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Don't buy it! I know some people who like their Bugaboos, but most people I know ended up regetting them. I found it so heavy and difficult to store, plus it doesn't fit down the aisle of any store. If you're thinking about it, think hard about how you use a stroller rather than how great it looks with the bassinet (it looks great with the bassinet, not as great with the regular seat). I ended up going through, no lie, 5 strollers until I had a combination of things that work for me. None is perfect, but today I use my Volo and my Mountain Buggy almost exclusively. My two cents about strollers and choosing a design for your lifestyle rather than your visual pleasure.

If you think you might *ever* use public transport while out and about, don't do it.

If you think you might *ever* go into a crowded store, don't do it.

Our neighbor's husband insisted on a Bugaboo, which he pushes around on weekends for effect. But his stay-at-home Mom wife uses a cheap, $12 umbrella stroller day-to-day, which she hides under the bed so her husband won't know she hates her Bugaboo ;-)

They look great, but even at half the price they cost twice what one should pay for a stroller.

Save your money and buy a decent fabric baby carrier (or a selection for that matter). Remember that you are going to have to store that stroller somewhere!! Babies prefer to be close to their grownups anyway.

wow, MamaChilanga. i didn't know Jonathan was a neighbor of yours...

They also have 2 (oversized) diaper bags, a Burgundy footmuff, a wheelboard, and a Peg adapter kit. 50% off...
As of 2:30PM Monday.

When I was pregnant my friend said to me 'get a Maclaren, because no matter what you get you will end up with a Maclaren' and she was right. I was adamant I was not going to spend the money for one etc. etc., but finally gave in after using other strollers and having complaints with each one. Maclaren's are really the best, and they fold up small, even the Techo which is the largest one. Love them. Comfy for baby too.

Matilda,

I know exactly what you mean. I got a relatively cheap stroller which didn't look at all comfortable for my baby. He'd end up all hunched and cry every time I put him in it. After trying out a friend's Maclaren a few times and observing that the little guy seemed comfortable and happy, I relented and got a mid level Maclaren, the Quest Sport and he loves it.

We chose a Peg Perabo amalfi in 1998. It reclined flat, and was the second narrowest model. The narrowest was, I believe, the Pliko. The amalfi was a gem. It fit everywhere, had the reversible handle, came with a bunting and had harness straps. Last month, we sent it to my bro in France. It was borrowed and enjoyed by two friends, and their three nannies, and everyone has loved it to death. And the fabric - removable for washing. We scotchguarded it when we bought it, and it still looks like new.

We moved up to the McClaren when our kid turned 2, but went back to the amalfi with our second child until he could handle the McClaren.

I cannot emphasize the need for a stroller that fits into doorways and doesn't take up that much sidewalk area. Here you must really put the look aside and say to yourself, how is this vehicle going to be impacted when I walk down the street? People without strollers do not give up the space needed for strollers, and I have seen many a pedestrian step over the single-wheeled end of this stroller, with adverse results - tripping, knocking into the stroller, hitting the occupant, etc. One friend who got this retired it quickly because after you use the McClaren, the handle on this feels like it is in the wrong place.

Wow -- I disagree with comments. I live and work in DC and love the bugaboo. It is heavy but the base of the stroller is so stable that even when i bump into things or people bump into us, I know my baby is safe and won't tip over. With uneven sidewalks and potholes a part of everyday urban life, we feel very secure with the bugaboo.

Badkitteh,
No dispute that the base of the Bugaboo is heavy and sturdy.

But in what might be an NYC phenomenon, I have seen much more stroller cutting on the Bugaboo (admittedly, not with the bassinet seat) than I've ever seen with a McClaren or other stroller. Whether its to get a taxi, get to the bus, get in line, cross the street before the light changes, stroller cutting is a real phenomenon here (whereas, potholes are not such a concern). The Bugaboo base is heavier (and understand, that's to push and to carry up and down subway steps and onto the bus, with one hand, of course) than others, because the center of gravity of that stroller is higher. I wonder if anyone has real data on the rollover of these strollers. I suspect that the base balances it, but that its no different than other strollers. I recall that we initially used stroller weights on our McClaren.

We bought our brand new Zippy in a discontinued color for $175 with a built in rain shield.

Even if we were to concede that a Bugaboo is twice as good (and I doubt it), does it justify the 3X - 4X price?

BTW: In SF you have to fold strollers on buses and trains. The Bugaboo does NOT fold but breaks into two pieces. If you live in SF and think you might want to go for a long walk and hop a bus or train home, you CANNOT take a Bugaboo.

