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Three different strollers balance on top of each other on the sidewalk. Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

The Best Strollers of 2023

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Three different strollers balance on top of each other on the sidewalk. Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

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Editor's Choice Product image of Uppababy Cruz V2
Best Overall

Uppababy Cruz V2

The UppaBaby Cruz is wide enough to be stable yet narrow enough to fit easily through doorways. Read More

Pros

  • Huge storage basket
  • Smooth ride
  • Adjusts for big and small riders
  • Canopy has excellent coverage

Cons

  • Handlebar only has three settings
2
Editor's Choice Product image of Baby Jogger City Mini GT2
Best Value

Baby Jogger City Mini GT2

The City Mini GT2 has the best folding mechanism of any stroller I’ve used in seven years of parenting. Read More

Pros

  • One-hand fold
  • All-terrain wheels
  • Easy to put together

Cons

  • Small storage pocket
  • Harness awkward to buckle
  • Tight fit through doorways
3
Editor's Choice Product image of Bugaboo Fox 3
Best Upgrade

Bugaboo Fox 3

The large wheels were the best of any I tried at navigating the rough sidewalks that abound in my neighborhood. Read More

Pros

  • Easy one-handed steering
  • Sturdy construction
  • Large basket

Cons

  • Difficult to assemble
  • Canopy only has one peekaboo vent
4
Product image of Nuna Mixx Next

Nuna Mixx Next

The Nuna Mixx Next aims to set itself apart with distinctive design—sometimes at the expense of what actually works for real parents. Read More

Pros

  • Lay-flat seat for newborns
  • All-terrain wheels
  • Mesh peek-a-boo window

Cons

  • Difficult to buckle
  • Full basket impedes brakes
5
Editor's Choice Product image of Mockingbird Stroller

Mockingbird Stroller

A luxury stroller with an affordable price tag. Read More

Pros

  • Huge storage basket
  • Adjustable footrest
  • Canopy has two peekaboo vents

Cons

  • Shallow seat
  • Front wheels tend to catch on uneven sidewalks

Three hundred years ago, the first strollers were invented as a diversion for royalty. But back then, even kings and queens couldn’t get their hands on the kind of rides we have today. Just in the eight years since I was pregnant with my first kid, the market has expanded enormously.

I pored over more than 200 of today’s top single strollers for this review then personally tested the eight most-loved models. I can say with certainty that every stroller reviewed here will be the best baby stroller for some families. I repeat: These are all excellent choices. This review provides context so you can decide the best option for you right now.

We found that the best choice for most families will be the Uppababy Cruz V2 (available at Amazon) . It’s one of the smoothest rides out there with a comfy, reversible seat and build quality that can’t be beat.

For families looking for the sweet spot of features and affordability, the Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 (available at Amazon) is an excellent choice. This go-anywhere stroller can handle any terrain with the best of them. Plus, our 4-year-old tester said it was the comfiest, and I found it was the easiest of any to stow.

If you have your heart set on a premium stroller, you can’t do better than the Bugaboo Fox 3 (available at Amazon). It’s more substantial than the Uppababy Cruz V2, comes ready with a from-birth bassinet, and can beast over every bump.

A baby in an UppaBaby stroller wrapped up in a blanket sitting in a snowy field.
Credit: Reviewed / Emily P.G. Erickson

The best stroller for most families is the UppaBaby Cruz.

Best Overall
Uppababy Cruz V2
  • Stroller weight: 25.5 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 30 pounds
  • Minimum age: 3 months (from birth with sold-separately accessories)
  • Seat style: Reversible
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: Sold separately
  • Car seat compatibility: Works with the Mesa Infant Car Seat natively; Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Cybex, and Chicco (adapter sold separately)
  • Handlebar: Telescoping

Have you heard of the bliss point? It’s the precise ratio of sugar, salt, and fat that maximizes deliciousness and makes food irresistible. I daresay the Uppababy Cruz V2 has attained the bliss point of strollers.

It’s wide enough to be stable, yet narrow enough to fit easily through doorways. It’s cozy enough to hold my 8-month-old, yet gamely adjusts to accommodate my 4-year-old. The large wheels are large enough to absorb bumps, yet it’s slim when folded—and stands on its own!

It has a five-point harness yet has just two clips to buckle. It’s luxe enough to feel fancy, but straightforward enough that it took me under 10 minutes to put together. Its folding mechanism is convenient and clever, despite requiring two hands. And the storage space? The basket holds a beefy 30 pounds.

