Yes, such things do exist, and they are everything you would expect to make travel through an airport much easier with kids! I will go into detail of all the carry on strollers that fit into the overhead bin, but first, be aware, the final decision always rests with the airline, even if the stroller does meet their carry on requirements.

When you are flying with a baby or todddler, one of the times you really need a travel stroller is at the airport – particularly for that long walk to baggage reclaim and the usual snaking queue at immigration. Whilst some airlines do their best to help by providing you with courtesy strollers as you disembark, this is sadly not the norm.
This guide will help you decide which is the best cabin sized stroller, for you, which can fit in the overhead bin on an airplane. We review the top 6 compact travel strollers, delve into the specifications and the pros and cons of each model.
A carry on stroller can make things a lot easier for you, especially if you are in long queues and have a sleeping baby or toddler who, if like mine, fall asleep just before landing!
In a hurry? Here are our top picks for the best cabin strollers to fit in the overhead bin! For more information please see further below.
Table of Contents - Click to jump to a section
- Best All Rounder: Bugaboo Butterfly; It’s compact, light and has a decent recline (111°-145°)and a large canopy. Additionally, this travel stroller lasts til a child is around 6 months – 4 years old.
- Best Budget cabin stroller: Baby Joy. It has 3 reclines positions and 3 leg rest positions. This stroller is suitable for babies 6 months+ til 36 months.
- Best cabin size stroller for young babies: The Silver Jet and BabyZen Yoyo2 (with newborn baby insert pack) are both suitable from birth to around 40/bs for the Silver Jet and 48lbs for the Baby Zen2
Name | Image | Weight | Folded dimensions | Age | Recline | |
GB Pockit + All Terrain |
![]() | 12.3lbs/5.6kgs | From 6 months up to 22 kg | Yes | See price here | |
Bugaboo Butterfly | ![]() | 16.7 lbs/7.3 kg | 45 x 23 x 54 cm | 6 months – 4 years (Up to 22kg ) | Yes | See price here |
GB Pockit+ All City | ![]() | 12.5lbs/5.7kgs | L19 xW 33 x H48cm (7.5 x 13 x19″) | 9 – 17 kg/From 6 months up to approx. 4 years. | Yes | See price here |
Silver Cross Jet 3 | ![]() | 13 Ibs/6kg | D7″ W11.8″ x H21.65″ (D18cm W30cm H55cm) | From birth up to 40lbs in USA/15kgs in UK | Yes | See price here |
BabyZen Yoyo2 | ![]() | 13lbs/6.2kg | (52 x 44 x 18 cm / 20.5 x 17.3 x 7.1 in) | From newborn to toddler (up to 48.5 lbs/22kg) | Yes | See price here |
Baby Joy | ![]() | 15 lbs/6.8kg | 20″ x 10″ x 28.5″ (L x W x H) | 6-36 months babies and toddlers (50 lbs/22.6kg) | Yes | See price here |

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What kind of stroller can I take on a plane?
The best option is to know your airlines cabin baggage regulations and maximise them to the hilt by bringing a compact cabin sized stroller as your permittable carry on.
This may mean you will have to for go bringing another travel bag depending on whether there is a lap infant baggage allowance for a diaper/nappy bag or similar. (For flying with a lap infant tips, see here)
With research on over 20 airlines lap infant carry on allowance and the adult cabin baggage allowance done for you, you can work out which is the best stroller for air travel and which travel stroller could be used as a cabin size stroller. This will mean you would have to sacrifice your normal cabin bag to bring this on. However, if you have a potentially long wait in an immigration queue or a transit stop where you can’t access your stroller, then this could be well worth the trade off.

Jumping on the popularity of trend setters BabyZen Yoyo and the GB Pockit, travel pushchairs and strollers are evolving all the time – with new compact pushchairs all vying to be the lightest and smallest and marketing themselves as a stroller that fits into a overhead bin.
For 2023, here are the latest options, including the Bugaboo Butterfly which meets most airline cabin baggage guidelines. (The guide below this will show what size cabin baggage airlines allow and which strollers meet this criteria.)
