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.

Another plus one for baby jogger. Terrible basket space but otherwise the City Mini and City Tour have been great for us and meet all your requirements.

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 know you adamantly against a lightweight stroller but your baby is 6 months old. Your baby will become a heavy toddler and those lightweight options won't feel so rickety. Trust me when I tell you that everyone I know who got a SUV stroller like the Cruz or the Vista ended up using a lightweight stroller by 1-18 months. I've seen this play out at my child's daycare too.  I had the Uppababy Minu. It is sturdy. Baby Jogger City Tour is good too. They are lightweight but feel more substantial.  All that being said, there is a reason why you see so many Yoyos, Aers, and Butterflies. They are great for 2-4 year olds. Yes by that age they will walk well but they also can't walk 10 blocks without getting tired. The Yoyo is 12.5 lbs and folds the flattest. It's ideal for carrying on a strap while holding your child's hand on the stairs.  You don't want to depend on the elevator on the train. Most stations don't have them and they are disgusting.

We have a baby jogger city tour and it's been brilliant, fully reclines, I fold it one handed, although I don't know how easy it would be for a smaller handed person 😂, overhead compliant, comes with a shoulder bag so we put it in that before it goes in the overhead. The canopy was too small when my bub was littler so we combined it with a snooze shade for a bit of extra sun protection and napping on the move

Our second or third hand UppaBaby that we got on a steep discount on Facebook Marketplace was great. Didn’t look shiny and new but was very well built. Plus when we moved on to a more compact stroller about a year in, we sold it for like half what we paid for it.

Our Baby Jogger is amazing (I think we have the city tour, it’s the one with two front wheels). We have put so many miles on that thing banging around cities we’ve traveled to. A decent amount of storage underneath and it’s actually very compact. We only got it when our daughter was sitting up though, so not sure if it’s a great fit for an infant.

Oh man, I remember the stroller decision all too well. My advice, narrow down to the few you’d like the most and then buy used. Don’t waste your money buying new. You have more time than you need to set up Facebook marketplace alerts and wait for a good deal to come up. You’ll want to buy the car seat new, but you can get adapters to match to a different brand if needed. Also, spending less money takes the pressure off buying a stroller you’ll use forever, and (if you have the space) allows you to buy different strollers for different purposes. At first we bought a Maxi Cosi stroller/car seat package (new but deep discount), but the stroller kind of sucked. So we kept the car seat and sold the basically new stroller and found a good deal on a second (or third?) hand UppaBaby, which we liked because it had a really nice bassinet attachment. Bassinet was great for the first few months, but ultimately the stroller was bulkier than we wanted. When our daughter was able to sit up on her own, we switched to a much more compact Baby Jogger (not to be confused with a jogging stroller) that became our “travel stroller” (bought new in box but for a steep discount on Facebook Marketplace). Shortly after we lucked into a very worn looking but super sturdy Bob Jogging stroller as a hand-me-down from a friend. Our daughter is almost 3 and we still have these two to this day and have been using them over 2 years. The Bob sits in our garage and we take it on walks around the neighborhood. The Baby Jogger stays in our car, and we use that when we drive somewhere or travel out of town. We live in a pretty walkable area so we actually use the Bob more often, but the Baby Jogger is surprisingly durable and has taken a lot of abuse, getting a lot of get checks and a lot miles walking around various cities we’ve travelled to.

Not the most secure, but I've travelled with the cosco scenera strapped to my baby jogger city tour. It sits in there almost like it was made to do that (had someone at the airport exclaim they needed it lol)

I just got back from a trip with my 5-month old. Our direct flight was 16 hours. I made sure I packed light for my carry-on because my baby is on the heavier side and I’m a petite person. Stroller recommendation: Baby Jogger City Tour. Fits in the overhead bin and about 14lbs. I gate checked the stroller. If you are formula feeding, I suggest using this storage bag for the powder as it saves so much space in your handcarry/ personal bag unlike the stackable plastic container. https://preview.redd.it/wtff591fad9f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d76f438c0924932995c91ee302adecc7323ad5a

Possibly not the best suggestion for immediately but we have the Baby Jogger City Tour for our twins and it is super narrow, I’ve never had any issues getting it on trains, buses, into shops etc. We started using it when they were 6 months so could potentially baby wear up until then if that’s an option?