Bugaboo Bees - Honest opinions!

[MyGrassIsBrowner]

Hi all.
So previously I owned a Stokke Xplory V6, had my heart set on it for so long and when I started using it, I hated it! Bulky to push up and down kerbs, felt like it was going to tipple over with my DD in it sometimes. Anyway, my lifestyle isn't too extravagant so looking for something a little more compact and easy to push. The Bugaboo Bee range seems to be ticking all the boxes so far. What I'm wanting to know though, how well does it handle kerbs? Slightly rougher terrain i.e stoney paths? Also, realistically what age will the seat accomodate (specifically on the Bugaboo Bee 5/6?) My DD is 15 months, but small for her age. I have baby no.2 on the way but will no doubt have her in a sling for the first few months if we're out and about.
All opinions welcome. I'll be purchasing a second hand one as my DH is still bitter about the Stokke 😂
Tia x

Anyone? 😁 x

Bump! 🤞

I have a Bee 5 and it’s brilliant for truly urban existence - central London, plus a bit of paths and dry park paths in summer. Stony paths would be fine. Dead easy to push.

I stopped using it at about 18 months as though it’s compact it’s not umbrella fold so wouldn’t fit easily in childminder’s box for buggies. Son is 2 and pregnant again now and will definitely use it with newborn as so much easier to push plus has good extras including cup holder and buggy board.

Basically I really like it and I’m glad it’s the pram we bought new. We also have a maclaren Xt for childminder run and cityjogger mini for forest walks (both secondhand) and they’re both great prams but not a patch on the bee for newborn.

The only thing is maybe you want a double?

I love mine, I had the original Bee way back in 2009 for my ds1 and it wasn’t that great, I think that admitted in retrospect that they’d released before the product was really ready. I have a Bee 6 now for dd2 and wouldn’t be without it. She’s 2.3 and fairly petite but has bags of room, I like that both the seat height and depth can be adjusted. It’s the buggy I keep in the car as it’s relatively small and easy to fold, the basket is a decent size for a small buggy but can be tricky to access. The only thing I’d say is that you can’t change the seat direction while the child is in it, which can be tricky when they’re at the age where they can’t quite make up their mind, you’d like to see them and chat but they’re more interested at facing out. Most buggies can be switched around while they’re sat safely strapped in but because of how the seat unit comes off this isn’t possible with the Bee. I’d also say Bugaboo have cheaped out in recent years and the rain covers that you get included now are awful, the high performance ones are better but are £50 extra. I do like the bumper bar they’ve added on the Bee 6, that’a a real improvement.

@CaramelWaferAndTea Thanks for your feedback!! Not looking at a double as we dont really get out enough to warrant one, and when we go we tend to go in car so need something small/easy to get in and out of the car. As well as fitting our greyhound in there too! 😂

@YouHaveNoAuthorityHereJackie Not particularly bothered about not being able to change seat direction whilst bubs is in situ, to be honest I'm having a section with this one so I couldn't be doing with the lifting anyway lol!

How do you find it handles kerbs? Will bare in mind about the raincover when I come to buy one!
Thank you ladies!

The kerbs can be tricky if you misjudge it tbh, or if it’s fully loaded. But generally not a problem. As I said, it’s my car buggy. I think I’d struggle with it as our main pushchair as we live in a town rather than city and I tend to walk everywhere so need bigger wheels.

For easy bumping up and down kerbs you can't beat a frog but would have to be a cam these days!!! Look at getting a 2nd hand one??

I also found the bee felt flimsy over rough paths unless v6 is way more sturdy than Bee+?

I have a bad upper back and had huge children (I'm tiny) and it was only the frog/cam that truly glided and had amazing suspension. The other amazing 3 wheeler is the BOB revolution that Britax sold for a while but it's a USA brand in its own right.

I've had two Bees (Bee+ with DS and 5 with DD) and have been really happy with them. I find it handles well around London - I don't love it going down the kerb into a pot hole, but I'm not sure many buggies other than proper offroad pneumatic tyres types do that well (have also used a Cameleon and various umbrella buggies, none of which are any better in this situation!).

Have used it til well past the third birthday with both children without feeling they'd outgrown it.

Ooooh thank you everyone! Think I'm going to try and get to a shop were I can try out the Bee 6 and get a feel for it! Also going to try the Cam as I've had a fair few recommendations on that. X

@MyGrassIsBrowner

Ooooh thank you everyone! Think I'm going to try and get to a shop were I can try out the Bee 6 and get a feel for it! Also going to try the Cam as I've had a fair few recommendations on that. X

Also please try the Uppa Baby Cruz. As a nanny I've used lots of different buggies (including bugaboo), this one is by far the best

I love the Bee 5 for urban travel, fine on kerbs, ok on moderately stony paths (eg London parks) but wouldn’t cope with really rough terrain. I also find it much harder to bump up and down flights of stairs (eg at tube) than friends with more robust prams - but mine is more compact and lighter

@MolyHolyGuacamole I've seen the Uppababy Cruz mentioned a lot in threads, is it really that good!?

