Urban Jungle or Bugaboo Chameleon?

[Har]

Another pram question - sorry! Went to look at prams yesterday.

The Urban Jungle/One Tree Hill/Mountain Buggy (what is it's real name?!) carrycot looked really cute. A little small but I think after 6 months most babies want to be more upright anyway. The pushchair part however looked very big and bulky. Big is perhaps good in that it lasts long but if we have another child we'd move the first one onto a new pushchair anyway I think. The thing I was most unhappy with though was that you can't have the buggy facing you. DH agreed.

Bugaboo looked better in that baby could be facing me or the world and the pushchair/buggy bit looked more compact (carrycot looked v heavy though). Seemed we'd made the decision for a Bugaboo but then a friend of DH's called last night and was saying we absolutely had to have the UJ (DH listens to everything she says!). Now Dh has decided it's fab (and that we're very much all terrain people... when in shop he'd laughed and said BB was great as we're only really in the city ), even though three friends who've had one didn't like theirs.

So, what are everyone's opinions? Has anyone tried both? And how important would you say it is that the baby faces the mother when so little?
Thanks in advance and sorry for waffly post!

[slinkiemalinki]

I live in London so am definitely a city person; I love my Cameleon, my daughter is 20 mts and faces me all the time. I don't see many mountain buggies around probably because they look absolutely enormous. I reckon unless you are always trekking through woods you would end up ditching it for a stroller when bubs is 7-8 mts plus as it looks pretty vast to get around in the city. The Cameleon is a bit of a pain to fold so I tend to have a maclaren in my boot for holidays and the rare occasion I use the car.
If you want a mountain buggy type I would seriously think about a Phil & Ted's as this is a similar buggy to the mountain buggy but you can buy a doubles kit for it and it is (I understand) one of the best doubles around.

[Har]

Thanks so much Slinkie. That's what I was thinking, Bugaboo pushchair looks so neat while Mountain Buggy looks like it could hold twins. We're living in the city in Sweden (and use trams), do go for walks in the woods etc but nothing major, surely Bugaboo can cope with that?! Good idea with having a Maclaren for holidays etc. Will check out Phil & Teds though thank you, if dh has decided he's definitely the mountaineering type!

[JustMissyNow]

well i have the cameleon and love it SO much i can't fault it. i had one which i sold to buy a double and missed it so much that i brought another.

i dont find the carry cot heavy at all- its same chassis etc you just change the material

its great that bubs can face you too.

the mountain buggy is also great and can't wait to try one out but imo its for a slightly older baby. so when dd2 is bigger that will definatelly be the one to have

i have done so many of these threads as if i was rich i would undoubtedly have both!

[Misdee]

i prefer the mountain buggy (thatys its officialname). i had a bugaboo and by age 2 dd3 had outgrown it. i still have an MB and dd3 fits in it, and she is 3 soon. i did prefer rear facing aspect of the bug but it had such a short life compared to the MB.

MB is big, but folds easier and more 'flat' than the bug. the seat is roomy enough for my biiig 5year old when she needs a buggy (some ASD traits, panics in crowded places), and is easy to push with a kiddyboard.

the p+t is good as a doub les pushchair but isnt at all comparable in build quality to an MB. MB is by far the best available in the uk market IMO. Unless you want to ship over from the US and go for a BOB which is brilliant.

[JustMissyNow]

i have also had a phil and teds and i do like them too, however i would get the sport next time not the e3 which i had.

just a note on the doubles- i have a nipper and by far one of the best that i have tried!

the bu should be fine on terrain i have used it by fixing small wheels and having large wheels at front

as you can tell i am a slight pramaholic!

hope this helps?

[JustMissyNow]

oooh misdee dont get me started on the bob!

[spugs]

my bugaboo is arriving on wednesday ive always had 3 wheelers before but wanted something that went both ways for this baby. cnat wait to have a play

[Har]

Thanks everyone for your advice!

Spugs, how exciting your toy's coming!

