Best Baby Strollers

Bugaboo pushchairs have been gaining in popularity since their introduction in 1999 in their home country of Holland. Since then, sightings of movie stars with Bugaboo pushchairs have rocket the brand into the public eye and made Bugaboo the must-have pushchair for any mum that can afford one (and some who can’t). When Bugaboo’s creator, Max Barenbrug, started out, he set a goal to create a pushchair that was equally at home in the city or the country and, furthermore, to make this pushchair appealing to dads and mums alike.

By all measures, Barenbrug’s Bugaboo pushchair is a success and meets or exceeds his original goals. The Bugaboo family of pushchairs features models that come equipped with a revolutionary chassis that converts from city-smart to country-ready simply by changing the direction you push from. Large air-filled wheels provide a smooth ride in both modes, and when the smaller swivel wheels are in front, the Bugaboo is effortlessly maneuverable. Parents rave about how easy the Bugaboo is to push, even with one hand. Most Bugaboo pushchairs can also be converted into a two-wheeled cart suitable for pulling through sand or snow.

Dads will love the Bugaboo. Some dads claim that using a Bugaboo pushchair is like driving a sporty car. Unlike some other pushchair manufacturers, Bugaboo doesn’t make cutesy pushchairs with whimsical or juvenile fabrics. Bugaboo pushchairs come in combinations of solid colors that are stylish without being overly trendy. A Bugaboo pushchair could almost pass for a piece of sports equipment, a look that any dad would be happy to associate with. Handy dads will also appreciate all the ways you can adjust and tweak a Bugaboo pushchair, even if all those levers and knobs are baffling to the rest of us.

As you would expect from a luxury stroller, most Bugaboos come with a pram and a pushchair seat, both of which are reversible, so you can keep an eye on your baby or let her look out at the world. All Bugaboo models come with rain covers, mosquito nets, and under-seat bags. However, other essentials like a sunshade, car seat adaptor, and cup holder must be purchased separately, and Bugaboo accessories are not cheap.

Expect to pay well over £500 for the most basic Bugaboo model. With all the accessories, you can end up shelling out £700 or more! Bugaboo pushchairs are not only expensive, they fall short in some important ways. Because Bugaboo pushchairs (with the exception of the Bee) fold in two parts, they take up a lot of space in the boot, assuming they even fit in the first place. You can forget about taking a Bugaboo pushchair on the bus since carrying the chassis, seat, your bags, and your baby all at the same is nearly impossible. While the Bugaboo Bee features a one piece fold, it is still larger than most other light strollers.

If you can afford it, by all means, buy a Bugaboo and enjoy going anywhere without having to switch pushchairs every time the terrain changes. What’s more, your husband will probably be the one doing the pushing. If you’re like most of us and can only dream of spending £600 on a pushchair, you can always enjoy Bugaboo dreams while pushing your old buggy around town.

Bugaboo, the Dutch buggy manufacturer, makes several unique buggy models. If you can afford a Bugaboo, you’ll be getting the best buggy money can buy. Bugaboo is renowned for their smooth-riding buggies and their appeal to movie stars and the social elite. Here is a comparison of the different Bugaboo buggy models available in the UK.

Bugaboo Gecko
The Bugaboo Gecko buggy is the base model for the Bugaboo brand. Bugaboo is phasing out its earlier model, the Frog, in favor of the Gecko which costs less but has extra features the Frog lacks. The Gecko buggy comes with Bugaboo’s trademark go-anywhere chassis. The Bugaboo Gecko Buggy can go from easily maneuverable city stroller to sturdy all-terrain buggy simply by changing the handle from one direction to another. Reversing the Bugaboo handle is easy and fast, allowing for instant adjustment to any terrain. The Gecko buggy comes with a reversible pushchair seat and a pram, so it is suitable from birth to age 4.

While the Bugaboo Gecko is unquestioningly pleasant to push, it can be tricky to collapse and must be broken down in two parts. This makes the Gecko and inconvenient buggy for travel as it is quite large for most boots and impossible to take on the bus. The Bugaboo Gecko also lacks some important features like a sunshade and cup holder which must be purchased separately.

