stroller question

[jwmccullough]

Greetings Friends,
My family is preparing for its first trip home in a few short days, and here, at the eleventh hour, my wife has decided to rethink our stroller strategy, so I am looking for any help I can get.

My situation is that we have an 8 month old son, who we will need a stroller with. We were originally going to use an umbrella stroller in the airports, then just rent the strollers at the parks.

But the questions have arisen:
1) are the park stroller comfortable?
2) are they adjustable, to recline for a nap?
3) are there different choices of strollers at the parks?
4) have you taken your own stroller and found that it would have been easier to get a stroller at the parks, or have you gone the parks and wished you had brought your stroller from home?
5) would you have safety concerns with your stollers leaving them outside rides?
6) what are the biggest benefits or detriments towards taking your own stroller?

For my wife's sanity, I thank you all graciously in advance, and if you are heading down in the next few days, we hope to see you there!

Jess

 

[skiwee1]

The strollers at the park are the most uncomfortable, hard plastic, non reclining strollers I've ever seen. I would never put my kid in one. I have never seen so many miserable kids as I do in those strollers. They especially are not made for an 8 month old. I have always taken my own stroller. We use it in the airport and then gate check it. We have never had a problem losing it in the parks. It is a Maclaren which is a pricey stroller and I never worry about having it stolen.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Take your own, otherwise you will need to carry your child to and from the parks, bus stop, hotel, etc.

Put a colorful bandana, luggage tag, etc on the stroller so you can find it when you get out of a ride or show, as the CM's sometimes rearrange the stollers for safety.

 

[samnbilly]

The best thing I ever got was a micro-stroller that reclined and only weighed like a pound or something. I took my DD when she was only 7 months old and it was great. Folded really easily and you were able to steer it with one hand. I think it was a Combi-Best of Luck

 

[confal1]

I agree. Take your own. There is nothing worse than when your child is dead asleep and you are leaving the park and have to gather the baby up and walk to either the trolley thing or your car. I have never had a problem leaving my stroller outside of rides. A funny side story. Don't forget to take your child out of the stroller. My friends went with their kids and one parent thought the other took the child and the other parent thought the same and ended up starting to walk away and somebody said " Excuse me are you just going to leave that little boy in the stroller". They were of course horrified when they realized what happened. Thank goodness we can laugh about it now.
Anyways I always purchase a balloon for $5.00 (I think) right when I get in the park and then tie it onto the stroller-that way if a CM moves it when you are in a ride you should be able to find it pretty easily. Good Luck and have a great time.

 

[moppy]

Hi. We took an umbrella stroller for a couple of reasons and we are glad we did:

* Disney strollers are okay, not very comfortable, but roomy - problem - they all look the same and when you go to find your amongst 100 of them it's time consuming and annoying - looking for an umbrella stroller was a lot easier!

*umbrella strollers can't be beat at airport security - easy folding and unfolding

*umbreallas are good for the bus transportation too for same reasons as above


This vist we are taking a double umbrella (for our new addition!) and I am confindent it's the way to go.

Enjoy your trip! NESS

 

[swilphil]

Take your own stroller--one that has a canopy for shade and a basket underneath for storage. I also like having one with cup holder and a hook to hang the diaper bag from.

We have an expensive double stroller and brought a bike lock to keep it secure, but ended up not using it because you can't lock it up to anything and it really wasn't necessary. The rental strollers are actually taken more often than the ones you bring from home. I guess people think that they are not yours or they mistake them for the ones they rented. Our relatives had their rental taken twice in the same day. Ours was never taken.

When we fly, we are able to check our stroller at the gate, actually at the bottom of the ramp right before we get on the plane. It's very nice to keep the little ones contained and to hold your carry on luggage when you get off.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Take your own for the 8 month old. I was sorry I didn't for my then 2 1/2 year old, two years ago. Between the airport, on and off busses. We stayed at CBR that trip and at the end of the evening. I'd be carrying the 2 1/2 year old dead asleep and my DH would have my 4 yr old dead asleep. Just what we didn't need at the end of the day.

