Special Tomatoe strollers...or other special needs strollers

[snow_white's_mom]

I am planning our next trip to the world with a friend and my 5 year old daughter who has ADHD. She really still needs a stroller for long trips and is growing out of her stroller. I was looking into a special tomato EIO push chair because it still looks like a regular stroller, just bigger, and because it lays down and the legs go up allowing her to snuggle into it when she needs to get away from everything going on around her.

Does anyone have the EIO push chair that can tell me if it's a good stroller? Or can anyone recomend a stroller? My daughter is 5, weighs 55lbs and is 46 inches tall.

 

[billwendy]

I am planning our next trip to the world with a friend and my 5 year old daughter who has ADHD. She really still needs a stroller for long trips and is growing out of her stroller. I was looking into a special tomato EIO push chair because it still looks like a regular stroller, just bigger, and because it lays down and the legs go up allowing her to snuggle into it when she needs to get away from everything going on around her.

Does anyone have the EIO push chair that can tell me if it's a good stroller? Or can anyone recomend a stroller? My daughter is 5, weighs 55lbs and is 46 inches tall.

Hi!
I work at the wheelchair department at our local children's hospital. I have had a family who insisted on ordering the special tomato stroller - they got it and they really do not like it at all. They find that the wheels are constantly getting stuck and its just not user friendly to fold.

Families get many of the "umbrella style" special needs strollers and are happy because they are very light weight and fold easily. An idea would be the Convaid Metro or the Maclearan Major. As far as being able to get away from it all, a Jogger stroller (although more cumbersome) may do the trick - they run a little bigger, and maybe you could borrow one or find on on Craigslist? There is also a special needs version of that by Liberty. Also, although they are made of plastic, the rental strollers at Disney provide a canopy that maybe she could hide under if you wanted to do that route (maybe bring a towel or blanket to put inside the stroller to make it more comfie?).

Have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[amesyrn]

Hi we have a 6 yr old who we are planning on bringing a stroller for. She will just need it for when she inevitabley gets tired. She is 44 lbs and 46 inches. Anyway we got the maclaren Volo which fits her well, and goes up to 55lbs. It doesnt recline, but does have the umbrella that your daughter could hide under, also the maclaren triumph is still light weight but does recline a bit. We have that for our infant. Hope that helps.

 

[snow_white's_mom]

Thank you so much for the feedback!! We tried the disney strollers before and my daughter was not very happy in it and it would be expensive to rent one for the whole trip, I'd rather just put the money towards a bigger stroller so we can take it with us other places. I will look into the other strollers you mentoned. And thank you agian!!! I really appricate the feedback.

 

[treehugnmama]

my dd has special needs as well. only time we use a stroller is wdw. she is 6yo but weighs 76 pounds and we use the maclearen volo.

 

[Scuttle]

I just completed my rental for a special needs pushchair for our next trip.

http://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com/

My Aspie DD wouldn't survive without some place to retreat to when she decides she has had enough!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi!
I work at the wheelchair department at our local children's hospital. I have had a family who insisted on ordering the special tomato stroller - they got it and they really do not like it at all. They find that the wheels are constantly getting stuck and its just not user friendly to fold.

Families get many of the "umbrella style" special needs strollers and are happy because they are very light weight and fold easily. An idea would be the Convaid Metro or the Maclearan Major. As far as being able to get away from it all, a Jogger stroller (although more cumbersome) may do the trick - they run a little bigger, and maybe you could borrow one or find on on Craigslist? There is also a special needs version of that by Liberty. Also, although they are made of plastic, the rental strollers at Disney provide a canopy that maybe she could hide under if you wanted to do that route (maybe bring a towel or blanket to put inside the stroller to make it more comfie?).

Have a wonderful trip!!!

I would agree that the 'umbrella style" strollers are the most popular. They are easy to push, fold well and are lightweight.

This website has good pictures of the Liberty Special Needs stroller (a jogging type stroller). Some shorter people reported it was rather hard to push because it is very tall and they had a hard time seeing over it, especially with the canopy. It is also very large to fold (even though it apparently does fold easily).

AdaptiveMall is a good website to look at a lot of special needs stroller choices. They have a lot of information and pictures of various types of strollers.

Unless you have a special needs stroller that is made for transport, you will need to fold it on the buses. Special needs strollers that are made for transport have specially strengthed frames and areas for attaching the bus tiedown straps. Without that, the frame can get bent if it is tied down and a child sitting in it could be injured.

 

[snow_white's_mom]

I just completed my rental for a special needs pushchair for our next trip.

http://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com/

My Aspie DD wouldn't survive without some place to retreat to when she decides she has had enough!!

