One of the most customizable strollers on the market, the Bugaboo Bee3 also offers quite a few strolling options for new parents. Since 2007 it has been a go-to for parents who want a lightweight stroller that can be used many ways from birth, but also fold up compact enough for travel.
Out of the box there is a bit of installation for parents, mostly because you get to chose the fabric on the seat, the canopy and the frame color. We ordered our Bee3 with a canopy, seat, and carry cot so we had to pop the wheels on, attach the seat fabric, feed the wires through the canopy and put the bassinet together. The whole process took about 30 minutes to do.
From birth parents can use the Bee3 three ways; you can use an adapter(additional) to attach your infant seat to the frame, use the optional carrycot or the stroller seat in the flat position.
The carrycot zips together easily out of the box, and can be used from birth to 20lbs or when your child is push them self up(which ever comes first). It comes with a comfy mattress, shell, an apron and can be used with the stroller’s canopy, by just clipping it into the bottom of the carrycot frame. Parents have 5 color choices when ordering the carrycot.
The Bee3’s seat is one of the coolest we’ve seen. Not only does it reverse for a facing you configuration, but the back of the seat moves up three positions to accommodate your child as they grow AND the base of seat moves out.
The seat also features Bugaboo’s comfort seat harness, which offers a more structured belt that fits around your child perfectly. I really like this harness. We first tested in on the Runner, and love that it is available on all of Bugaboo’s strollers. Unlike other strollers where belts are just a single piece of material, this one has a padded material that ensures the harness goes over your child’s shoulders and around their waist. All 4 straps then feed into the buckle.
New for 2014, the canopy on the Bee3 is bigger and is created from a fabric material that waterproof with an SPF 50 for sunny days. It also includes an additional zip out panel to provide more coverage, plus there is a rain cover included in the stroller for wet days.
Under the stroller, the Bee3 has a good size storage basket. Because of the way that the stroller folds, the basket is best accessible from the front. For a lightweight stroller, the basket holds quite a bit. We have been able to get a medium diaper bag in it plus there is still extra room for jackets or shopping bags if we are out.
The Bee3 runs on four 6.5″ foam filled wheels that have independent suspension to give your child a smooth ride over bumpy terrain. This stroller does the best at the mall and park, but it will also go over grass and gravel just fine. I wouldn’t, however, take it over fine sand at the beach.
To lock the wheels there is a center lever in the middle of the frame at the back that can be pressed to lock the wheels or flipped up when it’s time to stroll!
To accommodate parents of all sizes, Bugaboo has designed the Bee3’s handles to adjust to 8 different heights. It’s easy to do by just unlocking the frame on either side and then just pulling the handle bars up to your height and then locking them again.
Bugaboo has designed the levers on the stroller that allow you to open or close something to be white. This is super helpful when you are out with an unhappy child, and struggling to close or move something.
One of the best features of the Bee3 is its compact fold. Not only does it fold flat, it does so with the seat on it both directions – which is a rare feature for strollers with reversible seats. In the facing out configuration parents just needs to lower the handle bars, press the levers on either side of the frame and push the handle bars down. To fold it with the seat folding you, you need to move the seat forward and then the stroller will fold when you press down on the handle bars. The Bee3 doesn’t have a frame lock because the stroller locks internally when it’s folded. It won’t stand on its own, but it will stay propped up on a wall.
As far as compact, lightweight strollers go, the Bee3 is probably the best one on the market. It is also a luxury stroller – so the configuration we tested retails for close to $1100. With that being said, it could also be the only stroller that you need from birth to 4 years-old(37.5lbs). It is compact enough to travel the world, and robust enough to do the daily school runs.
Check out our video of the stroller below!
