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We tested nine travel strollers, logging more than 130 miles over three months, and had four families take the finalists on five flights before concluding that the best travel stroller is the Uppababy Minu. More than any other stroller we tested, the 14.8-pound Minu packs the robust feel and performance of a high-end full-size stroller into a lightweight, streamlined frame.
This 14.8-pound stroller feels as heavy-duty as a high-end full-size stroller but packs down small enough to fit in most overhead compartments. It handles rough terrain better than any other model we tested for this guide.
The Minu has a more convenient fold than most other travel strollers we considered, and is the best at handling challenging terrain, from cobblestones to curbs. It can hold nearly twice as much weight in its underseat basket as any of the other models we looked at, has one of the most generously sized canopies, and, like our other picks, it has a deep recline that’s good for napping. It can be used without additional pricey attachments with babies as young as 3 months, while our other picks start at 6 months, and its taller, wider seat and higher weight limit mean that you can use it with a single rider for much longer than most of the competition. Unlike our other picks, however, it cannot be converted for use with a second rider.
This 13½-pound travel stroller is prized for its good looks, compact fold, nimbleness, and smooth glide, but it’s complicated to fold and doesn’t handle curbs or sidewalk bumps well.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $500.
The popular Babyzen Yoyo+ is 1 pound lighter and folds down smaller than the Minu. It’s the most effortless to push and the most agile of all of the strollers we tested but can get tripped up by rough terrain. The Yoyo+ is also less convenient to fold than either the Minu or our budget pick, the Mountain Buggy Nano, and its underseat basket is frustrating to use. It costs much more than the other strollers we tested, but many parents we spoke to say its looks are the most appealing.
This 13-pound travel stroller is easy to fold, collapses to a compact size that can fit in an overhead compartment, and performs well for a lower price than many competitors. But it’s not as nimble in varied terrains as our other picks.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
The Mountain Buggy Nano doesn’t deliver quite as smooth and cushioned a stroll as either the Minu or the Yoyo+, and it lacks the peekaboo window and storage pockets that those strollers have. But it’s almost as simple to fold as the Minu (and easier than the Yoyo+), offers as deep a recline as our other picks, is the only model of the three with an extendable leg rest, and is still easier to push and maneuver than many other models we tested. It costs about half as much as our other picks and is the only one of our picks that works with the Chicco Keyfit 30, our infant car seat pick.
This 14.8-pound stroller feels as heavy-duty as a high-end full-size stroller but packs down small enough to fit in most overhead compartments. It handles rough terrain better than any other model we tested for this guide.
This 13½-pound travel stroller is prized for its good looks, compact fold, nimbleness, and smooth glide, but it’s complicated to fold and doesn’t handle curbs or sidewalk bumps well.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $500.
This 13-pound travel stroller is easy to fold, collapses to a compact size that can fit in an overhead compartment, and performs well for a lower price than many competitors. But it’s not as nimble in varied terrains as our other picks.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
We spent over 36 hours researching strollers, including talking to the R&D and product teams at Baby Jogger, Graco, and Joovy; interviewing Eli Gurock, the CEO and founder of Magic Beans, a Massachusetts-based baby store chain; family travel experts like Ranjana Armstrong of Nugget; Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas; and Jessica and Garrett Gee of the Bucket List Family; and informally surveying over 30 parents on my local parents listserv, as well as stroller pushers at our local coffee shop, playgrounds, parks, and airports. I also coordinated testing with half a dozen families traveling by plane, car, and train.
In addition to previous research I conducted for Wirecutter’s guide to full-size strollers, I scanned hundreds of reviews on Amazon, Target, and BuyBuy Baby as well as write-ups from BabyGearLab, BabyList, Lucie’s List, and a dozen family travel sites. I pored over the federal safety standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as well as American Academy of Pediatrics safety guidelines.
I’ve fact-checked for several publications, was the editor and a writer for The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School, and the research editor for the book Formerly Known as Food. I’ve taken numerous trips with my daughter, who was 2 at the time of this writing, both with my husband and alone, including 10 round-trip domestic airline flights plus three international ones with and without strollers. For this guide, I personally pushed and lugged strollers over 114 miles through airports, grocery stores, city streets, and parks; on municipal subways and bus systems; and one annoying attempt on a beach. In total, our family has tested 17 different strollers in the last year.
Travel strollers are compact models that, like umbrella strollers, often weigh much less than full-size versions—under 15 pounds versus 25 pounds. But unlike umbrella strollers, which fold into a stick or something resembling a bag of golf clubs, travel strollers fold in thirds into a briefcase-like shape. They tend to fall in between umbrella and full-size models in terms of features and price. Based on conversations with parents and experts, I found that many parents purchase a second “travel” or more compact, lightweight stroller when their children are around 6 months old, though some strollers can be used from birth with a car seat adapter or a bassinet attachment.
