Crazy Stroller Question

[Allie0616]

OK, I know this is a little nutty but has anyone brought a small umbrella stroller, not for children (DD8 and DS9) but for stuff? Yeah, I know the whole travel light thing but I also know the reality (went to Six Flags yesterday). Mommy ends up carrying half empty drinks, sunglasses, hats, towel, discarded clothing, etc. Just trying to see if anyone else has thought of/tried this? I also have backpacks and have used them but we are going in late June when it is very hot and the prospect of carrying a backpack around all day just sounds icky! Thanks for any help/support

 

[Violet Crayon]

This is only my opinion: Disney does have policies on oversized coolers and bags with wheels not being allowed in the parks, while you would be using a stroller, it is still being used for something Disney wishes guests to avoid. With the usual crowds it would add to the congestion to have people toting around a ton of stuff in strollers if they are not being used by children.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I know it seems like a great solution, but pushing a stroller around all day in the crowds is not so easy. And if everyone did that, think of how many strollers would be in the parks.

For your children and their ages, I would cut down on the discarded clothing, do without the towel and have them carry their own small backpack or fanny pack-like-bag for drinks and sunglasses, etc.

 

[hildarumpole]

In my family, if you aren't willing to carry something yourself, don't take it with you. I'm not a pack mule. Everyone has their own fanny pack, even DS6. Strollers have to be parked before entering attractions. You'll be spending a lot of time parking and retrieving a stroller. They often get moved, so you may wind up spending more time then you thought hunting down your stroller full of stuff. It's not unheard of for personal property to get stolen out of strollers. No one is standing guard constantly monitoring who is coming and going around the strollers. Don't take a stroller. If your family's excess belongings become a burden, you can always rent a locker.

 

[pepe of ohio]

In my family, if you aren't willing to carry something yourself, don't take it with you. I'm not a pack mule. Everyone has their own fanny pack, even DS6. Strollers have to be parked before entering attractions. You'll be spending a lot of time parking and retrieving a stroller. They often get moved, so you may wind up spending more time then you thought hunting down your stroller full of stuff. It's not unheard of for personal property to get stolen out of strollers. No one is standing guard constantly monitoring who is coming and going around the strollers. Don't take a stroller. If your family's excess belongings become a burden, you can always rent a locker.

Same here, if you want it, you carry it. If you brought it and don't want to carry it anymore, it gets tossed. Plain and simple, we're not pack mules, we keep our necessities to a bare minimum, we like to have our hands and shoulders free so if its necessary for you to have, you carry it.

 

[Taja]

I was really impressed last December that my friend's DGD (age 9) was so good about carrying her own stuff. She had a small belt-bag for her glasses/sunglasses. She didn't really take other stuff until the end of the trip. She bought a purse and a stuffed animal, and they went where she went. And she carried them the entire time!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

DD has her own bag. If she wants a drink or a snack she carries it, if she tries to give it to me, it goes in the garbage and depending on how much of it she has consumed, she may or may not get another later.

I also agree, to leave the towel, and the extra clothes.

Hubby even wears a fanny pack at Disney, so he knows the drill.

 

[Allie0616]

Thank you guys so much for your responses! I actually have great children who happen to not be good holders on to things. Frankly my husband would never wear a fanny pack (no offense really, it's him not me) and he wouldn't let my son wear one either. He would help hold a backpack of course it's just cumbersome. My dd8 would absolutely carry one but she is really small and the kid sized one I bought doesn't even fit her glasses and the full sized one won't even fit around her waist. I understand what could and should be done I am simply asking if anyone has or has thought of doing what I am thinking of doing. I hope this doesn't sound unappreciative 'cause its not just living in my reality where i can't afford to buy new drinks every hour, have very fair children who would probably self-combust without regular liquid and am trying to find a way for them to have fun without spending all day running back to this store/ride where they left this, that and the other thing which happens all the time in my world (when they use drawstring bags). Again, not going back is certainly a solution which we have employed in the past but it does not seem to alleviate this issue they have and only serves to ruin a nice afternoon.

 

[katie111]

I think bringing a stroller is a great idea. I still have little ones so I almost always have a stroller with me but I miss it when I go out without one. My older ones are now 4 & 5 so we don't always need one when we leave the baby at home but it totally drives me crazy when I don't have it. I end up carrying the kids coats, drinks, snacks, etc as well as my own bag. I'm not the strongest person so carrying a backpack around all day gets heavy. Plenty of people rent double strollers and only have one kid, they put all their stuff on the other side so I don't know why anyone would be offended if you brought a small umbrella stroller. Nor would anyone notice, they would just assume your little one was somewhere else. Just make sure it has cup holders on it so its really useful.

