Stroller to push around stuff

[Hannathy]

I think he is crazy!

It is so wonderful to be stroller free. I barely could stand them when my kids were little and as soon as they hit 4 ish we quit bringing them.

I agree with the poster who said what the heck do you bring? Why do you even need a big back pack? If anything a small one would work and it would be very light holding the jackets and camera, possible a drink or 2 and exactly how heavy is a couple granola bars or packages of crackers? I refuse to carry excess drinks around, if an extra $50 I could possibly spend on drinks in a week would break me- I probably shouldn't be going.

Always remember you are going to Disney not a third world country you really don't need that much. and of course the number 1 rule and your family is old enough is
If you want to bring it YOU carry it.

 

[pacrosby]

Ok, so now because someone doesn't want to waste money on snacks and drinks they must be so poor that they shouldn't go on vacation??????? I'd call it 'smart' not 'poor'. And smart often equates with rich (in regards to both money and wisdom). If you only knew LOL



Why does it always have to turn into a "what's the matter with you people?" war?

People have made it quite clear why they brought the things they brought and why, for them, having a stroller made life easier.

Why does it always have to be "if you don't make the same choices as I do you must be some kind of a nutjob"?

No doubt each one of you who hates a stroller and tours WDW with barely a need for hands, nevermind a backpack, makes many decisions in your own life that those of us who like our strollers would find ludicrous.


Now I remember why I took that 8 month hiatus from the DIS

 

[john1928]

I'd bring the stroller...

As the dad somehow I end up carrying most of the stuff (including water bottles, food/snacks purchased in the park but not yet fully consumed, discarded clothing/rain gear, and sleeping or worn-out kids).

That said we've only been down there during slower times of year so I haven't seen pushing a stroller as much of a hinderence (in anything by the most congested areas I can easily make faster progress than trying to herd 3-5yr olds...).

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow, really? One backpack? Do you not stay in the parks for a full 8+ hour day? Do you not go during the time of year when one might need to consider taking a sweatshirt or lightweight jacket for a sudden change of weather? Do you use the dining plan so that you aren't paying through the nose every time someone says "I'm hungry, I'm thirsty"? Do you go so often that souvenirs don't interest you anymore?

One backpack for seven huh? I'm truly impressed

Really, we are light travellers. Even with all of my kids, even when they were little, I carried a wristlet. We pack a couple of water bottles, and refill them, last time we there, we just wore long sleeved shirts long shirts over short sleeved shirts in the morning, then wrapped the long sleeved shirts around our waists when it got warmer (as seen in many of our photos). We were on the DDP, but we can manage to make it from one meal to the next without a snack, or else we can buy them. (were we trying to use up our snack credits on the last day!).

Souvenirs never, ever interest me. My kids were allowed to purchase a pin and a shirt, and they were THRILLED, because I never let them buy anything on vacation. With a large family, the kids are used to not getting much, and sharing.

I'm a habitual underpacker - we never need to even check any luggage.

 

[badblackpug]

Ok, so now because someone doesn't want to waste money on snacks and drinks they must be so poor that they shouldn't go on vacation??????? I'd call it 'smart' not 'poor'. And smart often equates with rich (in regards to both money and wisdom). If you only knew LOL



Why does it always have to turn into a "what's the matter with you people?" war?

People have made it quite clear why they brought the things they brought and why, for them, having a stroller made life easier.

Why does it always have to be "if you don't make the same choices as I do you must be some kind of a nutjob"?

No doubt each one of you who hates a stroller and tours WDW with barely a need for hands, nevermind a backpack, makes many decisions in your own life that those of us who like our strollers would find ludicrous.


Now I remember why I took that 8 month hiatus from the DIS

I have 4 kids, even when my younger 2 were still in pampers (1 still is) and 1 was still on formula, we never needed a cart to haul around our stuff. We had a back pack. In the back pack we had pampers and wipes, a change of clothes for the baby, formula and water, a few small snacks, and if weather dictated a sweatshirt for both smaller kids. Cell phones and cards went in one of the pockets. If the older kids needed sweatshirts they either wore them or tied them around their waist.

The OP has one child who is out of pampers and not on formula and who will probably walk. Most people just don't see the need to bring so much "stuff" that a cart is required to push it around the park. For a family of 3 I would estimate, if you are not on DDp and bring snacks.... 3 drinks, some snacks, hand wipes (i always take them) phones, a camera, and cards. If the weather id chillier, or chillier at night a sweatshirt, but again a 5 year old's sweatshirt is not huge, and he could tie it around his waist. I would estimate that all that would fit in a small back pack, and not be terribly heavy.

