Chris merrily assembling our new Bugaboo Bee+ Plus 2010… it arrived today. Hooray!!
It was Chris’ top pick out of the billion strollers we checked out; he has good taste 🙂
I never knew that selecting your baby stroller is like choosing a car 😉 So many specs to consider! Our main criteria was:
1) light-weight and easy to set up/collapse – a no brainer, just in case I’m by myself and use it whilst holding our baby in one arm. Plus, we didn’t like the really bulky types that wouldn’t fit easily in the car
2) good suspension – so the poor baby doesn’t get jolted all round like they’re on a rollercoaster
3) full recline, and backwards-facing – this is so a newborn can use it too, and backwards facing so we get more face-time with him especially when he’s younger.
4) looks good – it’s sleek, the yellow is adorable, and it pushes like a charm.
It was the Bugaboo Bee Plus 2010 that ticked off all our boxes 🙂 We were also eyeing the Stokke, which I specifically liked as the baby would be high up – but decided against it because I heard from friends it wasn’t very practical as it was really heavy/unwieldy to use, and a toddler couldn’t climb in/out of the seat by himself, and would cause back-strain since you have to keep lifting him in/out.
The only downside of our Bugaboo stroller was that it’s almost DOUBLE(!!!!) the retail price in the USA. Ugh! Because it’s an import and shipped into China, buying it here makes it exorbitantly expensive 🙁 But we had no choice as it’s not very polite to ask a friend going to the USA to bring it back for us, so we just bit the bullet and got it here.
LOVE IT 🙂
When out shopping or in crowds, I prefer ‘wearing’ my boy. I find it much more convenient, and it also keeps strange hands at bay.
As someone above, I highly recommend the Beco. It distributes my boy’s weight really well, and I can carry him for a long afternoon of shopping without getting a backache. As mentioned above, avoid the Baby Bjorn series (especially the classic one) like the plague – baby dangles from the crotch. Bad for spinal development.
But strollers are good for when parents/caregivers need to eat, especially before baby is old enough to sit in highchairs.
I got a Joolz, which I love, but it is rather heavy to lift in and out of the car, but it pushes like a dream.
i agree! When they’re still young and relatively lighter, and esp since it’ll be winter here, I reckon it’s better to carry. And then later, the stroller comes in really useful.
Thanks for the tips – looks like we’ll avoid the Baby Bjorn (no one seems to like it!) and will have a look at the Beco 🙂
When out shopping or in crowds, I prefer ‘wearing’ my boy. I find it much more convenient, and it also keeps strange hands at bay.
As someone above, I highly recommend the Beco. It distributes my boy’s weight really well, and I can carry him for a long afternoon of shopping without getting a backache. As mentioned above, avoid the Baby Bjorn series (especially the classic one) like the plague – baby dangles from the crotch. Bad for spinal development.
But strollers are good for when parents/caregivers need to eat, especially before baby is old enough to sit in highchairs.
I got a Joolz, which I love, but it is rather heavy to lift in and out of the car, but it pushes like a dream.
i agree! When they’re still young and relatively lighter, and esp since it’ll be winter here, I reckon it’s better to carry. And then later, the stroller comes in really useful.
Thanks for the tips – looks like we’ll avoid the Baby Bjorn (no one seems to like it!) and will have a look at the Beco 🙂
I got a Peg, I would have love the Bee cos it’s so cute but the Peg is wonderful too.
About baby wearing… I think a mix of the two is great. My daughter got so heavy so fast I’m glad she took to the stroller and I only use a carrier when I go to places that make taking a stroller a chore. Just FYI 🙂
Yeah I agree with you! i think we’ll use a sling/carrier more at the start esp when the weather is cold.. then the stroller afterwards when he’s heavier and bigger or when we go out for extended periods of time.
Babies are expensive… lol
I got a Peg, I would have love the Bee cos it’s so cute but the Peg is wonderful too.
