Zoe - Terra

It's going to depend so much on how and where you plan to use the stroller, and whether you want something that can eventually be used for a second baby. I don't drive and we knew we wanted 2 kids, so I needed strollers that really worked well and had okay storage capacity. I went through a few different strollers to accommodate different activities and different life stages. All of them were used in conjunction with babywearing because sometimes in the city a stroller just doesn't work at all. I got a City Select first because I wanted something I could convert when we had a second, and the versatility was nice, but all the front to back strollers are so unwieldy to push. Having a tiny baby facing me (preferably not in a car seat) was important to me, and it was a good choice for that, but once both kids were bigger I sold it. I also had a not-quite-umbrella stroller, the Zoe that isn't the super tiny travel size, for those days I wanted to keep it light and only needed it for one kid, but they're really only well suited to smooth floors, like museums, so I only used it if I really needed something small and easy to fold. My second set of strollers, once I knew we weren't gonna have anymore newborns, were a City Mini GT and a Mountain Buggy Duet. The GT is a really solid choice as long as your kid is old enough that you feel comfortable not having eyes on them at all times. Sturdy, handles well, basket is not amazing but it's good enough, folds quickly, and they're popular enough that it's easy to find one used - I think mine was $20 on craigslist and all I had to do was stuff a little piece of cardboard into a spot where the front wheel liked to stick. The Mountain Buggy Duet is relatively unknown but my absolute favorite for when I needed both kids in a stroller. Rugged as hell, smooth to push even with one hand, amazingly shockingly astoundingly narrow for a side by side - I think there's less than an inch difference between it and the City Select single. You can fit this thing on a CTA bus without folding it or blocking the aisle (I did avoid crowded buses with strollers but I surprised a lot of people when they saw it squeeze in). You can take one seat off and attach a shopping basket if you've got one in preschool all day and the other at home with you running errands then put the second seat back in for a weekend zoo trip. It was a pain to fold but I rarely needed to fold it. It's not the best stroller for big kids since it's so narrow, but my oldest was a shrimpy toddler. God, I miss that stroller. If I knew then what I know now I probably would have gotten it and just used it with the basket when my first was born. I also borrowed a Bob double to get the kids to and from school when we were avoiding the bus during covid and it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed one winter. It did well in the snow but it's so so big, I couldn't even get it in my garage without folding it. If you plan to do a lot of trail walking off road kinds of stuff, a single Bob would be a great choice once baby is big enough, but I wouldn't bother for just city walking.

If you’re looking into different brands, I have LOVED our Zoe strollers. I don’t think there is anywhere to test them out, but I’ve had the single, the double, and the jogger and I have loved them all. They’re awesome for travel too. 

If you’re looking into different brands, I have LOVED our Zoe strollers. I don’t think there is anywhere to test them out, but I’ve had the single, the double, and the jogger and I have loved them all. They’re awesome for travel too. 

I have a 4 year old and a 9 month old! It was so stressful finding a double that made sense with the age gap. If you’re not ready to make a big buy before your trip, I’d rent a double Bob to try it out. We’d have gotten one when baby was born if it were newborn compatible- we love our single Bob and our older will still be comfy in it for a few years. If I were on the market for a double now with my 9 month old, I’d be scoping Bobs out. We bought a secondhand uppababy and immediately sold it to someone else on Marketplace- it was just too small for the wide age gap. My average-sized older daughter’s legs were dangling comically out of the toddler seat. Other moms I know with an age gap wider than 2 years also ditched their uppababy. We’ve loved our Zoe single for our older and will probably get a double eventually when we need it for travel. If you’re flying in, it’s a great, lightweight travel stroller! Only issue is storage, but we hack our way around it with big carabiners and side saddle storage attachments. I ended up purchasing the Austlen Entourage for our big family stroller during a Prime Day. The sit/stand option, the ability to shorten it with one hand if big sister isn’t using it, and the storage are what sold me. It has a bassinet mode for newborns, which I also wanted in case we have a 3rd. Let me know if you have questions about this one! It’s not the easiest to handle as an inline double, but it fits right through every door!

We love our Zoe! My only gripe is that the storage is limited compared to a legit double stroller (common with many travel strollers), but we do well with their side saddle mesh bags and a big carabiner on the handle for jackets and lighter bags.

