best stroller for 3 month old at WDW

[dfamily]

I've read so many forums and so many reviews on strollers that my head is spinning! Please help me decide on a stroller!!

We've visited the world many times - sometimes renting strollers there and sometimes taking our own. We've taken a baby before (5 months old) and used my humongo Graco stroller that was simply way too big and bulky. But when we travel in Sept. I will have a 3 month old that will need to nap. We sold our other strollers because we thought the baby stage was behind us (surprise!), so I'm loving all the new strollers out there! This is what I've looked at so far . .

Mac Quest - says it's for 3 months up, but I'm just not so sure and the reviews about tipping concern me

Peg Aria - I could get 07 model for $109 which is nice; it's light and easy to fold (tried it out at BRU) but lots of complaints about the steering on that one

Peg Pliko Lite - haven't seen this one in person, so I'm not sure about the recline

Peg P3 - love this one, but it is kinda heavy; can get an 07 for around $180

Another thing - I'm looking for a stroller that I can use for a long time. Snack tray of some sort would be nice; lightweight and easy to fold are very important, but for the trip in Sept. a recline feature is probably most important. We're staying at OKW (or BWV if our wait-list comes through) so we'll be depending on the buses. Our party consists of DH, me, DS, 9; DD, 7; DS, 4; my mother and father, and the baby girl.

Please fire away with your suggestions and advice! Thanks!

 

[NY Disney fan]

To me, lightweight strollers and newborns don't really go together. (Maybe someone has a different opinion). However, if you have $$$ to spend (it might be a great investment) go for the lightweight Bugaboo Bee. It folds up compactly and it appropriate for a newborn or heavier baby. (I think weight limit is 37.5lbs.) Its expensive thought...but it meets ALL your criteria.

http://www.albeebaby.com/bugaboo-bee-complete-stroller-pink.html

ETA: a cheaper option would be to carry your baby around in one of those infant car seats with the stroller frame. Until the baby is old enough for a lightweight stroller. The downside is: not sure how hot those carseats are. My daughter used to sweat in those things.

 

[of2dbeach]

cant you bring her with you like babies r us and see what seems easier for you to manage say holding her and trying to fold it with one hand. that way you know if you will like it and get a trial run with it thru the store.other thing i am thinking of is a papoose thing to carry her in but then she will get heavy and you and her will be hot, plus you will need to protect her from the sun. i know toys r us had a stroller cover for rain . i am also looking for a clip on fan for my 5yr old stroller. Sorry i cant help you more...

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We have the Peg P3 and have since DS's birth. We took it with us to WDW when he was almost 4 months old and it was perfect--he was super-comfortable in it, he could easily sleep in it (it fully reclines) and was easy enough to fold and carry on whatever transportation we used.

Now that he's over 2, we still use the same one--he has plenty of room in it.

I will say that I cannot fold it with one hand, but it is very easy to fold with two hands (hold one handle with one hand and pull up with the other hand). I've never found a regular-sized stroller that I could actually fold with one hand.

There is a sun shade that hooks on with velcro straps to any stroller--definitely get that no matter which stroller you get.

 

[katied]

I would worry more about a baby carrier - like a baby bjorn or sling. My DS seemed to live in his baby bjorn at that age - when he was tired, he would be in facing me and just sleep. When he was awake, I'd swing him around and he could see the world. He was happier being carried than in the stroller, and you have to park the stroller all the time anyway if you're going on any rides.

At 3 months - he wasn't too heavy, so my back was fine carrying him for long periods of time. Aside from that, you could have a stroller with a fairly flat recline if you wanted for other times.

Quest - I love Maclaren strollers. They only tip if you load up the handles with stuff (and then take the baby out). If you just have a baby in them, you don't worry about them tipping. The Maclaren is not designed to lug your gear for you, or shopping bags, just to carry the baby (with a small basket underneath).

 

[dfamily]

Thanks for all the responses (so far!).

