which stroller?

[rustysgirl]

please help! my first visit to the parks since having a child and the stroller situation is stressing me out! i'm scared to bring mine from home as it was expensive and don't want it getting stolen. (i've heard of this happening too much. not just moved by a CM to a new spot but actually stolen) and i can't decide if its worth it to rent one from Disney or bring an umbrella stroller. worried about ease of use in high traffic areas and whatnot. thoughts?

 

[Weather_Lady]

If "ease of use" is the primary concern, and if your aim is to transport your child (and not a ton of "stuff" as some do) you can't beat an inexpensive, easy-fold umbrella stroller.

I confess that overall, I tend to be anti-stroller (our kids went without starting at age 4, with no problems), but it depends on the age, size and health needs of each individual child.

 

[correcaminos]

I don't know the age, but I would pick other for nearly everything. There are cheap lightweight strollers that fold up small but still have a nice sunshade and storage beneath - some even have trays and cup holders. I spent maybe $35 on ours on clearance, and I see them now for about $45-60. We fly so having a stroller in the airport was helpful.

 

[RememberWhen]

The trouble with the Disney stroller is that they are hard plastic and you can’t take them out of the park.
We have rented one occasionally for an older kid (4 at the time) mid-way through a trip on a long Animal Kingdom day when we knew he would need a break. We didn’t otherwise have a stroller that trip. We have also rented from one of the offsite stroller companies when DS was 2 and loved it. It was great to be able to have the stroller at the resort and Disney Springs and we didn’t find it difficult to deal with on the busses.
This year we are bringing our own City Mini for the 18 month old. We check it at the airport and pad it well (usually with extra clothes and diapers and whatnot) and haven’t had a damage problem. We don’t want a stroller at the airport.

Short answer: it depends on the age of your kid and what you’re going to want the stroller to be. Is it a napping place? Do you have a giant diaper bag? Do you want it outside of the parks?

 

[righttrack]

My history on this:

First visit - Brought our own full-size stroller - what a mess! Too big and unweildy to get on and off the transportation easily.

Second visit - Brought an umbrella stroller - easier. Wasn't as durable or steerable compared to others.

Third and subsequent visits - Rented one at the parks. Best solution! We had a solid stroller that worked well and even was large enough for our older (non stroller age) child to nap in. We managed easily out of the parks because there really wasn't that much need for one at the resort or getting to the bus. Occasionally we carried a sleeping child back on the bus to the resort, but I considered that a positive rather than a negative. You can't leave your sleeping child in your own stroller and get on the bus like that. You still have to take your child out and fold the stroller. Far easier and convenient to rent a WDW one. Was worth every penny.

 

[NormC]

We used an umbrella stroller for my then 6 year old and she walked a lot so it became a baggage cart.

 

[jimbopip]

Hi, we will be in WDW next June with my daughter and son in law; they will also have a six month old baby by that time. Any advice on strollers/buggies would be most welcome. Oh, we shall be flying from the UK. Thanks

 

[Chars0704]

We brought our city mini. It was great. Easy to fold and lightweight. I’ve seen them on BST Facebook pages around here for cheap. I’d see if you could get one.

 

[boilerpicc]

Hi, we will be in WDW next June with my daughter and son in law; they will also have a six month old baby by that time. Any advice on strollers/buggies would be most welcome. Oh, we shall be flying from the UK. Thanks

We took our daughter when she was 3-months old and used a Chicco Liteway stroller. It was the smallest one I could find that was OK to use with a baby that young. It's more sturdy than a standard umbrella stroller, but it is still easy to fold up and transport. Also, the seat back can recline to be almost flat, so it was very good for naps. In the US, it is kind of pricey, but it lasts. We are still using that stroller for our 2nd kid 6 years later.

 

[ElleJay1119]

We went in May with our 5 and 3 year olds and took our joovy double stroller. I hate dealing with strollers, but everyone said we needed one. I did not want to take it and stressed out about it. No issues whatsoever. We even checked it with our baggage so it was delivered to our room. Never had an issue finding it in the parks (tied a bright color handkerchief to the handle). Take what works best for you. I wouldn’t worry about thieves. We even left souvenirs in the bottom of our stroller (forgot about them!) and had no problems. It really wasn’t a big deal at all. It was a little unwieldy (as a double) getting on and off the busses/boats, but that’s only a few times per day. Don’t worry about it.

 

[oliviosis]

We rented a double city mini from Kingdom Strollers the last two times we went with our boys. My oldest is 6 but has special needs and we have a 3 year old too. Even with their combined weight, that stroller moves so easily and works so well. Its so convenient. We'll continue to reserve them until my oldest hits the weight limit.

 

[DRC68]

Been with kids 4 times now. Usually, we brought our Graco single seat stroller from home. Once time, the tandem stroller. Yeah big and bulky but we don't regret it.
For me personally, I don't like umbrella strollers at all. I'm no giant, I'm 5' 10" and I always have to slouch over to reach the handles and I either have to shorten my steps or keep kicking the wheels. Not to mention the steering is less than great.
If you don't want to bring your expensive one from home, could you borrow a stroller? By a second hand one maybe?

