Baby Jogger - City Tour 2 Double

We recently arrived home after a return trip to Europe with a 2.5yo toddler and a 5 month old. Thought I would share some of our learnings in case it helps anyone else, as I struggled to find other threads on this (there are plenty for travel with one baby, but not as many with a toddler in the mix!) **Nappy changes:** we used the kmart crescent crossbody bag to hold 3 nappies for baby and 1 for the toddler, wipes, small hand sanitiser, puppy pads / blueys as a change table cover, and a spare onesie for the baby. We could then easily carry and access it across our chest for nappy changes, and it otherwise fit inside our bigger carry on backpack. On returning to our seat we would restock as needed from the backpack. We found this method much easier to transport and hold the essentials than a ziplock bag (which we saw recommended a lot on forums). **Seats:** I spent a lot of time deliberating over whether to get a bassinet for baby (but means we can’t put down the armrests making it harder for toddler to sleep) or a regular row (easier for toddler but nowhere to put baby). For us the bassinet turned out to be the right move. It was annoying having to keep most of our stuff in the overhead bin but the extra legroom was really nice, it gave the toddler some space to stand and move around without being in the way, and it was great to have the space for baby so one of us didn’t always need to be holding her. We packed our blankets and pillows around the seat and the toddler was happy enough leaning on that to sleep, although it did take him a while to get comfortable. He absolutely hated the cute neck pillow we brought, so worth testing that out beforehand! **CARES harness:** we hired one of these for toddler to help keep him secure and safe in the event of turbulence. Probably wouldn’t bother with it again tbh as there is no crotch strap, so still easy for him to slide out, he found it hard to get comfy for sleep with it on, and it was a bit of a hassle to secure properly so I’m not sure it added much safety wise anyway. **Cozigo:** we hired one of these and would do so again. It kept the bassinet nice and dark for baby, which was needed as the bassinet rows (at least on Emirates A380) are adjacent to either the galley or the toilets so you get lots of light coming in (and noise, but not much to do about that). **Baby entertainment:** we only packed minimal toys for Bub, her favourite things were the safety card and empty water bottles. She also enjoyed a square of baking paper and foil I stuck in my bag at the last minute. We originally tied some teethers and other small toys together along a ribbon so they didn’t get lost easily when dropped, but we actually found it incredibly annoying having to untie them to give her better access, so not sold on this. But being in the bulkhead meant it was easy to pick things up. **Toddler entertainment:** we brought a few sticker books, water painting/scratch books, and fidget toys, but none of them lasted long and ultimately the screen was the best way to keep him entertained. The Melissa and Doug puffy stickers and LCD drawing tablet were our biggest hit! We bought some toddler headphones and got him to use them before the flight so they were familiar. He was way more interested in the shows we had downloaded on a tablet beforehand than in the plane entertainment. **Toddler snacks:** you can’t have too many snacks! It got us through a lot of waiting in queues. He loved the Bob Snail fruit straps, Kooee meat sticks, Aldi corn crackers. It pays to make sure they like the snacks beforehand though as all our Bluey crackers went uneaten 😂 **Stroller:** after much deliberation, we decided to check in a double stroller and go stroller free for the flights, as our toddler is usually a good walker. We got the baby jogger city tour 2 double stroller second hand as we love our single version of this stroller. We considered just taking the single and baby wearing when the toddler needed a break so he could sit in the pram, but decided to go with a double. We were really happy with this choice, it was a godsend having a spot where both kiddos could nap easily without having to babywear. The baby jogger was the narrowest double we could find on the market and we had no issues getting public transport with it. It also folds up easily and relatively small compared to the other doubles we looked at. It was fine on cobblestones albeit not the smoothest ride. I was worried about checking it in but it survived undamaged. The toddler did well in the airports (baby was in a carrier) but we were very thankful for the airport strollers in Dubai on the way over when he decided he had had enough. **Toddler prep:** we found it really helpful showing our toddler videos of what to expect beforehand and talking about using an inside voice on the plane. The best videos we found were the FAA kids’ first flight and Travel by Airplane with Matty Crayon (great as he’s Australian).

We have three prams. The first one we used was a hand-me-down Nuna Mixx circa 2019. I do not like anything about this pram. It’s heavy and big and doesn’t feel especially nice to push. As soon as my kids were out of the bassinet, we switched to a Baby Jogger City Mini. I love this pram. I got it secondhand for $50. The person I got it from also got it secondhand, so it’s been through at least five kids. Bit of sun fade but it’s still in great condition and a dream to push, feels light, easy one-hand maneuvering and one-hand fold. Deep comfy seat even for a big toddler. Easy straps. Crap basket space but I’ve learned to live with it. I also wish it had a functional skateboard attachment but it does not. We also have a Baby Jogger City Tour double. It’s not as nice as the city mini but it’s extremely light and compact for a double. It’s side-by-side, which I much prefer, having test driven a few doubles, but still fits through all doors (so far) and folds easily without taking any parts off. The seats are pretty narrow for my 2.5yo, and the basket space is even more crap, but it’s a good sturdy double for city life.

