The Butterfly comes complete with a one hand, one second fold and is ultra compact and portable - making it the perfect choice for parents to travel with.
Tested by
Journalist and parent Cher Whelan is the features editor of Woman and Woman’s Own magazines. She tested the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair with her 2-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter around their hometown in Kent, and also on a family holiday to Majorca.
What were your first impressions of the Bugaboo Butterfly buggy?
I was really impressed with how stylish the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair is and how sturdy it feels compared to other strollers. The material is soft and the stroller comes with a removable seat insert which is padded for extra comfort. It is available in three colours, Midnight Black, Stormy Blue and Forest Green, with all three designs sitting pretty on a black chassis - making it look sleek from the get go.
How easy is the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller to build?
The Butterfly stroller comes already constructed so there is no assembly required and the instructions clearly show how to fold/unfold the pushchair while also providing guidance on how to recline the seat. Bugaboo have also made this handy assembly video, which shows in detail how to fit the seat insert, how to adjust the harness, leg rest and canopy.
The Bugaboo Butterfly vs the Bugaboo Bee6 pushchair – what are the key differences?
With Bugaboo making it clear that the Butterfly stroller isn’t a replacement for its popular city favourite the Bee6, there are some clear differences between both pushchairs.
- The Butterfly is suitable from 6-months+, with the Bee6 appropriate for use from birth. However, the Butterfly stroller can be made suitable from birth with car seat adaptors (which you can purchase separately) and a compatible car seat such as a Maxi Cosi or Bugaboo Turtle Air by Nuna
- The Butterfly is also lighter than the Bee6, weighing in at 7.3kg compared to 9.4kg
- The Butterfly pushchair also has a really spacious basket which holds 8kg, while the Bee6 holds 4kg (although still less than the impressive 10kg capacity for the Bugaboo Dragonfly)
- One major plus point is that the Butterfly buggy is also IATA compatible, which means the stroller can be carried onto most airlines and placed into the overhead locker when folded.
How easy is the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller to push and steer?
Bugaboo have always been ahead of the game when it comes to creating pushchairs which push and steer with minimal effort and the Butterfly buggy is no exception. The wheels do look a bit small compared to other strollers, but don’t let this fool you. I tried the stroller on various types of tough terrain including up and down steep curbs in Spain and on beaches and the Butterfly handled them all really well.
An online reviewer was also impressed by how it fared on different terrains, noting that the buggy “deals with some pretty bumpy surfaces despite the small wheels.”
The Butterfly was fine to manoeuvre on firm, compact sand which impressed me, but did struggle on soft, deep sand (however I’m yet to find a stroller that doesn’t struggle on sandy beaches).
Due to its lightweight frame (7.3kg), the Butterfly buggy was a doddle to push with both my toddler and 6-month-old. A parent tester on our MFMs Facebook page also noted how the push was “lightweight”, adding that due to its smaller wheels “it is really only good on flat surfaces around towns and cities”.
How easy is the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair to fold?
I’ll be honest, I was a bit sceptical when I heard that the Butterfly stroller can be folded single handedly and in just a second. But I was amazed to find that it is true! I can honestly say that the Butterfly is one of the easiest strollers to fold.
- You simply press both of the white buttons on the handle at the same time, push down and forward, and the stroller collapses really compactly
- To unfold it, you press the same two white buttons at the same time and pull the stroller open.
On our family holiday, I found the pram so quick to fold in order to carry up and down stairs and onto coaches. And when it became difficult to push it across the beach, it took just seconds to unstrap my daughter and fold the pushchair down to carry it. Google reviewers also had heaps of praise for the Butterfly’s one hand fold, branding it a “dream to collapse down”, while also adding that it was very easy to put back up again.
How compact is the Bugaboo Butterfly buggy when folded?
It is so compact, it takes up hardly any room in my car boot, and it self-stands too so can easily be taken on buses or trains. I took it on a shuttle and was able to push it on board with my daughter seated in it and then it stood sturdily with the brake on for the journey. A customer review on John Lewis also noted how it felt “more stable” than its competitor the BabyZen YoYo2, with another branding the Butterfly “the Rolls Royce of lightweight cabin-friendly pushchairs”.
Can you take the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller on an airplane?
When folded, the Butterfly stroller is small enough to fit into the overhead lockers on aeroplanes as it is IATA compatible. However, not all airlines allow strollers to be stored in the cabin, so it is worth double checking before flying. I flew with Jet2 and was able to take the Butterfly on board and stow it away safely in the overhead luggage compartments.
Once folded, how easy is it to carry the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair around?
The Butterfly stroller boasts of a super compact fold (45 x 23 x 54 cm) and has a shoulder strap which makes it a breeze to lift and carry handsfree. The footrest can also double up as a handle, creating another way to lift the stroller with ease. Unlike some other buggies, the Butterfly doesn’t come with a bumper bar, which I prefer as it makes lifting when unfolded really simple. You can purchase a bumper bar for an additional £24.95, but considering the Butterfly will already set you back £395, the additional extras make the stroller even more costly, which is an obvious downside.
How spacious is the Bugaboo Butterfly buggy seat unit?
The Bugaboo Butterfly has an extra large seat with a measurement of 63cm, which is great for growing toddlers and is recommended for use up until 4-years-old or max 22kg. The seat unit has a padded insert which is super comfortable and in the words of my 2-year old son, is “very cosy”.
He liked the leg rest, which can be adjusted and set to 5 different positions, but it can also be folded away if preferred. There seems to be a fair amount of growing room for him and I definitely think it will last another year or so before he outgrows it.
Can you clean the Bugaboo Butterfly seat fabric?
The seat can easily be cleaned as the insert is removable, but it isn’t machine washable and needs to be cleaned by hand.
What is the recline like on the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair?
