best strollers for toddlers

UPPAbaby Cruz V3

The Cruz V3 is UPPAbaby's single-child full-size stroller: the Vista's ride and build without the second-seat hardware, which is why it folds smaller and costs a hundred dollars less. The seat reverses so a toddler can face you or the world, reclines one-handed, and is rated to 50 lbs, and the 30 lb basket is one of the largest here. The trade-off is bulk: at 26.5 lbs with the seat on it is a stroller you leave in the trunk rather than carry, and it will not fit an airline overhead bin.

UPPAbaby Vista V3

The Vista V3 is the buy-once stroller for families who expect a second child: the same 50 lb toddler seat as the Cruz, but the frame takes a bassinet, a second seat, or a rumble seat, expanding from single to triple. It is the heaviest non-jogging stroller in this table at 27.6 lbs and the most expensive, and the toddler seat starts at 3 months rather than birth unless you add the bassinet or infant insert. If you only ever push one child, the Cruz does the same job for less.

UPPAbaby Minu V3

The Minu V3 is the compact UPPAbaby: a one-hand fold small enough for an airline overhead bin, but with a 50 lb seat and a 20 lb basket, which is unusually generous for a stroller this size. At 16.7 lbs it is light enough to carry by the strap through an airport, and the seat and canopy feel closer to a full-size stroller than most compacts do. It costs roughly what a mid-range full-size stroller costs, so it makes most sense as a travel or city stroller rather than a first and only one.

Stokke YOYO3

The YOYO3 is the cabin-bag stroller: it folds to roughly 20 by 17 by 7 inches and is meant to go in the overhead bin rather than be gate-checked, and at 14.53 lbs it can be carried over a shoulder by the strap. Stokke rates it to 48.5 lbs, the lowest ceiling of the premium compacts here, and the under-seat basket takes 22 lbs. It is the frequent-flyer choice; for daily sidewalk use the small wheels are less forgiving than a full-size stroller's.

Bugaboo Butterfly 2 Plus

Bugaboo's Butterfly 2 Plus is their ultra-compact travel stroller, folded in one motion to a size Bugaboo describes as cabin-friendly and weighing 16 lbs assembled. It carries a 50 lb seat and a 17.6 lb underseat basket, and unlike most compacts it has full suspension and larger wheels, so it handles a cracked sidewalk better than a true umbrella stroller. Bugaboo rates it from birth only with an infant car seat, so for a newborn it needs an adapter and a seat you buy separately.

Cybex Libelle

The Libelle is the lightest stroller in this table at 13.7 lbs, and the cheapest of the airline-friendly compacts: Cybex folds it to about 12.6 by 7.8 by 18.9 inches so it stows in an overhead compartment. It also has the highest child rating of any compact here, 55 lbs, which means it outlasts most of its rivals as your child grows. What you give up is storage and comfort at the margins: the basket takes only 11 lbs, and the seat starts at 6 months rather than birth.

Nuna TRVL LX

The TRVL LX is Nuna's compact stroller with bigger wheels than the original TRVL, aimed at parents who want a travel fold without a travel ride. It self-folds in one hand to a free-standing package, weighs 14.6 lbs without the canopy and armbar, takes a child to 50 lbs, and clicks onto Nuna PIPA infant car seats with no adapter. At $600 it is the most expensive compact here, and Nuna does not publish a weight limit for the shopping basket.

Chicco Liteway

The Liteway is the budget entry here at $139.99, an aluminum-framed umbrella stroller with a five-position recline, a cup holder and a storage basket. It weighs 17.2 lbs, heavier than the premium compacts that cost three times as much, and folds long and thin rather than into a cabin-sized cube. The real caveat for toddlers is the ceiling: Chicco rates it to 40 lbs, the lowest in this table, so an average four-year-old is already at the limit.

Joovy Kooper RS

The Kooper RS is the value pick for a big toddler: a 55 lb seat, one of the two highest ratings outside the joggers, on a 19 lb frame that folds compactly, for $349.90. It has larger all-terrain wheels than most lightweight strollers and a 15 lb basket with front and rear access, plus the tray-and-cup-holder setup parents of snacking toddlers tend to want. It is heavier than the premium compacts and needs a separately sold adapter for newborn car seat use, so it suits the toddler years rather than the first months.

Baby Jogger City Mini GT3

The City Mini GT3 is the all-terrain workhorse: forever-air rubber tires and all-wheel suspension on a frame that still does Baby Jogger's signature one-hand fold. Its 65 lb rating is the highest of any non-jogging stroller here, so it stays useful well past the toddler years, and it meets Disney's stroller size rules. Baby Jogger is explicit that it is not intended for jogging, and the 10 lb basket is the smallest in this table, which is a real constraint on a park day.

Thule Urban Glide 3

Thule's Urban Glide 3 is the three-wheeled all-terrain stroller for parents who walk or run on rough ground: 16 inch air-filled rear tires, a swivel front wheel that locks for speed, and a magnetic buckle that makes loading a wriggling toddler easier. It weighs 26.2 lbs and carries 15 lbs in the cargo basket. Note the seat limit: Thule rates the child at 49 lbs, lower than the BOB and the City Mini GT3, so the 75 lb figure quoted elsewhere is the stroller's total capacity, not your child's.

BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0

The Revolution Flex 3.0 is the running stroller in this table, with mountain-bike-style suspension, air-filled tires and a front wheel that swivels for errands or locks for jogging. Its 75 lb child rating is the highest here by a wide margin, which is why it is the one stroller a five- or six-year-old still fits in. It is also the biggest: 28.5 lbs, a wide stance that is awkward in shop aisles, and tires that need a pump, so it is a second stroller for active families rather than an everyday city one.

UPPAbaby Ridge V2

The Ridge V2 is UPPAbaby's jogging and all-terrain stroller, jogging-ready once a child can hold their head up and rated to 55 lbs. It is the heaviest stroller in this table at 29.2 lbs, with a large covered basket that takes 20 lbs and water-repellent fabrics for muddy days. If you already own UPPAbaby gear it fits that ecosystem, but for pure running the BOB carries a heavier child, and for everyday errands almost everything else here is easier to fold and store.