Planning on Having More Than One Kid? Then This Is the (Fancy!) Stroller for You

You’re pregnant. Congrats! Take a few moments to savor the news, envision your future with baby … and then it’s time to get serious and begin researching strollers. I’m kidding. Sort of.

The stroller market is laden with options, from flimsy to frivolous and figuring out which is best for you, your lifestyle and your growing family can be super freaking daunting.

Luckily, I’m here to help. As a mom of four little kids I know a thing or two about strollers. And if you’re like me and planning on expanding your family rather quickly, Bugaboo’s new stroller lineup has your name all over it.

Launched in November, the Donkey2 is unlike any other stroller I’ve seen in that it can grow horizontally from a single to a side-by-side double stroller. Typically, strollers that "grow" involve the parent attaching a rumble seat below the original seat, which is convenient but can at times result in a front-heavy ride (especially when your bigger, heavier kid is down below). These configurations also don’t typically allow you to have both a rumble seat and a bassinet, which is a huge selling point of the Donkey2. With a couple of clicks of the metal chassis, you’re able to extend the entire frame of the stroller, going from a Mono to Duo. While the weight obviously increases with the addition of a baby, the displacement of those pounds is even and seamless. Bugaboo is also offering the Donkey2 in a Twin format, where you can have your babies in side-by-side car seats (with the purchase of adapters), bassinets and then, when they’re big enough, place them in seats (which can either both face outwards, face you, or face in opposite directions).

What I’m trying to get at here is this stroller’s extendable frame offers overwhelmed new parent exactly what they’re looking for: OPTIONS.

Think you might only have one kid … but you’re not really sure? Go with the Mono, and if baby number two happens, buy the additional seat down the road. Already have a toddler and are pregnant with number two? Go with the Duo, which comes with two seats and one bassinet. Twins on the way? Then it’s time to hunker down and buy the Twin … and maybe a membership to a wine club, because you’re going to need that, too. 

Beyond flexibility, here’s what I also like about the Donkey2, in no particular order. For one, it’s fancy, yo! Not that I’m a brand you-know-what (rhymes with bore, snore, and core), but when I rolled up to my daughter’s school last week with my infant and 3-year-old in the Duo, I was met with “oohs” and “ahhs” and flocked by envious moms, peppering me with questions about my new ride. That’s right, the Bugaboo is akin to pulling up in a Bentley or sitting down to lunch with a new Chanel bag on your arm. It’s expensive and everyone knows it and well, for some of us, that’s kind of a selling point.

Second, its quality defends its price. Bugaboo ditched the original Donkey’s air-pumped wheels in favor of big foam ones, which ultimately means that while fancy, this stroller is not dainty. It can tackle bumpy city sidewalks just as easily rough terrain if you decide to go off-roading with your kiddos. Handle bars are big point of concern for my family because I’m 5'4 and my husband is 6’2 and we need to be able to adjust the handle bar height on a whim, which this stroller does with two quick snaps. More on the handle bar: it’s got a lovely padded leather wrap that makes for comfortable steering that can all be done with one hand — yes, even when you’re carrying 50-plus pounds of precious cargo. Also luxurious? The seat canopies, which can extend to provide a near blackout-level of shade and are the smoothest, coziest fabric.

Third, and this is a big selling point for me, the stroller is plain ol’ intuitive. A quick backstory for you: five years ago, I mistakenly decided to take my baby to a Home Goods in Brooklyn during a snowstorm. Stupid, I know. Rookie mistake. Upon leaving with multiple shopping bags, I put my daughter in our car that was double parked with hazard lights on and tried to fold up her stroller. And then I tried again. And again. And then I pulled up a YouTube video tutorial on how to close this particular stroller, and I tried again, to no avail. And then I cried. A mother walking by took pity on me, stopped, watched the YouTube video again with me, and together we somehow got the stroller to fold up. I was frantic, sweating and felt like a failure. There was nothing, NOTHING intuitive about that stroller, and getting it to close required just the right amount of pressure, hand placement and in my opinion, magic fairy dust.

The Donkey2 is the opposite of this. Upon testing it out, with nary a manual in sight, I just started playing around with latches and buttons and voila, the seats popped out and/or reclined, the tires locked, the handle bar extended and the frame folded up. This is worth more than I can explain because believe me, you never want to find yourself on a traffic-laden Brooklyn block one day with zero idea how to get your stroller to fold.

Lastly, storage! Every parent needs storage for sippy cups, rattles, burp cloths, wallets, and more and there is plenty of that in the Donkey2 thanks to the ample underseat basket, and the side luggage basket (which is only usable when in Mono mode and now comes with a zipped cover to keep baby’s hands out!). 

There are lot of parental purchases that you're going to make and ultimately regret — a diaper wipe warmer, for example, or that cashmere baby blanket you splurged on. But the Donkey2 isn't one them. So listen to your Stroller Fairy Godmother and get yourself the most flexible ride on the market, you won't be sorry and neither will your bambinos.