Stroller combos for 3 Kids?

[Inspired18]

I will be driving down to WDW in February.

I have a 7yo, 3yo, and a 1yo (ages for time of trip).

I'm thinking I will want a stroller for the two youngest all the time.

I have heard I will want a stroller for Epcot for the older kid.

I baby wear with an Ergo (soft-structured carrier), but I do not want to do that the whole time.

I only own an umbrella stroller with no hood and an infant carrier stroller frame. (I have a sit and stand, too, but it's wonky.)

What would you recommend? Purchase a double for my own at-home use and rent a single for Epcot for one day (whether it be from WDW or local place)? Or rent all around? Maybe I don't want the double stroller in the back of my van. There'd probably be room for nothing else!

I've never been to WDW with kids; so, this is all new to me! Thanks!

 

[California Jenn]

We love our Phil & Ted's double stroller and put many, many miles on it. If you think you'd use the double stroller for your two little ones a lot at home, then you might consider looking for one and then using it at WDW.

If you do not anticipate having much use at home in the next couple years, then just rent a double while you are there. There are lots of off-site places that folks on these boards frequently use and they aren't very expensive for a very nice Citi Mini double.

For your 7 year old, I would suggest Not bringing a second separate stroller, even for the day at EPCOT. It's too much of a hassle to manage multiple strollers along with 3 kids. Between carrying the baby occasionally and the 3 year old wanting to walk some, there are enough options for the 7 year old to ride when tired.

We recently returned with our 4 and 5 1/2 year olds. We took our double, but the 5 1/2 year old walked 70% of the time. Mostly, we had him ride when we wanted to move quickly from one place to another or when it was really crowded and we wanted to keep careful track of where he was.

Have a fun trip!

 

[Ripey]

I would just take a double stroller, or take two singles. When we go next month we will have DS7, DD5, DD2. I plan to take one single and probably the ergo. I expect that DS7 and DD5 will have very limited riding time, likely for our late nights. Last time we went DS5, DD3 (almost 4) and DD1. DD1 spent most of the time in the ergo. The other two rode in the double and walked.

I think 3 strollers, or a double and a single will be a huge hassle. If you really don't think your oldest will be able to handle the walking, i would look at getting one of those boogie board things to attach to a double for him to stand on.

 

[OZMom]

I have had both a Phil and Teds and now currently a BOB revolution Duallie. I LOVED my P&T, hands down one of my favorite baby gear purchases. However, if you plan on putting your 7 year old in it, I would recommend the BOB over the phil and Teds only because it is more comfortable for older kids IMO. My DS1 outgrew the P&T and the back seat was no longer useful for anything other than bags (which is incredibly useful IMO, but DH didn't want to carry our 5 YO through Disney)
I have only been to Disney 1 other time as an adult and DS1 was 4 months old. Colicky and hated the stroller, so I had to wear him the whole time we were in the parks. I have to say, it was not as bad as I expected. Obviously, he was much smaller then your 1yo will be, but if it's just once in a while, I would save the money and not bother with the 2nd stroller for your 7 YO. Also, as the PP said, trying to juggle 2 strollers is going to be a pain.

 

[MommyMK]

Rent a city mini double. Your 7 year old if he is a normal kid will not need a stroller.

 

[Inspired18]

Thanks for the great replies and stroller recommendations, everyone!

I thought my 7yo would be fine, too, but the stuff I was reading about Epcot made me think twice (such a large park, older kids that don't use a stroller anymore will want one). Maybe they just meant older than 3-4yo but not 7.

I think I *could* use a double stroller. I like to wear my babies early on, but at the one year mark (she'll have just turned one in January), she might tolerate the stroller better than I think. And give my back a break!

Maybe renting will be the way to go.

There's hardly any cargo space in the van (Sienna). A double stroller would take up all the room! Plus, it would be a good trial period to see if we could use it in real life.

Thanks!! I'll remember your stroller recs.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Your 7 year old will not need a stroller for Epcot unless he/she has a physical disability. It's no bigger than any of the other parks, and I'd say you will do more walking at Magic Kingdom than at Epcot.