When I travel during a testing period, which product I want to bring along is telling. When we headed out of town for the weekend this time, if you had peeked between the captain’s chairs in our packed minivan, you would have seen the Uppababy Cruz V2 nestled there.

Pros

  • Huge storage basket

  • Smooth ride

  • Adjusts for big and small riders

  • Canopy has excellent coverage

Cons

  • Handlebar only has three settings

mom and child with City Mini GT2 stroller
Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

The Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 is durable and capable of handling curbs with ease.

Best Value
Baby Jogger City Mini GT2
  • Stroller weight: 21.4 pounds
  • Max child weight: 65 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 10 pounds
  • Minimum age: Birth
  • Seat style: Reversible
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: None
  • Car seat compatibility: Baby Jogger with included adaptor; Britax, Chicco, Clek, Cybex, Graco, Maxi Cosi, Peg Perego, and Uppababy (adapter sold separately)
  • Handlebar: Pivot

This nimble, three-wheeled (not-jogging) stroller from Baby Jogger has a high quality feel, and nearly all of its features work exceptionally well, including the folding mechanism. To wit: The City Mini GT2 has the best folding mechanism of any stroller I’ve used in seven years of parenting.

With other details like a rubberized adjustable handle, locking front wheel, serious hand brakes, a super soft seat, and a limited lifetime warranty, you get the idea that this ride will last all the way through your stroller years. In fact, a previous version of this stroller is the one I had on my first baby registry, and seven years later, it’s still in my garage.

The City Mini GT2 is at its best in motion. It hops curbs and cruises over cracks like a boss. I have steps to the front and back of my house, and, while it wasn’t pretty, I was able to carry my baby with one arm and fold then carry the stroller with the other.

The City Mini GT2 has a decently sized basket, but the undercarriage is still smaller than many other full-sized strollers. It’s big enough that during one sunny walk, I could stash my jean jacket, a not-too-full backpack, and odds and ends from my neighborhood supermarket. Still, it wouldn’t have handled a fully packed diaper bag and wasn’t big enough to hold my family of five’s outerwear during our day at the natural history museum. The stretchy mesh sides help make the most of the space it does have, but I wanted more storage for the width of the stroller.

The only truly terrible feature of this stroller is its five-point harness. Every time you use it, the lap and shoulder buckle of each side have to connect to each other before connecting to the center buckle, which has no benefit that I can figure out and just adds friction when you’re trying to go.

Pros

  • One-hand fold

  • All-terrain wheels

  • Easy to put together

Cons

  • Small storage pocket

  • Harness awkward to buckle

  • Tight fit through doorways

A Bugaboo Fox stroller sitting under trees.
Credit: Reviewed / Emily P.G. Erickson

The Bugaboo Fox is a luxury stroller that's worth the investment.

Best Upgrade
Bugaboo Fox 3
  • Stroller weight: 26.9 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 22 pounds
  • Minimum age: Birth
  • Seat style: Reversible
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: Included
  • Car seat compatibility: Nuna with the included adaptor
  • Handlebar: Telescoping

This stroller and I started off on the wrong wheel. It was the second-to-last stroller I assembled, and by then, I fancied myself something of a stroller assembly expert. Even so, the Bugaboo Fox 3 took me the longest to put together. The manual, whose nearly wordless explanations left something to be desired, was not particularly helpful. I definitely gave the stroller the stinkeye as I clicked all four (why so many!?) buckles to secure my baby in the rumble seat. Then I started walking.

The stroller glided like a majestic cruise ship, sturdy and smooth. The padded seat and gentle ride lulled my normally-too-curious-to-snooze baby to sleep. The large wheels were the best of any I tried at navigating rough seas that abound in my neighborhood (ok, ok, they’re sidewalks).

When we docked at the neighborhood supermarket, the stroller was narrow enough not to be a nuisance in the aisles, and the hull had plenty of space for cargo. On the walk home I easily controlled the vessel with one hand, even loaded down with my 8-month-old and groceries for our family of five, and the wrist strap gave me the confidence I could do so safely, even in my hilly neighborhood.

Ship metaphors aside, if you can get past the assembly, the Bugaboo Fox 3 is a magnificent stroller to use. Pretty much everything about it works well and feels high quality. The foot brake engages easily and effectively. The large canopy completely covers your baby. The bassinet—which comes with the stroller—is the kind of place you feel good setting your newborn. The seat—which you can position parent-facing or world-facing—tilts up and down. It fit my 4-year-old best of any in the testing batch.

