TL;DR: wagons strollers are WAY more fun for little ones.
By Elizabeth Kadar
Updated Sep 28, 2023Wagon strollers, Today's Parent
You know you’ve reached peak parenting status when your garage basically doubles as a showroom for strollers. You’ve got your lightweight single and double travel strollers, your go-to everyday stroller, an all-terrain jogging stroller and now you just need the best wagon stroller to add to your growing collection.
Whether you have multiple children and require a four-seater just to get around or simply want some extra space to lug all the snacks, beach and pool gear your kids won’t carry, we’ve done the research to round up the best wagon strollers of 2023. These are sure to keep you riding in style. Psst, don’t forget to include one of these bad boys on your newborn checklist!
The wagon stroller hype is real—we promise. These hot rides blend the maneuverability of a stroller with the practicality of a wagon and are beloved by millennial parents for ease of use, functionality and an abundance of storage space. Oh, and the fact that they’re just super fun for kids (older ones especially) to cruise in is pretty key. Some models also fit up to four children, which is huge when you’ve got a lot of littles to lug around.
“Stroller wagons are so amazing for a variety of places,” says Baby Gear Product Expert Sarah Huff, senior manager of community and customer at BabyQuip. “Throw everything in for the pool or beach, carry the kiddos at the zoo with room for snacks and all the extras, and head to some theme parks (sorry, no Disney) with your stroller wagon piled up with jackets, your diaper bag, a change of clothes—you name it.”
If you’re in the market for the best wagon stroller, here are some features you’ll want to keep in mind before clicking purchase:
There’s so much to love about this top-selling all-terrain Evenflo Pivot Xplore stroller wagon, which has over 5,000 ratings on Amazon and an impressive 4.7-average star average. It’s incredibly versatile, which is so important when you have growing kids and children at different ages and stages. Suitable from birth with a car seat adapter (sold separately), this baby-and-toddler-friendly model also offers a separately-purchased car seat.
This frees up precious cargo space below to store all the essentials. A simple flip of the adjustable-height handlebar transforms the Pivot Xplore from a pull wagon to a push stroller and back. Each seat can carry a kid up to 55 pounds or five years so it’s definitely built for the long haul.
All-terrain wheels make it perfect for any off-road adventure (wood chip trails, beach trips, etc.) too. We love that it comes with an easy-access basket to tote towels, wipes, diapers and more, plus two UPF 50-plus canopies to keep kiddos relatively shaded during all those obligatory summer outings to the park, zoo or pool.
An included shareable snack tray with two cup holders means you don’t have to stop for a snack break every two seconds. It also folds up fairly easily.
Everyone’s favorite little red wagon gets a major glow-up! For the money, this is definitely the best wagon stroller option out there, packing a huge bang (and loads of nice features) for your buck. There’s a reason thousands of parents rate the Radio Flyer wagon 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
For one, you can push it or pull it, depending on your needs, and there’s a decent amount of storage space—including a convenient parent caddy for your wallet, keys and cell phone, plus internal storage pockets for kid stuff. The UV-protected canopy provides some relief from the sun on warm days and can be removed and stowed in the rear storage pouch when not in use.
There are also two cup holders for your water or coffee to fuel all those outdoor adventures. You can rest assured your kiddos are safely contained too thanks to two 5-point harnesses and a rear foot brake. Perhaps best of all, this bad boy has three different seating modes for extra versatility. Use it to carry the kids, haul your beach gear or convert it to bench seating for a park picnic. An easy one-hand fold allows for convenient storage.
The Rolls Royce of wagon strollers! I’ve owned the cult-fave Veer Cruiser for several years and can confirm that it’s absolutely worth the hype and has certainly saved my back from having to carry my 4-year-old (who recently decided her legs don’t work) the half mile home from the beach.
Steering is super smooth, though tight turns can be a little tough, however you get the hang of it quickly. I especially like how easy it is for my kindergartener and preschooler to climb in and out by themselves, plus the ample amount of storage space to bring sports equipment, a diaper bag and all the snacks along.
