Planning a Trip ... Need a Stroller ...

[jdg345]

Hello again fellow DVC DIS'ers! We're planning a trip and need to purchase a stroller for an 8-month old traveller. We hope to use it further along as well, but that's what we're dealing with today.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Everything I read is Graco Graco Graco, but we recently came across a Combi DK-5 that looked very convenient and safe. The reason I'm asking here is because I've seen many comments regarding large/difficult strollers and using the Buses and other Disney Transportation. I've also seen the difficult task of lugging some of these larger (ie: huge) strollers first hand.

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks in advance!

 

[toesmom]

Weight limit is 55 lbs, nice big seat, good recline, ok storage space, only 12.2 pounds, great for travel, nicely padded seat, added universal organizer for $20 for extra storage.

You'll be able to use it for many years. My ds just turned 3 and I just bought it. I love it, actually feel bad spending $160 USD when he is already 3, so you shouldn't feel bad at all!!! Resale value is very high as well.

In addition, the front wheels lock so you can easily get the little one to sleep with front/back rocking motion, in the room or in the parks, and that is priceless.

Albeebaby.com has great prices, excellent service.

 

[DisneyDVCdad]

I've had to carry the Graco Stroller on and off the bus for our last 2 trips it's been a real pain in the bud! I told my wife next time to just go out and buy a little umbrella stroller to make both our lives a little easier! They are lighter and much easier to tote around and not that expensive!

 

[kdzgon]

Weight limit is 55 lbs, nice big seat, good recline, ok storage space, only 12.2 pounds, great for travel, nicely padded seat, added universal organizer for $20 for extra storage.

You'll be able to use it for many years. My ds just turned 3 and I just bought it. I love it, actually feel bad spending $160 USD when he is already 3, so you shouldn't feel bad at all!!! Resale value is very high as well.

In addition, the front wheels lock so you can easily get the little one to sleep with front/back rocking motion, in the room or in the parks, and that is priceless.

Albeebaby.com has great prices, excellent service.

Used the MacLaren twin stroller for two 3 1/2 yr olds in Sept '06-it was a godsend - I have two Gracos, and borrowed this one instead. There is NO comparison, IMO. I loved it so much, I am replacing the Gracos - and I'm only "grandma" with a part-time need for this!

 

[jdg345]

I found this on the website:

http://www.specialtybaby.com/ma20glstinat.html

Is this the same as the Quest? We're looking for something in travel systems. The other we mentioned was also on that website:

http://www.specialtybaby.com/codkullits401.html

Can the MacLaren Tri-Fold? Is it one-hand-operational?

 

[toesmom]

That's a good price, it is a deluxe maclaren stroller, and it says it weighs almost 20 lbs. That's a consideration since the quest model only weighs 12 lbs.

Do a comparison of features and see which you like better. You can't go wrong with any of the maclarens, except the triumph which has very shallow/small seating area.

I bought the moss bubbles quest stroller for $159 USD LOVE IT. Oh and you can buy silver cross stroller organizer (under accessories) for $9.99 on sale from regular $30. Same thing as maclaren organizer but much more affordable.

 

[Desnik]

I have 2 kids and have had too many strollers to count!!LOL I was on a quest to find the "perfect" one. I have found 2 that are so perfect but in different ways. For a child that is your child's age my top choice is the Peg Perego Pliko P3. This stroller can last well into the toddler years! It comes in alot of colors. Here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-US...1/103-5527074-7584640?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products

The other stroller I love is the Maclaren Triumph. It is an umbrella stroller that reclines and has a basket underneath and sun shade. It is great for WDW and quick trips out. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Maclaren-Triu...1/103-5527074-7584640?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products

 

[jdg345]

I have 2 kids and have had too many strollers to count!!LOL I was on a quest to find the "perfect" one. I have found 2 that are so perfect but in different ways. For a child that is your child's age my top choice is the Peg Perego Pliko P3. This stroller can last well into the toddler years! It comes in alot of colors. Here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-US...1/103-5527074-7584640?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products

The other stroller I love is the Maclaren Triumph. It is an umbrella stroller that reclines and has a basket underneath and sun shade. It is great for WDW and quick trips out. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Maclaren-Triu...1/103-5527074-7584640?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products

Thanks so much! I appreciate the feedback ... We're looking at the Peg Perego's now as well ... All Three: Combi, Maclaren, Peg Perego seem to have their pro's and con's ... I think we really like the size and convenience of the Combi, but would like to get some more feedback from individuals that own them and travel with them like we do. The Maclaren seems great, though the a little heavier, and we'd need to purchase a separate car seat for it. I'm just reading into the Peg Perego's now.

