Can we get away w/ taking a single stroller?

[Cinbride]

DD 2 and DD 4.5mths. We will be using a carrier for the youngest most of the time. (really no sense to keep taking her in/out of the stroller. Oldest will want to walk (which scares me; and I may try a harness which I never thought I would do & I know that is a whole other debate) ANYWHO... with one walking and one being carried. Do you think it is possible to take a single and alternate? then when my oldest gets real tired just let her rest in there??? that would save hauling a huge stroller. Opinions???

 

[tartemis]

We are in almost the exact same boat. We are traveling to Disney in a month with our 2 DDs -- one 2 and one who will be 6 months. We are only going to take a single stroller. Our 2 year old almost never uses a stroller now anyways (and almost never used it when we went to Disney last year when she was 18 months). I figure that the baby will use the stroller for the most part, but if our 2 year old gets super tired that we will use the baby carrier for the baby and let our 2 year old ride in the stroller.

 

[Cinbride]

haha. Yep we are really close to going the same time too. Our 2 yr old doesn't really go in the stroller, sometimes she likes it, sometimes mom/dad like it (belt her in and run; when she is in a bad mood/tired) lol. We are driving down, so we could probably take both, then if the single works then we don't have to bother with the double. Of course, our single is really beat up and I may just look for a used single jogger. OH I don't know. Too many decisions for this momma brain to handle!

 

[Karebear]

I bought a sit n stand stroller on craigs list for Disneyland. It worked great. It is about the same size as a regular stroller, but with a little ledge in the back for the older child to sit on. That way, I didn't feel like I was pushing a huge double stroller around--but both of my kids could sit if I needed them to. Hope this helps!

 

[happymommy]

If it were me, I'd bring a double. I did when my kids were 2 and 4 (almost 3 and 5), and they both fell asleep in it every afternoon. It was big (Peg Perego Tandem Twin), and heavy, but it was the best thing we brought on the trip.

I wouldn't have gone without it. Then we started bringing one to share as they got older.

 

[AKADrea]

I would say it depends on how much you babywear....if you're like me and RARELY put the baby down, I'd take a single....if you feel like you'd need a break from the baby, you might need a double - as your 2 yo is going to get tired often.

The only time I wanted to put my DS down last time we went (we was 12 weeks) was at meal times and the stroller was the only place to do that - otherwise, if I had just had my 2 yo and him a single would have been OK with me. I also had a 4 yo that needed a stroller too so we wound up taking 2 singles insteald of one big double.

 

[RangerPooh]

We've done all the variations, from 1 stroller and baby pack, 2 singles, a sit n stand, and double jogger. My DDs are now 3 and 4 but we still bring the double or sit n stand as naps and tired legs aren't a good combo. Neither is renting a single at the parks when they cost so much. The last time that we used a single and front pack was when our girls were 2y and 2 months (give or take) and it worked out ok. DH and I took shifts carrying the baby and pushing the stroller. We did bring a harness for our oldest and used it when ever she was walking (baby riding). We have the Eddie Bauer harness that has a little backpack animal on it, we bought it at Target. It's cute. We call him 'Buddy' and our girls actually like him. Our youngest doesn't use his as often these days but we do keep in the car for when it might be needed.

 

[disneymom06]

Ask yourself, will you be doing the parks for long periods of time? I would consider a double stroller. If gets hots carrying an infant and it gets tiresome. The baby may rather the view from a stroller and enjoy the sites. The two year old will want to walk but then tire or even look for a comfy, safe, place when you encounter large crowds.

I have taken 4 children, and while no one uses a stoller any longer, it made touring the parks much easier when someone was tired, or wanted a break or just a place to sit. I also used a harness ALOT but in addition to the stroller not in lieu of.

PS Added benefit of the stroller was carrying packages and a few extra snacks and waters.

 

[matt and beth]

Same advice I give every time. I wish I was smart enough to do this earlier.

Spend the money and get yourself a Maclaren. We went through 4 umbrella strollers that couldn't handle it. One we left in the garbage at the airport. One the wheels would fall off as you cross the trolley tracks at MK.

The Maclaren is light. Easy to fold. Huge sunshade. Rain cover. Shoulder strap. Very high wieght rating to last many years. Great resale when you are done with it. It reclines. Great shoulder straps. Big basket in the bottom.
The handles are tall, which saves the shoulders.

Experienced many strollers on the buses and planes and this one a large cut above the others.

