SleepyatDVC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2001
- Messages
- 2,562
I know many on these boards wrestle with the stroller decision for Disney and elsewhere. I wanted to post my experiences for those Moms in a similar situation as mine.
My girls are 4 and 6.5 yo. DD6 never uses a stroller except at WDW. DD4 is a wimp and will get tired walking from the car to the entrance of the mall,
so if there is any walking involved, she needs a stroller. When DD6 sees her sister get pushed around like a queen, she wants to sit also.
Up until our last trip to WDW in April 2005, we used a cheapie umbrella stroller for both girls for many trip. One umbrella stroller bit the dust, so in April, we brought the umbrella for DD6 and our old (1999) Combi Ultra Savvy for DD4 that had a canopy.
Problem was that DD6 is now 54 lbs and DD4 is 35 lbs! There was no way for me to push DD6 easily in that cheapie umbrella (I'm a wimp too), so DH got to do that and I pushed DD4 in the Combi. The cheapie umbrella held up but was was very hard to push. Even DH was starting to complain and said that was the last time she got to sit in a stroller.
DH did not want to buy another stroller because we had 4 before (Combi, 2 U, and a large Graco? that also bit the dust) and our girls should be done with them soon and we aren't planning on any more kids.
On our next trip, DH will be flying home almost a week before me and the 2 girls, so I have to handle both girls on my own at the parks and at the airport. I know that DD6 would like to sit sometimes but there was no way I could push her in what we had now. She can walk on short park days and if we had no choice but there is a lot of walking at WDW and it's nice to have the girls in the stroller so that I could keep track of them especially if I'm alone.
I thought about having DH pushing her in the cheap U when necessary the first week and I would rent a double at the parks when he was gone. But since we were staying at the BWV, it was more about the walk from the resort to the parks that I was concerned about. Also $16-18 times 4 days was about $64-72 and I still wouldn't have a stroller outside the parks or at the airport.
I talked to DD6 in depth about our Disney trip before I purchased the air tickets. I told her that when Daddy left, there was no way I could push both girls in the stroller at the same time. She knows that she is too heavy for me. She has to be willing to walk otherwise we would just leave with Daddy. I told her that I would explore all options such as renting or buying a new stroller but if nothing was feasible for our situation, she would have to walk. She made sure that I was only talking about walking the 2nd part of the trip and that Daddy would push her the first week if she got tired, and promised she would walk if it meant that we could stay longer.
I started doing research on-line, here and elsewhere, and figured out that the Maclarens were the ony stroller that could handle DD6's heavy weight. I had pushed DD6 in a borrowed Maclaren once and knew that it made her higher weight very easy to push. Started toying with the idea of a Maclaren double ($$$) because it could handle both my girls' weight and it was still considered an umbrella stroller and I could push and keep track of them at the same time.
Did I mention that I was wimpy? I only handle light umbrella strollers. Our Combi is only 8 lbs. The babysitter use to take the Graco? out to take my then DD4 to preschool. DD2 would sit in the stroller and DD4 would "sit" in the basket!
They got some serious use out of it before it went missing when they went to visit a friend's place after school. The babysitter left it downstairs in the friend's apartment building and it was gone when they came down - probably got thrown away as garbage because it was pretty beat up!
I knew that I would have to handle both the kids and a 27 lbs umbrella stroller by myself when DH went home. Wasn't sure my "muscles" were up to it. Theoretically, a Maclaren double was the best choice for my situation but I had to confirm it by trying it out in real life.
DH and I packed the kids in the car this past Saturday and off we went to Babiesrus and BuyBuyBaby to try out strollers. Boy, it was a long time since we needed to step into either of those stores!
I told the girls we were ONLY trying out the strollers to see if Mommy like them, we were not buying anything now and if I didn't like the strollers we might not get anything at all.
Babiesrus didn't have a large selection but BuyBuyBaby did. As I secretly suspected, although I liked the Maclaren double (tried the rally and the twin traveller) it still seemed a bit bulky to me and heavy even when folded. Hats off to all the Moms out there who handle multiple kids and heavy duty strollers seemingly with one hand tied behind their backs!
I thought that I might feel a little overwhelmed with handling a 27 lbs folded umbrella and 2 little kids and whatever baggage we may have on my own. I'm tired just thinking about it. It was beginning to look like DD6 was going to have to walk the second half of our trip unless I shelled out $$ for a double stroller that was only good at the park.
The double was out. We started to look at the single Maclarens because DH would still need to push DD6 during the first week and the cheap umbrella was being retired. We tired the Volo, Truimph, and Quest and they all pushed effortlessly, like a dream even with 54 lbs in it!
DH and I preferred the Volo because it was the simpliest. DH actually liked the mesh seats over the fabric seats - lol! Easier to clean. The 2 higher end models were nice too but I couldn't figure out the recline feature and thought the seats had too many "buttons" to deal with.
