Bugaboo Bee, Joolz Aer, or something else?!

[MamaMiaOhDear]

Hi hoping that some of you can share your experience with the Bugaboo Bee, Joolz Aer or any other lightweight (compact fold?) pushchairs please 🙏🏻

We're thinking of selling our iCandy travel system and getting something more lightweight which will be good for plane travel but also everyday use. Little one will be roughly 12 months when we make the swap.

Any info welcome ☺

I love our Bee but it isn't really as most lightweight as other strollers - more of an in between of travel system and other light weight ones. We also have a compact pushchair for travel

@idontknow54789 thank you! Do you think the Bee would be okay for air travel? Or too big? Out of interest what do you use for travel alternative? X

The Bee doesn’t fold to cabin dimensions if that’s what you’re after. Have you considered the YoYo? Great for plane travel and sturdy enough for everyday use as long as you stick to pavements!

@MamaMiaOhDear if you are planning on taking the folded buggy as hand luggage into the airplane cabin, you really need to compare exact size specifications of luggage allowance and of the individual folded buggies.

All the websites have folded dimensions of their buggies.

Even the hailed Yoyo, for example, is slightly too wide for Ryanair when folded!

Babyzen yo-yo. We always take ours on board Ryanair. It fits in Ryanair bag check slot fine

The Bee folds no smaller than our mountain buggy

@FlounderingFruitcake I've looked at the yoyo but wasn't sure if it would be sturdy enough for day to day use! Good to hear that it would be 😁

@Batbatbatty ideally we'd like it to fold to cabin size to protect it from being chucked about in the hold, but I do wonder how well the compact fold ones stand up to day to day use?

Ryanair hand luggage 55x40x20
Folded Yoyo 52x44x18

Just saying, if they're being real sticklers at Ryanair or at the gate or wherever, you'd have to check it in. I think most other airlines have bigger luggage size allowances though.

The Cybex Libelle folds even smaller by the way. I think they're all sturdy enough for travel tbh.

We’ve got a Joolz Aer. I really like it. We compared it side by side to the Yoyo. The Aer is much easier to fold & has a slightly bigger seat so will last longer. It also felt a bit more sturdy.

Also Bugaboo have a smaller travel buggy now called the Butterfly so that’s the one to compare to the Yoyo/Aer etc.

I'd also consider whether it has a lie flat or nearly lie flat seat for good napping!

@Batbatbatty - they don’t care are Ryanair as they only check it fits in the Ryanair luggage bag which it does as it’s smaller than 55cm length, and smaller than 20cm wide which are the main dimensions. Ours has been checked and passed by them several times. No others fold smaller

@Caspianberg ah that's good to know! I saw a twitter conversation once where they hadn't let the yoyos on board. Having said that, they've not checked my cabin luggage size for ages 😂

The Libelle does actually fold smaller than the Yo-yo, at least height and width! 2cm more on depth but even then still only 20cm deep.

My first YoYo did 4 years and was only replaced because my car was stolen, which we thankfully got back but minus the stroller which was in the boot! My replacement is now 2 years old so it’s definitely sturdy. Never flown RA and likely never will as don’t live near any of their airports but have taken it on maybe 10 airlines and only had an issue on those tiny regional jets where carry on suitcases don’t fit either! Not fully lie flat but it’s maybe 85% of the way there and both of mine have slept really well in it (it’s the only place 2YO DS will consider napping!).

You’d be better with the bugaboo butterfly instead of the bee if you want small, compact and airplane friendly.

We have the Joolz Aer and I love it. We used a Bugaboo Lynx when he was smaller and I loved it, but it was too bulky for our hallway and didn't fold down very small. We started using the Aer when he was about 14 months old and it's great now he's semi-walking. It folds up really small which is a lifesaver with our tiny hallway and my smallish car boot. And it's really lightweight and easy to carry if LO decides to walk.

The only negative I'd say is that it doesn't have good reclining options. He's either sat pretty upright or there's a panel unzips to leans him right back. He hates that position, and it's almost impossible to put him back upright if he's sitting in the pram.