About baby wearing… I think a mix of the two is great. My daughter got so heavy so fast I’m glad she took to the stroller and I only use a carrier when I go to places that make taking a stroller a chore. Just FYI 🙂
Yeah I agree with you! i think we’ll use a sling/carrier more at the start esp when the weather is cold.. then the stroller afterwards when he’s heavier and bigger or when we go out for extended periods of time.
Babies are expensive… lol
Babywearing
Have you considered Babywearing? My son is now 3 yrs but for the first 9 months or so, we wore him in a Moby wrap or Beco baby carrier. It was so much more convenient than a stroller and there are many benefits to babywearing. Here’s a good link: http://babywearinginternational.org/
(PS: those Baby Bjorn carriers are best avoided! Many other carriers on the market which are far superior in quality and support)
Re: Babywearing
my thoughts as well 🙂
heres a good lj with reviews/pics of most of them: http://babyslime.livejournal.com/597411.html
might help to see if its right for you, beverly!
Re: Babywearing
Thank you for the link and info!
At the start, I think we’ll barely use the stroller (since he’ll be easy to carry then and it’s freezing outside anyway). We’ll probably start out with just swaddling him and carrying since it’s just to/from the car to the doctor for the first few weeks. Then later, we’ll figure out either a baby sling (like the one you posted) or a proper carrier – as a few of my friends advised us to borrow first and try it out, as some babies simply refuse to be in the one you purchase!
it was between this and the stokke for us too! i love bugaboo in yellow or red! lovely choice. 🙂
my husb preferred the stokke though. you’re right – it’s the high seat factor.
Both are awesome IMHO! I wish we could mate the 2 and come up with the granddaddy of strollers, hahahhaa….
I LOVE my bugaboo! Did u get the matching coccoon n footmuff or r u getting w custom
made one?
We didn’t get the cocoon cos he’ll be born in the middle of winter, so don’t expect to go out (except for doc visits) until spring time.. when we won’t really use it anymore! I also actually have another cocoon so we’ll see if that one fits, then don’t have to buy another one *fingers crossed*
Err .. U will need the coccoon for the doc visits. I rem SHA winters being damn cold so hv to keep ur LO warm.
What other coccoon do u hv?
U know u can bling up ur pram w customised seat liner, footmuff, canopy fabric etc….
I think cos it’s maybe 3-5 steps from the door to the car (both at our place, and at the hospital’s) we wont even be using the Bugaboo in the first 1-2 months since we won’t be strolling around outdoors!
I forgot the brand of the cocoon we bought.. but it’s a fleece one too, so will probably pop him in there and ‘hand carry’ the first month or two 🙂
Babywearing
Have you considered Babywearing? My son is now 3 yrs but for the first 9 months or so, we wore him in a Moby wrap or Beco baby carrier. It was so much more convenient than a stroller and there are many benefits to babywearing. Here’s a good link: http://babywearinginternational.org/
(PS: those Baby Bjorn carriers are best avoided! Many other carriers on the market which are far superior in quality and support)
Re: Babywearing
my thoughts as well 🙂
heres a good lj with reviews/pics of most of them: http://babyslime.livejournal.com/597411.html
might help to see if its right for you, beverly!
Re: Babywearing
Thank you for the link and info!
At the start, I think we’ll barely use the stroller (since he’ll be easy to carry then and it’s freezing outside anyway). We’ll probably start out with just swaddling him and carrying since it’s just to/from the car to the doctor for the first few weeks. Then later, we’ll figure out either a baby sling (like the one you posted) or a proper carrier – as a few of my friends advised us to borrow first and try it out, as some babies simply refuse to be in the one you purchase!
it was between this and the stokke for us too! i love bugaboo in yellow or red! lovely choice. 🙂
my husb preferred the stokke though. you’re right – it’s the high seat factor.
Both are awesome IMHO! I wish we could mate the 2 and come up with the granddaddy of strollers, hahahhaa….
love the design.. think this is better than the previous version
my coll complained hers was bulky or smth.
Phew good to know.. I just wish it was priced at the same retail US price, so sad how it’s way more $ once you buy it in other countries 🙁
it’s worth it.. 🙂
u gotta bring him out more in the stroller so that he gets used to sitting in the stroller.. else he might still want u guys to carry him.
