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Bugaboo Bee cocoon

8 replies

Lemondrop09 · 19/03/2017 15:52

Have decided a Bugaboo Bee 5 fits our needs best. I'm reluctant to buy a bassinet as £200 seems an awful lot for something that only gets used for 6 months max. However, I like that you can use the bassinet without straps.

Any experience using a cocoon with a newborn? Are the straps a faff? Will it be warm enough to see an October born baby through winter? Can you layer blankets inside the cocoon if necessary?

I am currently undecided about the car seat (can't decide between a 0-4 year car seat, or getting a 1 year car seat which can be used on the pushchair frame). So I might be able to use both the car seat and the cocoon, or we might end up with the cocoon as the only option for transporting newborn in pushchair.

As an aside, would you recommend having the option to put the car seat on the pushchair frame? I realise the benefits of being able to move a sleeping baby. Would we regret a static car seat? I'm just worried a removable car seat would temp us to leave the baby in the car seat too long.

Finally, can anyone recommend a good place for custom Bugaboo canopies and foot muffs? Are the canopies any good or are they not a dirt/water resistant as the official ones?

Thanks!

OP posts:
Lemondrop09 · 25/03/2017 23:03

Burning this up. There are thousands of Bugaboo owners, someone must know the answer

OP posts:
Lemondrop09 · 25/03/2017 23:04

*Bumping not burning! Stupid autocorrect

OP posts:
AlphaMama · 29/03/2017 15:47

Hi Lemon,

I've had a Bee for the past 3 years with my daughter - from birth. We had a cocoon (carrycot wasn't available with the Bee when we bought our's so no other option).

We were really happy with it. You can fold the buggy with the cocoon still on it if needs be AND attach a carry car seat to the buggy with the cocoon in place as well. We didn't have a car as lived in Central London when our daughter was born and this was a godsend as meant we could just take everything with us attached the buggy when we went to visit the grandparents at weekends, etc. Nothing extra to carry.

Our daughter was born first week of March and she was warm enough in the cocoon. (It snowed that March.) She was also fully dressed with a thick jumper/jacket and usually a blanket as well as I'm a worry wart. But she was as cosy as a very cosy thing (🤔) and we weren't worried about her being cold.

The upside to the carrycot I would imagine is that it might be slightly more supportive? But I don't really know tbh.

The straps in the cocoon can be a faff, I won't lie. There is a knack to unstrapping them and keeping them asleep. After they're about 3 months old, this gets trickier as they're bigger, but we would just leave her to sleep in the buggy/cocoon until she woke up if this was the case. You can't easily remove the cocoon from the buggy to lay them in the cocoon elsewhere once you're inside as the straps go through the cocoon fabric. You'd definitely wake baby.

As for the car seat, this completely depends on how frequently you're in and out of the car I'd say.

Benefit of the carry seats is they attach to the buggy, which can be a godsend. But newborn baby shouldn't be in it longer than 2 hours max anyway.

The 0-4 are arguably better value for money as last longer, and lots have that 360 swivel for easy entry now as well, which I can imagine is handy as they grow!

Either way, do make sure you get an I-size car seat as these are compatible with the new legislation & the safest style of car seats out there currently. But not all on the market are.

AlphaMama · 29/03/2017 15:53

Should also say - we LOVE our Bee. 3 years on, still in fab condition and going strong. Never had a single problem with it. Absolutely love it and was definitely worth the money.

Can also lift it one handed no problem (and I'm only 5ft tall). It's just great.

Thatextrainch · 29/03/2017 15:55

I had the cocoon for my summer born baby. She was in it right through winter with snowsuit and an extra blanket on very cold days. It's the same warmth as a foot muff imo. I have no issues with the straps, if she was asleep in the pushchair I just left her in it strapped in.

I wouldn't bother with a custom foot muff unless it is specifically made for the bugaboo. I bought my pushchair second hand and the seller had a foot muff made but it's crap as it's generic and doesn't fit the chair properly. I can sew so ended up pulling it apart and adjusting it but it would have been easier to have just bought the bugaboo one.

AlphaMama · 29/03/2017 15:59

Oh and the canopies are machine washable. I spilt coffee all over our yellow one - was a few hours before I was home and it washed up good as new.

Cocoon also machine washable. Or at least, I definitely put our's in the wash and it was fine!!

We never got the Bugaboo footmuff as I heard reports they dragged on the ground with the Bee and looked a state. Our daughter (even now) hates having her legs tucked in anyway so she just had a giant padded snowsuit.

mainlywingingit · 29/03/2017 15:59

In terms of the car seat I would look into ERF - Extended rear facing as it is 6 times safer and they can rear face until 4 years old.

Lemondrop09 · 29/03/2017 20:09

Great, thanks all. Really useful advice and very helpful to hear from Bee owners

Mainly, we plan to extend rear facing. It's just whether we buy a newborn car seat now so we can put it on the pushchair frame, then fork out for another rear facing seat until age 4. Or whether we get a birth - 4 year rear facing seat and lose the ability to put the car seat on wheels. Not waking sleeping baby vs spending money, what a choice lol!

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