@MyGrassIsBrowner it feels quite lightweight given the size (bigger than the bee), really easy to fold and unfold, amazing under buggy storage (more than the bee) abs very easy to steer one-handed.

I think for me as well as I'm tall, it's the PERFECT height for me when you extend the handle. The bee is more similar to the babyzen yo-yo, much shorter in size. If you have a taller child you may fine that they outgrow it quickly.

It's so low down - will that bother you? I am wondering whether it will having come from the Xplory! As that seems to be the main selling point of that buggy, and the Bee is lower than most normal buggies so extremely low down in comparison.

We have a Bee 5 and it suits us - we live in central London and it only goes on pavements and paths in the park. When we've been to Hampstead Heath or out to my parents we just use a carrier. Reasons we didn't get a bigger buggy - We have to take it on escalators on the tube as no step free access where we live and heavier buggies are more difficult for this. Also space in our house is limited. Can still get on the bus when there's another buggy. Buggies are basically about your lifestyle I think -people on here are always advocating their buggy as the "best" but my needs are obviously different to someone who is in and out of the car all day and goes to a national trust property every weekend. I know someone with an UPPAbaby Cruz and it's much bigger than the bee - it's a lovely buggy though, and I'm jealous of how much shopping she can get underneath it. Round where I live most people have a Bee or a baby zen yoyo which is a better comparison.

@MolyHolyGuacamole see I'm small but my DH is 6'3 so would probably be better for him but then again, I'll be the one pushing it lol 😂
If I can get to a shop with one on display I'm gonna give it a whirl!

@BertieBotts
Yeah the Stokke is exceptionally high in comparison to the bugaboo bee, and aesthetically it was a gorgeous pram but it was ridiculously heavy and absolutely no suspension so when bubs was newborn she'd be rattling around even on fairly smooth paths. Was gutted when I had to sell it as for some reason they devalued an unbelievable amount and only ended up getting back around half of what I originally paid for it. The bugaboo seems to hold their value a fair bit.

@Toastfiendish I'm based North Lincolnshire so I'm semi rural although we dont go offroading an awful lot. For me the pram will be used more for walking to nursery/taking the dog for a walk and general shopping trips into town center etc. Our Stokke took up so much room in the boot and we have a large greyhound so I'm trying to find one more compact in size but versatile.

I had the Bee 3 for my son in 2015, and honestly I didn't get on with it. I'm very petite (5'1) and 100lbs and I struggled to lift it, fold it etc and it's a pain to assemble as well. I wish I had gotten the Yo-yo Zen or something small like that but that's just me.

I've used a Fox and Bee - and the suspension (?) on the Fox is much, much better. Especially on uneven terrain or gravel. We really notice the difference in how it manoeuvres. However, the Bee is so much easier to fold, so mainly use that now that DS is a little older. I didn't really think about how much of a faff getting the buggy in and out would be. 2nd time around I would still use my Fox, it's much easier to push, although a bit more
Of a pain in the arse to get in and out of the car.

I loved mine!!!!

I had a Bee+ and loved it - but I have to admit it was a bit rubbish at kerbs and bumpy paths/uneven pavements. If it had slightly bigger wheels or fatter tyres it would have been perfect. I don’t know if later models have this?

It does have great suspension though so it’s not like the baby feels jiggled (I think), it’s just hard work for the parent getting those small wheels over the bumps. I just got really good at spotting the smoother bits of pavement.

I’m 5’3 and found the Cruz handle just too high. Both I and DH who is 6’3 could push the Bee comfortably as its handle extends so far. This also makes it great for using with a buggy board if you have two fairly close together.

Oh in terms of age it will last till - my DD has mobility issues and was still going in the Bee age 5. The seat extends which is brilliant.

Also great for taking on holiday as it’s small and light and an easy fold

As I say though - bumpy pavements were its nemesis. I later had a Nipper 360 which was amazing for bumps by comparison, proper air filled tyres. If you want to go on bumpy paths a lot then don’t choose a Bee

@SEE123 this is the issue I had with the stokke, getting it in and out of the car was an absolute nightmare.

@minipie that's great to know about the handle height! And I learnt to spot the smooth bits of pavement with my Stokke 😂 trying to get that thing out of my house alone was a pain as I have quite a big drop between my front door and driveway. I feel like a pram lower to the ground would be much more suited to me.
I've seen on videos that the bee 6 seat extends which is a big bonus! My DD is fairly diddy for her age and I would also look at buying a buggy board as she gets older then put no.2 in the pram instead!

@savemefromsearches The Stokke was in two parts as well.. and the seat didn't collapse like the bugaboo bee does. We have a fairly decent size boot as well, the stokke took the whole thing up nearly 😂

The ant is definitely too small for what I need x