 

[mjkacmom]

The first time I ever missed my stroller was the first time I went clothes shopping without it! I was used to a double, and I'd make my kids get out and walk when the bags started to weigh me down.

 

[Zachsmom4]

OP here. I think the reason the DH would like to bring the stroller is because he consistently overpacks. For some reason he thinks we all need 4 bottles of water, juice boxes, granola bars, fruit snacks, camera, video camera, etc. At the end of the day we pretty much brought over half of the snacks back to the room with us.

I think my conclusion will be if he carries the backpack or pushes the stroller with his crap in it that will be fine by me. As long as I don't have to do it.

 

[pacrosby]

I have 4 kids, even when my younger 2 were still in pampers (1 still is) and 1 was still on formula, we never needed a cart to haul around our stuff. We had a back pack. In the back pack we had pampers and wipes, a change of clothes for the baby, formula and water, a few small snacks, and if weather dictated a sweatshirt for both smaller kids. Cell phones and cards went in one of the pockets. If the older kids needed sweatshirts they either wore them or tied them around their waist.

The OP has one child who is out of pampers and not on formula and who will probably walk. Most people just don't see the need to bring so much "stuff" that a cart is required to push it around the park. For a family of 3 I would estimate, if you are not on DDp and bring snacks.... 3 drinks, some snacks, hand wipes (i always take them) phones, a camera, and cards. If the weather id chillier, or chillier at night a sweatshirt, but again a 5 year old's sweatshirt is not huge, and he could tie it around his waist. I would estimate that all that would fit in a small back pack, and not be terribly heavy.

I quote you only because you quoted me and therefore I assume you were talking to me. Perhaps you didn't understand the reason for my post.

My reply was directed to the poster before me who berated those who thought a stroller might actually be helpful. With all due respect it really makes no difference if YOU (meaning the collective 'you, not 'you' badblackpug) managed fine without it. It doesn't make someone else's experiences/opinions without merit. Everyone makes their own choices

It's one thing to say "hey I had ten kids and didn't feel the need for a stroller and this is how I managed". Quite another to say "hey I had ten kids and didn't feel the need for a stroller, what the heck is wrong with all you idiots who seem to feel it was useful".

 

[zoemurr]

OP here. I think the reason the DH would like to bring the stroller is because he consistently overpacks. For some reason he thinks we all need 4 bottles of water, juice boxes, granola bars, fruit snacks, camera, video camera, etc. At the end of the day we pretty much brought over half of the snacks back to the room with us.

I think my conclusion will be if he carries the backpack or pushes the stroller with his crap in it that will be fine by me. As long as I don't have to do it.

kids were 5/8. We bought them both adult sized fanny packs (just tie a few knots in them so they fit.) They both carried their autograph books, pens and 2-3 snacks in there. I had a string pack w/a few things and DH had a backpack w/2 waterbottles (we just share) cameras, sunscreen, and ponchos if we needed them.

I would never want to push a stroller around if I didn't have to. DS5 was fine and we run them hard. Only problem was he ususally fell asleep on the bus and had to be carried back to the room, but a rental wouldn't help w/that anyway.

Have fun!

 

[mjkacmom]

OP here. I think the reason the DH would like to bring the stroller is because he consistently overpacks. For some reason he thinks we all need 4 bottles of water, juice boxes, granola bars, fruit snacks, camera, video camera, etc. At the end of the day we pretty much brought over half of the snacks back to the room with us.

I think my conclusion will be if he carries the backpack or pushes the stroller with his crap in it that will be fine by me. As long as I don't have to do it.

If you end up not using much of what you bring, leave it behind. Worse case scenario is you spend a few bucks on a snack. Try it on the first day. One water bottle, 3 granola bars, and a camera (I tend to use my phone as a camera/video camera). Back in the day, when you could check luggage for free, we boarded the plane with a water bottle, paper and crayons, and a pack of gum. It was so freeing!

You are going to WDW, not a remote island.

 

[antsss]

Our youngest is 8 and we still bring a small umbrella stroller - not for her to ride in, but for our "stuff." We are 2 adults and 3 kids. We have season passes to Hersheypark and we go often for very long day trips. We wear our swimsuits and bring the stroller for dry clothes, a few towels, 2 sets of refill cups (one for soda and one for slushies) and refill kettle corn bucket, mister fans, small soft sided cooler with frozen wash cloths, purchases, rain ponchos, jackets. We clip our park map and entertainment guide to the canopy. If we are all swimming we get a locker for our wallets, cameras and phones but we leave all our other stuff in the stroller in a central location and leave notes for each other on it if we break up into smaller groups. I have a rain cover for it and we love that we can just leave it parked in a stroller area and dash into a theater to wait out a downpour and keep all of our stuff dry. I just hate to carry anything. So it works for us!!