Ohhhh that is a very good tip, thank you! We might pop him in there regularly too since young so he gets used to it!
Excellent choice. We have the Cameleon and I still love using it now. Bugaboos RULE! 🙂
That one was great too! Oddly they’re not that common here in Shanghai, but very popular in other countries..
great choice!
I was checking out strollers for a friend last year, and would have gotten the Bee if it was for myself! :p
Yayy that is good to know! There are SO many options we were so confused, but the Bee+ kept coming back as our top choice 🙂
ahhh i have the old bee and love it to bits. does the new one have a one-handed fold?
cos i know my old one needs two hands, which was the only thing i didn’t quite like about it.
but other than that, it strolls sooooo easily.
I think the new one stretches in length for the seat too to accomodate the growing kid. Love! *cue the stroller addict*
AND the side wings are smaller so it doesn’t get in the way.
AND the buckle is more user-friendly!
*cue another stroller addict*
i was half tempted to sell off mine to get the bee plus.
and my husband was like ‘… is it that much different?’
*gasp*
but i also just ordered a stroller from the states to use as our travel stroller.
*hides*
ooh what did you order?
I told D that I wanted to get it and he’s like! NOOOO! K’s barely in her stroller these days and he just doesn’t see the need. Gulp! A girl can only dream I guess.
The aprica presto! Very light but can take a weight of up to 30 kg(!!!)!. Fairly decent basket and stands by itself when folded. Perfect!! Just that it doesn’t sell here. Grumble.
S hasn’t started walking yet so I still get quite a bit of use out of the bee, phew!
Cripes you guys know a lot, hehe!!
I dunno if it’s much different as I didn’t analyse, but I did hear from people the Bee+ is better and it’s a newer model anyway so we just went for that one. Loving it! 🙂
hah! when it came time to pick a stroller, that was the second time in my life i willingly did a spreadsheet for (the other being wedding time, when i was trawling through hotel packages!)
i can’t explain it, but i LOVE strollers!
Nope, still twohanded fold.
Love the suspension, we go strolling over cobblestones roads n bub sleeps right through.
see that’s what i thought! but my friend says she went to see it in the stores, and insists it’s a one-hand fold. that she even managed to do it one-handed herself.
so i’m thinking she’s either been mistaken it for another stroller or just wasn’t doing it properly to begin with!
OK i’m home now and checked and yeah – requires 2 hands cos it has 2 latches, one on each side of the handle!
yeah, which makes me wonder what she was actually looking at, then!!
It is an excellent choice!
I love the bugaboo! We have the chameleon and I love it heaps.Was spying the bee+ to add to the stroller collection but got vetoed by the husband. Boo!
Hey, would SG be cheaper in terms of pricing?
Oo we were eyeing the chameleon too! But it was a little too big/heavy for me so the Bee+ it is 🙂
I think it’s SG$1,100 in SG… really expensive too and more than US retail 🙁
It needs a 40 hp engine! 😛 Then it can double as a baby Segway! 😛
Man I wish it could move by itself or by remote control, good for lazy me 😉
http://strollersandprams.com/strollers/172/Peg-Perego-Dinamico/reviews.html
Not remote control yet. Only a matter of time.
Very nice! lol I remember reading in Shopaholic and Baby about the character’s search for a stroller. The Bugaboos are really popular here in Canada!
I think they’re a pretty popular brand, or at least I’ve heard a lot about them! Hope our lil boy likes it too 😛
I LOVE my bugaboo! Did u get the matching coccoon n footmuff or r u getting w custom
made one?
We didn’t get the cocoon cos he’ll be born in the middle of winter, so don’t expect to go out (except for doc visits) until spring time.. when we won’t really use it anymore! I also actually have another cocoon so we’ll see if that one fits, then don’t have to buy another one *fingers crossed*
Err .. U will need the coccoon for the doc visits. I rem SHA winters being damn cold so hv to keep ur LO warm.
What other coccoon do u hv?
U know u can bling up ur pram w customised seat liner, footmuff, canopy fabric etc….
