Stroller or No Stroller???

[fizz03]

Hi everyone,
I've posted here randomly from time to time and have another question for our upcoming trip to the World in December. Moreso, I'm looking for parental advice!!!
I am traveling to Disney with several adults, a 5 year old and my 4 1/2 year old son. I'm debating on how to handle the stroller issue. I think we all know that expecting a 4 year old to trot along at the world for 5 days is a little extreme. My legs ache after one day and I can only imagine how my poor sons little legs would feel! I'm exploring possible investing in a light weight stroller to bring along for the trip (this way avoiding paying rental fees). My son weighs about 37 lbs, so I'm having a difficult time finding something for his size since strollers generally are not made for 4 year old children!
Any suggestions from the peanut gallery? Do you have a stroller you would suggest? Am I better off biting the bullet and renting something everyday? Any advice at all????
Thanks!

 

[Bug715]

Last time we went down my aunt and uncle rented a single stroller for their kids (7 and 4). They didn't have to cart it to and from the resort and both kids could actually sorta fit in it with the 4year old sitting at the end. Also, they wouldn't pick it up as soon as they went into the park they would wait until the kids got a bit tired so it wasn't always an option.

 

[Todd L]

Hello. I travel quite a bit with my kids and I can tell you from experience some of the issues we have had in the past.
When my daugther was 3 we took her full size carriage with us to Disney.
Getting it there was like getting another piece of luggage there, Really no big deal.
It was great to have because she loved it and would be able to climb in get comfy and take short naps from time to time (we have a picture of her sleeping in it on main street usa with the Marching band going by after a long day at the park)We also used it to hold our bags, cameras, Drinks ect. (very handy and easier On us)
On the other hand when we went to universal last year I went a bought a small Jeep Stroller. I thought it would be good because it was light weight and small enough to move around easily.
Well it was so light that anytime you used a handle to hold a bag it would topple over whenever my son got out of it and we wound up dumping drinks, souviners and my Camera all over the place. Not alot of fun.
It Looked nice but was pretty cheaply mad. The wheels didnt roll very well and pulled you to one side.

We also discovered that the stroller was poorly designed for any normal sized persons use. The Handles that you use to push it we about 3 or 4 inchs too low so you had to sort of hunch over to push this thing. Within about 15 minutes it became downright uncomfortable and painful to push the thing. My son could not get comfotable in it and it became a nightmare.

We left it in the room for the remainder of our trip and rented.

This year we are going back with My sons regular full size stroller. We found some really neat attachments that can hold bags and soda cups or whatecer else you like.

If you have something you use normally and it works well for you that I would really urge you to go with that.

Its like shoes. I would not want to spend a week in Disney in a brand new pair of shoes. I prefer the old broken in sneakers because I know that I wont have any issues with them.

Hope this helped. Good luck

 

[H20Babie]

Rent I have both brought our own and rented, and renting was by far the most convenient. I found it well worth the rental charge. AllEars puts it this way: if you have a child who stays in a stroller when you go shopping, then you should bring your own. If you have one who wants to walk 70%-80% of the time, the rentals are great.

 

[happymom52003]

This is one of those tough to answer questions because there are some people who swear by renting, and others who swear by bringing your own. I really think it comes down to personal preference.

Also, factors such as your budget, which resort you are staying at, whether or not you will have a rental car also come into play.

If you will not have a car or if you are staying at a resort that does not offer monorail or boat transportation, then you have to take a bus everywhere....and strollers can be a pain on the buses. It is worth the hassle if your kids are younger, but I'm not sure it would be worth the hassle for an older child.

We do bring our own strollers, even for our older child. This works best for us....we are much happier with bringing our own vs. renting. We've also been very grateful to have the stroller outside the parks....which is one of the reasons we would never rent. However....we invested in travel strollers before their first trip, knowing that we would be going to WDW multiple times before the kids outgrew the strollers. If this is a one time thing for you (meaning by the next time you go to WDW you will not be needing a stroller), it might not be worth the investment of purchasing your own stroller.

