This is our Babyzen Yoyo 6+ review, a baby travel stroller that is one of the best-selling at the moment. We bought our Babyzen after recommendations from our friends who traveled a lot with their daughter. Now that we have used the stroller ourselves for 6 months, we have both positive and negative things to say. Also, there are some essential things that you need to know before purchasing yours.
We bought the stroller cheaper online HERE.
WHY THE BABYZEN YOYO 6+?
We were very pleased with our robust Emmaljunga Next 90, a Swedish tank of a Stroller. The Emmaljunga next 90 was definitely more suitable for rough Swedish winter conditions than for traveling. When it was time for us to go away on a long trip, we asked our close friends for advice.
They warmly recommended the Babyzen Yoyo because it is so easy to take along on trips abroad, especially where the streets tend to be narrow and difficult to navigate on. In addition, this travel stroller will fit in the luggage compartment on most aircraft, we will tell you more about the benefits of this further down the post.
If you are considering buying a Babyzen Yoyo, you probably already know what the selling points are:
- You can bring it into the aircraft
- It’s very lightweight
- It is of high quality
- It is comfortable for the child
- It is easy to drive and accessible in small spaces
- It is incredibly compact
It was actually the first point that was crucial to our buying decision. Our friends talked about how incredibly convenient it is to be able to roll the stroller all the way into the aircraft. They told stories of how their daughter could sleep in the stroller waiting at the gate when they had long stopovers where. That surely sounds great, doesn’t it?
Our friends had brought their Babyzen Yoyo on over 20 trips with them, both in more developed and developing countries, and it was their praise that made us choose the Babyzen Yoyo. And, let me tell you, We have not regretted our choice even for a second.
However, even though we are super happy with the baby stroller, there are obviously things that are not optimal and things to know before making a purchase. So, let’s now go through a proper review of the Babyzen Yoyo 6+.
Related: Traveling to Thailand with a Baby
OUR REVIEW OF THE BABYZEN YOYO 6+
We have now had our Babyzen Yoyo 6+ for a few months in Sweden, and later during a trip halfway around the world. The stroller has worked greatly in everyday life at home, as well as in stressful situations at airports and narrow streets.
In this post, we have gathered our opinions and some recommendations about the Babyzen Yoyo travel stroller. First, I want to say that we have not used the stroller before our daughter turned 6 months. If you want to do that, you should buy the 0+ part.
Here is our review of Babyzen Yoyo 6+ (6+ stands for 6 months and up).
Related: Ergo Baby vs Babybjörn – Which One is the Best Baby Carrier?
CAN YOU TAKE THE BABYZEN YOYO ON THE PLANE?
Yes, you can. When it was time for us to go on our first trip with our daughter, she was already almost a year. We had used our Babyzen at home for several months and folded it together on occasional trips by train and taxi.
Excited and nervous, we went to the airport in Sweden to check-in. How would it go? We had heard that different airlines and airports have very different regulations on what you can bring and not. Connected to our Babyzen we had the baby car seat from Maxi Cosi that we connected with adapters to the Yoyo.
Unfortunately, it turned out that we were not allowed to bring the Maxi Cosi through security check, but they were kind and helped us check it in. However, the stroller was no problem (as it folds). We heard one of the security personnel saying to his colleague “they can bring it, it’s a Yoyo”.
You should check out with your flight company the specific rules for checked and hand baggage when traveling with a baby. This blog post is a good start with the specific rules for many different companies.
The big advantage of bringing it to the gate, as I said before, was that our daughter could sit comfortably in the Yoyo all the way to the aircraft. She sat in it nice and cozy, but we let her run free at the gate before folding it and entering the plane.
Pro-Tip: enter the plane last if your child is awake. This way you let him/her get rid of some excess energy not to climb the walls during the flight.
The travel stroller is easily folded into a compact size of 21.6 x 17.3 x 7 inches (52 x 44 x 18 cm), which fits the dimensions of hand luggage (except for some low-cost airlines). It only takes a few seconds to fold it, and when it is folded, the stroller is very small. The Yoyo comes with a simple travel bag that protects it. At the bottom, the stroller has a comfortable padded strap that acts as a shoulder strap when it is folded. If you want, you can buy a more robust transport bag from Babyzen with compartments, but this is not something we think is necessary.
If you have never traveled with your child before, it may not sound that special to be able to take the stroller on the plane. But let me explain why it is so comfortable to bring it in the aircraft. When you get off the plane you usually have to walk at least 10-20 minutes from the plane to pick up your checked-in bags. Usually, the strollers arrive at the belt last! In the case of international flights, you must also go through customs and security checks before you even get to the luggage belt. On some occasions, this procedure has taken us over 1,5 hours.
On the occasions we decided to check in our Babyzen Yoyo, we made sure to bring a baby carrier on the plane (Check our review of our two favorite baby carriers on the market). But what we noticed is that we were more often referred to the preferential queue when we had the stroller than when we had her in the baby carrier. We don’t really understand why, but it has happened so many times that it cannot be a coincidence.
