Babyzen Yoyo review

We are planning a trip to Japan in August and are faced with the decision of whether to bring our trusty Bugaboo with us. It's an excellent buggy and we have never had any regrets purchasing it, but it is quite heavy to lug as extra baggage and I have always resented the fact that it cannot stand up on its own. This means you always have to have a hand (or 2!) on it to hold and support it. Not ideal when travelling, especially through Japan where it's so crowded through the train stations.

So when a friend of mine introduced the Babyzen Yoyo to me, I didn't need much persuasion other than the fact that it weighs only 5.8kg and folds up to a mere 20" x 17"!!! Which means it's small enough to take onto the plane as handcarry (yep! Approved hand carry baggage!) I was sold!!!

Here it is folded up with Em standing next to it. Look our little it is! Em now measures only 72cm so you can see the buggy is much smaller than her. The stroller truly folds and unfolds with just one hand and is super easy to manage even when carrying bub in the other hand - which I often have to do. I love how easy it is to handle! Even though the Bugaboo is also technically one-handed operation, it's a heavier stroller so I've always had to struggle a little trying to lift it into the car while carrying bub in one hand. I just know already that this process will be so much easier with the Babyzen Yoyo!

Plus it has a shoulder strap, so you can easily port it around. It can also easily sit on top of your trolley baggage (because its so small!) when lugging through the airport (and train stations!).

I am soooooooo excited to use this on our upcoming trip to Japan!!!!

There is a good deal going on for the buggy now at Mums and Babes, preorders for the Yoyo is only$499 (usual retail $699). But stock arrives only in August 2013 so it may not be in time for our trip. We had to get it from Mothercare in the end but at least we got the member discount on it.

We took it for a test run today and my verdict: A good buggy that's very easy to navigate and swivel around (u can push with just one hand), plus I like the fact that you can fold the handlebar down so it becomes like just a seat for bub especially when going places and you need to feed for example.

Cons: The shopping basket at the bottom is not very big and can only hold up to 2kg weight so it's not very suitable if you know you'll have lots of shopping. As a lighter stroller, inevitably it doesn't feel as sturdy as the bugaboo.

Edit (after Japan trip): Em totally loves the babyzen yoyo! She fell asleep in her stroller for the first time while we were holidaying in Japan so the verdict is absolutely positive! It was the best decision to take it with us because we could easily fold it up when boarding trains (you know how crowded the trains get in Japan!) and we could put all our "barang barang" on it while walking the streets (and shops).  It was also handy as a seat in some restaurants (just fold the handle down and it looks like a chair!) because we found that a lot of restaurants in Japan just didn't provide babychairs. We could also take it onto the plane with us and no one even blinked an eye at us, just stowed it in the overhead compartment.