Type

Lightweight & umbrella strollers

17 models · 9 brands, ~$52–$399

Umbrella strollers fold long and narrow like a closed umbrella. They are inexpensive and easy to throw in a car, but the seats rarely suit young babies, and the makers here start them at three to six months.

Ordered by price, lowest first.

Choosing among lightweight & umbrella strollers

The age on the box comes first

Most of these are for sitting babies. UPPAbaby starts the G-Luxe at 3 months, Joolz and Chicco start the Dot and Liteway at 6, and Delta Children recommends the Jeep PowerGlyde from 9 months. A handful go younger: the Chicco Bravino Plus has a lie-flat pramette seat, the Mompush Lithe V2 lists birth to about 3 years, and the Zoe Tour V3 ships with an infant cocoon. Three more list an infant car seat as the newborn route, and one of them, the Chicco KeyFit Caddy, is only a frame for that seat, with no toddler seat at all.

How light is light

At 9.5 lb, the Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella is the lightest here, and ten of the 16 with a published weight come in under 15 lb. The category is not uniformly light, though: the Chicco Bravino at 20.5 lb and Bravino Plus at 21 lb weigh more than the 18.4 lb Nuna TRIV next, a full-size stroller. Both add a parent tray with cup holders, which the plainer umbrellas leave off.

Long and thin, or short and stubby

A true umbrella fold is long: the Chicco Liteway is 46 inches, the Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella 42.5 and the Jeep PowerGlyde 41.7, which suits a closet or a car's back seat. The Joolz Dot goes the other way, with a longest side of 21 inches. Kolcraft's Cloud Plus and Premier and both Chicco Bravinos stand by themselves once folded, which saves leaning one against a wall. Only seven here list a one-hand fold. Handlebar heights are rarely given: just the Mompush Lithe V2, Zoe Tour V3 and Chicco Bravino pair publish a number.

Money and the 40 lb ceiling

Five of these cost under $100, from $52 for the Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella to $90 for the Cloud Plus; the top of the range is the Joolz Dot at $399. Limits are lower than most families expect to need: the Chicco Liteway, Kolcraft Cloud Umbrella and Mompush Lithe V2 stop at 40 lb, while the UPPAbaby G-Luxe allows 55 and the Zoe Tour V3 60. Compare that ceiling with your child's current weight before you count on a second year.

How the types differ, and where the lines blur →