one or two strollers??

[momandkidslovedisney]

I have a (small) 6 year old and a 3 year old. I know both of them will want to ride in a stroller. I do not want to push a double stroller. I am considering the option of bringing two umbrella strollers. What do you think? Or maybe I should make the 6 year old walk...

 

[holly7347]

I'm trying to decide that myself. My DD's will be 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 when we make the trip in October. We have 2 cheapo umbrella strollers already but I don't think I could tolerate them for 7 days. DH always looks hunched over when he has to push one (he is 6ft 4 in) and I seem to always kick the back wheels when walking. I'm trying to decide between 1 Volo and letting them take turns since at home the 5 year old doesn't use a stroller at all. Maybe just stopping for a snack or a longer sit down ride when she says she is tired. I'm also considering a sit-n-stand stroller. But I know my DD's and they would fight over who got to sit where and once we got home it might never get used again. I'm really leaning towards one

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I'm going for two strollers in case you want to split up. But if the umbrella strollers are not comfortable perhaps you should take the comfy double and pack an umbrella underneath in case you want to split up.

 

[2poohbears]

We have 4 year old twins and we always bring 2 umbrella strollers. It's so much easier than dealing with a double, IMO.

If you know the 6 year old will want to ride in a stroller, I would bring one just to help the vacation stay pleasant. If the 6 y/o decides he/she doesn't want to ride, you could just leave it in the hotel room.

 

[momandkidslovedisney]

I'm trying to decide that myself. My DD's will be 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 when we make the trip in October. We have 2 cheapo umbrella strollers already but I don't think I could tolerate them for 7 days. DH always looks hunched over when he has to push one (he is 6ft 4 in) and I seem to always kick the back wheels when walking. I'm trying to decide between 1 Volo and letting them take turns since at home the 5 year old doesn't use a stroller at all. Maybe just stopping for a snack or a longer sit down ride when she says she is tired. I'm also considering a sit-n-stand stroller. But I know my DD's and they would fight over who got to sit where and once we got home it might never get used again. I'm really leaning towards one

Thanks! I have the sit-n-stand. I bring it to my State Fair every year. It is a nice stroller for the kids, but it can get hard to push and it is often hard to turn. That is why I was leaning towards the umbrella stroller. We have a Chicco umbrella stroller and the handles are a little higher than the cheap umbrella strollers.

Thanks for your input!

 

[momandkidslovedisney]

We have 4 year old twins and we always bring 2 umbrella strollers. It's so much easier than dealing with a double, IMO.

If you know the 6 year old will want to ride in a stroller, I would bring one just to help the vacation stay pleasant. If the 6 y/o decides he/she doesn't want to ride, you could just leave it in the hotel room.

This might be a good option. Thanks!

 

[tjlovespooh]

We have 4 year old twins and we always bring 2 umbrella strollers. It's so much easier than dealing with a double, IMO.

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Really? I was considering two umbrellas for a future trip (way in the future ) but then thought that two seperate strollers would be difficult to manage with two little ones (figuring one parent is responsible for managing the little ones and the other parent juggles the strollers - folding them, etc). Is folding two separate strollers easier than one double umbrella?

 

[sahm1000]

Last year we brought our Maclaren Twin Triumph double stroller and were very happy we did. Our girls were 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 at the time. It is an umbrella stroller but a good one so no one was hunched over when pushing it (DH is 6'3"). This year I'm not sure what we are going to do. Our girls will be 5, 3 and we will have a newborn (see the ticker at the bottom of my post!). I have to imagine that both of my girls will still want to ride in a stroller so I am questioning do we bring a double and a single or should we rent a double and bring just the single? I know the stroller prices just went up so I don't know what to do!

 

[2poohbears]

Really? I was considering two umbrellas for a future trip (way in the future ) but then thought that two seperate strollers would be difficult to manage with two little ones (figuring one parent is responsible for managing the little ones and the other parent juggles the strollers - folding them, etc). Is folding two separate strollers easier than one double umbrella?

We've done the single umbrella strollers at WDW since the boys were 2 1/2 y/o (we've brought them 4 times now). We each are responsible for one stroller and one boy. The umbrella strollers fold up really quickly, so we haven't had any problems doing this. Also, they are very compact for sticking under the seats on the buses or in between the seats to get them out of the way when it's crowded. The singles are easier to get through crowds, too. I have a Combi Twin Savvy and I used to own a double umbrella stroller as well - I think it was a Kidco. Although I loved my Combi Twin for at home when my hubby wasn't with me, it would have been cumbersome on bus rides, IMO. Also - it's kind of nice to have them in separate strollers when they get cranky---this way they can't annoy each other/hit/fight, etc... Another advantage - there were times when one child wanted to go into an attraction that the other was afraid of (3D movies on our first trip), so my hubby would take one boy and I would take the other on another attraction & we would meet up later.

(FYI-we have the same Kolcraft red and black umbrella strollers that are sold around WDW. DH is 6' and I am 5'4" - we both find the stroller handles are a good height/no stooping required. If you decide to buy those, make sure you bring something to make your stroller easily identifiable. I bought mine for $30 each online before our 1st trip and they've been worth every penny).

 

[shoppgirl]

I found 2 reasonably priced Mac Triumphs for my 6 and 4 year olds. I KNOW the 6 year old will be totally jealous that the 4 year old gets a stroller, so she will want to sit in one just as much, thus ruling out any possible sharing! I plan to use them for this summer and then will sell one of them after the summer. I think these strollers hold their value well, so it will still be cheaper and more convenient for me to bring my own than to rent. The fold so easily and compactly with a handy carrying strap!

