Bugaboo Butterfly Stroller Review

Bugaboo Butterfly

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How it Compares

The Bugaboo Butterfly is a high-quality and relatively high-priced lightweight, regular-use or travel stroller.

The Butterfly is the replacement for the now-discontinued Bugaboo Ant compact stroller. The Butterfly scored in the top 3 in our testing and received one of our buy recommendations.

Related Reading: Best Lightweight Strollers (100 Tests)

Most Common Complaints

We read all of the critical reviews about the Butterfly and summarized both the complaint and our own experience below. We have not experienced pilling of the fabric or scratches on the frame. It is possible that Bugaboo has addressed those problems or that they only occur for certain color options.

Criticism	Our Experience
Folding and unfolding is awkward	We folded 20 different strollers many times over and found the Bugaboo to be exceptionally easy to fold.
Carry strap inaccessible when folded	True. There is a nice carry strap but it gets sandwiched inside the frame when the stroller is folded.
Two buttons required to fold and unfold	Yes, there is a release button and a fold button but it is easy to push both of them at the same time with the same hand. Most strollers use a similar mechanism.
Lock feature on foot rest requires two hands to release	True. The buttons on both sides have to be pressed at the same time.
Not very compact	The stroller is 2 cubic feet when folded which is more compact than most other strollers.
Does not recline completely flat	It reclines to a 28 degree angle which is not flat, but usable for naps.
Does not fold compactly with the bumper bar	We did not attempt to fold it with the bumper bar which is a separate accessory.
Fabric quickly pills	We haven’t experienced pilling and haven’t noticed any quality problems with the fabric.
Not good on unpaved or uneven terrain	Agreed. It did not do well in our rough terrain testing.
Scratches easily	Ours hasn’t, but a number of customers have complained that the plastic frame scratches easily.
The brake broke soon after purchase	We haven’t had problems with the quality of the brake. Sometimes the brake doesn’t immediately engage when we press it the first time.

Testing and Research

We purchased 20 of the most popular and best-reviewed umbrella strollers to perform hands-on testing, comparing greater than 100 tests and measurements in the areas of Ease of Use, Folding, Steering, Quality and Kid Comfort.

Our Review Video

Weight and Folded Size

The lightest strollers were between 11 and 13 lbs and the Bugaboo Butterfly weighs. 16.1 lbs. Despite its extra weight the Butterfly folds very compactly to only 2.0 ft³.

While its folded size is slightly larger than the 22″x14″x9″ guidelines for most domestic, US airlines, you may still be able to carry it on and stow it in overhead bins. Just depends on the airline and how closely they are checking.

Steering and Maneuverability

The Bugaboo Butterfly steers and maneuvers relatively well on smooth surfaces. It doesn’t travel over gravel or rough terrain without lots of effort.

On flat surfaces, the Butterfly had less wheel vibration and associated noise than any other stroller.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

Lightweight umbrella strollers are great for jumping curbs. This Bugaboo is average when it comes to the amount of downward force needed to lift the front wheels over a curb.

The Butterfly does a better job than most other strollers at going straight without veering to one side or the other. The table below shows the number of inches the Butterfly traveled without veering off the center-line.

Tendency to Veer

Bugaboo Butterfly	232 in	232 in
Britax B-Lively (high)	299 in	299 in
Average	165 in	165 in
Dream On Me (low)	90 in	90 in

Ease of Use

The storage basket under the Bugaboo Butterfly is larger, has a higher weight limit and is more accessible than those on most strollers. It is .75 cubic feet and holds up to 18 lbs.

The bar that runs across the top of the basket sometimes gets in the way. I like being able to access the basket from the front and back of the stroller.

Storage Capacity:

Unfortunately, the stroller doesn’t come with a parent console or any other pockets or cubbies. Organizers, cup holders, and smartphone holders can be purchased separately.

The canopy can be unzipped to reveal a large mesh section that allows you to see your baby. This pekaboo window also provides a significant amount of ventilation.

The canopy is sturdy and easy to operate.

The Butterfly handle is a refined faux leather that feels well-made. It is 39″ high and is not adjustable. This handle height is workable for the majority of parents.

There is a safety strap attached to the handle you can use to keep the stroller from running away from you, but is really only necessary on hills.

There is a very small amount of give where the handle attaches to the frame. Generally, the handle feels rigid and secure even while pushing older, bigger children.

The Butterfly, probably because of its weight and wheel configuration was a bit more likely to tip over sideways than other compact strollers in our tip-over test.

We unboxed and set up the Bugaboo in 3 minutes flat. Fortunately, it was easy because the user manual isn’t organized well.

There is a single brake pedal that stops both back wheels. It is comfortable to press down to engage and doesn’t hurt sandaled feet to disengage.

However, sometimes we have to push the pedal more than once to get it to lock in place.

The Butterfly’s buckle is solid and reliable, but you have to snap in all four harness clips each time. Many strollers only require two snaps to take care of a 5-point harness.

The recline mechanism is a simple pull on the handle to lower the seat. Raising it back up is equally simple with a tug on the recline strap.