I should add that we have started renting cars on our WDW trips, so we no longer have to use the buses....if we still had to use the buses, I'm not so sure we would still bring a stroller for our older child. However, this is because we have two children....if we only had one child, we'd probably still bring it.

If you do decide to purchase, you might be able to get away with purchasing a really cheap umbrella stroller if your child were smaller.....but with a larger child, I think you would be happier buying one that is sturdier and has a weight limit that is appropriate, and that is made for traveling. The ones we bought are made for travel....they are lightweight, fold up very easily, and have a carrying strap.....all of which are great for buses.

Here is what we have (although we have previous models and they were a bit cheaper than this one):http://www.strollers.com/Combi-247508-Flare-Stroller-CBI1283.html#ProdDetails

It has a weight limit of 55 pounds, so your child would have no problem.

These sell well on ebay, so that is also an option....buy it for your trip, then try to sell it.

 

[erstwo]

Two things to add:
Remember, if you are flying, many airlines are charging passengers for every bag they check nowdays so be sure to take the stroller through the airport and gate check to avoid fees.

We are planning to rent in our trip in December as we found our strollers to be a HUGE hassle when using buses. Not so much on the monorail. We have a 2 year old and a 5 year old. We found the Disney strollers to be clean and we look forward to not having the hassle of keeping up with our own.

Having said that, if you still want to bring your own, I highly reccomend the Kolcraft Contour. We have a big 5 year old (95th percentile at the doctor) and we bought this stroller out of desperation in the KMart at Penn Station in NYC last year when we went up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We thought DS would be fine walking around NYC, so we only brought a stroller for DD. Big mistake! You are so smart to realize your kiddos will need a stroller!
The Contour holds our son and has storage, a sun visor, and a cup holder. It is not as compact as an umbrella stroller, but it does fold up nicely and can be covered easily with a rain poncho in case of a "Disney downpour."

 

[mousefan1972]

We recently sold our Maclaren Twin Truimph and are going to rent a Disney double stroller this December for our 3 and 5 year old kids. The main reason: we are staying at Wilderness Lodge for 9 nights, and when we stayed at WL in July (for 4 nights) bringing our stroller on the Disney transport system was a huge hassle. Even though the stroller we owned was very light and folded up small (umbrella-style), it was still a pain. There was only one type of boat to MK where we could leave it open and the kids could stay in it. For the smaller boats and all buses, the kids have to comeo out of the stroller and you have to fold it up and lug it on. Unless you are staying in a monorail resort, bringing your own for older kids just isn't worth it. :shrug:

 

[fizz03]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. On our last 2 trips to Disney when my son was younger, we brought our travel system stroller, which was a hassle on the buses, but was great to have since we knew it had the extra storage space and he was comfortable with this stroller. Although my son is 4, he doesn't like to walk for long periods of time.
I'll definitely check out the Kolcraft you suggested in addition to the Combi Flare (which was already on my list!) I know we'll still use the stroller for atleast the next year for trips to the mall and other things so the cost will definitely be worth it!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I'll weigh in on using Disney strollers. Your kids are old enough to make it to the bus stop and sit well on their own or in your laps.

Back in the day, we would enter a park, have one parent move on with the kids and have the other get the stroller. If you change parks, you can get use of a stroller at the other park without extra cost. It is so much more convenient than having to carry the dears after they ________ out or as you say having them walk the distances on their little legs. They are also able to take a bit of a nap if the need arises.

Disney rented strollers worked great for us.

 

[durangojim]

When we were there two weeks ago we had our full size stroller for our 6 m/o daughter and an umbrella for our 3 y/o son. The umbrella wasn't a big deal on the small boat from WL to MK or the busses, but the big stroller is a major pain when you have to break it down. However renting at over $30 per day for a double stroller seems like a waste of money and would have been over $250 for our trip. We'll just take two umbrella strollers in the future when the little one is big enough to ride in an umbrella stroller.

 

[kangaand2roos]

I bought a MacLaren double stroller for $100 off of ebay last year for my then almost 4 and almost 2 year old it worked out perfectly (they too are over the 95th percentile). I want to bring it again this year but my husband is telling me my older son will be fine walking so I plan on bringing either the double stroller again or we will bring our single Combi stroller and will end up renting a single since I know we will need two.