 

[Ali]

I am a person who gets a cart in the grocery store to hold my purse so of course I say get a stroller. We have to carry a cooler with food for ASD DS and we need ponchos and extra shoes and socks and all the other things everyone else needs. If we go with DH then we don't get a stroller and he has to carry all of the stuff - if DS and I go I get a stroller because I am not a pack mule and I hate getting to carry all the heavy stuff. I also pay to valet park whrn I am without Dh but he refuses to valet!

 

[NotUrsula]

For a child that age, it's probable that you will need a buggy by the end of the day, so that makes my answer "whatever floats his boat".

However, to answer your question about weather changes, etc. our school-sized backpack carries four pouch-rolled windbreakers easily; they fold down to 6" X 6". If it is really cold we toss in some silk longjohns that also fold down really small. Our cell phones are in belt holsters, and each person has his/her own water bottle holder in which we carry refillable filter bottles. We also usually carry some single-pack hand wipes, a small stain stick, a folding hairbrush, a pillbox, two baggies full of pretzels/nuts/dried fruit, and the car keys. KTTW cards are on lanyards around our necks under our shirts. The heaviest thing in the backpack is normally sunscreen.

We have any purchases that are not pocket-sized sent to the main gate and pick them up on our way out -- we do NOT schlep large packages around the parks with us.

 

[2binak]

OP - To ease the waterbottle situation, you could get one reusable waterbottle for everyone to share. If you don't like the taste of the water, from the fountains, you can get one with a filter.

You could also rent a locker and put some of the drink, food & snack items in there, telling your Dh that you can go back & replenish if need be. You could also put your sweatshirts in there and make a plan to go back to the lockers before nightfall. Once he sees how little you all actually use in a day, he might decrease the packing for the other days.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

Here's the way I look at it- if your DH would be the one carrying the backpack and/or your DS and he'd rather push a stroller, let him!

My DH happily pushes a stroller every time we go. He doesn't want to carry tired girls and we like to stay late, so the girls can crash out in the stroller. My oldest won't fit much longer, so we're taking advantage of it while we can. It's our vacation too!

 

[mdsoccermom]

You guys are good!!

Actually you might be surprised to learn that generally I carry next to nothing. I never even carry a pocketbook preferring to slip my debit card in my pocket and lock my keys in the car (we have a keypad). I don't even carry a cell phone. When my kids were babies I traveled very light while everyone else I knew routinely bogged themselves down with extra diapers, extra clothes, snacks, toys etc. And I have gone to WDW with just my mom and my oldest in May of 2009 and had only a small cross body organizer (my 81 yr old mom carried the snacks and drinks in her pocketbook!).

So what I'm saying is I'm not generally an over-do-it kind of gal. But when the whole family of six goes (ages 5 - 11), at the time of year that we generally go, it is a different story.

Well, it's my story anyway...and I'm stickin' to it

Kids ages 5-11 are more than capable if carrying their own stuff. You don't need to be the family's pack mule, and then wonder how others carry so little.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Will your husband be upset if he gets back to his stroller and finds his snacks gone? Or does he plan to take all of that on the attractions with him?

 

[pacrosby]

Kids ages 5-11 are more than capable if carrying their own stuff. You don't need to be the family's pack mule, and then wonder how others carry so little.

Excuse me?

THIS is someone's idea of an appropriate response to that friendly little post I wrote?

While I appreciate the concern, we're actually quite ok with how we do things, thank you.

I'm not the family's pack mule. We have a stroller, remember

 

[pacrosby]

Will your husband be upset if he gets back to his stroller and finds his snacks gone? Or does he plan to take all of that on the attractions with him?

I think that sounds like a valid concern but our experience has been that it's pretty safe to leave stuff. Not that it couldn't happen but it appears to be rare. I love the freedom of riding rides and sitting in restaurants completely empty-handed. We leave everything, including sweatshirts and snacks, even bags with souvenirs, and nothing has ever disappeared.

Apparenty the people who are actually go to WDW are much nicer than many of those who sit on the DIS and talk about it

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think that sounds like a valid concern but our experience has been that it's pretty safe to leave stuff. Not that it couldn't happen but it appears to be rare. I love the freedom of riding rides and sitting in restaurants completely empty-handed. We leave everything, including sweatshirts and snacks, even bags with souvenirs, and nothing has ever disappeared.

Apparenty the people who are actually go to WDW are much nicer than many of those who sit on the DIS and talk about it

Hopefully, you will be lucky and not lose anything. But it happens all the time.