When you’re not using it, you may find the Bugaboo Fox 3 to be a bit bulky. This isn’t the kind of gear you’ll want to lug on a bus every day, but, compared to others of its type, it was somehow less awkward to shlep up my front steps. Likewise, when collapsed, while the Bugaboo Fox 3 doesn’t have a slim profile per se, it does stand up on its own, which sometimes matters more.

Pros

  • Easy one-handed steering

  • Sturdy construction

  • Large basket

Cons

  • Difficult to assemble

  • Canopy only has one peekaboo vent

Other Strollers We Tested

Product image of Nuna Mixx Next
Nuna Mixx Next
  • Stroller weight: 28.3 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 10 pounds
  • Minimum age: Birth
  • Seat style: Reversible
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: Sold separately
  • Car seat compatibility: Nuna PIPPA series infant car seats
  • Handlebar: Telescoping

I loved the Nuna Mixx Next best the day it came with us to pick apples. With a basket full of produce, its wheels gamely ambled over gravel roads and muddy cowpaths. I peeped at my kid using the canopy’s clever mesh side panels and felt both positively autumnal and better equipped than I had been in eight years of these outings.

On daily use, the rosy picture flickered in and out as a fog of friction descended. The Nuna Mixx Next aims to set itself apart with distinctive design—sometimes at the expense of what actually works for real parents. Too many of its innovative features seemed to require an extra tug or tap.

Assembling the back wheels necessitated a force that I couldn’t accomplish solo, the only stroller set-up requiring reinforcements. Keeping the front wheels inline on uneven pavement was reminiscent of a shopping cart with too-spinny wheels. Braking was blocked when the basket was full. Adjusting the footrest required the left and right sides to be approached separately, which offered no practical benefit but did offer opportunities to have unevenly elevated baby legs. Detaching the belly bar was odd, eliciting comments from my husband and our babysitter. Clasping the seat buckle was not made easier by the magnetic closure, but it was harder to tell if it was actually secured, frequently leaving me fumbling with my too-tired toddler when he didn’t want to trade play time for nap time.

This is a fine stroller. Its doorway-friendly width, big basket, smooth ride, and luxe materials reminded me of our best overall pick, the Uppababy Cruz V2. But, for the price, the design hiccups surprised me. Altogether, it gave the overall impression of a prototype rather than a finished model. The Nuna Mixx Next is a good stroller that feels like it’s an iteration or two away from being a great stroller.

Pros

  • Lay-flat seat for newborns

  • All-terrain wheels

  • Mesh peek-a-boo window

Cons

  • Difficult to buckle

  • Full basket impedes brakes

Product image of Mockingbird Stroller
Mockingbird Stroller
  • Stroller weight: 26.5 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 25 pounds
  • Minimum age: Four months (From birth with sold-separately accessories)
  • Seat style: Reversible, option for second seat
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: Sold separately
  • Car seat compatibility: Graco, Chicco, Britax, Baby Jogger, Evenflo, Maxi-Cosi, Cybex, Nuna, Uppababy
  • Handle: Pivot

The Mockingbird Single-to-Double Stroller is a stroller of the social media age, and I mean that in the best way possible. Their attention to customer experience is excellent. The packaging, manual, and welcome email sequence are sprinkled with easy-to-understand illustrations, spot-on pro tips, and animated gifs that communicate care for you and your little bean.

The Mockingbird is about the lowest price point at which you can access the features and functionality that are standard among luxury strollers. Its design is similar to the Uppababy Cruz V2, Bugaboo Fox 3, and Cybex Gazelle S. Like those strollers, it has lockable front swivel wheels, a bumper bar, adjustable handlebar, vented sun canopy, fun color options, and lots of accessories available for purchase. It even has a couple of features that those strollers don’t, like a cell phone pocket and a zipper on the footrest that helps with cleaning crumbs.

Some features were especially fantastic, like the enormous basket, which easily handled a long spring walk to our neighborhood bakery, bookstore, and falafel place with all the goodies and gear my family of five required.

Some features fell a bit short. The white call-out button for the recline was finicky. Likewise, they say this stroller is a one-hand fold, but I always needed two to manage it. When folded, the Mockingbird is bulky and awkward to carry, so it wasn’t ideal on transit or in my trunk. The seat is unusually high up, making it tricky for me as a five-foot-tall adult to see precisely where I was going. This was particularly problematic because the Mockingbird was wider than any other in the testing group. Given its girth, the front wheels are strangely small, and they tend to catch on sidewalks.