Bugaboo Chameleon
The Chameleon is Bugaboo’s deluxe buggy and comes with all the features of the Gecko plus a few more. The Bugaboo Chameleon buggy has adjustable suspension on its swivel wheels and a telescoping handle, making the Chameleon a comfortable buggy to push for people of all heights. The Bugaboo Chameleon features a larger under-seat storage bag than the Gecko buggy and comes in custom tailored colors, making it a more fashionable choice.

The Bugaboo Chameleon suffers from many of the same shortcomings and the Gecko, and most parents who have reviewed this buggy say that it isn’t worth the extra money for so few additional features.

Bugaboo Bee
The Bugaboo Bee buggy is the lightest of the Bugaboo models and is new in 2007. The Bugaboo Bee was designed to meet some of the shortcomings in the older Bugaboo models. The Bee buggy folds in one piece and is more compact, although still larger than most light strollers. The Bugaboo Bee Buggy comes with an ample sunshade and large shopping basket, but it lacks a pram. Unlike the Gecko and the Chameleon, the Bugaboo Bee is designed to be primarily a city buggy and lacks the large pneumatic tires of the other Bugaboo models.

Finally! Bugaboo has made a stroller that addresses the shortcomings of the Bugaboo Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon. Although the Bugaboo Bee is meant to be an entry level stroller, it succeeds where the other Bugaboo models fail. Better still, the Bugaboo Bee costs much less than the Frog or Gecko, although I still find its $530 price tag rather unreasonable.

Parents have been complaining about the shortcomings of Bugaboo strollers for a long time. While Bugaboo has always made a quality product, there are some design flaws in its hallmark models. The Bugaboo Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon all come as two part systems. Trying to pack up a stroller by disassembling it every time you get in the car is too much of a pain, especially when you’re paying over $700 for a Bugaboo stroller. Other complaints about the early Bugaboo models include their lack of sunshade and impractical storage basket. The Bugaboo Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon are also far from compact, making them less than ideal strollers for city dwellers who need to save space.

All of these problems have been addressed with the Bugaboo Bee stroller. The Bee is the first Bugaboo stroller that has a one piece fold, meaning that parents in a hurry no longer need to worry about wrestling with their stroller or putting the stroller seat on the dirty ground. The Bugaboo Bee comes with a huge sunshade, which is a great plus in my opinion. Not only does the Bugaboo Bee’s sunshade give the stroller its iconic profile, it also protects your baby from UV rays. The Bugaboo Bee’s storage basket is still not ideal, but it’s much better than the bizarre drawstring bags that come with the Bugaboo Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon.

The Bee continues the tradition of Bugaboo’s ultra-smooth ride. While the Bee doesn’t have the unique chassis that make the Bugaboo Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon stand out, it does have front and rear suspension and a “swivel wheel system” (swivel wheels are a “system” now?) that make the Bugaboo Bee super maneuverable and easy to push. The Bugaboo Bee also features a one-handed seat adjustment that is a huge improvement over the other Bugaboo models. The Bee is much more stable than the Frog, Gecko, and Chameleon. Some parents report that they can actually hang bags off the Bugaboo Bee’s handle without having to worry about it tipping over.

While the Bee is an improvement over the other Bugaboo strollers in many respects, it does have its own faults. Yes, the Bee is a one-piece system, but it still doesn’t fold down as compactly as most other light strollers. The Bee will easily fit in an SUV, but a standard car trunk may be a tight fit. Like the other Bugaboo strollers, the Bee can be a little tricky to figure out at first. While the Bee’s adjustments are a little more intuitive than the Frog or the Gecko, they still require practice to master. While I’ll still look for something more affordable for myself, I’m glad to see that Bugaboo is listening to parents with the Bugaboo Bee.

There is a lot of buzz about Bugaboo strollers, especially since they are favored by Hollywood megastars like Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow. Sure, movie stars can afford to drop nearly $700 on a stroller, but what about the rest of us mere mortals? Does the Bugaboo Gecko really live up to all the hype surrounding the brand?

