Feeling Done With Your Bulky Stroller? We Love These Lightweight Travel Strollers
Feeling Done With Your Bulky Stroller? We Love These Lightweight Travel Strollers
We updated this article in February 2023 to ensure that all lightweight strollers previously tested and vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute were in stock and reflected current pricing. We added a few new, tested choices as well.
Parents of little ones quickly learn to not leave the house without a fully-packed diaper bag and a stocked stroller. But the load can get heavy quickly, and as your kid grows you might hit a breaking point when you need a lightweight stroller. These "umbrella strollers" can fold up small (like an umbrella) and stow away in your foyer or trunk. Lightweight strollers also make airplane travel easier, because they're easy to send through security and to gate-check.
Why don't parents start with lightweight strollers? Some do. But consider: A lightweight stroller does not roll as smoothly as something with large wheels and a serious suspension system. If your baby is tiny, they will be less jostled and more cushioned when riding in one of the many great full-size strollers or car seat and stroller combos. As your baby gets bigger, they will be just fine in a smaller, lighter-weight stroller. And when you have a preschooler who wants to hop in and out of their stroller, you'll be grateful to have a lightweight one.
Our Lab experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute test every type of baby product you can think of from baby toys to top-performing nursery gliders and high chairs. In order to find the best lightweight strollers, we reviewed over 30 strollers over the course of the past two years. For most, we rated them for key factors including ease of fold, maneuverability (We run them around a track!), stability (We hang weights from the handles.) and storage space (We place the same fully packed diaper bag in each basket to see how it fits.). For this update, we also got hands-on with newer variants of previously tested models as well as newer-to-market options.
Our top picks:
After our picks, stick around to learn more about how we test lightweight strollers in and out of the Lab and what to look for when shopping for one.
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These are the best lightweight strollers for babies and toddlers, including umbrella strollers for travel and compact folding strollers with full recline.