Remember that we had lived with multiple trips to Disney with cheap umbrella strollers without even a canopy (which I always wanted). We didn't really need any fancy features such as the recline (although nice) because we usually only spent a few hours a day at the parks and would head back to the resort when tired. For us the strollers were not traveling comfy beds for the kids to rest but a place to plant their butts if they were too tired or more likely lazy to walk to where we needed to get.
As we were trying out single Maclerans (and others), suddenly a devious thought popped into my head!
We tried each stroller again with DD6 sitting in it but this time we put DD4 in her lap! Over 90 lbs and all 3 Maclarens still pushed effortlessly! Other brands, not too well.
As we got back in the car, I told the girls that I would shop on-line for a Maclaren single (most likely the Volo). When Daddy was at WDW with us, we would each push a stroller. DD4 would sit in the Combi and DD6 would sit in the Maclaren. When Daddy left, we would leave the Combi in the room and DD4 would sit in the Maclaren and DD6 would walk. For those desperate times that DD6 was too tired to walk, they could share. We would check in the Combi for the flight home and keep the Maclaren for the airport to gate check.
And that's my stroller saga and the decision I made.
I know that many out there my not agree with me and that's fine. But this works for me. No way can I handle even a light double stroller. Like I keep mentioning, I'm very wimpy. DD6 is capable of walking but ocassionally gets tired too especially when she sees her sister being pampered. For those times it's nice to have the option of a stroller that can handle additional weight so that I don't have to listen to constant whining or deal with a cranky meltdown. Both DDs have used umbrellas for years and haven't used the seat belts in ages. We don't push them at break-neck paces. Is there a danger in doing this? I'm sure there is. But there is a danger in them running and falling down too. So, I guess I'm willing to take such a calculated risk.
Yes, we will also be over the weight limit of the stroller if we do this consistently. We do plan to bring 2 strollers, so doubling up will only happen when I'm alone with the girls. Both DD's are over the weight limit on the cheap umbrella strollers and have been for quite some time and we still got at least 3 years out of them so I'm not too worried about the Maclaren. So, it may shorten the life of the stroller but we are at the end of our strollers years. When it bites the dust, no more strollers at all. But I have a feeling it will be going strong until DD4 outgrows strollers altogether!
Hopes this helps someone out there in a similar situation. Hopefully a double will work for you but the bottom line is you really need to go to the store and try it out! Reading about it on-line helps but is not the same. Nothing worse then buying and then hating or not even using that "perfect" stroller.
My girls are 4 and 6.5 yo. DD6 never uses a stroller except at WDW. DD4 is a wimp and will get tired walking from the car to the entrance of the mall,
so if there is any walking involved, she needs a stroller. When DD6 sees her sister get pushed around like a queen, she wants to sit also.Up until our last trip to WDW in April 2005, we used a cheapie umbrella stroller for both girls for many trip. One umbrella stroller bit the dust, so in April, we brought the umbrella for DD6 and our old (1999) Combi Ultra Savvy for DD4 that had a canopy.
Problem was that DD6 is now 54 lbs and DD4 is 35 lbs! There was no way for me to push DD6 easily in that cheapie umbrella (I'm a wimp too), so DH got to do that and I pushed DD4 in the Combi. The cheapie umbrella held up but was was very hard to push. Even DH was starting to complain and said that was the last time she got to sit in a stroller.
DH did not want to buy another stroller because we had 4 before (Combi, 2 U, and a large Graco? that also bit the dust) and our girls should be done with them soon and we aren't planning on any more kids.
On our next trip, DH will be flying home almost a week before me and the 2 girls, so I have to handle both girls on my own at the parks and at the airport. I know that DD6 would like to sit sometimes but there was no way I could push her in what we had now. She can walk on short park days and if we had no choice but there is a lot of walking at WDW and it's nice to have the girls in the stroller so that I could keep track of them especially if I'm alone.
I thought about having DH pushing her in the cheap U when necessary the first week and I would rent a double at the parks when he was gone. But since we were staying at the BWV, it was more about the walk from the resort to the parks that I was concerned about. Also $16-18 times 4 days was about $64-72 and I still wouldn't have a stroller outside the parks or at the airport.
I talked to DD6 in depth about our Disney trip before I purchased the air tickets. I told her that when Daddy left, there was no way I could push both girls in the stroller at the same time. She knows that she is too heavy for me. She has to be willing to walk otherwise we would just leave with Daddy. I told her that I would explore all options such as renting or buying a new stroller but if nothing was feasible for our situation, she would have to walk. She made sure that I was only talking about walking the 2nd part of the trip and that Daddy would push her the first week if she got tired, and promised she would walk if it meant that we could stay longer.
I started doing research on-line, here and elsewhere, and figured out that the Maclarens were the ony stroller that could handle DD6's heavy weight. I had pushed DD6 in a borrowed Maclaren once and knew that it made her higher weight very easy to push. Started toying with the idea of a Maclaren double ($$$) because it could handle both my girls' weight and it was still considered an umbrella stroller and I could push and keep track of them at the same time.
