Bugaboo bee or city mini stroller - any opinions please?

[Alexandra6]

Hi, I'm 6 months pregnant and trying to decide between these - both perfect for our car boot and we'd like to use it from newborn to toddler. Would love any views/experiences please!

I hope you don't mind me posting here, I also posted in products but not sure if people use that section as much.

Tough one. I had a Bee (actually 3!) for both of my children and loved it. It's great for newborns even though there's no proper carrycot. The cocoon is so snug and cosy, mine loved it and hated the open carrycot on my other bigger pram. It was fab as a car pram because it could go from pram to sticking the car seat on in seconds.

However, now my youngest is 18 months I recently sold my Bee for a city mini GT and I love it. So does she. It's suitable for newborns but only forward facing or with the addition of a carrycot which looks a bit clunky to me.

It depends what you will be using it for too. The city mini is more robust for longer walks etc. The Bee is an amazing town pushchair. Personally, for the early months I'd go for the Bee.

And congratulations :)

I'd get the mini, it's cheaper and just a good and folds like a dream.

I have a bee the mini was too long for my boot but friends have them and they are great.

I have a Bee, it's great.

Thanks. I really only want to get one so am trying to work out which is best - as you say gwen the bee might be better for newborn and the city mini later on but I really don't want to end up buying both.

Can you put a bag and a little bit of shopping on the back of the city mini? Anyone using it with the carrycot/car seat and what do you think of using it with that for a newborn?

Would it be possible to use the Bee right until they grow out of it?

Anyone else with either and any plus points/downsides?

We've used the City Mini since our dd was born (she's now 14 mths) and really like it. Its cheaper than the Bee; very easy to fold and steer; plenty of room underneath to stash things and we've also hung bags on the back with no problems.

The only downside was having to get the carrycot as a separate attachment (and dd hated it so was barely used). Our Recaro Profi plus car seat attached to it (rear facing) though and dd preferred that when she was younger. We went forward facing when dd was around 4 mths old and she preferred that best of all.

It depends on the baby, some like to be rear facing and looking at you, others prefer to look out onto the world. Unfortunately you won't know which is best until after your baby's born. Some baby's hate all prams and end up in a sling most of the time.

Would recommend getting a good condition second hand pram if you can. Once your baby's walking they won't want to be spending ages in the pram and then you might prefer a lightweight MacLaren.

The good thing about the Bee is that they can be in it for ages, the seat extends both in height and length so they grow with it. It folds so easily and just as small as the jogger.

I liked that DS was parent facing when he was a baby, and all snug in his cocoon. We turned him round at about a year as he likes to look around. He's 18 months and I still use my Bee and plan to until he grows out of it.

Town or country? Bee is probably more newborn friendly as rear facing but City is to my mind a more practical pram because of the three wheels.
Bee has a tiny footprint - great if you live in a small space, but it also has small wheels so it's a bit of a sod on grass or rough terrain.
Caveat - I don't have either but considering buying a three wheel City and ditching a stokke and mclaren combination, so I totally hear you about just buying one.
Friends bought the bee second hand for the first year and sold it on for almost the same amount of money. They then bought the City mini.

My eldest was in the Bee until she ditched the pushchair so there's plenty of room in it, I just fancied a change and fell in love with the GT. Having tried many many pushchairs they are definitely the two best.

I'd say that you can use a bee as long as you need to - and it's so small I've never had to buy a stroller type pram like lots of friends that had bigger prams. DS is over 2.5 and fits in it comfortably.

We've had the BJCM from birth and a good friend has the Bee. Like most others, I think they're both really good and versatile/longlasting. My reasons for preferring BJCM:
Lightweight, so easy to fold, very easy on public transport and for travel (domestic & abroad), fantastic huge hood - great for sun, wind and rain, as well as naps, seat doesn't ride low (not very important but I find the Bee feels so low). I hang all sorts using buggy clips and in the basket. We were 'spoiled' as it was a gift and we used the deluxe carrycot - loved that it was high up, parent facing, very comfy and has integrated cat net thing (used it when DS was napping). Clips in and out very easily so also used it as day bed, play area at other houses etc. We removed the seat fabric until DS went into the seat, which is very easy to do and then put back. We live on the 2nd floor (no lift) and find the BJCM easy to manage. DS seems find outward facing, but we also peer over to chat to him or look through windows on the hood if it's down. Also when in lie flat mode you can fold up the fabric at the top end of the seat and see right through.
Criticisms? Quite long, so a fold down handle bar would be a nice touch, and basket is best accessed from side as from back is tricky due to metal bar. But these are very minor points.