Several experts I spoke to said the “travel stroller” category is an industry marketing maneuver to persuade parents to purchase a second or third stroller for the sole purpose for traveling. The main selling point of a travel stroller that companies often trumpet is that it folds small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Realistically, being able to do so depends on a number of factors, because baggage allowances and storage bin sizes vary by airline, and flights are often full. Eli Gurock, CEO and owner of Magic Beans, dismissed this as an essential feature, saying that people “should be really thinking about how they can spend five hours entertaining their child on the flight,” and the performance of the stroller should be prioritized over the size of the fold.
More often, according to the frequent travelers I interviewed and my own experience, it is just as easy to gate-check a stroller, whatever its size. Travel strollers cannot be rolled down the aisle of an airplane, so if you’re traveling by yourself, you may find it difficult to carry the stroller as well as a child and a carry-on. The benefit of having your stroller in the overhead bin is that when you deplane, you save the time of waiting for the ground crew to retrieve it, you protect it from unexpected damage, and it can contain a restless child. But if you’re happy with your current everyday stroller, that’s the one to take with you.
For some families, the lightweight, compact profile of travel strollers makes them ideal for everyday use. They can be a great primary stroller for those who live in homes with limited storage or walk-up apartments, who regularly rely on public transportation, or who find the bulk of full-size models inconvenient to deal with.
We tested eight umbrella strollers for 86 hours and found that the Summer Infant 3D Lite is the best for most people.
Umbrella strollers are often just as easy to carry and as convenient to use as travel models—they’re basically the original travel stroller. However, they lack many of the features we found in travel models. Some can be difficult to push one-handed, an issue if you’re traveling alone with a younger child.
We’ve covered over 125 miles testing 13 strollers, and we’ve found that the Baby Jogger City Mini 2 offers the best combination of features and performance.
Full-size strollers tend to have more features and robustness than travel models. But they’re usually heavier than travel strollers, which makes them less ideal for anyone who is worried about weight.
We talked to six babywearing experts and had 10 parents test 16 carriers before concluding that the Beco Gemini is the best baby carrier for most parents.
The most lightweight option of all is to leave the stroller at home: My husband and I and several Wirecutter editors have traveled with our children in their first year of life using just a soft-structured carrier or wrap.
In our research and conversations with experts and parents, we found that convenience is the highest priority for a travel stroller, and that the following criteria all contribute to this:
Easy to fold and unfold: Because parents often have to collapse or reopen a stroller while holding a baby or a child’s hand and juggling other stuff, an intuitive, one-handed, one-step fold mechanism is ideal. In reality, you can either have a simple fold or unfold, but not both. Strollers that fold down more compactly than others often require two hands to collapse; strollers that can be folded with one hand generally require two hands to unfold, and vice versa.
Easy to carry and stow: The more compact when folded, the simpler a stroller is to travel or live with: it can reliably fit through TSA X-ray machines, in a crowded car trunk, or in a storage-challenged home. On the other hand, we didn’t consider it necessary for the strollers we looked at to fit into an overhead compartment, for the reasons stated above. We also found that strollers that collapse small enough to do so often have multiple joints that can make them feel rickety when in use. A compact fold, along with a well-placed strap or clear handhold, also makes it easier to carry the stroller one-handed or over the shoulder. We dismissed strollers that do not have a strap, a bag, or a handle for carrying. An automatic lock that keeps the stroller folded up and the ability to stand when folded are both useful, but not dealbreakers if a stroller lacks them. We ultimately considered only models that weigh less than 15 pounds.
Easy to push and maneuver: Many parents I spoke to said that their biggest mistake in purchasing a second, more lightweight stroller was not prioritizing maneuverability and ease of pushing, which made wheeling their kids around less pleasant for everyone involved. Research from our previous stroller guides showed that wheel size, wheelbase (the dimensions between the wheels), overall stroller dimensions, and handlebar height all contribute to how well a model performs. Travel strollers generally have smaller wheels than those of full-size strollers, making them more challenging to push over bumpy sidewalks and carpeted areas. The best-performing travel models have wheels of about 4½ to 7 inches in diameter. Our experts told us that suspension and quality ball bearings also help a stroller feel effortless to push and turn. Almost none of the travel strollers we found come with adjustable handlebars, which may make them uncomfortable and inconvenient for shorter or taller people to use. We also found that single handlebars are preferable to two separate handles (as many umbrella strollers have) because they make it easier to push one-handed.
Accommodates a wide age range: Many new travel strollers have car seat adaptability (albeit limited) and carrycots for use with newborns, as well as nearly flat reclining seats for infants 3 months and older (and for children who still nap regularly). Ultralightweight strollers (10 pounds and under) are the exception: most do not recline or have very limited recline. Some strollers swap the rider’s comfort for a slimmer design, so we looked for seats that are wide enough to be comfortable for older kids. A higher weight limit means the stroller can be used for longer as well.
Comes with useful additional features: A large basket with easy access, a canopy with good coverage, and leg rests for the child are all useful whether you’re traveling or using this as your primary stroller. We also appreciate sandal-friendly brakes, which don’t require you to disengage the pedal by pushing it up with your toes.