First of all, let’s be honest. Unless it’s plated in 24 karat gold, no stroller is worth $700. However, the Bugaboo Gecko does have some advantages over the competition. The Bugaboo Gecko is definitely cool-looking, and it does have a lot of nifty customizable configurations. For the base price you’ll get the Bugaboo chassis, bassinette, stroller seat, and a few other bells and whistles.

The Bugaboo Gecko’s bassinette is detachable and it comes with a mattress that is comparable if not nicer than many other baby beds, so you can use it as your baby’s primary bed for the first few months. Both the Bugaboo Gecko’s bassinette and stroller seat are reversible, so baby can face you or look out at the scenery. The Bugaboo Gecko’s chassis is also quite a marvel. Bugaboo has designed the Gecko’s chassis to convert from a more maneuverable form, suited to the city or the mall, to a sturdier all-terrain form for long walks over mildly uneven terrain. By all accounts, the Bugaboo brand of stroller has the smoothest ride of any brand out there. Every single review I have read mentions how easy the Bugaboo Gecko is to push and maneuver.

All that being said, the very customizability of the Bugaboo Gecko is also its downfall. On the Bugaboo website, there is a “3D Movie,” designed to illustrate all the possible modes of the Bugaboo Gecko. I’m fairly sure it is supposed to be an exciting bit of marketing, but, frankly, the whole thing made me feel a little sick. As the Bugaboo Gecko transforms from one form to the next, little red arrows indicating the direction of adjustments and where to make them start popping up. In some instances, there were half a dozen little arrows flashing in various locations across the Bugaboo Gecko’s frame. I felt like I was getting ready to play a video game instead of operate a stroller. Also, the Bugaboo Gecko’s stroller body kept disappearing in the video while the chassis was contorted in various ways. I couldn’t help but ask myself where the stroller body is supposed to be while you are adjusting the frame. You certainly couldn’t hold it since it clearly takes two hands to fiddle with the Bugaboo Gecko’s chassis. What’s more, where is your baby all this time? It seems like it takes an awful lot of work to use all the Bugaboo Gecko’s fancy features.

Ultimately, the Bugaboo Gecko is like a lot of things that are popular among Hollywood’s elite. It’s pretty to look at and fun to use but value is out of the question, and you’ll need some hired help to make the most of the Bugaboo Gecko.

If you are techie, or if you are married to one, The Bugaboo Frog stroller may just be the perfect ride for your little geek in training. It’s no secret that Hollywood has fallen in love with Bugaboo’s style, and if you can afford the nearly $800 price tag, you might just find your stroller soul mate in the Bugaboo Frog.

To put it bluntly, the Bugaboo Frog is a really, really cool stroller. It makes me a little giddy just to look at this mod little number. If you walk around pushing a Bugaboo Frog, you’re going to turn heads. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions about your stroller. The Bugaboo Frog comes in several eye-catching colors, but nothing so trendy it will look out of date in five years—and you’ll be using the Bugaboo Frog at least that long; it’s built to last.

The Bugaboo Frog comes with a nice accessory package that includes a detachable bassinette, rain cover, mosquito net, under-seat bag, and a puncture repair kit. Notably, it doesn’t include car seat adapters, sun shade, or a foot muff, all of which you must purchase separately.

Looks, of course, aren’t everything, as all good tech-geeks know. The Bugaboo Frog is also a marvel of engineering. The Bugaboo Frog’s chassis is equipped with four wheels, two large air-filled pneumatic tires and two plastic swivel wheels. This combination makes for an amazingly smooth and maneuverable ride. The Bugaboo Frog handles like a well-tuned sports car, and is easy to push with one hand, making this stroller great for parents with heavier toddlers. One of the Bugaboo Frog’s tricks that you’ll be showing to your amazed friends is the stroller handle’s ability to reverse, instantly allowing you to change direction. What this really means is that you can convert the Bugaboo Frog stroller from a city-going machine (swivel wheels in front, pneumatic wheels in back) to an all-terrain vehicle (pneumatic wheels in front, locked swivel wheels in back). Imagine going to the beach, weaving your Bugaboo Frog stroller in and out of cars in the paved parking lot, and, with a flick of the wrist, pushing the same Bugaboo Frog across the sand with little effort. You have to admit it: you’d look pretty cool.

