Any parent to a toddler will tell you that a city stroller is a necessity.
Despite the occasional judgement about pampering toddlers by pushing them-- often by those who have yet to have kids or those who have had them so long ago they have forgotten how it was-- having a stroller that's light, manageable and closes and opens seamlessly is helpful for the child, parents and general crowd.
No one likes to hear a child scream, but expecting a 16kg person, at 110cm tall to walk around shopping malls for the same distance as adults, is unreasonable.
As someone who doesn't own a car, an ultra compact stroller is an ultimate need. It allows me to take my 4-year-old son, Murshid, on buses and trains, accords me with long walks while he sits down and helps me tremendously when we travel.
The best thing about the Bugaboo Butterfly, the upscale Dutch brand's newest city stroller, is its ease to fold and unfold. There is no need to align the stroller's parts like canopy or seat before it becomes fold-ready.
This one is always ready to be folded and unfolded in literally one second. All you need to do is to push two buttons with two fingers, and poof!.. it transforms into a child transporter or folds itself into a tiny suitcase size that you can carry on your shoulder.
So if you are out with your baby alone, you can use one hand to fold or unfold it and the other to keep your child close.
This excellent unfold technology means all it takes is one quick movement and gravity does the rest. There's no foot pressing needed to get the stroller ready for a ride.
MADE FOR THE PASSENGER
Most city strollers focus on the adult user, and rightly so, given that things like lightness and ease of movement are features that adults look for.
But the Bugaboo Butterfly bridges what parents need and how the child feels while being inside. Murshid, for one, is taken by its comfort, so much so that he has relegated his existing stroller for this one.
"It's more comfortable and it has a longer canopy, so when I am tired I can just pull it down and rest," he says.
When we're outdoors, he would unzip the canopy to reveal the "sun roof" and when it rains, there's a rain cover so he doesn't get wet.
We took the stroller to Phuket recently, and on every surface— grass, sand, tarmac, gravel— this stroller came out a champion, thanks to its 4-wheel suspension and an invincible chassis. It's so easy to navigate and there is no complaint about his rides being bumpy, even as we walk on stones at the resort.
It also allowed me to sight-see in the morning and he would gladly follow because he knew it was not going to be a tiring journey.
We took the stroller up to see the Big Buddha and pushed it along the uneven pavements of Phuket Old Town and it was a trooper through and through. When Phuket's scorching sun came up, Murshid just pulled the canopy down and he was safe from heat and glare.
GREAT TRANSPORTER
The Butterfly is made for parents whose baby is growing into a curious and active toddler, so to get the best value out of this stroller, get one when your child is young, like 6 months old.
It can handle a child's weight of up to 22kg and can carry 8kg in its underseat basket. That's an impressive 30kg in total.
It has the roomiest seat of any city stroller, according to the brand, and with its extra padded cushioning and adjustability up to 143°, I could see that my son is relaxed and happier in the Butterfly.
The stroller also comes with a five-point leg rest and a convenient quick-click harness, which clicks into separate slots without parents having to align them to get into one slot. It's perfect for curious toddlers who can just hop off the moment they spot a new adventure.
It also fits neatly under tables, in GrabCar trunks or even in plane's overhead luggage compartments since it's compatible with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards for airline safety and security, among others.
On our way back from Phuket on Malaysia Airlines (MAS) however, we were denied from placing it on the overhead compartment because the cabin crew told my husband that hypothetically, a compact stroller could unfold by itself, undo the compartment's lock, fall down and hurt other passengers.
I have not seen that happen in my years of flying. What I have seen is that when a passenger opened the compartment, a suitcase came tumbling down because it had moved so much during a turbulence that happened before. But airlines don't ban suitcases, do they? They just remind passengers to be careful when opening the overhead compartment.
We flew to Phuket on Batik Air, and none of this drama happened. The stroller was treated like another cabin bag. So no prize for guessing which airline we will choose the next time we take a family holiday.
Other than that, the Butterfly's streamlined, aerodynamic design with elegant curves and precise lines and a seamless integration of form and function, made this a priceless travel companion.
We have had a few strollers in the last four years and this is by far the best. It mixes the handling ease of an adult and the comfort of the passenger in a luxurious stroller that looks and feels like an expensive automobile for a growing toddler.
The Bugaboo Butterfly Stroller is available at Baby Parenting, Bebehaus, Happikiddo and Mothercare Malaysia. For more information, visit bugaboo.com.
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