Stroller recomendation for a three year old?

[Harlie]

I need a new stroller. I really doubt we can make a whole day without one for our little guy. Our last stroller the wheel fell off and we tossed it as it was the third time it happened and since we were no longer using it or needing it we didn't think anything of it. We also didn't think we would be going to DL anytime soon. I don't want to rent a resort one as we will need it to get to Dl and to our hotel(it is a twenty minute walk).

My DS is onoly 36" tall and about 35 lbs, and we went stroller shopping this last weekend and found that he looked way to big to be in the strollers we tried out. There was one stroller from Zellers that was a three wheel jogger style stroller by a manufactuer called Avalon. It was great but DH wanted to see if we could find it cheaper stateside. I have been searching for that brand in the states with no luck.

I guess if you have heard of that brand in the states where could I find it, or if not what would you recommend for a stroller for our three year old. We don't want somthing that is going to make him look like his knees are comming up to his ears. Maybe this is not possible at his size now?

 

[southtexasmom]

I recently bought the Graco IPO, it will hold up to 50lbs. My little guy is 32lbs. now and he has plenty of room left. It is sturdy like a full size stroller but folds up like an umbrella stroller. It does recline almost flat. We've used it for 2 weeks and I loved it so much that I bought another one for my 4 yr old to use on upcoming trip. The only downside I've found so far is the stroller is fairly heavy when its folded up, (17 lbs. I think).

 

[kldmom2000]

Maclaren. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Mac! I have the Quest.

I wish I'd discovered it when my first DD was still using a stroller..... we bought it for our 12/04 Disney trip when my younger DD was 26 months. It worked wonderfully in that my then 4 yr old DD could also hitch a ride when she got worn out.

It has since made 2 more trips to Disney (3 in total) and still rides smoothly!!! I used it sooooo much!

My younger DD is 5 now but sometimes begs for a stroller when we have a lot of errands to do so I keep it in the back of the car just in case....

 

[bumbershoot]

What hotel are you staying at, that's a 20 minute walk??? ouch! (I might take ART if staying 20 minutes walk away)

I'm going to have to look up that Graco, b/c we just realized that we were shortsighted in getting DS a BabyTrend, b/c it has a lower weight limit than I remembered. I was gearing myself up to get a MacLaren b/c of the weight limit and how great everyone says they are.

I don't have a recommendation, but just a "everyone says that Macs are great for the over 35 pound set" statement.

 

[Harlie]

Maclaren. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Mac! I have the Quest.

I wish I'd discovered it when my first DD was still using a stroller..... we bought it for our 12/04 Disney trip when my younger DD was 26 months. It worked wonderfully in that my then 4 yr old DD could also hitch a ride when she got worn out.

It has since made 2 more trips to Disney (3 in total) and still rides smoothly!!! I used it sooooo much!

My younger DD is 5 now but sometimes begs for a stroller when we have a lot of errands to do so I keep it in the back of the car just in case....

Yikes I searched that brand and Ouch too rich for my blood $500?!?!

 

[SueM in MN]

There was one stroller from Zellers that was a three wheel jogger style stroller by a manufactuer called Avalon. It was great but DH wanted to see if we could find it cheaper stateside. I have been searching for that brand in the states with no luck.

A couple things to think about with jogging strollers:
1) Some are difficult to fold, which may not be a problem as you are planning to walk to the park. But, it may make it rather large and maybe fragile to travel with in the airplane.

2) Some of the jogging strollers have a front wheel that doesn't swivel. That's Ok for jogging, but when you are somewhere like a Disney park where you have to make small turns to avoid people/get around people, you have to pop the front wheel off the ground and kind of bump the back wheels in the direction you want to turn. So, life is much easier with a front wheel that swivels.

3) Most of the jogging strollers sort of tilt the child back into a reclining position. For some kids, that (plus climbing over the front wheel) makes it a little harder to get in and out of the stroller than a non-jogging stroller.

