Sorry this could be a bit of an epic review. I have tackled the mothership of many of us Pramaholics out there... The Bugaboo Cameleon. I wouldn't begin to admit how many strollers I have been through in my three years of motherhood. But in my defence I am not frivolous, I sell on what I am not currently using and this usually funds my latest fix. I finally took the plunge with the Bugaboo Cameleon. I have had a Bugaboo Gecko in the past and really liked it but it didn't suit my circumstances at the time as I really needed a double at the time, but now a single stroller is fine and as I don't see myself having more children and my daughter was almost a year old I thought it was nigh on time I joined the yummy mummy club with a Bugaboo.

My Bugaboo Cameleon has cost me more than what my first car cost. How is that for shameful, unnecessary and downright scandalous? Do I regret spending the money? Absolutely not. I am in love with it. It is currently getting more attention than my husband.

I am going to review this thoroughly. Reviews about strollers are very important to those who are looking for one. The price of this one in particular is frightening and anyone out there who is interested in it might find my opinion useful.



What's so special about the Bugaboo Cameleon?
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If you are not in the market for a pram then you probably haven't noticed what the celebrities are pushing. But it is very strange, once you become pregnant you suddenly find yourself checking out the wheels of other mothers. Then when you see a star in the magazines you see strollers that just look fantastic, and you will see a lot of celebrities pushing the Bugaboo Cameleon (Hello Gwen Stefani, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Naomi Watts!) I am very familiar with Bugaboo through work but felt at a retail price of £740 it was a bit silly, but still, I had this yearning to try it. People had bought them when I was working in the shop and they had returned months later raving about it, and that isn't something that happens with every stroller.

As my daughter's birthday approached I flogged all of the things that she had grown out of on eBay- bouncers, clothes, old toys, moses basket, you name it, if I didn't need it, it went. After a few weeks I had enough to buy the Cameleon (using my work discount of course as it'd take me forever to raise £740 through EBay!)

Don't get me wrong, I did think twice when it came to purchasing it. It was such a huge outlay and my baby girl is not so much a baby anymore, she has started to take a step or two now, but she is dainty and will fit in it for ages yet. Looking at the resale value of it, I took the leap and left that evening with my Dark Grey base and pink fabrics in the boot of my car.

Assembly and Following Instructions
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I have missed out the Carry Cot feature of the Cameleon altogether as my daughter is well past that stage. But I can explain how it works to you. When you get your box with your Bugaboo you will receive

1) Bugaboo Chassis
2) Bugaboo Seat Frame
3) Wheels
4) Seat Fabric (You attach this fabric to the Seat frame)
5) Carry Cot Fabric and mattress (This Velcro's on to your Seat Frame if you are not using the Seat Fabric
6) Under seat basket with Rain cover and Insect net inside
7) A Box with your hood fabric, carry cot apron seat cover inside.



The first thing to do is to pop your wheels on your chassis, You unfold the chassis by bringing the handle upwards and pressing your foot down firmly on the bar that the front wheels attach to, kick out this bar (it should swing out quite easily but can be stiff on new models) and then your chassis will stand. Easy peasy, just click on the large rear wheels into the sockets then click the small coaster wheels on to the front.

At this stage you may wonder why the handle of the pushchair doesn't click into place. This is the design of the pram. It is flexible until you attach the carry cot or seat, then it becomes safe and secure.

To make your Carrycot there are Velcro fasteners that fasten the basket on to the seat frame, it also has little struts to keep it stable and a little mattress in the bottom. This mattress has an airflow layer, making the Cameleon suitable for night time sleeping. Not a lot of carry cots are suitable for this, so that is one of the features that bumps up the price of the Bugaboo.

Inside your box of fabrics there is a little rectangular one, this zips on to your carry cot and becomes the apron. You then take your hood fabric from the box and insert the canopy wires and attach this to the seat frame. If you are not using the carry cot, at this stage you should slip your seat fabric over the seat frame instead of velcroing on the carry cot, and slip the two eyelets over the supports. This is quite hard to do. I needed my husband to do it for me. You put your coloured seat cover over this and clip the hood on then. Et viola, ready to go. Click your seat frame on to the two prongs on the chassis and your Cameleon is ready to rock.

Features
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There are many features with your Cameleon. Some of them are unique to the brand, others are just quite desirable.

* Reversible Seat Unit - your child can face either you or the world.
* Gel Foam filled Tyres - Allowing for all-terrain walking with no punctures
* Adjustable Handle- Switch the handle to allow you to lead with the large wheels or the small wheels
* Adjustable Suspension - Adjust to suit your child's weight
* Beach Mode - Can be used on two wheels in the sand for ease of use
* Adjustable Height Handle - If one of you is very tall this is a good feature
* Suitable for Over night Sleeping
* Wide colour scheme to suit your personality

You can change the colour of your Bugaboo by simply buying yourself a new set of fabrics, currently the available colours are

Base Colours:
Dark Grey
Dark Brown
Dark Blue
Orange
Red
Sand

Top Colours
Pink
Blue
Red
Black
Orange
Sand

You can choose any combination you want. Also at the moment there are designer fabrics from Paul Frank. These are a little more expensive but are extremely cool. You also have a wealth of accessories, from the wheeled transport bag to the little cup holder. All come with hefty Bugaboo Prices, but that's the way it is when you are buying this pram. Also, I should add that the fabrics are fully washable.

My Experiences
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Definitely not a space-saver stroller at all, this is a 2 part folder meaning that you will always have to remove the seat frame from the chassis to fold it. I don't find this a problem as I have a lot of boot space, but before you buy this, imagine yourself on a cold rainy day in town, do you have the time and patience for that extra moment it takes? A cheapy umbrella stroller will do an adequate job and take 2 seconds to fold. Also, the fold requires some practice. I have rescued new mums in car parks over the years who have managed to get into a tangle with their Cameleon- you can end up in some odd positions trying to get it folded!

I have not encountered any issues like this, but I knew what to expect when I got it. Three years of drooling over the Bugaboo and I knew exactly what I was getting. These small points are little payment for a fabulously smooth ride for my daughter; she is as snug as a bug in her seat, has loads of room and glides over any surface easily. I took the Cameleon into our local cemetery recently and it has a gravel path, I expected a lot of friction and pushing but it was excellent, it just pushed over the gravel as if it were a smooth surface.

We also tried out the beach mode during the summer although in general we do not have much reason to use it. Although it looked odd to have a two-wheeled buggy, it was really easy to drag along the shoreline. It didn't sink into the wet sand at all.

My daughter who is now 13 months has loads of room, in fact my three year old can still sit in the seat unit, although I have never actually pushed him in it, I just tested him!

Recommend?
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Do I love it? Oh my goodness yes, I love it. I am superficial enough to love people commenting on its looks, but it is more than that, it is truly the easiest pram I have ever pushed. But the question would I recommend it is a toughie. If I didn't work where I work and get a good price on the stroller then there is no way on earth that I would have, or would have been able to pay £740 for a pushchair. No one needs to buy a pram at that price. Prams half that price will do a perfectly good job.

But...

If you do have the budget, it is really the best on the market in my humble opinion, and I am a bit of a woman with loose morals when it comes to prams... I have been around them all and never shown any loyalty until now. I think this may be my last pram review. I have reached the Holy Grail at last.

Lulu2004 ©