Reasons not to take bigger stroller???

[all4fun]

And when we took DS#2 at 15 months, we found out that sit down restruants go out of there way to allow you to bring in a stroller with a sleeping infant/child that can sit.

We found this out to on our last trip when we showed up for our P.S. at Sci-Fi with my ds asleep in his stroller. I was relieved to be able to keep our meal plans while allowing him a much needed nap.

 

[las3888]

Well, looks like I now have only 2 1/2 months to get my DS to sleep in his stroller!!! Ironic because he was a "swing-napper"...only napped in his swing. I broke him of the habit with advice from my pedi and now he sleeps wonderfully in his crib for naps...HOWEVER, he is not a great napper in the stroller.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me to get him to nap in the stroller...ugh!!!

Thanks all for the great advice...I am a little wary of the trams, but I think we will be walking or boating to EPCOT or MGM, probably do monorail to MK, but may drive. Not even sure that we'll make it to AKL. If we do trams, it will probably only be once...I think we can handle it. At least I will be prepared!

Lisa

 

[Zoesmama03]

We've only been to WDW once so far and we took a large stroller. I found it to be no problem at all, and we even rode the tram with it (hubby folded it and sat it next to him, while I loaded up DD4). Nobody minded, and the tram did not have to wait on us as there are always a couple of people who have to run to make it, and they "buy us time" anyway...

My DD4 was very comfortable - was able to recline fully when she napped and had some room when she was awake. I personally HATE umbrella-type strollers. They have no cargo space, the munchkins are cramped in there, no cup holders, and even though I am only five foot three, I find that I have to hunch over to push the thing all day.

HTH-
Mel

I too hate the little cheap umbrellas I plan to get a bigger more expensive umbrella that has plenty of room for growing kids and will hold her to 40-50 lbs(Maclaren or a Silver Cross) and has a basket and canopy for sun. I've seen sooo many cheapies at the store some have one or the other but I have yet to find a good sized one that had a canopy & a basket.

If you can't do a Maclaren or other "bigger" umbrella I say go with the full sized for the room. If its not too much a pain to you to fold on tram or walk.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Think very careful about the space even in a van 4 adults luggage will take up A LOT of room.

I remember one trip my dad and step mom rented a van and with their luggage and ours(3 kids) it was tight fit. Of course you only have to deal with that from airport to hotel and the reverse.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

The only problems I have ever had with the big stroller was trying to get it on and off the bus. If you are renting a car and plan to drive then I say to definitely take your big stroller. If you plan to ride the busses I still say take your big stroller but be prepared for a bit of a hassle. (the hassle is worth it though for the convince in the parks)

 

[kizmac]

I say, take the bigger one! As long as it's not too heavy for DH then go for it. Should only have to fold for the tram other than the car trunk. Sounds much more comfy than the Combi and to be honest, lighter doesn't always make for better. My Graco Coach Rider is like the heaviest stroller I've ever encountered. Even heavier than my Graco double stroller. HUGE even when folded too and if I didn't have a huge Conversion Van it probably wouldn't even fit in my car. I LOVE it though. It handles like a dream and the cup holders and organizer tray is awesome. Way more comfy for DD than the Mac Volo I bought to take to Disney. If it didn't take up so much packing room, I would be taking the heavy Graco. Who knows, maybe if I have room I will take it.

If you have room, take the big one!

 

[WDWLinda]

I also geared up for the umbrella stroller - bought the Maclaren Quest for our trip in Oct. I have a 4 yr old and a will-be 8 mo. old. The Quest will be good for the older guy and I just decided to take our big Graco travel system stroller for the little guy, mostly because of the tray and storage. I actually think I might fit the folded up Quest under the big stroller for when my older son wants to walk. Now I just have to break the news to my husband - he'll think I'm crazy to carry one stroller under another. But I never found a good double for both of them. My son barely fit in the Mac Rally double, and he's 40 lb.s. I don't know how they say it fits a 55 lb. kid - couldn't be any taller or wider than my son. We'll just have to worry about on and off the trams and MK train. But at least they'll both be comfortable - I hope!

~Linda

 

[Tracey1974]

QUOTE]Well, looks like I now have only 2 1/2 months to get my DS to sleep in his stroller!!! Ironic because he was a "swing-napper"...only napped in his swing. I broke him of the habit with advice from my pedi and now he sleeps wonderfully in his crib for naps...HOWEVER, he is not a great napper in the stroller.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me to get him to nap in the stroller...ugh!!![/QUOTE]


las3888- Quick question- what was the advice your pedi gave you regarding sleeping in the crib rather than the swing? My son is 7 weeks old and we are going to WDW when he will be 3 months (and bringing the big stroller with carseat because he can't sit up yet). Anyway- he is getting addicted to the swing the past few days and conks right out in them and doesn't sleep well in the pack and play. Being that the resorts have pack n plays and not swings, I am afraid that he (we) won't get much sleep. We don't put him in his crib much because he is still in the room with us in the bassinet so I don't know about that yet. How do I get him to get used to something other than the swing?

Also- will they let us in for meals with the stroller or carseat? What about rides? We will be bringing the Bjorn carrier, is that the only way of holding him on the rides besides him on our laps?

