The Big To-Do About the Bugaboo

We live in Boston and the Bugaboo stroller is everywhere! On a nice day, you can't go more than 12 feet without running into one, and sometimes they even appear in packs! Initially I turned my nose at the Bugaboo. Every time we strolled past one in our layman's jogger I would lean down to MeMo and whisper, "Don't look, Meemers, it's a Bugaboo," then continue walking as if I was doing just fine wrestling our 250 lb stroller over the crooked sidewalks of Boston. I mean what kind of jackass pays almost a thousand dollars for a stroller? Even if I had that kind of money to throw around, the last thing I would spend it on is a stroller, for crying out loud.

By the time MeMo was 8 weeks old, we were walking up to 5 miles a day, hitting Boston's finest areas, strolling along the river and traversing through every neighborhood from the North End to Newbury Street hitting every stop in between. During this time, I became very well acquainted with all of our stroller's features, and even better acquainted with its faults.

At month nine, MeMo went through her "Get me Out of This Thing and I mean NOW" phase every time we set out on a long walk. We would be three miles from home and she would scream bloody murder, as if I had attached a hidden torture device to the underside of the jogger's seat. And all of you parents know just how fun it is to push a screaming infant when every single adult who passes looks at you scornfully as if to say, "What's the matter with you? Can't you see your kid needs something?" Where upon my tacit response was always "Yeah, my kid needs something all right... like a Valium."

Increasing our journeys to nearly 8 miles a day at this point, I decided to research new stroller options. Here's a fun a project: search the word "stroller" on Google and see just how many hits come up. With options ranging from a near 2-dimensional folding design and cargo space that could hold a small pachyderm, to adjustable handles and reversible seating, no two strollers are alike. On top of this, each manufacturer offers at least a dozen models in at least as many colors. Heck, buying my first car left me with fewer options.

Knowing its price point and the status symbol it had become, the thought of owning a Bugaboo had never crossed my mind. Until one unfortunate weekend when friends who were leaving town for the weekend, offered to lend us theirs to test drive.

They dropped the Bugaboo at our place on a Friday night, and after a brief demo, set me free with the thing. Since it was late and MeMo was asleep, I paid the Bugaboo very little attention that night, allowing it to sleep soundly in our living room, kept company by our two cats who took advantage of the luxury sleeping space - one in the seat and another in the cargo area. The next morning, I fiddled with the the Bugaboo for several minutes, shortening the adjustable handle bars, testing out the various seating positions and tinkering with every knob and button I could find. It was time to take this baby to the streets.

At first run the Bugaboo's frame seemed somewhat flimsy, and I seriously questioned the sanity of anyone who would pay that kind of money to own one of these things. Another downfall is that the seat is lined in fleece and on that 91 degree day, I felt almost sadistic setting MeMo in that heat nest. Another thing I couldn't stand about the Bugaboo is that it doesn't have a peeking window in the canopy. So each time I wanted to check in on the baby, I had to whip back the entire canopy, nearly blinding the unexpecting Meemers with a dose of morning sunlight.

Later that weekend, my obsession over strollers growing stronger by the Google search, I hit a few local baby stores to test out a variety of models. And I must say, as hard as this is to admit, the Bugaboo is by far my favorite stroller! The thing turns on a dime. The fleece seat may seem too insulating for warm weather, but it's super durable, easy to wash and creates a mini nest that put MeMo to sleep within minutes of our morning walk. The Bugaboo can be taken apart into two pieces and folded into a compact design in just minutes, and it has a large enough cargo area that I could fit all of our midweek groceries in it, with room left over for MeMo's treasures she found along the way.

I never did wind up purchasing a Bugaboo stroller and the Meemers has recently accepted that our clunky jogger is the best she's going to get. It wasn't easy on either of us getting a taste of the high life and then having to return to the ways of our nearly impossible-to-steer jogger. Luckily MeMo has abandoned her mobile screaming fits and we continue on our daily treks, now with a bit more understanding of the price point of the "Mercedes Benz of strollers".