 

[Andrew M]

Unless it's one of those luxury strollers that cost thousands of dollars, I don't think you have to worry about it getting stolen, and even then I don't think the problem is all that widespread. I have 3 kids (4, 3, & 1 on our last trip) and we take our double stroller and a small umbrella stroller that fits underneath the double. Depending on the age of the kid, a full size single stroller might be ideal, besides having room to put all the 'stuff' you accumulate from the stores in the parks and a diaper bag, they're usually easier to push than the smaller umbrella type.

If you're flying I'd lean towards bringing one from home (or buying a cheap 2nd hand one), despite having to empty the stroller at security, it is useful for keeping you kid strapped down while walking through the airport/waiting at the gate.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

We recently went with a 1 year old and almost 3 year old. We brought our own double umbrella stroller to use at the airport, but also rented a double City Mini from Kingdom Strollers. They were amazing, and the stroller was very nice. It is a pain to have to bring on the bus, but so much better than renting the hard plastic ones from Disney. We are possibly going in June 2019, and I am still trying to figure out what to do about the stroller situation then. The kiddos will be 4 and 2 1/2 by then, and they would much rather walk than be in a stroller.

 

[Spash007]

I would recommend renting a stroller from a company that is not Disney. The Disney ones are hard plastic and I can't imagine being comfortable at all. We brought an umbrella stroller to use at the airport (we had a 3 year old so it made it a lot easier to not have to worry about her keeping up, plus it was 4 am), but left our nicer stroller at home. We rented I believe a city mini from Kingdom Strollers, and they delivered it to the hotel where we picked it up, and dropped it off at the end. It was pretty lightweight and folded very quickly to get on the bus. It was a little big, but honestly not as frustrating on the bus as I expected as I just put it folded between my legs. If the bus was crowded, I just went in the corner by the handicap boarding to be out of the way. I know there are horror stories of strollers in the parks, but I never felt like I was in the way. You do have to make sure you're considerate and don't bump into people, but I didn't find that a problem while we were there. The nice thing with Kingdom Strollers that they put insurance on the stroller, so even it were to get damaged or stolen, you don't have to worry as much.

 

[KCheatle]

We originally rented when we first brought my daughter. However, I did not like having to give the stroller up as we left the park because I ended up having to carry all the stuff while my DH had to hold her the entire bus ride home as she was passed out in his arms. After that first year, we brought our own stroller that we could collapse, but that had room underneath for the diaper bag, our purchases, snacks, etc. And the first day of each trip we bought a big balloon to tie to it so we could always find it.

We would still have to get her out when we got on the bus, but she (and the stuff) could stay in until the bus arrived at least (and sometimes we could just squish the stuff and it would fold up with it). And, when we got off the bus we could put her right back in. On the monorail, we just kept her in the stroller the whole time. And, there are certain boats, like the one we would take a lot to and from Wilderness Lodge, that allow you to keep the stroller as is and let the child sleep and the stuff stay. We didn't bring a super fancy one, but I think by the time I calculated how much it was to rent (I think it was $15/day) for 7 days, I just ended up buying like a $60 one at Target and bringing it. I gate checked it for the plane too so that she could ride in the stroller up to the gate and then immediately when we got off the plane, and then we didn't have to carry her through the airport.

 

[danheaton]

We've just brought our umbrella stroller on a bunch of trips. Southwest doesn't treat it like checked luggage or charge a fee. The major benefit is that it's not so bulky in the parks. It's tricky to navigate with a stroller, so it's a relief to be able to move around easier.

 

[SAV]

It's been years now, but we learned our lesson after the first time bringing an umbrella stroller and bought one that is between the big travel system and above the umbrella stroller. I made sure it had the sun shade, reclined, a basket underneath, foot rest for them and cup holder/tray for me. And actually that smaller one became our go to stroller after the trip. It had everything we could want, but easier to handle than the big one. It was about $40.

Also many of the umbrella strollers only have a strap to rest their feet on and my kids feet constantly fell off of that thing and made pushing it a b...bear. Also, it was so hot on that trip, the rubber wheels on the umbrella stroller actually fell off of the rim and we had to dump the thing on the last day.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

please help! my first visit to the parks since having a child and the stroller situation is stressing me out! i'm scared to bring mine from home as it was expensive and don't want it getting stolen. (i've heard of this happening too much. not just moved by a CM to a new spot but actually stolen) and i can't decide if its worth it to rent one from Disney or bring an umbrella stroller. worried about ease of use in high traffic areas and whatnot. thoughts?

We rented a double from apple and loved it so much we bought one when we got home, and we bring it every time. If it folds up easy and can fit through a doorway bring it. I have not heard of strollers being stolen too often, in fact I never heard it but I am sure it can happen

 

[winstongator]

We used an umbrella stroller for my then 6 year old and she walked a lot so it became a baggage cart.

We rented a double stroller from Disney our first trip. Older daughter was 5, younger 2. Younger would NOT ride in it. Older one rode more than I expected. Younger rode on my shoulders.

If you've got an inexpensive umbrella stroller of your own to bring, I'd do that.