Rain & Stroller?

[JamesMom]

I have read many threads that recommend hitting the parks when its raining and planning business as usual. That's great for those who can don a poncho and take off. What about the toddler? How do you prepare them and their transport (the stroller) for a rainy-day adventure? Just want to pack the advice away for our upcoming trip - FOUR months from Today YAY!!

 

[SnowWhite12]

Good question! I'd like to know also. DD2 will be with us. We are taking her Graco Quatro stroller and don't want to have to buy a rain cover. I have read on here that people "clip" some ponchos over their stroller when parking it. But how DO you cover a toddler, both in the stroller, and when she is walking?

 

[snugglepeas]

I have a chicco C5 stroller for disney trips and it came with a rain cover

 

[NotUrsula]

You put the toddler in a poncho, wearing sandals that can get wet, and you put a rain cover on your stroller. When you sit the toddler *in* the stroller seat, you pull the back of the poncho up and over the back of the seat so that you don't soak the upholstery too badly.

Rain covers are really not very expensive, and are a good investment b/c it often rains every single day in Florida for short periods in the summertime. You should NOT leave your stroller outside a ride without putting a rain cover over it, because when you come back 40 minutes later it may be soaked by a rain shower that you never saw coming and which is already over. Proper rain covers are best for two reasons: 1) they have air vents, and 2) because they are fitted it is easy to leave them on the stroller at all times and just gather up and clip them back over the hood when not in use.

If you don't want to buy a proper raincover, I recommend using a clear shower curtain liner with a few clothes pins or binder clips to hold it in place. Remember that it must hang loosely to allow for air circulation, and be sure to air it out thoroughly outdoors before you leave home; the fumes from new vinyl can make your child sick. Using an adult poncho works in a pinch, but the hood is apt to form a "bucket" right over the seat, that will often dump water into the seat as you try to move or remove the poncho.

 

[JamesMom]

Anybody have a picture of the above described contraption? I thinking you need to line the seat with plastic of some sort, put the toddler in poncho and then cover the outer part stroller with yet another piece of plastic and hope the kid doesn't suffocate (lol)?

 

[NotUrsula]

Sorry, no pics of the shower curtain rig; all my strollers have fitted covers.

The seat of a stroller WILL get damp if a child in a wet poncho is sitting in it; you're just trying to prevent a true soaking. Once you put the child in the seat, take the poncho hood off his head for safety.

To use a flat cover you have to have a hood on the stroller. Extend the hood, then drape the plastic over the entire stroller so that it goes down the back to a height about a foot off the ground. Clip the plastic on the ribs of the hood, then also clip it on the front (and perhaps on the back) uprights of the stroller frame so that the wind cannot flip it off, but not so tight that air cannot get up inside. With a child inside, you should flap the plastic a bit about every 5 minutes to be absolutely sure that air is circulating underneath (unless the wind is gusting hard, in which case it probably wouldn't be necessary.)

The contents of a basket underneath the stroller generally will NOT be protected from rain by a cover; use a large trash bag to bag those items if you are OK with the risk of leaving items in the basket of an unattended stroller.

Fitted raincovers that don't have a ribbed dome (that would be the most common kind for US strollers that have hoods) generally cost less than $15. Using one is by far the easiest solution. Ribbed "bubble" weather shields are common in Europe where a lot of people walk for transport and a lot of strollers don't have sun hoods; those are considerably more expensive, but not necessary for occasional use, IMO.

 

[vy2cga]

I purchased at Wal-Mart a very inexpensive plastic stoller raincover for our trip to WDW. It had air holes and velcro to close it. It covered the canopy and was large enough to cover the entire small stoller and seemed to keep things in the basket dry too. As pp mentioned frequent short rain showers are common and I was glad I covered the stoller each time we went in anywhere. I was so glad to have it and keep ds and his belongings dry. Also, a hint I learned on the DIS was to bring a shammy with us in a zip lock bag to keep it dry and use it to wipe the cover off after it rained. I would never have thought of that one but it was a great idea that I used many times. As an extra precaution, I also put contents of stroller bag in ziplock bags but they never seemed to get wet and it was cold and rained a lot when we were there.

 

[HoosierFantasia]

Most definitely buy the rain cover for your stroller. For years I have used it and watched people struggle in a down pour with the pooncho over the stroller. We put our little girl in a light rain jacket. its easy for them to get on and off.
many times I run out to get the stroller and bring it back to mom and the kids that are standing in a dry area. so getting the kid in and out during the rain usually wasn't an issue.

Bill

 

[cnlmom]

Ours did not look very pretty, but was extremely functional and inexpensive. We bought some heavey plastic at Home Depot and my husband custom made a cover with that and some duct tape. Like I said was not very pretty, but it covered the entire stroller including all the way to the ground which kept the stuff in the basket dry. He even made a Mickey Mouse out of Duct Tape to make it look better. We had a double stroller and the only rain cover I could find was expensive.
While we were there it rained cats and dogs at Animal Kingdom for hours, but we had a fantastic time. Put the kids in ponchos and sandels and the park cleared out while we stayed and rode rides with virtually no waits. Several people commented on how smart we were to have the cover. It fit in a big ziplock for storage. It cost less than $5 and was about the smartest thing we did for trip prep. (other than the hours and hours on the dis boards!!!). We love Disney in the rain!!!

