Stroller Question

[Dyanna]

I am new to the boards so please bear with me. I will be traveling to DW in October with DH & 10 month old DD. We will be using her Graco travel system to cart her around. Can you tell me if this is a good choice? We will also be bringing 2 teenage cousins with us. I am thinking that the travel system would be helpful to hold all of babies items & all other things the older kids want to lug around as well as it has 2 drink holders.

[caryrae]

I don't have kids but when we went down with my SIL and BIL, who had a 3 year old when we went with them, they brought a stroller like that and it help alot. It was nice to have the extra space to put extra stuff you didn't want to carry and yes the cup holders were nice too. Otherwise you would have to carry a diaper bag or get a locker to put it in.

[peemagg]

That sounds like a good choice to me. I would probably also bring one of those front pack carriers for her. This way when she is tired of sitting , you can carry her hands free. Another thing I would suggest is that if were planning on using her carseat with the stroller in the parks, I wouldn't. Remember that when it comes to riding buses and other transportation around Disney that you have to close up the stroller. If you use the carseat with it, it is a lot of extra unneeded weight to haul around. You child will be fine without the carseat, and probably like it better without it. She will be able to see more this way.

[Dyanna]

Thanks for the reply!

Dyanna

[magicman]

Strollers are great for schlepping all of your stuff (and baby) around as long as they can be easily/quickly folded-up. (We battled a cumbersome stroller on one of our visits and made some of the other folks waiting to load onto the bus a bit...

One other quick suggestion is to tie something onto your stroller's handlebars (bright scarf or balloon) for quick identification. There are so many strollers that look alike, and Cast Members re-arrange the strollers to save space. Something bright on the handlebar can save you a lot of wandering around after coming out of a show/attraction.

[cinderella crazy]

One thing that we discovered when we took or DS to Disney for his 1st birthday was that the travel systems tend to be very big. They can be hard to maneuver in the stores and can be harder to fold up. While we were there we ended up buying an umbrella stroller that worked much better.

As for storage, the travel systems do have more storage. What we did with the umbrella stroller was we had a backpack that had our baby stuff in it and we hung it from the strollers handles.

If you do end up getting an umbrella stroller, make sure it has a decent canopy so the child is mostly covered from the sun.

The one we bought in Disney was a very sturdy (I believe it was a graco). It has lasted for almost 3 years (and through 2 children).

So it just depends on what your needs are. Either way you'll have tons of fun just because you're at Disney!

[mom*3]

The umbrella stroller mentioned above is a very good idea. By 10 months, your baby should be fine in one. We bought an inexpensive one with a cover to use for our DD at WDW. They are much easier to manouver, park, and fold for buses and the train. They are also easier to take on a plane (if you are flying). Once the airline made us "gate check" our nice travel system stroller. It got bent and never rolled quite the same again.
If you do decide to get an umbrella stroller, I recommend trying it out at the store to make sure the handles are high enough for comfortable pushing.

[kakn7294]

My opinion when it comes to strollers at WDW is smaller the stroller, the better, especially when you are cramming yourself and the stroller into a seat on the bus - if you are driving to the parks everyday, it doesn't make as much of a difference. My travel system stroller from 7 years ago was HEAVY and HUGE (it weighed more than the baby did!) and I would have never thought of taking it to WDW just because I would not have wanted to attempt to get it on the bus! From my experience, I would look for something smaller and lighter but that reclines for sleep and has good storage. I would also look into a rain cover because nothing is more miserable for the baby than a wet stroller. If you are staying onsite, take advantage of package pickup at the resort for any purchase you make and that will be less stuff to drag around with you.

[Niecyboo]

We found the best compromise at Walmart. It's a smaller stroller that folds tightly, but it has all the little extras you need. It's called the Cosco Deluxe comfort ride stroller (I looked it up to make sure of the name) it costs around twenty dollars and it has a small basket, a canopy and two position recline. Still, it's not that much bigger than an umbrella stroller. You can even see it online to check it out. Have fun.