Stroller Questions

[wdisneyaholic]

I have a few stroller questions.....

We are a family of 5, at the time we go to Disney they will be 3, and twins that will be 21 months old. We are planning on taking our side by side double stroller because it is much lighter and easier to push than our double front back stroller. I am not sure what kind of stroller that I should take for the 3 year old. Should I just take a fold up umbrella stroller or take his regular big stroller. My concern is that he will want to walk most of the time and then we will be stuck pushing 2 strollers and holding one kids hand. Does anyone have experience with taking 3 small children to Disney with no extra help?

My next question is does anyone worry about somone taking their stroller? Does anyone tie ribbon on it or tag it with their name to try and prevent anyone from stealing it?

Any suggestions would be great and any advice. This will be our first trip taking all 3 kids and I am a little nervous. I am not looking to do any die hard touring of the park, just being there with the kids will be great!!

Thanks in advance...

 

[tjmw2727]

of fun....

My girls needed a stroller at 3 when we did WDW so I would plan to bring one for your oldest. An umbrella with a sunshade would be my choice since mine could jump in & out pretty easily for a quick ride from here to there. You may also be able to fold it and hang it from your double when oldest isn't riding. If he is like mine he will want to ride from place to place and then walk say around fantasyland, adventureland and then ride to the next land. My 5yo still asks for a stroller at Epcot since there is so much walking and we are often there at night.

I have also seen some buggy board attachments that you can hook onto the back of your stroller for the oldest to stand on. Try the rightstart web page and look for accessories and see if something like that could work.

Have a great trip.
TJ

 

[dcedwards]

We were there in Nov. with our 3.5 year old. Sure glad we had a stroller. While he was in and out of it, he spent an awful lot of time in it. It kept him from getting tired as quickly. He also took short naps in it from time to time. We even got to have a quiet dinner one night ... with him in the stroller beside us. I was in heaven for a hour. Anyways, what we did is buy a smaller stroller that laid down. It was a little bigger than the umbrella stroller and not as big as a regular stroller. Worked great.

 

[Claudine]

I wouldn't worry about your stroller getting stolen but there are so many defiinitly put your name and address on it as well as try to mark with a balloon or ribbon like you said. in the sea of strollers when you get off a ride it is often hard to find. Especially if the CM's move them around to make space which they did several times for us on our last trip.

 

[cgajdzisz]

I'm glad that we brought our own stroller when we were on vacation last Feb. My DD's 5 and I wasn't sure if it was necessay but it came in handy at the airport. I strapped her in and knew where she was at all times. It also helped when she got tired at the parks she would just drop off to sleep and take a nap. Also getting back to the hotel at night she was tired and by then so were we. She would fall asleep on the bus and we didn't have to wake her or carry her to our room. We'd just open the stroller up when we got off the bus and we were good to go!

 

[Dreaming of Disney]

Bring a stroller for your 3 yr. old. We took our 4 yr. old last year and she hardly walked at all. Especially after the first day or two. They get very tired. We just took an umbrella stroller with a canopy. It worked great because it was so light. That will come in handy when you're trying to manage that big double stroller. I know how you feel. We are going in May and my oldest will be five and my twins just turned 3. We are still taking a double stroller and an umbrella stroller.

Have a great trip!

 

[wdisneyaholic]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. i think we will take the double stroller and the fold up umbrella stroller. I am sure that my oldest will want to try and walk most of the time. He is in his independant stage. I am sure the umbrells stroller will come in handy for walking long distances.

 

[spudster]

What kind of stroller do you use for a 3.5 yr old. He seems to tall to recline in his big one and the umbrella stroller isn't very comfortable to nap in either. Does anyone know of a brand that is made for older/taller kids?

 

[dcedwards]

We have a Kolcraft. I went to look for a model but couldn't find one. Our son is 40 inches tall but only 31 pounds, so it worked. But, what we did was look for a stroller than had velcro on the back part, by the head when you lay it down. Then we took some clear plastic material, cut holes in it where we could connect a couple straps, cut it to fit the width of the stroller, covered it with some material and it slips right down between the cushion and the back material for the seat. The straps go from the "thing we made" up to the handle to give it support. And it alls fits back down when we aren't using it. Hope that makes sense. Then when we lay it down, we pull that out, do up the straps and it gves us a lot more room for length.

That being said, as wonderful and ingenius as we thought we were, he typically ended up just curling up in the stroller with his legs pulled up to his chest and we could have done without it. Our son has always slept kinda in a ball, when in the stroller, so it worked well. I hope that makes sense. If not, let me know and I will try to explain it better. Somehow I just need my hands moving in order for it all to make sense.

 

[luvdsny]

Our DD rode in a stroller at DISney 'til she was 5+ y/o. Their little legs just get tired so quickly. While an umbrella stroller will definitely do the trick, another stroller that reclines and provides shade---as well as 'storage' ---is probably the better choice. You won't regret your decision to have a stroller for ALL of your children. Have a nice time.

 

[wdisneyaholic]

Thanks for all the advice.

I was debating on weather to take the "big" stroller, but I just feel that he won't want to use it. He would have to run a marathon for him to sleep in the stroller(you know, the I am a big boy now thing). I am just going to take the umbrella stoller and the double stoller, if my older son decides to nap he can nap in the double stroller.

PS. I am a little nervous about going to Disney with 3 kids under 3. I hope the adults will survive!!!!