Easy to clean: Recently, my daughter both peed and puked in our stroller in the span of a week, and it made me wish that we could remove the fabric and throw it in the washing machine. Instead, it took vigorous scrubbing and multiple days of having it sit outside to make the acrid smell finally go away. Having removable fabric is optimal, but not common. Second best is fabric that resists moisture, dirt, and grime and makes it easy to wipe off toddler filth.
We looked at popular models on Amazon, Target, BuyBuy Baby, BabyGearLab, and Lucie’s List as well as on travel sites like Pint Size Pilot and came up with an initial list of 42 travel strollers. Using recommendations from experts we interviewed and our criteria, we winnowed the list down to seven strollers to test and included both of our umbrella stroller picks for comparison’s sake.
Babyzen Yoyo+ GB Pockit GB Pockit+ Joovy Groove Ultralight Kolcraft Cloud Plus Mountain Buggy Nano Summer Infant 3D Lite Uppababy Minu Zoe Xl1 Best v2
Some strollers came assembled, and for those that didn’t, setup was minimal. At most, I had to attach wheels with a pin, which is common with less expensive models.
I read the manual for each stroller, checking the instructions for folding and unfolding, reclining, adjusting the safety harnesses, and cleaning. When relevant, I read up on how various add-ons, such as car seat adapters or a newborn carrycot, might function on the stroller. I tried folding and unfolding each stroller while holding my squirmy 2-year-old daughter, and then tried seeing how quickly I could fold and unfold each stroller while making her stay in one place.
I used each stroller for at least a weekend, pushing my daughter to a local park, to our local grocery store, on errands around the city, and on various outings by subway and bus. My husband and I have collectively logged over 130 miles in the last three months pushing travel strollers through various terrains, including one failed attempt on a beach—the wheels are too small for sand. We traveled with some of the strollers by plane to Los Angeles, and on road trips to western Massachusetts and Long Island. For additional perspective and feedback, I recruited half a dozen testers, who ranged from new parents who hadn’t traveled with a child before to a mother who traveled once a week by train and plane with her son from the time he was three months to 11 months old.
We dismissed one stroller for being too heavy, and four others because they were not as sturdy or easy to push or maneuver as our finalists. For the remaining four strollers, I set up a maneuverability course on our neighborhood soccer field. In each stroller, we pushed my 22-pound daughter with a 5.1-pound bag carrying its usual contents (portable toilet seat, wipes, water bottle for child and adult, change of clothes, and snacks) in the underseat basket, and hung my 4-pound purse on the handlebars. Cones were set 36 inches apart, the standard width of a hallway in an American home. My husband and I performed S curves, U-turns, and figure eights with the remaining four strollers with one hand and two hands.
Manufacturers recommend that caregivers avoid hanging bags on the handlebars, but it’s inevitable given the limited storage space with these compact strollers. We performed a tip test by putting my 4-pound bag on the handlebars and lifting my daughter out of the seat.
This 14.8-pound stroller feels as heavy-duty as a high-end full-size stroller but packs down small enough to fit in most overhead compartments. It handles rough terrain better than any other model we tested for this guide.
The 14.8-pound Uppababy Minu, released in early 2018, packs nearly all of the features of the Uppababy Cruz, our full-size stroller upgrade pick, into a body that is 7 pounds lighter and 40 percent smaller, which makes it a great option for travel or for a streamlined everyday stroller. The Minu has one of the easiest one-handed folds, collapsing down to the size of two school backpacks side by side, and can be carried with a padded shoulder strap or by the front crossbar. Its wheels are larger than those of our other picks, giving it the best handling when rolling over unpredictable terrain, and it feels the sturdiest of the models we looked at. The Minu has the most spacious, accessible underseat storage and also twice the weight limit of the baskets on the other models we tested. Plus, it has the ability to accommodate a child from birth to toddlerhood, with the highest weight capacity of our picks. The Minu is the only travel stroller we tested that was rated the favorite by all who tested it.
The Minu is the only stroller among our picks with a one-handed fold. The stroller collapses from a standing position by pressing a button and moving a slider located at the middle of the handlebar so you fold it down and pick it up in one motion. I was able to do this while holding my 22-pound daughter in one arm. The Minu was less finicky about the orientation of the wheels, compared with the Yoyo+ and Nano, our other picks, where wheels turned sideways often would stymie the process of getting it to its final folded shape. The self-standing fold is reliable compared with that of other strollers (which would teeter to one side), making upright storage easy and convenient. Unfolding requires two hands but can be done in one move: you unlatch it and simultaneously pull up from the handle.