All of this technical bliss comes at a price—a big price. Expect to pay at least $750 for a new Bugaboo Frog, probably more. This stroller is not cheap, and for something so expensive, there seem to be a few glaring oversights. The Bugaboo Frog looks very cool, but that minimalist design means there is little room for storage space. The Bugaboo Frog does come with an under-seat bag, but you better hope your kid never poops because there is no way a normal diaper bag will fit in there. The Bugaboo Frog stroller also lacks the basic (and I would say essential) amenity of cup holders. Furthermore, the basic stroller seat doesn’t come with a sun shade, a big minus in my book.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about the Bugaboo Frog is its failing in the storage space department. While the Bugaboo Frog’s chassis folds up reasonably well, you must remove the stroller body in order to collapse it. The chassis and stroller body combined take up a lot of room, and removing the Bugaboo Frog stroller body can be a tricky process, not good at all if you are in a rush or trying to use public transportation.

The Bugaboo Frog is definitely a nice stroller. Expect to find the smoothest ride you’ve ever experienced (your kids will like it too). If you love cool gadgets, the Bugaboo Frog’s failings may not bother you too much. You’ll be showing off this stroller every chance you get, and you’ll feel like an ultra-hip parent while you do it. However, if you are looking for a stroller that is ultra-convenient, and looks aren’t an issue, then the Bugaboo Frog may be too little stroller for too much money.

Bugaboo has designed the Chameleon as their do-all, be-all, top of the line stroller. As Bugaboo puts it, the Chameleon is, “the most fully-loaded Bugaboo stroller.” Translation: We are going to charge you an arm and a leg for this stroller because you want it bad enough that we can. Just how much can you expect to pay for a Bugaboo Chameleon? Realistically, you’re looking at around 900 obscene dollars for this lovely little gem. Is a Bugaboo Chameleon worth that kind of cash? Of course it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t getting one heck of a stroller.

What really sets Bugaboo apart from other stroller manufacturers is their amazingly adaptable chassis. The Chameleon is no exception; its chassis represents the pinnacle of Bugaboo perfection. Like the Bugaboo Frog and Gecko, the Bugaboo Chameleon’s chassis consist of a unique system of four wheels—two pneumatic air-filled tires and two plastic swivel wheels. These wheels work together to create a ride that is uncompromisingly smooth and maneuverable.

The Bugaboo Chameleon’s handle is reversible, making it fast and simple to change direction and change the chassis’s function from agile to all-terrain. By removing the smaller swivel wheels, the Bugaboo Chameleon’s chassis can also be easily used on the beach or through the snow. While all these features are found on the less expensive Bugaboo Frog and Gecko, the Chameleon’s chassis has the unique feature of adjustable suspension in the swivel wheels. Exactly why you need to adjust the suspension of your stroller I’m not sure. The Bugaboo Chameleon also features an adjustable handle, making it comfortable for most sizes of people.

The Bugaboo Chameleon comes with both a bassinette and a stroller seat. If you are a fashionable sort of person (and if you want to buy a Bugaboo Chameleon, I’m betting that you are), you’ll be happy to learn that the Chameleon comes in hip mix-and-match colors you can tailor to your personal tastes. The bassinette is detachable and can be used as your baby’s first bed. Unfortunately, the Bugaboo Chameleon’s seat and bassinette share the same metal frame and can’t both be used at the same time. This seems like something of an oversight for such an expensive stroller. Some reviewers complain that switching from stroller seat to bassinette is complicated and can take over 20 minutes.

