the bug in the bugaboo
Wow! Fifty-some comments on my merbaby post! Toby is going to accuse me of exploiting our child to gain popularity again. Really I’m not. I’m just sharing. It would be wrong to keep all that cuteness to myself, right? I don’t know, this is hard for me. I love blogging so much but I waffle on the subject of privacy. At what point am I exposing my baby to too much. As one friend put it, “it only takes one sicko”. But on the other hand, so much good has come from this website. The friends I’ve met, the gifts I’ve received for Baby Bug, the constant encouragement of all your positive comments… nothing but good has come from this site. Please say a prayer that it stays that way.
Today I have some more cute pictures of Baby Bug. This time in the Bugaboo-mobile in the seated position. I’ve been itching to change out the bassinet to the seat for months. It just seems like it would be so much more fun for her to see where she’s going instead of laying down looking up at the sky all the time. I read the whole bugaboo manual and they recommend that you wait until your baby is six months old or able to hold their head up. Well, Baby Bug is only two months old but she can hold her head up all day long.
Turns out maybe I should wait until she’s six months old. She was good for the first ten minutes but then she started crying. I think it was a little scary for her. Just too much stimulus at one time. Usually when we go walking, I put her in the sling facing towards me and she falls asleep. She likes to be constantly entertained but maybe looking at the great big world coming at you is just too much entertainment.
While I’m talking about the bugaboo, I thought I should mention something that came up recently. As you know, I spent a fortune on this stroller and it should be perfect right? It should be dipped in gold for what I paid for it. Well, it is nearly perfect. I still feel it’s the best stroller out there for me because it’s so versatile BUT… lately my wonder bugaboo had a problem. It veered.
Veering is not a good thing. Especially if you’re the stereotypical Newport Nancy type mom (like I try not to be but end up being anyway) with my starbucks in one hand and my cell phone in the other and my elbow pushing the stroller. I usually don’t use my elbow to push the stroller but I could. I love it that I can maneuver this thing with my pinky finger if I want to. So when it started veering to the left, I was quite distressed.
I thought maybe it was my fault because I use this stroller every day. I go over rocks, up and down curbs, through mud and grime and often sideways across driveways that slant at an angle. Maybe it was my fault for driving it so hard. Maybe I tweaked the frame. But really, shouldn’t an $800 stroller be able to handle a little tweaking?
I was so bummed and embarrassed and disappointed. I was going to just keep it to myself and keep on pushing my stroller that always wanted to go left. I figured I’d just get really buff in one arm for always trying to correct for the veer. But a friend told me I had to take it back. I either had to take it up with Bugaboo Corporate or take it back to the store.
Resigned, I dug out my warranty card (that I never filled out, surprise surprise) and started filling it out. Then I came to the spot where you are supposed to put in the serial number and I couldn’t find a serial number anywhere. So I called up BabyStyle (the store I bought it at) and asked them. While the sales girl looked the info up for me, I told her about my little veering problem.
Well, guess what! The sales girl told me to bring it right in for a new chassis! I didn’t have to take it up with Bugaboo. The store handled it, no questions asked. They didn’t care that I had spilled coffee down one side. They didn’t mind the rocks and grime stuck in the tire tread. They just took my left-favoring chassis and gave me a new one right off the sales floor.
The woman helping me said I was the second person to bring my Bugaboo back for a veering problem. I’m thinking Bugaboo might have a design flaw. So if you’re thinking of purchasing a Bugaboo (and I still strongly recommend it. I love it love it love it.) please check it first. The best way to check it is to give the stroller a little push forward on a level surface and watch it. A good stroller should coast a few feet straight without turning left or right. Mine took an obvious turn to the left and almost knocked a display of stuffed animals over.
But now I have a new chassis and it works perfectly.
All’s well that ends well.
p.s. The hand pushing the stroller is Baby Bug’s grandma’s hand not mine. Just in case you were wondering.
16 Comments
Abbey
Love the picture where her one fist is in the air…very ‘power to the people!’
So cute…
BeachMama
How great that you are still loving your Bugaboo. The only thing that would bother me is that it doesn’t have a cup holder! I love my cup holder. Can you purchase an add on like the ones for joggers?
josephine
I’ve heard you can. Some little store in Santa Barbara sells them. I still need to do my research on that though.
