UPPAbaby Cruz vs BJCM 4 vs Bee+?

[DeeDee77]

Help! I need some advice! As a mum-to-be for the first time there is so much to take in! I've recently started researching pushchairs, but I still have plenty of time to decide as baby is not due till Dec, so thought it would be prudent to consult you wise lot before I invest!

Here is my situation... Currently living in London in a basement flat - one flight of outdoor stairs - so lightweight, compact and easy to fold are essential features I'm looking for. These would presumably also make it easier to cope with public transport etc. However, to complicate things slightly, we will be moving out of London next spring, so our needs might change somewhat. Would need something that is easy to sling into the boot of a car (Audi A3) as will probably be more reliant on car out of town, but weight might be less of an issue and won't have pesky stairs to deal with right outside my door.

My shortlist is as follows:

• Baby Jogger City Mini 4 wheel - love this, so easy to put up and down, but I've got a couple of reservations. My gut feeling is that this might not be ideal from birth. Although it fully reclines and is therefore suitable in principle, it is quite large for a newborn so worried it might get a bit draughty in there. Don't like the carrycot as it looks very narrow - what if I have a chubby baby?! Also, have read that the seat doesn't sit very upright, so when baby is a bit bigger this might become frustrating.

• Bugaboo Bee+ - very popular in London as it is so compact and light, but I struggled a bit with the seat recline lever and have read that there can be probs with the wheels. Also, as expecting a winter baby, quite like the idea of a carrycot - cocoon seems a bit open and exposed to me, particularly as the sides of the chassis are exposed. Lots of people have is, but I don't want to just go with the crowd (unless it is genuinely the best option for me).

• UPPAbaby Cruz - currently my fave. Love the cute carrycot, which looks super cosy and snuggly for a winter baby. Found the chair recline easier than the Bee and easier to sit back up than the BJCM. Amazingly spacious basket. Also great hood with pop out sunshade (equiv to the BjCM). However it is slightly heavier than the BJCM or the Bee+, so that is a downside (although not as heavy as some other luxury pushchairs). I'm picturing carrying the frame up the stairs first (7.5kg, equiv to BJCM or Bee), then separately the baby in carrycot, so maybe it's not a prob?

As you can see I'm having a bit of a dilemma, so any advice you can offer would be very gratefully received!!

Many thanks!!

You can get a bigger carrycot for the city mini 4, the deluxe I think it's called. The compact one does look erm compact but in reality it would probably be alright. Would you be okay with forward facing after that though?

Many people do have bees because it's one of a kind really (which I find annoying!) in that it's small, narrow, 1 piece fold, light and from birth. There isn't a lot of competition, I've spend far too long looking for equivalents and come up with very little.

Tiggywunkle on here has all 3 you mention so will be able to give you a proper low down!

By December there will also be the Baby Jogger Versa and Versa GT - same features as the city mini 4 but with a reversible seat. Also the easywalker June is fairly close to what you're looking for, perhaps not quite as lightweight.

I am assuming you have some kind of porch to want to leave the baby at the top and take the chassis first? Most people would leave the pushchair and take the baby first!

The Cruz certainly doesn't feel that light when you are carrying it. It's amazingly long for a compact pushchair - in fact I believe the Vista is longer, and its only something like 1.5kgs lighter than the Vista which is nothing. I am struggling to lift the Cruz into my car - and I am used to throwing large double pushchairs in. The length is part of the issue for me because a smaller folding pushchair eg the Bee does throw in really easily. The Cruz fills the length of my boot. The Cruz also has horrible pointy bits when folded, and I have also trapped my hands twice in the chassis - it gapes open to allow it to stand when folded but thats no good when carrying. Its actually scaring me to use it which I know sounds daft but I honestly dont know where to put my hands once its folded. There is even a part of the chassis that is marked as a carrying grip - but thats where I first got my hand caught. I honestly can not imagine carrying it down any stairs. I would rather carry a double pushchair with a sensible carrying handle / place than a Cruz. The basket is fabulous though!!