 

[las3888]

Congrats on your DS! He is adorable! Our pedi told us at 4 month visit that he was a big enough boy to not need the swing for napping, and that we were going down a slippery slope if we continued to use it. Seven weeks (and 3 months) might be a little early to wean from the swing??? At any rate, what I did was put him in his crib (or in your case pack and play) for naps at set times of the day. I then did do a little 'crying it out'. Again, much too early for 7 weeks to do that, and others are completely against crying it out, so it isn't for everybody. It was at least much easier to do that during the day than at night. He didn't cry for long so it wasn't so awful. I also (not with pedi's advice) put him to nap on his tummy. I still can't get him to nap on his back which is probably why he won't nap in the stroller.

My DS never had a problem sleeping in either a pack and play or a crib at night though. Oddly his swing addiction was strictly at nap-time.

One thought is if you can find the room, maybe buy a swing that is low to the ground and 'portable'. That's what DS was addicted to. I think his is the Fisher Price aquarium swing. If I really needed to, I could have found room in a larger suitcase and brought it with. It is probably worth lugging it around in order to ensure good night's sleep, especially at his age. I also understand you can rent full-sized baby equipment from some rental agencies down there that specialize in this kind of thing. Others have used them and have been very happy...I am sorry I don't know specifics on that.

Sorry - I don't know about other ways of carrying your child on the rides etc. We are going to use the Baby Bjorn too. Please post when you return!

Lisa

 

[amyhwang]

We used to bring the double (Peg Perego) even when our kids were almost 3 and 5 - with all the excitement at WDW, they would both fall asleep (even at the same time) in it, and we could just sit somewhere and relax for a spell. If you can fit it in the rental car from the airport, I'd suggest whatever is MOST comfortable. We also bring a backpack for dry tee shirts, snacks, medicine, etc into the park, and it hooks nicely on the back of a bigger stroller. My kids are now 6 and 8, and yes, we still bring one (old but good) aprica carriage- type stroller. It's a lot of walking, and it is easy to just roll right onto the monorail, with or without kid in it. Ours is easy to fold one-handed, so getting onto a bus is usually easy, if it's not crowded. Or we leave it if it's going to be just a couple of short hours in a park. It's nice to have somewhere to hold the extras, so I don't know at what age I'll stop bringing a stroller, even though it's been years since they've used one at home.

 

[Scotch]

Before our first WDW trip with DS last December (when DS was 8 months), I bought a Maclaren Quest based on the many recommendations I've read. I hated the idea of bringing our big Graco stroller on the trip -- we would have to rent a bigger car just to accommodate it. Well, it turns out that DS was not too fond of the smaller stroller, and he did not want to sit in it for long. (I did do test runs at the mall before the WDW trip and we figured he was just being fussy when he didn't want to sit in his stroller for long.) DS apparently loves the tray bar and loves it when I put a sippy cup and snacks there. He also likes the extra space in the Graco (though he is not a big baby). He just looks so happy and comfortable in the full size stroller that we are definitely going to bring the Graco for our next WDW trip in December. So what if it'll be more of a pain to deal with. A content baby who is willing to sit in the stoller makes that worthwhile!

 

[debloco]

Oh, I'd say definitely bring the bigger stroller! When we started going to WDW with our DD, we brought our big Aprica stroller (originally to my DH's dismay). But it was so worth it!
It provided plenty of shade, she was used to napping in it (she could lay completely flat), it had lots of space for us to store our stuff, and it saved her from a lot of walking. And with the bigger wheels and better manuverability it was much easier to manage pushing it around the parks than an umbrella stroller or one of WDW's rentals. It collapsed very easily and we had no problems with it on the monorails or busses. And we were able to check it at the gate for our flight. They just put it up in the nose of the plane and then we got it back right after we deplaned. Not sure if they do that anymore, but it was very nice.

 

[Buzzfan]

Amyhwang - I'm glad to hear that you are bringing your stoller for your 6 & 8 year old. I also have a 6 & 8 year old and my 6 year old can't walk for long at all. His knees really bother him and swell up and get quite painful after walking for any length of time. He is also a "Failure to Thrive" kid who gets weak really quickly. I thought it would look awkward pushing around a 6 year old, but it's the only way we can do it, and I was quite happily surprised to see many others that do the same. I must admit having the storage space and cup holders is a real plus. I have a graco stroller that is very light and easy to maneuver and folds down with one hand. We're going to use the disney transportation (staying at CSR) and I never thought about taking the stroller on the bus. Is it a real pain? Do they store it somewhere or do you just take it on with you? We did take it on the trolly last year with no problem, just laid it across our knees.

 

[WIDisneyFan]

We struggled with the same decision in Jume when we were headed to Disney - in the end we chose the bigger stroller and I am SOOOOO happy we did. Our big stroller has large dirt bike looking tube tires and to some extent a spring suspension, add to that a rain hood and it was worth the extra effort (which to be honest was minimal - anytime we needed help people were wonderful) the one item I will warn you about is think about too and from the resort - we rented a car and happily it was a BIG car (crown victoria) strollers take up alot of room in a vehical you are not used to packing