Why is this soooo difficult? :lol:

Thanks again to all who have chimed in! Please keep the comments and suggestions coming.

Happy Holidays!

 

[jdg345]

That's a good price, it is a deluxe maclaren stroller, and it says it weighs almost 20 lbs. That's a consideration since the quest model only weighs 12 lbs.

Do a comparison of features and see which you like better. You can't go wrong with any of the maclarens, except the triumph which has very shallow/small seating area.

I bought the moss bubbles quest stroller for $159 USD LOVE IT. Oh and you can buy silver cross stroller organizer (under accessories) for $9.99 on sale from regular $30. Same thing as maclaren organizer but much more affordable.

Thanks! The model I linked was the only one that came up under 'Travel Systems'. I understand it doesn't include a car/infant seat, but just about any one can be purchased and attached to it. Does the Quest one take a car/infant/newborn seat attachment as well? Moss Bubbles is the 'trim', right?

Thanks again!

 

[poohfriend]

before you know it your little one will be out of that carrier...get a stroller that will meet your needs longer.

I didn't buy a Mac until my 3rd child was 8 months old. I LOVE IT AND AM SO GLAD I SPLURGED.

Let me just say that we've never bought a top of the line anything. I have a Techno classic that was an old model when I bought it. Can't believe how much I love a stroller!

Albee baby is fantastic. I suggest you call and talk to them over the phone. I received great (although very New Yorkish) advice. (Please don't take offense at this, I'm from the South and everything here is Yes Ma'am, No Sir, etc... You just don't get that in NY!)

You can try out most of the strollers you mentioned at TRU. Or at least the brand.

My Mac is an umbrella style fold and I'd always hated umbrella strollers. BUT I LOVE THIS ONE! IMHO you need a padded seat and a recline feature since your child is so young.

STEERING IS A DREAM! Did I mention Steering and the adjustable handles...so easy to use -- even with one hand. (SOmetimes my other hand is needed to hold other child's hand!)

Buy a good stroller...whatever that means to you...you won't regret it. And you'll get years of use out of it.

LOVE MY MAC!

 

[robinb]

McClaren, McClaren, McClaren.

I went through 3 strollers before I bought my Mac: a Graco, a Combi, and an umbrella stroller. I bought the Mac when my DD was about 2 and still used on our last trip when my DD turned 7 and weighed almost 50lbs. They can be pretty expensive, but it will be the last stroller you buy!

 

[robinb]

Thanks! The model I linked was the only one that came up under 'Travel Systems'. I understand it doesn't include a car/infant seat, but just about any one can be purchased and attached to it. Does the Quest one take a car/infant/newborn seat attachment as well? Moss Bubbles is the 'trim', right?

Your child is 8 months old ... why do you need a "Travel System"? IMO, they are a complete waste of money! Even for a new born. Your baby should be able to sit up in a regular stroller fine. Look for one that reclines for naps.

 

[Desnik]

I also had a Combi in the past. I just felt it didn't last long for the size of my DD. Now my kids are tiny for their ages, but the Combi's seem to be so narrow, their seats are what I'm talking about. Also after using it awhile the wheels started to squeek and the stroller just felt very plasticky to me, if that makes sense! The Peg is such a great stroller and so much better IMHO! If you need the infant car seat too, the Peg has one that attatches to the P3 stroller. We had that for DS. He was a premie so he was in his infant carseat for a long time. The Peg folds so easily and also has the foot pedals in the back for an older child to stand on. We used that feature alot and my kids are 5 years apart!LOL The Peg also folds umbrella style, has a basket, cup holder, and the biggest sunshade! You can cover your child completely with it and it is water proof!!!

I know it is a really hard decision! I would go to all the baby stores and put my kids in them and try them out that way. Along with reading reviews online, it really helped. I think you can't go wrong with either a Peg or Mac!

