Archive for the ‘Gear – Transport’ Category
E-Z Step | Photo Credit: Amazon.com
We’ve talked a bit on GaGaGear about single-to-double convertible strollers (from BabyJogger and Bugaboo) – but if your toddlers are spaced so a double just isn’t practical, consider adding wheels off the back. Several top manufacturers offer what’s termed a “strollerboard” or “buggy board” which can be snapped on to the back of the main stroller chassis to accommodate a standing rider.
I finally unpacked mine today (Bugaboo Universal, attaching to my Bee) almost *a year* after purchasing it, and it was the perfect solution for a day at the Zoo with my two toddlers. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this earlier!
Before buying, consider the make and features of the single stroller supplying the ride. Some models, like the E-Z Step, claim universal attachment for a wide variety of brands; others, like Bugaboo’s or UPPAbaby’s, are universal only within a brand. While the branded boards tend to be more expensive, they were also designed with your stroller in mind (and will also look the part) – off-brand boards will always look (and possibly behave) more like an add-on.
Umbrella strollers may not be good candidates for a buggy board if the handles do not telescope – it could be incredibly awkward to push a heavier load from an already stooped posture, especially with a toddler sandwiched in between. Strollers with two-handed push may also find themselves tripping over the board – it helps to have a single pushbar so you can walk off to the side if needed (especially with a single-wheel model like the Bugaboo).
Bugaboo Universal | Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Read reviews closely before making a purchase – a few off-brand models have suffered recurring customer complaints and disturbing breakages. It seems as though safety is easiest to accomplish 1:1 with the brand – true universal models seem to rely on velcro-type fasteners to account for varying chassis width, whereas Bugaboo and UPPAbaby (for instance) designed specific attachments for a custom fit.
E-Z Step Universal Stroller Wheel Board – $59.95 on Amazon
UPPAbaby PiggyBack Ride Along Board – $89.15 on Amazon
Bugaboo Universal Wheeled Board -$100.00 on Amazon
Photo Credit: http://www.kickboardusa.com
In the weeks leading up to her 3rd birthday, our daughter became suddenly and fiercely attached to the idea of riding a scooter. We were a bit skeptical (it was wintertime, after all, which would put the scooting mostly indoors), but she persisted, driving us to spend many late nights on-line, researching wheeled possibilities for the toddler set.
We ultimately settled on KickboardUSA’s Mini Kick scooter, and after two months’ scooting (indoor AND out) cannot recommend it enough. Mini Kick is specifically designed for beginning riders – it’s low to the ground and features 3 wheels (2 in front!) for greater stability, yet maintains a decent turning radius for navigating the living room furniture. It has a smooth, quiet glide, and is light enough for our 3 year old to lift and maneuver off the ground when necessary.
Scooting on Mini Kick seems completely intuitive to the child – our daughter has essentially taught herself how to scoot, steer and brake while we sat back and marveled. The only bummer is the flexible plastic footing – while totally functional and key to this beautiful concept, it doesn’t support the weight of an adult, so we can’t get in on the fun.
Mini Kick costs $79.99 through KickboardUSA.com and comes in an array of candy colors – we got orange, though I’m sure our daughter would have preferred hot pink.
Bugaboo Doubles Down on Donkey
Posted on: January 17, 2011
The rumor mill continues to swirl around Bugaboo’s vaunted new double stroller, The Donkey. In September, Fast Company’s Design staff gave it an info-packed preview but held off on any real judgment. Read Co.Design’s article here, then return to GaGaGear for our thoughts, which continue below.
Bugaboo Donkey: Single + Storage
Our Take:
Before getting into it, you should know how heavily we at GaGaGear are anticipating Bugaboo’s double stroller. We’re big fans of the Bee (own it), which really delivers for urban strolling in addition to turning heads with its elegant design. So let’s just say expectations are high. Now for the (p)review…
Frankly, from what we’re seeing, it’s hard to judge whether Donkey’s really got kick. First of all, the name is terrible – why pick a moniker so loaded on the back end? (But then Bugaboo’s names have never really made any sense to us, other than the Bee.) Better make sure it performs, or the recall headlines won’t be pretty.
Second, the would-be-iconic design proposition of a “stretch” conversion seems in itself a stretch. Sure, it might be clever for adding that double, but forcing a single into a wide and unbalanced stance in the name of storage just doesn’t make sense to this mom. (Not to mention two kids is two times the gear – and how much storage? Wondering how the basket area underneath will be affected by the expansion mechanism.) Pushing a Maclaren Twin Techno for just a month with 30 pounds on one side and 15 on the other was so sketchy, we just threw our baby in the Ergo and continued to push our toddler in the Bee. Donkey’s horizontal push bar would make a difference over Maclaren’s two handles, but it’s hard to see how this is going to ride smoothly as a single stroller, especially one-handed (latte-handed?).
Bugaboo Donkey: Expanded
Maybe it’s really a smooth and simple operation as advertised…but any solution that requires parents to assemble, disassemble or otherwise configure their stroller instead of just popping it open or shut could be missing the point. The more kids you have, the simpler you need this stuff to be! One-step fold was Bugaboo’s weak spot with both the Frog and Cameleon, but they solved it brilliantly with the Bee. Seems like they’re back to a series of steps with Donkey, which is a shame. Not to mention the simple truth: more moving parts means more potential points of failure. Donkey’s designers do a good job disguising the complexity here – we’ll need to get hands-on to know for sure… But we wonder whether expanding – which was certainly the harder solution to design – is ultimately preferable to snapping on along the lines of Baby Jogger’s City Select, which we profiled in 2010. (Or maybe Baby Jogger just protected the heck out of that IP?)
Here’s our theory on why baby gear purchasing drops off so dramatically as families grow. Moms aren’t magically sprouting more hands so they can do more with less. The more kids we have, the simpler gear has to be to hold our attention. And there simply isn’t simple gear for twins and multiple young children in a family.
For years, the double stroller world has been wide open for innovation. And with the debut of the Donkey, it still is…?
NEW PHOTO 3/8: Bugaboo Donkey, showing two bassinets installed rear-facing…
Bugaboo Donkey | Photo Credit: bugaboo.com
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