Any stroller PROS?? Need advice!

[EmmMOM2]

We are going to disney soon with our then 15 month old and 4 year old.
Our 15 month old will be in a stroller probably almost the whole time (not walking yet anyway) so we are bringing our stroller from home which is comfy for her and has good storage room.
Anyway, my 4 year old will walk MOST of the time, but i'm sure on occasion he wouldnt mind sitting in a stroller...SO I dont really plan on spending money to rent one for him everyday.

Does anyone know of any good umbrella strollers up to at least 40 lbs since hes about that now??
Maybe one that could fit in the basket underneath the big one we're bringing...
Or am i better off bringing a double umbrella stroller.

I just dont want to push TWO strollers around when only one will be being used full time.

Any suggestions??

[LisRich]

I would strongly urge you to bring or rent a double stroller. There is so much walking involved that your 4 year old will probably need it more than you realize. It is also a good way to save his energy and avoid getting overly tired. You will notice in WDW that there are many children much older than 4 that are utilizing the strollers who have long outgrown them at home. Our DS6, who walks everywhere else, gladly used the stroller extensively at WDW last year and we expect to rent one again in December.
Have a wonderful time w/your children - it should be magical for your family! :mickey:

[KAT1811]

As a mother of 3 DDs that have traveled the word since 3 1/2 months I would highly recommend :yes: bringing a double umbrella stroller. I personally do not care for the rental strollers :down: for a variety of reasons first and foremost they are horribly uncomfortable (in comparison to a stroller from home). Moving on, your 4 year old may not need a stroller as much as your 15 month old but I bet you'll be surprized to see how often he'll take a break from walking when it is avaliable to him. It is also a great place for them to sit for parades and to sit and have a popsicle while you take a longer walk (think FW to WS in Epcot). WDW requires a lot of walking :walk: , which most people do not do on a typical day never mind for a week plus every day. My school of thought has always been I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Who wants to carry a four year old in 90+ degree heat? :faint:

Another bit of stroller advice I will offer is to purchase stroller fans :fan: before leaving home. September is VERY hot and humid in WDW and the stroller fans help keep the children cool. If you are interested I can always PM you the website that sells them.

If you decide to go with a double umbrella stroller there are a ton on the market and I can recommend a few if I knew what price range :spend: you were looking in. Combi has a fabulous side-by-side double stroller, tri-fold, and with a carrying strap. They also have a rain cover avaliable which is great for those Florida showers. If you are looking for an ultra cheap way to get by just for vacation they have umbrella stroller connectors which allow you to connect two separate strollers into one double.

I hope this helps a bit.

[EmmMOM2]

Yes PLEASE PM me where i can find those fans!!!

I found a single umbrella i like and might buy two..
could you send me in the right direction for the connectors? Thats a cute idea but i dont know where to get them..

[donnah77]

We had a similar situation this spring with 4year old DD and 10 month old DS. We bought a double stroller, then realized it would be too bulky and heavy to get on & off buses etc. We brought DS's full size Graco (more storage and so much better for napping for baby) and DD's Chicco Capri umbrella stroller. It has a basket, we added a net bag on the back, it reclines a bit, has a shade, and has a shoulder strap. We thought we could always just carry it or hang across the big stroller handle if needed.

Well we used both strollers every single day, and they were great! Even if DD wasn't in the stroller, we put packages, diaper bag etc on it. It was her third trip to WDW with the Chicco and she loves it. It certainly helped keep her better rested and helped us maintain some crowd control too.

Have fun! Donna

[OhToodles!]

I just today am having a struggle trying to figure out what stroller to take for DS that will be 1 when we go - umbrella with little recline or full size stroller that does fully recline or find a light-weight or umbrella stroller that does fully recline for napping.

Anyway, back to your question. I only have one child to think of, but when 2 are in the picture I've thought about getting one of those sit n stand strollers. I've also seen where you can get a standing platform that hooks on to a stroller you already have (through One Step Ahead - where you can also get the stroller fans).

Good Luck with whatever you decide and I hope it works out for you!

[brian2000boston]

Could you PM me the information on the fans as well? They sound great, thanks for the great idea!

[jonahbear2006]

I would highly reccommend just renting the double strollers. They are nice and who wants to cart the strollers onto the buses and the boats. We did this the first time to save money and it was not money well saved. The 2nd trip we rented and we were all so much happier. Another thing, our 6 and 5 yr old rode in the stroller as well as our 3 and 1 yr old. We found that the day we made them walk it was just miserable for all of us, not to mention time consuming. Esp. Epcot and AK. If you don't want to rent a stroller, then I highly recomment one of these sit and stand strollers you can get from a target or babiesrus. They are a little bit cheaper than a double stroller but accommodate a child that will be up and down a lot. Still your best bet is to just rent the disney strollers.

