Introducing the Bugaboo Butterfly | Can Bugaboo's "micro" stroller hold its own against the competition?
Bugaboo Butterfly | Babyzen YOYO2 | Uppababy Minu | Silver Cross Jet
Having a baby is like traveling with a friend who over packs. You agreed to go but you weren’t aware you’d be carrying all their stuff.
Surely if anyone can design a stroller it's BUGABOO. They have one of the most respected reputations for innovation, engineering, and style. Their reliable designs in the Bugaboo Donkey, Bugaboo Bee 6, and new Bugaboo Fox 3 are all gems. But lightweight travel strollers are tricky, especially as pressure intensifies to create smaller and smaller “micro” strollers. Can the Bugaboo Butterfly carry its own weight against time tested, micro strollers like the Babyzen YOYO2, Uppababy Minu, and Silver Cross Jet? We’ve compared them and have an answer!
16.1lbs | 50lb max | $420+
The Bugaboo Butterfly comes with a carry strap, leg rest, and rain cover. Infant car seat compatible with Butterfly adapters.
Best feature: The Bugaboo Butterfly has all three of the most valuable travel features: compact size, quick fold, and a big basket! The latter being the “unicorn” of stroller features, especially among strollers that fit an aircraft’s overhead compartment.
Worst Feature: It’s low to the ground, but it feels lower than it actually is. This is easy to overlook given how tiny and feature heavy it is.
The new Bugaboo Butterfly is made with lightweight, sturdy materials. With its complex engineering and durable connections points hidden by a sleek frame, it represents the brand’s equal belief in form and function. It’s a perfectly finished little package with Bugaboo’s easiest ever fold. A white button on the handle bar triggers an immediate 1-second fold with a single motion of your hand. It folds up to be as thin as 9in on its narrowest side and only 18.75in on its longest. Perfect for putting up above you on a flight or in the car trunk with a single hand.
Each wheel has a suspension system and rubberized wheels to keep the Butterfly rolling for miles each day. The mesh lined storage basket is large enough to fit a bag easily, with spring-loaded walls to keep everything on board. The seat back measures the tallest in the micro-size category. That combined with the 143° recline, immaculate stitching, padded seat inlay, fixed with a no-re-thread 5-point harness, and a 5-position adjustable leg rest, the Bugaboo Butterfly will likely have the most comfortable seat of the competition.
While folded, the Butterfly’s seat is tucked away and protected from contact with the dirty ground or airport carpet. The tight fold keeps all fabrics and framework tightly in place, no dangling parts here as the Uppababy Minu can experience, nor the risk of the handle bar suddenly unfolding itself (looking at you Babyzen YOYO2).
The Babyzen YOYO2 comes with a carry strap and dust bag. Infant car seat compatible with YOYO2 adapters.
13.6lbs | 40lbs | $529.98+
Best feature: As a car seat + stroller frame travel system, it’s one of the best. Its skeleton frame is tiny, flat, and the lightest of any travel stroller. Perfect for any new parent, especially if the post-birth recovery has been hard and lifting things hasn’t come easily. It’s also the most comfortable travel stroller to toss over your shoulder and carry up a flight of stairs.
Worst Feature: The YOYO2 fold has a delightful “bend and snap” motion, but it takes the most time to nail down. The folding mechanisms are in a blind-spot and require a bit of faith and practice to manipulate. Only put your hand on the folding mechanism or you will get pinched.
The Bugaboo Butterfly and Babyzen YOYO2 are the most similar. They are equally well made with the best materials, have compact folds, and the most stable steering. Either option will travel in the overhead, store compactly in the trunk, and zip around town with you. Only small details separate them.
Everyone quickly gets used to the YOYO2’s fold. As mentioned earlier, the YOYO2’s handlebar has a tendency to swing open while it’s folded up. It needs to be completely locked in place and that can be tricky in a rush. It snaps back into place easily but it does take two hands and is an annoyance. Comparatively the Bugaboo Butterfly only asks that you press a button and it immediately collapses forward to the floor.
