Bugaboo Donkey for first child - bad idea?

[Username8b72]

First child coming in May, we'd like to have more in future so highly possible I could have a toddler + newborn in a couple years time.

Would it be mad to go for a Bugaboo Donkey for our first baby, so that we don't have to buy another buggy in not too distant future?

Things that matter to me in a buggy are: sleep safe bassinet, all terrain, good steering, as lightweight as possible (though all terrain will make this harder to acheive). I know the Donkey is bigger & weightier, so should I just go for a single pram for this pregnancy? I'm a bit of a future planner so don't know if its silly to buy a buggy for two when you've only got one, or whether the Donkey is actually a good option just for 1 anyway and a prudent move if more babies could come in future.

Any thoughts / other recommendations really welcome! Thanks!

I have the donkey (currently using it for one but no 2 is due imminently). I love it! Wish I’d bought it the first time around to be honest as the original single one we bought for no1 is just wasted now.

Have you looked at the bugaboo kangaroo? It’s not available in the uk yet but it’s another that converts from single to double, but without being as wide as the donkey. Would guess it’ll hopefully be available here soon, but you could always message them and ask.

Thank you! I hadn't heard of that one, but it looks great!! Less wide than Donkey which would be fab. Fingers crossed that might come out in UK soon.

Thank you! So helpful to hear your experience

I saw a YouTube short this morning from The Stroller Workshop (my favourite pushchair review channel) where he asked Bugaboo if they had any plans to release the Kangaroo in Europe and they replied with a non-reply saying there was no information on when we can expect the Kangaroo, and I wouldn’t expect a May release based on that.

The Donkey is definitely super terrain capable, but the opposite of lightweight - and it’s inherently wide and bulky. But if the weight and size isn’t a problem for you, then it might be a good idea. Personally, I’d choose the pushchair that suits my needs right now and deal with the future when it comes. I don’t want a small age gap, which might be influencing my view, but using a double pushchair is usually a relatively small period for most parents with non-twin children. I’d rather not be trading off with an excessively bulky pushchair for 5 years just to cover a few months/a year of that time needing a double. The same channel who contacted Bugaboo about the Kangaroo said in his review that prolonged use of the Donkey in its single child mode especially with a bigger child can accelerate wear because of the unbalanced weight for such a long period of use which might be worth considering.
https://youtube.com/shorts/uZ2-QjqeIio

Are you rural or urban? How often would you be putting it in the boot of a car, or trying to squeeze it onto a bus or into a compact cafe? I’m in the London suburbs and definitely would not get the donkey for these kinds of reasons. I’d recommend the Uppababy - the larger one will convert to a double (albeit not a side by side) which would give you flexibility without the extra weight and width.

I don’t know much about the donkey but I was toying with an uppababy vista for baby number 1 (also converts to a double). I didn’t go for it in the end. I really loved the single pushchair we ended up with (Nuna Mixx next). Anyway… what I’m getting at is that 18 months later I was shopping again for a double pushchair and it was a bit frustrating that I didn’t just buy it the first time around.

Oh and do you have plenty of space? I ended up with the smaller Uppababy Cruz and love it. But we got a double out n about when the second child came along, which lives in the garage.

Most people get one ‘big pram’ like an all terrain one and a light pushchair stroller. It’s impossible to combine the two. If you are looking for lightweight I would recommend something like Joolz Aer. Those huge prams like a Donkey are an absolute nightmare to lift in and out of cars, and as soon as your child is over 18 months they’re way too heavy and look odd being pushed in them.

This is so helpful thank you! I actually messaged bugaboo on their chat line too and they gave the same answer about no info on release in UK for the Kangaroo. Such a shame as it looks so good, but they probably want to eek out sales for the Donkey before they release it here.
Thanks for the YouTube recommendation, that part about the wear on the Donkey is interesting to consider too.

Thanks I’ll take a look at the Uppababy. I’m rural so would have to do a lot of wrangling in and out of car boot..

Thanks for this - yeah that’s what I’m concerned about but I suppose these things can’t be planned set in stone. I’ll have a look at the Nuna Mixx recommendation , thanks!

Thanks, that’s a helpful perspective! Will take a look at the Joolz

I've got twins, couldn't get rid of the Donkey quick enough. With the car seats on it couldn't fit through a standard door frame, we got a puncture on Brighton Beach that was an absolute nightmare. Can't comment on single mode.

The bugaboo donkey is soooo wide. It's also not really all terrain. For all terrain you want an airfilled tyre 3 wheeler like the out n about or mountain buggy terrain. All my friends who got bugaboo donkeys and uppababy vistas regretted it and sold them before their second because they were so bulky and unwieldly. I would recommend the cybex eezy s twist plus if looking at the joolz aer. It has better wheels and suspension and does parent facing. It's the only compact that does parent facing, and it has an overnight approved bassinet. There's a good few months when your baby has outgrown the bassinet but you still want to be facing them.
By the time you have a second child your first child will probably be on a buggy board, if you have them very close together then you'd probably want to consider just an actual double. The donkey is so big and heavy, not that easy to push and a struggle in doorways and cafes and cornershops. Which you probably don't use that much now but i spent half my mat leave in cafés and the other half queing up to sell his clothes on vinted 😂 I'm a pushchair nerd fyi and have been through 5 pushchairs in the life of my 1 child in a quest to find my unicorn. The unicorn was the cybex eezy s twist plus, but really most people end up with 2 and i kept a running buggy as well

Thanks very much for this! Will definitely take a look at the cybex!!

So helpful to hear your thoughts on it! Definitely leaning away from the Donkey at this stage!!

I'm in an Out n About group on FB and there are lots of people in that group who started with a Donkey and then switched to a Double Nipper when they had two DC because they found the Donkey such a pain.

I have an uppababy vista. Great as a single buggy. When DD2 was born we used it in double mode with bassinet and seat. By the time DD2 was out of the bassinet, DD1 really didn't need a seat for the majority of trips and was mostly on the buggy board with it in single mode. We never bought the additional seat in the end. I keep the carrier in the bottom of the buggy and if desperate, I put DD2 in the carrier and let DD1 seat in the seat. FYI it is really heavy in double mode. But it served its purpose for the short time we needed a double.

We also have a lightweight buggy (uppababy minu) and once DD2 doesn't need to sleep in the buggy as much, we'll probably ditch the vista and just have DD1 on foot and DD2 in the travel buggy.

What's your lifestyle like? Do you do lots of walking etc? What are you thinking in terms of an age gap?

My eldest refused the buggy pretty much from the time she turned 2. Where we lived we mostly drove places, sometimes got the bus/train or did shorter walks locally. When my youngest was born (3 year gap), we just used the single buggy and sometimes took the sling on long out so if needed DD could rest in the buggy whilst we put DS in the sling, but this was a very occasional thing. Some families will do this a lot more though. We had a Babyzen Yoyo though, so the opposite of what you are looking for!

My youngest loved the buggy and had to be prised out of it, so if we had had a third child when he was little, things might have been different!

It's sensible to future plan but also consider what you need. A buggy where you have to e.g. take the wheels off each time to fit it in your boot will wear thin very quickly.

Those Donkeys are horrific - they’re the enormous SUV that people can’t park of the pram world. They’re a nightmare to encounter on pavements round here as none of the pavements are wide enough to pass anyone with a Donkey.

I never see any of those enormous prams once the baby is over 9 months or so - everyone has a MacLaren or Yo-yo. You also can’t fit those prams in your boot with anything else.

We did exactly this! Worked perfectly for us