The Bugaboo harnesses are some of the easiest we’ve found to adjust. Buckles on both the hip and shoulder straps move smoothly to release or tighten the straps.

A car seat adapter is sold separately. It is compatible with certain Nuna, Clek, Cybex, Kiddy Evolution and Maxi-Cosi infant car seats. And is of course compatible with the Bugaboo Turtle Air and Turtle One car seats.

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the Bugaboo Butterfly” video:

The Butterfly opens and folds in only a couple of seconds. It can be folded with one hand and the whole operation is fast and easy.

Fold Ratings:

It is among the smallest strollers folded at 2.0 cubic feet, but as we mentioned above, it is 3 inches wider than some airlines allow in an overhead compartment.

The Butterfly stays folded when you carry it. The pad is comfortable but the strap may not be as long as you prefer.

To open the Butterfly you press the white release button on the handle and squeeze the fold button while pulling the stroller upward to an unfolded position.

The Bugaboo Butterfly comes in three colors:

• Midnight Black
• Forest Green
• Stormy Blue

Kid Comfort

The Butterfly has a cushioned, plush seat. It is comfortable but in its fully upright position, it reclines at 51 degrees. This is similar to sitting in a recliner which may be fine for relaxing but too far back for sitting up and seeing the world. Almost every other stroller sits up a little straighter than this one ie. 55 to 71 degrees.

With the leg rest extended and the seat fully reclined, naps are pretty comfy even though it doesn’t lay completely flat like a bassinet.

This stroller tested about average when it comes to ride-smoothness which is a measure of vibrations and bumps felt in the seat.

With the sun canopy fully extended, kids’ upper bodies are fully protected. The canopy doesn’t extend over their legs or feet so you’ll still need sunscreen at times.

All 5 harness straps are padded, although the back of the buckle is not. Overall these are very comfortable harnesses.

There are no snack trays or cup holders included for kids.

The stroller seat is 22 inches high, which is higher than any other stroller we tested. It accommodates children up to 4 years old or 50 lbs. It is sized where most bigger kids will fit comfortably.

Quality and Safety

The Bugaboo Butterfly has a sturdy frame and solid part and material quality. The zippers and fasteners operate smoothly.

In our sound testing, the Butterfly had the lowest average decibel level:

The wheel treads are rubber and other wheel components are sturdy plastic. There is spring suspension on all four wheels.

Historically stroller designs have allowed for pinching, and in some cases amputation when fingers were caught in folding mechanisms or closing canopies.

We performed pinch testing by inserting a pencil in hinges and other places pinches were likely to happen. The Bugaboo scored 8 out of 10 in our pinch test. We found a few places where pinches could occur during the fold process.

All stroller manufacturers recommend that you keep children several feet away when folding and unfolding strollers.

The folding mechanism, including its buttons, has worked reliably for us.

Although the CPSC and AAP recommend never hanging anything on strollers because of the risk of tip-overs, we tested hanging a 12 lb diaper bag on the handles of empty strollers. The Bugaboo fell over backward as did about three-quarters of the strollers we tested.

Bugaboo strollers have a reputation for being high-quality and the Butterfly is no exception.

Bugaboo Butterfly vs Babyzen YoYo2

Both the Bugaboo Butterfly and Babyzen YoYo2 are easy to push, maneuver and steer.

The Butterfly is truly a one-hand fold whereas the YoYo2 requires two hands to start the folding process and is a bit complicated even after that.

See our full comparison of the Butterfly and YoYo².

The YoYo² is 2.5 lbs lighter than the Butterfly and is slightly more likely to be accepted by airlines to carry on aircraft.

The Butterfly has about 50% more space in its underseat basket, but it doesn’t have a small-item pocket like the YoYo2.

We prefer the seat recline mechanism, brake operation, harnesses and buckle operation of the Butterfly over the YoYo².

In our testing, the Bugaboo had a higher overall score. See our full Babyzen YoYo2 Review. And see our full comparison of the Butterfly vs YoYo².

Bugaboo Butterfly vs Joolz Aer

Both of these strollers receive our buy recommendation and scored in the top 3 out of 20 along with the Zoe Tour+. Choosing one over the other comes down to preference.

See our full comparison of the Aer and Butterfly here.

The Joolz is 13.4 lbs vs the Butterfly’s 16.1 lbs. The Joolz Aerfolds to just 1.8 cubic feet which is a tad smaller than the Butterfly’s 2.0 cubic feet. Neither are guaranteed to be accepted by airlines to fit in the overhead bin, although both qualify for some airlines.

Both strollers have excellent folding operation and maneuverability, although the Joolz Aer scored slightly higher in both categories. See our full Joolz Aer Stroller Review.

The Bugaboo has a bigger storage basket while the Joolz has a nicer brake system and a small storage pocket that the Butterfly doesn’t have.

The Butterfly’s seat recline mechanism is faster and easier to use, as well as its harness adjustment.

The Joolz includes a travel bag and rain cover in the base package while the Butterfly comes with no included accessories.

Neither stroller has cup holders, snack trays or parent consoles without extra purchases.

Bugaboo Butterfly vs UPPAbaby MINU V2

See our full comparison of the Butterfly and MINU V2.