My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join our Pram forum for pram advice. Plus read our round up of the best pushchairs currently available.

Pushchairs

Bugaboo bee and phil&teds

7 replies

ddas · 23/04/2013 23:14

In need of some buggy advice as totally confused. Have a 20 month ds and 4 month old dd & currently a mamas and papas sola & a double city select baby jogger. Problem is we bought the double thinking with a 16 months age gap we'd need it but as soon as dd came ds decided he preferred to walk everywhere & refused to go in the double. So now use the sola single with him walking & holding onto pram. However there are a few times when I've found a double useful ie if out all day & both need to sleep at lunchtime. As I only use the double if they are both sleeping finding the baby jogger really big, heavy etc and wondering if changing to a phil and teds as only reason didn't buy one is because thought wouldn't want dd not being able to see much but given she'll be sleeping in it doesn't really matter!!!
With sola which is my main pram thinking if changing to a bugaboo bee with buggy board as just want something lighter but still pram like/ facing me.
Planing to sell those 2 to buy other 2 second hand on eBay etc but totally confused re what phil & teds as there seem to be a million models! & with bugaboo bee heard some models have a fault in the wheels. Also is it true with some phil & teds that if you have one child in bottom it tips over if no child on top? So looking for advice for both & if people have other suggestions of pram combinations that might be better as so far I've got it wrong!

OP posts:
Report
Ihateparties · 23/04/2013 23:47

I haven't had one but from what I have heard from people who have the Sport V2 and possibly the navigator are the most useful P&Ts with the least issues.

My younger two are quite a bit older than yours at 14m and 3y2m however dd1 still uses a pushchair for part of the day (walking along and holding the pushchair appears to be an unknown concept to her :-/) at present we have one of these which is working really really well as a pram for dd2 with basically an add on seat for dd1. The lower seat is fixed upright though so I don't know if that would be an issue with you for sleeping. Most of the P&T are the same on that though, except the navigator, dot, hammerhead and another one I can't remember, those models have a meaningful recline on the lower seat. A couple of the others have a very small recline.

The great thing about the Smyths one is that the top seat parent faces in single mode and if the lower seat is not occupied. At 4m your baby is a little bit too young for the bucket seat, it's suitable from 6 months. It may depend how often you use your second seat as it's not as easy to push as a single, not like the select in double mode but still it's noticeable. Basically I would say it's somewhere between the two, heavier to turn and tip than a sola but not as much as the select. But for me at the moment it kills two birds with one stone - gives dd2 a comfortable parent facing pram for the majority of the time when only she is in it yet we have the lower seat for dd1 always with us ready for action and whether we use it or not on any given outing doesn't matter, it didn't get in the way iyswim.

If you're sure you want 2 different pushchairs then all that ^ was a bit pointless Grin

Report
ddas · 24/04/2013 11:28

Thanks that was really useful. The symths one looks great and love the price but problem is as we want the double only for the times they are both asleep really want one that the second seat reclines too. Reason for also needing a single as want something light for everyday use & especially for my mum who will be looking after them one day each so not together when I go back to work.

OP posts:
Report
Ihateparties · 24/04/2013 12:37

How much a recline do you need on the toddlers seat for the double? Tandems with two properly reclining seats are a fairly small set. Some of the p&ts, britax b dual, icandy peach blossom and a couple of others that have flown my brain in the short term.

Bee and board is a great combo btw. Don't think there's anything that compares really.

Report
ddas · 24/04/2013 22:24

Enough of a recline of him to sleep ok- although as it won't be an everyday as long as it reclines a bit that should be ok.

OP posts:
Report
JellyBellyWorkWear · 26/04/2013 08:23

I have an old bee and an old sport phil and teds as my two bugggies, although ds is coming up to three I can easily walk 2+ hours every day so he hops in on my long marches.

It's not perfect but at 4.5 months I have moved dd to the lower seat on the sport (the old one reclines). She's not in it every day and has just started to scream blue murder in the newborn mode. It is MUCH easier to push this way. I do like it, it's functional and a good size for buses and shops. I can get a bit in the basket with a child there and hang a rucsack off the side. It would be easier to tip with top seat empty, but would need a nudge. I make ds sit in top seat on the buses for this reason.

I like the bee for shorter journeys as it's quite good with a buggyboard, I don't like the buggyboard for being out all day and it's not usable off road though. The bee is very very easy to steer one handed, great for holding a toddler hand.

For a ball park guide I paid £75 for the sport (very well used but no faults) and £120 for an old style bee in excellent condition with footmuff etc

Report
JellyBellyWorkWear · 26/04/2013 08:25

Oh and the phil and teds is crap for sun shading. I'm tempting by the UV rays mesh, top hoop is for decoration and the bottom seat has none. I always have a blanket over the back. The raincover is great.

With the bee they often come second hand without the raincover, don't worry. Koo-di covers are cheap and fit well.

Report
ddas · 26/04/2013 12:52

Thanks that's so useful. I was thinking of the bee & sport and you've convinced me that it's the right decision. Now to sell my 2 and find the other 2 on eBay!!

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.