 

[daliseurat]

I'm in the minority, but I find that 4 year olds have no trouble walking around the parks. When they get tired, stop and rest, have a snack. We ditched the stroller at 3. Our DD did fine. We stopped for sit down meals and snacks, and planned to take in shows. We never walked around for hours at a time. A couple times I put her on my shoulders for a short time.

I would suggest that you don't waste any money on a NEW stroller that you won't really need much longer, and that you may have to pay a fee to take it on the plane.

I'd try it without the stroller, and if your child just can't take the walking, rent one. I think you'll be surprised. I find most kids WANT a stroller because they like being pushed and have a tendency to be lazy. We can't stand all the whining so we give in. Once I ditched the stroller, my DD did fine. She did WANT one, but as I gave here no option, she just made the best of it. If she was tired, we took a break. We found pretty quickly that she didn't even need as many breaks as we did.

One thing that I find is that parents like the stroller more than the kids because they can put stuff in it so they don't have to carry it, they like having a place for their kid to sit, and it's an easy way to keep track of them.


I find our trips everywhere are much easier without a stroller. But I am in the minority, here. Just a different idea to consider.

 

[coltow]

I am a big advocate of bringing your own! HOWEVER, given the ages I'm against it. We had brought our stroller on our last trip. I have 2 boys 17mo and 4 1/2. I had thought that older would ride when he got tired and let me tell you he never got tired. I had to beg him to get in it for the walk/ride from Mexico to the bus stop at EPCOT. DH was carrying younger son. It was the only time he ever got in it. You may find that you spend money on a stroller that you never use. You really won't need it outside of the parks (airport, resort, etc.) so I would just go with the flow and rent one if you find it's needed.

 

[NewfieFan]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. On our last 2 trips to Disney when my son was younger, we brought our travel system stroller, which was a hassle on the buses, but was great to have since we knew it had the extra storage space and he was comfortable with this stroller. Although my son is 4, he doesn't like to walk for long periods of time.
I'll definitely check out the Kolcraft you suggested in addition to the Combi Flare (which was already on my list!) I know we'll still use the stroller for atleast the next year for trips to the mall and other things so the cost will definitely be worth it!

I have a Combi Flare and an older version of the Combi Flare (I think it was called Cosmo ST or something like that)! I love both of them and use them for my 2 year old and my 5 year old! Yes, I use a stroller for my 5 year old in WDW and no, he is not lazy, nor is he obese! My 5 year old cannot (repeat CANNOT) handle all the walking we do in WDW in the heat. The Flare does go up to 55lbs and can handle an older/bigger child. It folds up small and is easy to carry on and off the busses. I would recommend it in a heart beat. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Phonedave]

I'm in the minority, but I find that 4 year olds have no trouble walking around the parks. When they get tired, stop and rest, have a snack. We ditched the stroller at 3. Our DD did fine. We stopped for sit down meals and snacks, and planned to take in shows. We never walked around for hours at a time. A couple times I put her on my shoulders for a short time.

I would suggest that you don't waste any money on a NEW stroller that you won't really need much longer, and that you may have to pay a fee to take it on the plane.

I'd try it without the stroller, and if your child just can't take the walking, rent one. I think you'll be surprised. I find most kids WANT a stroller because they like being pushed and have a tendency to be lazy. We can't stand all the whining so we give in. Once I ditched the stroller, my DD did fine. She did WANT one, but as I gave here no option, she just made the best of it. If she was tired, we took a break. We found pretty quickly that she didn't even need as many breaks as we did.

One thing that I find is that parents like the stroller more than the kids because they can put stuff in it so they don't have to carry it, they like having a place for their kid to sit, and it's an easy way to keep track of them.


I find our trips everywhere are much easier without a stroller. But I am in the minority, here. Just a different idea to consider.

While I will say that it really depends on the child, and all kids are different, I am in the same group as you.

My kids were walking around on their own at 4 as well.