Pros

  • Huge storage basket

  • Adjustable footrest

  • Canopy has two peekaboo vents

Cons

  • Shallow seat

  • Front wheels tend to catch on uneven sidewalks

Product image of Cybex Gazelle S Modular Double Stroller
Cybex Gazelle S Modular Double Stroller
  • Stroller weight: 27.7 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 30 pounds
  • Minimum age: Four months (From birth with sold-separately accessories)
  • Seat style: Reversible, option for second seat
  • Recline: Flat
  • Bassinet: Sold separately
  • Car seat compatibility: Cybex natively
  • Handlebar: Telescoping

Indoors, the Cybex Gazelle S shines. During a grocery trip, the huge basket, which has high sides and easy front and back access, handled everything I needed (plus everything my 6-year-old thought we needed). Likewise, when I headed to the museum with my three kids, the Cybex Gazelle S had plenty of space for my baby bag and all the outerwear Minnesota’s wet, cold weather required.

On the streets, it was a different story. The Cybex Gazelle S is the heaviest stroller I tested, but not by much. However, the difference between it and the next-most-heavy felt like approximately 8 gazillion pounds rather than the .8 pounds it actually was. Something about the wheel suspension and the angles of the handle meant that each time I used it, an old overuse injury of mine flared. It was possible to manage the stroller one-handed while I drank my matcha latte, but it wasn’t as easy-breezy as the other strollers I tested.

The assembly was tricky, too. I could forgive the harrowing assembly and heft if it seemed like my baby’s experience was excellent, but it just wasn’t. He never zonked during any of our test rides, perhaps because the bumps in the sidewalk jostled him to the point that his toys went flying more than once.

In all, the Cybex Gazelle S’s storage and high-quality construction are lovely inside, but outside I found myself wishing for a stroller that was easy to push, provided a smoother ride, and had a bigger canopy.

Pros

  • Stylish

  • Multiple configurations

  • Useful features

Cons

  • Can only be used with Cybex car seats

  • Second seat not included

  • Not good for all-terrain use

Product image of Graco Modes Pramette
Graco Modes Pramette
  • Stroller weight: 20 pounds
  • Max child weight: 50 pounds
  • Max basket weight: 10 pounds
  • Minimum age: Birth
  • Seat style: Reversible
  • Recline: Limited
  • Bassinet: Included
  • Car seat compatibility: Graco natively
  • Handle: Not adjustable

The Graco Modes Pramette appears to be a unicorn: It boasts a from-birth bassinet and toddler seat for under $300. Considering the price point is south of any other stroller I tested, I had my doubts. But honestly? The Graco Modes Pramette gets the job done. It’s lightweight, easy to fold (with one hand!), works from birth, and has a reversible seat and spacious basket.

There are compromises, of course. Starting with the installation, which was tricky and the manual was no help. Once I set it up, I found that the seat barely reclined. Once I started strolling, I found there isn’t really a suspension, and the front wheels got stuck on curbs, though it’s light enough to lift over obstacles.

The accessories are just so-so. The canopy is SPF 50, but not full coverage, so you won’t completely protect your little from sun or rain. The handle isn’t adjustable and is cushioned in foam, which both get old after a while. The cup holder has a warning not to use it with hot beverages, and it’s apt—both the cupholder and phone console rotate as you rumble, so both end up being completely useless.

The materials say the stroller can handle kids up to 50 pounds, but my much lighter, average height 4-year-old had to scrunch to fit. Still, for basic use for the younger set, the Graco Modes Pramette is perfectly adequate, which is perfectly awesome for the price.

Pros

  • Reversible seat and bassinet

  • Lightweight

  • Easy fold

Cons

  • Flimsy construction

  • Difficult to assemble

  • Isn’t tall enough for older kids

How We Tested Strollers

Six different strollers lined up in a backyard.
Credit: Reviewed / Emily P.G. Erickson

We tested a selection of the most popular strollers.

My kids joined me on walks long and short so we could assess how the best strollers on the market today held up to the demands of a real family on the move. While I was the primary stroller captain, my husband took the helm of each to offer another (taller) point of view. My two youngest sons served as our primary passengers. The boys, who were 8 months and 4 years when testing began, neatly straddled the range of sanctioned rider sizes for most models.

