Stroller question

[midorimouse]

Hi there,

I'm bringing my 3 1/2-year-old son to Disneyland for the first time next month. I'm trying to decide whether or not to bring my stroller. We're staying at a hotel across the street, so it'd be nice to have a stroller to haul him back. I also think he's going to get so wiped out from the day that he'll want to sleep in the stroller.

I have a Graco stroller with a nice big basket so that I can keep his things in there. (Are you allowed to bring water?) Would it be better to buy an umbrella stroller and not have any storage? Is there a security issue with leaving diapers and wipes in a stroller while you go on rides?

Thanks in advance,
Midori

 

[Leofoenget]

Hi there,

I'm bringing my 3 1/2-year-old son to Disneyland for the first time next month. I'm trying to decide whether or not to bring my stroller. We're staying at a hotel across the street, so it'd be nice to have a stroller to haul him back. I also think he's going to get so wiped out from the day that he'll want to sleep in the stroller.

I have a Graco stroller with a nice big basket so that I can keep his things in there. (Are you allowed to bring water?) Would it be better to buy an umbrella stroller and not have any storage? Is there a security issue with leaving diapers and wipes in a stroller while you go on rides?

Thanks in advance,
Midori

oh Bring the stroller! I have a 9 and 4 year old and I always take one. If for nothing more than to put stuff in. I may even snag a free one (Disney Visa) when I'm there end of the month (no kids) to put junk in.

 

[midorimouse]

Thanks! I saw on the WDW board that people had things stolen from their strollers. I guess I just shouldn't leave anything that I wouldn't mind being stolen -- even at The Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[Cinderlala]

Bring it.

And, yes you can bring water.

No need to buy a new stroller, even though we just did (Maclaren Volo, which was great!), you'll be fine with the one you have.

 

[NorCalDisney]

Bring it. We had no problem leaving stuff in it to go on rides.

 

[bumbershoot]

We had something stolen out from our (rental) stroller's storage, so I can NEVER recommend that you leave even a bottle of water in there. And ultimately some kind CMs replaced the item for us (brand new pirate hat), so we weren't out any money, but the mere FACT of it still casts a pall over that visit.

(and then someone finding and keeping a lightsaber that we lost between Princess Fantasy Faire and ToonTown has put a cloud over our May trip)


I've been there (other than the one-day trips) with my own stroller twice, and renting once, and my back is still recovering from the long walks back carrying my 3 year old to the hotel at night.

We had a BabyTrend that we really liked for our December trip, but I didn't pay attention to the weight limit, so we had to get a new one for this trip. Got a new Volo, and except that it doesn't recline we really liked it. Easy for E to get in and out, so light we coudln't really hang stuff from the handles or put a lot underneath, so we were never really tempted to leave anything in it.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yes bring a stroller ~ I still do (DD will be 5 next month) Our Disney stroller is a Mac Volo.

 

[DevilDuckie]

You will move through crowds easier with a smaller stroller. I would bring an umbrella stroller for that age. He may want to walk part of the time and it will be easier to wrangle him without one of the big honking models. (I hated my big stroller, can you tell? I was SO glad when my kid was big enough for an umbrella style.)

 

[issapowers]

Definitly take your stroller, I have a 7 month old and a 17 month old and we stayed across the street in a hotel on Harbor blvd a couple of weeks ago. I could not imagine carrying even a baby all the way back to the room we were so exhausted. Plus like everyone else is saying strollers are wonderful for carrying around jackets and extra stuff.

We've been lucky, having two babies I have so much necessary stuff that I need ASAP that I stuff the bottom of our stroller with, I never rent a locker, I couldn't imagine having a baby/toddler wait while I get formula/diaper/fruitcup etc. What I usually do is I pack one lightweight bag to take on rides that has my wallet, room for small purchases, camera etc, and I do leave the rest of the stuff in the stroller there is no way I could imagine carrying all three of my bags plus two babies on rides. So far we've never had anything touched

 

[midorimouse]

What I usually do is I pack one lightweight bag to take on rides that has my wallet, room for small purchases, camera etc, and I do leave the rest of the stuff in the stroller there is no way I could imagine carrying all three of my bags plus two babies on rides. So far we've never had anything touched

That's what I was thinking of doing. I have a lumbar pack that I could keep my camera, wallet, phone, Kleen Kanteen and a couple snacks for waiting in line, and I guess I'll leave the diaper bag in the stroller.

