bit and find it fine. Best thing is the big bouncy tyres as very easy to bounce up and down stairs and bridge the gaps when getting off trains. Also there is loads of room underneath for shopping; I can get about 3 full bags in there. Negative is that it's still really big when folded.
We bought a maclaran quest as a run around and for holidays and my child and I both hate it; a total waste of money! She never seems comfy in it and refuses to sleep in it, which is a big negative for me as I'm out and about alot and she normally manages a good hour and a half in the bugaboo.
Have you considered the Out n' About Nipper? Really lightweight, lie flat position for newborns, great suspension and big fat tyres. Plus it costs less than £200. They stock them in Peppermint on Northcote rd.

[Mama]

HI!

I've had a Bugaboo, a Silver Cross (really similar to the Maclaren), a Quinny Zapp and a Phil and Teds, and I would definitely go for the Phil and Teds as someone else has mentioned before.

Just one thing I find important to take into account about the Maclaren and most umbrella fold ones, is that they are VERY rickety as the wheels are not inflatable. They have no suspension and shock absorption so the ride for the baby is a lot less smooth.

There is no perfect buggy, they all have different strengths and weaknesses, but I find the Phil and Teds the best of all to be fit for most purposes.

Good luck!

[Groucho]

Hi I would say that the best investment I had was my baby bjorn carrier. It's all I used until mine went into a MacClaren push chair. No bother getting on and off public transport and shopping is easier with hands free and no buggy.

[moops]

I personally don't think Maclarens etc aren't really suitable for newborns. Like someone else said they are a bit rickety, some don't lie down completely flat and they are more exposed to sun and wind etc. I have just bought a Bugaboo Bee Plus and I'm really happy with it, it folds easily and is light enough for me to use when she's a bit older so I won't be buying a maclaren as well.

[ftm77]

Thanks for all your help, no clear answer and now a couple more added to the list... think I'm even less decided now

Will take all your comments on board and hopefully I'll get the right one for me and squirt

[JMLB]

A bit like one of the other mums I have 4 buggies all of which have served their purpose.

If I was going to go for a good newborn one, I'd get the mothercare m3 or my4. It's not perfect for busses but has the huge advantage of being a pram first and then with some clips and straps it turns into a seat or at least slightly raised for when they're are at that odd age when they dont enjoy lying down but shouldn't be sat up for too long. Ie you don't have to change frames like you do with the bugaboo or quinny. It's big to collapse and you have to dismantle it but I did lots of walking with it, and have just given it to my sister in law who i advised to get a phil and teds cocoon which I think will work really well.

Our nanny hated it as she found it too big for the busses, so we got a maclaren from eBay which worked for her but I still use the m3 when I can. (we have a p&t and quinny too but for practical reasons only)

[klh249]

NEITHER! I started with a Bugaboo and went to a Maclaren as well as a Phil and Ted's. All a waste of money! Just get a city mini or a city select. Best pushchairs ever. So light to push and babies/ toddlers are so comfortable. I loved my bugaboo but I wish I'd have had my city mini from the beginning. So much easier to travel with on public transport and on holiday. Don't make the same mistakes I did!

[SFMC]

I bought a Bugaboo Bee+ for my first baby and really love it. It is small and lightweight so easy to manoeuvre on public transport (buses, tube etc).
Even though my son is over 25 pounds and I'm teeny tiny and a bit of a wimp if I HAD to I can pick it up with him in it I could, and carry it upstairs etc.
It is super easy to push, turns tight, has suspension and looks comfy for him and has a two year warranty. I truly think it was worth every penny (we don't have a car so I must walk or take public transport everywhere with it).

You can have it face you or forward, you can buy a baby cocoon for newborn (the seat lies flat enough and the top of the fleece you can zip off in summer months) and attach a car seat. Apparently you can use it until they are around 3 (my son is 10 months so we'll see). The shopping basket is pretty big for such a compact buggy (can get most of shopping crammed into it) though now that I have the seat to facing forward it is a bit more of a hassle to access with his foot muff attached. It folds up pretty small too - I've folded into mini cab trunks easily and it also survived two long haul flights without a travel case (so just folded and thrown into the hold!).

Downside is that accessories are expensive.

Though saying all that I just bought a Maclaren Quest - this is for son's nursery runs as I have to store the buggy in a buggy shed all day and there are about 60 buggies in there ... all throw in and space is tight and was warned to use a stroller that could sustain rougher treatment.
And as people have mentioned I guess we can now use the Maclaren to travel with - it does fold up smaller than the Bugaboo Bee+ and you can fold with one hand while holding a squiggly toddler.

Have test drive of a few at some stores and see what you like best! I guess price is a big difference and depends on how much you might use it, if you have a car and want to attach a car seat etc.