At that pricepoint, it should have a built in Segway ;-)

In any event, I'd hate to have passers by think I am shallow and image/status driven, which is what most folks around here think of the Bugaboo crowd...

i inherited a ton of baby stuff from my older sister, friends etc. so the bugaboo was one of my few splurges and i love it. it's not a shopping stroller, but i do a lot of walking with the baby and the dog and for that, it's fantastic. i also inherited a peg pliko that's for the destination strolling (stores, public transport), because the bug is not practical for that. but my son also slept in the bug as his bassinet for the first 8 weeks of his life, so i try to justify it that way, too. just think about how you want to use it before taking the plunge. also, it's a little while before you can use the $12 umbrella strollers, so that's not a completely fair comparison...

i always got the idea that the bugaboo was meant for people who take a lot of taxis, have groceries delivered, etc. or who are able to have a different stroller for each function, each month of baby's life, etc. it's ok if it's pretty and not functional, because they're marketed to a demographic that doesn't need functional.

all that, and the aspirational types who are willing to put up with a certain amount of inconvenience or a certain amount of overspending in order to have the right logo on the baby accessories.

In fairness, Opoponax, the Bugaboo is a very good idea, it just doesn;t work as well as it should for some of us. I think your generalizations speak to your youth, I am sure you have few if any friends with this or any stroller. Most of my friends have children, most of the ones who bought the bug bought it for the function, because it promises a lot, it is very easy to stear and is very stable, etc. but before you actually live with children you do not understand how things will work in your world, buying the Bugaboo before the baby seems like a good idea, it is functional it comes with all the pieces that it needs (rain cover, bassinet, sunbrella, etc.) and despite the price, no one that I know would have purchased this for status. (as I mentioned above, I don't think the Bugaboo is a good choice for most people, and i don't use one).

Yep, I agree with Colleen in that there are many good reasons to buy a bugaboo in nyc but I also agree with opoponx that you do need another stroller to travel on the subway or taxi.

We have twins so had to get a twin stroller and have had mclaren and urban buggy and now our kids are big enough to be fine in cheap umbrella strollers so I guess you could say we've sampled all types.

As you know from where you work and where I live opoponax, the streets, high curbs (there are places with no curb cuts), etc. make it difficult to even push an umbrella stroller forward due to surface unevenness in many places. I can see how a bugaboo with its pneumatic tires will ride over such unevenness without everyone coming to neck snapping standstill which we have done in the umbrella strollers. So there are good reasons to buy a bugaboo but as Colleen says there are better examples of the genre.

I think it's funny that as a society in NYC people in bugaboos aren't ridiculed as they should be. Let's talk about that name. I grew up in the south and that wasn't a polite thing to be calling anybody, "a bugabbo." And let's be clear. It's the designer jeans crowd grown up and slapping a label on their little one. You deserve to be ridiculed. It's ridiculous. No self-respecting New Yorker should have a bugaboo. Move to Connecticut. If your parents from some suburb who are thrilled to have a grandchild bought you a bugaboo, now is the time to break the news to said new grandparents that in our society there really are people who are living without a roof over their heads and parents who really can't afford to buy their kids any new school clothes. So get real and support a decent charity. And if you are already supporting a decent charity and have money left over for a bugaboo then don't worry, they still have room for you in Connecticut. Get packing now!

I see alot of Maclarens and have 1 quetions, is the smaller wheels better than the larger wheels? I've seen the smaller ones start to lopside...

I love this comment:

"I'd hate to have passers by think I am shallow and image/status driven, which is what most folks around here think of the Bugaboo crowd."

If you care so much about what the people around you think (ie, you fear that they will think you are image/status driven), aren't you just being image/status driven?

In San Francisco, there are a few too many judgers and nosy types that think that just 'cause they don't do something, nobody else should. Have your stroller that you like and don't be lame and judge other people for having a stroller that they like.

HI EVERYONE!!! I'M DEPAIR TRYING TO BUY A USED OR NEW BUGABOO I LIVE IN THE CITY AND I DO ALOT OF WALKING AND NOW ON THE WINTTER WITH THW SNOW MACLAREN IS REALLY HARD TO PUSH FOR ME , IF ANY ONE HAVE ANY OR KNOW ABOUT A CHEAP ONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW THANS!!!!!
POLA2005UY@HOTMAIL.COM

We love our Bugaboo Cameleon, bought the winter foot muff, hot weather UV shade & hood, umbrella - love it!

Its been a love love affair..

child 2 on the way and we are very sad we have to get another brand as they don't make a double...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

One of the MAIN things we liked about it - was the back facing - face to face communication possible with our child as we strolled. We didn't like the idea of him facing traffic as we crossed streets or a open side walk in front as we pushed him. We wanted to smile at him and talk to him. He is 1 years old now and shows no signs of wanting to be faced forward, but when he does we will.

We have until July 07 to see if Bugaboo come out with a double stroller.

We have been fortunate with hand me downs so the bugaboo was one of the few expenses we had to actually pay for..So that's how we justified its outlandish cost.

looks like we will have to get an Out and About 360 double buggy.

Child 2 will have a different outlook on life!

Further...

We live 3 flight up and store the Bugaboo in our shared hall. This is against regulations and for a long time we also had a lock on it (lost about 3) so that it didn't get stolen...

When we took on the rental of this apt, the threat of being told we could no longer store the buggy in the hall was a HUGE worry to me... but never happened, there are two or 3 always stored there...

with baby 2 on the way - we will need a ground floor property - so we can - wheel out the double!

Time to move...