Advice on Bugaboo Bee?

[sammyh]

Interesting thread!

I always thought bugaboo's were horribly expensive fashion statements- THEN I USED ONE!!! I'm a childminder so have used a lot of buggies over the last few years, and they really are easy to use, and my back cheers when I use one. I got a bog stsndard maclaren with my son, but would beg, borrow or work out a way to get one. You spend an amazing amount of time pushing a buggy around- and if you look after them, you can use them again or pass them on

happy parenting!

Sam

[Smiler]

I still love my old bee, only buggy have had, was great for nipping around and on buses and stuff. Folded up small to keep in communal hallway.

When second baby came bought a lascal buggyboard for eldest so have used it again and am still using, will get upset when have to pack it up, hoping can give to a friend.

It is no good at all in countryside, on beaches or stones, mud. City pram. Big wheels comfier here.

Am now living somewhere with lots of mums but no bugaboos so people often takes the piss (gently) out of my designer buggy. Still love it!

[crystal7]

I had the cameleon and really loved it. Fab to push, comfy for baby and fine on public transport. For a travel system it's narrow. Suited me as i walk loads. We left itin the hallway. Wouldn't recommend if you need to fold it up every day or take in the car a lot. I think the Bee looks great but depends whether you plan on taking it out of London. Happy shopping! As someone mentioned earlier it's the most used piece of baby kit!

[LoveHRT]

We have the 2009 bee, (little one born a tad too early for the bee plus) and the cameleon.

I love the cameleon for the first 6 months as the carry cot is so much like a moses basket, the seat unit is also very sturdy as they get bigger, however found the pram a bit of hardwork on public transport as the back wheels stick out a little bit, so for example on the bus its a bit of a squeeze if there is already a pram in the buggy bay. The cameleon also folds down to quite a large size. OH hates how big it is and refuses to go shopping with it as it leaves little space for the shopping, he hates that it folds in two parts.

The bee is much more compact and ideal for hopping on and off the bus and tube, it is lightweight and can easily be carried up and down stairs even with a toddler in it, whereas the cam is heavier with toddler in. It folds smaller and in one part which is much easier for when it does need to be put down. We had the cocoon and this lasted us the whole of our first winter, little one also slept soundly in this and felt she was much more secure in this as she was strapped in. when she outgrew this i brought a liner as i felt the bee seat looked a little too uncomfortable without any extra support. The one thing which annoyed me with this bee is that by no fault of its own, when the bee plus came out, bugaboo made all these new coloured hoods that didn't fit our model, so we was stuck with the 6 original colours to choose from.

The footmuff for us was a great investment as it fitted both models. The carseat adaptors were a must for moving sleeping baby from car to pram without waking her.

All in all I would say the cameleon is fab if you do lots for walking and it glides along different surfaces a lot smoother than the bee, and is also better at being bumped down stairs as the suspension is alot better, The bee is better if you are on and off public transport or in and out the car, the seat unit is a little more fiddley the turn from parent to outward facing than the cameleon but you get the hang of it the more you do it.

Either model will not let you down, good luck with your choice x

[nabz]

Thanks everyone for advice! One other question, cameleon hard to get on public transport, i like the look better then the bee... Im sooo confused on which to get!!!!! @_@

[mrs f]

I get on the bus all the time with a camelion no probs, trains fine too, don't bother with the tube anymore!!

I'd liken a bugaboo to a great pair of shoes, look good, but also are amazingly comfortable & go with anything, you always want to wear those shoes because of how comfy they are, they also wear really well & always look smart when you need them too, manage to have grip in the rain but be cool for the summer.... You paid a fortune for them but wear them more than any other pair you own & when you are sick of them you sell them on eBay & get a few quid back... V silly comparison I know but basically one of those things-I've never heard a bugaboo owner moan because their buggy is crap, you get what you pay for & that's great engineering in this case....

Oh & you can always get one 2nd hand in great nic on the forum as they wear so well!

[swagstar]

I have a chameleon and whilst I like it I do think it can be a bit tricky on buses due to the footprint of the wheels being fairly large. However the same could be said of many other buggies, and indeed many times for me this has been why there is a problem on buses as some people have huge buggies! Be warned if you do get a chameleon the footmuff (?95) and the umbrella (?20) are additional to the ?800 buggy which if I am honest I think is a bit cheeky of bugaboo. As piece of engineering however it has been fantastic, and dads seem to love it.

[mirabelle]

Another endorsement for the bee - yes they're overpriced so we got ours second hand on gumtree (seen them advertised on ED forum too), but if you buy it new it will be easy to resell it in a couple years' time. We live in a small first floor flat and don't own a car, so the bee is perfect as it's small and light. Our 11 week old son seems to love the cocoon, very comfy and snug. Good luck!