The Minu’s solid aluminum frame sits on one of the largest set of wheels we found on a travel stroller (5-inch front and 7-inch rear rubber wheels, compared with the 5½- and 5-inch wheels of the Nano and the Yoyo+, respectively), and has all-wheel suspension—making it the best for handling city sidewalks with potholes and rolling over unexpected bumps and through grass. One tester said that it bridged the gap between the Airtrain and the platform without getting stuck, as a model with smaller wheels might. She also said it easily rolled over a sidewalk bump in her neighborhood that gives her anxiety when she uses other strollers. Like the Uppababy Vista and Cruz, which we’ve tested for other guides, the Minu feels remarkably robust compared with other strollers; although the handlebars on many models, including the Yoyo+ and Nano, have extra travel—they feel jiggly—the Minu’s feel more sturdily attached.
The Minu can recline about 145 degrees, similar to the Yoyo+ and Nano, our other picks. All of the strollers we tested except for the Summer 3D Lite have a strap reclining mechanism that allows you to adjust the recline anywhere in the range. Although you can use one hand to operate the recline, we think it’s better to use two to keep the seat back from lowering too abruptly. You use both hands to pull the straps apart to raise it. The leg rest allows the rider to put up their little feet, but isn’t adjustable like the Nano’s (and the Yoyo+ has none).
The Minu’s seat is 18 inches tall by 12½ inches wide, which is a half inch to 1 inch greater in both dimensions than the Yoyo+ and Nano’s seats, and its 50-pound weight limit (which corresponds to an average 7-year-old) is the highest as well—the Yoyo+ and Nano go up to 40 and 44 pounds, respectively, though a few other strollers we tested go up to 55 pounds. The seat is well-cushioned, with an adjustable five-point harness with removable Velcro-secured shoulder pads that can be rethreaded at three different height levels, like those on most strollers that we tested. The canopy includes an extendable sunshade and provides more coverage than those of the Yoyo+ or the Nano. It has a sun protection rating of UPF 50+, the highest possible, which means it shields the passenger from more than 98 percent of both UVA and UVB rays. The mesh peekaboo window is notably better than most: it spans nearly the width of the canopy, can be secured open for ventilation, and has magnetic closures, so you can take a peek at your kid noiselessly.
The Minu’s underseat storage is the largest both in size and weight capacity—at 20 pounds—holding nearly double those of the other strollers we looked at. The Minu is also one of the few models we tested that allows clear access to the basket from the front and the rear, and is not as annoying to reach as those of our other picks, because the opening is wider than that of the Yoyo+ and there is no obstructive bar across as on the Nano. The spacious back flap pocket can hold a wallet, a phone, a kids water bottle, a snack container, and a bottle of bubbles—all of the essentials, all at once.
The Minu’s single-action linked brakes—a feature shared by all of our picks that allows you to apply brakes to both wheels with just one step—are some of the most “sandal-friendly” of those we tested. Other models require you to push the lever down with your foot to engage and use your toe to flip it up to disengage. With the Minu, you push down on the right red lever to brake, and on the left green lever to go.
In general, based on reviews and notes from our testers, the fixed-height handlebar of the Minu comfortably accommodates people ranging from 5 feet to 6 feet tall. At 5-foot-1, I found it pleasant to push. (However, some Amazon reviewers of similar height found it challenging.) One 6-foot-8 tester said it was too short, but found it more tolerable than others he’s tried. The luxe leather handle is a nice detail, compared with foam ones on all of the other strollers we tested, which on hot, humid days can leave black particles on your hands.
One tester said she found the Minu easy to put through the TSA X-ray machine, but had to gate-check the stroller because the overhead compartments were already full when they boarded. Although the stroller is several inches wider and taller than the Yoyo+ and the Nano when folded, Amazon reviewers report that it stowed overhead without trouble on Southwest and American Airlines flights.
The Minu comes with a thin nylon stroller bag, but a more substantial padded bag with backpack straps is available for purchase and will provide your stroller with better protection if you travel regularly and gate-check your stroller. The Minu comes in four colors: marled black, neutral grey, cardinal red, and aquamarine. For newborns, parents can purchase a bassinet, or adapters for the Uppababy Mesa or Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, or Cybex infant car seats, but note that it’s not compatible with our infant car seat pick, the Chicco Keyfit 30. Both the bassinet and car seats are installed rear-facing for easy baby gazing. Uppababy sells additional accessories like a rain cover and parent organizer.
All Uppababy strollers come with a two-year warranty, extended for an additional year if you register your model with the company.
Although you can remove the stroller seat and canopy fabric for easier cleaning, like most of the strollers we looked at, it must be spot cleaned or hand-washed. You can machine wash the fabric of the Yoyo+.
Over three months, five families, including mine, tested the Uppababy Minu. It’s gone on two airplane flights, one road trip to Canada, and all over New York City. It was rated the favorite by all who tested it. “[The] Minu is much sturdier than many ‘travel strollers’ or umbrella strollers,” wrote one tester, “and has decently sized, easily accessible storage—which means it could adequately meet most of our everyday needs, rather than simply being a ‘travel stroller.’” Another said that with travel strollers, you don’t want anything to interrupt your flow of movement, and the Minu provided the easiest and most reliable transitions while folding and unfolding and navigating obstacles on the go.