The Tester

Hi! I’m Emily P.G. Erickson. I’m a freelance writer and hold a master’s degree in psychology. Before becoming a writer, I worked as a mental health researcher. Now I love applying my research chops to parenting-related challenges, including “What are the best booster seats for dining?” and “What are the best nursing bras?” I conduct testing for Reviewed from Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I live with my husband and three sons. When I’m not writing, I love baking with my kids and long walks without them.

The Tests

A stroller is a big purchase, and our testing scope accounts for that. After considering more than 200 models that emerged through market research and word of mouth, I determined the eight most loved strollers right now and ordered samples.

Once they arrived (and annexed my guest room), I assessed each stroller across 24 criteria. These accounted for everything important about the stroller experience, from the ease of assembly to the effectiveness of safety features. To give each stroller a fair shake, I exposed each one to a systematic slice of our family life. I explored outdoor terrains, including streets, sidewalks, trails, curbs, and the chaos of school pick-up. Each stroller also accompanied us to indoor outings like museums and grocery stores. In all, I calculate I took about 300,000 steps in service of answering one ultimate question: What is the best stroller right now?

What You Should Know About Strollers

Buying a stroller is tricky, especially for first-time parents. There are so many of them on the market, and it's hard to know what will work best for your baby and your life. Here's what you need to know:

There Are Different Types of Strollers

Here's a basic primer on the differences between types of strollers:

  • Standard stroller: This covers most strollers, including everything in this guide. They are average in size, typically weigh 20 pounds or more, and hold one child from about 6 months until they weigh about 50 to 60 pounds.
  • Double stroller: Double strollers, like the name suggests, hold two kids at once. Some models convert from a single to a double with the addition of a second seat. Some doubles have seats side-by-side, while others have seats that are aligned vertically.
  • Jogging stroller: A jogging stroller will typically have large wheels, often filled with air (like bike tires) and locking front wheels. They're designed for safely running with a child (or two children) in a seat. Locking the front wheel is essential because it helps prevent tip-overs if the front wheel were to hit a snag while you're running at full speed.
  • Lightweight/Umbrella stroller: Though new designs mean that many standard strollers are only slightly heavier than these models, umbrella strollers typically weigh 15 pounds or less and fold up compactly into a long, narrow shape (like an umbrella). These compact strollers are great for travel, or if you have an older child who doesn't need a stroller all the time. They're typically less expensive, but usually don't hold as much or have as many features.

Consider Your Budget

Stroller prices vary widely. Up to a point, higher price strollers are more durable and have superior suspension, bigger baskets, and more options in general. But there are trade-offs, too. They’re often harder to store and carry, which can make the beginning and end of every ride a pain. Plus, features like parent consoles and cup holders are sold separately, which can feel like nickel and dime-ing when you’re already paying a pretty penny.

Shop For The Family You Have Now

If you're planning on eventually having two (or more) kids, it can be tempting to select a stroller that has the option for a second "rumble" seat. Most of the strollers that provide this option are heavy to begin with, and adding a second seat—plus a 30 pound kid—makes it incredibly difficult to push and even harder to collapse (and store).

Plan For The Newborn Stage

Until they have sufficient head and neck control, which happens for most kids between four and six months, your baby will probably need extra support to use your stroller. Accessories like infant inserts, bassinets, and car seat adapters can help you use your stroller right away.

Car Seat Adaptors Aren't Perfect

While theoretically an adapter exists to attach an infant car seat to a stroller, not all adapters are equal. Many are little more than flimsy metal bars that can clip into the stroller frame, and a stroller that’s stable with a toddler seat can become top-heavy with a car seat attached. It’s wisest to opt for a travel system or a carseat that works natively with your stroller.

You May Want More Than One Stroller

Even after your kid is big enough to use standard strollers, you may still want to pick up a second lightweight/umbrella stroller. These models are super compact and are perfect to keep at a grandparent's house or in the trunk of your car.

Meet the tester

Emily P.G. Erickson

Emily P.G. Erickson

Contributor

@EmilyPGErickson

Emily P.G. Erickson is a Minnesota-based freelance writer specializing in mental health and parenting. She’s written for Everyday Health, Health, The New York Times, Motherly, Parents, Romper, Scary Mommy, Verywell Family, Verywell Mind, WIRED, and more.

She’s also a professional member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ).

Previously, Emily researched post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology.

When she writes product reviews, Emily loves to draw on her research background and her experience as a mom of three boys (aka her trio of tiny testers).

See all of Emily P.G. Erickson's reviews

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