I don't want to spend more than $250 so the Bugaboo is definitely out! And like you NY Disney Fan, I'm afraid the carseat would get way too hot. I bought an Infantino baby carrier thinking we might use that some, but September is blazing hot so again, I'm afraid it would be hot to carry her all day. I never used a sling or carrier with the other 3 kids but I expect I'll be dependent on it for this one! Suggestions for a sling?

of2dbeach, as far as taking her with me, I'll have to wait until late June for that and I wanted to go ahead and order something online before she arrives. I might end up waiting until she arrives to see what works best!

DisneyCowgirl, I seem to be leaning toward the 07 P3 - is there anything you don't like about that stroller?

Thanks again for all the quick responses. Crazy how this stroller question becomes so consuming!

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

The bee in my opinion is a complete waste of money and you could get the techno brand new for that which is made for birth and up for less money. It has all of the same features as the quest its just alittle bigger. I have always been a fan of my dd's being comfy when we go to disney so much so that w/ the resistence of my dh I brought the graco chauffer talk about a monster next to a duoglider it is literally a few inches shorter. I knew that I couldn't keep bring the graco so I invested in the mac and it was the best decision that I have ever made. As for a snack tray you can now purchase them to add to the strollers.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

What I don't like about the P3--The cupholder is only big enough to hold a can and the underneath storage area is not the easiest to access (but I think that's a common problem on full-size strollers). Before our last trip, we bought a kit of clip on attachments that included a bigger cupholder. Other than those two things, I have loved it and would buy it again.

 

[DVCsince02]

We have the PP Aria and love it. Never had a problem steering. It's been to WDW 5 times with no issues.

 

[Diz Kids]

We have the Quest and love it, but the big downside with a 3 month old is that it does not fully recline. I remember when we first put DD in it she seemed like she was a bit too small for the stroller and always seemed slumped over. If you like Maclarens, have you thought about the Techno? I think they might be around your budget, especially if you can find a previous year's model. They are suitable from birth and only weigh a little more than the Quest.

 

[MelliJ]

We took our DD to BRU when she was 5m and tried out strollers there to see which one was most comfortable for her. We ended up getting the Mac Volo, since she'll be 9m when we go. But actually trying them out was a great thing - we ruled a number of popular strollers out because she was visibly uncomfortable....

 

[ERMama]

we too have a P3 and have traveled with it quite a bit. i can pop up the handle releases quick then grab and fold with one hand all while holding the baby.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

I forgot to mention in my post that I agree w/ the PP who mentioned a sling/carrier it may help you when you are on the buses the baby will be supported more you will be able to support yourself more when you are sliding out of the seat. It may also be nice for you to have while waiting in lines when you can't have the stroller w/ you.

I also wanted to point out that the Techno has better sunshade than the quest. I have this one (exactly the same color and all) and the shade is open and locked but it unzips and covers the rest of the seat.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Maclaren-Techno...oryZ2989QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

ETA~the Techno XLR if you can get one for a decent price comes w/ kit to latch an infant carseat in.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

If you only plan on using the carrier for a few months an infantino or baby bjorn would be fine if you plan to use it longer they get pricey. Start using it as soon as you can so that the baby will be use to it so that the first time you put her in it she will not be unhappy.

You may like the mei tai's they cost a little more depending on the pattern you want and where you get it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BABY-CARRIER-do...17031QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

 

[adell557]

I don't know about your little baby, but the chest carrier was the best thing ever for us. We found the slings to be a little cumbersome and HOT. We used the Baby Bjorn, sport edition. It has breathable areas to keep the baby and yourself from getting too hot. We live in Florida about an hour south of Disney so we are familiar with the HOT HOT weather. Our little ones even napped in it. It was great for waiting in lines. Just slept on mom or dad's chest while walking. As for the stroller, I would say the mac.

 

[strmtroopr96]

Hi there! We took our youngest DD to WDW at 3 months. We originally bought a Mac Quest for her but before she was born, thinking she would be big like older DD was. LOL Nope, she was (and still is) tiny and it didn't seem that the Quest would be best.

So we bought a Peg P3 instead and it worked out great for her. She could lay all comfy and the sunshade comes all the way down to block out the sun. Plus it wasn't super heavy and bulky.