Though the Minu is a breeze to fold one-handed, unfolding it requires more effort. I discovered, with practice, that it’s possible to unfold it with one hand by lifting the latch with my thumb, then grabbing onto the handlebar with the other four fingers, and lightly kicking the left wheel, but some people may prefer just using two hands.
Folded, the Minu is bulkier than our other picks, with a lot of concentrated weight, and I preferred carrying it by the front crossbar rather than with the padded shoulder strap because it would throw off my balance. (I found the longer shape of the umbrella models, the Joovy or Summer 3D Lite, easier to carry over my shoulder because of their weight distribution.) Though one taller parent said she found it relatively easy to carry the Minu up and down the stairs with her 40-pound child in the seat, I found it too cumbersome to even try, whereas I could easily carry my daughter up and down stairs while she was seated in the Nano and the Yoyo+.
The Minu’s canopy is on the floppier side and opens when you unfold the stroller. Some testers complained about the bulkiness of the handlebars, but we didn’t have an issue with them. The Minu’s spacious storage basket is shallow with a low lip, so it’s best to stow items in a bag—loose objects can slip out.
For all colors of the Minu except black, the side panels of the fabric are a pale gray or blue. If your kid, like mine, tends to grab the sides, they’ll end up with obvious stains and oily smudges that may be challenging to remove if not dealt with immediately. We also discovered that the more padded seats of our picks are more likely to trap crumbs and squished blueberries in the seams compared with the sling seats of less expensive (and less comfortable) strollers.
The bag that comes with the Minu is flimsy. After three months of testing, it developed several small tears at the center seams.
The sliding mechanism to fold and collapse the stroller is in the middle of the handlebar. Some testers noted that the position of the mechanism made it harder to get a good grip to push one-handed, which we found was a necessary feature. Other testers commented that the handlebar is too thick for a good grip.
Because the Minu is the newest model we tested, it had few reviews at the time of writing, but we chose to include it in testing anyway, as we have liked other Uppababy strollers. The one-star reviews come from parents with newborns who were frustrated about the delayed release of Minu’s car seat adapters and bassinet, both of which are now available. Other criticisms include wonky wheels and tippy-ness. We did not notice either in testing but will keep an eye out for these and other issues in long-term testing.
This 13½-pound travel stroller is prized for its good looks, compact fold, nimbleness, and smooth glide, but it’s complicated to fold and doesn’t handle curbs or sidewalk bumps well.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $500.
The stylish Babyzen Yoyo+ has the smallest fold, the most responsiveness, and the best maneuverability out of our picks. At 13½ pounds, it’s 1 pound lighter than the Minu and collapses small enough—to the size of three stacked large pizza boxes—to reliably fit in most airline overhead compartments. (The parents I spoke to said they were always able to fit it in the overhead compartment with the exception of one puddle jumper.) The Yoyo+ is not our main pick, however, because it falls short where it matters most: it’s not as convenient to fold as the Minu, nor can it handle challenging terrain as well, and its underseat basket is frustrating to use. The Yoyo+ also costs much more than the Minu.
We found the two-handed, two-step fold of the Yoyo+ to be the most complicated of the models we tested. You press the buttons on both sides near the joints at the bottom of the handlebar. The handlebar flexes back, and then you reach underneath the back of the seat to push a button and pull the red lever to collapse the seat. Oftentimes, I would have to fiddle with the wheels to get the Yoyo+ fully collapsed. I would also squish my fingers during the final step of the fold because I would instinctively place them in between the frame. (This is apparently a common enough occurrence that the manual tells you how to prevent it, but it takes practice to develop the muscle memory.) There is no way to do the fold with one hand while holding a child. The flip side of this complex fold is that the Yoyo+ is the only stroller that can be unfolded with one hand, but you have to give it a good snap of the wrist to ensure that it fully unfurls. Sometimes, the seat can get stuck, or the wheels get in the way, and you have to pry the stroller apart from the latch or orient the wheels to get it upright.
The Yoyo+ has a compact and lightweight build that helps make it nimble, as does the all-wheel suspension, which it has in common with the Minu. In our maneuverability tests on turf, it had the most responsiveness and was the easiest to turn. It’s effortless to push one-handed because it requires minimal pressure. Some testers noted how easy it was to push on grass. While other strollers we tested, including the Minu, have more of a rolling feel when you push, the Yoyo+ glides, especially on smooth surfaces.
The Yoyo+ is sturdy and durable, but there is some give to the body, especially at the handlebars. The 5-inch rubber wheels don’t roll over bumps and sidewalk cracks quite as easily as the Minu’s 7-inch rear ones, and we’ve been tipped forward by such stoppages. One tester commented that it definitely does not fare well on old cobblestones. There is no front-locking wheel feature, which keeps the wheels from swiveling when rolling over uneven surfaces and helps the stroller go straight. Compared with other strollers, whose wheelbases are narrower in the front compared with the back, the Yoyo’s wheelbase is narrower in the back. The design makes it difficult to mount a curb or bump down stairs on the back wheels, and the stroller has a tendency to tip if you turn quickly.
