i NEED a stroller, but I WANT a bugaboo. someone come talk sense to me.

[swottybetty]

i need a buggy for the car, ideally good with a buggy board. my dcs are just-turned-one and just-turned-two .

i've done some frantic buggy-shuffling that would make the ladies of the pushchair shed proud, and now have £200 left for the stroller. staunchly refusing to go with the sensible but boring XT option - had been assuming i'd go with a BCJM.

So out of nowhere tonight I've been wondering whether there was a bugaboo that might suit my needs? some seem to go quite cheap on ebay. i would love to have a bugaboo even for a small time. are there any that are easy to get in car? i don't know anything about bugaboos. I love the idea of ds rear facing chatting to his sister on board.

this is kind of a hopeless post, isn't it? i am just a bit tipsy and having buggy dreams....

[SparkyMalarky]

Bugaboo bee ...... lightweight, folds easily, can be rear facing - and as they've now brought out a bee plus, the older style bees are a bit cheaper on eBay.

[swottybetty]

do you know if they're any good with a buggy board?

[SparkyMalarky]

There's a buggy board that bugaboo does that fits perfectly, not sure if any other ones fit - It's a great buggy though, I love mine. Sorry, not really doing what was required here am I, I'm just encouraging you!!

[marenmj]

er, can't help you there. We wanted, and never did find anything better, than the bee (older style).

We didnt have a car, and that thing is tops in buses and on busy streets. DH has never had to wrangle a traditional pushchair and has NO idea how spoilt he is. Since it's suitable from birth until, whenever, we thought it would be good value (vs buying an infant-suitable one and another toddler-suitable one)... still using it 18 months later (and with any luck in the TTC realm, on to #2). We consider it one of the best buys of our preggo/infant days.

TBH, I don't know if I would buy it had I owned a car from the start. I would probably buy one of those "travel systems" with the carseat that snaps in, since it would be bliss to transfer the baby without waking.

AFAIK the boards work just fine on them.

The only hiccup we've had is that the brakes have been a bit touchy and if they don't "set" right the first time you have to give them a swift (and rewarding) kick.

[swottybetty]

ah, reviews say the seat is quite small? really want a rear facing now

[WhoDunnitInnit]

no they're a nightmare, they take up too much space on the pavement, and you'll end up getting an xt anyway sooner or later

[Aitch]

i have a maclaren for the car and a bee for the house, looooove the bee. maclaren purely functional, hate that i can't see dd. actually, the bee takes up no more room, are you sure you're not getting it mixed up with the chameleon?

[swottybetty]

[Aitch]

lol.

i'd get a new bee, personally, they're much bigger in the seat and have a straighter back. i use ours for dd2 but dd1 sometimes climbs in and she's four and a half. if she put the hood up her head might be touching the top, though, but she doesn't bother. great buggy though imo.

[LadyBiscuit]

They're massive! Why don't you get a Maclaren Volo or something?

[Aitch]

lol, you are mistaken. we have a volo, they're the same size more or less. certainly no different to push around shops that i've noticed (other than the bee is better).

[swottybetty]

by new bee, do you mean the bee plus or new versions of bee? if the latter, don't suppose you could hazard a guess as to when the cut off for bigger seat may be? there's one on ebay BIN for £300 that says it's 2009. TIA

[swottybetty]

no maclarens!



after heaving round my doubles, everything will feel small to me . scales of smallness won't even register.

i want one final shot at buggy coolness.

[Aitch]

bee plus, i mean. i have the newer version of the old bee, iykwim?

[ClimberChick]

I really want one too, but can nowhere near afford it. Have settled for the more affordable first years stroller, as at least its rearward facing.

[marenmj]

fwiw, we only used the seat on the bee rear-facing until about 7 months, when DD started having regular meltdowns in shops. We switched it so she could look out and it's been much better.

She is average height for her age, pudgy round the tummy, and we're about to take the sunshade off because she is getting a bit tall for it. She has no problems with the width of the seat.

Also fwiw, we measured the wheelbase and couldn't find any other pushchairs (suitable from birth) that were as narrow besides a ridiculously expensive Italian one. All the others were at least an inch wider, so unless the new design is significantly changed I can't see how it's that big, unless compared to the "umbrella" pushchairs, which aren't suitable for newborns anyway.

[Effjay]

I may be in the minority here, but I look at Bugaboos and think they are a waste of money. Why spend that amount of money on something really expensive, when there are plenty of other less expensive pushchairs around that would do the job equally well. But then I'm not caught up in the whole mindset of wanting to be seen out with the 'right' pushchair

[Tootlesmummy]

I agree with effjay. The Bee I think it a lot of money for what it is and I would go with the XT. I know they are not most sexy of pushchairs but I think they are practical, comfortable and not vastly over priced like the bee.

The XT also comes in black now rather than just the grey.

I would also be concerned that your 1 yo will get very bored only looking inwards, they like to be able to see what is going on around them imo.

[gorionine]

I did not know what a bugaboo bee was so googled it. I almost fainted when I saw the price of it!

[misdee]

get an older bee!!

i am building one atm when parts come up on ebay, as sold mine a short while ago. nothing is as good as as bee! nothing! it looks funny, its expensive to buy new, so get a second hand one.

they are coming up on ebay for around the £200 mark now, but u you need the new universal bugaboo board (with the white wheel) to fit it, which are around £50

[misdee]

effjay, because NOTHING! nothing pushes like a bee. nothing folds as small in one piece rearfacing as the bee. it is the most perfect rearfacing stroller out there.

i bought a loola thinking it would do. it didnt. it was heavey, clunky, hard to get up kerbs, awkward to push and hurt my back

[Effjay]

misdee Have you been out and pushed everything available on the market? If so, I bow to your superior knowledge

[marenmj]

'I look at Bugaboos and think they are a waste of money. Why spend that amount of money on something really expensive, when there are plenty of other less expensive pushchairs around that would do the job equally well'

We didn't have a car. The Bee was a lot less expensive than getting a car to haul the baby around in and was going to be our primary means of transport, so yes, it was VERY important that we invest in a good pushchair. We lived in a tiny flat with a narrow, shared entry. The Bee had the narrowest wheelbase and folded down the smallest - even then it barely scraped in.

And yes, it was painful to spend so much, so we DID try every suitable-from-birth pushchair on the market on two continents, and several that weren't. We still didn't find any others that suited our needs as well, so we saved up for the Bee and weathered the scorn of the snooty mums here for not carrying DD everywhere in a sling (she hated it with a passion).

[LadyBiscuit]

Ahh the Bee Plus is small. The Bee is big for buses

I am a right cheapskate when it comes to pushchairs though but I work full time so I don't spend hours pushing children around in them

[horsemadgal]

Listen to misdee, she probably has pushed everything else on the market.

But yes totally agree, Bees are fab. The less expensive buggies don't do the job just as well IMO.