How the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 Changed Our Days With a Baby

The first time I flew alone with June, she was six months old and I was convinced I had packed for every possible disaster. Diapers, wipes, two changes of clothes, a blanket, more snacks than a small army would need. What I had not thought through was the stroller. Our full-size one was a great stroller. It was also heavy, and it did not fold small, and I stood in the security line trying to wrestle it through the scanner while holding a baby and praying I would not knock over someone's carry-on. By the time we reached the gate, I was already dreading the flight home.

That trip is why I started looking at compact travel strollers. I read reviews, asked other moms, and kept coming back to the Baby Jogger City Tour 2. The name kept showing up in the places I trusted most: parents who actually traveled with their kids, not just people testing gear in a living room. I wanted something light enough to lift with one arm, small enough to fit in the overhead bin, and sturdy enough that I would not worry every time we hit a bump. I also wanted a stroller that did not make me choose between my baby's comfort and my own sanity.

So I ordered one before our next trip. I will be honest: I did not expect to love it as much as I do. I expected it to be a travel stroller, something we pulled out for airports and then forgot about. Instead, the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 has become the stroller we grab for almost everything. It lives in the back of our 2019 Honda CR-V, folded into its carry bag, ready to go. It has been to the zoo, to the farmers market, to a crowded pumpkin patch, and through the Atlanta airport twice. It has made me a calmer mom, and that is not a small thing.

Here is what I want to tell you, the way I would tell a friend sitting at my kitchen table: if you travel with a baby, even once a year, a compact stroller is worth the money. And if you are going to buy one, the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 is the one I would buy again. Not because it is perfect, because it is not. But because it does the thing it is supposed to do, and it does it without making your life harder.

The first time I flew alone with June, the stroller was the thing I was most worried about. On the way home, it was the thing I worried about least.

The fold is the first thing you notice. It takes one hand and about three seconds. You pull the handle, the stroller folds into itself, and it clicks into a compact shape that fits into the included carry bag. I have done it while holding June on my hip. I have done it in the aisle of a plane while people waited behind me. I have done it in a parking lot in the rain. It is not magic, it is just good design, and it is the reason I stopped dreading the moments when a stroller has to become a bag.

The weight matters too. I can lift it into the overhead bin with one hand. I can carry it on my shoulder while holding June in the other arm. When you are traveling alone with a baby, every pound counts, and this stroller does not add to the load. It is also surprisingly smooth for something so light. June naps in it. She has fallen asleep on the cobblestones at the zoo, on the sidewalk outside a coffee shop, and in the middle of a crowded terminal. A stroller that lets a baby sleep is a stroller that lets a parent breathe.

I also like that the seat reclines. June is eight months old now, and she still needs to nap on the go. The Baby Jogger City Tour 2 lets her lie back comfortably instead of slumping forward. The harness is easy to adjust, the canopy gives decent shade, and the storage basket fits a diaper bag, a jacket, and a bag of snacks. It is not a full-size stroller. It does not have the giant basket or the all-terrain wheels. But it does the job, and it does the job well.

Now the honest part. There are things I would change. The storage basket is smaller than I would like, so I have learned to pack lighter. The ride is smooth on pavement and packed dirt, but I would not take it on a rough trail. And the fold, while easy, takes a little practice the first few times. The first time I folded it, I stood in my living room and watched a video twice before I got it right. Once you learn it, it becomes muscle memory, but be patient with yourself the first time.

I also want to be clear about safety, because that matters more to me than anything else. The Baby Jogger City Tour 2 has a five-point harness, and I always use it. I always follow the manual. I never hang bags from the handlebar, because the manual warns against it and I would rather be safe than sorry. And I never leave June in the stroller unattended, no matter how quick I think the errand will be. A stroller is a tool, not a babysitter, and the manual and our pediatrician are the ones I trust for the final word.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

If you are trying to decide whether the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 is worth it, here is my honest answer. If you travel with a baby, even once a year, yes. If you live in a city and take public transit, yes. If you have a small car and a full-size stroller that eats the whole trunk, yes. If you mostly stay home and take walks around the neighborhood, you might be fine with what you already have. You do not need this stroller to be a good parent. You need it if the stroller you have is making your days harder than they need to be.

I have owned the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 for a few months now, and I would buy it again. It has changed the way we do ordinary days, not just travel days. It has made me more likely to leave the house, because I know I will not be fighting with a heavy stroller in a parking lot or a crowded store. It has made airport days feel manageable instead of overwhelming. And it has given me back a little bit of the ease I thought I had lost when I became a mom of two.

That is the thing nobody tells you about baby gear. The best piece of gear is not the one with the most features. It is the one that removes a little friction from your day, so you can focus on the actual baby. For us, that stroller is the Baby Jogger City Tour 2. It is not perfect, but it is honest, and it works. And on the days when I am loading June into the car with one hand and holding a coffee in the other, that is exactly what I need.