 

[CJBaby]

I just got back yesterday, and I can honestly say that my diaper bag was in my stroller more than my baby & 4 year old combined! We shared a lot of laughs with people commenting on my pretty "baby (brand name of bag.)" It's so ridiculously big we would jokingly include it in our number count at rides.

HOWEVER, I would not want to have a stroller (or a big bag of stuff) if I didn't need one for a child!

 

[JulieNMM]

I have thought of renting a stroller just for this reason, but won't now that the price has gone insane!!!! My kids are 6 and 8 and I know that *I* will end up holding everything. I always do. Purse, cell phone, towels, extra clothes in case of getting wet, sunscreen, hats, water, any purchases, etc. You can recommend that the kids carry their own things but it just won't happen and like the OP said, I want the kids to have a good time and not be constantly stopping to buy things we've just thrown away or lost, etc.

My problem with an umbrella stroller is that it's too low and I have to bend over to push it and that ends up hurting my back more than carrying a backpack. The thing I don't like about lockers is that they are expensive, small, and most importantly, located far away from where ever I am when I need whatever is in there!!!

Have fun on your trip!
JULIE

 

[tjmw2727]

I doubt disney would stop you or even notice what you are doing.

but I wouldn't do it - the first trip without a stroller was like a breath of fresh air IMHO. No folding and opening on and off buses/trams monorial. No parking and then hunting it down and no pushing it through crowds and behind folks who stop short.

My kids also carry what they want/need and we find we don't need as much as we thought.

One thing that may help you with the kids drinks is a water bottle strap. They are sold everywhere in WDW and you wear them around your neck like a purse used to be worn (under one shoulder). They loop around the neck of the water/soda/gatorade bottle so its always handy and I find my dd's drink more water when its right there (and hands are free!).

My DH won't wear a waist pack either and ITA a backpack will be hot in the summer. I can usually fit everything we need in a small messenger bag and dh and I share duty.

Have fun whatever you decide,
TJ

 

[bumbershoot]

Having had a new pirate hat stolen out from our stroller, while hidden under an old sweatshirt, (at Disneyland Resort) I'm against leaving things in a stroller when you're parking it.

Therefore, if doing that, you would still have to pack it all up and take it on the rides anyway, and to me that would be a bigger pain.

You can get cups of water anywhere. You could fill up on water at drinking fountains (some won't do that though). So you don't have to *carry* water around with you.

Extra clothes...those things could be put into one backpack; would be nicely soft! Could have a small bag for hats and glasses, something easily carried.

Towels?

 

[chessie2008]

I am always amazed what my kids can do without when I tell them that they have to carry it because I won't! I still have one in a stroller and although I'm sure it will come in handy carrying stuff I'm not really looking forward to having to have it all the time. My youngest ds will probably only want to use it for naps and at the end of the day. I'm sure it will be worth it for that but I still wish we didn't *have* to have it along all the time.

 

[WDSearcher]

I hope this doesn't sound unappreciative 'cause its not just living in my reality where i can't afford to buy new drinks every hour, have very fair children who would probably self-combust without regular liquid and am trying to find a way for them to have fun without spending all day running back to this store/ride where they left this, that and the other thing which happens all the time in my world (when they use drawstring bags).

I think most people can sympathize, but I think it's also important to look at WHAT you're carrying. You shouldn't need a second change of clothes or a towel for anyone -- at Six Flags, all the parks have waterparks attached. Disney doesn't. You could possibly get drenched on Kali River Rapids in DAK, but that's it for the "needing a second change of clothes and a towel" thing. Sunglasses and hats they will need to keep on -- sunburn happens fast in Florida! Have the kids share a drink, if you're worried about having to carry half-full cups. Or give everyone a bottle of water that they can refill at the water fountains. (You can get the kind with the filter if you hate Florida water.) Put a strap around the water bottle and carry it like a canteen. Each kid gets their own.

But truly -- most people take WAY more than they need into the parks. And the last thing you want to do at every single ride is park a stroller full of stuff, pack the valuable stuff up to take into the ride or restaurant with you, then track down the stroller when you exit, and then push the stroller all around the park all day. It'll get old. You'd be better served to really think about what you MUST have in the parks and just take less.