DD 2 will NOT make it walking around the parks. Guaranteed! She will for a while, but eventually will tire. For sanity's sake we put our large DS 3 this last time in the Maclaren. No one wants to hear how tired his legs are while he nonstop whines about it. And rightfully so. Some of the parks are huge.

The baby carrier will become tiring. Consider letting your children share the stroller when mommy or daddy get tired. Put your belongings in the basket and hang your bag on the bars. A light versatile stroller will reserve everyone's energy.

 

[AlternateEgo]

Same advice I give every time. I wish I was smart enough to do this earlier.

Spend the money and get yourself a Maclaren. We went through 4 umbrella strollers that couldn't handle it. One we left in the garbage at the airport. One the wheels would fall off as you cross the trolley tracks at MK.

The Maclaren is light. Easy to fold. Huge sunshade. Rain cover. Shoulder strap. Very high wieght rating to last many years. Great resale when you are done with it. It reclines. Great shoulder straps. Big basket in the bottom.
The handles are tall, which saves the shoulders.

Experienced many strollers on the buses and planes and this one a large cut above the others.

DD 2 will NOT make it walking around the parks. Guaranteed! She will for a while, but eventually will tire. For sanity's sake we put our large DS 3 this last time in the Maclaren. No one wants to hear how tired his legs are while he nonstop whines about it. And rightfully so. Some of the parks are huge.

The baby carrier will become tiring. Consider letting your children share the stroller when mommy or daddy get tired. Put your belongings in the basket and hang your bag on the bars. A light versatile stroller will reserve everyone's energy.

Agreed!

 

[aidtrismommy]

Same advice I give every time. I wish I was smart enough to do this earlier.

Spend the money and get yourself a Maclaren. We went through 4 umbrella strollers that couldn't handle it. One we left in the garbage at the airport. One the wheels would fall off as you cross the trolley tracks at MK.

The Maclaren is light. Easy to fold. Huge sunshade. Rain cover. Shoulder strap. Very high wieght rating to last many years. Great resale when you are done with it. It reclines. Great shoulder straps. Big basket in the bottom.
The handles are tall, which saves the shoulders.

Experienced many strollers on the buses and planes and this one a large cut above the others.

DD 2 will NOT make it walking around the parks. Guaranteed! She will for a while, but eventually will tire. For sanity's sake we put our large DS 3 this last time in the Maclaren. No one wants to hear how tired his legs are while he nonstop whines about it. And rightfully so. Some of the parks are huge.

The baby carrier will become tiring. Consider letting your children share the stroller when mommy or daddy get tired. Put your belongings in the basket and hang your bag on the bars. A light versatile stroller will reserve everyone's energy.

I agree too. It was the best $ spent and worth every penny. Both my boys can nap in it, I love the footmuffs so I don't have to lug blankets around, it is a life saver. I even bought the carrier bag so when I gate check it, it doesn't get dirty. I can't live without it.

 

[tartemis]

haha. Yep we are really close to going the same time too. Our 2 yr old doesn't really go in the stroller, sometimes she likes it, sometimes mom/dad like it (belt her in and run; when she is in a bad mood/tired) lol. We are driving down, so we could probably take both, then if the single works then we don't have to bother with the double. Of course, our single is really beat up and I may just look for a used single jogger. OH I don't know. Too many decisions for this momma brain to handle!

FWIW, the other major factor that is leading us to leave the double stroller at home is that we are hoping that the baby will sleep through most meals in the stroller. I don't think that there would be enough room in most restaurants to pull a double stroller up to the table, but we had no problem when my first DD was an infant in bringing our single stroller (a baby jogger) to the table for meals.

We also, however, take the parks at the speed that our kids want. If you do that, there is no need for a 2 year old to be in a stroller most of the time (if you can even get her in there).

Good luck with your planning!

 

[nicki.momof3]

On our first trip we said the same thing as the OP. We were so clueless about WDW and what a weeks vacation involves.

2nd and 3rd trips we took a double. 4th trip we took a double and a single (more kids).

 

[Native NYer]

Same advice I give every time. I wish I was smart enough to do this earlier.

Spend the money and get yourself a Maclaren. We went through 4 umbrella strollers that couldn't handle it. One we left in the garbage at the airport. One the wheels would fall off as you cross the trolley tracks at MK.

The Maclaren is light. Easy to fold. Huge sunshade. Rain cover. Shoulder strap. Very high wieght rating to last many years. Great resale when you are done with it. It reclines. Great shoulder straps. Big basket in the bottom.
The handles are tall, which saves the shoulders.