At the moment I'm not thinking of a double buggy (just concentrating on one baby for now!) but all good tips for the future. Will check out Bob for fun though!

Justmissy, good to know the carrycot's not that heavy. And that you agree about the baby facing. Seems so much cosier that way. And even when they're older I would imagine it's nice for them to have a break from the overstimulating world every now and then and turn them to boring, safe mummy! Very impressed by your wheel fixing skills btw .

Still confused though, Misdee's point that a MB will last longer (BB's pushchair looks quite small) is important, as it that it folds well. As I've said I do live in a city and need to be able to get into trams and buses. However, we do take lots (well am assuming will do so when have a baby!) walks in the woods, by the sea etc (the nature is the one up side of living in a boring small Swedish city!) so would need to be easy to get into car but also stable and 'agile'. MB seems better for that. But then Chameleon for cosiness, and narrowness and facing me. And surely pretty stable seeing as one of the top brands, even without swapping wheels round .
Arrgggh. So tricky. Want both!

[Har]

Misdee, now I'm confused about the name again. Finally found the website (under Mountain Buggy not Urban Jungle) but then there's two types, Urban Jungle Buggy and Mountain Buggy Terrain. Which one is everyone talking about? MB seems more hardcore but has a fab shopping basket, would have thought that would be better for urban?

[leifmum]

have you thought about quinny buzz? can face both ways, carrycot is totally separate so can swap between that and chair easily (don't have to faff about with changing material), easier to fold and folds flatter than bugaboo?

[Carpetbeetle]

Ok. The buggy is called the Mountain Buggy (over in the UK anyway!) and the two types are the Terrain (fixed wheel at the front) and Urban (swivelling wheel). Most people like the Urban best. The Terrain is good for off roading but harder when baby is bigger. If you are in town a lot, go for the Urban.
It will cater for all your needs really - I would say it is nice to have baby facing you but I thought the carrycot was rear facing anyway? Like you say most babies like to sit up more after 6 months or so.

[pooka]

dd is 4.5 and ds is 2. I have a cameleon with the wheeled board. Which is absolutely fantastic - very solid, smooth-riding and large. DD can still fit in the cameleon if she wanted to, but sometimes she just sits on the board. DD is just over 3 stones and ds is only a little lighter and pushing them both is a breeze.
I really really love it - it is so manoevrable and easy to push. Yes is a pain folding it sometimes. Also have a maclaren for when just me and ds or for shorter trips out.

[aberdeenhiker]

We love our mountain buggy and I take it on the bus all the time. It's got a small turning circle for it's size and is very light (one of the lightest buggies around) so I can actually lift it + DS to go down stairs if I need to (and he's 10 kg). It looks bigger than it is, but it's brilliant!

The mountain buggy carry cot fit my DS until 5 months, we used it for napping inside the house too which was very handy.

Also, if you need to fold the buggy to get on the bus, the mountain buggy can be folded in one piece - an advantage over the bugaboo.

[lubyluby]

the mb is def the way to go. in all honesty there is no way that a xchild of older then 2 will comfortably fit in the bugaboo. whereas the mb will last until you don;t need a buggy anymore.

the carrycot on the mb is lovely and nicer then the one on the bugaboo which is a s basic as you could go on a carrycot. i found with all three of my children once they reached 6 motnhs plus they want to be facing out anyway, nosing aorund them and watching the world, not watching boring mummy who they see everyday once they are out they want to see the world.

the mb is a lovely pram and if part of the bugs appeal was changing the covers you can do this with the mb too, just order spare hood and seat covers from the supplier, it doesn;t cost much mroe than the bugaboo covers and they are actually easier to change!

[Misdee]

yes the urban mountain buggy (urban jungle maybe its clled in europe) is the one with the swivel wheels. the terrain version is actually a lot lighter to lift, and is still easy to steer with a toddler (i recently fixed on to sell on and couldnt resist trying it out).

even though the bug rear faces, the hood folds back so well on the MB that dd3 is still just as chatty in it as she was in the bb.