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

Go with the Maclaren Quest.

I guess you might want a travel system to use for future children, BUT there will be many times when you will need a stroller for your current child when a new baby is in the travel system, so go with the Quest, and if you have another baby get a Pliko.

Don´t buy a Combi stroller, it might feel great with a baby, but we bought ours when dd was 2.5 years (thinking 45 pounds was a great limit), and it was impossible to push when she was sitting on it (about 34 lbs at the time), total waste of money, we decided to leave it at home and rent one from abbf, the stroller was soooo bad, also the seat is too shallow.

Now the Quest, aaaahhhh what a dream. It has an extendable footrest and multiple positions, both which will be very handy with an 8 month old, steers like a dream, even with a heavier child, the basket hold a lot more than it looks like, is lightweight, you can take the seat to wash very easy, but especially it is easy to push, after all the pushing you will do while at Disney, you will be grateful if you go this way.

Forgot to add that I bought mine off albeebaby.com when I traveled to NY with 3.7 yo dd, and most new yorkers use the Maclarens, I would go so far as to say that about 3 out of every 4 strollers that I saw, were Maclarens, there were also a few Bugabus, but mostly for really young babies. And new yorkes walk everywhere, so they MUST know which are the best strollers.

HTH

Julie

 

[jdg345]

McClaren, McClaren, McClaren.

I went through 3 strollers before I bought my Mac: a Graco, a Combi, and an umbrella stroller. I bought the Mac when my DD was about 2 and still used on our last trip when my DD turned 7 and weighed almost 50lbs. They can be pretty expensive, but it will be the last stroller you buy!

Thanks! Can you share, if you don't mind, what you didn't like about the Graco and the Combi? And which models you had? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[jdg345]

Your child is 8 months old ... why do you need a "Travel System"? IMO, they are a complete waste of money! Even for a new born. Your baby should be able to sit up in a regular stroller fine. Look for one that reclines for naps.

Actually ... our child would be 8 months old for the trip in question ... he's currently about -3 months.

We looked at the Travel Systems since the Car Sear could be mounted on them ... how long is that really feasible though? Like, at what point do you go from Car Seat to Full Stroller? I really dont know.

I think the McLaren Quest is good from roughly 3 months. I'm so confused!

 

[robinb]

Thanks! Can you share, if you don't mind, what you didn't like about the Graco and the Combi? And which models you had? Thanks so much in advance!

I had mine about 5 years ago, so tak ethat into account. My Graco was very heavy and it didn't fold up well. My Combi was lightweight with a nice basket, but it ended up being flimsy and broke *twice*. I will admit that I am pretty hard on strollers since we have travelled all over the world. Any stroller of mine needs to stand up to my DD *and* the airlines, LOL!

 

[Elmo888]

If you like the travel system concept, get a Baby Trend Snap N Go or other frame stroller (I think that Graco and Kolcraft make one). They are relatively inexpensive, around $50, and they don't tie you to a stroller that may not fit your needs in the long run.

Babies can be in infant car seats anywhere from 3 months to 12 months. It depends on the size of the baby. Even if they can use the infant car seat until 12 months, at some point, the baby gets too heavy to move around in the car seat (plus, they don't sleep in it as much around 8 or 9 months so the travel system concept loses its usefulness). Keep in mind that some babies outgrow the infant car seat by 4 months or so.

As the others posted, go with a Maclaren or Peg Perego Pliko P3. Strollers will state "from 3 months and up" because the stroller doesn't recline enough for a newborn. The P3 reclines enough for a newborn and there are models of the Maclarens that do, too.

 

[poohfriend]

I've given this way too much thought while putting DS to bed tonight.

When my first was born (8 years ago) I had a Graco Travel System. It had a one-handed folding system (pull a button with your thumb and twist to close) that took two hands and a foot to close.

I then bought a double stroller when the 2nd was born. I would have never bought this, but ran into one for $25 on clearance at Target a few weeks before my 2nd was born (when 1st child still loved to ride in a stroller). It was a costco I think. It was actually very nice.

When my third was born, my DH took me to the mall a few weeks after he was born by c-section. DH left the nice double stroller behind the van on the sidewalk when we left the mall.

I was left with my Graco Travelite system. UGHHHH.

