Joolz Aer+ review

While it's common to seek out the best travel system when you first have a baby, you may want to opt for something a little lighter as your child grows up, such as a travel pushchair.

The follow-up to the popular Joolz Aer, the Joolz Aer+ with cot combines the best of both worlds: a lightweight buggy that you can also swap out to use with a cot.

Awards

The Joolz Aer+ won Gold in the Mother&Baby Awards 2025 for Best Lightweight Buggy. It was tested by five real parents.

Once delivered, "you can begin to use the pram upon opening, as it comes fully assembled and ready to go." A couple of the testers commented on the brand's eco-conscious packaging, too. "The box was completely reusable as an aeroplane model toy," which is such an added bonus for kids to play with.

All our families praised it for being easy to carry, lightweight and smooth, making it "a pleasure to push, even going up big hills, which are usually a struggle!" Many mums said the performance was brilliant and responsive, even with one hand. One said how well built the product seemed to be, "despite the knocks it has taken we are yet to see a scratch on the frame."

Lie flat for a nap on the go, or use the upright position so your child can watch the world in front of them. With options for a seat or bassinet, the pushchair changes to suit your child's needs. It is easy to clean, with wipes or by washing the removable insert, and the 5 point safety strap "means they can't wriggle free and you can rest easy that they are safe."

Further protection can be found with the extra-large hood, a new adjustment to the pushchair. Alongside this update, one seasoned Joolz user said, "we absolutely love this stroller, the biggest change and pro for me is the adjustable recline. Although my daughter is three years old, she still very much enjoys a nap, so the fact the Aer+ is able to recline flat has been a huge game changer." They go on to say, "all my gripes with the original Aer have been rectified and this is now my perfect stroller!"

"My daughter seems very comfortable in there," says one tester. Another family took the product on holiday, demonstrating that the breathable fabric is good at keeping your child cool, even in Florida sun. The compact size is also ideal for travelling as it is aeroplane cabin friendly. As for everyday life, one family said - "Constantly in the boot of our car, it barely takes up any room and I can still fit all the shopping in my small boot! The one hand unfold with the press of two buttons is very handy when you have a wiggly one-year-old."

One mum perfectly summarises all the testers thoughts on the Joolz Aer+ when saying, "This is definitely worth the money and I would highly recommend this to other families who are going to be travelling or who generally want a lightweight compact pushchair." They also added, "this has been the best one I have tried and used."

Read on for more thoughts from first-time mum and M&B Reviews Editor Emily Gilbert on the assembly, design and quality, foldability, comfort, and safety of the Joolz Aer+ with cot.

Testing the Joolz Aer+ with cot

As a first-time mum, I was keen to have a travel system as our main pushchair because I liked the flexibility of being able to use a cot or infant car seat with the frame. However, as much as I adore my Bugaboo Fox 5, I was also aware there would be times that something lighter would come in handy, especially with the holidays coming up and being someone who isn't the strongest when it comes to storing a travel system in a car boot. Enter, the Joolz Aer+.

Assembly

The Joolz Aer+ with cot came neatly bundled together in two boxes, one for the buggy and another for the cot. My husband was pleased to find that (after having spent a lot of time building baby gear) when it came to assembly, there was nothing to do apart from pulling out the Joolz Aer+ from its handy travel pouch.

Removing the pushchair seat to replace it with the newborn cot was admittedly a little trickier but realistically, you're only going to be doing this the once so it's not too much of a hardship.

Design and quality

There's no doubt about it, this pushchair is a really good-looking piece of baby kit. And as well as looking great, the fabrics of the Joolz Aer+ are made from 100 per cent recycled PET bottles which is a really nice sustainable touch that I appreciate. There are a number of colour choices with the Joolz Aer+, with four new ones having been introduced recently: forest green, sandy taupe, space black and our choice - stone grey.

Compact fold

As you'd imagine, as the Reviews Editor for a parenting website, I've seen how a lot of pushchairs fold and the Joolz Aer+ is up there with the best when it comes to ease and smoothness. Once the brake has been applied, you use one hand to simply hold down both the main button and the safety button directly underneath it with your thumb and fold the pushchair. It will automatically fold into a standing position.

To unfold, you once again press in the safety button and hold down the main button at the same time and then lift upwards to release the entirety of the buggy which will click into place. And that's it!

As you'd expect from a compact stroller that can fit in the overhead locker of a plane, the Joolz Aer+ is seriously small once folded. Fitting neatly in the accompanying travel bag, I love how easy it is to store in our home when not in use.

I was pleased to find the Joolz Aer+ can also be folded when the bassinet cot is attached, so there's no need to remove it. After applying the brake, you need to push back the canopy and then push in on the safety button on the edge of the bassinet and pull up on the lever which releases the bassinet. Then you want to go back to the same two buttons on the pushchair handle which will collapse the Aer+ with the cot. It needs a further press to lock everything in place but then you're good to go.

As when in the pushchair formation, there's a carry strap to use over your shoulder although being bulkier when folded than the buggy seat, it won't fit in the travel bag.

Aer+ cot

Available to buy separately or as part of a package with the pushchair, the Joolz Aer+ cot is still a really compact size when added to the pushchair frame which is exactly what I was hoping for in comparison to my bulky travel system.

It comes complete with a breathable mattress to keep your newborn comfy and just like with the pushchair, the extendable sun hood has a mesh panel for airflow.

Comfort and safety

Any parent wants to know that their offspring are two things when using a baby product: safe and comfortable.

The seat unit of the Joolz Aer+ is really generous in both width and height and would be ideal for taller babies. The harness is easy to adjust one-handed with a 5-point buckle so your youngster is safely strapped in.

The UPF 50+ sun hood ensures your youngster is protected at all times with great coverage and this can be extended further with a zip on the canopy. This also offers extra ventilation on hotter days thanks to the breathable mesh panel which I found useful for keeping an eye on baby.

When it comes to comfort for baby, the Aer+ buggy seat offers three different positions: seated, relax and sleep - where the seat can be reclined fully flat for snoozing on the go. These positions are controlled by a zip at the back of the seat.

While you obviously wouldn't use it for something like running, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wheels and suspension were able to handle multiple types of terrain with ease, ensuring a smooth ride for both driver and passenger.

For a smaller pushchair, we had no qualms with the volume of the shopping basket (5kg) and fit in everything we could need. There's also a handy storage pocket on the back of the seat for the likes of your phone or keys.

Final verdict

Overall, I'm really impressed with the Joolz Aer+. It's a lightweight, attractive pushchair with the ability to transform into a travel system, making it a fantastic option for many families who perhaps don't want the expense of a larger travel system as well as having to buy a lighter, compact option too.

No, it might not be suitable for those looking to tackle trickier terrains or perhaps live in the countryside but for those in urban areas or those after something that takes up minimal room, it's a worthy contender as a main pushchair.

The compact fold with both the buggy seat and cot attachment is really impressive and on the whole, it's easy for anyone to use with some great recline options.

A journalist since 2015, Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine for seven years. Emily writes about everything from the top baby products to pregnancy, fertility and maternal mental health. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.