 

[Harlie]

What hotel are you staying at, that's a 20 minute walk??? ouch! (I might take ART if staying 20 minutes walk away)

I'm going to have to look up that Graco, b/c we just realized that we were shortsighted in getting DS a BabyTrend, b/c it has a lower weight limit than I remembered. I was gearing myself up to get a MacLaren b/c of the weight limit and how great everyone says they are.

I don't have a recommendation, but just a "everyone says that Macs are great for the over 35 pound set" statement.

Islander Inn and Suites in Anahiem. I have had way to many bad experiences with Public Transportation and avoid it like the plague! I would rather walk 2 hours then take a bus!(especially in a city I have never been in)

Those mac's did have some great features but I was looking at the 100-150 range. I doubt I could convice DH to get one.

 

[Harlie]

A couple things to think about with jogging strollers:
1) Some are difficult to fold, which may not be a problem as you are planning to walk to the park. But, it may make it rather large and maybe fragile to travel with in the airplane.

2) Some of the jogging strollers have a front wheel that doesn't swivel. That's Ok for jogging, but when you are somewhere like a Disney park where you have to make small turns to avoid people/get around people, you have to pop the front wheel off the ground and kind of bump the back wheels in the direction you want to turn. So, life is much easier with a front wheel that swivels.

3) Most of the jogging strollers sort of tilt the child back into a reclining position. For some kids, that (plus climbing over the front wheel) makes it a little harder to get in and out of the stroller than a non-jogging stroller.

Oh yeah no that stroller wasn't an actual "jogger" stroller but more along the same style lines. The front wheel did swivel and it was easy fold up(we tried) I really liked it because it had great storage features! I really wish I could find a picture on one on the www to show you what I am talking about lol!

 

[_queenie_]

I love my Bumbleride (goregeous), I've also heard nice things about Maclarens.

 

[TaraZ]

I have an Inglesina Swift as our "travel" stroller... it goes up to 45 lbs, I think. My everyday stroller is a Bugaboo, but it is just too cumbersome to tote around when travelling. The Inglesina is great-- my DD loves it. And has a nice basket underneath for storing items.

 

[eventamy]

It's not cheap, but it's so worth it! I have a Phil & Ted E3 and just LOVE It! I got it for Christmas last year before I had my 2nd baby. With my first baby I got a Graco travel system and what a piece of crap! It literally fell apart. I can't say enough about the Phil & Ted. I go to a lot of horse shows etc and it's held up through all sorts of weather, terrain, travel etc. Plus, you can buy the extra seat that just snaps right on and voila! a double stroller! That and it's light and holds bigger kids too. My 4 year old rides in it regularly too and she's very tall for her age and does just fine.

 

[Tigger&Aidan]

Yikes I searched that brand and Ouch too rich for my blood $500?!?!

We got our Mac Quest from ebay (new in box) for around $130. Totally worth it, in my opinion, and I so wish I would have bought that 3 strollers ago... My DS is about 32 lbs and probably 37 inches and he fits just fine. I love my Mac!

 

[bumbershoot]

Islander Inn and Suites in Anahiem. I have had way to many bad experiences with Public Transportation and avoid it like the plague! I would rather walk 2 hours then take a bus!(especially in a city I have never been in)

Those mac's did have some great features but I was looking at the 100-150 range. I doubt I could convice DH to get one.

Is ART really the same thing as a citybus? They look cute, like a little trolley, when I've seen them (though not a trolley, of course). I thought ART was something just for hotels.


I would never EVER recommend anything over 150 or so. I've seen Macs on sale for that amount (see here through tomorrow for example: http://www.tinyride.com/Maclaren-Triumph-Stroller-2007-P1821.aspx).


I was just looking at this map and now I see where the Islander is. Did you know there's a lot that is sometimes open on that lowest left corner of DLR? If the lot is open, the tram is running. There are many people who stay on Katella, walk to that parking lot, and take the tram in rather than walking.

I stayed at the Anabella in December, and the walk up on the other side of the parks was nowhere near 20 minutes, and it doesn't look that much longer from the Islander (in fact the distance you have to get to Harbor seems the same distance that I walked to get to Disneyland drive, then going those streets is about the same on either side to get to the bag check area).

