If you enjoy an urban lifestyle that involves using public transport and you like to take family trips that mean using your car, you’ll want the lightest, most compact stroller you can find. Unfortunately, with many travel strollers, “lightweight” also means cheap, with limited functionality, and precious little in useful features.
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Because my full-time job is being mom to 2 precious daughters, and I know a thing or two about strollers. Besides personal experience, I get feedback from other moms who use these strollers every day and put all that research into our unbiased stroller buying guides
- Kyli
But in a crowded marketplace, the UPPAbaby Minu and the Babyzen Yoyo stand out from the dozens run of the mill strollers. The Minu and the Yoyo are two of the lightest strollers you can buy, and they deliver on features, build quality, and functionality too.
In this guide, we compare the UPPAbaby Minu and the Babyzen Yoyo head-to-head, enabling you to make an informed decision before you part with your cash.
Table of Contents
UPPAbaby: Stylish, practical, and intuitive
UPPAbaby is a U.S. manufacturer, producing a range of high-end baby products, including many different designs of strollers. Formed in 2006, the company prides itself in designing and building cleverly designed, stylish products that have all the features demanded by modern parents, including safety, practicality, and comfort.
Although you’ll probably pay less for an UPPAbaby stroller than you would for a Babyzen model, you will enjoy excellent value and plenty of appealing, practical features for your money, and your stroller will last you through several children, which is an important consideration if you’re planning on adding to your family.
UPPAbaby Minu
- Suitable for children 3 months up to 50lbs
- One-hand action fold with shoulder carry strap, Stands when folded.Do not use abrasives
- Hand-sewn, leather handlebars with perforated pattern for extra grip
Released in spring 2018, the UPPAbaby Minu (click here to watch an official manufacturer video of the stroller) is the newest and most compact arrival in UPPAbaby’s range of super-popular strollers.
The Minu is classed as an umbrella-style stroller. First of all, the Minu is considerably lighter than UPPAbaby’s regular, full-sized strollers, weighing in at only 13.6 pounds. Despite its featherweight, the Minu can be used from birth with the simple addition of a bassinet or car seat, unlike the manufacturer’s range of more traditional umbrella strollers.
If you plan on taking your little one abroad or interstate, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Minu will fit in some airplane and train overhead storage bins.
The stroller has a wide range of features, including generous storage space, and a weight-carrying capacity up to 50 pounds versus the Yoyo’s capacity of just 40 pounds. That’s an important consideration if you plan on using your stroller well into your child’s toddlerhood.
What we like:
- One-step, one-handed fold
- Cheaper than the Babyzen Yoyo
- Stylish leather handlebar gives a luxury look
- Weight capacity of 50 pounds, so can be used for an older toddler
- Peek-a-boo window on top of the canopy for great viewing and extra ventilation
- Large sunshade that extends from the canopy for additional sun protection
- Three-year warranty (compared with the Yoyo’s two-year warranty)
What we don’t like:
- Might not fit in some overhead airplane bins
- Does not have a ride-along board for a sibling
- The color range is limited (only four colors available)
UPPAbaby Minu: Features that matter
Accessories and extras
The Minu is not as expensive as the Yoyo, and UPPAbaby has included a few extras that you don’t get from Babyzen.
The Minu is sold with the canopy and seat fabric “color pack,” which is great if you’re planning on using just the frame with a car seat from birth and for your baby’s first few months, or if you want to change colors with the seasons. However, you’ll need to buy these separately if you choose the Yoyo.
Both the Yoyo and the Minu come with a handy lightweight carry-bag.
If you want the bassinet so that you can use the stroller for a newborn, you’ll need to buy it separately with both the Minu and the Yoyo.
Seat and weight capacity
The Minu seat won’t recline fully but is safe to use for infants from three months old. However, if you add the stroller bassinet and car seat, you can use the stroller for a newborn. In comparison, the Yoyo is only suitable for use from six months old when the baby has sufficient neck strength to sit more upright. Again, if you add the infant car seat or bassinet, you can use the Yoyo from birth.
The Minu can accommodate a toddler up to 50 pounds in weight, while the Yoyo takes a child up to 40 pounds.
The seat is comfy, well-padded, and quite deep so that it will serve you for a few years at least. There’s a five-point harness to keep your child secure and safe while riding. Each strap can be adjusted as your child grows, and the shoulder straps have extra padding for comfort.
The seat has a pretty deep recline that can be operated with one hand. Raising the seat is a two-handed job.
Canopy
The Minu has an extendable canopy, complete with a pop-out UV sun visor. The canopy provides good coverage to protect your baby from the sun’s powerful rays. And if you want to check on your child without disturbing their nap time, you can, by using the mesh peek-a-boo window. The window has a magnetic closure too, so there’s no noisy Velcro to contend with!
Compact
The Minu folds neatly into a compact package that can be carried comfortably by its built-in shoulder strap. You can take the Minu onto an airplane as carry-on luggage, but it may not fit in some overhead bins.
The Minu’s folded size is 20.5″ L x 23″ W x 11.5″ H, making it slightly larger than the Yoyo.
Handlebar
The Minu has a full-grain leather handlebar, giving it a touch of luxury that you don’t get with the Yoyo. However, neither brand has an adjustable handlebar, which could be an issue for taller parents.
The fold
The Minu has the edge over the Yoyo with a simple, one-step fold, compared with the Yoyo’s two-step folding system.
Car seat compatibility
You can use the Minu with an infant car seat, making it a super-lightweight, convertible stroller. The Minu stroller is compatible with the UPPAbaby Mesa, Nuna, Maxi-Cosi, or Cybex car seat. Note that you will need to buy a separate adapter unless you have the Mesa car seat.
