Silver Cross pram? Don't be silly. Maclaren or iCandy? Pish posh. The Duchess of Cambridge has snubbed these esteemed British brands and instead chosen a Bugaboo Cameleon stroller made by a Dutch company. This puts the expectant mother in the company of such celebrity parents as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Amy Poehler, Elton John, Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller. Consumer Reports hasn't tested the royal stroller but its brandmate, the Bugaboo Bee, was a solid although not stellar performer in our tests.
Spare and sleek in design, Bugaboo attracted a star following with its special-edition fabrics designed by the likes of Andy Warhol, Marc Jacobs and Missoni and by pairing with such partners as Hello Kitty. That styling doesn't come cheap—the Bugaboo Cameleon costs $889 for the frame and seat and nearly $1,600 if you add a bassinet and other extras. The average price of the all-terrain strollers in our Ratings is $300.
In our stroller tests, the Bugaboo Bee, $600, a combination stroller, was excellent on the maneuverability test and easy to use. It folded compactly and, with its adjustable handle, a child can face forward or back. It's also simple for parents of varied heights to find a comfortable handle setting. They're expensive, but Bugaboo strollers have the advantage of being usable from birth to about 37 pounds—the weight of an average 3 1/2-year-old.
If you covet a celebrity stroller like the Bugaboo but don't have a royal checkbook, you may find a secondhand model. Before you buy, check the stroller recall notices issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In March, 10,000 Bugaboo Cameleons were recalled because the stroller's carrying handle could break and detach. Two months earlier, 50,000 Bugaboo Cameleon and Bugaboo Donkey strollers were recalled because a button on the stroller's carrying handle could become disengaged, causing it to detach. The company has received 75 reports of handles detaching but no reports of injuries.
Parents who prefer all-terrain strollers may want to consider our top-rated stroller of that type, the InSTEP Safari AR245, and at $150 it's a CR Best Buy. Two other Best Buys, the Baby Trend Expedition LX, $135, and the Jeep Liberty Limited, $150, followed closely behind. All were were easy to maneuver both on and off road. Perhaps at the royal family's Balmoral Estate.