[Disney Doll]

I just today am having a struggle trying to figure out what stroller to take for DS that will be 1 when we go - umbrella with little recline or full size stroller that does fully recline or find a light-weight or umbrella stroller that does fully recline for napping.

Anyway, back to your question. I only have one child to think of, but when 2 are in the picture I've thought about getting one of those sit n stand strollers. I've also seen where you can get a standing platform that hooks on to a stroller you already have (through One Step Ahead - where you can also get the stroller fans).

Good Luck with whatever you decide and I hope it works out for you!

We're bringing our Combi C5 for our 1 yr old this October. I love this stroller! It's a light weight umbrella with some extra features like a carrying handle, cup holder, and storage compartment. It has a multi position recline (does not recline completely flat, but almost). My son has napped in it several times and he always seems pretty comfy. Also thanks for the tip on where to get the stroller fans. I've been looking for those.

[OhToodles!]

We're bringing our Combi C5 for our 1 yr old this October. I love this stroller! It's a light weight umbrella with some extra features like a carrying handle, cup holder, and storage compartment. It has a multi position recline (does not recline completely flat, but almost). My son has napped in it several times and he always seems pretty comfy. Also thanks for the tip on where to get the stroller fans. I've been looking for those.

Thanks for the tip on the stroller! And you're welcome about the fans. I got one, but we haven't tried it out yet. I also got one of the big shades that tie onto the stroller to block more of the sun out.

[Sam&Alex&Josh'sMOM]

We have a sit and stand stroller that we are bringing this year. It is made by Baby Trend and we love it. It was about $105. It is lighter than the Graco Duo Glider that we brought to the parks last year. My kids are 1 1/2 and 3. They do fine with it... My little one is very physical and my older one is lazy.. so sometimes, they even switch and the little one stands and the big one sits up front. They both like being able to get on and off the "stand" area with relatively little effort.

[Lucyrella]

I have the Combi stroller where the weight limit for the child is 55 pounds. I bought it off of Amazon I think, and I bought it just for our upcoming trip. When my almost 5 year old gets tired, she is too heavy for me to carry, so this stroller is just perfect for her. It folds up in a flash, has a carry handle, and only weighs 11 pounds. Since you can't take the Disney stroller out of the parks, if she is tired and falls asleep before we get back to the transportation, we are all happy.:cloud9:

[iammrsnesbitt]

I will put in another vote for a sit and stand type stroller. We have a Joovy and we like it a lot. It has some drawbacks, but there are a lot on the market like it now, each have their own + and -.
We took it when our kids were 10m and 3 yrs and 21 m and 4 years and both times it was perfect.

The 4 year old likes to just hop on and off, but she didn't really need to recline or anything, so it is perfect. Also, a sit and stand is much smaller than a full-size double stroller. And smaller is good in DW. It is our primary stroller now wherever we go. Even if the 4 year old doesn't want to ride, you are dealing with a stroller that is almost the same size as a regular stroller, and then it gives you more room for packages, etc.

Personally, I don't think I would do it differently for my kids. Good luck and have fun!

[Lizzie]

We always bring our double jogger. It is a lot of work on and off the bus but totally worth it. The kids are comfortable in it and they are able to nap in it.

I have seen some very tall dads pushing around little umbrella strollers and I can't imagine their back not hurting at the end of the day.

I have thought about renting but the cost is so high? Will the kids nap in it like they do their own and at night that walk from the bus to your hotel room can seem so long.

[jonahbear2006]

we have the kolcraft Contour and this is a super great stroller for Disney if you have a child under a year old. We couldn't believe what a blessing it ended up being. They sell a double on Targets website, but we have the single. The Seat snaps off and forms to whatever it is layed against. We ended up taking the seat off of the stroller SO MUCH, and rode rides while our child slept. We even took it in to eat dinner and layed it on the floor and the baby slept in the seat on the floor while we ate. This was a big help to us. We would have constantly had to wake him up, he was 7mths old, and took several naps in the stroller, a day. Also, when upright, the canopy pulls all the way down over the front of the stroller so if it is really sunny or rainy, then there is none on baby. It folds easy,is all terrain, the seat sits towards you or away, has a great place for baby's and moms drinks and snacks, has a five point harness, and a huge basket. Other pro, my 3 yr old son, when he got tired, he scooted into the basket and slept here for long periods of time. haha, I actually have pictures of him sleeping in the basket. Boy, did WE get the laughs in DTD. I have been tempted to buy the double, because I like this one so well, but hubby says we are the reason so many stroller companies are in business today. I have, however, found my favorite, by far! Finally!:mickey:

[threeh]

I had the same problem for one of our trips and I got a thing called a buggy board. it attaches to the back of the umbroller stroller and the bigger child can stand on it. Google buggy board to get a better idea. It gave me the ease of a smaller stroller but still able to fit an extra child on the back.

