One of the first things that happens when you announce to the world that you’re pregnant is that you are instantly bombarded with advice about things you should and shouldn’t buy.

From well-meaning family and friends to those pesky ads that follow you around the Internet, everyone is keen to tell you about the products you simply “can’t live without” when you have a baby. And the fact of the matter is that soon-to-be parents are basically a marketer’s dream, as you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.

So if somebody tells you you’re going to need something you feel like you’re going to be the world’s worst parent if you don’t buy it (Spoiler alert: You don’t need 90% of the stuff advertisers tell you is essential.)

The hunt for the perfect pushchair

However probably one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make and something you really will need to buy, is a pram/pushchair. If you’re reading this review you’re probably at that stage and, like me, I’m guessing pram shopping has opened up a whole new mysterious world to you. Who knew there were so many options? From the size of the chassis to the style of wheels, it wasn’t long before I was lost in a jumble of “travel systems”, “all terrain wheels” and “world-facing pushchairs”.

I even discovered that there are certain brands which are the ‘fashionable’ ones to own according to the Mummy Brigade, some of which clock-in at an eye-watering £1,000+! When we started our pram hunt I essentially felt like we were buying a car.

Speaking of which, almost fortuitously, we were the couple who bought a very impractical tiny car just three months before getting pregnant. As soon as we told people our news one of the first things many of our parent friends said was: “you’re going to need a bigger car”.

However because Mr A loves the car and, quite frankly, I could not be bothered to drag myself around a hundred more garages feigning interest, we decided to stick with what we’ve got and try to make it work. This meant purchasing a small pram and in a way this was a blessing, as it meant when we got to the shop we essentially had the choice of two models which would fit in our boot (unless we wanted to go down the line of taking wheels off the frame and ain’t nobody got time for that).

My Babyzen YOYO+ review

At first glance the Babyzen YOYO+ looks almost like a doll’s pram when compared to some of the four-wheel drive contraptions on the market. However, being short myself, I felt quite comfortable pushing it and I liked that it was so lightweight (between 6.2kg and 6.6kg, depending on the model) and would be easy to maneuver around the shops. It’s main selling point however is how small it folds up (52cm x 44cm x 18cm) – it can even be taken on a plane as hand-luggage, as it fits neatly into the overhead compartment, which was definitely a selling point for us!

Having established that the Babyzen YOYO+ would fit in our car we started reading online reviews for it as we wanted to be sure it would work for us. One of the things we discovered is that lots of people seem to buy it as a pushchair option when their babies get bigger, or as a second pram for holidays. However, having spoken to Ayla from Mama Ayla’s Adventures, who is also a big fan of the YOYO+, we decided to go for the newborn pack too, as we didn’t want to have to buy two prams.

The newborn pack (£235) is purchased separately from the main pushchair (£419) but fits onto the same frame. It enables baby to lie-flat and be strapped in, while facing the parent. My little adventurer was born at the end of November and I loved how snug she always seemed in her little cocoon.

At the seaside with my little adventurer on a cold Winter’s day

It’s probably worth saying here that this post is in no way sponsored or promoted, we paid the full price for the BabyZen YOYO+. It’s just that we found other online reviews really helpful when we were making our decision, so it only seemed right that I should write my own Babyzen YOYO+ review to repay the favour.

Anyway, I have to say I think the pram is honestly the best purchase we have made for our little adventurer. I absolutely love how small and lightweight it is. It’s narrow width means that it is so easy to get around in shops and having had to carry it up and down my fair share of stairs in London, it’s so much easier than bigger models.

Another of its main selling points is the fact that it is so quick and easy to fold and can be carried with a strap over your shoulder, definitely helpful when you have a little one wriggling around in your other arm.

The Babyzen YOYO+ can be folded up and carried over your shoulder

The pram comes in a variety of colours and you can buy colour packs separately if you ever want a change. All of the material is also machine washable, which is perfect for any of those little baby-related accidents which are likely to occur.

There’s also an option to buy a car seat which can be fitted to the frame, or if you already have a compatible Group 0 car seat, like we did, you can buy YOYO+ adapters which will enable you to attach it to the frame. I felt that this looks a bit more cumbersome than other pram models, so this may not be ideal if you plan on using it this way on a regular basis, but for every once in a while we haven’t found it a problem.

The Babyzen YOYO+ has 4-wheel suspension, although when we first started using it I felt that it was a little bumpy on uneven surfaces. However, it seems we have a little thrill-seeker on our hands and the more bumpy it is the more our little adventurer giggles and laughs, so that hasn’t been a problem for us. I’ve used the pram in the snow, on woodland walks and we’ve even taken it camping with us.

My only reservation before buying the pram was that despite the storage space underneath being described as “XXL” and in fact being 60% bigger than the previous model, it is still pretty small compared to other prams. (I could never understand how babies needed SO MUCH stuff until I had one!) Although it can carry a load of up to 5kg, the way the storage area is shaped means that you can’t fit a standard size changing bag underneath it. However, as you’re able to hang a bag off the handlebars this hasn’t been too much of a problem for us and it’s useful for carrying small amounts of shopping.

Travelling with the Babyzen YOYO+

But my Babyzen YOYO+ review wouldn’t be complete without talking about what it’s like to travel with. For us, it really came into its own when we took it on our first family holiday to Bulgaria. It is one of the few prams that you do not need to check in and we were able to walk all the way to the gate with our little adventurer in it and then simply fold it up and put it in the overhead locker. It also meant that as soon as we arrived in our destination we could put her straight back into it and did not need to wait to be reunited with out pram. We also found it really useful for getting around the narrow streets of Sofia, where the paving isn’t too good, and in restaurants we were able to leave it up if she was sleeping as it tucked in neatly next to our table.

The Babyzen YOYO+ fits in the overhead locker of a plane as easily as a small suitcase

My baby is now getting bigger and we’ve recently turned her around into the pushchair. Although I miss our little chats (sob!) she loves being able to see everyone and it gives her even more of a chance to indulge in her hobbies of being nosy and smiling at strangers.

My ‘little adventurer’ doesn’t seem so little in the Babyzen YOYO+ pushchair

The Babyzen YOYO+ pushchair includes a reclining seat and five point harness and babies can stay in them up until they weigh 18kg. According to Mr A (who takes great delight in these kind of things) both the newborn pack and the pushchair are really easy to assemble and have clear instructions. Both also come with waterproof rain covers and a UPF 50+ sun protection canopy. You can also purchase a YOYO footmuff (£99.95) separately for the pushchair version. Although pricey, I really do think this is worth the money as it’s like a fleecy sleeping bag and my little adventurer always looks so cosy and warm in it.

A little bit of rain doesn’t stop us exploring

All in all, to sum up my Babyzen YOYO+ review, I’d say this compact, lightweight, pram has been the perfect option for our family. I’m so pleased we went with our gut feeling about what would work for us, rather than buy into the advertisers’ suggestions that bigger is better.

If you found Babyzen YOYO+ review helpful, why not check out the truth about travelling with a baby and five things to think about when planning your baby’s first trip

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