Living by the beach, ours is constantly covered in sand (and crumbs). Thank goodness the Cruiser was designed to be hosed down so it’s super easy to quickly clean and then leave to air dry overnight. The all-terrain tires work wonderfully on the wood chip trail near our house and on packed sand, but like any wagon stroller can be tough to push/pull in loose sand.
We are constantly getting stopped and complimented on our Veer whenever we are out and about. A few other features to note are that it comes with two cup holders and a snack/drink tray. It’s also car seat compatible if you want to use it for a newborn and big sibling.
Most stroller wagons are made for the toddler set, but what makes the Baby Trend great is that it comes with a universal infant car seat adapter (that’s compatible with up to 15 different car seats!) so you can start using your wagon stroller from the get-go. It also includes the Seat2Mat, which is an extra cushion to transform the interior into a flat space for baby to play while you’re parked or for your toddler to take a nice nap on the go.
Like the other wagon strollers on our list, the Expedition can be pushed or pulled and comes with several convenient cup holders, plus a snack tray for your little snack monster. It also has an extra large ratcheting canopy that offers UPF-50+ sun protection and air-flow mosquito netting for super hot, muggy and buggy days. For the quality, you can’t beat the price.
The best wagon stroller for big kids, hands down. Now that my kindergartner is too old for traditional strollers, he loves catching a ride in our Wonderfold with his almost one-year-old brother or his 4-year-old sister. While each removable, raised seat can only handle up to 45 pounds each (the size of my 6-year-old), the entire stroller itself can hold 200 pounds.
That means once kids max out of the seat you can just remove it and they can sit in the wagon directly with all their sports gear, a younger sibling or your beach stuff.
Not only does the Wonderfold look super stylish (we literally have people chase us down the street to ask about it), but it rides super smooth on all terrains and has lots of clever storage pockets all around the sides, as well as a rear basket, to fit the essentials. It's definitely an upgraded take on a traditional wagon and one that promises to last for years.
The canopy is UV-protected, completely removable and height adjustable to accommodate growing kids. It also has a sliding feature so you can properly position it to shade them. The front-zippered entrance provides easy access for big kids to get in and out all by themselves.
Wagon strollers are a hot commodity for vacation, where taking toddlers to the beach or pool with all their stuff in tow is enough to make you sweat just thinking about it. For travel, thousands of parents swear by the Ever wagon with its compact design that folds or unfolds in 5 seconds and the deep, flat interior that makes it perfect for those necessary on-the-go vacation naps.
Another thing parents rave about? All the storage space. It comes with a backpack storage pocket, cover pockets and cup holder, as well as a removable snack tray to feed them at the beach or while you explore new places. It's perfect for lugging around the beachside trails of the best all-inclusive family resorts too.
Our own Jeep wagon stroller review revealed that this affordable option is downright wonderful for families with both kids and pets. That's because it has easy-to-clean seats that wipe or hose down in a jiffy. Pee, ice pops and just about everything else is fair game and a cinch to wash. It's also made by one of the best baby gear companies in the market, Delta Children.
"It has all the bells and whistles, including a detachable canopy, mesh side panels, tons of pockets for storage and a cup holder," writes experienced mom and shopping editor, Lauren. "Some styles even come with a detachable Jeep-branded cooler bag that can hold up to six cans. With four wheels, including two swivel front wheels, the Jeep Wrangler stroller wagon is a breeze to maneuver. It also has all-terrain puncture-proof tires."
We spoke with a baby gear expert to get the lowdown on what features to look for in the best wagon strollers, scoured the Internet to get a good feel for all the options out there and visited Amazon to see what real parents were purchasing for their families and why. We also filtered by bestsellers on Amazon to see which wagon strollers earned the highest marks, in addition to reading through hundreds of real parent reviews.
And, as a mom of three who owns (and loves!) two stroller wagons on this list, I used my own personal experience to help narrow down the options.
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