Our Bugaboo Butterfly Review

I also cover everyday ease of use, accessories and its size and weight to help you decide if it is also the pushchair for you! We’ve also updated our review after owning it for 3 months and then for one year.

Our score:

8.8/10

Overall, we scored it highly giving it a 8.8/10 when comparing lots of different pushchairs; finding it compact and lightweight enough to easily to fit in the car, through narrow doorways and on the plane. But important to note; The Bugaboo Butterfly is only suitable from 6 months – which is when we have used it from. In my opinion, this is it’s biggest flaw – not having a newborn insert.

Our Review

I wrote this review initially after owning it for 3 months and have updated it since having having it for over a year. It’s been packed up in different cars or public transport and pushed along many different surfaces.

The Bugaboo buggy came in the box already assembled (a plus over competitors) and a rain cover was included. You can see immediately how compact it is folded ( 45 x 23 x 54 cm/17.72 x 9.06 x 21.26″) and it’s ready to go with no complicated set up. We went for midnight black but there are there are two other choices: stormy blue, and forest green.

It’s size is a huge plus as it does meet many airlines cabin baggage size. However, be warned, Ryan Air have never allowed us to bring it onboard.

It’s lightweight at 7.3 kg (16lbs) but not quite as lightweight as its competition like the Joolz Aer + BABYZEN YOYO2 who weigh in around 6kg mark. ( See our review of the YOYO2 to compare)

Folding and unfolding

The stroller has an easy one handed fold using two buttons pressed together and it can be done with one hand. As you flick it open it often goes straight into place, but other times I have to push the back of the seat to click it all into place (I can use my knee so still one handed).

Folding it down is also done with the same two buttons pressed together and pushing down on the handle.

The staff at the airport hadn’t seen this stroller before and were amazed at how easy it is to fold. As you push down, the stroller clicks together so you can lift it one handed.

There is a carry strap you can use, but you need to ensure it is in the right place in the basket before folding, otherwise you can lift it by the handle quite easily.

Compact for Planes and Cars

Once folded, the stroller is a very compact 45 x 23 x 54 cm/17.72 x 9.06 x 21.26″ which means it fits in most car boots (we have a Ford S Max 7 seater (4 kids) and with all 7 seats up I could fit in several folded Butterflys).

It it also approved as cabin luggage and can slide into the overhead lockers easily. It is lightweight at 7.3 kg (16lbs).

We have tried it so far on Air India, British Airways and Vietnam Airlines and it was a comfortable fit in the lockers – something that made a stopover much more comfortable for all of us!

It is unusual to be given your pushchair or stroller back for stopovers as you will usually collect any stroller at your final destination. Being able to use a super compact foldable stroller in-between connecting flights was incredibly useful!

It could just about fit down the aisles on the Air India plane but the Vietnam Airlines had more narrow walkways so I think whether you can push it down the plane depends largely on the airline. BA for example asked me to fold it up before I walked down the aisle.

Canopy

Going somewhere hot, the canopy is important and I was impressed with the size of the Butterfly’s. This compact stroller canopy has an additional zip to open it up further with a breathable mesh which you can also use to peek and check up on your baby. It provides a lot of shade, which is even more important now we have moved to Malta.

Stroller Recline

I have been testing the Butterfly with my nine month old baby who still naps twice a day and I love how easy the stroller is to recline.

The strap at the back of the stroller can be pulled to adjust the recline angle.

It doesn’t lie flat and therefore is only suitable from 6 months but it lies back enough to look comfortable for longer sleeps (111°-145°).

There are two positions, upright and reclined and it can be changed one handed between the two.

The seat is only forward facing – I would love to find a travel stroller like this that parent faces but I think it is worth the compromise for the size and weight of the Butterfly.

Comfort

The stroller is designed for children up to 22kg/around 4 years which is bigger than most in the travel stroller category.

My petite 6 year old (21.5kg) has ridden in it on some longer days and it is still easy to push and tall enough in the seat to handle her.

At 5 foot 9, I often struggle with stroller’s that don’t have a height adjustable bar, but I find the Butterfly is still comfortable to push.

The seat is large and roomy (63 cm) and features padded straps and an adjustable backrest and leg rest.

Basket

The basket is a reasonable size and I can fit our changing bag under there. Officially, it can carry up to 8kg and I found it easier to access from the front rather than the back.

We hung a lot on the handlebar, so it has a slight squeak now after 2 years of use, but that is not a fault with the buggy, that is me hanging a 10k bag on the handlebar.

The back of the basket is flexible though which helps with putting in larger items.

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Wheels and Suspension

We have used the stroller on the bumpy streets of south east Asia and I was impressed with how it attempts them. It does have full suspension, but it can’t compete with a larger pushchair and the smaller wheels can get stuck, but it was light to manoeuvre and handled better than expected.

If you live around cobbled streets then this isn’t the stroller for you, as it is definitely more suited to city pavements but the 4 wheel suspension means it can handle uneven ground too.

We now live in Malta, and the pavements are somewhat higgledy-piggledy but as our main stroller, my son is still very comfortable in there at 2 years and 10 months, since he first used it at 6 months old.

The size does come in handy for narrow spaces though and it can fit through small doorways and spaces with ease.

Accessories

The stroller comes with a rain cover but it is compatible with other Bugaboo accessories like the cup holder and smart phone holder. It can be used as a travel system and is compatible with Bugaboo Turtle One and Air by Nuna & other Maxi-Cosi® infant car seats.

Note it doesn’t come with a bumper bar, but I still haven’t bought one – we’ve got used to not having one.

The basket, frame and seat base are wipe clean but the stroller comes with a seat liner which can be removed and hand washed to keep the stroller fresh and clean.

Now we are in potty training mode I love even more how the seat liner is removable and washable!

Additional Accessories you can Buy

You definitely do not need all of these accessories but we found some super useful. My stroller hook is a must, budget friendly and fits any stroller. I find hanging stuff off the handlebar much easier than the basket. I have the foam one above, but there are also ones with velcro straps.

Another essential for us was a stroller fan. We have this one with foam blades as we knew little fingers mights try and grab it, but friends of ours have this one which has a bit more power and can wrap around any part of the stroller with the octopus legs.

Another absolute must for me was my Cozigo UV stroller cover as we had lots of flights. It doubles up as airplane bassinet cover to, so super useful if your flying frequently. If not, then it’s still a great versatile breathable cover, although there are cheaper alternatives.

Here are some more accessories with my notes on what we have and what we have used.

• Butterfly comfort wheeled board – like a mini trike you can attach for a toddler to ride on.
• Padded transport bag – I bought one second hand as new ones are quite expensive.
• Bumper bar – We didn’t buy this and actually didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would.
• Cup holder – In my opinion a must buy. The amount of early walks we have been on, a cup holder is an essential!
• Car seat adaptor If you want a compatible car seat for more travel options then this adaptor will allow you to connect the following.
  • Bugaboo Turtle Air by Nuna
  • Cybex Cloud Q, Cybex Cloud Z i-size
  • Kiddy Evolution Pro2
  • Nuna Pipa Lite, Nuna Pipa Lite LX, Nuna Pipa Next
  • Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix, Maxi-Cosi Rock
• Organizer
• Parasol
• Smartphone Holder
• Changing clutch
• Footmuff
• Winter footmuff

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