Did I mention that I was wimpy? I only handle light umbrella strollers. Our Combi is only 8 lbs. The babysitter use to take the Graco? out to take my then DD4 to preschool. DD2 would sit in the stroller and DD4 would "sit" in the basket!
They got some serious use out of it before it went missing when they went to visit a friend's place after school. The babysitter left it downstairs in the friend's apartment building and it was gone when they came down - probably got thrown away as garbage because it was pretty beat up!I knew that I would have to handle both the kids and a 27 lbs umbrella stroller by myself when DH went home. Wasn't sure my "muscles" were up to it. Theoretically, a Maclaren double was the best choice for my situation but I had to confirm it by trying it out in real life.
DH and I packed the kids in the car this past Saturday and off we went to Babiesrus and BuyBuyBaby to try out strollers. Boy, it was a long time since we needed to step into either of those stores!
I told the girls we were ONLY trying out the strollers to see if Mommy like them, we were not buying anything now and if I didn't like the strollers we might not get anything at all.
Babiesrus didn't have a large selection but BuyBuyBaby did. As I secretly suspected, although I liked the Maclaren double (tried the rally and the twin traveller) it still seemed a bit bulky to me and heavy even when folded. Hats off to all the Moms out there who handle multiple kids and heavy duty strollers seemingly with one hand tied behind their backs!
I thought that I might feel a little overwhelmed with handling a 27 lbs folded umbrella and 2 little kids and whatever baggage we may have on my own. I'm tired just thinking about it. It was beginning to look like DD6 was going to have to walk the second half of our trip unless I shelled out $$ for a double stroller that was only good at the park.
The double was out. We started to look at the single Maclarens because DH would still need to push DD6 during the first week and the cheap umbrella was being retired. We tired the Volo, Truimph, and Quest and they all pushed effortlessly, like a dream even with 54 lbs in it!
DH and I preferred the Volo because it was the simpliest. DH actually liked the mesh seats over the fabric seats - lol! Easier to clean. The 2 higher end models were nice too but I couldn't figure out the recline feature and thought the seats had too many "buttons" to deal with.
Remember that we had lived with multiple trips to Disney with cheap umbrella strollers without even a canopy (which I always wanted). We didn't really need any fancy features such as the recline (although nice) because we usually only spent a few hours a day at the parks and would head back to the resort when tired. For us the strollers were not traveling comfy beds for the kids to rest but a place to plant their butts if they were too tired or more likely lazy to walk to where we needed to get.
As we were trying out single Maclerans (and others), suddenly a devious thought popped into my head!
We tried each stroller again with DD6 sitting in it but this time we put DD4 in her lap! Over 90 lbs and all 3 Maclarens still pushed effortlessly! Other brands, not too well.As we got back in the car, I told the girls that I would shop on-line for a Maclaren single (most likely the Volo). When Daddy was at WDW with us, we would each push a stroller. DD4 would sit in the Combi and DD6 would sit in the Maclaren. When Daddy left, we would leave the Combi in the room and DD4 would sit in the Maclaren and DD6 would walk. For those desperate times that DD6 was too tired to walk, they could share. We would check in the Combi for the flight home and keep the Maclaren for the airport to gate check.
And that's my stroller saga and the decision I made.
I know that many out there my not agree with me and that's fine. But this works for me. No way can I handle even a light double stroller. Like I keep mentioning, I'm very wimpy. DD6 is capable of walking but ocassionally gets tired too especially when she sees her sister being pampered. For those times it's nice to have the option of a stroller that can handle additional weight so that I don't have to listen to constant whining or deal with a cranky meltdown. Both DDs have used umbrellas for years and haven't used the seat belts in ages. We don't push them at break-neck paces. Is there a danger in doing this? I'm sure there is. But there is a danger in them running and falling down too. So, I guess I'm willing to take such a calculated risk.
Yes, we will also be over the weight limit of the stroller if we do this consistently. We do plan to bring 2 strollers, so doubling up will only happen when I'm alone with the girls. Both DD's are over the weight limit on the cheap umbrella strollers and have been for quite some time and we still got at least 3 years out of them so I'm not too worried about the Maclaren. So, it may shorten the life of the stroller but we are at the end of our strollers years. When it bites the dust, no more strollers at all. But I have a feeling it will be going strong until DD4 outgrows strollers altogether!
Hopes this helps someone out there in a similar situation. Hopefully a double will work for you but the bottom line is you really need to go to the store and try it out! Reading about it on-line helps but is not the same. Nothing worse then buying and then hating or not even using that "perfect" stroller.
i know i don't!
on her head-I will use a hat if needed.) Maybe your DD's could take turns riding in this Volo after your husband leaves. That way they wont have to ride on top of each other all the time. (I know my 2 youngest would have never done that- they like to pick at each other WAY TOO much!). 