The Baby Jogger City Mini is definitely the easy option - simple to fold one handed with a wriggly 12 month old crawling baby under your arm - the carrycot bit is the easy bit!! Think ahead to where you put a non-sitting 7 month old perhaps or as I said a possibly non walking but crawling 14 month old? I really wouldn't worry about the Baby Jogger carrycots - as ihateparties says, there is a choice of 3 carrycots. I had two over 9lbs babies and they were both in carrycots until 6 months old. We also used a Bugaboo Cocoon in our City Mini, and other people have added various soft cots - there are lots of options.

The Baby Jogger Versa would give you a parent facing option, but still with a one handed fold. But the Versa is heavier.
A one handed fold means that you can stand at the top of your steps or get on a bus, and fold the pushchair with your baby in your arms.

The Bee would sling over your shoulder to carry down the stairs. It is fiddly to use - it took me around 3 months before I felt happy with it, and whilst it isn't my favourite pushchair - mainly for the push which is a bit light for me, I think for what you want, it may well be the best pushchair for the job. I have come to appreciate how light the Bee is, and just how easy it is to fold - although it is a 2 handed fold - but if you carry the baby downstairs first, then you can come back for it, in one piece.

Have a look also at the Mutsy Evo. It folds as one piece. Has a good seat, small fold and importantly a carrying handle! Its been one of my favourite pushchairs this year. But it is still a bit chunky when folded. Look also at the iCandy Cherry - it is a 2 piece fold, but if you are having to come back for the pushchair, its easy and really light to carry both pieces down with you. The chassis in fact can be pulled along.

If you give me a few days, I can take some photos of the Cruz next to the BJCM4 and the Bee if thats helpful, but you sound like you have seen them all already?

I am in London too - I had these 3 on my list and have (almost) decided to go for the Cruz - despite Tiggy's reservations

However I am different from you in that I don't have stairs to negotiate and we are staying in London and will hardly ever use the car. The Cruz is the heaviest and also the biggest folded. If I had to lift the buggy and/or get it into a car regularly I'd probably have gone with the BJCM or the Bee.

The BJCM is longer and wider than the Bee so more of a pain on a bus. But if you are moving soon...

Will you be in the countryside when you move? Will you need a buggy that is ok on rough surfaces (gravel, footpaths etc)? If so then I would discount the Bee as the wheels are tiny and it's quite rickety feeling. The BJCM GT version could work well though.

Thanks Ihateparties and Tiggywunkle for your speedy replies! I have to go up a flight of stairs from my house to ground level, so baby would be last out the flat - you are right though that it wouldn't be a good idea to prioritise the pushchair over the baby! ;)

Don't worry about taking pics Tiggywunkle - I have seen the 3. Appreciate the offer though.

I take your point about the size of the Cruz when folded. It is definitely the largest of the 3. The other thing I have been thinking about is that when you recline the Cruz the whole seat tips back, ie their bottom is still in a "V" shape - does this matter? I know that some other pushchairs also do that, so assume its ok, but is a full recline better?

I will check out the other carrycot options for the BJCM. It certainly could be a good longer term option so I don't want to rule it out. It's hard to know whether FF and RF is going to be important, as from the other posts I have read it seems that it varies a lot from baby to baby. I could probably live with just FF if everything else ticks the boxes. Have you found it a problem that it doesn't sit very upright?

I will have a look at the Easywalker June, Mutao Evo and iCandy Cherry too - thanks for the heads up.

DeeDee yes the Cruz seat is definitely still V shaped when reclined - afaik this is fine for older babies but not good for younger ones (

How a pushchair reclines is really personal choice. Some people like their children to be laid flat when they sleep, but as an adult I would rather have a seat tilted back so that my feet go up, than be bent backwards at the waist! After 6 months old, I dont think it matters which position a child sleeps in. Most children over 6 months (and even under 6 months with time restrictions ) are essentially sat up / in a tilt position in a car seat. So I personally prefer a bucket seat. But I know if you did a poll of MN-etters that you are likely to get a split vote.

