How to choose a stroller: 2026 buying guide

Choose by how you'll use it most days, because the type sets the weight, the fold and the price range. We sort strollers by what their makers call them:

Two rules we followed: a single-to-double stroller sold with one seat (UPPAbaby Vista V3, Baby Jogger City Select 2, Bugaboo Kangaroo, Joovy Qool) counts as full-size, because that's what you get in the box; and a double jogger counts as a double, because the second child is the harder requirement to meet.

If you walk most days and have room in the car → full-size. If you take buses, stairs or flights → lightweight. If you run three times a week or more → jogging. If a second child is on the way or already walking slowly → double.

See full-size strollers · See lightweight strollers · See jogging strollers · See double strollers

Our budget options use the price the manufacturer's own US store charged when we checked (October 19–27, 2026; changed prices re-read October 27), not a retailer's price and not the crossed-out "was" price. Most makers sold at their list price that day; Baby Trend, Colugo and Evenflo (for the Hummingbird) charged less on their own stores than their list prices, so for those we use the lower store price. Prices change with promotions, so check the current price before you buy.

The budget options are ceilings, so "Under $600" also shows everything under $300. Of the 43 strollers we catalogued:

• Under $300: 15 models: 7 lightweight, 2 full-size, 3 jogging and 3 double.
• Under $600: 29 models, including Baby Jogger's City Mini GT3 and Summit X3, Chicco's Corso Primo and UPPAbaby's Minu V3.
• Under $1,000: 41 models, including the UPPAbaby Vista V3 and Cruz V3 and most of the double joggers.
• No limit: all 43, adding Bugaboo's Kangaroo and Fox 5 Renew.

If you have about $300 → expect a lightweight stroller, or a full-size, jogger or double from Baby Trend, Chicco or Joovy. If you want a single-to-double stroller that grows with your family → Joovy's Qool was under $600 on Joovy's store when we re-read it; the other three we catalogued were $650 or more. If you want a jogger rated past 50 lb → plan on about $550 or more.

See strollers under $300 · Related list: Strollers under $300 on the maker's store

Under 15 lb is light enough to carry up stairs one-handed while holding a child; under 20 lb is easy to lift into a trunk. Above that, you're mostly pushing, not carrying. We use the weight each maker states for the stroller with its seat, not the carton or shipping weight, and we show "not stated" when a maker only gives the carton weight (Chicco's Bravino and TRE pages) or no weight at all (Baby Jogger's City Mini GT2 Double).

• Under 15 lb: 4 strollers, all lightweight: Evenflo Hummingbird (9 lb), Zoe The Traveler (13 lb), Chicco Urbino and Baby Jogger City Tour 2 Eco (14.5 lb each).
• 15 to 20 lb: 4 more lightweight strollers, from Bugaboo, Colugo, Joovy and UPPAbaby.
• Over 20 lb: every full-size stroller, jogger and double we catalogued. The lightest full-size is Baby Trend's Tango 3 All-Terrain at 20.8 lb; the lightest double is Nuna's TRVL dubl at 25.2 lb.

Lighter usually means smaller wheels and a smaller basket. Bugaboo lists 17.6 lb of underseat storage on its 16 lb Butterfly 2 Plus; Evenflo lists 10 lb of storage on the 9 lb Hummingbird.

If you live up stairs or ride transit → under 15 lb. If you load a trunk every day → under 20 lb, or a full-size stroller with a one-hand fold. If you mostly walk from the front door → weight matters less than the ride.

See strollers under 15 lb, weighted to the top

A one-hand fold lets you collapse the stroller while you hold your child on your hip, which is when you'll fold it most often. 29 of the 43 strollers we catalogued are described by their maker as folding with one hand. We count only that wording: "one-step", "one-second" or "quick" fold doesn't tell you whether you need a free hand, so for those (Baby Jogger's City Select 2, Bugaboo's Butterfly 2 Plus, UPPAbaby's Vista V3 and Cruz V3, among others) we show "not stated".

If you'll fold it at a car door with a baby in your arms → ask for a one-hand fold. If you fold it once a day at home → the fold type matters less than its folded size.

See strollers with a one-hand fold

For only 4 of the 43 strollers we catalogued does the maker say their folded stroller fits in an overhead bin: Zoe for The Traveler, Colugo for the Compact Stroller+, UPPAbaby for the Minu V3, and Bugaboo for the Butterfly 2 Plus. We don't infer it from folded dimensions, and we don't count "travel stroller" or "IATA" wording on its own. Airlines set their own carry-on limits, so check yours before you fly; most airlines will gate-check any stroller if it doesn't fit.