 

[2poohbears]

Last year we brought our Maclaren Twin Triumph double stroller and were very happy we did. Our girls were 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 at the time. It is an umbrella stroller but a good one so no one was hunched over when pushing it (DH is 6'3"). This year I'm not sure what we are going to do. Our girls will be 5, 3 and we will have a newborn (see the ticker at the bottom of my post!). I have to imagine that both of my girls will still want to ride in a stroller so I am questioning do we bring a double and a single or should we rent a double and bring just the single? I know the stroller prices just went up so I don't know what to do!

I would definitely want the newborn to be comfortable, so if the double is not one that is suitable for a newborn, then I would bring the single for the baby. Will you be using the bus transportation to get into parks from the resorts? If so, it might be difficult for you to deal with 2 strollers when getting on and off buses since you have a newborn to carry as well. In that case, I think I would bring the baby's single stroller and rent the double in the parks.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Or maybe I should make the 6 year old walk...

I vote for this. Six is a "big kid".

 

[moxiecola]

Our last trip DS #2 was 6 and DS #3 was 16 months. We used a Mac Triumph for the baby and had the 6 year old walk. He was fine. This trip (in 11 days-woo hoo) we'll be taking the Mac and I picked up a Combi Helio for DS #4 who is 10 months old. The Mac doesn't recline very well so we wanted something for the baby so he could sleep. We have a sit & stand that we use at home but we think it's just too big to deal with in the parks & on the buses.

 

[tjlovespooh]

We've done the single umbrella strollers at WDW since the boys were 2 1/2 y/o (we've brought them 4 times now). We each are responsible for one stroller and one boy. The umbrella strollers fold up really quickly, so we haven't had any problems doing this. Also, they are very compact for sticking under the seats on the buses or in between the seats to get them out of the way when it's crowded. The singles are easier to get through crowds, too.

Thanks so much for the info - this is really something I'll consider when we go next time.

 

[bear74]

I have a baby trend sit and stand. DD #1 will be 5 DD #2 will be 11 months. Trying to decide if I should take this one or get 2 umbrella ones. Only problem is SW counts your gate checked stroller as 1 of your luggage pieces. Has anyone tried to put 2 umbrella strollers in a gate check bag?

 

[staci]

I have a baby trend sit and stand. DD #1 will be 5 DD #2 will be 11 months. Trying to decide if I should take this one or get 2 umbrella ones. Only problem is SW counts your gate checked stroller as 1 of your luggage pieces. Has anyone tried to put 2 umbrella strollers in a gate check bag?

I dont know if we are doing it yet or not, but since we dont have a stroller gate check bag, I tried to put our two mac volo's in my dad's softsided golf travel bag and they fit (like a zippered cover for a golf bag). We might do this or we just might send them under with nothing.... Our airline (allegiant) says strollers do NOT count towards luggage?

We are taking two volos instead of a double, I did buy the stroller connectors, they seem to do the job, dont know yet whether I will find them helpful or just another thing to carry around, but I am glad we are going with the two strollers. Our double just doesnt push very easily, so I would rather bring the singles. That, and the volos seats are wider than our double, so the kids have a little more wiggle room.

 

[momma of 2]

I have this stroller and toke it on our trip last year. We have a dd4 and a ds2 and they like to take turns riding in the front or back. Airtran did not count it as a carry on or luggage. As far as the park we did not have any problems with it. It was much easier that one of us dealt with the stroller while the other one dealt with the kids

 

[bear74]

I dont know if we are doing it yet or not, but since we dont have a stroller gate check bag, I tried to put our two mac volo's in my dad's softsided golf travel bag and they fit (like a zippered cover for a golf bag). We might do this or we just might send them under with nothing.... Our airline (allegiant) says strollers do NOT count towards luggage?

We are taking two volos instead of a double, I did buy the stroller connectors, they seem to do the job, dont know yet whether I will find them helpful or just another thing to carry around, but I am glad we are going with the two strollers. Our double just doesnt push very easily, so I would rather bring the singles. That, and the volos seats are wider than our double, so the kids have a little more wiggle room.

I have not bought a bag yet. I looked on southwests site but did not see anything about this but a friend who flew them in January said this.

 

[NBFUN]

I was going to rent a double stroller, but with the increase in price I went ahead and bought a Joovy Caboose. I have a 5 yr old DS and a 1 yr old DD. We are so glad we did. We have used it at the mall and walking around the neighborhood and my 5 yr old LOVES it. It will be perfect for Disney. That way my 5 yr old can just jump on and off. My DH is 6 ft. and the handle is perfect for him to push. We have had no problems with pushing it or turning it and it lays flatter than my other Chicco stroller.

I would recommend to anyone!

 

[ZeroMyHero]

I have a gate-check stroller bag, and I think you could get two umbrella strollers in one bag. It's pretty roomy. The way the airlines toss them around, though, they would probably bash into each other and maybe cause more damage than if each had its own bag. They're cheap, so it may be worth it to buy two.

From Southwest's site: Does an infant stroller or infant or child safety seat count as baggage?
One (1) infant stroller and one (1) infant or child safety seat may be checked in substitution of a free piece of checked baggage for each fare-paying passenger at no charge on a one-for-one basis. If the stroller or infant carrier exceeds the size limitations for carryon items, the Customer Service Agent will “gate-check” the item (at no additional charge) to your final destination, and the item will be placed in the cargo hold for transportation. When you reach your destination the item will be returned to you at the arrival gate.

I've only got one kidlet so far, but if I had two I'd bring two umbrella strollers instead of one double or one sit & stand. Like other PPs have said, the umbrellas are easy to fold up and much easier to stow on the buses, and have one parent responsible for one kid and one stroller.