The BJCM 2011 has "sit upright straps" to pull a child to a very upright position. These are not on the 2012 version. Plus there is a bit of an issue at present with the 2012 seats sagging after a change in the fabric stitching, and I think it is something that you need to be aware of. However its all very new, and I am not sure how it will resolve.

Hi Minipie, sorry missed your response earlier. It's reassuring for me to hear I'm thinking along the same lines as you - makes me think that I'm on roughly the right track! We will be moving out of town to a village (cliche!), so yes your comment about wheel size is valid. Still mostly pavement use, but I guess that country walks might become more frequent than now. Always the option of a BabyBjorn too, which of course i haven't factored in. Hmm...

no worries! I also looked at the Mutsy Evo (decided too big/wide for us - but the bigger wheels could be good for you) the Easywalker June (looks great, but no stockists for 100s of miles) and the iCandy Cherry (just as large folded/heavy as the Cruz, and no extending handle so crap for tall DH).

Re slings, I found the MN sling section is pretty anti-BabyBjorn because the baby position is not good for their hips apparently (legs hang down too straight). Ergo or Beco Gemini or wrap/stretchy slings tend to be preferred. I'm going for a Beco Gemini I think - I am torn since the Bjorns are available everywhere and loads of people love them, but having read the hip stuff I can't bring myself to buy one!

I think with the town/country thing you have conflicting needs and I wouldn't worry about the country bit until it happens. Any of these quality brands you are mentioning can easily be sold if you find you need something else down the line.

I had an iCandy Cherry when I lived in a flat and it was great, very simple to use, all parts are light and click in easily (this sounds basic but not everything is simple) the fold is easy, the chassis is easy to carry or pull etc. The Cruz sounds like a pain in this regard. Given you will be doing it every time you leave the house I would have reservations about that aspect in particular.

If you're considering the city mini 4 have you ruled out the britax b agile? It does all the same things for less cash and IMO is slightly better in terms of suspension. Has a bit of an issue with the seating position for sitting babies and young toddlers but I fixed mine with some webbing to pull the seat more upright (essentially what baby jogger did as Tiggy mentioned above).

Hello OP, I live in London and have a Vista and love it... The basket is enormous and as I mostly walk everywhere the weight of it isn't an issue. Looking at your criteria I would go for the Bee or BJ, believe me you will get very sick of carting the Cruz up and down those steps... We live on the third floor of a building with no lift but have a garage outside where we leave the pram so no carrying involved.

I must stress that the Baby Jogger Versa ought to be on your list to consider. I really think it would do everything you want and need and more....
Its got a small neat fold. It faces in both directions. It should be easy to carry. Its a one handed fold.
Even with the EVA wheels it should cope reasonably well with the city or a village.

Minipie - I have a beco gemini after baby3 decided she was not a mei tai fan and I couldn't get her to not constantly attempt to suffocate herself in my chest in a stretchy wrap. It has been the perfect compromise between me and her. I would rather wear a wrap strap mei tai but she's not having it... yet The gemini is like a bjorn in use but with the much improved position for the child. Has been worth the money for me.

Tiggy - is the versa heavier than the city mini 4? Sure it is but I can't remember how much.

Yes the Versa is 4.6kgs heavier, which is a fair bit. Its 2kgs heavier than the Cruz. But I would think that it is easy to carry, and there will be the carrying handle on it. I would rather carry a heavier pushchair thats easy to grasp and hold than a lighter pushchair thats bulky or has no natural carrying position - does that make sense?

Is there any option to leave the pushchair near the door? Maybe on hooks on the wall or even hanging on a hook over the back of a door?

Yes I'm starting to think about whether we could leave it in the communal hallway, which is not 100% ideal, but might give me more options and would in principle only be for a few months...

I've looked at the online reviews of the other suggestions and I do like the look of the June and the Versa. Will track down a Versa to try out to see if the extra weight is something I could live with, because it does seem to fit the bill in every other way. Having said that I do want to wait till the June comes out till I make a final decision. Will try to narrow down the options in the meantime!