We all want the best for our sweet little angels! When it comes to lightweight travel strollers, the high-end choices are fairly limited.
Why Trust Us?
Because my full-time job is being mom to 2 precious daughters, and I know a thing or two about strollers. Besides personal experience, I get feedback from other moms who use these strollers every day and put all that research into our unbiased stroller buying guides
- Kyli
However, if you’re looking for a premium stroller that sets a new standard to lightweight compact models, the Bugaboo Ant shines brightly!
In today’s article, I’ll walk you through a detailed review of the new travel stroller as well as everything you need to know about it. So without further ado, let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Things to Consider Before Buying a Lightweight Stroller
A lightweight stroller is usually a feature-packed version of the standard options you have out there but with a much more compact and lightweight design, hence the name.
These lightweight strollers are great for parents who prefer to walk their babies for a long distance without being tired out by the heaviness of the stroller.
They’re also exceptionally easy to use and fairly versatile. However, that doesn’t mean they can get a little pricey.
To make sure that you’ve made the most bang for your buck, here’s a quick checklist of things you need to consider while shopping for a compact travel stroller.
Frame
To make a stroller lightweight, the frame is usually made of lighter metals, such as aluminum. Although aluminum is fairly durable.
The frame design is crucial to ensure that the entire stroller system is well supported and can handle the weight of the “baby on board” while offering a smooth, stable, and comfortable ride.
Portability and Storage
One of the main reasons why parents opt for a lightweight stroller is their portability. All lightweight strollers won’t usually weigh that much
However, not all of them got the compactness part right with some of them still feeling quite bulky even after folding.
You need to make sure that the stroller is easily folded into a much smaller design that you can easily lift and fit in a small storage area.
The Wheels
Lightweight strollers aren’t called “travel strollers” for nothing. They’re mainly designed to help parents roam around for large distances and maneuver easily even when walking among crowds or shopping between aisles.
For these reasons, the wheels must have ample suspension to make that possible for you and provide a smooth ride for your little angels!
You can check this guide if you want to know more about what goes into the best lightweight strollers.
A Brief Overview of the Bugaboo Ant Stroller
Bugaboo is a dutch stroller manufacturer that’s known for making some of the best high-end strollers out there.
The Bugaboo Ant is one of the first-ever lightweight and compact travel strollers made by the company.
Since its launch in 2019, the Bugaboo Ant became a fan-favorite and was able to compete nicely with some of the well-established strollers in this category, such as the UPPABABY Minu or BABYZEN YOYO.
This stroller combines the ease of use and convenience of the everyday travel stroller with the advanced features and engineering of Bugaboo.
Although the stroller is a bit pricier than the previously mentioned strollers, it’s highly durable and stable, making it one of the most rugged and dependable strollers out there.
Things We Like
- Super compact design when folded
- The reversible seat allows you to place the baby facing forward or backward
- Aesthetically pleasing design
- Fairly large canopy for extra coverage and protection
- Features a generous storage basket
Room for Improvement
- The folding process isn’t single-handed and takes a bit of time when compared to other lightweight strollers
- Premium price tag
- Accessories are purchased separately
Features & Benefits of the Bugaboo Ant
Reversible Double-View Seat
Bugaboo completely redesigned the seating system of the Bugaboo Ant to introduce something you don’t usually see in the lightweight stroller category.
This stroller features a rare seating system that you rarely see in the compact stroller scene, which is the double-view system.
This stroller has a mechanism that allows you to switch the seat so that your baby is facing you or facing the world.
This system saves you the hassle of buying a backward-facing stroller to tend to your baby’s needs for the first few months then switch to a front-facing model to help them explore the world with their eyes.
The mechanism of switching between the sides is a bit complicated but nothing a beginner can’t handle at the end of the day. Here’s a video guide that shows you how to reverse the seats the right way!
Various Reclining Positions
As babies grow up, they usually get a little bored when they’re seated in a reclined position. You’d also want your toddler to sit in an upright position to be able to observe the world around them!
