Advice needed for stroller!?!?!

[3boysluvndisney]

We are heading to WDW in June and our boys will be 8, 5 and 14 months. We have decided to just rent for the 5 year old when needed but am taking a stroller from home for the 14 month old. We have a graco stroller but is kinda bulky when folded up. We are going to be traveling with my mom, dad, sister and her husband and their 2 kids. Eleven of us all together. I want a stroller that is easy to fold and folds compact but yet is comfortable for our 14 month old and it also needs to recline for naps. We are not staying at the WDW resorts so we will be using the trams and monarail and with 11 of us (5 of which are kids) we want something that is easy, fast and compact but yet comfortable too. Any suggestions???? One more thing.....it also needs to have a sunshade. Don't want the little one getting too hot.

Thanks!!
Chanda

 

[NotUrsula]

What's your price range? You could spend a little more if your youngest is 14 months, b/c you'll still get a lot of use out of it.

 

[3boysluvndisney]

I would like to stay below $100. I would really like to keep it around $50 if possible.

Thanks!
Chanda

 

[liznboys]

I just bought this stroller this week:
http://www.babyage.com/product_details.asp?productId=4010

I'm not sure if it fits everything you're looking for, but thought I'd share it with ya! It doesn't recline completely flat (it has 2 positions), but my kids can sleep semi-sitting up so that didn't matter to me. We plan on using it on our next WDW trip when our youngest will be 11 or 12 months old.

What I really love about it is that it folds up like an umbrella stroller, but it is bigger/stronger than your cheapy $20 umbrella strollers. The handles are also higher which is nice for me since I'm taller than average (5'8"). The seat is very padded too.

 

[NotUrsula]

My 1st recommendation in that price range would be the Inglesina Swift, which is a completely full-featured aluminum stroller w/ a dome hood, basket, padded, washable removable upholstery, a legrest, straps to hold an infant carseat, etc. It weighs only 11 lbs, and is available for $99 w/ free shipping from several online sources. This one is really an excellent deal, and worth every penny. (Inglesina has introduced it in the US at such a low price in order to try to raid some of the Maclaren market. It's working. While the suspension isn't quite what you would get in a Mac, it's comes pretty close for half the price.)

For a lower-priced option, I would recommend a Chicco umbrella stroller, either the London, which is nicer and costs about $70 (the Fly3 is the older model that preceded the London) or the Chicco Caddy, which is a basic single-reclining model and is about $50. I found a source which has a wide variety of Chicco's available at very nice pricing: http://www.babyride.com/brand-chicco.html

Chicco is an Italian brand, as is Inglesina, and those folks know from lightweight strollers. All of these strollers have double wheels on the back axle, which makes a huge difference in their ability to carry a heavy load and still roll freely. (You will note that that Jeep stroller mentioned in another post does not have double rear wheels. Personally, I wouldn't buy ANY stroller that didn't have them unless it was an air-tire model.)

 

[4greatboys]

We have a stroller similar to this one http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...g=UTF8&alt_view=images&asin=B0000U7J7C#images

It reclines--I really wanted one that did, it has a basket to hold some of your stuff, its light weight, folds easily and has cup holders for you and your child. Ours is a Graco.

 

[riggins]

Hi Chanda-
I second NotUrsula's choices and have a couple more to add. My DD's seem to do better in a stroller with a napper bar, preferably with cupholders. So, I bought a Combi Savvy DX. Here's the place where I bought mine. http://www.store.yahoo.com/albee-baby/co20sadx25in.html They are $69.99.

It doesn't recline completely flat, but does have a semi-recline. It also has a really nice size sunshade. It also folds in thirds, so its pretty compact and it has a shoulder carry strap (which is a lifesaver when traveling). We used ours for our 2 year old on our WDW trip last month and it worked great.

Babies 'R Us also sells a Baby Trend EuroTrend for $59 that people seem to like. Its a Maclaren knock-off. I test drove one in the store and liked it. It might be a bit heavy (I couldn't find the weight listed anywhere, but when I tested it, it seemed heavier than the others I looked at). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t.../103-1936704-1606244?v=glance&s=baby&n=542444

HTH . . . good luck with your choice.
-Leslie

 

[stacy6552]

If your graco is like my century, then I say its perfect and dont worry about how compact it is. You want one that reclines, has a basket, visor, and cup holders. If your's has all that then dont sweat how compact it is.

