We just completed our trip in November with our 14 turned 15 month old on the trip. Depending on personality, toddlers can be easy travelers. Ours never fussed, and did well sleeping in our Cybex Libelle 2 stroller and in the baby carrier. A LOT of locals had the same if not similar strollers we noticed and many used baby carriers too. Happy to answer more questions if you have since we just completed our trip. We also utilized the Tokyo Chapter blog to read up before we went.
We stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto and found kid friendly accommodations in both cities, while also easily finding places to eat. We kept expectations low, and recognized we may have to head back earlier for naps or change our restaurant destinations depending on little one’s hunger.
Don’t let others scare you from traveling with your kid, if you have the time and money do it, life’s short.
There are plenty of kiddo’s around in Japan of various ages, some behave great and some cry too which may shock many on Reddit. Japan has babies and they do cry! If the country wasn’t child friendly you wouldn’t find kid accommodations so easily.
Recently traveled with my husband and 1yo baby, and while we had 5.5 bags as a family, only 1.5 of those were mine!! It was my first attempt at one bagging and while I didn't get hubby on board, I am thrilled at my own success. 2 weeks in the UK, lots of moving around, having just one backpack and crossbody purse was so liberating...or would have been if there weren't also a bunch of baby things to keep track of 😂
But! Huge success with the travel stroller. Cybex Libelle, packed in a LeforZ backpack.
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/cybex-libelle-2-ultracompact-lightweight-travel-stroller/7810504?color=001&size=one%20size
https://www.amazon.com/LEFOR%C2%B7Z-Stroller-Travel-Size-13-8%C3%978-7%C3%9720-5/dp/B0DBQB4GFM
The stroller folds down so small, and the backpack fits in airline overhead bins. Even on a small regional plane, we didn't have to gate check it! So easy to pop out the stroller when we wanted it and fold it away when we didn't, which was wonderful for airports and tourist sites.
The backpack has two water bottle pockets on the sides and two big zip pockets on the front, so we could go out for the day without a separate diaper bag. Our front pack carrier also fit in the backpack along with the stroller, so we had all the baby carrying options we wanted at all times. A more ambitious one bagger could possibly fit a slim packing cube in the backpack, making it baby's one bag.
The only downside is the backpack is heavy with the stroller inside - not impossibly heavy, but a bit of a workout. It didn't bother my husband but I could only wear it for short stints.
The Cybex worked really well with the two handles, they made it easy to hang the empty backpack off the back of the stroller!
Our normal stroller is a Nuna Triv, which is so easy for in and out of the car, but doesn't fold down compact enough for airplane travel. I'm impressed at your stroller collection!
The other baby gear was definitely not one bag - that's a goal for future trips. I used a packable tote for diapers and toys, carried that as my personal item with the intent of closing it up as we used up diapers. It wound up being used the whole trip as the diapers/souvenir/toys bag, definitely would have packed differently in hindsight! My husband also carried our usual diaper bag, which was half baby stuff half his stuff, and he and the baby packed clothes in a medium checked bag.
The next time we travel, I'm going to try and make the stroller bag function as our diaper bag and baby essentials bag, and pack for baby in a carryon suitcase. Having an extra bag with wheels would have been so nice in airports for holding backpacks during long walks! Alternatively I might try packing for baby in a packing cube in the stroller bag, but that would make that bag pretty heavy.
We went from chicco Bravo 3 in 1 to Cybex Libelle 2. Wanted it more of a compact travel stroller once kiddo turned 1 and we love it. Bring I only travels and the compact fold helps and can put it in airplane cabin. So I would say I was regretful first year with the chicco Bravo infant car seat plus stroller. But I was able to sell it for half the retail price on fb marketplace.
I don't have experience with any of those strollers but we went on a trip to Portugal when my daughter was 1.5 years old and I bought the Cybex Libelle and loved it! It was small enough to fold up in restaurants, fit in the overhead bin, super light to carry in a bag, but also nice enough to ride on the cobblestone sidewalks. I went to look it up and it's on sale right now!! [Cybex Libelle](https://joylink.io/magic-black-stroller)
I have this stroller and love it! It fits in the overhead bin when traveling which is why I chose this one- [Cybex](https://joylink.io/cybex-travel-stroller)
We have the Cybex Gazelle S2 and let me just say it’s like having the BMW of strollers. I got this one because I’m kinda future proofing for 2 kids and I don’t wanna have to buy a new one. It’s soooo smooth and the suspension is insane. The only downside is it’s quite heavy and bulky, but I love using it for everyday. I have the Cybex Libelle 2 for travel.
We also got the Cybex Cloud T as an infant carseat because you can lay the baby flat, which removed the need to buy the bassinet. But, we recently got the Cybex Callisto G 360 as a growing up carseat and looking back, I would’ve just opted for this since it’s infant to until they don’t need carseats anymore.
Now, all these options are high quality but very bulky/heavy duty. The lightest infant carseat I would consider is the Nuna Pipa Aire RX. The Gazelle comes with adaptors already, so it can be used with any carseat, not just Cybex ones.
berrypeachie