 

[Twitterpated Dad]

Thank you guys so much for your responses! I actually have great children who happen to not be good holders on to things. Frankly my husband would never wear a fanny pack (no offense really, it's him not me) and he wouldn't let my son wear one either. He would help hold a backpack of course it's just cumbersome. My dd8 would absolutely carry one but she is really small and the kid sized one I bought doesn't even fit her glasses and the full sized one won't even fit around her waist. I understand what could and should be done I am simply asking if anyone has or has thought of doing what I am thinking of doing. I hope this doesn't sound unappreciative 'cause its not just living in my reality where i can't afford to buy new drinks every hour, have very fair children who would probably self-combust without regular liquid and am trying to find a way for them to have fun without spending all day running back to this store/ride where they left this, that and the other thing which happens all the time in my world (when they use drawstring bags). Again, not going back is certainly a solution which we have employed in the past but it does not seem to alleviate this issue they have and only serves to ruin a nice afternoon.

OK, OK, where to start. Have a look at rei.com. Many waist packs are serious pieces of sporting equipment. They need not look like purses on a belt. Consider the ones that are worn on the small of the back and have separate water bottle holders on each side.

Everyone needs to carry their share. I know we parents will always carry some of the kids' stuff. The goal is just not to carry it all. To this end, everyone's waist pack or backpack should be relatively small. Don't take what you might need, just what you will need. (Of course, I also take stuff that I hope not to need but it would be so awesome to have if... Yay, yay, I'm a boy scout. Can't go anywhere without a small first aid kit.)

Smaller kids almost always do better with a backpack than a waist pack. Just limit its size to hold a light jacket, a small bottle of water, sunglasses, a favorite toy and one bag of snacks. (Let dad carry the $1 ponchos and glow sticks from home.)

By the way, you need not carry a lot a water. You can get filtered, nice tasting water with ice from any counter service restaurant for free. (A lot of people don't like the taste of the water from the drinking fountains.) If you use small 8 or 16 oz bottles, it's not a lot of weight. If you don't like plain water, you can get individual packets of tea, gator-aid, kool-aid or lemonade to add to your ice water. I agree that you have to stay hydrated. This is a fairly cheap way to do it.

I know leaving bags behind can be a problem. For us, since everyone has one, everyone is keeping an eye out. We usually don't get more than a step or two away before some says: "where's your bag?"

You said you have very fair children. Don't forget hats and sunblock, even on cool days.

(ETA: Hey WDSearcher, great post. I guess I need to type faster.)

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I think most people can sympathize, but I think it's also important to look at WHAT you're carrying. You shouldn't need a second change of clothes or a towel for anyone -- at Six Flags, all the parks have waterparks attached. Disney doesn't. You could possibly get drenched on Kali River Rapids in DAK, but that's it for the "needing a second change of clothes and a towel" thing. Sunglasses and hats they will need to keep on -- sunburn happens fast in Florida! Have the kids share a drink, if you're worried about having to carry half-full cups. Or give everyone a bottle of water that they can refill at the water fountains. (You can get the kind with the filter if you hate Florida water.) Put a strap around the water bottle and carry it like a canteen. Each kid gets their own.

But truly -- most people take WAY more than they need into the parks. And the last thing you want to do at every single ride is park a stroller full of stuff, pack the valuable stuff up to take into the ride or restaurant with you, then track down the stroller when you exit, and then push the stroller all around the park all day. It'll get old. You'd be better served to really think about what you MUST have in the parks and just take less.

Right on!

OP, your kids are 8 & 9 - I just don't see them needing a change of clothes or a towel for anything. I'd get the bottle straps this poster mentioned, or just get the free ice water at the CS restaurants. If it's free, you don't feel bad about throwing it away when you're done! If you get one for everyone to share, you'll probably finish it all anyway.

I eagerly await the day when we go to WDW stroller-free. My husband and I went to WDW kid-free in January and it was liberating! At least once a day, I looked at my husband and said, "Ha! I don't have to push a stroller today!" Free yourself!

 

[kaytieeldr]

You could possibly get drenched on Kali River Rapids in DAK, but that's it for the "needing a second change of clothes and a towel" thing.

And the interesting thing about getting wet is, you dry. Especially in Florida. In June. You may get wet on Splash Mountain; you will get wet on Kali River Rapids; and you might get wet if it rains and you're out in the open. No towels or clothing changes needed.

Water bottle straps for everyone, ditto for sunglass straps, and cheap/disposable rain ponchos from the dollar stores. Sunglasses and hats are 100% INeffective if they're not being WORN.

A husband who won't wear a fanny pack can work out some other way to carry his own stuff - cargo pants, minimizing, whatever.

Purchases can be sent to your resort if you're staying onsite, or to the front of the park for pickup on your way out - no "running back" for a forgotten bag.
If you need a stroller just for "stuff", you've got too much stuff.