We bought a different P3 for her trip at 15 months and again it worked out fine. By then, the snack tray was put to use and the sunshade was still nice for the Florida sun.

Our next trip, she will be 26 months old and we are buying a Baby Jogger City Mini for that one. I want something with a super easy fold for the nights I am alone with her while the others go somewhere else.

As far as the Mac Quest...We still never use it! LOL She is still a teeny 22 month old and the fabric on ours (a Mod) is really slippery and she tends to slouch in it. But we have 8 other strollers to use instead! Ha Ha Ha

I had a second Quest which was a Sport and that fabric was more textured so a smaller baby might it in it easier because they won't slip around as much. or something similar, you might want to consider an Inglesina. They are also nice strollers very much like the Macs but not quite as tippy!

Our second choice for this next trip was the Pliko Lite! I really want to try that one. There are many Mom's who actually prefer that over the P3 because it has a roomier/cushier seat and is nice to push.

Also, if you go for the Quest then I recommend getting a Rayshade or something similar to give you added sun protection.

 

[dspads]

When we went in '04 DS2 was 4 months. We had a glunky Graco with full recline and snack tray. It worked perfectly. It seems like you have enough adults/older kids to manage whatever stroller and the baby. We did bring the car seat (it was Dec so not as hot) and used it half the time. My DS had never really riden or seemed to like being in the stroller w/o it (still so young) but by the end of the trip was used to the stroller. Being in the car seat was convenient that he was higher up and looking at us.

I also used a Bjorn -which was a must in terms of rides. I would have not felt confident just holding him and climbing in and out of some rides.

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

My dd is 3.5 months old now, so I know where you're coming from. I bought a britax preview stroller to go with the britax infant seat we bought for her and I am really loving the stroller. (We also have a Mac quest, but haven't used it yet because of the recline issue).
Here's why I love the Brtiax preview:
-Full Recline
-Only $140 at Target. I believe you can get the same stroller in a discontinued print from Albeebaby for under $70
-It has a bag attached to it that can zip off and be carried onto rides with a shoulder strap. The bag has a cup/bottle holder on it and is large enough for a few diapers, bottles, and a changing pad.
-It weighs 17 pounds which is much lighter then a bulky travel system stroller, but has many of the same features.

I plan on using mine even after dd grows out of the infant car seat. You should check it out!

 

[dfamily]

Again, thanks for your responses. I'm watching some items on ebay and checking out albeebaby for others.

cancer_survivor_06 - thanks for the ebay link. Love the Techno and the mei tai carrier. May have to get one of those! How does the Techno differ from the Quest (other than shade?). If I could get one on ebay for under $160 with shipping I might be tempted to do that.

verobeachgirl - I've looked at the Preview stroller because I already have a Britax companion carseat. The carseat was bought in 04 when my last son was born. I'm a little concerned that since the stroller came out after that, that it might not be compatible. Also, I tried one out at Target and could never figure out how to collapse the thing! Is it easy? If it's really easy to operate (and cheaper than all the others!) and works with my carseat, it would be a great option. Anything you don't like about it?

Thanks so much for your help! Hopefully I'll be able to decide something soon!

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

verobeachgirl - I've looked at the Preview stroller because I already have a Britax companion carseat. The carseat was bought in 04 when my last son was born. I'm a little concerned that since the stroller came out after that, that it might not be compatible. Also, I tried one out at Target and could never figure out how to collapse the thing! Is it easy? If it's really easy to operate (and cheaper than all the others!) and works with my carseat, it would be a great option. Anything you don't like about it?

Thanks so much for your help! Hopefully I'll be able to decide something soon!

To collapse the stroller, just pull the little grey lever on the bottom left by the basket upwards and the whole thing kind of folds down.
I actually haven't found anything that I don't like about it yet. I'm a small person and it's pretty easy for me to load/unload out of the trunk.
You should take your carseat to target and try it out there to make sure it is compatible. (Just remember to unzip the cover on the front bar where the carseat locks into place). Let me know if you have any other questions.