Unlike the brakes of the Minu and the Nano, which you engage and disengage by pushing down on the pedal, on the Yoyo+ you flip the brake up with the top of your foot to disengage—a difficult move if you’re not wearing closed-toe shoes. And even with my short legs, I tend to kick the brake and engage it accidentally while pushing the stroller.
Like the Minu’s, the Yoyo+ harness adjusts to three shoulder heights. The removable seat cushion is well-padded, and is machine washable, unlike the Minu’s. The Yoyo+ has the smallest seat, only 17 inches tall, and the lowest weight capacity of the strollers we tested, at 40 pounds (the weight of an average 5-year-old), so you may not be able to use it for as long as you would the Minu. Like the Minu, the Yoyo+ has a UPF 50+ canopy, and though it’s smaller, the canopy is set lower, and the angling of the sunshade can offer better coverage than the Minu’s when the seat is fully reclined. The canopy’s small vinyl peekaboo window has no cover. Unlike our other picks, it lacks a leg rest—an issue some Amazon reviewers complain about—but it does have a foot rest once their legs are long enough to reach. The padded buckle strap on the Yoyo+ prevents the webbing from digging into the crotch—a detail the Minu lacks. The Yoyo+ is somewhat more annoying to unbuckle than the Minu; while the Minu (and Nano) requires pushing just one button, you have to squeeze two buckles on the Yoyo+. The Yoyo+ model’s recline mechanism is better located, however, and allows you to operate it one-handed and while standing, unlike with the others we tested.
The most common grievance about the Yoyo+ is the size and accessibility of the underseat storage. The basket is the smallest of our picks’ and holds just 11 pounds, compared with the Minu’s 20. The narrow opening in the rear and bars at the front keep contents from falling out of the shallow basket, but also make it inconvenient to retrieve items. On one trip, I found it so annoying to stow and retrieve our bag, which carried a potty seat, diapers, snacks, and extra clothes, that I resorted to just carrying it. Babyzen warns against hanging anything on the handlebars, but there is a conveniently placed zippered back pocket and a mesh pocket behind the seat that hold a maximum of 1 pound each. In November, Babyzen is coming out with a rolling bag that clips onto the back of the stroller, can hold a maximum of 22 pounds, and will cost $100, a company representative told us.
Our testers were especially impressed by how the Yoyo+ looked. Its curved frame looks more sophisticated than those of other strollers, with their generally straight lines and angles. Many parents I spoke to who use the Yoyo+ as their sole stroller chose it because they have limited living space and/or multiple sets of stairs to climb and descend and/or they travel frequently.
The stroller comes with a padded shoulder strap, but, like the Minu, I found it easier to carry it by the rear crossbar. The Yoyo+ doesn’t stand as stably when folded as the Minu. It’s the only stroller we tested that comes with a rain guard.
The Yoyo+ comes in seven colors, including bright green, dusty pink, and black. Parents can purchase the frame with the rear-facing bassinet-like newborn kit and then buy the 6-month-seat package. Or they can buy the complete toddler stroller for use starting at 6 months of age. (Adding the newborn kit to the toddler stroller comes to the same total price, but in some areas, it’s relatively easy to find the bassinet secondhand.) Infant car seat adapters for Cybex, Nuna, and Maxi-Cosi models can be purchased separately. The stroller also can be configured to accommodate a second, older kid with a kickboard that can be attached to the back—a feature that the Minu does not offer.
Babyzen is the only stroller company we looked at whose products are not certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), which means they have not been independently tested by the organization to meet ASTM safety standards. Because such testing is voluntary, we consider it a bonus, but not a requirement. The stroller comes with a two-year warranty, and parents I’ve talked to said the company has exceptional customer service.
The Babyzen Yoyo+ is BabyGearLab’s editors’ choice, and is recommended by Lucie’s List and Fatherly. “If you travel, move around a city via subway or have stairs in your life this is the only stroller to buy,” one Amazon reviewer writes. “I’m a father that flies constantly and I take my 18 month old son with me alone often.” Ranjana Armstrong, who runs the family-travel site Nugget, has used the Yoyo+ as her primary stroller for four years between two kids, and on trips to 10 countries as well as numerous domestic trips without needing any tune-ups or fixes.
This 13-pound travel stroller is easy to fold, collapses to a compact size that can fit in an overhead compartment, and performs well for a lower price than many competitors. But it’s not as nimble in varied terrains as our other picks.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
The Mountain Buggy Nano lacks the peekaboo window, storage pockets, and higher-end feel of the Minu and Yoyo+, but it offers the functionality you need as well as plenty of conveniences while costing about half as much as our other picks. This 13-pound stroller is also lighter and leaner than the Minu, and the smaller wheelbase ensures a better turning radius and more agility. It’s the only one of our picks that works with the Chicco Keyfit 30, our infant car seat pick.