The only possible disadvantage is that the trolley is a part of your hand luggage allowance, so check the rules of your airline company and take that into account. We only have had this type of problem when we were flying low-cost airlines, which we solved by booking extra hand luggage allowance. Normally children are entitled to 22 lbs. (10 kg) in hand luggage and the staff at the airport usually do not care if you have two hand luggage for the child (like a stroller and a bag with essentials such as food and toys).
Pro-Tip: Although many employees at the airports recognize which stroller brands can be taken on to the plane, you can avoid having to explain by folding the stroller before arriving at the boarding. That way, everyone only sees a black bag instead of a stroller.
Compact stroller that is easy to carry and fits most elevators
It wasn’t until we arrived in Thailand that we realized how important it is for a travel stroller to be as light as possible. Sidewalks were basically unusable there, especially in Chiang Mai where we lived for over a month. We have actually not had any worse sidewalk experience in any of our other travel destinations in the world. If there weren’t large holes in the sidewalk, there was a lamppost in the middle of it. Pram ramps are basically completely absent.
The length and height are quite common for a stroller – which they need to be in order for you to be able to comfortably drive it. The big difference is that Babyzen Yoyo is narrower than other travel strollers on the market. This is a huge advantage that has allowed us to get around smoothly despite minimal elevators, tight parking lots, and impossibly narrow sidewalks. You can easily maneuver the Yoyo through tight spaces where larger strollers do not have a chance (I can’t even imagine our big Swedish tank of a stroller on the streets of Thailand).
The Babyzen Yoyo weighs only 13.7 lbs. (6.2 kg), which is absolutely incredible. This makes it easy to carry the stroller both without the child inside and when he/she is sitting/sleeping in it. Many are the times we had to carry our daughter up the stairs. At those times you do not want the fuss with taking the baby out first, which you do not need with the Babyzen Yoyo thankfully.
To make it more compact, the Babyzen Yoyo has four single wheels instead of the four pairs of double wheels that you see on many other travel strollers. The positive side of this is that the Yoyo has very low friction which makes it easy to maneuver. The disadvantage is that the wheels easily get stuck in cracks and when crossing between pavement and street. Also, the wheels tend to get stopped cracks or changes in the elevation of the street, which can be a little scary when there is traffic. If you only are aware of this, you can very simply avoid those types of “engine stops” and they will occur very rarely.
Another thing is that the Babyzen Yoyo 6+ is really difficult to maneuver in gravel and in deep mud. It is not a problem that has occurred to us very often and you can push the stroller hard enough through it for short distances. This has not in any way made us less satisfied with the baby stroller, but it is definitely worth mentioning.
The narrow chassis design also means that the stroller is a little less stable than it would have been if the base were larger. With that said, the stroller has never flipped over, even though we packed a lot into it, something that happened when we tested a Bugaboo Fox (scary!). I would not call the wagon unstable, but you should be extra careful if the pavement is very uneven.
A COMFORTABLE STROLLER FOR CHILDREN (AND PARENTS)
Although our daughter does not like to ride in a stroller at all, she is much happier in the Yoyo than the other trolley we had before.
Our friends who first told us about the Yoyo recommended buying a separate footrest, as the legs hang and dangle otherwise. It is something that is not a problem for older children, but for young children, it is really impractical and tiring for their legs. Previously, Babyzen did not have their own footrest and you had to buy one from a company that discovered this deficiency. Recently, however, they do manufacture footrests and it is a MUST for children under 2-3 years.
The footrest for the Babyzen Yoyo 6+ is a must if you intend to use the travel stroller for smaller children. Although the feet do not always seem to end up on the rest, there is always the possibility of relieving the legs. Older children can instead rely on the footrest further down.
Now that our daughter has climbed and climbed on the footrest it has become a little lax. It bends too easily, but not when she sits in the stroller thankfully.
The harness is secure and adjustable, with padded shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are easy to adjust and there are two positions for different sizes/ages.
The backplate is adjusted with a strap behind the seat. It is very easy to adjust the lying/sitting position. Another good thing about this travel stroller is that it can be adjusted to an almost completely lying position. It is perfect when you are traveling, and the child suddenly becomes tired. There have been many naps in the stroller, in many different places in the world.
Babyzen Yoyo 6+ is also quite comfortable for parents. The handle has a good height, even for my husband that is over 190 cm. Unfortunately, the handle is not adjustable as on some other ones. This is not something that disturbed us significantly though.
Another thing with the handle is that it is not super-practical to hang things over. Combined with the fact that there is so little storage space in the back pocket in the backrest, we chose to purchase an extra stroller bag (the Bugaboo Organizer). Unfortunately, Babyzen does not have a good selection of nursing bags. The only thing the company selling is a very bulky “sack”. That’s why we bought one from Bugaboo instead, which is compatible but not optimal as it has no real shoulder strap.
