double stroller

When it was clear that Ariella was not going to be able to hold on to a sibling board I began my search into the world of double prams/strollers/buggies. I struggled at first to decide which pram would suit our needs best and switched between all sorts of makes and models. To settle the matter I made a rather large comparison list, comparing the essential features for us. Firstly seat weight limit,  then seat height, overall weight of the pram, width, cost, fold and finally features (particularly parent facing options).

 

Some of the runners up were the Mountain buggy duet was a close runner up alongside the Baby Jogger City Mini double. However when looking at the prams in person I was won over by the unique ability to make the pram smaller that the mono version of the Donkey2 provides. Ariella will be increasing her nursery or preschool hours soon and there will be more days where I will want to take just Sebastian out without her. The Bugaboo Donkey although it was not the top contender for seat weight or the highest seat limit it seemed to be a good compromise all round for both children. Offering comfort for both rather than the newborn receiving a worse deal in terms of either a narrow carrycot or non parent facing position.

When the Bugaboo Donkey2 Duo arrived I had to compile it, it came in a multitude of boxes due to the custom fabric options. I chose the Grey Melange premium fabric option for everything because I really love grey, but there are so many to pick from and combinations. I found it pretty easy to put together however and soon enough the pram was up in my front room, which is when I realised I’d want to take it outside. Luckily for me folding it down is a breeze and carrying it was fine, I don’t know if that’s because I’ve been conditioned to carry heavy weights – carrying A for so long!

First thing I did was try and put all the pieces down into the boot, with one piece setup with the carrycot fabrics and the other the seat fabric it fit really well into our Range Rover. If you happen to have a smaller boot I would recommend you go visit a store that stocks the Bugaboo Donkey2 to clarify it does indeed fit. With the carrycot now in seat form both seats stack on top of each other where the carrycot is in the photo below.

I have been delighted to own the Bugaboo Donkey2, it pushes with ease even though it has a heavy load most of the time. With two children and the lower storage area full you would not notice unless perhaps pushing up an incline in which case it makes this easier than our previous option. The carrycot has ample room for a newborn, at three and a half months old Sebastian still had plenty of space to grow into the carrycot. Although this should be the case, guidelines recommend up to six months most carrycots are our grown long before this time. 

I feel this is due to the fact that Bugaboo use the same frame for the carrycot as the seat, changing out just the fabrics so you get a really long frame and thus a nice long carrycot. Space isn’t compromised however you do need the boot space to store such a carrycot (there is the option to remove a few pieces to compress but that seems impractical using the pram day to day). The fabrics entirely are of beautiful quality and materials, it feels very well durable and I love that I can completely remove them to wash at home.

The versatility is perfect, when in duo mode it fits through every door I’ve ever tried. When in mono mode it feels like just a little wider than “normal” but is not restrictive at all and the extra shopping bag space makes for a great option. It is a donkey though, certainly looks a beast next to the baby zen yo-yo we have for when we want to travel light, but we also have taken the Bugaboo Donkey2 with us many times across the UK to visit family just fine.

While travelling with the carrycot we used this as a cot and that made our load even lighter. Bugaboo carrycots are really spacious and the basic mattress is comfortable enough to sleep on if you don’t want to buy an independent mattress option. Rather than buying a fitted sheet I made use of the huge Aden and Anais muslins we were gifted as a base sheet which worked just as well. I was really impressed that the carrycot frame turns into the seat with a quick change of fabrics, most of my friend’s children had long out grown their carrycot before we did. I really do feel given the price of the carrycots normally this made the cost much easier to accept!

Now the Bugaboo Donkey2 is fabulous as S parent faces (please excuse the grub he is enjoying a lovely snack) and Ariella faces the world which is familiar to her. But they can look at each other and often will touch hands or amuse each other, any parent of two children will know how much that interaction between siblings breaks your heart to watch. As S has become more interested in the world I can choose between facing out or facing me, not normally an option for most double’s. Everything is really easy to adjust with their white button system.

Bugaboo have added a few extra things with the latest version, new fabric options firstly. The side shopping basket used in Mono mode now comes with a fabric cover and can hold a heavier weight, very handy when it rains as it protects your shopping well. The wheels are now foam so no longer do you have to worry about pumping up air, I think that might have put me off a bit – as well as this the suspension has been upgraded. No complaints here on that one!

If you aren’t sure about it you can always buy the Mono and should you want to extend to a second child buy the expansion of the extra seat. I really love this option as it allows the Bugaboo Donkey to grow with your family. You could even extend it to include a third child by adding on a sibling board/seat later. The versatility of the stroller I felt really pushed it to the next level and when you consider the price being able to keep the stroller as your family grows becomes quite cost effective.

Now to the main negatives:

• The size – I think the obvious issue is it’s a big pram there is no disguising that fact but I’d also say any double is really. I had real genuine worry about getting around with a double pram day to day, living in a small market town with little paths but I have had no issue with this at all. The other main downside is the larger fold, you do need to go check out your boot space, Mamas and Papas usually have the pram in stock so you can go trial that out (do ring ahead to check!).
• Rain covers –  I don’t really like the rain covers that much, they are quite annoying and fiddly – I preferred the Stokke Xplory rain cover which just was on elastic where as the Bugaboo covers have a velcro in the middle you join together. You are supposed to be able to fold them down into the neat little package they come in using the velcro but i’ve yet to figure out how to achieve this unless it’s a really hot day and the plastic is much more pliable.
• Cost – It’s really very expensive, when you take the base unit plus the accessories but if it’s within budget it’s well worth the plunge in my view, plus if you buy it with your first child and use it as a single with the option to expand later it seems very cost effective. The quality of the pram and the accessories is really good, I think there is quite a reasonable market for resale later too.

With all of the above said I really can’t fault the Bugaboo Donkey2 much at all. It’s great they have done a fabulous job with it and I love ours! 

*All of my reviews are my own personal opinions and I have no affiliation with any other the brands mentioned above.