I think cos it’s maybe 3-5 steps from the door to the car (both at our place, and at the hospital’s) we wont even be using the Bugaboo in the first 1-2 months since we won’t be strolling around outdoors!
I forgot the brand of the cocoon we bought.. but it’s a fleece one too, so will probably pop him in there and ‘hand carry’ the first month or two 🙂
love the design.. think this is better than the previous version
my coll complained hers was bulky or smth.
Phew good to know.. I just wish it was priced at the same retail US price, so sad how it’s way more $ once you buy it in other countries 🙁
it’s worth it.. 🙂
u gotta bring him out more in the stroller so that he gets used to sitting in the stroller.. else he might still want u guys to carry him.
Ohhhh that is a very good tip, thank you! We might pop him in there regularly too since young so he gets used to it!
Excellent choice. We have the Cameleon and I still love using it now. Bugaboos RULE! 🙂
That one was great too! Oddly they’re not that common here in Shanghai, but very popular in other countries..
great choice!
I was checking out strollers for a friend last year, and would have gotten the Bee if it was for myself! :p
Yayy that is good to know! There are SO many options we were so confused, but the Bee+ kept coming back as our top choice 🙂
ahhh i have the old bee and love it to bits. does the new one have a one-handed fold?
cos i know my old one needs two hands, which was the only thing i didn’t quite like about it.
but other than that, it strolls sooooo easily.
I think the new one stretches in length for the seat too to accomodate the growing kid. Love! *cue the stroller addict*
AND the side wings are smaller so it doesn’t get in the way.
AND the buckle is more user-friendly!
*cue another stroller addict*
i was half tempted to sell off mine to get the bee plus.
and my husband was like ‘… is it that much different?’
*gasp*
but i also just ordered a stroller from the states to use as our travel stroller.
*hides*
ooh what did you order?
I told D that I wanted to get it and he’s like! NOOOO! K’s barely in her stroller these days and he just doesn’t see the need. Gulp! A girl can only dream I guess.
The aprica presto! Very light but can take a weight of up to 30 kg(!!!)!. Fairly decent basket and stands by itself when folded. Perfect!! Just that it doesn’t sell here. Grumble.
S hasn’t started walking yet so I still get quite a bit of use out of the bee, phew!
Cripes you guys know a lot, hehe!!
I dunno if it’s much different as I didn’t analyse, but I did hear from people the Bee+ is better and it’s a newer model anyway so we just went for that one. Loving it! 🙂
hah! when it came time to pick a stroller, that was the second time in my life i willingly did a spreadsheet for (the other being wedding time, when i was trawling through hotel packages!)
i can’t explain it, but i LOVE strollers!
Nope, still twohanded fold.
Love the suspension, we go strolling over cobblestones roads n bub sleeps right through.
see that’s what i thought! but my friend says she went to see it in the stores, and insists it’s a one-hand fold. that she even managed to do it one-handed herself.
so i’m thinking she’s either been mistaken it for another stroller or just wasn’t doing it properly to begin with!
OK i’m home now and checked and yeah – requires 2 hands cos it has 2 latches, one on each side of the handle!
yeah, which makes me wonder what she was actually looking at, then!!
It is an excellent choice!
I love the bugaboo! We have the chameleon and I love it heaps.Was spying the bee+ to add to the stroller collection but got vetoed by the husband. Boo!
Hey, would SG be cheaper in terms of pricing?
Oo we were eyeing the chameleon too! But it was a little too big/heavy for me so the Bee+ it is 🙂
I think it’s SG$1,100 in SG… really expensive too and more than US retail 🙁
It needs a 40 hp engine! 😛 Then it can double as a baby Segway! 😛
Man I wish it could move by itself or by remote control, good for lazy me 😉
http://strollersandprams.com/strollers/172/Peg-Perego-Dinamico/reviews.html
Not remote control yet. Only a matter of time.
Very nice! lol I remember reading in Shopaholic and Baby about the character’s search for a stroller. The Bugaboos are really popular here in Canada!
I think they’re a pretty popular brand, or at least I’ve heard a lot about them! Hope our lil boy likes it too 😛