Would recommend shopping around, we bought from an online independent and got BJCM with made to fit raincover and deluxe carrycot with sheets, fleece and raincover, as well as a book bag which we do use, brand new and current model, for £350 all in.

(Sorry for typos etc, on phone!)

*Seems fine.

To clarify:

Used net as a 'shade'; despite height deluxe was absolutely fine for me at 5'3"; felt more enclosed than Bee; DS was still comfortable in deluxe at 6mo just before going into seat despite being long and wide boy!

Thanks! I really wish I could see which my baby prefers! Would be a town baby - we have a forest nearby but it would go in the sling/baby carrier for short walks there.

So it sounds like the seat can be removed when the BJCM baby carrier is in so it doesn't look quite as bulky?! Trying not to let price affects things but the BJCM is cheaper.

Anyone else with either of them? BJCM seems to have better marks in the mumsnet product ratings but it seems from this that people with the Bee are really happy?

Only that if you go for the bjcm, I strongly recommend the GT. It makes a great pushchair into a really great pushchair and is worth the extra. It moves better, the wheels are better and the handlebar is adjustable.

I have a City Mini, it's absolutely fab. DD has been in it since she was 3 months, before that in the car seat on top of it via adaptors. Soooo simple to fold, quite small to store and pretty light. Also quite cheap!

Don't you find that if they're still small when they go into the main city mini seat, their heads are vulnerable as it isn't very rigid? I mean if someone were to accidentally knock against the fabric at the back?

Maybe John Lewis didn't have GT as the one I looked at didn't have adjustable handle. Will ask them!

I found the bjcm quite long compared to the Bee. And I don't like the handle or three wheelers. Although I know you can get a four wheel version.

We had the same decision, ended up going with the city mini gt and are very happy with our decision.

We love that it's soo easy to fold, very robust and still quite light. Most importantly, it handles really nicely - DH refused the bee point blank as he thought it felt 'rickety'.

The one big upside of the bee for us was the rear-facing option. As I was concerned about this, we bought a second hand large carrycot - however it ended up being fairly useless, other than as an overnight bed on a long weekend with ILs... He didn't like it very much, and at 3 months we put him in the standard seat with a padded liner and he was so much happier looking out at the world! You can still easily see each other through the clear panels on top and the baby can hear you through the mesh on the back, so contact isn't a problem. With a simple padded liner and the harness on snugly DS feels very secure. If I did this over again I would probably just keep the baby in the sling for the first few weeks and/or buy a removable carseat that will fit the pram.

The huge shade gives the baby great protection, there is still space for some shopping, and the biggest upside for us is how pleasant and easy it is to push around town and through parks etc.

Have you had a chance to try them both out in a shop? In particular it's worth seeing how you feel about the ease of handling (bjcm wins), the ease of folding (bjcm wins, although the bee is easier to carry when unfolded than the bjcm) and the footprint (bee wins) as these seem to be the big differentiators. As you can see from the people above, there is not a clear right and wrong, it will depend on your situation!

Alexandra6 can't say it even crossed my mind - although she's more of a sling baby than a buggy baby, so the only times she was in the buggy when she was that small was when she was out walking the dogs with me - and only then when it was raining so all the bloody time then. It was never a possibility that someone else would come that close.

Love the city mini, and I am a bit of a pram geek. . Saying that, they are both good, but more importantly, there is no perfect pram. The only fault with the city mini for me us that the chair doesn't go bolt upright and my 10 mo likes to sit very upright. I love for everything else though, particularly how lightweight it is and ease of folding. We use it for all of dd's naps too.

I have a Bee, which I had for ds1, was used by my niece, and am now using again for dd2. The brake is starting to go a little, although it has been used loads and otherwise lasted very well. It is very light-weight, small and folds up easily, which is why I bought it as space was an issue. I can open it with one hand, and it is very manoevreable. I do like it, as the above are big advantages, but I do find it difficult to use on anything other than smooth terrain. It isn't easy to move on grass, and on bumpy ground / curbs I have to be careful not to tip it. I don't know what the other buggy you're comparing with is like, I'm afraid. I think i comes down to what you need from it most - if you're just going to use it in town, and want something small and light-weight, then the Bee would be perfect. If you could do with something a little more sturdy, and might want to go off-road and for walks on rougher terrain, it may not be the best choice.

Thanks for your posts, I went to make a final decision yesterday and instead ended up also considering the icandy cherry too!! The woman in the shop said she personally would buy the city mini for hers (she has a cherry she was given as a gift) just as it's so easy and light, but DH thinks it looks a bit cheap and I think we're still leaning towards the Bee plus! We accosted a woman with a Bee in the shopping centre for her opinion and she loved hers, really raved about it. Decisions, decisions! Any more opinions very welcome!