Bugaboo Frog - Red Standard Stroller

My husband wanted the Bugaboo, we already owned 4 other strollers so I wasn't game except she was getting heavy to push around with ease with a full stroller of gear on day outing.

I was finally convinced once I pushed my toddler around the store sitting with just barely any effort despite the fact we were adding yet another stroller.

Let me begin by saying that my husband finds no fault with this stroller except the tipping when resting a lot of goods on the handle. . Otherwise he loves it, and is not the least bothered by what I consider drawbacks. Mainly because he is 6 feet and way stronger than my 5'4" frame and since we did not have a baby using this stroller and started with a toddler so the curved seat was not really a concern for him.


Then I started to use it and the inconvenience of getting it in and out of the trunk on several errands in a day became a serious burden when you if you are petite or weary or not feeling well or in a rush.

I found it really most inconvenient to separate the chassis from the stroller top/bassinette in order to collapse it, I just never got the hang of it. This is significant if you run a lot of errands. Picture that you have a smallish trunk or it is full of groceries and you have to put down the stroller top on the snowy or wet dirty ground while you fold the chassis and fit it into the trunk first.

Really important to know is that it takes at least 20 minutes to convert the upholstery from the bassinette to the stroller top which won't work when you have a baby who still sleeps a lot but is also interested in being propped up to look around. You don't know this of course until you try it.

Main Issues:

1)The very porous foam bar surrounding the child, why foam? My daughter chews on it and smears food on it. It gets dirty even when storing in the trunk because of how awkward the design of the stroller top and chassis. This is not wipeable and gets disgusting from a sanitary perspective.

2)The oblong shape of it the bars covered in foam makes it difficult to get any kind of cup holder for adult or child, let along a snack tray. I have spent lots of money modifying trays so my daughter can have a snack, so far impossible. Bugaboo sells no accessories for holding food or drinks. Really, how many conveniences must we trade in for this amazing ride?

3)The curved stroller seat, by far the worst feature. It is narrow and really short so imagine your child in a nice puffy snowsuit or if you have a tall or wide toddler. It is awkward to store the unit standing against a wall because the stroller top slides to the floor. I used to always change my daughter's diaper in our other strollers which reclined flat with ease. The curved seat makes diaper changes, especially messy ones a hassle. Also, when you are tilting the curved seat to recline, the legs and waist are bent, not ideal for a growing spine if you spend a lot of time in your stroller nor great for a sore or full tummy.

This stroller top is either a bassinettte or a stroller seat (by changing the frame). And switching between the two with a small baby (which would be desirable to do for the first 6-18 months for their spinal development when they are the most upright but sedentary) is not possible. My daughter was 20 months when we bought it even then and I really didn't like her sleeping, even tilted, it just looks uncomfortable and she never napped nearly as well in this stroller as in ones that reclines flat.

4)Be prepared to get soaked when it is raining. It takes way to long to put the stroller together requiring both hands to operate and patience. The insufficient canopy only aggravates things since it doesn't keep the stroller dry long enough to get on the rain cover when you are getting set up out of a trunk.

5)The storage is poor in size AND design. A average diaper or day bag does not fit in the awkward undercarriage storage, I really dislike using it at all as you really have to squat down to undo the silly draw string to get inside, honestly, very poor design. Most people I see attach a full diaper bag to the handle, it is very easy to tip, especially if you have a toddler jumping in and out and have done some shopping that day you have attached with the clips you purchased as extra accessories for the bar. Suspending more than 3.6 kg/8 lbs from the handle bar could cause your Bugaboo Frog to tip over especially when the stroller is used on grades or inclines. Suspending more than 2.5 kg/5.5 lbs is not recommended by the manufacturer. DO NOT PUT ANY KIND OF BAG ON THE HANDLES IF A BABY IS RECLINED...learned this the hard way.

6)If you want to adapt the chassis for your car seat, you have to spend extra money for the adapters.

Bottom line, this stroller is smooth a smooth ride, nice to push around the mall and the beach and it is minimalist. But for the price, it should be better engineered for storage, accessories, canopy coverage and for sleeping children. It's a neat stroller for the beach and the mall.

Update:
January 2006.
Baby number two coming soon. Now I get to pay $70 cdn for the car seat adapters and another 100 cdn for the wheeled board for my 4 year old which I have tried and it seems awkward to walk directly behind the stroller without kicking it.

Where this stroller really makes up for the money is the handling when a heavy child is in the stroller, especially with one hand holding a coffee or opening doors. That sets it apart from anything other than a Chariot running stroller and that just doesn't work for the everyday use. My 4 year daughter is 35 pounds and 41 inches tall and on long outings, she always needs to sit for a rest. Even though the seat is awfully short for her stature, she is comfortable since she no longer naps and it is SO EASY to push. I would not dream of pushing a 4 year old in one of my earlier baby strollers because they simply do not have the bearings and shocks that the bugaboo has.

It is still really my husband's stroller, he doesn't mind opening and folding it at all and he really used it a lot for that reason. I plan to just use it for strolls mainly when the baby is in a car seat and resume more regular use once I don't have to diaper change as much in that curved seat.
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May 2008
Now I have discovered something really dangerous about this stroller: The canopy.
My baby nearly got her fingers broken in the canopy when it was folded back. The design of the canopy leaves a HUGE area of the canopy bars exposed right near the hinge and a moving and curious baby will stick her fingers in there. With my baby facing outward most of the time, even she is big enough now to fiddle with the canopy and soon I expect that she will trap her own fingers by folding back the canopy while her fingers are in the hinge.
I am calling Bugaboo on the next open business day to see what if anything can be done, if not, I am selling this thing.