Baby Jogger - City Mini GT

When my baby was small, babywearing worked much better than a stroller. For a kid under 6 months, I'd want a bassinet where they can lie flat and face the parent pushing the stroller. After that, ease of pushing the thing on gravel and grass really matters to me, along with some storage and ease of use--and an adjustable handle, because my husband is a full foot taller than I am. I chose the Baby Jogger City Mini GT. I put every weight Buy Buy Baby had into the strollers and shoved them around the store to see which one rolled smoothest, and it was no contest. The City Mini GT can roll smoothly on any surface, even when I pile two or three kids into it (because the big ones got tired and didn't want to walk home). And, in our goatshead-prone region, it's nice to have tires that don't pop.

The City Mini GT I have has been abused for 8 years straight and is still going strong. It's just a great stroller.

I did a lot of research before our now 7yo was born, and Baby Jogger CityMini GT seemed to be best balance of city performance and price. Looks like now there’s a GT2 model

Our City Mini GT held up incredibly well for as long as we needed it... got lots of rough use as we live in a gentrifying urban area w/ uneven sidewalks, was used regularly to go to the parks, run errands around neighborhood, explore the rails-to-trails path near our house, etc. and was in great shape when we sold it when our son was 4. I think we paid $350 for it when we bought it (7 years ago now)?

Baby jogger City Mini GT seemed to be best happy medium of price and performance… and we lived in an urban environment with lots of walking, often uneven sidewalks of a gentrifying area.

We had the Baby Jogger Mini GT (I think now there's the GT2) and it was a great city stroller. I feel like the one larger wheel in front is better over uneven sidewalks and maneuvering in tight places. Also folded down well and into the pretty small SUV we had at the time. And it seemed to fall into the best price/performance ratio... there are lots of trendy $1000 strollers but we didn't really see the benefit to spending so much more.

Depends how your going to be using your stroller. If your going to be walking/jogging down that dirt road regularly or be in rural areas a lot, your gonna want some sort of jogger stroller or something with inflatable wheels. If your going to keep it in your vehicle and use it for when your going shopping in the city, going out to eat, and use it for an urban sort of lifestyle, with tad bits of times you walk the stroller on gravel, grass, etc, maybe a good all terrain full stroller with good suspension like Uppababy Cruz, Nuna Mixx Next, Bugaboo Fox 5. If you want something more budget friendly in this category maybe the Chicco Corso or Bravo stroller,Graco Modes Nest 2 grow. Jogger strollers include BabyJogger city mini gt, Thule Urban Glide, Guava Roam, Uppababy Ridge, etc. A carseat is 100% necessary, so no matter what, that should be the 1st thing you look at. Find 1 you like, then look at what strollers its compatible with (usually you might have to buy a separate adapter if you use a different brand of carseat from the stroller). You can always look at what strollers already come as part of a bundled travel system with that carseat. But before you even get started looking at carseats, you need to make a decision ifbyour going to use an Infant Carseat (pill bug looking seats), or a convertible carseat (the big ones that stay in a vehicle), or both.

I grew up on a farm, and I currently live in a rural village with gravel streets and no sidewalks. No, the Momcozy is not quite all-terrain enough. BabyJogger City Elite, Phil & Ted’s Sport, Mountain Buggy (I think it’s called Terrain), Bumbleride Indie or Era, BOB strollers, etc. The smallest stroller I’d say can deal with the terrain is a BabyJogger City Mini GT. I got one on marketplace for my mom to keep on hand at the farm and she loves it.

The stroller use will last a lot longer than the infant carseat use. Prioritize a stroller that will work for your needs over a compatible travel system that meets your criteria. There is ALWAYS babywearing rather than stroller. I have a friend with a Graco Modes travel system and I absolutely hate the stroller. It rattles SO MUCH and steering is stiff and clunky. BabyJogger City Mini GT bare minimum. We live in a rural village with gravel streets and no sidewalks, so we are no stranger to rougher terrain. My family is also on the farm and we walk the dogs in the pastures sometimes. The City Mini GT can manage the gravel and pastures ok, but there are definitely better options. You can get adapters to click many carseat options into it. BabyJogger City Elite. The bigger, beefier sibling of the City Mini GT. Handles better on gravel for sure. Phil & Ted’s Sport. I had this for the double stroller option and loved it so much. Has the option of carseat adapters and a bassinet. Bumbleride is another great option to consider, and Mountain Buggy.

Being able to recline really far back for stroller naps, a sun shade that comes down far, and a large basket! Old City Mini GT stroller off of Facebook marketplace

What kind of terrain will you encounter in general? We have an older version of the GT and really like it. It was intended to be a back-up stroller for grandparents (super clearance deal) and we use it more than our expensive stroller. If you’re looking for a smaller Jogging stroller, I’d look into the Guava Roam or Thule might make one too.

This is one of those things where a lot of people do end up buying twice, but it is not always unavoidable. The models I see people actually keep using are usually the sturdier ones that feel overbuilt rather than sleek. Uppababy Vista and Cruz come up a lot because they work with a bassinet or car seat early and still feel solid with a heavier toddler. The Baby Jogger City Mini GT also seems to last people a long time, especially if they walk a lot, since it handles rougher sidewalks better. The tradeoff is they are heavier and not as compact, which is usually why people switch later. Trying them in person matters more than specs, since pushing and folding feel very different stroller to stroller. What kind of walking do you expect to do most, short errands or longer daily walks?

Are two single strollers an option? I regret not getting two single strollers - it seems much more compact than any double “compact” stroller out there. We have the donkey which is a nightmare to transport and the city jogger gt for travel/car use but I still kind of hate it and am considering getting two single compact strollers.. but I already have 2 double strollers and I just feel like this is first world problems 🙃

STM, I have a used Baby Jogger City Mini GT side by side double that is great! Found it on FB Marketplace to use instead of the Mockingbird that I hate with a burning passion as a double (Also, my crossbar snapped with my kids inside even AFTER the recall was "fixed". They sent me a new replacement frame which seems sturdier but I still hate it!). I also keep the Bombi Bebee V2 (single) in my car for quick outings when my older toddler wants to walk and I adore it.

OP I have a Cruz that I’m probably selling! It’s great but I did have to switch to a Bugaboo Donkey once I had my second. Some people just go straight to the Vista but it is heavy. All of these options are not great if you have to go up and down stairs. The best thing about the Uppababy strollers are the abundant undercarriage space. I also tried out the City Mini Jogger GT in other cities and liked it a lot!