Stroller vs Backpack Carrier vs Carrier w/ Bag

[jacknsally19]

Just wanted to mention for easy exits with a stroller - we have parked our stroller at the front of the park (by the exit) and just carried our kid for fireworksat Magic Kingdom. This makes it very easy to leave.

Personally, I don't think HS, Epcot is an issue navigating after the evening entertainment.

 

[HerbivoreMom]

Whenever you pose a stroller vs carrier pool the strollers always win. That's because more people are familiar with strollers and more people like them than carriers. Many people never even try a carrier.

When my son was young I used three different strollers and three different carriers.

I had a stroller for when he was very small that was basically an old fashioned baby carriage type that allowed him to lay flat on his back yet face me while I pushed him. It was great when he was little. Then I used either a jogging stroller (for actual jogging) or a travel umbrella stroller (that I only used for very long days or travel).

Most of the time I carried my son in a baby carrier. If you are comfortable that way then you kiddo probably is too and that's huge. You do not want a fussy kiddo. I used a moby wrap most of the time when he was little and also had a sling for when he was a bit older. I had a backpack style carrier as well like the one shown in your photo. I used that for hiking. It was fine for that purpose but I would not want to wear it all day. Yes, it did get hot. But also, my son would grab my ponytale and pull. Constantly. It was very annoying. But at 11 months the sling was my best friend. I carried him around that way all the time and it was super easy to put him in or take him out. Plus when he wanted down to crawl or sit or whatever then I just stuffed the sling into my diaper bag. Having that skin to skin contact was so comforting to my son especially in new situations. If I had taken my son to Disney in a stroller at that age I would have ended up just carrying him anyway and pushing am empty stroller around.

If you do a carrier I'd suggest a sling or else Baby K'tan. It's like a Moby but less wrapping - way easier. Plus it can work as a sling as well as a traditional carrier. I learned about them when I was a foster mom to twins. They're fantastic!

Here is the stroller I would recommend if you use a stroller: Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller. It reclines so they can sleep. It has a 5 point harness, which is important for little ones. It is light - only 11 pounds. It folds up - umbrella style which fits into smaller spaces than the non-umbrella style. But it's not a cheapy umbrella stroller. This Chicco stroller is basically the value version of an umbrella Maclaren stroller.

 

[MSPeeler]

I couldn't imagine doing a park with a baby/toddler without a stroller. The first year we did a stroller-less park, I was 30 weeks pregnant and had our 6 year old and 8 years old with us. I highly suggest THIS stroller: http://www.toysrus.com/buy/strollers/babies-r-us-easylite-convenience-stroller-5f62904-43998326

It is about as lightweight and collapsible as you can get, and you can't beat the price! Simply pull up on the strap in the seat and it collapses in half...

 

[cjparker0110]

We invested (I use that term lightly as it was only $50) in a lightweight travel stroller.

Would you mind sharing the brand? We are looking into getting a different stroller for traveling to WDW next year. We have a big bulky one that doesn't fold (meaning we can't take it on the bus) and lightweight folding one with no storage (meaning we are carrying it all). As we will have 4 kids (6,5, 3, 18 months) we'd like to have at least one stroller (a second is not out of the question). The problem is finding one that is light but also useful and easy to maneuver. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mousemommy1]

That looks like the Chicco Cortina travel system. We have that as well as our City Mini GT. I wouldn't bring the Chicco to Disney. Too heavy, and doesn't fold well enough for the buses IMO.

We bring our City Mini and our Ergo carrier and alternate between the two. The Ergo can also be used in back carry position. We find that the Ergo is great for waiting in lines and keeping DS contained.

 

[kayemgi]

Would you mind sharing the brand? We are looking into getting a different stroller for traveling to WDW next year. We have a big bulky one that doesn't fold (meaning we can't take it on the bus) and lightweight folding one with no storage (meaning we are carrying it all). As we will have 4 kids (6,5, 3, 18 months) we'd like to have at least one stroller (a second is not out of the question). The problem is finding one that is light but also useful and easy to maneuver. Thanks in advance!

Yes! It was the Kolcraft Cloud Plus. It's higher on Amazon, but check Walmart, they might have it in the $50 range still. My only caveat is that now that we've had it for about a year, we have to be careful folding it, as sometimes pieces want to go where they don't belong and hinder folding. We have it down to a science now (nudge this, pull that) but it was a bit annoying at first. But again, it took almost a year of use for that to start happening for us.

Edit: Amazon link

Edit 2: $60 at Walmart, but they have a $30 version with less storage and only one cup holder, depending on if that's important to you or not.

 

[cjparker0110]

Yes! It was the Kolcraft Cloud Plus. It's higher on Amazon, but check Walmart, they might have it in the $50 range still. My only caveat is that now that we've had it for about a year, we have to be careful folding it, as sometimes pieces want to go where they don't belong and hinder folding. We have it down to a science now (nudge this, pull that) but it was a bit annoying at first. But again, it took almost a year of use for that to start happening for us.

Edit: Amazon link

Edit 2: $60 at Walmart, but they have a $30 version with less storage and only one cup holder, depending on if that's important to you or not.

Thank you so much. I'll pass that on to my wife. I'm not overly worried about what it's doing after a year of use. As I said already we have a couple of strollers that we use. Just nothing useful for a WDW trip. I should rephrase my statement in my quote...that big bulky one does fold. But it is such a pain that we just don't do it. It literally takes 5 minutes to get it to do so and almost every time the little foot rest falls off. LOL. Anyway, thank you again. This might be just what we need...especially if we decide to get two of them.