The Nano’s fold requires two hands, but it’s just one step: you press the right and left buttons located at the bottom of the handlebar, the handlebar folds back, and you squeeze the handlebar to the frame to push the seat back forward and do it hard enough so that the side latch will lock. The Nano unfolds like the Minu: unhook the side latch and give it a firm snap of the wrist to open. The stroller comes with an adjustable carry strap, but as with the other picks, I found it easier to carry from the support bar.
The Nano doesn’t handle a wide range of terrains as well as the Minu nor does it glide or feel as nimble as the Yoyo+, but we found it responsive and agile compared with the rest of the models we tested, and capable of managing bumps and grass well. It has 5½-inch EVA foam wheels, slightly larger than those of the Yoyo+, and I found it comparable to the Yoyo+ at rolling over obstacles and not as good as the Minu in that respect. The stroller has only rear-wheel suspension, and picks up more vibrations than either the Minu or Nano, which both have all-wheel suspension.
The Nano’s single-action linked brakes, located next to the right wheel, are as sandal-friendly and as easy to engage as the Minu’s. One parent I spoke to said that their stroller developed a persistent flapping sound from the brake teeth rubbing against each other, which couldn’t be fixed and eventually Mountain Buggy sent them a new frame. I experienced this flapping sound as well, and observed that it sometimes required checking to make sure the brake was fully disengaged before pushing.
The Nano’s seat is not as cushioned as the Minu’s, but it is still well-padded. If you’re concerned about your child’s comfort, you can purchase an additional liner. Like those of most models we tested, the seat reclines by pushing on a button and pulling a buckle down the strap, and it lowers to about the same depth as our other picks. To bring it upright, you pull the straps apart. It is the only one of our picks with an adjustable leg rest that can extend fully so your kid can put their feet up, or be lowered if your rider prefers to have their legs hang down.
The Nano’s safety harness has five pieces that need to be connected. This can be convenient when strapping in a back-arching stroller resistor because you don’t have to thread their arms in the straps, and you don’t have to extricate their arms when unbuckling. But it can be frustrating to have two additional parts you need to join compared with the harnesses on the Minu and Yoyo+. The stroller comes with two shoulder pads, which are not secured onto the webbing straps and are thus easy to lose.
The Nano has no pockets, and the underseat basket holds 11 pounds, half as much weight as the Minu’s, but is deeper and large enough to fit a diaper bag. The bar across the back opening makes it challenging to put a full bag inside.
The design of the canopy is one of the Nano’s biggest annoyances. When the canopy is retracted, the fabric covers the handlebars. You either have to root around to find them or may end up grabbing the canopy if you’re in a hurry. Some Amazon reviewers complain that the canopy lacks a screw on the side, which causes the framing wire to come out the bracket, but this has been fixed in the latest version. The canopy is smaller than the Minu’s and similarly sized as that of the Yoyo+, but doesn’t offer as much protection as either. In lieu of a peekaboo window, the Nano has a mesh back panel that provides ventilation and a view inside when the stroller is fully reclined. While both of our other picks have the highest possible sun protection rating of UPF 50+, the Nano does not have any certification. But most tightly woven polyester fabrics will provide sufficient sun protection.
The Nano is the only travel stroller we looked at that comes with a universal strap-in infant car seat adapter, and is thus the only one of our picks that works with the Chicco Keyfit 30, our infant car seat pick. A parent I spoke to, who has owned eight different strollers, said, “After being through many, many strollers, I have found that the best travel stroller for solo travel is the Mountain Buggy Nano. I like it because the car seat fits right on top (very important), and it folds up very small (so great for the plane or small European cars). It’s also fairly light and has a good strap to carry it over your shoulder.” While strap-in car seat adapters do not seem as safe as click-in ones, the parents I spoke to who use this said it feels secure and safe, and is something they usually use as a stop-gap measure at the airport rather than for long walks.
For full disclosure, this is the stroller that we own, and I have used it while traveling alone with my daughter. It’s easy to push one-handed, even while carrying a child strapped in a carrier, wearing a backpack, and pulling a suitcase all at the same time. It goes through x-ray machines, and fits in the overhead compartment without issue.
The stroller comes with a bag that it fits in in one orientation, and getting it in sometimes feels like putting fitted sheets on a bed—the orientation is unclear until you try. I’ve traveled with it enough to mark it with tape so I know which way to slip it on every time.
The Nano comes in four different colors, including a ruby red and royal blue as well as special editions released annually, celebrating a different animal of the Asian zodiac calendar. As with the Minu and the Yoyo+, a bassinet-like newborn cocoon can be purchased to accommodate infants. Mountain Buggy also sells a scooter that attaches to the Nano to accommodate a second, older rider, and which can be connected to many other stroller models or used independently. Mountain Buggy strollers come with a two-year warranty.
Many reviewers on Amazon comment that the Nano is great for travel, but also note flaws like the two-handed fold, the pesky canopy, and phantom screws. “We took this stroller to Europe and were VERY very happy with how it performed,” one parent writes.