If you fly several times a year → pick one of the four. If you fly once a year → any lightweight stroller you can gate-check will do.

Related list: Travel strollers that fit an airplane overhead bin

Most strollers can carry an infant car seat, which lets you move a sleeping newborn from the car without unbuckling them. 35 of the 43 strollers we catalogued have a maker statement that they take an infant car seat, directly or with an adapter. Two makers state the opposite: Evenflo lists no compatible infant car seats for the Hummingbird, and Zoe's spec table says The Traveler does not accept one. The other six don't say.

What to check on the maker's page:

• Which seats it takes. Some take only their own brand (Chicco's Bravo and Activ3 take Chicco infant car seats; Nuna's TRVL dubl takes Nuna PIPA series seats), others list several brands with adapters (UPPAbaby's Minu V3, Baby Jogger's City Select 2).
• Whether the adapter is included. Baby Jogger includes adapters with some models (City Mini GT3) and sells them separately with others (City Tour 2 Eco); Bugaboo includes them with the Kangaroo.

We only repeat what the stroller's maker says. We don't review infant car seats, and the car seat's own manual decides how it may be used.

If you already own an infant car seat → filter for car seat use, then check your seat's brand on the maker's list. If your baby will start in a bassinet or a lie-flat seat → this matters less.

See strollers that take an infant car seat

Most strollers we catalogued are rated to 50 lb per seat by their makers, which covers most children into the preschool years. A few go further: Baby Jogger's City Mini GT3 to 65 lb, BOB Gear's Wayfinder to 65 lb, and Baby Jogger's Summit X3 and BOB Gear's Alterrain Pro to 75 lb. A few stop sooner: Chicco's Cortina Together and BravoFor2 and Baby Trend's Sit N' Stand Double at 40 lb per seat, and Zoe's Traveler and Baby Jogger's City Tour 2 Eco at 45 lb. We show each maker's own figure as "Max child weight per seat" on every stroller.

Some things matter but aren't stated the same way by every maker, so we don't turn them into finder questions:

• Folded size. Makers measure folded dimensions in different positions (with or without wheels, with the seat on or off), so two numbers on two maker pages aren't comparable. If trunk space is tight, measure your trunk and check the maker's own folded dimensions.
• Wheels and suspension. Makers describe these in their own words (Baby Jogger's "forever air rubber tires", Thule's air-filled tires, Chicco's adjustable rear suspension). There's no shared measure, so we leave them to the maker's page.
• Use from birth. Whether a newborn can ride depends on a lie-flat seat, a bassinet that may be sold separately, or an infant car seat, and makers state it in different ways. Bugaboo includes a bassinet with the Fox 5 Renew; most others sell one separately or rely on a car seat. Check the maker's page for your baby's age.
• How a stroller holds up in use. We compare only the specs makers publish, not how a stroller performs over time. The maker's manual and the maker's own product pages are the place to check how a stroller may be used.

• Where will it live? A full-size stroller with a one-piece fold can stand in a hallway; a lightweight one can go in a closet.
• Who pushes it? Several makers list an adjustable handlebar (UPPAbaby's Cruz V3 and Vista V3, Thule's Spring 2, BOB Gear's Revolution Flex 3.0 Duallie), which helps when parents differ in height.
• How much do you carry? Basket limits differ a lot: Baby Jogger lists 10 lb for the City Mini GT3's basket and UPPAbaby lists 30 lb for the Vista V3's. Not every maker states one.
• Will a second child come? If so, a single-to-double stroller or a double now may save buying twice.

We catalogued 43 strollers from 12 makers that sell in the US and publish specs on their own sites: Baby Jogger, Baby Trend, BOB Gear, Bugaboo, Chicco, Colugo, Evenflo, Joovy, Nuna, Thule, UPPAbaby and Zoe. Each value comes from the maker's own page, with the page linked. We left out strollers sold only as a travel system bundle, car seat frames, stroller wagons and car-seat strollers, and makers whose sites we couldn't read (Graco's site refused our requests; Cybex's US address sent us to its German site). We compare the specs makers publish; how each stroller may be used is in its maker's manual.

Related lists: Jogging strollers for running with your child · Double strollers for two children

Written with AI assistance from manufacturer specifications; reviewed and approved by the site owner. We don't test products hands-on. How we choose