Bugaboo Frog paranoia and questions!

[elibelli]

Hello,
Sign me up for paranoid mother to be of the year :) My DH and I just purchased a Bugaboo Frog online from BabyUniverse.com and recieved it yesterday. We put it together (though baby isn't here yet) to be sure all pieces were there and intact.


1. Everything is there and nothing is broken, however I have some concerns about the bassinet. When it is clipped onto the chassis it seems to be easy to move or rock back and forth (from head to toe). Is that ok?

2. I also have concerns about the bassinet off of the chassis. The board included in the bassinet leads to visions of baby falling right through. The whole bassinet just doesn't seem as stable as I'd envisioned. What are your feelings on this?

3. Also, on the bassinet there are the two "legs" that hook into the chassis. When the bassinet is off of the chassis those two legs do not seem to allow the bassinet to lay flat. Is there a way to do this? DH thinks it makes for easier rocking for the baby, but I'm unsure.

4. And finally, the dumbest question of the year, with the mattress/sleeping bag included with the frog...did you really feel safe putting the baby IN the sleeping bag part??? It's very high up for such a long bassinet.

Thank you for dealing with an emotional/crazy pregnant woman ;)

[smokey26]

I'm not sure how helpful this is...I have not used my bassinet in since April 05 so I'm trying to remember here...

I am not sure about 1. It's hard to tell whether this is a problem or not, I can't envision what you mean exactly. I would make sure it is fully clicked in both sides. Is there a retailer nearby that stocks it or someone else who has one near you, so you can check theirs and compare?

2 & 3 I can answer - the Frog bassinet is not meant to be used independently off the chassis. It was a complaint that I think they *might* have addressed in the Chameleon (but I don't know for sure).

As for 4 - I am not sure what you are talking about. This might be a part I never used since I'm in LA. I did have the mattress in the bottom of the bugaboo, but I don't quite know what you mean by sleeping bag. Is this the footmuff? I thought that wasn't included. There's like an apron thing that attaches to the top of the bassinet - that's a windshield basically. Is that what you mean?

Julie

[elibelli]

Hi Julie,
Thanks for your help. It is fully clicked, I think it may be that it is only "supported" in the middle so there has to be a teeny bit of movement. I just hadn't thought there would be for some reason. There is a retailer near who has the strollers, so we may just have to wander over there and compare.

As far as the sleeping bag...our mattress includes a kind of zip on portion (It came fully zipped, I didn't realize it "unzipped" until this afternoon) that I believe acts as a blanket for the baby. They didn't call it a sleeping bag, that's just what it looks like to me :) We don't have the footmuff. It's definitely our matress that looks like a sleeping bag.

[shilo]

ok, i'll take a stab, but like pp i haven't used my bassinet since september or so of '05.

1. when you hear the click on both sides, and you're sure it's cliped and locked on, then the bassinete/seat does still have a little bit of play (maybe 1cm up and down??). this is normal for all the frogs i've seen. i think bugaboo has a FAQ somewhere online that states that it's part of the design in that it absorbs some of the jostle to give the baby a better ride.

2. hmm, you're worried b/c the board is thin balsa type wood? it's nice and lightweight, and i can't remember ever feeling unsure about it. the canvas is really strong, i can't imagine it would give thru with the weight of a normal kiddo unless it was a toddler jumping on it :). if it makes you feel better, look up the weight limit on it and throw some dumbells in there to simulate that weight. :).

3. nope, the bassinet doesn't really lay totally flat on the floor. i used it several times down on the floor while traveling during his first 4 mos. it does wind up on a little bit of an incline, but not enough that he ever even slid an inch down in the thing while swaddled. even when it's on the chassis, you'll notice that it sits with a tiny incline if i remember right. i think it's designed to keep baby's head just a tiny bit elevated when baby is in the 'facing you' mode? if it bothers you and you want it flat on the floor, put a folded beach towel or something under either end to support it so that just the bar touches in the middle

4. i can't look at mine directly b/c it's in storage. now that you say that, i think i vaguely remember a zipper that went up around the top half circumferentially? check the manual/cd that came with it. unless it specifically calls it a sleeping bag, i think it's just a zipper meant for removing the cover to launder it. i only used it as a mattress - i just bought a package of elastic fitted basinete sheets at target and put a cut-to-size piddle pad/waterproof sheet down between the matress cover and the sheet *just in case*.

even if they say in the manual it is a sleeping bag, if it doesn't make you comfortable, don't use it as such :).

i did use the little apron thing that comes with the frog (not the separately sold quilted footmuff) occasionally with the bassinet for wind protection like pp said. but for us the apron was more valuable as a lightweight footmuff/storage compartment once he was in the seat, not the bassinet. this isn't a recommended use by bugaboo, but it works great. i could stash a binky, wallet, keys, blanket, etc in there when we were out walking in the fall easily. it was enough wind protection for us in winter over pants or a light blanket (in california) that the only time i wound up using one of those bundle-me things was up in lake tahoe in the snow.

hth, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

ps... the emotional/crazy pregnant woman thing is NORMAL :).

[elibelli]

Hi Lori,
Thank you so much for your answers. You've addressed everything perfectly and I feel much better :)