One of the drawbacks of all the Bugaboo strollers, and the Chameleon in particular, is that it takes a doctorate in engineering just to get the thing put together. Unlike other strollers that you assemble only once, the Bugaboo Chameleon must be pulled into various bits every time you want to store it or switch to one of its multitude of forms. While a customizable stroller is cool in theory, in real life it just isn’t practical. Where is your baby while you are making the multiple adjustments required to get the Bugaboo Chameleon up and rolling? Where do you put the stroller seat while you are folding the chassis up to go in the trunk? I certainly don’t want to put anything I paid $900 for on the filthy ground. For such an ingenious stroller, the Bugaboo Chameleon takes up a lot of space with its multiple components.

The least Bugaboo could do when charging a small fortune for the Chameleon is include some basic necessities like a cup holder and a sun shade (both sold separately for an outrageous $25). While the Bugaboo Chameleon does come with a gear bag, it’s really only large enough to hold the included repair kit, mosquito net, and rain cover. You can hang bags on the Bugaboo Chameleon’s handle, but it makes the whole stroller prone to tipping.

All the negative aspects of the Chameleon aside, Bugaboo really does make a quality stroller. If you really want to spend a small fortune on a stroller and you tend to walk a lot instead of driving, the Bugaboo Chameleon may just be your best bet.

The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo, as the name suggests, is a total package pushchair with every feature and accessory a busy mum might need. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo is the Italian manufacturer’s response to parents who asked for all the functionality of the Pliko P3 Classico pushchair with more accessories for various weather conditions.

Like the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico, the Pliko P3 Completo pushchair has a light aluminum chassis with excellent features. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo has cable brakes (a new feature on this model), all wheel suspension for a smooth ride, height adjustable handles (though even at their maximum extension, the handles are a bit short for the very tall), and an easy one-handed umbrella fold that is freestanding. Handles built into the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo’s chassis make it easy to lift, carry, and load on and off the bus. One of parents’ favorite features of the Peg Perego Pliko P3 pushchairs is the attached footboard that allows toddlers to ride along with their little brother or sister. Running errands becomes an adventure for little ones when they get to stand behind the pushchair and ride standing up.

The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo’s seat comes in an array of beautiful fabrics and colour choices. Particularly striking are the brown and green bambu upholstery and the chocolate and dusty pink camellia. Every mum, no matter what her taste, will find a Pliko P3 Completo fabric that suits her and her baby. The seat fabric on the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo pushchair is removable and washable on the gentle cycle. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo pushchair also has a large hood that zips apart to convert into a sun canopy. The Pliko P3 Completo’s seat adjusts to four positions, including a flat recline, making it suitable from birth.

One of the things that sets the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo apart from other high-end pushchairs is the plethora of convenient accessories. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo features an adjustable cup holder for mum, and a swivel snack tray/bumper for baby. When your baby becomes a toddler, the tray can be removed entirely for unrestricted access to the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo pushchair. Also included in the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo pushchair’s design is a large shopping basket and built in adaptors for the optional Peg Perego car seat and Navetta bassinette. These adaptors allow you to simply clip in car seat or bassinette and go, and they are very sturdy. You can lift the entire Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo system from the attached car seat, so you know that your baby is safe and secure.

What really makes the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo pushchair a notch above the Pliko P3 Classico is the included all-weather accessories. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Completo costs about £229, not much more than the Pliko P3 Classico pushchair and comes with a plush foot muff and rain canopy with incorporated zipper.

One of the few features the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico doesn’t have is a pram mode. Now, with the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette, even that feature is addressed. The Peg Perego Pliko Pramette is essentially a Pliko P3 Classico with addition of Peg Perego’s “pramette” upholstery, an easy to use zippered attachment that converts the Pliko P3 Classico into a comfortable and safe pram.

Peg Perego’s other convertible pram to stroller systems have their fair share of drawbacks. The Peg Perego Uno, while stylish and smooth-riding, is bulky and wide. The Peg Perego Venezia, the company’s first venture in the convertible stroller market, is plagued by quality issues. Rather than design yet another convertible model, Peg Perego made a smart move in creating an accessory that transforms their most popular and full featured stroller, the Pliko P3 Classico, into a pram.

