Why not the (Bugaboo) Donkey?

 

Kristie de Groot. Mum to 2 month old. Cape Town, South Africa.

As first time parents, choosing a stroller for our newborn was not as easy as we thought it would be. In my final month of pregnancy, I remember us sitting at a cafe along a boulevard critiquing the various strollers passing by. After much research and discussion, we decided that we wanted to invest in a Bugaboo. Then the inevitable next question came about: Cameleon or Bee? My husband then checked on the website and asked, “Why not the Donkey?”

“The Donkey? ” I asked.

“Yes, we’re going to have more than one kid right?” asked my husband. It was more of a rhetorical question, but in the end made me smile.

 

As it turns out, Bugaboo introduced the Donkey during the Spring of 2011. Regardless of angle, the Donkey is a BIG stroller. The Donkey can be used in ‘Mono’ mode for 1 kid, or ‘Duo’, or ‘Twin’ mode, for two. It is neither the Rolls Royce nor the Ferraris of strollers… if anything it is the Hummer version of a stroller. Furthermore, we were surprised that there was a 10 week waiting list to order them from Holland, where Bugaboo is headquartered!

When you purchase the Donkey, it comes with several features in the price: The bassinet (Bee style), the base seat fabric (Cameleon style), a side basket, underneath basket, the sun canopy and rain cover.  At an extra charge, we also bought an adaptor so that we may use the Bugaboo with our Maxi-Cosi’s car seat.  Should we have another kid, then we will need to buy an additional bassinet or base seat and then widen the Donkey with one easy click at its handle.

The Donkey folds very easily, without having to remove any apparatus other than the seat itself. I must say, it is a shopaholic mother’s dream stroller. The added space above and underneath is convenient for shopping bags and of course baby bags. Not once have I felt nor looked like one of those moms with too much excess baggage around a stroller.

As big as the Donkey is (and yes, its wheels are bigger), it moves smoothly and turns easily like any of its smaller peers.

Width wise in its mono position, the Donkey passes through any standard door, however, it is tricky to pass through the ticket entrances of train stations. Though we were able to fit the Donkey into the trunk of a vehicle as small as a Fiat 500, we were disappointed that Bugaboo has not come up with a travel case for the Donkey. Hence, we had to pack it into one of my husband’s bike bags before boarding onto a plane (the airline didn’t make a big deal about its size).

 

 

Overall, we are impressed with the Donkey’s manoeuvrability and versatility. It is a very sturdy stroller ideal for growing families with lots on their agenda.