 

[NotUrsula]

The Baby Trend EuroTrend is constructed of steel, not aluminum. It weighs 19.4 lbs., as opposed to 11 lbs. for the Swift or the Mac Quest. That's still a couple of lbs. less than a Peg Pliko, though. (Pliko's are built like tanks; they will take a combined load of up to 90 lbs. They *do* fold very compactly, and I've used one at WDW, but no one who had ever used a Mac or a Combi would ever call it light!)

Combis do have the most compact fold on the market. However, if your child is very tall you might get limited use out of it; I considered buying one when DS was 16 mos. old, and at that age the hood was already touching his head; he was about 30 inches tall at the time, but he's very long-waisted. The handles on Combis also tend to run short, so they are rough to push for long periods if you're taller than about 5'8". (All of the other strollers I've mentioned have 42" handles.) The tallest hoods on the market are the domed Chicco models; DS is now 49 inches tall, and the hood on my Fly3 still clears his head. The hood on my Mac Vogue just barely grazes him, and the one on the Pliko is about an inch too low. (Yes, I collect strollers; I have 8 of them. We don't actually use them anymore, but DS likes to goof around and play w/ them once in a while.)

 

[r3ngels]

What great stroller advice... I am constantly looking for the "perfect" stroller. You guys have found them... great shipping prices too! You guys are amazing!

 

[moinab]

If your graco is like my century, then I say its perfect and dont worry about how compact it is. You want one that reclines, has a basket, visor, and cup holders. If your's has all that then dont sweat how compact it is.

ITA. We go to WDW every couple of weeks, staying off-site. We always bring our Kolcraft Ranger stroller, which is essentially the same as a standard Graco stroller. Sure, it's a little bulky folded up, but it's not a big deal at all. You can still get it on the tram, and we just wheel it right onto the monorail.

There really is no need at all to buy a new stroller.

 

[3boysluvndisney]

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful advice. I have been checking on all the strollers you recommended and have found a couple that really look like they would be perfect for us. You guys are really helpful and again want to thank you!


Chanda

 

[BevS97]

inglesina is a premium brand over here, they are as expensive as the Chicco or the Peg Prego umbrella strollers. I have never used one, but that sounds like a great price.

bev

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by riggins
Hi Chanda-
I second NotUrsula's choices and have a couple more to add. My DD's seem to do better in a stroller with a napper bar, preferably with cupholders. So, I bought a Combi Savvy DX. Here's the place where I bought mine. http://www.store.yahoo.com/albee-baby/co20sadx25in.html They are $69.99.

It doesn't recline completely flat, but does have a semi-recline. It also has a really nice size sunshade. It also folds in thirds, so its pretty compact and it has a shoulder carry strap (which is a lifesaver when traveling). We used ours for our 2 year old on our WDW trip last month and it worked great.

HTH . . . good luck with your choice.
-Leslie

Another vote for the combi travel savy DX. We got one last Feb for 99 at stroller for less (that price of 69.95 is great! The right start store has them for 200!) Our DD loves this stroller. She calls it her disney world stoller and we keep it in the car. We have used it for 3 WDW trips and countless other places. We like the bar that comes off, but still has 2 cup holders. It folds up nicely. The basket underneth isn't really good for much, so we hand a bag off the back. There seems to be many other inex*****e options out there too. Don't take a full size Graco with you, it is just way to big for busses. Make sure what ever you bring has a sun canapy and cup holders.


Now I get to start looking into double strollers since our second child is due in Aug. I am not looking forward to that!

Good luck.
Good luck.

 

[NotUrsula]

For those of you who want to use an umbrella-fold stroller but feel lost without your cupholders, here's a solution for you. You can attach this one to anything, even Grandma's walker!

http://www.babubabu.com/tray.html

BTW, that specially-priced Inglesina Swift comes in a twin model, it also is being lowballed for the US market. If the kids are farther apart in age, a Buggy Board or Seat-2-Go for use at WDW only might be sufficient.