Stroller Ideas for 4/5 Year Olds

[Ned Land]

Anyone have ideas for a stroller for a 4 or 5 year? We are runners and have a pretty good jogging stroller, but are worried about it being damaged by the airline. What are our options for a compact stroller that will handle 50 lbs but costs under $100?

 

[long4disney]

Many people have posted on this web site about the Maclaren Volo being an excellent stroller for an older child 4-5 years old. I also have the Maclaren Volo and just love it!!! It is the perfect Disney stroller for an older child, since the recline option is not necessary. We also purchased the accessory pack that includes a hood, rain cover and seat cushion, but we don't use it that often. The new 2005 Volo's, I believe come with the hood. You can get an awesome price on the 2004 models on many web sites for under $70.00 with free shippping. Just search the web and you will see!!!

Also, one great thing about the Volo is that the seat is a mesh like fabric, so the kids don't sweat in it, and if it gets wet it dries right away, and in Disney it can shower any time!!! If anything gets spilled on the seat, you can hose it right off!!! It folds like an umbrella and has a carrying strap and is only like 8 pounds!

Good Luck with your search!

 

[ladydancer]

I'm not sure why you don't just take the stroller with the kids in it to the boarding gate and hand the stroller to an attendent when boading. They will store it in the plane and give it back to you when you land. Is that where you think it might get damaged?

 

[wilderness01]

Only once did the attendant take it and store it. Every other time we had to have it put underneath the plane.

 

[ladydancer]

I have read on here numerous times people taking the stroller to the gate and them taking it. I will call the airline to make sure myself as we are going in April.

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[amylucinda]

We gatechecked our 2 Maclarens last year on Southwest. What I understand is that they do go in the hold, but on top of the other stuff, so they come off first. (Of course, this may vary by airline...).

I had made big rubber-backed canvas bags to carry them and protect them. When we got home, we discovered that one stroller in its bag must have gotten wedged on one of the conveyor belts, as a blackened hole had been worn completely thru the bag. (It's pretty heavy stuff...about as heavy as suitcase fabrics, if not more so.) After we got home, we discovered that a smaller hole had been worn thru the reflective coating trim on the stroller, also. In addition, there were all kinds of black marks elsewhere on the bags.

We're going again this year, and I am definitely "bagging" my stroller.

 

[daisylove]

Volo. There has been several threads lately on this issue. If it will help do a search. But for me I vote the Volo. Great WDW stroller for my 5 1/2 DD.

 

[Buzz's_girl]

hi there... I have three kids 6,5,and 4...and was in a similar predicament...I found some really sturdy umbrella strollers at Burlington Coat factory...they were thirty dollars. My DD6, who is around 50 lbs. can sit in it comfortably...and the wheels are stong enough to hold her weight.

I am using them on our upcoming trip. We are going to attach two of them together with umbrella stroller clips. We did this on our last trip (17 days long). The only problem we had with the airline was this:

We did not gate check...and two of our strollers were clipped together. The clips did not stay in tact...the strollers, however, were fine.

Good luck.

Also, I found that since my kids do not use strollers anywhere other than WDW, I could not justify spending a ton of money on strollers (especially when I have to buy 3..)these were the perfect compromise!!

 

[jckdisneybound]

I have the Maclaren Triumph. All 2004 Maclarens now hold up to 55 pounds. The Triumph is a step up from the Volo, basically has a small basket and canopy which is a must for me. As for under $100. Good luck.