Stroller vs. Carrier

[Princesss]

We will be taking my 20 month old daughter to Disneyland during spring break and then to the World the week between Christmas and New Year (she will be 2 1/2). Since the parks are going to be extremely busy, I am thinking about buying an ergo (back carrier) for her rather than doing a stroller. I really don't want to try and navigate a stroller through the crowds. She never uses her stroller now. My husband and I are both hikers so we wear her on our backs for all day hikes. She also won't be napping in the park. Any thoughts?

 

[dadr]

We have had an Ergo for years and absolutely love it. We didn't pack it on our recent trip as we brought our double jogger, a Mountain Buggy Plus One which by the way is a fantastic stroller. Anyway, I see some downsides of the Ergo with a toddler:
-Getting the kid in and out all the time, which can be awkward if they're 2 1/2 wrestling the legs out of the straps. It's better if they can hop out of a stroller and walk now and then.
-In addition, they don't sit up high like they do in a hiking pack, so they may be annoyed at not being able to see.
-Depending on weather you (and the kid) may get quite hot.
-Not easy for them to eat or drink anything while in transit.
-Unless you're planning on using it for another baby, I would question the value of buying one now for a 2 1/2 year old.

Bringing an umbrella stroller seems like a much easier solution.

 

[krohloff08]

We took ours along when our DD was 18 months. We also brought the stroller along. She spent some time in the carrier but my back can only take so much. If your backs can handle it I guess it would be worth a try. I still like having a stroller along better though!

 

[linzbear]

We did, and will do again (youngest will be 2) both a stroller and a carrier. With a kid that old you may want to research better options for toddlers (Oh Snap! and Boba are the first two that come to mind). We kept the carrier in the stroller and put him up when we were in line for more than 5 minutes, (or, when the littlest was 6mo, we'd put him in there to sleep because he still has never fallen asleep in the stroller).

 

[msmama]

I have a kid on the larger side (90-95%) and he outgrew the Ergo about that age.

Ideally, if she'll fit in a carrier I'd say both. I certainly wouldn't go without a stroller, though I'm a huge fan of babywearing, too.

My son doesn't use a stroller anywhere but Disney and he's almost 5. Still wouldn't even attempt to do it without, regardless of crowds.

 

[Tina1]

We always did both.

 

[brooke789]

Your daughter shouldn't outgrow the Ergo. The weight limit they put on the box is a recommendation based on your comfort. It is tested up to 90 lb kid weight!

We're making our first trip and have used Ergos with our 2.5 year old twins since about 6 months. I'm wondering if we want to have the Ergos in the park, but we will have a stroller, also.