6 Cabin Size Strollers Perfect For Plane Travel which Fit in Most Overhead Bins
Carry On Strollers That Fit Into The Overhead Bin 2023
The GB Pockit + All Terrain is an upgrade from the original GB Pockit and tweaks have it made it stronger, more robust, and even more practical for travel.
This newer version benefits from a recline function, a sun canopy whilst still folding up incredibly compactly, making it a fully collapsible stroller.
It folds down in 2 simple steps and can be carried effortlessly via the attached handle. It is now considerably heavier at 12.3lbs/5.6kgs than its predecessor, but it is still a very lightweight travel stroller, which can be moved with one hand.
Included are adapters to click onto a CYBEX infant car seat.
This bugaboo stroller has an easy one handed fold using two buttons pressed together and it can be done with one hand. As you flick it open it often goes straight into place, but other times I have to push the back of the seat to click it all into place (I can use my knee so still one handed)
Folding it down is also done with the same two buttons pressed together and pushing down on the handle.
It doesn’t lie flat and therefore is only suitable from 6 months but it lies back enough to look comfortable for longer sleeps (111°-145°). There are two positions, upright and reclined and it can be changed one handed between the two. The seat is only forward facing.
This Bugaboo stroller is designed for children up to 22kg/around 4 years which is bigger than most in the travel stroller category. My petite 6 year old (21.5kg) has ridden in it on some longer days and it is still easy to push and tall enough in the seat to handle her. At 5 foot 9, I often struggle with stroller’s that don’t have a height adjustable bar, but I find the Butterfly is still comfortable to push.
The basket is a reasonable size and I can fit our changing bag under there. Officially, it can carry up to 8kg and I found it easier to access from the front rather than the back.
Once folded, the stroller is a very compact 45 x 23 x 54 cm which means it fits in most car boots (we have a Ford S Max 7 seater and with all 7 seats up I could fit in several folded Butterflys).
It it also approved as cabin luggage and can slide into the overhead lockers easily..
We have tried it so far on Air India, British Airways and Vietnam Airlines and it was a comfortable fit in the lockers – something that made a stopover much more comfortable for all of us! It is unusual to be given your pushchair or stroller back for stopovers as you will usually collect any stroller at your final destination. Being able to use a super compact foldable stroller in-between connecting flights was incredibly useful! Read more on the Bugaboo Butterfly here.
- Weight: 7.3 kg
- Dimensions when folded: 45 x 23 x 54 cm
- Recline: Yes
- Storage Basket: Yes
- Travel Bag?: No
- Sun Canopy: Yes
- Max Weight Capacity: 22kg
- Age suitable for: 6 months – 4 years
- Compatible with Infant Car Seat: Yes - with adaptors available separately. Compatible with Bugaboo Turtle One and Air by Nuna & other Maxi-Cosi® infant car seats.
- Dimensions unfolded 92.5 x 45 x 102.4 cm
The Pockit Plus model has also been updated, and the Pockit + All City is the 2019 version. This version is slightly lighter at 12.5lbs/5.7kgs and folds up really compactly L19 xW 33 x H48cm (7.5 x 13 x19") and is suitable for 9 - 17 kg/From 6 months up to approx. 4 years.
Another Flying With A Baby reader reports back that, "It is extremely lightweight - so you can not hang a bag over the handles and it's one of the best compact strollers making it great for family travel" Pros- Can be used as cabin baggage. It is one of the strollers that fits in an overhead compartment and it will even fit under the seat.
- Front wheels can be locked to a stationary position or left to swivel
- It's really small and often listed as the best stroller for airplane travel due to its size.
- One of the best lightweight strollers for toddlers.
- Only suitable for babies aged 6 months plus.
- Sun canopy does not offer a great deal of protection but a bit more than its predecessor.
