Babyzen - YOYO²

I have the minu v3 and the Yoyo Babyzen 2. Honestly can’t really go wrong with either of those for travel strollers. They both fold very compact. I still use my regular stroller 90 percent of the time though because travel strollers are never going to have great suspension and you do feel all the cracks and bumps of the sidewalk.

I got my high end strollers second hand! With the first we got a Bumbleride Indie for trails and beaches for $90!— and it’s still amazing 4 years later, we even replaced tires on it. Then I got a used uppababy Cruz for $150 and it’s been amazing as well. FWIW I bought a small travel stroller new (YoYo Zen2) that folds down to carry on airplanes and while we do use it for that, the storage is awful (doesn’t fit anything) and the price was outrageous for how little we actually like it. 😆 Established brands in strollers are worth it imo.

If I had to do it over, I would have gotten a travel stroller with a bassinet. I have the yoyo2, which I love significantly more than my full size stroller. I think if I had to do it again I’d only get the Yoyo used with the newborn pack. I think if I were off-roading more though I’d go with something with inflatable tires though, like the Bumbleride Era or Indie. Edit: I think ideally for unpaved surfaces I’d prefer to baby wear, but my baby always hated that but loved the stroller.

I really like my Yoyo2, which you can make newborn ready with either the bassinet or the newborn pack. Building it is difficult, but once you're over that hurdle you're golden. If you ever plan on going on unpaved surfaces, I'd recommend a stroller with air in the tires like a jogging stroller.

It totally depends on where you will live and your mode of transportation. I got a Babyzen Yoyo 2, as you can take them on flights, busses, etc. Folding it takes like 3 seconds.

We also went with Thule. Chemical free fabrics were high on our priority list so we knew we weren't going for an American brand. For infant car seat we went with the Chicco Cleartex as that saved money while still having safe fabrics We then upgraded to the Nuna Rava after a car accident, since we knew we'd be using that for longer. We went to Nordstrom and Pottery Barn and tested the Nuna strollers and Uppababy strollers we thought the build quality of them was poor honestly. I don't know if it was the floor models but they did not feel good at all (wobbly). Then we tested the Thule Urban Glide 2 at Rei and loved it. The feel was immediately sturdy. My husband was in love right away and once we decided to pair it with a smaller stroller (we did the baby zen yoyo2) it was a perfect match for our family and lifestyle. We live in the suburbs in an outdoorsy area. We often walk on trails. I tested other strollers at target momcozy, mockingbird,bravo, Evenflo we didn't like the quality but I will say when I'd ask parents on the street if they recommended their stroller they always always said yes and rarely ever remembered the name of the stroller....so it really isn't that serious. You'll probably like whatever you get. If you're on a budget go ahead and get the Mockingbird stroller.

Not a fan of Yoyo 2 requiring two hands to fold. It’s a pain with a toddler who won’t stand still.

I strongly dislike the Yoyo’s two-handed, clunky close. Would not recommend.

In my experience a travel stroller really helps because my LO stays settled and close to me, which makes the airport so much easier. I think it's worth getting one that can go in the overhead bin since that saves a lot of hassle. And when you're out all day something lightweight is always better. We've been using the Mamazing Ultra Air and it fits in the overhead bin really well, and Babyzen YOYO2 and the Bugaboo Butterfly are great options too. And for the flight, I always bring plenty of snacks since they keep my LO happy for longer, especially new snacks or teething snacks. For toys, you really don't need much. My LO actually spent most of the flight playing with the little airplane water bottle lol.

With a newborn, you’re going to need to spend the money and deal with the weight. We got the [Baby Jogger City Mini stroller and car seat set.](https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-City-Travel-System/dp/B07YCNSM4J/) It was super nice for the first year. Being able to go from car seat to stroller and back without having to unbuckle the kid was really nice. Our kid is nearing 2, and that’s still his car seat. When he could sit on his own, we changed the stroller to the [Babyzen Yoyo.](https://www.amazon.com/Babyzen-YOYO2-Stroller-Black-Canopy/dp/B0857159B3/) That’s the one that hits everything you listed. $450, super light, well built and sturdy, and it packs up so small that it fits in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Just got back from a trip with the kid and didn’t have to check the stroller. Just popped it overhead, and it’s the same stroller we use everyday on the streets of Philadelphia. The only downside is that it’s not appropriate for a newborn. They need to be able to sit up on their own before you can use the Babyzen Yoyo.

Best bang for your buck is [Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 with car seat.](https://www.target.com/p/baby-jogger-city-mini-gt2-travel-system-opulent-black/-/A-86993017) We used this until our kid was a little bit bigger and then moved onto the Babyzen Yoyo, but that was almost entirely because we live in Philadelphia and wanted the lowest footprint as possible for going into stores and getting on the bus. We still use the Baby Jogger if we are going somewhere “off road”. We used the Baby Jogger car seat until he grew out of it. No need to change that one until it wasn’t useful. Also, it was really really really nice to be able to move him from the car to the stroller without having to unbuckle him when he was an infant. Just pop the module out of the car seat and pop it onto the stroller adapter.

Yep, we have a Yo-yo and love it. We live in the city, it hangs on the wall with hooks, it’s tough enough to deal with the sidewalks, the footprint lets us go shopping in small stores, it folds up so small and is so light we can wear it over a shoulder, and it takes up very little space in our small city-friendly car.

We had a Nuna pipa and a Babyzen yoyo2 with the car seat adaptor. Loved this combo and flew with the stroller as a carry one.

My short king of a baby used his bassinet attachment until he was 5 months old. We used the Babyzen Yoyo's newborn pack because it folds up with the stroller. Definitely get it 2nd hand or off of somewhere like goodbuygear if you can because it's like $200 new. You can get the previous gen stroller yoyo 2 (this is what we have) new for like $250ish and the newborn pack attachment for a little over $100, which is within your budget. A lot of people use it as their travel stroller but it's our only one. We walk at least 3 miles daily and it's totally fine! We didn't go with the way of just clipping in his car seat because we walked a lot and didn't want to be restricted to the time limit that you can keep a baby in a car seat.

We thought the vista was way too big. If you plan on taking it on the subway just be mindful that I thought it'd be impossible for me to carry by myself. A lot of people like it though. Highly recommend checking it out in person. Nordstrom and Baby Jake have a lot of strollers to try out We have the Babyzen Yoyo and Maxi Cosi car seat. You will need an adapter, but they're inexpensive.

Also with you. Infant car seats can be clipped onto strollers and then when the baby outgrows that seat you can still use the same exact stroller. With the doona you'd have to get another stroller. Two of my cousins have the doona and they both thought it was impractical. We got a Babyzen yoyo which took 1 minute, tops, to both unclip the infant car seat and fold up the stroller to put in an Uber. It's never been an issue

I'm just glad my trusty compact babyzen yoyo made the list