Double stroller - to bring or not to bring....that is the question....

[mommyof2boys1girl]

I am second guessing myself....2 years ago after our last trip to DL, I swore I would never travel to DL without transportation for each child! Last time, we took a double stroller and an Ergo carrier for our 3 kids - the two youngest rode in the stroller most of the day, but by the end of the day the oldest was too exhausted for the walk back to the Camelot, so he'd hop in the stroller and we put the youngest in the Ergo (she'd fall alseep immediately!)

But now they are all 2 years older - the oldest is 7, and is pushing 60 lbs, so very few strollers can handle him! The next in line is around 47 lbs, so he's no lightweight either. The youngest is the opposite - she's just over 20 lbs, so much lighter.
So here's the point that I am battling with....all but the youngest are way too big to carry, but does it pay to bring a side by side double stroller just for the trips to and from the hotel? I say yes, dh says no....
What do you experts say??

 

[born_in_anaheim]

I completely understand where you are coming from. I have 3 kids (13,8, and 5). We are pass holders and go all the time. When my 5 year old was able to go to the park and walk around without stroller we were head over heels with glee. But, we still find ourselves carrying him when we do long days or go at night. If you can manage not using the double side by side throughout the park until absolutely necessary I would say go for it. I will say though that using a side by side can be a difficuly feat in the parks. There are a lot of areas that become over crowded and it's hard for a person to manuver himself let allow pushing a stroller. Now if you are flying... That allow would make me leave the stoller home - lol...

 

[kwally]

This was my big debate also. We were just there last week with our 3 ages 7,5 2 1/2 My 7 daughter is about 50lbs as is her 5yo brother. My 2 1/2 yo isn't quiet 30lbs. I didn't know what to do b/c I knew my older ones would get tired, and they did! I bought a used sit-n-stand stroller from a friend and it was the best thing ever! My little one would ride up front and the other two took turns sitting on the back bench part. A couple nights when they were real tired the older two would ride in the stroller and I would carry the 2 yo and that worked well, it was only about a 10 minute walk to the hotel. There is no way we would have made it w/o the stroller, I would have had very tired and crabby kids if they couldn't have taken a break every now and then! I checked with our carrier for our flight about brining a stroller and it was free so that made it much easier to take! We checked it with our bags so we didn't have to worry about taking it around the airport, otherwise you can check it at the gate. But we checked it with our bags, we had to change flights and we didn't have to worry about it, it made it with our bags with no problems. It was so easy! After being at the parks and looking at the stroller you can rent there, they would have been just fine for my little one, but my older two would have never fit! Hope that helps!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

my 7year old is light for his age an will still fit in the double stroller we have, he will be sleepy on the way home so we may take the stroller. Idk yet tho. we wish we could find one those strollers where he could stand in the back an we use the front if we need for stuff.

 

[thewritegirl]

My kids are 5 and 7. We just went to DL a couple of weeks ago. I specifically went out and bought a used stroller to bring with us, because I thought it would be good to have. Guess what? It never came out of the car! We didn't use it a single time, and the kids never once complained about being tired, even after being there all day.

So, if you would have asked me a month ago, I would have said "bring the double." Now, though, I would say just bring a stroller for your youngest. Double strollers are so bulky, too. I did see a lot of the "sit 'n stand" type strollers, though, with a step on the back for a second child to stand on. Maybe that would be a good compromise for you, if you really think your middle one will need the break.

 

[Anj]

I have a 7 yr old (62lbs), a 5 yr old (40 lbs) and a 2 yr old (30 lbs) and we ended up using 2 single strollers. Our 5 yr old felt ill from travelling, just tired a lot, so she was in the stroller quite a bit. A couple of times, my 7 yr old hopped in with my 5 yr old as she got tired near the end of our visit.

 

[goldies 5]

I would bring it. Your 5 year old will get tired after a lot of walking. Your 7 year old will appreciate it every now and then too. If you don't need it, park it. At least you will have it.

 

[Disney*Happy]

My two are 7 and 6 and we always bring the double. We park it in whichever land we are exploring and then get it when we are done. My youngest will literally sleep anywhere when he is tired so we need the stroller for that reason or he will lay on the ground and fall asleep. We park it until we need it and then we have it when it is necessary. I figure it is always better to err on the side of caution. Whichever you decide...have fun!

 

[L2S2C]

Im having the same problem, but my kids are 7, 4 and 1. Im not concerned about the 7 year old, I know she won't sit in a stroller, but my 4 year old will need one, but I dont have a double stroller, only a sit and stand, and the sit and stand does not recline, which means the 1 year old can't sleep...decisions decisions.

 

[MommiePrincess]

Mine are somewhat younger...4 years (petite 30 pounds) and 14 months. But I wanted to chime in that last visit in August we brought two single strollers. This April we are bringing the double side by side. I am only concerned about it not fitting into shops well as I like to go into World of Disney (name?) while they are napping in the stroller. If they were the ages of your children I would bring the double side by side.

 

[jennilouwho]

We had a side by side in November and fit in World of Disney just fine. There may have been a couple of tight squeezes, but I don't remember it being a problem.

Mine are somewhat younger...4 years (petite 30 pounds) and 14 months. But I wanted to chime in that last visit in August we brought two single strollers. This April we are bringing the double side by side. I am only concerned about it not fitting into shops well as I like to go into World of Disney (name?) while they are napping in the stroller. If they were the ages of your children I would bring the double side by side.

 

[tripletlyblessed]

I would take the double and toss your Ergo into the basket for emergencies.

I take my double and my triple into World of Disney with no problems beyond the usual tight squeezes in stores.

 

[joeysmommy]

I would just rent stroller at the park. It's hard enough to maneuver a single stroller through the park let alone a side by side.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I can't live without our double jogger in DLR. I pile the 3 youngest in there. Your oldest should be able to walk, but the walk back to the hotel will be a LOOOONG one with the 2 little ones if they aren't both in a stroller. I like the idea of stashing an umbrella stroller for your middle child to just use for the walk back and forth to the parks. Maybe someone who's done this can recommend a safe place to stash it...maybe stroller parking for the DL railroad on main st.???

 

[Brady's Mom]

We take our double jogger with us to DLR. It is great for keeping track of our kids when we are moving from one park to the other or moving from one land to the other. We park it in a land and then walk to whatever attractions we want to do and when we are ready to move on the kids just hop on in and we go. We also park our stroller backward with the wheels locked (just the regular wheel locking mechanism) in order to be able to find it easily and to make it more difficult to snatch.

We are going the week after Easter and had talked about not taking the stroller since our DS's are 5 and 7, but we decided since it will be soooo crowded that it was worth bringing it for ease of keeping track of people.

It is nice for them to have a place to sit while waiting for the fireworks or parades or to eat a snack. We love being able to stick our lunch stuff underneath and hold the occasional sweatshirt or whatever.

We haven't had too much trouble in WOD, but some of the stores on Main Street can be a little crowded. The Emporium is okay since it is so big, but some of the smaller stores can be a little tough to maneuver. We have parked the stroller and wandered through the shops if we really want to browse and then pick it up later.