Thanks again for all of the advice. I'll just take my chances and not worry.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

we have a dubble stroler it works well, my son is always in it and i know he wont get lost and stuff also yes good for stuff

 

[avalon451]

I've read suggestions that you tie something weird to the handle of your stroller. Two purposes: first, it works like a kind of psychological deterrant to thieves; second, it makes it easy to spot in a sea of parked strollers.

The Unofficial Guide suggested an old sock stuffed with paper or rags. One of their readers contributed that she had taken a clean disposable diaper, poured a little root beer in it to make it look used (ewww!), then put it in a clear plastic bag and tied it to the handle. Nobody touched it, or anything in it. Wonder why?

Here's another thing: strollers can be a big pain to haul around if you're flying in. Some people prefer to bring a lightweight little umbrella stroller, use it just for getting to and from the parks, and then rent a park stroller when you get there. You can park your umbrella and leave it till it's time to go. The park strollers are sturdy joggers with canopies and storage bins, very manueverable and comfortable (my almost-6-year-old fit just fine, and it saved her legs!). If you have a Disney Visa, you get two free stroller rentals a day. You can rent for multiple days, then you only have to wait in the rental line the first day-- after that you can go straight to the CMs handing out strollers and show your receipt.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

im gona be finding a way to tie an umbrella to my ECV i rent. Im gona take something and tie it to the evc or hook it to it so that if some one was to try to take my stroler theyd have troble also we usely leave a blanket covered over everything when we leave things in it. I hate to think of ppl stealing from any one at disney

 

[brenda1966]

I bring my big Graco Metro Lite and I love it! I love the cup holders, I love the basket underneat. I leave extra clothes in there, etc. and have never had anyone bother it. Of course, there's a first time for everything, but so far no problems.

The stroller is great for napping. DD has fallen asleep several times in the parks in her stroller. This provides me time to shop. It's also great for hauling all your stuff. But mostly it is absolutely necessary for that walk out of the parks and back to the hotel at the end of the day.

An umbrella stroller just wouldn't cut it for me.

 

[Sy-]

I say leave the stroller at home and bring the Disney Visa instead! It's a lot easier to carry!

 

[DangerMouse]

I say leave the stroller at home and bring the Disney Visa instead! It's a lot easier to carry!

The problem with that is the OP will most likely end up having to carry her 3.5 year old back to the hotel each night. That really can do a number on your back.

I love my free Disney Visa strollers and use them everytime now that my kids are older, but when they were young (until age 5 or so) I always brought my own stroller for the walks to/from the parks.

 

[Brady's Mom]

We love, love, love our double jogging stroller at DL. We use it for our 2 youngest boys. They always have a place to sit and we always have a place to put extra water bottles and snacks. If you are parking in Mickey and Friends, it can be a pain to get it on the tram, but worth it for the walk back and forth.

We have never stayed within walking distance when we have been before (hadn't discovered this board!!), but we are this time. I will definitely be taking the stroller for all the walking we will be doing. I know how I feel at the end of the night, I can't imagine having to carry a 4 year old when I am beat myself!!

We didn't have any trouble gate checking our stroller when we flew Delta in March. It was really nice to have at the airport, I always knew where my boys were. We just took it to the gate with the car seats and gate checked them all and then picked them up as soon as we deplaned. Very easy. I was worried before we went because I got such conflicting information about gate checking stuff before I left, but it worked out great.

I say take it. Especially if you like your stroller and you can recognize it easily. We put a very bright green tag on ours so we could recognize it right away. In the sea of Disney strollers it is nice to have something distinctive so you can find yours easily.