That's what my daughter needs it for too, a place to just get away from everything. Plus she's a runner and if she gets a chance to break free she will and the last thing I want to do is loose her in disney crowds.

 

[SueM in MN]

That's what my daughter needs it for too, a place to just get away from everything. Plus she's a runner and if she gets a chance to break free she will and the last thing I want to do is loose her in disney crowds.

If you are concerned about her getting away, even with the stroller, Orlando Stroller Rentals also rents child locator GPS devices.

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

I would highly recommend renting from Orlando Stroller Rentals. At your daughters size should would likely be able to use the regular "City Classic" Baby Jogger stroller...it has a capacity of up to 75lbs. When she is older and out grows that if she still needs a stroller the "Liberty Pushchair" is great. As others have said it is a bit bigger even when folded but it is manageable. I am quite short (5ft) and I didn't have trouble pushing it as the handle is adjustable.

HTH

 

[kellyw8863]

We have an EIO Jogger and a Convaid Cruiser. We like both equally and for different reasons. The EIO has lots of room and is a great stroller for the price, but it is big and cumbersome to fold. I can't imagine folding it up and then carrying it onto public transportation. We also have trouble with the wheels, it doesn't fully recline, the basket is terrible, and the seat cushion is pretty hard. I have a friend with the Push Chair and she's not a huge fan of that one, either. The wheels are terrible and she said that it is clear that you get what you pay for. Our Convaid Cruiser has tie-downs, but it's a huge price difference from the EIO. There is no way we could have afforded it if our insurance didn't cover the full cost.

We looked at the Liberty while we were down there, and it is huge. I think I would have pulled all my hair out if I had to push that through crowds all week. I would check out the regular Baby Jogger City stroller (not the City Mini) through Orlando Stroller Rentals. Or, bite the bullet and get something that is better quality than the EIO and has tie-downs if you are looking for something long-term.

Kelly

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Hi,
Our DS has autism and at age 6 outgrew his Maclaren. I started our search and didn't get the tomato because of how it folded. I thought I would get cut by the metal sides sliding out. Then they could hit things too.

I did buy the Liberty by Advance mobility. Yes, it is big and it is hard to see over the top if the sun shield is in use. Most adults make comments like they wish they could sit in it. Well they could. It has a high weight rating and it moves so very easy. It fold up so easy, just take off the yellow safety straps by pulling the snap, then grab the strap in the seat and it folds in half.

When it is folded it is heavy and bulky but DH insisted on carrying it on the bus. We did ok. If I had been alone with DS I would have asked the driver to load the stroller via back of bus and then folded it up.

The stroller will last for years and that is what we needed. It was expensive!!!! I tried our insurance and waiver but was turned down so I paid for it, OOP. I also bought the rain cover, carry bag, cooler and air pump.

So far we really do like this stroller. The remarks from other guests are usually kinda cute and funny. I tell them it is a stroller on steroids

 

[lunapnp]

We have had two convaid strollers for my dd. They have been great. If you know what size you need, you may have some luck finding one on ebay. The last one I bought on ebay for $80...it's "sticker" price was $400 and it was in excellent condition. When she was younger, we also had the Maclarean. If it's something you're going to use repeatedly other than just this trip, I would purchase one instead of renting.

 

[Olivia's_wish]

We've had the stroller for about 14 months now and love it.

My daughter was just turning 4 when we got it and is now 5.

Works well for her.

 

[Olivia's_wish]

Hmmmm... reading one of the replies

The wheels have never been hard to turn unless they've been locked by mistake, but it's an easy clip up to fix.

Folding is no different than a basic non-umbrella type stroller, it just takes up the room of a double stroller as far as trunk space is concerned.


It has lots of room, it can lay down almost flat (feet up) for any napping or dipe changes. The canopy is great. It's a pretty smooth ride too.

 

[Olivia's_wish]

trying to post a pic for you

 

[SueM in MN]

trying to post a pic for you

You don’t have enough posts to post a picture or link, but if you PM me, I can post it for you.

 

[SueM in MN]

Olivia’s_Wish picture

 

[MinnieVanMom]

This is the liberty by advance mobility. I am 5'4" and that is not DS.

 

[snow_white's_mom]

Thank you all for the input, I really appreciate it!!! The pictures are great! I didn't realize how big the liberity it. I am defiently looking into buy a stroller instead of renting one because we will use it a good bit outside of disney so I'd rather just put the money towards a stroller then for rental cost. I just started the process of seeing if insurance will cover it, or at least part of it. We contacted my daughters neuro doctor's sectary but she has mastered the art or dragging her feet, so we'll see if it gets done.