Babyzen YOYO Review: 7 Years, 13 Countries, 2 Kids, 1 Stroller

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Check the current Babyzen YOYO price on Amazon

We bought our first Babyzen YOYO when my son was six months old. That was seven years ago. Since then it has flown with us to 13 countries, lived with us full-time in an RV, been on 14 Disney trips, and it is now our primary… and only… vehicle here in Costa Rica. We do not own a car. This stroller carries my kid and our groceries home from the fruit stand. It is, without exaggeration, the most-used piece of gear we own.

The short version

Buy it. The YOYO is a workhorse that folds small enough to carry on your shoulder and count as a carry-on. Seven years and two kids in, I refused to replace it with anything else… more on that below. If you fly with a little one, this is the stroller.

Check the current Babyzen YOYO price on Amazon

Why it is our only stroller

Living car-free changes what you need from a stroller. Ours is not a sometimes-item for trips… it is daily transport. It hauls a nearly-three-year-old plus whatever we buy at the corner store, over uneven sidewalks, to the beach and back. We have never once wished for something bigger. My kids are five years apart, so my son had basically aged out of it by the time my daughter arrived, and a single YOYO covered both of them.

The fold is the whole point

The reason I will never switch: it folds down small enough to hang from a shoulder strap and count as a carry-on. It is not the tiniest stroller out there, and it is not a one-handed fold… it sits right in the middle ground of carry-on-able strollers, and that is exactly what makes it a workhorse. Roomy enough to be a real everyday stroller, compact enough to bring onboard. No gate-checking, no waiting on the jet bridge, no watching it disappear into a cargo hold. I once stood on the tarmac in the Philippines being told I could not bring it on. I had just gotten off a plane with that exact stroller. Reader, it came on the plane. That is how much I trust this fold.

We skipped the newborn adapter (and it was fine)

Because my son was older, I did not even buy the newborn adapter for my daughter. We simply carried her until she was old enough to sit up in the seat, then popped her in and never looked back. If your kids are spaced close together you may want the bassinet or car-seat adapters, but for us the base stroller did everything.

Same story with the footrest extension. We bought the add-on footrest for our first YOYO, but when we replaced it I did not bother… and honestly I do not miss it. If I had been smart I would have moved it over before we got rid of the old one (I was not), but the seat is fine without it. File it under nice-to-have, not need-to-have.

The one honest caveat: it broke at six years

At about six years old, ours finally died… it lost a wheel. In fairness, we take this thing to the beach constantly, and I am fairly sure enough salt water had worked its way into the wheel to finish it off. Here is the tell for how much I love it: rather than buy a different stroller, I paid to fly a new one in and cover the import taxes to get it to Costa Rica. I do not want to tell you what that cost. I did it anyway.

The new one (Stokke YOYO3)

Stokke now owns Babyzen, and the current model is the YOYO3. Ours has a few nice upgrades over the original, the best being a bit of mesh in the back of the seat, so it is not so hot when the sun shade is down… a real thing in the tropics. The old one had an extra footrest piece; the new one does not, and honestly I do not miss it.

How it compares

The YOYO is the compact travel stroller other brands are chasing. If you are cross-shopping, I have researched the main rivals: the UPPAbaby Minu V3 (roomier, bigger basket, heavier), the Joolz Aer+ (lighter, smaller basket), and the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 (one-second fold). They are all good. The YOYO is the one I have actually pushed for seven years.

How long will it last?

My daughter is almost three and not a huge fan of walking, so I expect at least two more years out of this one, maybe three. When she finally outgrows it I genuinely do not know how I will carry the bananas home.

Who the Babyzen YOYO is for

Get it if you fly often, want a stroller you can carry on, and value a fold that just works trip after trip. Maybe look elsewhere if you need a huge basket or a full-size everyday stroller… though we made it our everyday stroller and never looked back.

FAQ

Can you take the YOYO on a plane as carry-on?
Yes. It folds small enough to carry on and fits in most overhead bins. We have done it across 13 countries.

Do you need the newborn adapter?
Not necessarily. We skipped it and carried our baby until she could sit up. If you are starting from birth, the bassinet or car-seat adapter is worth it.

How long does it last?
Ours went six years of heavy, salt-air, near-daily use before a wheel gave out. That is a lot of stroller.

The verdict

The Babyzen YOYO (now Stokke YOYO3) is the single best piece of travel gear we have owned. Seven years, 13 countries, two kids, an RV, 14 Disney trips, and now car-free island life. When ours broke, I imported a new one rather than switch. That is the whole review.

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