Let's talk prams for a minute- I'm one of those people who suffer from major pram envy. I still check out prams all the time and my baby is three and a half. So lucky my job has me getting to test out prams a lot! So I was pretty excited to try out The Bugaboo Donkey. Bugaboo seems to be the gold standard of prams so I was keen to see if it lived up to the rave reviews.
The Donkey is fanciest double pram so to really give it a good test I took it off to the zoo with Tully and my nephew 'Baby Mylo' as he's known to all. The Donkey converts from a one-seater to a two-seater and, as far as I know, it's the only side by side double pram that has this function so it's a great investment if you plan to go from one kid to two pretty quickly. While it's on the pricey side if you are planning two children close together then buying this would cost you less that two new prams of a similar price range.
So off to the zoo we went, with some friends. Just a heads up, this is one big pram in double mode and you'll need a BIG boot. I only just squeezed it in the boot of a Honda CRV and it's pretty big.
At the zoo, it was easy to unfold and get the kids into. Tully mainly walks so it was just going to be for when she got tired- but baby Mylo loved it! He loved how upright he was compared to his regular pram and he was quite high up as well which meant he could see the animals without getting out of the pram (another bonus for me!)
"So how did it go?", you're wondering! Here's a list of things I loved and a list of things I'd improve on...
What we loved about the Bugaboo Donkey double pram
The easy pushing. The wheels are big and it goes over pretty much everything. No problems on the grass or the bumpy stones- it was super smooth and easy to handle.
The hoods. They cover well in their standard setting but then you can unzip them again to make them cover almost all the way which is great for nap time!
The ease of extending it from a single to a double. It only took me about a minute and it is easy and intuitive.
The quality. The whole thing feels sturdy and solid. It is pretty heavy when you're pushing a combined weight of 38kg of kid but it took it like a champ.
The 'glamour' factor. It's pretty fancy pushing around a Bugaboo- I had about six mums stop and ask about it!
What I'd change about the Bugaboo Donkey double pram
I'd have a bigger basket underneath. Its great as a single because you have the basket beside the seat too but as a double, I need more basket for all the stuff I have to carry.
The 5 point harness is easy to undo but it is frustrating to plug 4 points into the buckle when you have a wriggling one-year-old.
It's heavy! It weighs 15kg in a double mode with two seats so it's heavy to get in the car. I'm guessing though that they can't do much about that if they want to keep the integrity of the frame and keep it as solid as it is.
The seats aren't that big- Tully is a tall 3.5-year-old and she's too tall for the seat.
Overall I think it's a great design and perfect for families that are planning to grow quickly. It's compatible with a car seat and you can change the configuration of seats to suit you and your family so it's fully flexible to the needs of individual families which is great. The pram retails at an RRP of $2079.99 which is pricey but given that most families go through 3-4 prams in their early childhood years you will find that the price equals out really.
To design your own Bugaboo Donkey visit www.bugaboo.com
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