You will need a double or two single strollers for the two babies.

Will you be with another adult, or is it just you with the 3 kids?

I like having 2 strollers in the parks, but if you are going to do baby-swap with another adult, it's better to have one double so you can take the babies off on your own while you wait.

 

[Princess Stitch]

If you have someone else to push a second stroller I would just get 2 nicer umbrella strollers. Maybe the 7 year old could even help push?

We have had some nicer large strollers too but I'm sooo happy that we just brought the umbrella ones to wdw. It's so much easier to maneuver them around and get through crowds and into shops. We picked one that had a recline feature and a decent sun hood, and they even have a carrying strap on them for when they're folded.

 

[AZMermaid]

Rent a city mini double. Your 7 year old if he is a normal kid will not need a stroller.

I agree with this. You might find you love the City Mini and buy one for home, but my kids don't ride in strollers at home much after 2, so I would not buy a double when your older stroller kid is 3.

Does your 7 year old have any friends who have been recently? She could ask them what stroller they used. Her reaction to doing this will gauge how she feels about stroller riding.

I teach first grade. I have two kids this year who are tiny, like my 4 year old is probably taller. I doubt they are 42". One has turned 7. I honestly can say I think she might need a stroller for WDW at 7 and she is very "normal" just teeny. And- I think they both would accept a stroller. The rest of my class- no way. So in my very scientific sample size of 21 (ha ha) I could see 2 "needing" a stroller- so 10%.

 

[Daldea]

My kids are similar in age to yours (6, 4 and 1) and we decided to bring our side by side umbrella stroller, I also purchased a used buggy board attachment that easily clips on the back so just in case my oldest gets tired of walking he can just hop on the back. I didn't want the hassle of pushing two strollers, carrying a 20lb baby in an ergo or worse dealing with a whiny 6 year old.

 

[Inspired18]

Your 7 year old will not need a stroller for Epcot unless he/she has a physical disability. It's no bigger than any of the other parks, and I'd say you will do more walking at Magic Kingdom than at Epcot.

You will need a double or two single strollers for the two babies.

Will you be with another adult, or is it just you with the 3 kids?

I like having 2 strollers in the parks, but if you are going to do baby-swap with another adult, it's better to have one double so you can take the babies off on your own while you wait.

Yes, I'll have my husband! I see the advantage of having the double if husband and oldest son are off on a ride or vice versa. Had not thought of that. Thanks!

 

[Inspired18]

If you have someone else to push a second stroller I would just get 2 nicer umbrella strollers. Maybe the 7 year old could even help push?

We have had some nicer large strollers too but I'm sooo happy that we just brought the umbrella ones to wdw. It's so much easier to maneuver them around and get through crowds and into shops. We picked one that had a recline feature and a decent sun hood, and they even have a carrying strap on them for when they're folded.

Amen to the umbrella strollers. Much more compact! Just not quite as comfortable when 3yo falls asleep due to floppy head factor, poor kid. Our umbrella stroller's hood broke off a long time ago. I guess that wouldn't be too big of a factor in Florida February weather, right? (Early Feb.) Unless 70 degrees in Florida is way worse than I think it is being closer to the equator??

What brand of umbrella stroller did you buy, Princess Stitch? My umbrella was 19.99 at Toys R Us. Cheap-o. It does not recline or have a nice strap like yours!

 

[Inspired18]

I agree with this. You might find you love the City Mini and buy one for home, but my kids don't ride in strollers at home much after 2, so I would not buy a double when your older stroller kid is 3.

Does your 7 year old have any friends who have been recently? She could ask them what stroller they used. Her reaction to doing this will gauge how she feels about stroller riding.

I teach first grade. I have two kids this year who are tiny, like my 4 year old is probably taller. I doubt they are 42". One has turned 7. I honestly can say I think she might need a stroller for WDW at 7 and she is very "normal" just teeny. And- I think they both would accept a stroller. The rest of my class- no way. So in my very scientific sample size of 21 (ha ha) I could see 2 "needing" a stroller- so 10%.