Usually, it’s quite challenging to find a stroller that offers a true upright position on the market. However, one of the ultra-unique features about the Bugaboo Ant is that it offers a wide variety of reclining positions, including a fully upright one!
It also has an almost completely flat position while front-facing, which also comes in handy if your toddler wants to nap on the go.
Folds Super Compact and Wastes No Storage Space
A lot of lightweight strollers are designed to fold nicely when not in use. However, the Bugaboo Ant takes foldability to the next level.
It folds Insanely small (about 21 x 15 x 9 inches), allowing you to store it out of sight just about anywhere. This includes small lockers, car trunks, and more!
Additionally, it weighs only 16 lbs, allowing you to literally carry it around like a suitcase if your toddler decides that it’s time to walk a bit!
Remarkably Smooth Ride Wheels
Although the Bugaboo is not an all-terrain stroller, it performs surprisingly well in urban surfaces such as smooth roads, cobblestone, grass, and even cracked roads.
All that thanks to their foam-filled tires, which gives you the smoothness of air-filled tires and the durability of plastic tires.
In fact, these are the same type of wheels used on Bugaboo’s flagships, such as Bugaboo Fox and Donkey.
The rear wheels are slightly larger than the front ones (5.9” and 4.7”) to allow for better maneuverability and better suspension for an effortless pushing whether it’s a newborn or a 3-year-old toddler on board!
High Maximum Weight Limit
Speaking of older toddlers, you should know that this stroller is made from a rugged frame that’s designed to handle a lot of weight when compared to other strollers in this category.
The Bugaboo Ant is designed to carry a child that’s as heavy as 50 lbs, which is much higher than the industry’s average (about 30 lbs) when it comes to lightweight strollers.
Suitable from Birth and Last for Years
While it can support older toddlers easily, you’d be delighted to know that the stroller is compatible with infant car seats. This makes the Bugaboo Ant suitable from birth as well!
Unfortunately, to achieve that you’d need to purchase a car seat adapter separately, as it doesn’t have the specific width profile that many stroller adapters don’t require.
Adjustable Handlebars for Competent Maneuvering
The Bugaboo Ant comes with an adjustable handlebar, allowing you to slide it up and down and change its length to suit you using telescopic bars, which is another feature you rarely come across while shopping lightweight strollers!
Using this telescopic system, you can choose the length of the handlebar from two settings, which are 37.4 inches or 40.9 inches.
This adjustability allows parents who have a huge difference in lengths to be able to push the stroller comfortably, so nobody is either sloughing, kicking the back of the stroller with their long legs, or tiring their arms by reaching high.
Highly Protective Canopy
Lightweight strollers usually don’t have the largest canopies around, as they’re more optimized to be compact.
However, Bugaboo offers a decent extendable canopy that did surprise me with decent coverage and solid protection against the weather. Bugaboo also allows you to purchase both canopies and seats in different colors and fabrics!
Large Built-in Storage Basket
Stroller designers usually don’t spare much thought for the storage compartment while designing a compact lightweight stroller, so I was ready to accept the lack of compartment space in the Bugaboo Ant.
Yet, I was surprised to find a huge under-seat basket that’s separated into two main compartments and can actually hold a little less than 18 lbs of items, especially when you’re using the stroller facing forward.
Alternatives & Conclusion
There you have it. A complete and thorough review of the new lightweight and compact stroller, the Bugaboo Ant.
While the Bugaboo Ant is an amazing travel stroller for parents looking for a lightweight and compact option, there are some other options that count as a worthy alternative to the stroller.
For example, if you think that the Bugaboo Ant is too expensive, you might want to consider BABYZEN YOYO+.
It’s a slightly more affordable option that promises similar quality and a variety of top-notch features.
However, if you think that the Bugaboo Ant is great but still lacks something a little more premium, you should opt for Bugaboo’s all-terrain flagship, the Fox!
Bugaboo Ant Review: The Revolutionary Lightweight Stroller
Here's a complete Bugaboo Ant review. The new easy-travel, compact stroller that's amazing for parents looking for a lightweight option.
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