Now I love the idea of taking a sleeping baby out of the car and gently placing her into a stroller and then I go off and do what I want. But reality is that the number of times you really want to do that are limited.

Places you don't use the travel system:
grocery store
walmart/target
drug store
church
the grandparents house
a friends house
your home

Places you do use the travel system:
the airport (now I have to admit this is really nice!)
the mall (this is nice too)
the hospital or doctors office when you go back for your post-baby check-up
possibly the paved walking path near your home

Reality is that we use the travel system as a whole package less times than the cost makes it worthwhile. I have never met an experienced mom with her 2nd or 3rd child who loves her Travel System.

We all love it those first few months. Then suddenly we realize that baby is over 15 pounds and when you add the carrier to it it's kind of hard to get baby out of the car without waking her up. Then you just gently get her out of the car and put her in the stroller or carry her.

I'm guessing that by 9 months a good portion of children have outgrown the carriers by weight or height. Then you have to have a good rear-facing car seat anyway. And they are so much nicer and more comfortable for our kids anyway.

Back to the topic at hand. After my son was 6 months, I began looking for a stroller and chose a Mac...based on the advice from the DIS. I also considered a PILKO, and may have selected it if it had been my first child. The Mac is much more portable to me. Compared with a Graco, it takes up half the room if not a third of my trunk, it's lighter, and more comfortable to steer. The only thing I miss: a drink holder. (But my skip hop duo bad holds my drink now).

Okay, like I said, I've been thinking about this too long. PLEASE save yourself the purchase of several strollers over the years and invest in a good one your first time. The travel systems are not worth the money IMHO...unless you can find one that becomes an easy to steer stroller with a heavy toddler in it! That wasn't my experience with a travel system...but improvements are constantly made....

GOOD LUCK...MY LAST WORD ON THE SUBJECT.

 

[justhat]

We're in the market for another stroller and I've finally decided on the Peg Perego Pliko P3. This will be our 5th stroller and we're only on our 2nd kid! The first was a Graco that was part of a travel system. Guess how many times I used that? I admit I used it in the beginning with our daughter, but she HATED her infant carseat so even that was limited use. Our son has never used it as a travel system, but has used the stroller, but I hate it cause it's heavy and bulky.

2nd stroller is a Combi I-Thru, which I like well enough, but it doesn't steer well and it's a very short seat so when our 2.5yo lays down to nap in it most of her body hangs off of the seat (she's around 37 inches).

3rd was a Maclaren Techno Classic which we loved, but then the airline broke it on a trip to WDW last Christmas. We taped the wheel on with medical tape from first aid but then the handles broke off on a flight back from Tucson the next month.

Didn't want the Combi or Graco for our WDW trip last March so we started looking at new strollers. I wanted the Pliko P3 back then cause it had the footboard for my daughter to stand on while the baby rode, but since he wasn't born yet people cautioned me to wait till he was to buy it cause my daughter might not want to give up her stroller to him. Good advice, btw, cause even though she never wanted to be in a stroller a year ago, since her brother was born she always wants to ride. Anyway, we got a Chicco C5, which I like a lot. It's like a Maclaren, but a lot cheaper, so I figured if the airline broke it I wouldn't be too angry and so far it's been fine. The seat is kinda cheap so when you fold it up it bends in half on the back, but my daughter hasn't complained about it. It's not so great with the baby, but maybe cause we're too lazy to adjust the straps to fit him better. It's the stroller we use most often with our daughter, when I carry the baby in a sling or Bjorn, but for him we mostly use the Graco or Combi cause he's just not too comfy in the Chicco.

The Pliko though I think is perfect cause my son looked comfortable in it and so did my daughter and she's twice his size so I know I'll get decent use out of it.

And about the carseat-my daughter was tiny for her age, especially weight wise (she didn't hit 20 pounds till around 15 months), so she was in her infant carseat till almost 10 months. Even then she was still able to fit in the infant seat (and we used it on vacations till she was about a year old), but it just got heavy and we never took it out of the car anyway so we figured we might as well switch her. She hated the infant seat but once we changed her to a "real" carseat (a Britax) she never made a peep in the car again so I guess it was much more comfortable. My son, however, is already over 16 pounds at 4 months so his time in the infant seat is much more limited.