 

[kayemgi]

Thank you so much. I'll pass that on to my wife. I'm not overly worried about what it's doing after a year of use. As I said already we have a couple of strollers that we use. Just nothing useful for a WDW trip. I should rephrase my statement in my quote...that big bulky one does fold. But it is such a pain that we just don't do it. It literally takes 5 minutes to get it to do so and almost every time the little foot rest falls off. LOL. Anyway, thank you again. This might be just what we need...especially if we decide to get two of them.

Glad to be helpful! We have a big bulky one too, and I knew no way was I bringing that to Disney! We've been really happy overall with the Kolcraft. It's so useful for other small trips as well. I was just looking at ways to increase the storage for our next Disney trip, and found this saddlebag that we might try out, if it's of any interest to you! You can never have too much storage at Disney.

 

[rideswithchrist]

We had a double city mini and I loved how fast it folded and how easy it was to push with one hand. The good thing about Disney is that they are used to strollers everywhere and the buses are plenty roomy for stroller folds. I would rather mess with a bulky fold than something that is miserable to push for hours on end.
Also- the framed carrier would have to be folded and carries and would not fit in the back of the stroller- so leave that for hiking and take a soft carrier. I heard the K'Tan is amazing as well, but I have used the Liliebaby (similar to Ergo but cheaper)

We will be returning when I am 27 weeks pregnant and we can't decide if we want to do a double stroller again for our 4 and 6 YO- or just take a single and let them alternate.
I think we will take a zoo trip and see how often they ask to stroll because Disney is walking x10 plus a great place to sit for the parades.

 

[Habbott]

I will be taking our carrier(s) and renting a stroller for our next trip. My baby will be just over 1 at that time. I have an ergo, a beco butterfly, and my favorite the lillebaby.

 

[Velkoor]

Just wanted to mention for easy exits with a stroller - we have parked our stroller at the front of the park (by the exit) and just carried our kid for fireworksat Magic Kingdom. This makes it very easy to leave.

Great idea! We're going to MNSSHP so this might be a good idea, just to leave it in an area and go visit characters and get candy.

Most of the time I carried my son in a baby carrier. If you are comfortable that way then you kiddo probably is too and that's huge. You do not want a fussy kiddo.

I didn't mention that in the post. When he's fussy (teething or gassy) he likes me to hold him. Not mom or grandma... me. So I have to factor in that if he's getting grumpy I'll just have to hold him.

If you do a carrier I'd suggest a sling or else Baby K'tan. It's like a Moby but less wrapping - way easier. Plus it can work as a sling as well as a traditional carrier. I learned about them when I was a foster mom to twins. They're fantastic!

I love it! So easy to wear. My wife loves her wrap but I just don't get it. It's too complicated for my daddy-brain.

I would rather mess with a bulky fold than something that is miserable to push for hours on end.

Soo true. Which is why I'm starting my research and planning this early.

Here is the stroller I would recommend if you use a stroller: Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller.

I highly suggest THIS stroller: http://www.rakuten.com/prod/babies-...e-stroller/276211637.html?listingid=379945386

We bring our City Mini and our Ergo carrier and alternate between the two. The Ergo can also be used in back carry position. We find that the Ergo is great for waiting in lines and keeping DS contained.

they have a $30 version with less storage and only one cup holder, depending on if that's important to you or not.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Definately bookmarking all of these and putting them into a comparison spreadsheet before I make my purchase.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

Here is the stroller I would recommend if you use a stroller: Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller. It reclines so they can sleep. It has a 5 point harness, which is important for little ones. It is light - only 11 pounds. It folds up - umbrella style which fits into smaller spaces than the non-umbrella style. But it's not a cheapy umbrella stroller. This Chicco stroller is basically the value version of an umbrella Maclaren stroller.

I want to second this one. I have this (though mine is called Chicco Liteway Plus), and it is great! We took it to Disney with us. It's light, folds up in 2 seconds, has a clip to keep it shut so you could easily carry it onto buses, has ample storage space underneath, reclines so baby can nap, and is small/easy to maneuver. The only downside is the shade doesn't cover much, so we bought a shade attachment to increase shade. http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-16...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLvonMyM4cwCFdBTDAod27YFRQ

 

[rideswithchrist]

If you can, go to a baby store and push your LO around in different types and see how they feel. We fell in love with the City Mini right away, but it was out of budget. I wish now that we had just gotten it because the one we did get (Sit N Stand) was terrible to push so we sold it.

 

[Jules87]

We used this super cute backpack and mini backpack when we went to WDW. We loved it. Super practical, lots of space, and the little guy was kept on a leash/tail that we could detach when need be. HIGHLY Recommended.

 

[quagmire0]

I'd vote stroller. Because there's so much sun and it gets so hot, wearing him will likely be a bear for both you and him. Stroller provides the shade and most times you're going to pull him out of it to ride rides anyway. He can also eat snacks and drink his bottle in the stroller while you guys chill out. Use a stroller with a good canopy, cupholders, tray and basket to throw your stuff in and invest in a rain cover as well.

As for the bags, we've usually taken our usual diaper bag, which is a baggalini with one strap. It held plenty, but I often get frustrated with it because it slides when you bend over and moves a lot when walking. This time around, I invested in a 20L waterproof backpack with 2 straps. Just big enough to hold bottles, supplies, snacks, etc, but not too big.