BabyZen Yoyo2 Review

Five Frenchmen founded BabyZen to create a lightweight stroller suitable for urban living. This brand is higher-quality and designed for travel and city living. With marketing that claims they produce "the only stroller you'll ever need," BabyZen only has a small lineup of strolling options.

Performance Comparison

Weight and Folded Size

This stroller folds into thirds and fits in a nice carry bag that protects it from the outside world. The Yoyo2 weighs 14.3 lbs and is 3,534 cubic inches when folded.

These measurements make it lighter and smaller than much of the competition but sadly heavier and larger than the previous version of the Yoyo. Several strollers, like the GB Pockit, weigh less, but not many that fold smaller.

Ease of Use

The Yoyo2 is one of the easier options in the review to use, earning a higher than average score for the metric.

The Details

Within our ease of use metric, there are a variety of components that contribute to the overall score. The two most heavily weighted tests we perform are for ease of folding, and storage functionality. We think these are the most important ease of use factors for you to consider before making a purchase, and below we compare each stroller in greater detail to give a better understanding of how products line up.

Fold and unfold ratings contribute to 25% of the overall ease of use score. Many parents purchase an umbrella stroller to use for travel, and on-the-go situations where a top-ranked full-size stroller would be too cumbersome. So, being able to fold your stroller quickly and easily is a must, and it is even better if you can do it with one hand. The BabyZen earned a score that is just above average for this sub-metric. Partially because it requires two hands, and also because it has a somewhat complicated fold that may take some time to learn.

The Yoyo2 requires two hands to fold and unfold. There are multiple steps, and it is not intuitive from the get-go, though, with practice, it gets easier. While not the worst score in the group, the Yoyo2 was just average. We needed the instructions to help us and some practice, even after years of folding almost every stroller on the market. Sometimes the wheels get in the way of finalizing the fold, so you need to spin them around if things aren't working.

We think storage is another valuable element for long days out with a baby. While it is difficult to find excellent storage in a lightweight stroller, some options are better than others. The Yoyo2 scored above average for the group. The basket is a bit small, but it has good access from the front, and there is an additional pocket in the real for small parent items.

The Yoyo2 holds up to 11 lbs, which is one of the highest maximum allowances in the group. However, it is only medium in size, and we couldn't fit as much in the basket as in the Britax B-Lively. The opening in the back is very narrow, and it widens toward the front, where you might have better access if you can move passenger legs out of the way. The back also has bars that block access, so even if it looks like your diaper bag is small enough to fit in the bin, you may not be able to get it past the opening.

Brakes

The brake pedal is a small red tab near the right wheel. They are single action, and one pedal engages a lock on both wheels. Even though the pedal is on the small side, it is easy to set. There is no play in the brakes at all, and we didn't have any brakes-related accidents during testing.

Sunshade

The sunshade on the Yoyo2 looks sharp and well made with a UPF rating of 50+. It is somewhat large for an umbrella product, but it isn't the biggest in the group. It offers adequate coverage that comes low enough to shield most passenger faces from the sun. It doesn't extend as far as we'd like, and most of the passenger's body will be exposed. It has a small vinyl window with no cover and a small view of little ones underneath.

Harness

The harness and buckle have a very high-end look and feel with a padded crotch strap. The straps are soft and slippery, which feels good, but they come loose easily. Their tightest setting fits our 6-month tester snugly. This stroller's 5-point harness shoulder height adjustment is a rethread style. It is easier than most because you can detach the padding for better access. The harness release button is easy to press, and clips spring out when the button is pressed. The Inglesina Quid is another stroller that has this spring feature that we love.

Seat

The Yoyo2 seat reclines enough for possible napping. It has the same strap recline method as the old Yoyo+, but it has plastic pull loops that make putting the seat up and down much easier. We were able to do it with one hand both ways. The leg rest is not adjustable or very long, and there is no real footrest.

Car Seat Compatibility

The Yoyo2 is compatible with a handful of infant car seats, including the Cybex Aton Q, Cybex Aton 2, Nuna Pipa, Nuna Pipa Lite, Clek Liing, and the Maxi-Cosi Mico Max Plus. We tested ours with the Cybex Aton 2. Our tests show it is harder to attach to the stroller than it should be, and we struggled with it. It requires adapters, and you definitely could do it wrong or think it was installed when it wasn't. We had trouble making the connection and getting it to release when we wanted it to. However, once we got it attached, it felt stable and scored better than some of the competition for stability.

Ease of Setup

Putting the Yoyo2 together is complex, and it took longer than any other stroller by far with a 20-25 minute assembly time. The manual instructions are clear, but there are no pictures. This design made the details hard to follow as it wasn't clear, and there were no pictures to supplement the lack of details. The canopy, in particular, took us forever to figure out, and we eventually had to find a video for help. There are far more steps for this stroller than most of the competition.

Maneuverability

The Yoyo2 proves you don't need big rubber tires to improve maneuverability. While none of the strollers in this review performed well in our test for maneuverability, this one did outshine most of the competition.

The wheels are pretty small and foam-filled plastic like most of the competition, but they are still better at moving than the cheaper competition.

This stroller easily maneuvers around tight corners and over rugs/cords. It pushes very smoothly and is easy to turn with one hand. The flex in the frame is perfect for adding some cushion to the turns. This stroller did well over grass and gravel as long as the grass was shorter and the gravel was not deep.

Quality

The Babyzen is a top-quality option with a price to match. This stroller has attention to detail and feels sturdier and more finished than the competition, earning high honors in our quality metric.

The overall fit and finish of this stroller are more polished and finished. It has hub caps on the wheels, few visible rivets or connection materials, and the frame is minimal in design, so it doesn't look clunky or cluttered.

It has soft, fine, woven canvas fabric that is not plastic feeling at all. The seat cushion and canopy do not look wrinkled, and the strap webbing and padding are smooth and touch-friendly. While it has a slight frame flex when turning, there is no rattling or squeaking, and we can push the stroller without stepping on the rear axle.

Should You Buy the BabyZen Yoyo2?

The Yoyo2 is a top-of-the-line umbrella stroller and has better features and functionality than many of the other lightweight options we tested. It earned top marks in most metrics and is a pleasure to use. However, its exorbitant price tag makes it less accessible, and since it is not a good stand-in for an everyday stroller, it may be a hard sell for the average family. We feel it is an excellent choice for those who value quality and performance above all else and have a budget to accommodate.

What Other Lightweight Strollers Should You Consider?

While it is hard to compete with the performance of the Babyzen, you may find slightly better value in a product like the UPPAbaby Minu, which falls close behind the Yoyo in overall performance. It has a similar fold method but is slightly larger and heavier. It is compatible with one of our favorite infant car seats, has a longer usage range, and easier initial setup. Both strollers earned top scores for quality and ease of use. Depending on your needs, either one would be a good choice.

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