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.

So we have a yoyo2 and guava roam. The yoyo was our only stroller for almost the first year, used first with the bassinet. Now at almost 2.5, we still use it for travel and always keep it in the car so anytime we go on a walk somewhere else, we use it unless we know we'll need the guava for the bigger wheels. The yoyo is so great bc it's really small but high quality, fits in 99% of overhead bins on planes and takes up such a small amount of room in the car. Unless we're on a bumpy/muddy trail, it does fine. The guava roam I love and recommend to everyone if you have space! It allows kid to sit fully upright which mine really likes. So many strollers recline no matter the setting. It's also super smooth and has a big basket. I would consider what you want in a stroller, and maybe do another post looking for recs based on that! I will say for many people, having a regular stroller and a travel stroller ends up being the best bet.

lol it’s absolutely not true that you can’t change it back. Idk why someone would think that???

We have the yoyo which I keep in my car almost always in case we need it, and travel with it. We used it as our only stroller for maybe 9-12 months and then got the guava roam because I wanted to be able to walk in the woods and unpaved bike path. The yoyo still works almost always and I love that it’s small enough to keep in the car, but on our daily walks we use the guava one now. I’m definitely super happy to have both!! Can’t see the need for more than two though.

We have the guava roam and love it! I think it’s a great choice. We didn’t have when my first was little but I think you can get car seat adapters for it? Not positive. Our second stroller is a yoyo and we used that with the bassinet in the beginning. If you wanted a second stroller I’d encourage you to get something like that that can be used for travel so you don’t feel like you’ve bought something for just the beginning.

Yes! From their ads I felt like it was gonna be so small but I’m 5’5 and my partner is 6’1 and we’re both very happy with it. Practice the fold a few times at home to get the hang of it, but otherwise it’s a really great stroller and we absolutely love it 2.5 years in.

I like my YOYO for the sturdiness,size and handling,but it’s a one handed open,two handed close - awkward if you’re carrying a bunch of stuff. Also sits slightly reclined so if your kid likes being super upright they may not enjoy it.

Depends on you. Many people have 2. One for everyday, which is a full sized stroller with all bells and whistles, and 2nd is a travel stroller which is very compact but is great for traveling, or fitting into small cars. For almost 2 yrs my wife and I got by with 1 full sized stroller. We never really travel except by car, and the stroller fits both of our vehicles, however it takes a chunk of space...about 2 months ago we ended up getting a 2nd stroller which is a compact travel stroller, but we didnt need it. We only got it because we found it on sale at TJ Maxx for like 50% off. It was a babyzen yoyo2. We immediately jumped on it, and now we keep a stroller in each vehicle..and now we have the compact one in case we ever travel far. The space the travel stroller takes is so minimal compared to the other. Some parents opt to just use a travel stroller as the full time stroller. Its small, lightweight, so why not. Again it all comes down to you and where/when you use the 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.

Babyzen Yoyo 2! Get it second hand on Mercari and it should be in budget. Mine was second hand, has been through 2 of my kids and many flights. It is thrown around and abused but the frame and everything is still sturdy and great.

I absolutely adore our Bumbleride Indie (it's a 2016, we got it used, but we've used their site to order a couple parts for it like a tire tube and some accessories, they're *incredible* at making sure to have an accessible list of what accessories are compatible with what stroller years and most things are!) and to be honest I'm not sure I'd recommend it for you. I'm a wimp and it's a little hefty, it was our only stroller for a long time but I got annoyed with it particularly for really quick and easy trips. However, it's so solid that we go hiking and all kinds of long adventures with it all the time, and for our only stroller for a long time, it was worth wrangling for all that we did with it. My favorite part is that not only does it have some suspension so it's really smooth, but also it lies flat and the canopy covers up nearly completely so it's a walking nap station and it's been an absolute lifesaver for us personally. Though, we're suburban, not urban, we walk a ton of places but we also drive our stroller a ton of places and it can be pretty beefy to accomplish basically everything we want. I'm not familiar with the Joolz Aer2 but for only urban living (walking, solid concrete/pavement only), I think the Indie would be overkill. As an anecdote, we got a (used) travel stroller in the Babyzen Yoyo2 and like it a ton for the quick and easy and lightweight types of trips, though even on paved park roads, some of them by us are a bit washed out so the aggregate is kind of aggressive which is no big deal for shoes at all but for a baby, that thing gets BUMPY. Can you try checking any of the baby equipment rental sites like Quip to see if anyone has either they can rent out, and give them a shot for a couple days?