Liane
I love your pictures and stories. It’s fun to observe especially when you are going through the infant stuff yourself. I know what you mean about the privacy issues and have had the same questions myself but I’m glad you share!
mar
As much as I hate to agree with the big bad manufacturers, I found this to be true with both my kids. Although they can hold their heads up doesn’t mean they should, or want to all the time. Ten minutes here or there – great. More than that, it’s too much for them – between the muscle control, the overstimulation, etc. For both of my kids, they were just over 5 months old before I could strap them in sitting up.
Does the Bugaboo adjust to go all the way flat when the bassinett is not in it? This way you could sit her up for a few minutes here and there, and when she’s tired, just lay her flat. Best of both worlds then.
Yea, for $800 it should come with roadside assistance … glad the swap was so easy!
Steph
My hubby has worried about the same type of security stuff. I try to be careful but for me it’s been nothing but fun times and nothing scary. I love your Bugaoo and it’s a good thing I won’t be having anymore babies cause my hubby would freak…..hey baby I need $800 for a stroller!!! LOL If you check out my blog I have been getting lots of new baby love from my new God Daughter!!! It’s fun to cuddle and love them and then send them back!!! I forget how much 24/7 it is. KUDOS to you SAJ for keeping your sense of humor and sharing with us!!!
jess
Whew! I thought your hand had aged incredibly since babybug was born!
lainey
Glad you got the stoller fixed without a hassle.
I missed your mermaid post until today…..that it absolutely THE cutest thing I have ever seen!!! Baby Bug is so adorable it makes my face hurt from smiling at her!
Daisy Mae
Congrats on the easy fix of the Bugaboo problem. All of lifes problems should be so easy, eh? I hope the new bugaboo doesn’t have the veering problem. I had a wheel come off of one of my strollers with my youngest (who is now 17). The Mfg wouldn’t fix it but did offer to send me a new part for $50. I passed.
I was wondering about that hand actually. Tee-hee.
PJ
Every day I come for my Baby Bug fix. But I can stop any time I want…yeah…really… No I can’t! She’s just too cute! ^_^
The mermaid outfit was ADORABLE! I can easily imagine she loves kicking her legs in it. After the party are you still going to let her play dress-up? The kicking is a natural baby-thing (my son did it with his blanket) and probably good for her legs! Not to mention the cuteness factor…. ;-)
I’m glad to hear there are still some islands of true customer service left in the world. How great that they didn’t hassle you – I imagine the store will keep your business? And I would definitely find a way to attach a drink holder of some kind.
And yeah, their little necks get tired after a while. An aching neck and too much sensory input probably made her cranky. But you handled it – and the stroller problem – cause you’re a great mom!
Hope it’s sunnier down there than up here!
~PJ~
Jessie
She honestly just keeps getting cuter every day!
As for the Bugaboo – isn’t getting good customer service the best?
DeeJay
Wow, that’s what I call customer service!! Great deal on that one! Baby Bug is just adorable. I hope you never have to take your site down due to some sicko.
ginger incognito
While it isn’t dipped in gold (and I agree, it should be), I’m glad the Bugaboo works so well for you! And that Babystyle could send you home with a new one. They really are a great store! So is This Little Piggy Wears Cotton, if you ever want to check them out, too. They have a store in Fashion Island, not too far from Babystyle. And if you’re interested in cup holders, Safety 1st makes a pretty decent one. I’ve seen them at Target and Babies R Us, but I’m sure you can find them elsewhere, too.
jen
brenda, I just wanted to say that you are one of my favorite bloggers. you write it like it is, which makes your experience really valuable to someone like me because i can trust that you are really writing what you feel and not “tweaking” it to sound like your life is a movie or something. i love that you did not stop writing when baby bug was born and that you share your sometimes conflicted feelings about being a mom. keep it up and keep on truckin’ (I’d insert a picture of a foot here like in those 70s tshirts). OH PS you are a GREAT ideas woman! I wish I had one tenth the creative impulse you have.
josephine
Thank you Jen!
Ninotchka
That is one zippy stroller. I’ve admired them from afar. I think Guy might DIE if I ever proposed buying an $800 stroller. HA HA HA I’m glad you were able to get it fixed. The Bug looks adorable in it. Of course, she’d look adorable in a paper sack. She is such a cutie!