January 1, 2014, admin, Reviews, , 0
A few months ago I attended a nice hotel in Leeds and was introduced to some new Bugaboo prams. I have been a big fan of Bugaboo since we had Little Mr A and was delighted when they said I could borrow a new Bugaboo Bee for a few months. I had been admiring the Bee on the day and thought it looked like a great pram that had all the great Bugaboo features but on a smaller scale.
When the Bee arrived I couldn’t wait to get it set up and give it a whirl. I was surprised how few bits there were that needed attaching – in total there were only three bits to put onto the main frame being the front wheels, seat unit and hood.
I was expecting it to take me minutes to set up, however, I did have a few problems attaching the seat unit and making sure the bars in the hood were the right way round! Having said that, it was a fairly simple process to put the Bee together and I think, had I waited for had an extra pair of hands it would have been easier!
First up was the very easy task of attaching the front wheels. These simply slotted onto the frame with no bother at all.
Next up I had to open the frame. Again, this was very simple. With your foot on the brake you have to push in the two buttons on either side of the frame and pull up the levers at the same time. You have to make sure that you pull the frame up enough so that the two green indicators on either side of the frame are showing, otherwise it is a bit wonky and won’t work properly!
The next task was to attach the seat unit. I did find this a little tricky as you have to ensure you put both sides of the seat unit onto the two sides of the frame at the same time. As I said, had I had an extra pair of hands I think this would have been an easy task.
The last main part to attach was the hood. Now, having had a Bugaboo for a number of years now you would think I would get this right first time? Wrong! I really don’t know why I struggle. For any normal person it would be a very easy job! To attach the hood you need to remove the two plastic bars from their holders. Then you have to make sure you match the shape of the bars to the slots in the hood before inserting them. It sounds simple and really should be if you concentrate, unlike me! If you get them in wrong the hood will not stretch out properly and will look misshapen and wonky.
Once you get the bars the right way around they are very easy to insert into the hood. Once in you place the ends of the bars back into the holders and attach the elastic loops from the hood around the holders.
The hood then slots into the two sides of the Bee quite easily. Once attached there are poppers on the hood and back of the seat unit to secure it.
That is it! There really isn’t much to it at all!
Features
There are various features on the Bee which make it a real winner for me and are why I like Bugaboo pushchairs so much.
Fully Reclining - The Bee is suitable from birth as the seat unit can be fully reclined. It is very easy to recline and can be done with one hand. All you have to do is push up a lever on the back of the seat whilst pulling it towards you.
Extending seat - The seat on the Bee is only quite small, however, as your child grows you can expand it by simply pulling the base and the back of the seat unit.
Rain cover - I have always found the rain covers for Bugaboos very easy to fit and the Bee is no exception. The rain cover is very easy to use and secure and I have found it stays put, even in these strong winds we have been having. I also really like the little ‘peep holes’ they have which are easily Velcro’d back down but means you can have access to your little one should you need to pop dummies back in etc. The rain cover also folds up nice and small and fits perfectly back into the basket.
Adjustable handle - Another great feature on the Bugaboo pushchairs is the easily adjustable handle. I always think this is a great thing to have, particularly if you and your partner are considerably varying heights. It is nice to be able to adjust the handles to suit you and feel comfortable when pushing. The handle on the Bee goes down low enough that even Little Mr A can push it around with ease! To raise/lower the handle is simple. All you have to do is pull out the two levers on the side of the frame, pull up or push down the handle then push the levers back in again.
Basket - My main complaint with the Bee is the size of the basket underneath. It is very small and you can only fit a minimal amount in it. Still you can’t have everything and it certainly wouldn’t deter me from buying the Bee.
Other features worth mentioning are the large hood, the fact that the seat can easily be turned to be either parent or world facing and the very easy to use and secure brake.
We have been getting out and about a lot with the Bee since we received it and have to say we love it! I intend to let you know how we have been getting on with it in another post and also telling you about the high performance footmuff we received which has been perfect for this cold and windy weather we have been having!
