The ever famous "stroller" question - which is best???

[LisaP]

Yes ... I've seen it here on Intercot more times than I can count, but I have to ask it again :beat:

Looking for advice on the best stroller option for the WDW trek. This is for my niece who is 4 yrs old, 40 lbs and 39" tall, and my sister who is 5'5".

Sister is a single mom, so it has to be lightweight enough (15 pounds or less) for her to haul around on and off transportation while reeling in a very "spirited" toddler :bolt:

However we do want something that will be comfortable (more than a cloth "bucket") for her to last in for several hours during day and night - and potentially fall asleep. Bells and whistles are not that important, since you can buy accessories to attach for added sun shade and storage, cupholders etc (already did that).

She is staying at Poly, so trans should be easier for her -- may not be as big a deal for folding up the stroller on monorail and/or water taxi. She'll only use the buses when necessary.

As far as brands, we are open to anything and at any price point, but our research / test drive has shown that Combi strollers in general offer very narrow seating and appear to be very low in height? ... and we're not yet sold on MacLaren because they do not appear to offer much seat support and zero basket space (especially for the price).

I have spent quite some time researching this and reading customer reviews online, and I'm fried. I would really like some input from the experts here for the exact application :thanks:

Thanks to everyone in advance for your help! :grouphug:

[CAS]

If you're willing to spend between $200 and $300 bucks then the Maclarens do have models with lots of cushioning, but the brand's main strong points are that they are the strongest, lightest folding stroller you can buy and they provide one handed folding/locking. Basket space is not a strong point as they're designed to be more of a "smart car" instead of a "min-van." ;)

Being 6'4" tall, the reason they're my favorite is because they're also one of the tallest strollers on the market. I don't need to bend down to push it, so unless you're over six and a half feet tall you should do ok with the height.

[Magic Smiles]

I have no suggestions, but I did see a lot of MacLaren strollers when we were in Disneyland in August. :secret: I remember this because when I saw the first one I thought how neat they put their name on it. DUH! Then I saw many more. I guess it was because we have friends with the last name MacLaren.;) How is that for an excuse?

[seanyred]

I would also look into Combi. These strollers are very light weight and more comfortable than a traditional umbrella stroller. Also instead of folding flat like traditional strollers it folds inward and has carrying strap that can easily go on your shoulder.

[r4kids]

We LOVE our MacLaren. It has plenty of room in the bottom and it is very light weight. We use it for our DD's 6 & 8. MacLaren is the way to go!!

[wdwnutz]

We bought a Graco Ipo which holds a child up to 50lbs., reclines, has a small basket underneath and folds up like an umbrella stroller. It has a small sunshade, but like you said there are ways to fix that. We also bought an attachment for cups, phone, etc. So far we have been really happy with it and we got it for around $80.

[bkfree]

Rent one.
They are very comfy for a larger child, lots of storage and very easy to push.We found when ours were that age, that we did not need one on transportation, the monorail or at the resort. Just at the park.
The other upside to it was that because it was new and different, my kids clamoured to ride in it, so no having to coax them into it or to stay in it.
We took a big crzy bandanna and tied to the handle so we could locate it easily. After renting one , we never considered taking our own ever again.

[biodtl]

It's not a common brand, but i got a great deal on a Silver Cross micro v2 and we LOVED it!

It's an umbrella style, so it easily folds up small, has a carrying strap (and even a carrying bag), so it was easy to get on and off buses and into the hotel room, etc.

It holds larger kids (my daughter was 5 - she's almost 6 now and she still fits - though we don't really use it for anything other than WDW, etc)

It has a shade, large storage basket underneath, nice tall handles so you don't have to hunch over like most umbrellas, large wheels for easy steering, and it's very comfortable and sturdy.

[princessgirls]

LOVE my Maclaren stroller. Although pricey, it pushes so nice and is very sturdy, and has enough basket space. Overall, an excellent stroller.

Julie:mickey:

[mudpuppysmom]

I'll begin by prefacing that my husband has called our garage "Strollertown" in the past, but I'm cleaning up Strollertown now thru craigslist.

What I have owned:
Combi
Peg Perego
Inglesina
Graco
Safety First

What I have found:
Combi is very small, the seating as you already know is really slim and not a lot of padding, plus the basket fits about two water bottles. BUT, it is very lightweight!!

Peg Perego Pliko P3 is a full sized stroller that folds up like an umbrella stroller (it does take two hands though to do it, but it's pretty easy). As for weight, I think it weighs 17 pounds or so, no a big difference from 15, but when you are wrangling a kid it can be a little difference, and I know -- I've got a wiggler myself! The basket is decent sized and the padding and recline are good. There is also a snack tray that you can take on and off. The big thing that I liked about this stroller was the harness.....you start out with it attached to the seatback and then you can unhook it so the kid can actually move around a little, but not climb out, they are not actually strapped to the seat back! my son did like this, but alas I have found a stroller I can fold and unfold with one hand (I'll get to that in a sec....)

Next, I have and currently use an Inglesina Zippy. THIS is the stroller I very much like. It's just like the Perego, but you can fold it and unfold it with one hand, so your other hand is free to hang onto that wriggling kid! It's an Italian company that makes these and they are sturdy and also lightweight, like the Perego -- I think the Inglesina weighs also around 17 pounds. The seat reclines all the way back and has an integrated rain cover as well. The canopy will go all the way down to the snack tray to cover a child from the sun, rain, wind, cold, etc. My son doesn't like the hood all the way down though, he likes to see where he's going (when he's awake anyway). Sleeping in this stroller I can say must be comfortable b/c my little DS (1) will not sleep anywhere except his own bed and he sleeps in the stroller!! There is also a snack tray that you can take off if you like. The harness is attached to the seatback and is padded, but I've sacrificed this little appointment for the one hand fold! the basket is also pretty decent that you can put a medium sized diaper bag in there, but we hang ours from the handles. There is also an expandable cupholder on this baby!

I've also had a full sized Graco travel system stroller.....here is the bottom line.....yeah, you can fold and unfold it with one hand, but it weighs like 40 pounds! And getting that around on the transportation at WDW was not fun! Yes, it was the most plush of all the strollers I have had, but I just cannot justify a little softer padding for an extra 25 pounds for me to lug around on and off the transportation system options at Disney. The basket was also the biggest of all the strollers I have had. This stroller was just too big and cumbersome and it was the first to go in my sale of Strollertown!

Another one that we still have is a Safety First Acella -- my DH likes this one ...it does weigh less, and the basket is nice sized, but it's like the travel system strollers, you fold it down and then pick it up, so it's not a compact fold -- it weighs about 25 pounds, so it is lighter, but you notice this in the padding on the seat. This one has a snack tray with a nice deep welled cup holder that will hold a cup of larger sizes. I used this one before I discovered the Inglesina and Perego ones, so this used to be my favorite and has seen about 7 trips to WDW and logged several miles while there -- it has served us well!

My pick if you could find one used is an Inglesina Zippy.....if you can't find that one you can pick from all the suggestions you get here.

Good luck on your quest for the perfet stroller!

[LittleRoosMommy]

I LOVE my Maclaren. Wouldn't trade it for the world. We've had it for almost 6 yrs and it's still as good as new. Both of my girls, ages 3 & 5, love sitting in it. It reclines so they can sleep. You would be surprised the amount of things you can get in the bottom of that stroller! It's been to WDW 4 times and DL once. And we're going again in Dec! So, we're obviously very happy with it! It's definitely durable, easy to push, lightweight, etc

It's definitely worth the money! I would definitely look into these strollers! Hope you have a great trip!