[helenhismadwife]

Definately the MB for me as well, they are just so easy to use, you can have a carrycot for them and get a kit so you can use a car seat on them as well, the seats are huge and they are solid very easy to fold, they fold in one piece and will easily take a child up to 4 years. The bugaboo is good, I prefer the frog to the cameleon (I have had all 3)it feels much sturdier

They are mountain buggy in UK, Australia and NZ in Europe they are sold under the Urban Jungle name no idea why same buggy different names

[snuffler]

Chameleon!

[Har]

Guys you are brilliant thank you! Reading the latest answers it seems MB is the way to go (damn dh and his know it all friend!)... though Snuffler managed to ruin it all at the end .

Lubyluby, good to know that your child liked to look out at 6 months, because that was my big worry about the MB.

Leifmum, thank you, have looked at Quinny's website as my friend has got it for her baby (due any day now), looks really nice. Have heard that is perhaps a bit too lightweight though. What do you think? The flat folding part sounds good, as that is what's sounded good from this discussion with the MB nd bad with the BB. Will definitely be checking whether my friend gets on with it.

Carpetbeetle, thanks for clear clarification of names! You're right, carrycot is facing the driver, it was more the buggy part I was thinking of when the baby is sitting up but is still perhaps a bit too young to be facing out all the time.

And then Pooka making a convincing case for the BB! Good to know your 4 year old can just about sit in it still. The board sounds a v good idea, think you can have that on the MB too.

Aberdeen, really like the idea of the MB being able to fold all in one piece and being so light. Have a lot of steps up to the lift from the street in my block so that's an important factor. If the baby is anything like its father was it will be quite long and therefore grow out of the carrycot pretty quickly. Was your five month old happy in the buggy that early? Saw on the website you can get an insert to make it feel cosier and smaller at the beginning, don't know if anyone has used one.

Misdee, yes moved to Sweden a couple of years ago, first time I knew friends with babies and therefore came across the different brands, it's called Urban Jungle out here. Thanks for saying about the hood folding back so well and your daughter being as chatty!

Helen, interesting you like both but MB wins. Solidity thing with Chameleon concerns me a bit since dh's friend said she felt that the BB didn't feel strong/solid enough compared to the MB. Not sure you can get Frog anymore or am I wrong? Website only seems to say chameleon or bee. To hark (or is it harp ?) on a little more about size, you say the seat's big - that's obviously great in that it lasts for years but is it snug enough for a 6 month old (lots of people on here are using it that age so I assume so, just wondered when you said huge).

Anyway, thanks so much again everyone, really appreciate all your advice. Feeling very informed now and slightly leaning towards the MB now... (helped by the fact that I spied the golden sleeping bag type thing on the website! Not sure right for a little boy though )

[JustMissyNow]

oh i love the bug but would have mb still

think you can import the frog from usa as they have them over there still

mydd2 is 5months and in the buggy part in bb already and loves it

all two peices will feel slightly less sturdy as a one peice

[hoxtonchick]

we have a mountain buggy urban & it's fabulous. i am very sad that i'm about to give it to my sister-in-law! we live in central london & use it often on buses. got it when our 2nd child was about 3 months so didn't bother with the carrycot. she was absolutely fine, didn't look lost at all. you can always use a sheepskin to pad the seat out.

[helenhismadwife]

you can get a baby snuggle its like a mini sleeping bag, I had these and loved them they are so cosy for a younger baby

[aberdeenhiker]

Har, we actually started using the seat portion of the MB from about 3 months (used the carry cot within the house for the next few months). As the above poster said, with a cosy-toe/sleeping bag they are kept nice and supported in the buggy portion. I just kept it reclined and since it goes almost flat, it's very comfy for them.

(We have friends who used the MB buggy part straight from birth with a cosy-toe and they said their son loved it, but I still think the cot is worthwhile as it's so handy in the house.)

My son loved facing out to the world by 3 months. Actually he was rarely awake in it so it didn't matter which way he faced! He obviously felt very comfortable.