2 Adults traveling with 3 kids, stroller advise?

[WendyWorld]

I'm getting a bit nerveous approaching the 20 day mark. Me and my hubby are travelling with our 8 1/2 year old DD, our son who will be 4 next month and our 9 month old bouncing baby boy.

I am taking one stroller that isn't a BIG stroller, but it's not an umbrella either, it's like a travel lite, that reclines so the baby can nap. Any advise in the stroller dept.

Also, any advise other than taking it slow and rest during the day and keep them hydrated? I think I am more worried that my 4 YO will be dragging hubby around and me and my dd and baby will be left in their dust! I was thinking of taking walkie talkies, are they worth it? Hubby has a cell phone, but I don't so that's not an option.

Any advise is much appreciated. I have read lots of tips on here and allears and am trying to get my hands on the Bralmers (sp?) GUide 2004 & Guide for kids by kids 2004.

Thanks in Advance






Wen

 

[crazywig]

i'd probably rent a stroller for your 4yr old son, he's still small and will tire easily by afternoon having a place for him to ride will hopefully keep him from wearing out and being cranky!

if you're going to split up i'd get the 2 way radios. we have a set and used them last year. i liked them.

have a great time!

 

[kctinkerbell]

We just took our first trip to WDW last month and we have 2 DD's ages 6 and almost 4 ( She turned 4 a month after we got home). We did not have a stroller for either one. Now a few weeks before we left we started going for walks around our neighborhood to get in shape and it really helped. Now, I have to say that my kids are very tall, so they have long legs. I, personally, was so glad not to have to worry about a stroller. My almost 4 year old never complained at all. We always got to the park before opening, stayed until 3ish, and then came back and napped, and then went out again. This strategy really worked for us. Obviously, you will have a stroller for your little one, if you could swing it, I would only want one


kctinkerbell

 

[NotUrsula]

A buggy board would probably be a good option for you; it would allow the 4 yo to ride a bit when he gets tired. Do expect to have to carry him back to your resort; that always happens.

Also, regarding the cell phone; have you considered getting a prepaid? You can maintain one of those for only about $80/yr. Just be careful to get one that doesn't charge roaming (I can recommend VirginMobile.)

 

[ruttie]

is your little one sitting up and crawling?? If he is I would recommend renting a double stroller at the park that way you have a place to put your stuff and if your 4 yr old wants to rest he can and thheir is a little overhang for shade when in them plus your little one wouyld have plenty of room to lay down if tired.

 

[all4fun]

Do you have a carrier or sling? I don't know how big your nine-month old is, but you could put him in a carrier and let the 4-year old ride in the stroller when he gets tired. We are taking our soon-to-be 12 month old in the beginning of May. He tends to get tired of the stroller after a while and wants to be carried so I plan on bringing a pouch-type sling so he can rest on my hip and my arms won't get so tired from holding him.

HTH and have a magical trip!

 

[disdreams]

I would get a stroller for your other child, also. That's what we ended up doing, even though we brought one for our toddler. 4 year olds get really tired, too, and I'm sure you don't want to have to carry him. It's worth it. If your going to be there for a while, why don't you see what happens the first day, then make a decision.

 

[WendyWorld]

My 9 month old is almost 25 pounds, he's huge. He has been sitting up since 5 months and is just starting to crawl around and pull up on things. I do have a carrier thing that I can stap him on me or DH's chest, but I know that's going to be a back breaker. I think I am more worried about my 8 year old daughter than my 4 yo son. We went to an amusment park near by over the summer and it was her that wanted to crawl into the stroller and not him. 4 YO is FULL of energy and loves to run around and play at these places, my 8 YO is a bit more lazy!

How muh is it to rent the double stroller? Plus if I leave my little stroller at the resort and get to the park and there are NO strollers available then what???

 

[ruttie]

I think you can reserve one they always have plent.. And if you go to another park you kjust take your sign with you to the other park and get one there. The double strollers are great I cannot rememebr how much I think it was 15.oo but it was very reasonable and well worth it . If your older one is not huge she actually could fit in the stroller also to take a break. My 13 yr old niece sat in it for a few minutes to rest with no problems. Here is alink to some useful info hope it helps there are pic and everything if youscroll down
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

 

[sif]

We have boys 5 and 3 and a 5 month old baby. When we go to WDW next week, our plan is to bring our fullsize single stroller for the baby (it reclines so she can lay down for naps) and to rent a double stroller for the boys. The 5 yo may not always need to be in the stroller, but at times I'm sure he'll want/need a rest.

We also have a sit & stand double stroller which we use a lot at home, but we have decided not to bring that. Even though it works great for the baby and the 3yo, it is bigger, bulkier and more cumbersome to fold, unfold and carry than our single stroller. We figured that since we would have to rent a stroller anyway, why not make it a double and just bring the smaller stroller for the baby.

I'm not sure how all this will work out or if we have the right idea. I'll let you know when we return on 4/29.

 

[my3princes]

If your stroller fully reclines like ours does you may be able to put a second child behind the baby for rests. It is not something that I would want to do for any great length of time, but it works for getting from one attraction to another. You could also consider bringing a cheap umbrella stroller that you could hang off the handle of your other stroller when you are not using it. (I find however that the cheap umbrella strollers don't push that easily)

 

[dijid]

I would kighly recommend a buggy or kiddy board (whichever type works with your stroller) or purchasing a Peg Perego Pliko. That will give you an option to allow a chlid to stand on the back and "hitch a ride". If your carrier is a back breaker, you need to try a different one. Try a sling, or a hip carrier (hip hammock for example). This will allow you to put some of the weight on your hip. If you sew, you can make your own for cheap. (lots of great instructions on http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/index.html?Baby/crafts.html) I don't know what your kids weigh, but the Pliko stroller can carry 100lbs total between seat and steps. So, worse case scenario - you've got 8yo in stroller, 4yo on steps and baby in carrier. Hope this helps!

 

[missyc]

my 2 dds (just turned 4 & 8) used a double stroller. The 8 year old actually needed it more! Guess she's not the only lazy one out there! Glad to hear it! LOL
It is an awful lot of walking, and it was SOOOOO much easier to keep track of everyone without always looking to make sure we were together. I even made them ride sometimes when they wanted to get out and walk 'cause it was a really crowded area! Single stroller was $7 Double was $15 Except at MGM...I think they were $1 more (?)