Is The Joovy Balloon Stroller the One For You?

Joovy has a brand new stroller — the Joovy Balloon — and I’m excited to tell you all about it today!

Joovy Balloon Stroller Features

The Joovy Balloon stroller was designed as an ultra-lightweight stroller for everyday use, weighing in at just 12.7 pounds. This makes it easy to get it in/out of trunks, the bus, the metro….just about anywhere you need to take it.

The balloon features a cushioned, multi-position seat with a near flat recline and a bassinet-mode that is ideal for even a newborn baby and can hold  a child up to 45 lbs! If you’d prefer to be able to transport your newborn in their infant car seat, a universal car seat adapter is included so the Balloon can be your lightweight travel system too. The universal car seat adapter works with the following car seat models:

• Baby Trend Flex-Loc
• Britax Chaperone
• Chicco KeyFit
• Chicco KeyFit 30
• Graco Junior Baby
• Graco SnugRide Click-Connect 35 and 40 and Classic Connect 35
• Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30
• Safety 1st onBoard 35
• Safety 1st onBoard 35 Air
• UPPAbaby MESA
• Recaro Coupe Infant

The reversible handle flips, allowing you to have baby face backwards (you while you push) or forwards. If your child is older and sitting in the seat when you reverse the handle, make sure you watch for little fingers! Just to be safe, I’d recommend adjusting the handle before putting your child into the stroller. You can never be too careful right? When my children are younger than a year old, they usually prefer to have me in their sights at all time, so I really appreciate this feature!

For sunny days, the Balloon features a huge canopy with UPF 50 coverage! For added convenience, the stroller comes with not one but TWO cup holders and a basket for storage. When it’s time to store your stroller, it has a one-hand standing fold for upright storage.

Our Real World Testing

First let me start with set-up. The stroller arrives basically already assembled. You’ll need to add the wheels and the cup holders, but that shouldn’t take you long at all. It was definitely one of the easier stroller assembly jobs I’ve done.

Once the stroller was assembled, my kids wanted to climb into it right away. They get so excited about new strollers so I let them sit in the Balloon around the house for a while. My oldest even had fun pushing her baby sister through the house. We then tested this stroller by walking it around our neighborhood and also taking it to the local shopping mall. To put it simply, it’s perfect for day trips! Watch my video review below to get all the details of this stroller:

One of the questions I received on my Facebook page about this stroller was a question about cleaning this seat. On the instruction manual, it recommends washing the seat and canopy by hand. I would be hesitant about putting the cushioned seat in my washing machine, especially since I have an agitator. One of my kids got a little stain on the top part of the seat (no idea who or what) and a baby wipe was able to quickly clean it. You could probably also clean it pretty easily outside on a sunny day with a bucket of warm soapy (mild) water and your hose.`

The Balloon is an amazing, lightweight stroller which pushes and transports with ease! I especially love the large canopy and the ability to reverse the handle. It’s another great win in baby gear from Joovy!

Negatives

Are there any drawbacks to this stroller? Yes, there is one. When you flip the handle so your child is facing you, because the back wheels do not swivel, it can make steering a little tricky (because now the back wheels have become the front wheels after the handle flip). If you plan to use this stroller with your child facing outward, you shouldn’t run into any issues, however if your plan is to use this stroller parent-facing for a number of months, this is probably not the stroller for you. I hope that in the future Joovy will update this stroller so it features swivel wheels on both the front and back.

Get It

Available in six vibrant colors, the Balloon is available at BuyBuyBaby, Amazon.com, and many online retailers.

Disclosure: I was sent a Joovy Balloon at no cost to facilitate this review. Amazon links are affiliate links.