- The Pockit+ All City folds up into a compact, handbag shaped package in seconds and is airplane carry-on compliant
- Travel system ready with any CYBEX infant car seat using the included adapters
- Spacious shopping basket to store away your belongings (11 lb. capacity)
- Large integrated sun canopy offers increased sun protection with UPF50+
- Adjustable seatback with multiple recline positions for customizable comfort
The Silver Cross Jet 3 boasts a coordinating, fully-extendable UPF 50+ hood with an air-flow ventilation system, rear wheel brakes, front wheel suspension and is very light thanks to the aluminium frame.
This compact stroller has a fully extendable UPF50+ hood has an air-flow ventilation system with pop-out sun visor.
Best of all, it folds small enough to fit in most cabin space on an airplane and can even be wheeled like a small suitcase!
- Weight:13 pounds/6kg
- Folded: D7" W11.8" x H21.65" (D18cm W30cm H55cm)
- Age suitable for: Birth up to 40lbs in USA/15kgs in UK
This is another stroller which meets most airlines cabin baggage allowances and joins the ranks of the few strollers that fit in the overhead bin. It weighs in at a very light 13lbs/6.2kg in the 6+ version, 6.6 kg (14.5 lbs) with the newborn pack or 8.1 kg (17.8 lbs) with the bassinet.
The BabyZen YoYo is consistently rated highly as a contender for the best lightweight travel stroller due many of its specifications and additional features.
These include a storage bag and a shoulder strap so you can easily carry the BabyZen on board a plane. It's narrow enough to fit in most airplane aisles and will easily fit into the hat rack. The folded dimensions are (52 x 44 x 18 cm / 20.5 x 17.3 x 7.1 in
Out and about, this compact travel stroller feels sturdy and is often used as a daily stroller because of all the practical feature; including multi recline, a sun canopy, rain cover and generous under seat storage.Basket supports up to 5 kg (11 lbs)
Although the pushchair is on the pricey end of the market - it just may your most used bit of baby kit. Particularly if it is used daily and used for travel, then it may save you from buying a separate travel buggy. These airplane strollers are also quite popular in Europe because they fit through narrow doorways.
Another bonus is it can handle cobbled stones, at least on a temporary basis. Yes, it is best for flat surfaces so there were a few bumps, but when I trialled it, the YoYo managed them surprisingly well, despite not being built for this. For long term use on cobbled streets, I think you will need something with more suitable wheels for a more comfortable ride.
I have also seen it consistently recommended by parents when anyone asks them what the best travel stroller is.
This travel stroller is suitable for babies aged over 6 months, but you can buy a newborn pack as an additional feature to make it a lie flat stroller. This pushchair can be used in parent-facing mode from birth and front facing from 6+ months up until 22 kg (48.5 lbs)
Whats included: YOYO2 Stroller includes a frame, 5-point harness, multi-position reclining backrest, canopy extensions, shoulder strap, protective storage bag & the 6+ Color Pack, which includes the seat cushion & matching canopy.
Pros- Easy to fold and unfold
- UPF 50+ sun protection canopy
- Reclinable
- Shoulder strap
- (Folded dimensions are 52 x 44 x 18 cm / 20.5 x 17.3 x 7.1 in)
- Quite pricey
The Baby Joy is a great option if you are looking for a cabin size stroller and comes with a sturdy bag for convenient carrying, making it a backpack pushchair. It doesn't recline fully but 150 degrees is close.
The Baby Joy is so small in measurements that it meets most airline cabin baggage rules when folded. This compact stroller weighs 15 lbs and measures 20" x 10" x 28.5" (L x W x H) when folded.
Pros:
- 3 seating modes including 150 degree recline
- 3 footrest modes
- Weight: 15lbs
- Folded 20" x 10" x 28.5" (L x W x H)
- Age suitable for: 50 lbs/22.6kg This lightweight stroller is suitable for 6-36 months babies and toddlers.
INFANT BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE GUIDE TRICK
The guide below shows what many airlines will allow as carry on for a standard economy seat if you are flying with an infant. (Infant/child hold baggage is also included) However, by looking at the adult hand baggage allowance and measurements, you can see if you can bring your foldable stroller in place of your bag cabin allowance, meaning you can have your stroller with you for the walk to baggage reclaim and passport control. Just click on the image to enlarge.
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