 

[tzolkin]

Yikes I searched that brand and Ouch too rich for my blood $500?!?!

i just bought two (new) Maclaren Volos on ebay for $57 + shipping each. it was less than $150 total for both of them. they don't recline (the Maclaren Triumph does, that one was $89 i believe), but they fold up like an umbrella stroller, have a carry strap, have a basket underneath, a sunshade, and a rain cover. the reason we really needed them was because they hold 55lbs. my DS1.5 already weighs too much for a regular stroller. and my dd4 (almost) is 39 inches and fits comfortably in this stroller.

 

[Harlie]

i just bought two (new) Maclaren Volos on ebay for $57 + shipping each. it was less than $150 total for both of them. they don't recline (the Maclaren Triumph does, that one was $89 i believe), but they fold up like an umbrella stroller, have a carry strap, have a basket underneath, a sunshade, and a rain cover. the reason we really needed them was because they hold 55lbs. my DS1.5 already weighs too much for a regular stroller. and my dd4 (almost) is 39 inches and fits comfortably in this stroller.

Wow those are some pretty great deals! As I am in Canada it will cost a lot of $$$$$$$ to ship here and then I would have to pay duty on it aswell. I tend to try not to order form the states too often. If I were in the states no problem but in Canada it is a no go. I did see that the Target store has them there, maybe we could try one out when we get there.

 

[kldmom2000]

Yikes I searched that brand and Ouch too rich for my blood $500?!?!

Yikes! Where are you seeing those prices??? I bought mine at Babies R' Us in 2004 for $200! I'm sure if you look around online and check Babies R' us, you could hopefully find one for far less than $500! I would never pay that either! LOL! Good luck!

 

[brehan9403]

I bought a Maclaren Volo last year for my 3 yr old and will be using it again this year

 

[ZeroMyHero]

Chicco and Combi have lightweight strollers for less than US$100. The BRU near me is selling a Maclaren Volo for US$99 - pretty good for a Maclaren. Not sure of what the pricing or availability is like for you in Canada. Volo can carry up to 55#, the other brands are 45#, IIRC. HTH.

 

[twinmom2]

Maclaren. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Mac! I have the Quest.

I wish I'd discovered it when my first DD was still using a stroller..... we bought it for our 12/04 Disney trip when my younger DD was 26 months. It worked wonderfully in that my then 4 yr old DD could also hitch a ride when she got worn out.

It has since made 2 more trips to Disney (3 in total) and still rides smoothly!!! I used it sooooo much!

My younger DD is 5 now but sometimes begs for a stroller when we have a lot of errands to do so I keep it in the back of the car just in case....

Ditto...we also have two macalrens (volvo). They have them at target for 89 or 99. My girls are 3.5 and fit in them fine.

 

[toesmom]

I need a new stroller. I really doubt we can make a whole day without one for our little guy. Our last stroller the wheel fell off and we tossed it as it was the third time it happened and since we were no longer using it or needing it we didn't think anything of it. We also didn't think we would be going to DL anytime soon. I don't want to rent a resort one as we will need it to get to Dl and to our hotel(it is a twenty minute walk).

My DS is onoly 36" tall and about 35 lbs, and we went stroller shopping this last weekend and found that he looked way to big to be in the strollers we tried out. There was one stroller from Zellers that was a three wheel jogger style stroller by a manufactuer called Avalon. It was great but DH wanted to see if we could find it cheaper stateside. I have been searching for that brand in the states with no luck.

I guess if you have heard of that brand in the states where could I find it, or if not what would you recommend for a stroller for our three year old. We don't want somthing that is going to make him look like his knees are comming up to his ears. Maybe this is not possible at his size now?

I assume you are in Canada... check bonnie togs stores that have strollers. They sell a great stroller by Avalon, priced about $90 and has features very similar to Maclaren. They are light, fold easily, has nice recline, big basket, ergonomic handles. Picture on their website does not reflect how nice the stroller really is in person. Just make sure the bonnie togs you visit sells strollers, some of their stores do not carry car seats/strollers/high chairs.

Hope this helps