The strollers are wonderful for bigger toddlers such as the 4 yr old. They are especially roomy and very easy for them to climb in and out. Since I take the girls to the park solo during the day I absolutely love having them in there for safety reasons. I know exactly where they are, but they would never in a million years go into a stroller any where else.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would either bring your own or buy a cheap one when you get there and leave it there. Since we are stopping by St. Pete before we go to Disney my Aunt picked one up for us for 12.00 at a thirft shop...we will use it the whole time we are at DIsney and then hopefully we will meet someone that I can give it to that will have some use for it, otherwise we will just leave it there. I don't want to have to pack a stroller along with the car seat and luggage and haul it around, no thanks LOL....

 

[liznboys]

For an 8 month old, I would definitely take your own umbrella stroller that reclines. The rental strollers are great for kids who no longer nap though! Next year our 3 boys will be 5.5, 3.5 and 11 months. We're taking an umbrella stroller for the 11 month old, and will rent double strollers as needed for the older two.

Oh and here is the umbrella stroller we have-LOVE it!!
Jeep Wrangler Umbrella Stroller

 

[denamudd]

ABSOLUTELY TAKE YOUR OWN! With an 8-month old, don't even consider anything else. You can check it right at the gate at the airport so you will have it up until you board and get it back right as you get off the plane. Also, for strolls around your resort, etc. you will want a stroller. Also, Downtown Disney doesn't have rental strollers that I am aware of so you would have to hold your little one the entire time if you decide to go there - which you should! If you don’t already have one, you should invest in a lightweight stroller with a canopy and storage basket NOW. It will come in handy for several years. This will make your trip so much more comfortable and enjoyable. Trust me, I went in July with a 3-year old and rented a stroller at the Magic Kingdom our first day. (We drove to FL so we did have our umbrella stroller but I thought it might be easier to just rent one at the theme park so I left it in our room– WRONG). After that, we took our umbrella stroller with us everywhere. I was so happy I brought it. BRING YOUR OWN BRING YOUR OWN!

 

[zipDdoodah]

One caution on the umbrella strollers if you are TALL - I am 5'10", and a lot of the cheap umbrella strollers and fairly short. It's very uncomfortable for me to push one of these and puts a lot of strain on my back because I have to bend over. With all of the walking at WDW I think it would be very hard on the body.

We are debating bringing our own double stroller or renting. One thing I hate about our stroller is that it is hard to steer, and the rentals are super easy to steer. My children are older (2 and 4), so I think it will be a little more comfortable for them than it would for an infant (I agree, they are not really made to fit infants). Plus, our stroller is pretty heavy when folded up, and this would be kind of a pain to get on and off of WDW buses. Any thoughts or recommendations for us?

 

[Tigger&Belle]

If your 4yo is a pretty good walker you should consider bringing a decent single stroller for your 2yo and then renting one for your 4yo (one with the little seat for your 4yo to hop a ride out of the park might be good). If your 4yo isn't a good walker I would bring the double stroller and deal with it on the bus.

My 4yo loves to be pushed in a stroller and I wouldn't consider not bringing my own stroller (and he gets very vocal if he is tired and has to walk). His older brother, however, had his first WDW visit when he was 4yo and he hardly used the stroller at all. Just depends on the child.

I can't imagine not having a stroller for the 2yo, though. Just getting to the bus, and from the bus to the park would be hard for many 2yo's, especially when you have to reverse that at the end of the day. And having the stroller handle to put a diaper bag on and the storage under the stroller to put things would be good. Otherwise you'd have to carry all that stuff when not in the park.

T&B

 

[averysmom]

Absolutely - bring your own - but I'm iffy on the umbrella strollers. We bought an umbrella stroller epecially for our ds's first trip to disney (5 mos) - yes it reclined and had a canopy - but it had no basket and when we hung our backpack on it it would tip over if he wan't in it. Also, he just didn't nap as well in it as his bigger one at home. For our second trip with ds (14 mos) we brought our big stroller - he was so much more comfortable, it was able to hold all our stuff in the basket and was our drink holders etc. We still just gate checked it and we didn't find the buses any worse with the big stoller than with the umbrella.