Strollers; Basket or no basket?

[ALittleDisneyFan]

Up until last night, I was fully intending to buy the pink JEEP umbrella stroller for my daughter. That is.. until I wondered "what will we do when we're in WDW?" (yes, WDW is a consideration in this suuuuuper important decision) So ... do you have a umbrella stroller that you use in Disney, do you get tired of carrying a diaper bag or back pack on your shoulders?

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

I don´t know how old is your dd, but if you are planning on getting an umbrella stroller, go for a Maclaren, it will last until you no longer want a stroller for anything.

We bought a Quest for our dd (currently 4 yo), and it is very easy to push with a heavy child, and I found that even if the basket looks small, it holds a lot. What I do is bring a tote with all our stuff and my bagallini, this way, as soon as we get to the TTC or the entrance of any other park, I empty the tote bag and fold it inside the basket, and I am only left with my bagallini, where I carry my wallet and camera.

I am not planning on carrying everything myself until we haven´t got a stroller any more.

HTH

Julie

 

[NotUrsula]

Backpack over the handles is the best technique for parks -- you can grab it and go when you get to the rides.

 

[glass slipper girl]

I do the same thing NotUrsula mentioned except I do it with a messenger bag. I just make sure I only pack what we really need in that bag so it's not stuffed full.

This trip we'll be doing something a little different since we'll be travelling with an infant so "what we really need" will be more than it has been in the past! I'll have stuff like diapers and other stuff like that in a SkipHop Saddlebag attached to the side of the stroller. I can leave that stuff there and have anything of value in the messenger bag that comes with us at each stop. We would make sure we have at least one diaper in the messenger bag with us in case we need it before we get back to the stroller but that way I can carry what I need to without loading down the messenger bag or worrying about the size of the stroller basket.

 

[staley7580]

Be careful with the jeep strollers.. make sure your baby will fit in it. Niether of my kids fit in it after about 10 months. I dont know why but they seem super small. Anyhow, I hated just having an umbrella stroller with no basket, its cool to put a bag over the handles, but then your baby gets out and your srtoller tips over. Now I know how to prevent that, but sometimes the baby wanted to walk when we had a ton of shopping bags. We are buying a bigger stroller for our next trip.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

I hate using the umbrella stroller anywhere for this very reason. It seems like when I try and hang bags on the handles, they slip down and the strap covers my DD's head. Not a good thing. Granted, we bought a cheapie umbrella stroller, but still... I don't use it in the park. We rent a double stroller. Last time we took the umbrella stroller as far as the stroller rental station, and checked it there. They held it till we were ready to leave the park.

 

[karibritt01]

If you do go with an umbrella, I would definitely get the one w/ a basket and a sun shade. IMO the big strollers are easier to deal with and more comfy for the kids. Last summer we pushed my 8 yr old, while he held his 3 yr old sis! Can't do that in an umbrella!

 

[marcyinPA]

We're officially out of the stroller phase (TG!), but we did bring one on our last trip (and barely used it). I HATE cheap umbrella strollers. I'd look for something with the following features: a basket, a sunshade, and reclining! Especially if you have a little one who will fall asleep in the stroller, you'll want a reclining seat.

Now we just put the backpack on and go...we've had to learn to travel lighter and leave some things back in the hotel room.

 

[NotUrsula]

Should have said that the backpack technique only works without jerry-rigging if the stroller is a model with a hood. The hood brackets keep the strap from sliding down. I never had a problem with my Mac or my Pliko tipping when DS got out of it -- the balance on them is pretty good.

If you have a really basic stroller, the answer to both the tipping problem and the bag-slide problem requires a bit of jerry-rigging. At the top, get a few really large rubber bands and put them tightly around the handles to form a stop point. On the bottom, take a couple of knee socks, tie a knot near the toe, put some gravel in, tie another knot to close, then tie them on to the stroller at the sides of the seat at the front. Instant weights.

 

[JenEeyore]

I totally agree with the opinions that a basket and a hood are necessary features. We got stoller with both and it is definately worth the trade off of sleekness when folded. We actually reverted back to bringing the big stroller the last couple of years since it is taller and easier to push for hubby and me, and roomier for DS. DS is 4 and we've toyed about not bringing strollers anymore, but it totally gets used to tote backpacks and shopping bags and water bottles and jackets etc etc when our son is not riding. And it is still a lifesaver in the evenings when he is too pooped to walk and too big to be carried. I swear he will be 6, 8, 10 and we'll still be lugging the thing just for totables.

 

[Nanu57v]

Okay, I disagree with everyone.

I have the pink Jeep stroller...and as far as I could tell, we were the only family in WDW with it! It made it easy to find. We took DD when she was 18 months to Disney, and she fit in it quite nicely. I liked that it had a recline, not as nice as a full-size stroller, but it was so much lighter! I loved how easy it was to get on and off the busses. It comes with a sun-visor, but depending on the time of year you are going, you may want to get a visor extender for it. I think they sell them at Toys R Us.

Plus, I LOVE the fact that its pink!

We did two things to carry the diapers and such. We either put the bag around the handlebars, which worked fine for me but not for DH who is 6 feet tall; or we put it on our back. Yes, we switched to a new Jansport backpack to use a diaper bag for the trip. It was so convenient we never switched back.

I think the Jeep stroller is a great value for its price: its light, easy to fold up, reclines, is comfortable, steers easily, and its PINK! I love that I splurged and got one girly thing for DD.

 

[2poohbears]

You might want to look at one of the Combi single lightweight strollers...very easy to fold and carry, but comfortable for kids, and has the basket underneath.
http://www.specialtybaby.com/cososp20inbl.html
http://www.specialtybaby.com/coso22inblli.html