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Original poster

Lazy Sunday morn. thread: Bugaboo - what's so good about them then?

24 replies

misty0 · 20/03/2011 10:15

They're quite pricey aren't they?

I'm a total baby buggy virgin! lol the one i had for my kids (youngest now 12) was 2nd hand and bought by my ex without consulting me and so i missed out on all the joy of shopping and choosing.

This time round i'm having a new one! I keep seeing Bugaboo mentioned here and so i'v been on their site and like the Chamelion (spelling?) and just wanted to know why you ladies are raving about them so much .

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coastgirl · 20/03/2011 10:19

We've just acquired a second-hand Cameleon (wouldn't pay for a new one!) and it's a really nice bit of kit. Now we haven't actually got a baby yet so I don't know about using it but just from trying it out it seems easy to put up and down, it's very flexible (carrycot bit, pushchair reclines all the way and can be front or rear facing) and it handles really nicely.

Having said that we haven't used any other pushchairs - this one was too good an offer to pass up, so I don't know how it compares. And the one we have would have cost £930 with all the extras there were with it, which I do think is very expensive. I'll be hoping to sell this one on when we're done with it and make some money back as well.

Original poster

misty0 · 20/03/2011 10:25

Yeah - i was thinking i'd go down the second hand route for one of these. Nearly a grand is ALOT of cash to part with at such an already expensive time.

It's not the 'second handness' of the one i had in the past that annoyed me - i think it was just the fact that i had no say in it all!

Memories .....

OP posts:

nannyl · 20/03/2011 10:29

Personally am not a bugaboo fan at all.

Have used a chameleon and didnt like it that much, (but there are plenty of buggies that i like even less)

was discussing them on another forum and someones motto was "bugger the bugaboo". Not thought of it quite like that before, but i thought she had a point!

Original poster

misty0 · 20/03/2011 10:33

Lol, Oh ok,

why didn't you like it, nannyl, sounds like you know your push chairs

OP posts:

nannyl · 20/03/2011 11:17

I just found it tried to do everything, and didnt do everything really well.
I think larger toddlers dont fit very well / comfortable in it.
Its quite wide for a single
the handle always felt a bit flimsy to me, as if it were going to brake, although it didnt break.
Doesnt handle nearly as well off road as a "proper" off road buggy.... yet i didnt find it is small and manouverable as other buggies, for around the shops.

I didnt really hate it when i used it though, just have preferred others. Some people love them i know!

If you gave me £1000, im sure i could get some buggies that handle really well in situation X, and really well in situation Y. (I may buy 2 buggies to do this but would still spend less money over all). Would also be more comfortable for a bigger / older toddler.

I know many people who have had issues with them breaking, and after 2 years bugaboo arnt co-operative about fixing, even when you are happy to pay... they suggest a new chassis. I think they have a good reputation for fixing when under warantee, but when spending £1000 really wouldnt be expecting it to brake!

I think they are expensive for what they are (but do do really cool colours!!!!)

nannyl · 20/03/2011 11:18

oh and on the + side, they are one of the easiest pushcahirs (IMO) to use with a buggy board...

most buggy boards give me back ache but this one wasnt as bad as most!

CBear6 · 20/03/2011 11:27

I dislike them too, I think they're like little doll prams and older/bigger babies look silly in them.

I found the best way to choose my pushchair was to go to John Lewis and Mothercare and play with them.

Bratfink · 20/03/2011 11:32

I love mine. It's flexible, forward facing / rear facing / carrycot / seat. It us relatively compact and light compared to mountain buggy/ Phil and Ted/ those hideous I candy things that look like daleks. It copes well over rough terrain but is maneuverable around small shops. The only draw back is is the two piece fold, but I don't ever use public transport so not a problem for me. I can still have it disassembled and chucked in the boot more quickly than my friends with their aforementioned behemoths.

Oh and if you ever need to trade it in for a double you will recoup most of what you initially spend, even if you bought second hand

Ds is a big 2 year old and has room to spare to don't quite understand the not big enough theory.

pipplin · 20/03/2011 11:59

We aren't massive fans we currently have an Obaby Zezu travel system. It's been blooming fantastic IMO. No extra bits to buy- the pram converts from carrycot and is Multi facing.
Carseat just fits straight on top too.
We are about to move over to the Britax b dual as need a double but I understand they do a single version and it looks pretty good to me.
Hth

Boilable · 20/03/2011 12:12

I live in an inner city suburb with no car. I walk MILES every day (just got back from a 5 mile round trip to shops / park / friends) and my cameleon is a ruddy joy. It's 2nd hand (chassis is dated 2005) and still in great nick. Only downside for me is that people have certain preconceptions about bugaboo owners, IYKWIM.

Boilable · 20/03/2011 12:13

PS - DS is a hefty 21mo and has plenty of growing room.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 20/03/2011 12:21

I love my Chameleon. DS is a sturdy 2.7 and still finds it comfy enough to have a decent nap in if we are out for a long day.

