Good Buy: Bugaboo Frog Diaper Bag vs Petunia Pickle bottom Diaper Bag

Like a busy bee, I like to stock up good bargins even I don't need it at that moment of my life. One good example is diaper bags. I got the PPB tote almost four years ago coz I love the design and pattern of it. At that time, we just got married and still haven't talk about our baby plan. I just couldn't pass on an good deal like that. We also got the Bugaboo Frog backpack way before we bought the bee. Again, it was on clearance sales and we love the Bugaboo Frog stroller. Same as the Built tote, we got couple of them beacuse we know they will become handy some day. Um...keep you from getting jealous, I am not going to disclose the price. :)

Well, here's how we plan to use them.

• Petunia Pickle Bottom touring tote - Suit for daily use. I guess it will be my purse for couple years. It's very pretty, compact, and got 3 straps options.  Pair it with the BUILT thirsty tote will save some room to store other things. 
• Bugaboo Frog Backpack - Good for longer shopping trips and hubby to carry. There are many mixed reviews but it could clip on to the bee and save us from buying a cup holder. The stroller won't tip over even when 5 books in the bag and the seat is empty. For best practice, we advise to put something in the underbasket to keep the stroller balance.  
• For overnight trips, I have my eyes on the Mia Bossi Reese. Before I spot a good deal on it (I missed the one from Gilt Group), I guess I could use the big chanel tote or the gucci travel tote and rest my mind on the diaper bag shopping.  [7/4: Gap has a July4 sales on the Mia Bossi Reese for $130 after tax.  Oh! It's so tempting, but I didn't get it coz two diaper bags should be enough and I truly don't want to carry a big bag around. Thus, I saw another Mia Bossi bag in BabyBliss in person and was not impressed with its quality. Not sure whether it is the same as Reese, but my BBP is so good looking and sturdy.]

 

Good Buy: Bugaboo Stroller

We bought a red Bugaboo bee got $458 (after tax) from Baby Bliss store with a 20% off on NIB 09 model  and a Bee Cocoon at $59 (no tax, free shipping) from www.mystrollers.com after price match with NM. Total bring up to $517 for a stroller system for the use from infant to toddler around age 3/4. We bought the cocoon because we though it will be more comfortable for infant to sleep in a nest instead of a car seat. Oh well, if we changed our mind we will get the small maxi cosi adaptor from Europe instead of the big Garco adaptor.

Why Bugaboo Bee?
It took us quite a while to decide on Bugaboo Bee as there are many awesome strollers in the market like Bugaboo frog, UppaBaby Vista, Orbit and Baby Jogger City Select. To us, we think simple operation, light weight, and add-on-child flexibility are our top three concerns. If a stroller give us tons of features but hard to close/open or heavy to lift, we don't think we will want to use it everyday. Bee meets our needs with its one-hand fold feature, light weight(17lb vs 28lb ave.) and seat adjustment feature. With an add-on seat or wheel board, it could save us from buying a two-seat stroller later on the road.

We know the seat weight capacity of the Bee is not as much as others (37.5lb vs 50lb), but does this drawback outweigh all other factors? Well, won't the toddler want to be free from the mobile jail at age 3? If the kid got tired, just stop for a break and have a cookie.

Bee 09 Model vs Bee Plus 2010
We buy the 09 model because we like the bigger canopy to keep the hot Texas sun away and the wings of the seat to keep cups and toys fall off; Whereas, the new Bee Plus is easy to change seat-facing direction, smaller canopy, additional height adjustment, and new design on the wheels grids for the breaks to clip on.

All these new features are good, but it doesn't justify the cost of paying extra two hundreds. A hundred dollar price raise and another hundred dollar discount on the 09 model. Seriously, how often you will change the seat-facing direction? Not alot. How tall you child could be with the maximum weight capability of 37.5lb? Thus can't the toddler use the stroller without the canopy cover? With same two year warranty on both models, brake issue shouldn't be a problem.

We got a brand new bee instead of a floor model because we don't want a beat up stroller for an extra 10% discount ($60) and end up putting four hundred dollars down the drain. Hunting good deal is important, but buying a safe and germs-free baby product is number one essential.

That's how we choose our stroller, hope you could find one that make you feel good.