Experienced many strollers on the buses and planes and this one a large cut above the others.

DD 2 will NOT make it walking around the parks. Guaranteed! She will for a while, but eventually will tire. For sanity's sake we put our large DS 3 this last time in the Maclaren. No one wants to hear how tired his legs are while he nonstop whines about it. And rightfully so. Some of the parks are huge.

The baby carrier will become tiring. Consider letting your children share the stroller when mommy or daddy get tired. Put your belongings in the basket and hang your bag on the bars. A light versatile stroller will reserve everyone's energy.

I agree!!! The Maclaren is worth every penny. I got one for my SIL and brother as a baby shower gift. They always tell me how much they love the Maclaren. My brother is tall and doesn't need to hunch over to push it. Plus, they love the attachable raincover. It doesn't slide off. When I babysit, they leave it for me to use and I find it easy to open and close.

 

[rascooby]

We leave in a few days and our girls are 6, 2 and barely 1. We have a sit & stand but after reading about Maclarens for months on this board we now have 2 and are taking them. I LOVE them. I got them both used on Craigslist for $50 (triumph) and $90 (quest). The are the only strollers I use. I love that they have straps and you can wear them on your shoulder.

I used a sling for my babies a lot but I think that would get pretty tiring at Disney. My 2 year old loves to walk but I'm sure she'll be pooped out 1/2 way through the 1st morning. Also, she's safer in the stroller.

Good luck!

 

[kohlby]

If it were me, I'd do a single. But I babywear quite easily. I went with a barely 3 year old and a 2 month old in May/June and though it was hot, it was still managable. My sling wasn't padded and that made a huge difference! The 2 month old was in the sling for everything but the occassional nap. We did it again when the kids were 3.5 year and 9 months. Again, the baby stayed in the sling most of the time. This time she wouldn't nap in the sling at all though so she napped in the stroller. The oldest child did do a lot of walking since he wanted to.

We brought a harness for our first trip, when he was barely 3. He was a runner so I felt we needed it. But by the second day, all I had to do was tell him that if he didn't stay next to us that he would have to wear the harness strap. Telling him that actually worked! Having the harness with us was very important - even though we used it as a back-up plan in case he didn't listen.

We'll be going again soon. This time with three kids and the youngest will be 11 months. He's 23lbs already and will be in the sling most of the day as well. We're taking the single for the 3.5 year old, but she'll share it with baby if needed.

Somehow I managed to sling my second child as a baby for 8-10 hours a day in the parks, so I figure I'll manage this next trip as well.

 

[pooh4evr]

Don't count on the baby sleeping through meals- most of the restaurants are loud, and if it is a character meal even louder with people constantly at your table, and some of the table service restaurants anyway aren't what I would consider stroller friendly, stairs, tight tables, character tripping hazards... -- we have always until this trip taken a double- but we don't return for naps - the kids sleep in the stroller- We haven't ever used a sling or harness because we have the stroller- I agree with what the PP said too get a good stroller with a basket, that has a reclining seat, and a canopy-- it will make your trip much better- and if you don't want to bring your own- rent one from Baby's Best Friend or Orlando Stroller rental- it will be at your hotel waiting for you, they are clean comfy and nice! Good Luck and have FUN!

 

[Cinbride]

OHHH I never count on my baby sleeping during meal time. She could be sound asleep and as soon as the food comes..She is bright eyed!! lol. I don't know, we are driving down. We may just haul the big graco duo. Everyone on the bus will just have to deal w/ us. It is nice and comfy/roomy. I don't know what my DD2 will do with a harness. I'm guessing falling to the ground screaming. But since I started debating whether to use one or not, I had a bad dream. We were in WDW MK and we turned our backs and she was GONE! I woke up heart pounding, sweaty and said, guess I'm using a harness. As much as people debate about them, I think I much rather have my daughter then be on the news begging for her return. Gosh, just thinking about that scares the crap out of me.

 

[LWatson]

We were part of a double stroller swap and I turned the stroller over early morning our last day there. Well, we didnt leave till almost 6pm, and we had already cleared our room. Our youngest was getting really sleepy and grumpy and we didnt have anywhere to put him. I didnt want to do it, but I did it anyway...I purchased one of the red stollers from Disney....WONDERFUL PURCHASE. If you get there have a need for a single I would just buy one instead of renting. My LO went to sleep right away once I got it. Plus he is out growing his little one here, so we have that one that still fits him just fine. he is 2 and still has room to grow.