Happy planning!!!:mickey:

[kathiep]

I just ordered a Combi stroller for our upcoming trip. DS is 5 and will still need something but most strollers won't accomodate his weight. I even looked into the sit n stand but most of those have a weight max of about 40 pounds.

I have the connectors from our trip last year when we were still able to do 2 umbrella strollers. These were great. We could snap them on and take turns pushing or split up when DH and I were going to do different things.

I got them at Babies R Us. They were made by a company called Prince Lionheart.

[Santuitman]

Last year we rented and it was pretty easy stroller wise but our boys fought constantly when they were side by side. They were used to a front and back so the side by side threw them for a loop. Just something to think about. We are going again and are taking two umbrella strollers with sunshades and carry straps.
Good luck and don't forget to take breaks!!!!

[crazypoohbear]

The cost of renting strollers is so high right now that it is cheaper to bring yours from home. I think the sit and stand is the most functional one around for the ages you mentioned.
I think the fans can be purchased from right start.

[cincymommy]

We have a Chicco umbrella stroller. We got it at Babies R Us. My son really liked it and seemed comfortable, plus it comes with a shade to help with that bright florida sun. I loved it because it folds up very easily and is small enough to fit easily on crowded shuttle buses. It seems like several people had these strollers, so we took a sharpie and wrote "The Brooks Family" in bold letters across the top of the shade.

[1EeyoreFan]

I have the Maclaren Volvo umbrella for my 3 yr. old. It holds up to 55 lbs. and is very solid. The stroller is very lightweight and folds easily. It also has a strap for carrying when folded. The stroller turns on a dime and rolls very easily. There is also a small basket to hold a few essentials. The only draw back for me is there is no cupholder and it does not recline. Overall a great purchase! Found it on sale at our local Target.

Another option is purchasing one of the strollers for sale at the resorts. We bought one on a prior trip when our stroller broke. It reclines, has a small shade, and a cup holder. They were $40 when we did this a couple of yrs. ago. A great deal compared to renting one!

[LittleRoosMommy]

We also were in the same position as you last October. We couldn't decide to take our double stroller or 2 umbrella strollers for our DDs, 14months and 3 at the time. We finally decided to just take our McClaren Triumph that we used on a daily basis and bought a Chicco stroller. DD, walked a fair amount, but we were so glad that we brought a stroller from home for her. Those walks from the parks to transportation and back to the resorts can be so long, espcecially with a sleeping child!! One big reason that we decided not to bring the double stroller was because my DH did not want to lift it on/off the buses. Sometimes it's hard enough with the umbrella stroller!! We're going back this Oct. and we'll be bringing both strollers again for the girls, who will be 2 & 4. Hope you have a great time!!:mickey:

[Fryguy]

We use the Joovy Caboose stoller and love it! It has one seat for a child and another seat/stand for the other. We found it perfect for the buses while we are there. It is quick to fold up and not that big or bulky either. My boys are now 3 and 6 and we still use it when we go to the zoo, no problems at all.

They sell them at the R us stores so they are easy to go look at.

One suggestion on this stroller, get the parent organizer - it helps!

[jonahbear2006]

I highly recommend bringing a double stroller. our 7 yr old cant do all that walking yet. We let her sit in a disney stroller, esp in epcot. I hate the buses for strollers though. I like the rentals, however, dont leave anything in them. We had something stolen out of ours. Our guess is that while moving the strollers one of the cms threw it in a stroller and it wasnt ours and the family thought oh well, it was in our stroller.
we have a kolcraft contours stroller that we love cause the seat detaches from it and while our 17mth old was sleeping we could take the seat off and bring it in to the shows and rides and restaurants without waking him up and the seat forms to whatever its on so it layed on the floor and he slept while we ate or whatever. There is a double version of it on target.com.It was a disney blessing for us to have this seat.
I really dont think you should go with the intention of the 4 yr old walking, though. That either won't fly or you will be miserable. We found it just easier to set them down cause there are so many things to look at, this way their eyes can shop and they aren't walking off. But, I can't stress how bothersome the buses are with strollers, ugh. I would almost pay the price of the the rentals to not have to deal with the bus and a stroller.