London pram: Bugaboo Bee 5 vs Babyzen Yoyo

[cannonball8726]

Pregnant and looking at prams now. We live in London and don't have a car. Live near a tube station with steps. I'm 5'1 and quite keen that I can manage by myself and not require others to help me get pram up and down steps. I'm drawn to the Yoyo but husband wants to get a Bugaboo Bee as he thinks it feels a lot sturdier.

Has anyone been in similar position? What would you advise?

Thanks!

Forgot to say that we live in a flat and don't have tons of storage space either!

To be honest I loved the Maclaren for tube steps as I could hoik it on to my hip for the stairs if there was no one around to help me and it had a carry strap when folded up so could go on my back while I carried the baby.

For what you describe I'd go with a yo-yo hands down.

We faced this dilemma but went with the bee so I could life the carry cot out and carry it up our flat stairs and leave the frame downstairs... have you tried lifting them both in the shop? Take a heavy shopping bag to replicate a baby 😂

Yoyo. I bitterly regret not buying one!

A yoyo. I didn't buy one but wish I had. I have a joie pact which is similar in design but cheaper. It's light and has a great fold , just like the yoyo.

Yoyo, it’s great.

Yoyo is fab and fold down easily on the bus which is useful if the space is full. I don't think the bee folds down as small?

I’ve got a yoyo for the tubes and it’s fab

I have to use 2 babyzen yoyos for work and I wouldn't recommend it....

The babyzen doesn't fold up small /neatly with the raincover under it, and with any blankets/footmuff on it its about 4 times the size folded. The wheels also twist in/out when folding or unfolding, and if they aren't perfectly aligned then they trap it in a half closed position.

The parcel area underneath is absolutely tiny and blocked by 2 bars, so don't plan on carrying any shopping /baby bag down there.

Because it has teeny wheels it doesn't go up kerbs easy and it tips sideways easily as its lightweight.

I find the seatbelt clasp fiddly and the seat doesn't recline to horizontal, so I'm not sure what age its suitable from either?

So I'd say it's style over substance! I haven't tried the bugaboo, but I'd say try them (and a maclaren!) in a shop before choosing.

Babyzen Yoyo every time. Great resell value too

Thank you for your replies, all - the yoyo seems to be getting quite a bit of love! Have any of you used the yoyo for a newborn? The other option may be to get a Bee and use a sling for tube trips - but would that be quite tiring?

Thank you @avebury and @leeloo1 - which Maclaren would you recommend?

@le42 - yes the bassinet for bugaboo does seem handy! How do you find the Bee on public transport?

@keyshairbandnotepad how do you find the Joie Pact?

You may find you often end up using buses more often because humping a baby+pram+stuff up and down Tube steps will get tedious very quickly. Look at what style the buses are on routes in your area (London buses are all different designs). I have sometimes seen people struggle with the space on buses with a Bugaboo Bee.

I love the pact. It's great for buses and light enough to carry myself if I need to. There's also a pact lite that is even more narrow. I do still lust after the yoyo though , the green is my favourite.

Oh and btw, it's hard to find accessories for the pact. I had to hunt for a cosy toes that would work. It's the only issue I've found though.

Tbh, I have a Phil and teds I use for everyday round London, as I usually need a double but I don't have the flat issue - though I normally find people are very helpful re stairs - and I try to plan journeys around step free Kings Cross where I can.

Re maclarens, I've had one there are some that lie flat, so better for a newborn, so I'd start with those. :)

If you can get a sling that fits well carrying a newborn (in particular) isn't that tiring in the grand scheme of parenting (I found!). Much less hassle than dealing with a pram on the bus - and folk are surprisingly nice to you when you've got a baby strapped to your chest! We have the Mamaruga Zensling.

Babyzen yo-yo! I have 4 DC's and have gone through a lot of prams, this is the winner for the tube. The bee is nice and compact for buses but nowhere near as light or neat when it comes to lugging it up and down stairs.

Yes, as a pp said it doesn't fold as neatly with the raincover, but because it's so small I've literally never had to fold it while out - and at home I can easily fold it then tuck the raincover in. Being able to take it as travel hand luggage is also very helpful.

I have hooks and no tipping issues, for heavier shopping I have a Tiba and Marl backpack that's great, I also use it when taking the sling ismnstead (also a necessity for you if you want to tube a lot).

The only benefit of the bee is that you can parent face.

I wish I’d bought a yo yo. I purchased a baby jogger City mini GT. it has good points, but I stupidly didn’t realise how big it was. I hated taking it on buses. In your shoes I think I’d get a yo yo and a sling, so you’ve got options.

I have both. I love the yoyo for travel and tube. But I would not want it to be my everyday walking and shopping buggy. I don’t find it as good as the Bee.

It’s great being able to get on a bus with yo-yo and not worry about there being space- Bee is cumbersome folded. That being said you have to take absolutely everything out to fold Yoyo so you will have all that stuff to deal with.

I find the basket of the yo-yo makes it not great for shopping. The Bee can carry far more and doesn’t have annoying bars in the basket.

Much better accessories for the Bee. The wheeled toddler board is much better than the Yoyo one.

The Yoyo is even worse than the Bee at feeling tippy on pavements that tilt down to the road.

The bugaboo logos on the wheels are a nightmare for trapping dog poo so I prefer the Yoyo there.

The height of the handle bar on my Yoyo is not adjustable. Fine for me at 5’7” but I have read that it’s not always great for shorter people.

Either buggy is good for a bigger child. Mine are huge and have fit in both buggies really well.

If you are going to be lifting the buggy it would be much better for a post natal pelvic floor to deal with the yoyo.

It’s great for public transport. But Bee better for more walking and shopping trips IMO.

I have both and am in central London.

99% of the time I choose to use the bugaboo bee.
I really don't recommend the yo-yo for newborns. It's really low down and small, plus the basket is so tiny there's no room for shopping. My baby also prefers to be parent facing which the yo-yo doesn't do.

The yo-yo only comes into its own on holidays.

I feel really sad for tiny babies in the yo-yo. It's positioned perfectly for them to get a full face of exhaust fumes from busses. So grim.

I'm in London too. I have a normal everyday buggy (ICandy Peach) and then a GB Pockit for travel. Its brilliant and folds up so small it can fit in a rucksack. Easy to put up and down too.

I've had a bee and sold it as I didn't rate it, not tried the yoyo but it probably has similar drawbacks to using any small buggy I.e not much basket space, not good on tougher terrain, feels a bit tippy sometimes. That's why I'd get 2 cheaper buggies - I've had a few and never found one that does everything I want! X

I've just bought a Mountain Buggy Swift. It's amazing. Lightweight and super compact and so easy to manoeuvre and get up and down steps, folds up easy etc. Basket is small but I'm ok with that. I love the thing.