Travel stroller for babies

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When we decided to take our first trip with our daughter at 2.5 months, the travel stroller research spiral began. And it is a spiral. There are a lot of options, strong opinions everywhere, and a handful of things nobody mentions until you’re already three Reddit threads deep.

Here’s how I thought through it and what I ended up with.

The Non-Negotiables

Before I even started looking at specific strollers, I knew I had two hard requirements:

Requirement Why
Newborn compatible We were traveling at 2.5 months — the stroller needed to work from day one, no extra accessories required
Fits in the overhead bin Gate checking means it gets thrown around. I wanted to bring it on the plane and not worry about it

Those two requirements alone narrowed the field significantly.

Why I Almost Got the Babyzen YOYO

The Babyzen YOYO comes up in literally every travel stroller conversation and for good reason. It’s lightweight, it folds incredibly compact, and it fits in the overhead bin on most airlines. It has a cult following for a reason.

But here’s the thing nobody leads with: the YOYO is not newborn compatible out of the box.

To use it with a newborn you need the YOYO newborn pack, which is a separate purchase. It adds cost and another thing to research and buy. For a lot of people that’s totally fine — but for me, traveling at 2.5 months, I wanted something that just worked from the start without any add-ons.

That sent me back to the drawing board.

Why I Chose the Silver Cross Jet

The Silver Cross Jet kept coming up as a direct YOYO alternative and once I started reading about it I understood why.

Feature Silver Cross Jet
Newborn compatible ✅ Yes, from birth — seat reclines fully flat
Overhead bin ✅ Yes, fits in most overhead bins
Weight 13.2 lbs — light enough to carry with one arm
One-hand fold ✅ Yes — critical when you're holding a baby
Sun canopy Large UPF 50+ canopy
Car seat compatible ✅ Yes, with adapters sold separately

The fully flat recline was the thing that sealed it for me. At 2.5 months my daughter still needed to lie flat — a stroller that only partially reclines wasn’t going to cut it.

One other thing worth knowing: the Silver Cross Jet is compatible with infant car seats via adapters that are sold separately. So if you want to click your car seat directly onto the stroller frame you can — just make sure to check which adapters are compatible with your specific car seat before buying.

How It Performed in Real Life

Loved it. Genuinely.

It held up through multiple trips without any issues. The fold is fast and actually one-handed once you get the hang of it — which matters a lot when you’re in a busy airport holding a baby with your other arm. It fit in the overhead bin every time we flew. And my daughter was comfortable in it from the very first trip.

💡 Pro tip: Roll the stroller all the way down the jet bridge before handing it off — don’t check it at the counter. Gate checking means it gets handled more gently and comes back to you right at the plane door when you land.

A couple things I’d flag: the fold is tricky to learn, definitely check out this video, once you get the hang of it – it’s magic. also it’s not a stroller you’d want as your only stroller for everyday use. The basket underneath is on the smaller side and it’s not built for rough terrain. But as a dedicated travel stroller? It’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.

Whatever you choose — check the recline, check the fold dimensions against your airline’s overhead bin specs, and make sure you actually know how to fold it before you get to the airport. Practice at home. Trust me on that one.