A STABLE TRAVEL STROLLER OF HIGH QUALITY
When we first realized how expensive the Babyzen Yoyo 6+ really were compared to other travel strollers, we had to think twice about our decision. Can this model really be better than others? Is it stable enough? Will it last during our 6-month long trip almost around the world?
So in retro respective, we are extremely satisfied with the quality. We have not been careful with this stroller, I tell you that. It has now been through about 10 countries, countless airports, and different transports. It has survived broken streets and overpacking.
Indeed, you will feel that the frame is bent slightly when the front wheels push against the curb. But as we have learned over time (and many collides with curbs later) that it is only temporarily bent and does not break. As mentioned earlier, we have really put the stroller to the test. So far, we have not regretted the purchase once.
THE YOYO:S STORAGE SPACE
The storage basket under the stroller is perhaps the one thing with it that we have been the least satisfied with. You can actually fit quite a lot of stuff in it, but so much falls out of it. The worst was when we lost the rain cover that came with it and had to buy a new one. It was almost 80 dollars! Yiikes. Heavy things do stay, but slightly lighter things fly out when the stroller is in motion – especially up and down from the curb.
In the photo above you see the bag from Bugaboo that has saved us from the storage shortage. The storage pocket at the back is not much to have, unfortunately.
Keep in mind that when folding the stroller, the contents of the storage basket must go. The Yoyo is so compact that you can’t have anything in the storage compartment when it’s folded.
The storage pocket on the back of the wagon is as I said very small. At best you can fit in some diapers and wipes. However, a good thing is that you do not need to remove the items from the storage pocket when folding the stroller.
SUN AND RAIN COVERAGE
The sun cover (the pamphlet) covers the upper body, but, as with many other strollers, it leaves the legs unprotected against the sun’s rays. The pamphlet has a small built-in window which is very handy for looking down and seeing if the child is doing alright.
There is a Babyzen umbrella available that can be purchased separately for the stroller, but we chose not to buy one because it is difficult to manage it when changing direction and the sun shines from another side.
NOTE! Remember not to cover the stroller with a blanket, it will turn it into an incredibly hot sauna for your child! Find shade instead and remember that children sleep even when it is bright.
The rain cover that comes with the stroller fits perfectly and sits tightly over the stroller. It has saved us many times in tropical rain, which has not left any of us adults dry, but the little one has been perfectly dry. It is also possible to use the rain cover when it is cold and windy.
CONCLUSION – REVIEW BABYZEN YOYO 6+
If you are considering buying a travel stroller, our absolute best recommendation is to buy a Babyzen Yoyo 6+. There are small details that can be improved with the stroller, but absolutely nothing crucial.
Babyzen Yoyo is comfortable, compact and easy to pack and store. This is our first travel stroller, but we can’t imagine that there is anyone better out there. The stroller has helped us eliminate much of the stress of traveling with young children. Our flights and other transport are now no more difficult than they need to be. We are glad we bought the Yoyo, and we would not hesitate to do so again.
Price is of course a factor to consider. The Babyzen Yoyo is more expensive than most other travel carriers, with a total price of accessories of around 500 dollars. However, we saw it as an investment and found that it’s very easy to sell the stroller second hand for almost the price of a new one! This was maybe the deal breaker for us, as we could have gotten our money back if we weren’t satisfied.
Essential Accessories for the Babyzen Yoyo
- Footrest if the child is under 2-3 years
- Adapter for a car seat, we have one from Maxi Cosi
- Mosquito net if you are going to travel in areas with a lot of mosquitoes. We have not used ours once even though we have been in mosquito areas. We decided it’s easier to use mosquito repellant (we use this repellant that’s made for kids).
- A stroller bag, we chose a Bugaboo organizer (do not recommend Babyzen’s own “sack” which is very big and not very practical)
- Transport bag if you think it is needed (we didn’t think so)
- The traveling and sun wear and tear on the canvas and seat, but it is possible to change it to a new one for about x dollars. We haven’t had to do this yet, but it could also be fun to change the color at some point.
- We were recommended to buy a seat cover that “breathes” thanks to its mesh material. It is a cover made of fabric that is placed in the stroller and has ventilating properties. It can get really sweaty and hot for the baby’s back. Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy one before we went. The compatible models are Aeromoov and Bugaboos Breezy seat covers.
We did not buy these accessories:
- Rain cover, as it was included (we have used it a lot)
- Umbrella (as we felt it wouldn’t do much), the pamphlet covers the baby well except for the legs (which we put sunscreen on).
- The associated bag, a bulky large sack that must be attached to a plate. Bad design work by Babyzen as the whole point of this travel stroller is to be compact.
- There is a standing plate for siblings, this is something we have not tested yet as we only have one child.
Check Babyzen Yoyo at Amazon.com