“It is now the stroller I keep in my car for errands and such. It is a smart, solid, well-made stroller. Carrying on to flights is a breeze thanks to the super-compact fold. Despite the lack of suspension it handled the European cobblestone streets really well. Our baby seemed comfortable at all times, and he napped nicely in it every day. The only only complaint I have is that the folding process requires two hands. That just shouldn’t be the case! I traveled alone often and had to find a random place safe enough to put my baby down (stressful!) whenever I needed to fold it.”
Eli Gurock, the owner and founder of baby gear store Magic Beans, said the travel stroller “has exploded in a way I’ve never seen in my career. There are ten strollers in that category, when three years ago it was a Yoyo. Companies are trying to follow that lead of making a stroller that can fit in an overhead compartment in an airplane.”
In a future update, we plan to look at the recently released Cybex Eezy S Twist, which is heavier, at around 17 pounds, but has a compact fold and is one of the only travel strollers with a reversible seat. On Gurock's suggestion, we may also consider the Diono Traverze and the Silver Cross Jet.
The 11-pound Zoe XL1 Best was a close contender for a budget pick because it’s easier to fold and unfold than the Nano, has a larger canopy, and is lighter than any of our three picks. It also has a large, accessible storage basket, a handy back pocket, and comes with many extras our picks don’t, like an adult beverage holder, and a snack cup and beverage holder for the kid. (These things are annoying when you’re folding and unfolding the stroller, however.) We ended up dismissing the Zoe because it’s harder to push and maneuver than our picks, and would frequently stop suddenly, causing us to pitch forward. Also, parents 5-foot-6 and taller found themselves hunching uncomfortably when pushing, and the mesh underseat basket is not likely to last as long as the baskets on our picks, which are made of more closely woven materials.
According to BabyGearLab, the Zoe XLC Best v2 is nearly the same stroller as the XL1 Best but with a more compact fold, shallower seat, and fewer features so we opted to test the latter.
Many parents I spoke to strongly recommended the Doona because it works both as a car seat and a stroller. However, we eliminated it before testing because it holds a maximum weight of 35 pounds.
At 9½ pounds, the GB Pockit is the lightest stroller we tested, and collapses small enough to fit in a large tote bag. It does not recline, however, and provides little sun protection, and because of its special fold, there are a lot of joints that make it wobbly.
The 13-pound GB Pockit+ reclines and has a larger canopy—features the original Pockit lacks—but it doesn’t feel sturdy.
The Kolcraft Cloud Plus is one of the least expensive travel strollers available but does not feel durable and was challenging to maneuver. We could never secure it into its folded position because the lock didn’t work. The Cloud Plus also doesn’t recline enough for easy napping.
The dual handlebars of the Summer Infant 3D Lite and Joovy Groove Ultralight, both umbrella stroller picks, make them nearly impossible to push one-handed—an important feature if you’re traveling by yourself.
Read the stroller’s manual, especially the care and warnings section, to ensure your child’s safety and the longevity of the stroller.
Like umbrella strollers, most travel strollers are not suitable for infants under 6 months, even those who can sit up unassisted, unless they are used with a compatible bassinet, car seat, or supportive inserts, or provide a nearly flat recline. The Minu can be used with babies 3 months and up.
Even though these strollers have passed our tip test and rigorous tip tests conducted by the companies, the design (namely the smaller base) and lightweight nature of these strollers makes them susceptible to tipping regardless. Stroller companies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many experts warn against hanging bags on handlebars, as it can cause the stroller to tip. In the research we did for our full-size stroller guide, Jamie Mamikunian, the owner of repair and detailing shop Stroller Spa, told us that putting weight on the handlebars also strains the chassis, potentially shortening the lifespan of your stroller.
Many manufacturers advise against using strollers on escalators and carrying the stroller up the stairs with your child in it.
The Uppababy Minu and the Mountain Buggy Nano’s fabrics are spot clean or hand-wash only with cold water and mild detergent. Refrain from using bleach or fabric softeners, and do not wring and twist the fabric to drain excess water. You can machine wash the material of the Babyzen Yoyo with cold water and line-dry it.
Uppababy recommends periodically checking all connecting hardware like rivets and screws. Mountain Buggy suggests brushing dirt off of the frame and wheels regularly. Strollers should always be dried out before storing folded to avoid mold or rust, and should be kept in dry conditions if possible.
Eli Gurock, CEO of Magic Beans, phone interview, May 31, 2018
Juliet Spurrier, MD, and Wendy Schmitz, The Best Umbrella Strollers of 2018, BabyGearLab, April 4, 2018
Tara Cannon, Top Travel Stroller – 2018 Picks, Pint Size Pilot, September 20, 2018
Colleen Lanin, founder/editor of Travel Mamas, email interview, May 22, 2018
Ranjana Armstrong, founder of Nugget, phone interview, September 19, 2018
Sonjia Hyon is a freelance researcher and writer who has worked in marketing, cultural programming, higher education, and food. Most recently, she contributed to the writing of The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School. She has a PhD in American studies and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and her daughter, Nico.
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