Stroller for large child/ren?

[Flashbaak]

I hadn't even considered bringing a stroller for our first trip to WDW next year, since our kids are almost-3 and almost-6 years old (will be almost 4 and almost 7 when we go), and they walk everywhere. When we go to Disneyland, we take one of the cheapy umbrella strollers and let them take turns in that when they get tired of walking; neither of them takes naps anymore.

Now I'm reading that a stroller may be a good idea because of the sheer size of the parks and the amount of walking required. I'm starting to research MacLarens and Joovys and whatever else... but I think I'm going to run into a problem. See, my husband and I are both very tall (I'm 6'0" and he's 6'7") and we make big kids. My almost-6 year old is 4'4" and weighs 60lbs, and my almost-3 year old is about 3'6" and 35-40lbs. I'm not seeing many strollers that are going to be able to handle them at that size, let alone with a whole other year's worth of growth. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places? Or maybe we should stick with the cheap umbrella strollers and hope the kids don't need to rest too much.

PS- I feel badly for my older son; he looks about 8 or 9 years old, and I'm sure people will be thinking, "why is that big ol' kid in a stroller???" haha

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

My advice would be to hit your local target and see if they have a Mac Volo have them both sit in it to see if they are squished and if it is hard to push. You can also check BRU if you have one near you. Depending on how much you are looking to spend several of the joggers have a 75 pound weight limit but it may be better to get a volo for your younger son and consider renting a single stroller if you think your older son may need it. Ebay is a good place to get an new older model volo. Also have you looked at any of the stroller swaps on the budget board. I know one if for a volo if you like it after trying you get in on that and only have the cost of renting the single stroller from disney. 4 of the other swaps are for double instep joggers.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I was adament we were only taking one stroller as our younger kids are 5, 4 and 20 months, we do not own a car and so the 4 and 5 year olds are used to walking several miles a day commuting to school, shopping, relatives homes etc HOWEVER my 4 year old flagged, not because of the walking but because of the heat and humidity, she struggled to handle it. If we were going again with a 4 year old I'd take a stroller for them for sure, my five year old is a much sturdier constitution and he managed to walk everywhere except for falling asleep one night so we switched him to the stroller (maclaren and it held him- he's 47" tall and 60lb+ and fitted in it fine) and carried the other two.

 

[natnelliesmom]

You need a B.O.B. Revolution Duallie. I LOVE this stroller and will never use anything else. They are pricey- but so worth it. Light and easy to push- the handle bar is high enough to be comfortable for pushing. It folds up pretty well- but is a bit big on the busses- we never had a problem though and we went for spring break with it! (crowded).
It has so much storage room and you can get a great rain cover for it. Sun visors fully cover your kids too.
I really can't say enough about how much this stroller helped us on our last two trips. My DDs are 3 and 5. They fit in with lots of room to spare. We tried out every stroller in Baby's R Us and several in the local baby boutiques around us. The Volo was tight and didn't have enough head room for my 5 y/o to lay down. I like that with the B.O.B. she can sleep and be comfy. There were times that we stayed for the fireworks and late dinner and both girls just slept through! It was almost like a babysitter! No tired kids either.

That said- If you are budget conscious you can always rent them at Disney. They are roomy but hard plastic so not comfy. I would recommend bringing a blanket to line it with. You also can't take them out of the parks- so it's no help to and from the parks- or for park hopping. I can't tell you how nice it is to wheel your kids onto the monorail and not have to worry about your kids getting lost in the crowds.
Renting a stroller also means that when you leave the park you have to carry all of your belongings with you- not so easy when one kid is sleeping after a long park day.

Rei has these strollers on sale right now- they also have a great no questions asked return policy- even on used items. I won't say anything else about that....

Hope this was helpful!
-Sarah

 

[disneymom1980]

We bought a MarLaren Volo for our 5 year old DD who weights about 45 pounds. I have used it several times for her (to see how it will push), including a trip to the zoo. While it is more difficult to push with her in it than with my one year old in it, it still pushes well. We've actually taken to using it more than our regular stroller.

I got mine off of ebay. It was last year's color, but I got it for 1/2 of what they are new.

 

[denegate]

I believe if you rent a stroller in one park you just have to show your receipt in another park on the same day to use another stroller - so they should work if you park-hop in one day. We usually rent them for our older daughters (6 & 8). They are easy to push and the kids do get really tired from walking so much.