The Butterfly pushchair has a near flat, one-hand recline (111°-145°) and is suitable for babies from 6-months. My daughter is only just 6-months and isn’t sitting up by herself unsupported yet, meaning that even on its lowest recline, she didn’t seem as comfortable as she could be. I would have preferred for her to sleep in a completely flat position, with a parent tester on our Facebook page adding that the backrest is also very upright, making it more comfortable for an older child.
To recline the seat, you simply unfasten the popper on the back of the seat, and then release the white lever to pull the seat down. The recline positions were perfect for my 2-year-old and I found that I could recline it while he was asleep without waking him up as it reclines in a smooth movement.
What do you think of the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair harness?
One of my favourite features of this stroller is the harness as it has a “quick-click’ function, which makes securing your child in and letting them out is a quick and easy step. The straps fasten together into the buckle individually, which made strapping my wriggly toddler in a much smoother and stress free process. I often find that stroller straps are fiddly and get twisted easily but the straps on the Butterfly don’t get tangled as they are all separate.
To adjust the harness, you simply just pull on the straps. To open the harness, you press the white button on the buckle and all four straps unclick. My son has become a bit of an expert at unbuckling himself from strollers, but he couldn’t defeat the Butterfly and he remained strapped in, despite his best efforts.
What is the Bugaboo Butterfly hood like?
The Butterfly pushchair comes complete with a large 4-panel sun canopy with breezy panel to protect from the sun and wind. It feels really sturdy and comes down quite far and extends further by unzipping a mesh panel.
The hood creates a superb amount of shade, with the mesh panel also great for keeping an eye on your child and creates extra airflow on warm days. However, a review on John Lewis noted that like the BabyZen YoYo2, they “wish it had a pocket on the back of the hood” for extra storage.
Is the handle on the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair extendable?
The handle height on the Butterfly pushchair can’t be adjusted, but I found that it is fixed at quite a comfortable height anyway and wasn’t too high or low for me (I’m 5ft 5in). My husband is 6ft and also found the handle height comfortable. The handle is leather which not only gives a stylish look to the stroller, it also feels comfortable to grip and the wrist strap is a welcome feature too for added safety when walking down hills.
How effective are the brakes on the Bugaboo Butterfly?
The brake pedal on the Butterfly is located on the centre of the chassis and on other strollers with similar positioned pedals, I've found they can be kicked by accident. However, I didn’t have this problem with the Butterfly as it does take a bit of force to put the brake on. The stroller feels really sturdy with the brake on and stood strong when I took it on a shuttle bus.
Much like similar pushchairs in this field, notably the BabyZen YoYo2, the brake isn’t very flip flop friendly as you need to push the pedal up with the top of your foot in order to release it.
How big is the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller basket?
The basket on the Butterfly buggy is really spacious and can hold up to 8kg - that’s double what the Bugaboo Bee6 can accommodate with its 4kg basket limit.
I often find the baskets on strollers to be quite small or difficult to access, but the basket on this pushchair really does do the job. It’s accessible from the front and back, and I managed to carry loads in it including two large beach towels, water bottles and a bucket and spade.
Can the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair be used with a car seat to create a travel system?
With the purchase of car seat adaptors, the Butterfly can be used with a car seat to create a travel system and therefore be suitable for newborns. This is a great option for parents looking for a stroller that will grow with their child from birth. Compatible car seats include Bugaboo Turtle Air by Nuna and the Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus.
How does the Bugaboo Butterfly compare to similar compact fold pushchairs?
| Product name | Weight (kg) | Folded Size (Hcm x Wcm x Lcm) | RRP (£) |
|---|
| Bugaboo Butterfly | 7.3kg | H:45cm W: 23cm L: 54 cm | £395 |
| Babyzen YoYo2 | 6.1kg | H:52cm W:44cm L:18cm | £399 |
| Bugaboo Ant | 7.2kg | H:55cm W:38cm L:23cm | £310 |
| Silver Cross Jet 3 | 5.9kg | H: 20cm W:30cm L:55cm | £345 |
What’s in the box?
- Chassis with wheels
- Seat with with base fabric set
- Seat inlay
- Sun canopy
- Underseat basket
- Integrated leg rest
- Carry strap
- Rain cover
What additional accessories can you buy?
I was a bit disappointed that the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller doesn’t come with a travel bag and there isn’t one specifically for the Butterfly that you can purchase either. However, you can purchase the following Bugaboo accessories if desired:
Who would the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair be most suitable for?
The Bugaboo Butterfly stroller is a perfect choice for parents on the go, who travel a lot, use public transport and for those who are short on space at home or who have limited boot space in their car. The ability to fold it in a second, single handedly and the fact that it is lightweight and convenient to carry, makes life so much easier for all parents.
Is the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller good value for money?
The Butterfly sits at the top end of the stroller market, but it has so many great features to justify its hefty price tag. It looks stylish, robust, easy to fold and I particularly loved how compact it is. It made travelling with children stress free, which in my opinion, is worth every penny!
Where can I buy the Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair?
It is available from Bugaboo, Mamas & Papas and Natural Baby Shower
The Bugaboo Butterfly pushchair is the perfect companion for families who want a stylish, compact and sturdy stroller for all types of adventures, from beach holidays to city life. The one second, single handed fold was a game changer for me and I’m so impressed with a stroller that folds so compactly, is still very robust and looks the part.
When travelling, I loved the convenience of being able to stow the Bugaboo Butterfly stroller neatly in the overhead locker on the plane as it meant my daughter could remain seated right up until we boarded. I also didn’t need to worry about it getting damaged in the hold.
Other than the fact the seat doesn’t recline to a completely flat position (which isn’t a dealbreaker for me), I really can’t find fault with this stroller - as long as it’s in your price range.