Storage
If storage is an important feature for you, both the Yoyo and the Minu have underseat storage baskets of a similar size. The Minu also has a large storage pocket on the back of the seat.
Color range
The Minu comes in four colors, teal, red, charcoal gray, and black. If you want more choice, including frame color, the Yoyo has more to offer.
Babyzen: “The only one you need.”
Babyzen is a French company with outlets worldwide. The manufacturer produces a range of baby products, including strollers.
Additionally, Babyzen has the distinction of being the first company to produce a lightweight stroller that is compact enough when folded to fit into an airplane overhead bin locker
Babyzen Yoyo
- Includes frame and 6+ color pack
- Extremely compact when folded (52 x 44 x 18 cm).
- Fits in the smallest spaces and in the overhead compartment of an airplane
The Babyzen Yoyo is cleverly designed for parents who want to travel light with their child.
You can fold the Yoyo easily and quickly and carry it like a bag. Like the Minu, the Yoyo will fit into most airplane and train overhead luggage bins. For convenience and ease of use, you can push the Yoyo with one hand.
The Yoyo can be used for a newborn and will take a toddler up to 40 pounds. With the stroller, you’ll get a flat nest for infants, a two-position canopy, a headrest, a foot cover, and a five-point safety harness. The Yoyo has all-wheel suspension and sturdy wheels that will give your child a smooth, bump-free ride over the most uneven sidewalks, grass, and gravel.
Babyzen offers two versions of this stroller, the 0+, which includes the bassinet, and the 6+, which has a seat intended for infants who can sit more upright in the stroller.
To check out the Yoyo, take a look at this manufacturer’s promotional video.
What we like:
- Considered to be the highest-quality travel stroller you can buy
- Folds up smaller than the Minu and will fit in most overhead bins
- Lots of color choices, including black or white frame
- Compatible with more accessories such as a ride-along board and cup holder
What we don’t like:
- Fold needs two steps, including reaching underneath the stroller
- More expensive than the Minu
- Canopy lacks the peek-a-boo window and ventilation of the Minu
- The handlebar is not adjustable, and the rear axle of the stroller may inhibit stride of taller parents
Babyzen Yoyo: Features that matter
Capacity
The Yoyo is slightly heavier than the Minu, weighing 14.5 pounds. However, like the Minu, the Yoyo is compact enough to fit into some airplane overhead bins. The Yoyo will take a toddler up to 40 pounds in weight, versus the Minu’s slighter greater capacity of 50 pounds.
When folded, the Yoyo is considerably more compact than the Minu. The stroller’s dimensions when folded are, 20″ L x 17″ W x 7″ H, that’s six inches narrower and four inches shorter than the Minu. Note that the Yoyo’s fold requires two steps, versus the Minu’s one.
Handlebar
The Yoyo’s handlebar is something of a disappointment, considering the price of the stroller. The cover is black foam, rather than leather like the Minu, and it isn’t adjustable.
Car seat compatibility
The Yoyo can be used with an infant car seat.
You only require one car seat adapter for use with Babyzen’s stroller, enabling you to use your stroller with the following car seats:
- Nuna PIPA, PIPA Lite or PIPA Lite LX
- Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30
- Cybex Aton, Aton 2, Aton Q or Cloud Q
Storage
The Yoyo’s storage basket is a similar size to that of the Minu, but it has two support bars running through it that could restrict what you can put in it. Also, the stroller has two handy storage pockets: a mesh pocket on the seatback and a zippered pocket on the rear of the canopy.
Ride quality
Compared with the Minu, the Yoyo is a breeze to push and can be easily maneuvered one-handed.
The ride your child will enjoy is super-smooth, thanks to the intuitive four-wheel suspension system, which was designed with bumpy French cobbled streets in mind! That said, the Yoyo is not intended to be an all-terrain stroller, and it won’t handle very uneven off-road trails.
When it comes to seat comfort, you may find the depth of the Yoyo’s seat comes up slightly shorter than that of the Minu. That’s not an issue with smaller children, but if you have a large child, you could find that they are thrown forward when you’re pushing over bumpy ground and curbs. Fortunately, the Yoyo comes with a good-quality five-point harness to keep your child safe and secure in the seat.
Harness
The Yoyo’s five-point safety harness is well-made and does a good job, but the straps do feel flimsy, and you may have trouble fastening a large child into the seat, especially if they’re wearing a thick coat.
Optional extras
The Yoyo has a few optional extras that you can buy if you want to, including:
- Cup holder
- Ride-along board
- Newborn pack bassinet
- Travel bag
- Parasol
Color pack
The Yoyo comes with a color pack, giving you more choices than you get with the Minu. You can choose from a black or white frame and several fabric colors, including, sage green, black, charcoal gray, light brown, dusky pink, red, and navy.
Wrapping it up
Both the UPPAbaby Minu and the Babyzen Yoyo are good-quality, lightweight, umbrella style strollers, and there are pros and cons with each.
The Yoyo is lighter and more compact than the Minu, and its suspension ensures the smoothest ride. However, the Minu has a one-hand, one-step fold, making it easier to collapse, which is important if you’re hurrying to board a train or bus. If you want a stylish finish, the Minu offers some nice features such as a leather handlebar and a pop-out sunshade. Of the two, the Minu is less expensive.
If you’re looking for a high-quality, lightweight stroller that you can use for everyday trips and errands, and that will be suitable for travel at home or abroad, both the UPPAbaby Minu and the Babyzen Yoyo fit the bill.