 

[2002Disneybride]

Well, I bought this great stroller for my 2 boys with WDW in mind. Now, I can not get the rain cover-it is BACKORDERED! I called the company-BACKORDERED! AAARGH!

So I have to think how I can rig it so it doesn;t get wet!~

 

[2poohbears]

Would any of these rain covers fit your stroller?

http://www.toysrus.com/search/index...ller rain covers&f=Taxonomy/TRUS/2255957&sr=1

I bought one for each of our umbrella strollers and have used them both times we took our boys to WDW. They work GREAT, are really easy to put on and take off, fold up small enough to put in the hanging bag on the back of the umbrella stroller - and I like that they have the air holes/netting along the side panels. They were worth every penny of the $10 I paid for each. I'm bringing them again next week when we go. FYI - Even if it doesn't rain, I use them in Animal Kingdom to keep the bird mess off the stroller seats.

 

[SnowWhite12]

Thanks for that link! I may go ahead and get a stroller cover, but still not sure what to do when she is out of stroller and walking. She is 2 and tiny, and I'm sure a poncho would swallow her?

 

[MommySiobhan]

Would any of these rain covers fit your stroller?

http://www.toysrus.com/search/index...ller rain covers&f=Taxonomy/TRUS/2255957&sr=1

Thanks for that. I can get a double and a single for $20

 

[JamesMom]

So, just so I understand (forgive me), you put the cover on the stroller (like in the picture from the link, ty btw) while the toddler is INSIDE the stroller? This is safe?

 

[tjmw2727]

Here are my tips - definately purchase a stroller rain cover as you will likely use it most afternoons for your personal stroller. Those afternoon showers pop up often esp spring, summer and fall If your going to leave your stroller for a while and hit a few attractions in one land then definately cover it in the afternoon.

In addition I always bought several clear ponchos from the dollar store and brought along some small binder clips. Once my dd's were over age 2 or so if it was raining and predicted rain all day I would rent a stroller and leave ours at the resort. The rental strollers are plastic and easily wiped dry so IMHO worth the $ for renting that day. Bring along a couple hand towels from the resort in a plastic bag. I used one for the kid(s) to sit on and the other for drying up as needed. The poncho covered the double stroller fine and the binder clips are small and keep it in place. You can also trade the stroller in for a dry one at no charge if need be.

For the kids I would dress them in comfy quick dry clothes and bring an extra change. Teva's, crocs or other easy to dry shoes are great for the feet but my kids would never wear a poncho they found them too uncomfortable. Instead try a rain coat from wallmart or target (they often have Disney!). It folds up just as small and my kids were much more comfy. Add a baseball hat or bucket hat and they were set for the day

HTH
TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

So, just so I understand (forgive me), you put the cover on the stroller (like in the picture from the link, ty btw) while the toddler is INSIDE the stroller? This is safe?

Yes, the child rides in the stroller with the cover on, there are vents on the sides you just can't tell from the picture. Once you see it I am sure you will be ok with it

TJ

 

[Twingle]

Just to share my .02 - if you can, try out the rain cover on your stroller, with your child in the stroller, at home. We had a rain cover for our twins on their first trip, in December 2005. It was HORRIBLE. My girls totally and completely freaked out once the plastic was over the stroller, they were clawing at it and trying to get it off of them. It was like a scene from a scary movie. So not good.

After that lovely episode, we covered the stroller so it didn't get wet, but put the girls in their ponchos (purchased at the dollar store. kids sizes, and then we just knotted the sides) and let them splash in the rain. They thought it was great fun, totally not something we would have every done at home.

 

[jessica52877]

Ours came with a raincover and I have never used it. Only even had it with me once. The way it hooks it would only keep rain off my child and I wouldn't put him under it with it on, way too hot and not enough air in my opinion. it doesn't cover the canopy or the back front of the stroller if that makes sense, so i would research the rain covers. Ours is a mac quest.

We have used a poncho when going on a ride to cover it. If it is raining hard enough where we can't just wear a raincoat then I won't take my son out in it.

 

[jessica52877]

Just looked at the link, those raincovers look like they actually work, nothing like the one that came with our stroller!

 

[2poohbears]

It rained several days on our last 2 trips - the 1st when our twins were 2 1/2 y/o and the 2nd when they were 3 1/2. I found some really cheap little raincoats at WalMart that came with hoods...they were kind of big, but I just rolled the sleeves up whenever the boys wore them. We went in JAN/FEB when crowd levels were low, so maybe it was just easier for us to get around, but with the stroller rain covers and the boys' raincoats we had no problems getting around WDW in the rain...it didn't slow us down at all and we had lots of fun on those days! I recommend bringing a pair of water proof shoes, like crocs so you don't have to worry about wet shoes and socks on rainy days.