Why We Love The Bugaboo Donkey

If I’d bought a Bugaboo Donkey when my first baby arrived I would have saved myself the two redundant pushchairs that are currently stored in our loft.

I wasn’t thinking about TWO babies back then, though, let alone three. The Donkey, a duo buggy, wasn’t on my radar.

Fast-forward 18 months and Alfie arrives. The Bugaboo Chameleon is relegated to storage and a two-seater buggy arrives, not a Bugaboo this time but an inline pushchair.

I can’t really fault it. It’s narrow enough for every doorway, the baby and the toddler are both comfortable.

But it’s not very sociable and it’s not a Bugaboo. I have got used to the way Bugaboos work, I like they way they fold up and come apart with just a couple of satisfying clicks. I miss the shopping basket, something the inline buggy hasn’t got space for.

When baby #3 arrives 22 months later (yes, I know), I’m secretly relieved that we are unable to fit a buggy board onto the inline buggy when the second seat is attached. A no go for three children under 3.5, then.

After much research and some serious wincing from my husband, the Bugbaoo Donkey arrives – the Diesel edition no less.

I’m ashamed to say that I am more excited about this than any other present I’ve received over the past three years.

Bugaboo Donkey — One of the first trips out with the Donkey

It’s a double buggy that can be a single buggy, a buggy with two cribs or two seats or, the three-child formation we opt for, a buggy with a crib (or car seat), a seat and a buggy board.

The baby sleeps soundly in the crib attachment, the toddler sits regally in the adjacent seat and the buggy board is ideal for the lazy old three year old – it even has a removable seat. Everyone is happy.

When the baby is a bit older, he gets to sit in a proper seat too, facing me, while the toddler faces forward. This results in an ongoing conversation between the two youngest (and the occasional scrap), something that was not possible in the inline buggy.

We have had so many adventures with it, the four of us hurtling around London.

Yes, it is wide but you would be surprised how often it fits into cafes and restaurants.

Plus, it cleverly narrows into a more normal width if you remove one of the seats. I’ve learnt to do this with one hand while holding a wriggling baby with the other.

Now we’ve reached a stage where they both face outwards, or the toddler, who is now a three-year-old himself, rides on the buggy board (sometimes with his four-year-old brother squeezed on too!) and the Donkey shrinks down to being a one-seater with a handy shopping basket.

Amal, George, this is the buggy for you.

Don’t listen to the haters who tell you to stack your children up on top of each other.

If you’ve got twins or two babies close in age, it is all about the Bugaboo Donkey.

Available from John Lewis from £994.05

What John Lewis says about it

Meet the Bugaboo Donkey; the convertible pushchair for kids and goods that is fully adaptable and expandable, making it ideal for growing families and is even more versatile, stylish and functional with all new leatherette handle bars for a luxurious and long-lasting finish. In just three clicks it can be converted from a mono pushchair to a full-sized duo pushchair and back again. Ideal for your first child, second child, both or twins. It’s the compact pushchair that’s big on storage space.

What’s New?

The Bugaboo Donkey 1.1 features an all new fold that means it can be stored even more compactly when the wheels are removed. The improved chassis is now only 24cm high when folded. You’ll also find an improved wrist loop and secondary locks on both folding locks.

Key features:

Reclinable and reversible seats
Flexible and multiple luggage options. The expandable side basket can carry up to 5kg of goods, the underseat basket has a 10kg capacity
One piece fold and self standing, for quick, easy and compact storage
Compatible with one or two Maxi-Cosi infant carriers (adaptors sold separately)
Big wheels help you glide over rough terrain, lockable swivel wheels, adapts from 4 to 2 wheels for snow or sand
5 point harness, one hand operation, height adjustable handlebars and footbrake
Compact design that’s big on space: 60cm wide in the mono configuration, 74cm wide in the Duo configuration

Do I need a Mono, Duo or Twin?

The Mono is suitable for one child, the Duo is ideal if you have two children of different ages and the Twin is designed for two children of the same age. The Mono features a carrycot that transforms into a seat when your child is older. The Duo configuration features a seat for an older child and a carrycot that adapts into a chair when your younger child gets older. The Twin formation includes two carrycots, for younger babies, that transform into seats as your twins grow up. The seats and carrycots can also be used independently of the chassis.

How to buy the Bugaboo Donkey:

For a Mono pushchair (for the use of one child):

Choose a base unit (includes chassis with wheels, 1 frame, sun canopy wired, carry handle, side luggage basket, underseat basket, carrycot complete, seat fabric and raincover)
Choose a tailored fabric set (includes sun canopy and carrycot apron)

For a Duo pushchair (suitable for 2 children of different ages):

Choose a base unit (includes chassis with wheels, 1 frame, sun canopy wired, carry handle, side luggage basket, underseat basket, carrycot complete, seat fabric and raincover)
Choose a tailored fabric (includes sun canopy and carrycot apron)
Choose a duo extension set (includes 1 frame, sun canopy wires, seat fabric, carry handle and raincover)
Choose a sun canopy

For a Twin pushchair (suitable for 2 children of the same age):

Choose a base unit (includes chassis with wheels, 1 frame, sun canopy wired, carry handle, side luggage basket, underseat basket, carrycot complete, seat fabric and raincover)
Choose two tailored fabric sets (each includes sun canopy and carrycot apron)
Choose a duo extension set (includes 1 frame, sun canopy wires, seat fabric, carry handle and raincover)
Choose a carrycot base (includes carrycot fabric, mattress and carrycot bottom)

If you already have a Bugaboo Donkey Mono, you can easily adapt this into a Twin or Duo version by purchasing the adds-on listed above separately.