I am also a big believer of sending any and all packages to either the resort of front gate. I also ditched the backpack once there was no need to purchase diapers. However I may have done that a shade early, as I can tell you where to buy underwear in both Epcot and the MK


-dave

 

[Laura]

I don't really agree with much of the advice given in this thread. My kids are both around 40 pounds. Back in June (they were 4 and 6 years old) I took them to Disney for a week by myself (my husband is deployed). I knew I would have trouble keeping track of 2 young kids and all our stuff and souvenirs and what have you, so I knew I would need a stroller. I spent $10.00 (less than the cost of renting a stroller for 1 day) and bought an umbrella stroller. I hung a bag off the back of it and used it to carry all our stuff around and the kids took turns riding in it for short distances whenever their legs hurt. Though for the most part, it stayed parked and empty. It was definitely necessary though - especially when my 4 year old would fall asleep on the way out after fireworks. I could not carry a sleeping kid and all our stuff and direct my 6 year old if I didn't have a stroller. In fact, I cannot carry my 4 year old at all. :lol:

I think renting a stroller is a terrible idea and a really big waste of money. For the same price (actually way less) just purchase one...even purchase a nice one if you want, and if you'll never use it again then donate it to charity afterwards.

 

[fizz03]

Glad I've sparked a stroller debate!! All of this advice is fantastic. My reasoning for debating the stroller either way is that I KNOW we will need it. My son definitely isn't lazy and loves to walk most of the time, however, we only have 4 full days in the parks. And in past years, when we've taken him along with us, we don't do the usually break / nap time. My hubby and I are go-go-go for the entire 4 day trip and try our best to see everything. I KNOW this child will not be able to keep up!!! Like a previous poster has said, the last thing I want to do is have to not only try and keep track of my munchkin all day and end up carrying by the end of the afternoon, but the convenience of having one place to store the bag of "just in case stuff" is also a great thing to have. I guess I'm going to have to research the cost associated with renting v. purchasing and go from there at this point!!!

Man is this ever exhausting!

 

[daliseurat]

I don't really agree with much of the advice given in this thread. My kids are both around 40 pounds. Back in June (they were 4 and 6 years old) I took them to Disney for a week by myself (my husband is deployed). I knew I would have trouble keeping track of 2 young kids and all our stuff and souvenirs and what have you, so I knew I would need a stroller. I spent $10.00 (less than the cost of renting a stroller for 1 day) and bought an umbrella stroller. I hung a bag off the back of it and used it to carry all our stuff around and the kids took turns riding in it for short distances whenever their legs hurt. Though for the most part, it stayed parked and empty. It was definitely necessary though - especially when my 4 year old would fall asleep on the way out after fireworks. I could not carry a sleeping kid and all our stuff and direct my 6 year old if I didn't have a stroller. In fact, I cannot carry my 4 year old at all. :lol:

I think renting a stroller is a terrible idea and a really big waste of money. For the same price (actually way less) just purchase one...even purchase a nice one if you want, and if you'll never use it again then donate it to charity afterwards.

Let me applaud you for taking two children by yourself to WDW. Wow. That is tough, especially at their age. And yep--in your case I would have recommended a stroller. And frankly, I should not assume that there are two parents with children. Lot's of parents do a solo trip with the kids. We have ONE, so it's no problem for one of us to keep track of her. Two would be much more difficult.

You bring up an excellent solution. If you feel you MUST have a stroller, the cheap umbrella is the best option. $10. Who cares if you toss it. It's way cheaper than the rental, and small enough to carry easily.

 

[BRER DAD]

We left the double stroller home this year and the 4 year old and 6 year old both did fine. We usally do one sit down meal a day and that helps their tired legs im sure. It was great having no stroller to look after or carry on the bus.......I have waited for that for years!!

 

[PanfanAL]

My wife and I debated the same thing. Our son is rather large for his age. He is 3 y.o. but is 40" tall and 40 lbs. So we couldn't find a lightweight stroller that would carry him that wasn't extremely expensive. So we are going to just rent. If you do the week long rental it becomes less expensive.