Not exact same but we have the baby jogger city double and it’s super easy to remove and carry the bassinet — so I presume the single would be the same. Alternatively we used the yoyo with my first and the bassinet option (not the newborn attachment) is easy to take off and then you can also fold the stroller super easy and carry it on your shoulder.

My toddler was 18 mo when I got pregnant with my 2nd. We sold our uppababy Cruz, and solely used our baby zen yoyo during my pregnancy. Now we use the baby jogger city tour double.

I went with uppababy vista for our first baby because we planned on having more kids and the options to expand made sense for us. Highly recommend. Price tag is worth it and then some. Now that I’m on baby number two (3yo and newborn) I’m using the whole set again, except swapped to a Nuna car seat because I gave my Mesa to a friend who is still using it so another friend gave me her Nuna ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It is NOT travel friendly. We lugged it on a trip when my son was 10 months and it was a hassle. We bought an umbrella stroller (baby jogger city tour2 in costal) immediately after that trip and never looked back. Another word of caution - it has a large footprint so you need the storage space for it. We keep it in the garage or tucked into a corner of our dining room if we have to bring it in... but it’s definitely not for compact spaces/ small cars/ limited storage. Also note - I use the bassinet on a stand in my bedroom as baby’s sleep space for now and will transition her to our crib in the existing nursery when she’s ready and my son is settled in to his “big boy” room (he’s still in the nursery with a toddler rail on the crib).

I got the uppababy system with my first, now on my second and it’s back in daily use as a double. It’s a behemoth so it only makes sense if you already drive a larger SUV and live in an area where big wheels are needed. When my first was a bit older and in a regular car seat we switched to a travel stroller (baby jogger city tour2) becuase it’s lighter and more compact but would break out the uppababy for the bigger basket and better suspension as needed.

I wouldnt bring either. I would bring a cosco scenera next for carseat because its cheap and lightweight and a travel stroller that folds small (i reccomend city tour 2 because it’s inexpensive and we love it, but babyzen yoyo, uppababy minu or bugaboo butterfly are all also highly reccomended). Buy travel stroller secondhand to save money. You cannot use your doona as a stroller in europe. Like absolutely not. At that point its an incredibly heavy carseat, i wouldnt want to lug that accross the globe. Your main stroller is also so bulky and heavy.

You got this!! Our kids are now 4 and 2 and we STILL use our double stroller all the time. Especially if it’s 2 on 1. We go lots of places, have traveled, tons of airports. Whether one wants to walk, it’s nice to have the stroller for all their stuff. We have the baby jogger city double. Got it on Facebook marketplace 2 years ago and still going strong!

There are so many options, too many! If you know you’re going to travel by plane, perhaps go ahead and get a travel stroller that you can use with an infant car seat. You’ll discover your preferences and what you really need once baby is here. Highly recommend Uppababy Minu V3 and a compatible infant car seat. We bought our Uppababy Cruz V1 (including the bassinet) on FBMP for $200 in 2022 when I was pregnant with baby #1. I actually preferred baby wearing, so we really only used the stroller for those early doctor appointments and then later when he got too big to carry. I really love the Cruz, but definitely glad we got it second hand given that I mostly used the baby carrier. We did end up with a travel stroller from Baby Jogger that I got on deep discount during their Friends and Family sale (someone shared the code on Reddit). It was much better for flying and road trips than the Cruz, but you can definitely tell the difference in quality. Baby #2 is now 5 months old and we have the Uppababy Minu Duo stroller. I prefer a side by side double stroller. I still use the Cruz when I go out with just one kiddo, but that doesn’t happen very often.

Same I sold our vista for the baby jogger double when my youngest was 6 months old. I wanted my baby up top but it was hard to maneuver with my oldest on the bottom. We still use the baby jogger and they are almost 2.5/almost 4.

We bought a caddy type stroller (babytrend snap & go) when our twins were first born. Really convenient and easy to take around. I waited until black friday to SPLURGEEEEE on not 1 but 2 babyjoggers 😅. Theyre 30% on black friday plus either amazon (15% off) or target (15% + 5% if using red card) completion discount. Getting 2 was only a bit more than getting 1 when not on sale. It worked in our favor bc they were born only a few months away from black friday. Ok we love both the babyjogger double strollers so I imagine the single versions would be amazing as well. The mini gt2 is so smooth and easy to take them shopping and around the city in. Also got the summit x3 because that is an actual jogging stroller (mini gt2 is not). I get such a good workout in with that one. Both worth the purchase and the wait. We still use the caddy as well for more tight places like the doctors office…will be using that one for as long as they fit in their infant carseat.

I have the Zoe twin and it's not my favorite. It's very lightweight and fits through doorways but is basically useless unless used on sidewalks/very flat surfaces. Although I think they've updated the wheels since I purchased mine so it might be okay with all terrain wheels, but in general it feels kinda cheap imo. I also have a double Baby Jogger stroller which I much prefer but it's definitely more bulky.