Carrier and single stroller for toddler and baby?

[KaptainK]

We are planning a 4 day trip to the world in February with DD1 who will be almost 3 and DD2 who will be 6mo. We don't own a double stroller. Will we be ok with a single stroller and a baby carrier? I've got an Ergo, a moby wrap, and a ring sling to choose from. The baby is very small for her age but has great head control so I think she will be able to use the ergo without the insert by then.

For those that use a carrier, do you wear the baby in it on rides they can go on? I would be a little nervous to leave it with the stroller in case it decided to walk off. Any other tips for taking a baby and toddler? We will be driving and did go in may with DD1 before the Baby was born.

 

[hcox31]

I would consider renting a double stroller if I were you. I can only carry my daughter in the ergo for so long. Definitely not all day while walking around etc,

 

[jennygirlmt]

We did two days, on the shorter side, open until about 2pm when the girls were 4 mos and 2.5. I carried her in a Lillebaby (like a bjorn) and wore her on all the rides. It was great. At lunch I laid her in the stroller so she could stretch and wiggle.

This time they are 2 and 4.5 and we're renting a double stroller.

 

[Lilliputian]

I would want a double stroller. I think an Ergo is great and you'll get a lot of use out of it, but the baby is going to want to get out and have some wiggle time occasionally. A 2 year old just can't be relied upon to walk around well at WDW. She may be too tired, or it may be too crowded, or any number of things. I'm a mom of 5 ages 11 and under, so I've been in your position a number of times, and I don't make any important plans that depend on the cooperation of a 2 year old.

You can use the Ergo on rides. It's a great way to go. You really don't want to hold the baby in your arms while you're standing in line anyway, and like you mentioned, it's too expensive to leave in the stroller.

I'd rent a double stroller if you don't think it's a good idea for you to buy a good one.

 

[KaptainK]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not opposed to getting a double stroller. Any favorites? The thing I like about our current stroller is that the seat can lay flat if I wanted the baby to take a nap in there.

 

[Lilliputian]

I have the double City Mini. It's perfectly fine. I do like the way it lays down enough to put a little baby in it.

My last double stroller was a Peg Perego side-by-side. I preferred the fact that it was lighter and folded flatter. It wasn't as sturdy, though, and the steering wasn't bad but it wasn't as good. If you think this is your last baby, I think the Peg is worth considering. If you're planning to keep going, I'd get something more substantial.

 

[Heart82381]

I would recommend renting the city mini double for sure. We used it with my boys right around that age and it was perfect. The seat reclines to almost flat and it has a great sunshade and is so easy to push and maneuver in the parks and easy to fold for bus ride.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

Take the ergo for sure - and if your baby is between the stage of needing the insert but still has short legs for the actual seat, roll up a cloth diaper (or small thin blanket) and put it under baby's bum. I wore my oldest on a lot of rides when he was a baby, especially if he was already asleep. Some of the rides we held him or my husband wore him in the ergo. But the ergo was a life saver for lines. (Still is...my oldest is almost four and we can still pop him in when we are in a really crowded place, like a fair or show). The stroller was mainly for putting all our stuff in. He didn't want to ride in it too much.

 

[jenthern]

I'd rent a city mini double for sure. That's what we're doing next month with my almost 3 year old and 3 month old. We're also using the ergo but I know she won't want to be in it all day long. You definitely won't need the insert either. I've stopped using it with my almost 2 month old.

 

[KaptainK]

What about using two strollers instead of a double? We do have two strollers but maybe that would be a big hassle. But is it hard to navigate a side by side double through the crowds?

 

[Lilliputian]

Pushing a double stroller on the paths is easy. The only slightly difficult part is with getting on buses, trams, etc, but you don't have to do that as often. Getting your two little ones onto a bus or a tram with two single strollers would be incredibly difficult. Your older daughter will still need assistance, and you'll obviously be holding (or wearing) the baby. I'd only consider two strollers if I had a lot more adults going than children.

 

[ElenaRN]

My DDs were 3 1/2 and 9 months in Oct when we went.
We rented a Double City mini and I also had an Ergo.
It worked out perfect for us.

 

[bostonminnie]

What about using two strollers instead of a double? We do have two strollers but maybe that would be a big hassle. But is it hard to navigate a side by side double through the crowds?

This is what we did for our last trip. My daughter was 2 months old and my son was 2 years old. Some days we would take both strollers out and some days we would just take the one stroller and use the Ergo. We really liked having the 2 strollers because there were more than a few times when I would take the baby back to get her out of the sun and my husband would stay with our son who wanted to stay out.