The Peg Perego Pliko Pramette upholstery is a little tricky to master at first, but if you keep in mind the name Peg Perego has given the feature, “zip, fold, zip,” the process is fairly simple. To convert from stroller to pram, unzip the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette upholstery and attach it to the Pliko P3 Classico stroller seat. Next, you fully reline the Pliko P3 Classico stroller seat and pop the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette into shape. By zipping on the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette’s foot muff, you complete the transformation and have a snug but spacious pram. To return the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette back to the Pliko P3 Classico form, you simply reverse the process.

Because the body of the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette is a Pliko P3 Classico, you know you’ll be getting a load of handy features. The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico and the Pliko Pramette have a chassis with full wheel suspension, adjustable handles, built-in car seat adaptors, and cable brakes. One of the best features of the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette and Pliko P3 Classico is the included footrest that serves as a riding spot for toddlers. Convenient features like a cup holder, shopping basket, sunshade, and child snack tray are all included with the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette.

The price difference between the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette (about $430) and the Pliko P3 Classico (about $330) is roughly $100, so you’ll be paying more for the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette than you would for the Peg Perego Uno or Venezia, but in return you get a stroller that is higher quality and less prone to problems. Thanks to the universal car seat adaptor, the Peg Perego Pliko Pramette really covers all the bases of a travel system that can be used from birth to toddler. That being said, the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico does have a fully reclining seat, so if you don’t mind having your baby face away from you and not being fully enclosed, simply buying the Pliko P3 Completo is the most affordable option.

The Pliko Switch pushchair is a brand new Peg Pergo model (available in 2008) that takes all of the features of Peg Perego’s popular Pliko line and adds one that mums in the UK have been clamoring for over the past few years. The Peg Perego Pliko Switch pushchair is reversible, so it can be forward facing or rearward facing. The ability to keep your eye on baby has long been lacking in Peg Perego strollers, so the Pliko Switch is a welcome addition to the excellent Peg Perego line.

The Peg Perego Pliko Switch pushchair is umbrella folding both with the seat facing the mother and with the seat facing forwards, a big plus in my book. Too many reversible pushchairs either require the seat to be removed before folding or returned to one position of the other. The Peg Perego Pliko Switch is extremely compact when closed and can even stand up alone, making it a space-saving pushchair for family’s without a lot of extra room. The Peg Perego Pliko Switch pushchair also features a centralized handle to make folding and carrying easy, even while holding baby.

Height adjustable handles, large shopping basket, cup holders, and hinged front bumper/baby tray make the Peg Perego Pliko Switch convenient for mum. A plush, padded seat with a five-point freedom of movement harness and multiple position recline makes the Peg Perego Switch Pushchair cozy and comfy for baby. Currently, there are only 3 colour combinations available for the Peg Perego Pliko Switch (red and gray “Tango,” chocolate and tan “Mocha,” and Dark brown and green “Bambu”), but all of them are tasteful and modern. The Peg Perego Pliko Switch features removable upholstery that is machine washable. The Peg Perego Pliko Switch’s large hood unzips into a summery sun canopy.

One of the most popular features of the Peg Perego Pliko line is the included footboard for transporting older children on the back of the pushchair. Although I have yet to see or read how this feature will work with the Pliko Switch’s rearward facing seat, I imagine it will be fun for an older child to ride while looking down at his baby brother or sister. Time will tell whether the Peg Perego Pliko Switch still allows the footboard to be used in a practical way.

For those who want a travel system, the Pliko Switch, like all Peg Perego models, includes built in car seat adaptors for the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio car seat. All the other Peg Perego Pliko models have made excellent use of this feature, and parents often claim it to be their favorite thing about the pushchair.

The Peg Perego Pliko Switch pushchair really only has one negative factor at this point: it’s brand new. Because the Pliko Switch has yet to be widely used, there is no guarantee that it will perform as promised. However, based on the excellent quality of the rest of the Peg Perego Pliko line, I’m guessing that if you are looking for a reversible pushchair, the Peg Perego Pliko Switch is a safe bet.