We are just in the process of turning it back into a pram for DC2 who is due in a week, and once we've given it a good clean it will be like new. Money very well spent.

nannyl - I disagree that it is wide for a single. Maybe for a buggy, but not for one that is a pram from birth. One of the reasons we bought it is that it was significantly narrower than things like a Quinny or anything from M&P, or any number of other things that we looked at.

Froggy81 · 20/03/2011 12:22

Hi! Am interested in all the pram talk, as it was our first visit with DH to a pram shop yesterday, and we left more than ever... What would you recommend apart from Bugaboos which are way out of our budget!

Who knew that buying a pram could be so daunting?

Boilable · 20/03/2011 12:25

Froggy - if I had to buy a new one now I'd definitely ger a baby jogger city mini - seems to tick loads of boxes at a good price.

nannyl · 20/03/2011 12:34

Boilable...
I have seen /used that as a double (nanny friend had it, i had a little push lol).. agree it seems a good buggy!

tiokiko · 20/03/2011 12:50

I absolutely love our Cameleon - we originally bought a M&P Pliko Pramette which was a complete disaster, really flimsy and terrible to push, hated it. Agonised for a while and then bit the bullet and got the Cameleon when DD was 6w old and it was the best thing we ever bought for her.

She slept really well in the pram when in carrycot mode (could use that when travelling until she was about 5m as it's longer than most), it's amazingly easy to push and maneouvre, even in small shops.

We bought it in off-white which seemed like madness to others but it washes brilliantly and still looks like new.

The only downside I have is that the basket bit is hard to reach when in carrycot mode but we didn't use it much so not a big problem. Big advantage is that they hold their value well so you can re-sell when finished with it.

If you are buying 2nd hand I would suggest making sure the chassis is 2008 onwards as I think there were issues with the brakes before that and many were recalled/repaired. We had no problems with ours as I think they tweaked the design/part from then onwards.

Original poster

misty0 · 20/03/2011 14:29

This is realy interesting stuff!

I just know that i too will be overwelmed when i do get into a store full of pushchairs. I want to like the Bugaboo - opinion seems pretty polarised - you're either loving or hating them. Thats good advice about the 2008 onwards chasis. Thank you.

I think i'm going to want something fairly sturdy to begin with, big carry cot, largish frame ect.

Nothing for it but to get out there and get confused i spose. Thank you for all your coments - i'm still reading - if theres any more

OP posts:

MummyAbroad · 20/03/2011 14:44

I bought a second hand bugaboo and have not regretted it. The best thing about it? Its completely indestructible! Ours had 2 years use before we got it, and we have just put 2.9 more years on it. My nearly three year old jumps on it, rocks it, pushes it down stairs etc and it never gets damaged. Its also survived 2 long haul flights, and 4 short hauls.

I agree with some of the other posters that it doesnt do everything you would want a pram to do (for £1000, I think it should have an engine ) It could be lighter, easier to fold and narrower, and have a more accessible basket, for example. Now that we have baby number two on the way, I am also really wishing it converted into a double.

However it does more than all my friends prams and if you are planning on using it lots, loading it up with heavy shopping etc its a really good workhorse. Oh, and I live in Costa Rica where the "pavements" are mostly just rubbly concrete and it is GREAT at getting through rough terrain without making DS feel like he is sitting on a pnuematic drill.

Worth the money I'd say.

Bratfink · 20/03/2011 14:55

MummyAbroad my favorite place on earth. I would give everything (including my bugaboo) to come and live with you

MummyAbroad · 20/03/2011 15:07

Bratfink House swap some time? PM me!

paternal · 20/03/2011 16:06

Ok a quick question, the Bugaboo C or icandy peach??? My OH is leaning towards the icandy I think.

theborrower · 20/03/2011 16:15

I've got a bugaboo bee and I love it. My mum wanted to go for the Chameleon because she wanted us to get a more traditional pram, but we wanted and needed something more compact. I also thought the Chameleon was bloody extortionate a bit too pricey too. We bought our Bee in a sale as they were just bringing out the Bee Plus - bargain :)

It's so easy to get on the buses (when you can just walk them in and park them that is), it's light, compact, really easy to manouevre in small spaces like shops. And I think it looks nice and bright too. The only thing I don't like is if you have to fold it, someone else needs to hold Baby. But a McLaren is what you're after if you need to do that a lot. We'll probably go and get one of them for times when we need to travel and fold a lot.

Joannezipan · 20/03/2011 18:30

@Paternal When we went to look at push chairs those were our choices too. The woman in the shop made a very good point though. The I candy has quite a low seat to hood height, she said if you have a big baby they could grow out of it within a couple of years. With the bugaboo you can raise the hood as they grow so it will last much longer - but then you might not have a big baby. My family do tend towards them though - bit scared about that!

urbandaisy · 20/03/2011 18:41

@paternal We're going with the iCandy. Less ubiquitous than the Bugaboo, which I'm a bit bored of seeing everywhere. I've got good friends who love their Peach, it corners and manouvres like a dream, and frankly by the time the kid hits about 3, if it's big for its age we'll probably have picked up a Maclaren for travel anyway.

For me, ease of getting around is much more important for the first two years and in particular the first year, and having tried both it's the Peach for me. The fact that I think it's much better-looking than the Cameleon is the icing on the cake!

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