The Babyzen YOYO2’s shape feels more compact than the Butterfly’s. Its curved frame, tapered seat, and tucked in rear-wheels create a lighter feel than Bugaboo’s square corners. Any parent looking for a “petite” option may lean toward the YOYO2.
The Uppababy Minu comes with a carry strap and dust bag. Infant car seat compatible with Minu adapters.
14.8 lbs | 3-month age minimum | 50lbs max | $399.99+
Best feature: For all the families with older kids or just larger than average babies, the Uppababy Minu is a perfect match! It has the widest seat and a reinforced structure below its padding.
Worst Feature: It isn’t small enough to meet overhead compartment dimensions.
For years the Uppababy Minu was the only travel stroller with a quick, one handed collapse; and a massive storage basket. For 2022, both the Minu and Bugaboo Butterfly have the same quick folding style and equally large baskets. So their major separation falls in their dimensions and perhaps some materials differences.
Technically the Minu can fit into most overhead compartments BUT it’s wider than is officially allowed. Some airlines and flight attendants will allow you to stow the Minu overhead if, IF, the flight is so under-booked that empty compartments are available.
Out on the sidewalk the Minu feels light and breezy; you’ll never notice that it’s 2-3 inches longer or taller than the competition. Speaking of taller, while its seat back height may be slightly shorter than the Bugaboo Butterfly, the sitting height (seat surface to canopy) is several inches taller.
The Minu is well worth it for larger and older children. The few areas that need updating aren’t dramatic but noteworthy. The canopy wires often come unplugged, the white fabric stains (it’s right against those tiny hands and anything on them), and the wheels may need replacing with a lot of use.
The Silver Cross Jet comes with a belly bar, carry strap, travel cover, and rain cover.
13.6lbs | age minimum | 55lb max | $399.99+
Best feature: A tall, skinny folded size that fits everywhere.
Worst Feature: Buckling the harness isn’t intuitive, literally, it’s a puzzle.
The Silver Cross Jet’s seat has thick and cozy padding from top to bottom. The Jet Special Edition fabrics (Ocean, Mist, and Eclipse) are the softest and most luxurious of the collection. Any baby will find the Jet a completely cozy place to catch a nap on-the-go!
Most parents will figure it out but the Silver Cross Jet harness is the hardest to buckle. The shoulder strap and hip strap need to be threaded together before inserting into the buckle. Any parent lacking spatial reasoning or mechanical ability will find themselves fighting this on the daily. The Bugaboo Butterfly’s harness is the easiest of these four strollers. The white tabs of each straps *pop* into the buckle without any puzzles or lacing.
Folding down the Jet takes three easy steps. It’s technically a one-handed fold if your one-hand is strong and well coordinated.
Once it’s folded up it’s a super petite package that’s tall and slim like a column. It’ll slide smoothly into any overhead compartment and car trunk. The removable belly bar doubles as a carry bar. You can roll the Silver Cross Jet right down the aisle of a plane without ever unfolding it.
Finding a micro-sized stroller with a big basket used to be impossible. While the Babyzen YOYO2 and Uppababy Minu have found ways to achieve this, the Silver Cross Jet is still working on it. The Jet’s basket is the smallest of the options but will fit a small shopping bag.
The BEST travel stroller is...a tie!
Both the Bugaboo Butterfly and the Babyzen YOYO2 have the tiniest frames and coolest features you'll love. They're built with materials that will hold up against city streets and a bit of grass around the park. Whether it’s the overhead compartment or a car trunk packed to within an inch of its legal limit, the Bugaboo Butterfly and YOYO2 are our top contenders for micro sized travel strollers!
**Always refer to your airline's overhead compartment size guidelines before traveling
Want to talk through these options with a seasoned Gear Expert? Don’t hesitate to book a virtual consultation with us, or call us at 1-866-600-BEAN (2326). We also post blogs and videos (filmed at our brick and mortar location in Wellesley, MA) to get you off on the right foot. Check out our newest videos: 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Shopping For A Stroller and Best Stroller of 2022: Buying Guide!
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