I love the zoe stroller for my 3 and 1 year old. We have the double one but there is also a single version. It moves very nicely, is lightweight, and folds easily. It has a 60 lb weight limit. Their 7 year old cousin takes breaks sitting in it comfortably.

When we found ourselves in a similar predicament, we moved and I admit I never regretted having an elevator and a bit more space for the additional expense. That said, if money is a bit tight right now and you aren't already hugely bothered by the climb, I think you can do this. There will probably be months ahead where it peaks in annoyance and being a bit debilitating, like when you're so pregnant you're easily winded and can't see your feet or early-early postpartum, but you're also already acclimated in general, so the hardest part is behind you. Loving your place and knowing you can save money really tips the balance toward staying put, I think. This is really a logistics problem: think strategically and minimalistically. What you won't be able to do is use your stroller like a walking living room / personal vehicle, which is something lots of families do when they've got an elevator. It would be somewhat easier if you have a place to leave a stroller downstairs on the first floor. But even then, you won't have tons of hands/strength for carrying your baby, their stuff, your stuff, a full stroller basket of groceries, etc etc from the stroller downstairs to the apartment. Invest in a single, very lightweight, easy-to-fold, ACTUALLY one-handed-fold stroller like a Zoe or a Joolz Aer or a Minu. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about its "infant compatibility" unless it too is compactable -- like, don't worry overmuch about a big bassinet or carry cot or whatever components that don't lend themselves well to that easy fold/carry. Your baby will be strong enough for a regular stroller seat by month 4-6. Instead, put the bassinet money into an extra baby carrier or two and plan to baby wear a lot more, at least in the early days. Get a backpack and maybe also a fanny pack to use as a baby bag. You can have a baby on the front carrier and the bag on your back, or your baby in a ring sling and some baby stuff in the fanny pack, etc etc. And then bet on the fact that you'll probably want to make certain errands separate from walking your baby and stroller upstairs and down (like, with the money saved by not moving, can you get groceries or laundry delivered to your door, tipping that delivery person for the extra walk up?). Later down the line as your baby turns into a toddler, you'll still be carrying them (in your arms or in a toddler carrier) up and down, but there will be days when they're on an independence kick and insist on slowly climbing every stair themselves. But I wouldn't worry too far into the future. In a year or two, you might be in a different position and feeling more/new urgency about moving. Or not.

We got a Peg Perego Ypsi travel system and I can’t understand why they aren’t more popular here. Size of a Vista, but two-kid flexibility. I like the clever fold better (no annoying button in the middle of the handle bar). Big basket, nice suspension, Italian quality; great car seat that just clicks into the stroller, with a European belt path so it’s extra safe in cabs and Ubers without a base (we did this in lieu of a bassinet attachment—yes, you don’t want your baby in a car seat for more than two hours, but they pretty much never are anyway since you take them out to feed them or whenever they cry, and naps typically aren’t that long in the early days anyway). If you go to Albee Baby, the Agio 4 is the same stroller as is in the Ypsi system. I think they still carry it. Most people we know (including us) just got a second, smaller travel stroller and use whichever one was better suited for the day. If I had to take the subway alone, I took the Zoe instead, which I also think is great! But if I had to get just one stroller and wanted something light and was willing to give up basket space, I would do an Uppababy Minu! 

$20 umbrella stroller or a zoe collapsible. we never used our fancy UB stroller ever. doonas are overrated.

we barely ever used our uppababy. it doesn’t fit in my car trunk! i got way more use out of my zoe and my $20 cosco stroller.

we never used our UB stroller a s defaulted to the zoe or umbrella. sold the UB for a good ROI. it didn’t even fit in my car.

yes. we never used our cruz! always the zoe or the $20 umbrella stroller. sold my cruz recently for $250. good ROI.

Our family has owned a couple zoe strollers. I'd highly recommend. Not sure where to try locally, but they fold up nicely https://zoebaby.com/collections/singles/

Lol, yep. Uppababy isn’t even close to in my budget. I’m perfectly happy with my $200 something Zoe!

Zoe hands down! It is super light weight (can literally pick up with one hand) it folds down flat and turns on a dime. There is also a bunch of room underneath and it reclines on both sides as well so the kiddos can nap if needed.

100%. Our oldest doesn't sit in the stroller much but was enough that we needed up upgrade our Uppababy to a side by side. While I love the Zoe, it's nowhere near as convenient as the in-line one was.