Stroller help please...

[MartDM]

I need an assist from all you experienced parents/park tourers please! We'll be visiting WDW with our 6 month old next month and I'm in the market for a new stroller (we currently use a Graco carseat with a basic stroller frame).

I'm considering a MacLaren Techno XLR based on all the rave reviews I've heard. I like that it can accomodate our infant car seat until we're done with it & that the stroller will go on to serve us until our son is 65#. The one drawback I see is that it has no tray.

How important is that (not necessarily for WDW touring but for future use). Seems to me you'd want that feature to set a toy on or use for on the go feeding in the future but, being a new Mom, perhaps I'm overrating the usefulness. Can any of you weigh in on this?

I looked at the Peg Perego strollers as well; they seem comparable but have a tray as well.

Any opinions? I'd really appreciate hearing from the voices of experience!

 

[Wannabe Belle]

I'm not a mom but I've had experience with my little brother.
It would probably be best to get a stroller that you can take the tray on and off that way you can decide if you want it or not. But if you really like the one without the tray you can definatly survive with out it. We ended up losing ours so we had to use the stroller without one. So it really just depends on what you want and feel comfortable in!!! Good luck finding one!

 

[blessedby3]

In my past experience (kids are 17, 12 8 and expecting #4) nothing ever stayed on the tray anyway. I spent most of my time picking up toys, bottles, and cups because the kids didnt keep them on the tray, but threw them. I ended up putting toys on links attached to the stroller and got a bottle strap that also connected to the stroller. I just ordered a Maclaren Quest for our newest DD. I love the Macs so much, that the lack of a tray doesnt bother me at all. I would MUCH rather have a well built stroller that pushes like a dream than a snack tray. I would have loved to have the Techno, but couldnt justify paying that when this is our last baby. We do have the Volo and now the Quest and I love them.

 

[QueenGoblin]

I have to 2nd the opinion that the tray is an idea that looks better than it really is. They just get dirty. You are better off getting links and hooking the cup or toy to the stroller.

I have to admit that I was a mac skeptic...I mean, how great can a stroller really be, right? I picked up last year's Quest model on clearance and it is the single best baby purchase I ever made and I wish I had one when my older DD was a baby. We have our Bumbleride stroller for walking around the neighborhood or for all day walking events, but the Mac lives in my car and I won't leave home without it. It has gone to the little neighborhood zoo, the mall, for walks at friends houses, etc. The recline feature is really nice because DD is a little more comfortable when she naps that way. It is very easy and comfortable to push and steer, but still lightweight enough that I can fold it up and put it in my car while holding my DD! In fact, if I could go back in time I might not have even purchased the Bumbleride (even though it is a very nice and comfy stroller) b/c the Mac is almost as comfortable while having the convenience of an umbrella stroller.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I have a Peg Pliko, and love it! I like the tray, but my son is only 4 months old, so things aren't flying yet Honestly, the only reason I bought it was that I found it fairly cheap on Ebay. I think if I had to pay full price, I probably would not have bought it. But I really like it!

Jen

 

[Colinsmom]

I have Macs and I'm just not a huge fan of them until the kiddos are around 2yo (at least that's how old my first son was when he started to tolerate the Mac - my second at 18mo still doesn't like it). Before that age, they are so slumpy in the Macs. It just isn't a great seating position IMO. On the other hand, I love my P3. It has a bigger basket and hood than a Mac, has a true full recline, and doesn't tip when I take kiddo out without removing anything hanging on the handles like the Macs do.

Weight-wise, the P3 is comparable to the Techno, and the fold is pretty comparable too.

If you do go with the Techno, you'll definitely need an add-on sunshade for such a tiny one - one more thing to add and remove every time you fold the stroller.

Now, all that said, Macs are great for bigger kids since they push so well regardless of the weight of the child. The slumping thing isn't an issue when they are bigger either. And the smaller Macs (Quest, Volo) fold up so small and easy - they are great older toddler/preschooler strollers (if you can get past the tippiness, lol).

 

[jessica52877]

We have a mac quest and i wish someone would have told me right away to buy one. i wasted so much on other strollers. taht being said though I am not sure at what age I would have liked it. My son was 3 1/2 when we got it.

 

[abirdd]

We started out with a Peg P3 and Quinny 3XL, and quickly dumped the Peg after our son moved out of his infant seat around 4 months. Moved up to a Mac Techno XT (the XLR was not available in 2006) - and absolutely no regrets.
I think the trays on the Pegs and other strollers are useless (but best to ask Mom's with more than one kiddo!), so that was not an important feature. In our case, we cared about being able to travel with the stroller, and it had to have superb handling.

 

[MartDM]

Thanks so much for all the great advice! I really appreciate the voices of experience!

 

[thistle922]

Our current stroller doesn't have a tray, and it has never been an issue.

Even when we were using a stroller that did have one, we hardly used it. Our particular model (not a Mac) had a cutout for a bottle or cup, but it never seemed to fit the types of bottles and sippy cups we used to nothing ever went in to it anyways...the only thing the tray was ever used for was a spot for DS to stick the stickers they gave out at the Carters store...lol

As for the toys, they probably won't stay on the tray anyhow, I found that getting those interlocking clips for hanging toys worked best with the stroller. That way, he wasn't chucking them on the ground, and they stayed nice and clean.