I like your sample and stats!! Thanks for sharing! Can't go wrong with a class of first graders. My first grader might be just fine with it....I dunno. We happened to take a walk on a trail today, and he happily rode back in his cousin's single jogging stroller. He liked the novelty of it. He told me his legs had run out of juice. ;-)

 

[Inspired18]

My kids are similar in age to yours (6, 4 and 1) and we decided to bring our side by side umbrella stroller, I also purchased a used buggy board attachment that easily clips on the back so just in case my oldest gets tired of walking he can just hop on the back. I didn't want the hassle of pushing two strollers, carrying a 20lb baby in an ergo or worse dealing with a whiny 6 year old.

I will google a double umbrella. I think I've seen one being used, but I will look it up to be sure. You're the second person to mention a boogie board attachment, which is very intriguing. He'd think that was the bees knees!

And, yeah, I love my Ergo, but geez, I don't think I carry her every day in the parks, all day. She's 21.5 lbs. at almost 10 months. I could probably practice my back carry, but the Ergo doesn't seem to hoist up far enough in back sometimes.

 

[Princess Stitch]

Amen to the umbrella strollers. Much more compact! Just not quite as comfortable when 3yo falls asleep due to floppy head factor, poor kid. Our umbrella stroller's hood broke off a long time ago. I guess that wouldn't be too big of a factor in Florida February weather, right? (Early Feb.) Unless 70 degrees in Florida is way worse than I think it is being closer to the equator??

What brand of umbrella stroller did you buy, Princess Stitch? My umbrella was 19.99 at Toys R Us. Cheap-o. It does not recline or have a nice strap like yours!

We got these ones http://m.toysrus.com/skava/static/p...ductId=23199716&domain=http://www.toysrus.com

I had a couple of $10 ones too, but I wanted ones that reclined and were a little nicer to push. These ones fold up small but recline, have a nice sun hood, and have a basket and cup holder lol. I will say though that my oldest is only 2, so I'm sure we will get good use out of them.

You can rent a double stroller from an outside company for about $50 a week if you decide you want a double. Just check the weight limits. The city mini (usually what is available for rent) has a 50 lb limit for each seat and 47" in height. If you would rather purchase one, have you checked out a sit 'n stand?

 

[MandiC]

I'd bring the baby carrier just in case but your 7 year old *probably* will be fine with not riding much. We went in February when our girls were 7 and 9 and they both did just fine with no stroller and we did Epcot 2 days. We were pretty leisurely about it and would sit and rest if they needed to (and there are plenty of opportunities to sit and watch performances throughout the World Showcase)

 

[MandiC]

PS- if I'm being honest I think our girls only asked to stop and rest once that's not to say we didn't stop more often for mom and dad LOL

 

[GWhitten98]

Our kids are 2, 4 and 6. Our plan is to rent a double stroller(which we did last year also), but we are also planning on taking our little umbrella stroller for the airport and just in case. Last year, the two older kids were both pretty wiped out and were taking turns b/t each activity on who got to ride; especially on our long days that did not include a break.

 

[Inspired18]

Princess Stitch, yeah, I was given a slightly wonky sit and stand. I still have it. It veers left a lot. I think that would be a pain at WDW. We never get it out. I love the idea of that stroller though!

I think it would be worth it to get a nicer umbrella stroller like yours. I'll bet if I watch the Facebook garage sale sites, I could find one for home. I think I might just have to rent the double. My 3yo does not like to hold hands and will wander off. Plus, he seems to like being in the stroller, more than my first child ever did. At his older brother's t-ball games, he would ask to just sit in his umbrella stroller. Little sister will get good use out of it, too, and maybe any other future kids.

Thanks for the link!!

 

[Inspired18]

Hahaha! That'll be us. (sorry- didn't quote MandiC's post about the parents needing to stop and rest more than the kids!)