Strollers for an older child....

[smilnjen]

So I'm looking into buying a lightweight stroller for our disneyland trip for my 4year old. I just can't decide which one to buy !! I want something thats not too terribly heavy (we are flying out) and something that will carry up to 50 or 55 lbs. Shs only 39lbs, but I'm sure we will pack it with other stuff. Also something that will be comfortable for her AND steers EASILY!! I was looking at combi's, but im not sure. Anyone out there with their stroller opinions for disney???? I did look at a sit n stand..(i have a 6 yr old too). Or should I rent one???

thanks guys!

 

[staley7580]

So I'm looking into buying a lightweight stroller for our disneyland trip for my 4year old. I just can't decide which one to buy !! I want something thats not too terribly heavy (we are flying out) and something that will carry up to 50 or 55 lbs. Shs only 39lbs, but I'm sure we will pack it with other stuff. Also something that will be comfortable for her AND steers EASILY!! I was looking at combi's, but im not sure. Anyone out there with their stroller opinions for disney???? I did look at a sit n stand..(i have a 6 yr old too). Or should I rent one???

thanks guys!

I have a combi... and my 2yo broke it. She is about 45lbs though, and that is their limit. So i would skip that one. I would go for a Mclaren. Lots of people have them and like them. We dont, but then with my mammoth baby... she was a tight squeeze in one. Plus the handle is higher on it then the Combi... Dh had to really bend over with it.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

So I'm looking into buying a lightweight stroller for our disneyland trip for my 4year old. I just can't decide which one to buy !! I want something thats not too terribly heavy (we are flying out) and something that will carry up to 50 or 55 lbs. Shs only 39lbs, but I'm sure we will pack it with other stuff. Also something that will be comfortable for her AND steers EASILY!! I was looking at combi's, but im not sure. Anyone out there with their stroller opinions for disney???? I did look at a sit n stand..(i have a 6 yr old too). Or should I rent one???

thanks guys!

I love my Maclaren Volo. It is an umbrella-style stroller, non-reclining, that goes to 55lbs. I don't recall exactly how much it weighs, but it has a carry strap on it and is very easy to sling over your shoulder when it's folded. My DD is 7 and she was still fine in it for our November DL trip, though she only really used it at night, the rest of the time it was just nice to lug stuff around in! It steers with one hand even with my 52lb DD in it and lots of stuff in the basket. I didn't get it until she was 5 and I wish I had gotten it years before, it is truly the best stroller I've ever owned, and with 3 kids, I've owned many!

 

[bumbershoot]

Where are you staying? If you're staying at the Grand CA hotel, then you could easily get away with just renting a Disney stroller.

But for us (and we are NOT a stroller family except for jogging!) we find the stroller most valuable when getting to and from (especially "to") to our hotel. We've stayed at Paradise Pier, HoJo, and Anabella with DS, and each of those has been (Anabella) or would have been (PP and HoJo) a slog without a stroller.

Last summer I made a ridiculous error and got a Combi Cosmo (they have been redone though since then) which felt like a slug on sidewalk. Consigned that fast (we had just passed the return period for Amazon where we bought it) and got a Baby Trend. Even though that was great for the September trip, here we are in Feb, and he's outgrown it by 2 pounds already. I don't know what we were thinking! (yes I do...cheap cheap cheap is what we were thinking!)

So now we're in the market for another Disney stroller, and I was thinking that the only possibility was a Maclaren, but lo and behold, Graco has just made something called an IPO.

They look a lot like the Macs, and they go to 50 lbs (5 lbs under the Macs). They are a bit heavier than the Maclarens, but they handle only a *tiny* bit mushier than the Macs. Can you tell I just testdrove them both side by side one after another at BRU last week?

The Graco's footrest is solid, and the Mac's footrest is flexible. The Mac comes with a rain cover (helpful).

The Graco IPO is about 70/80 bucks right now. Prices of a Mac will vary (we tried the Triumph and the Quest, which vary in price significantly it seems).

We haven't decided which to get (with Mac it would be the Triumph, not the Volo I think), but unless someone comes out with something else, those brands will be the two choices.


(if you think that's confusing, can you imagine what I'm going through now that he's shooting up in weight perilously towards the end of the weight limits for his carseats!!! and graco came out with something that might bump out the long-planned-for britax regent...graco is nudging its way into all of my decisions suddenly!!! yay for them having good and reasonable-priced things, but they are messing with my brain, LOL)

 

[smilnjen]

Wow guys thanks...It's really sooo helpful! I think I need to make a trip to BRU to "test drive." I am going to look into the mclaren's for sure!

 

[cinderella_mom]

If you have a Disney Visa, you get 2 free stroller rentals per day. You can parkhop with the stroller which means you don't have to give up the stroller until you are ready to exit through the security area.

 

[lillybug]

Yes, I would skip on the combis. We had one and had to bend over to push it. Dh and I aren't very tall either (5'10" and 5'6")

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I love my Mac Volo ~ my DD will be 5 in July and I plan to use it for our trip in April ~ or I'll use this one that I just ordered http://www.shnoop.com/yesterday.php

 

[lilsprstr]

We brought a stroller last year for my 4 yo. We actually bought something like this. We had one for both of our kids. It worked great because they were lightweight, easy to steer, and quick to fold up to go on the train or monorail.

 

[jenjersnap]

We like the increased sturdiness of the Maclaren Triumph over the Volo. Buying two was the best decision EVER! My 7-year-old fits fine in the Triumph.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just went back to BRU to testdrive again today, this time with hubby in tow. He voted for the Volo or Triumph (didn't try any higher up in price in the Macs) over the Graco IPO b/c he felt it was easier to push. Interesting, b/c I didn't see much difference, and I'm shorter and not as strong!

 

[daffidyll]

Another Mac Volo fan here! So light to carry, so easy to steer, love the tall handles so you aren't stooping, love that my tall 4 year old DD still fits in it with tons of room for her head under the canopy, love how super easy it folds up.....just love love love it!!!

 

[smilnjen]

So I tested out a Triumph at target....with my 7 year old....LOVED it!! It is nice that DD7 can fit into it if she is the most tired and cranky......I told my DD 4 that I was buying her a stroller and she said, but strollers are for babies...I can't remember that last time she was in a stroller. So I want a triumph....any tips on the cheapest place??

THanks EVERYONE!!!

LOVE, LOVE this board!! The ppl here are great!

J

 

[jenjersnap]

Looking at the shopping comparison sites, there doesn't seem to be many good deals on the Triumph right now. $120 seems to be the cheapest and that is for the same 2006 model that I got for $90 last year. Anyway if you want to look at it, here it is: http://babydealz.stores.yahoo.net/20matrbastgo.html

I really like albeebaby.com. I have ordered many things from them and never had a problem. When they have a good sale - see Triumph score above, lol - their prices are fabulous.

You might get lucky on ebay too though I find that there are so many people trolling for a good deal there that the prices on baby products often get pushed up higher than sale prices. ETA: there are several on ebay right now that are $114 shipped with Buy It Now.

Good luck!

So I tested out a Triumph at target....with my 7 year old....LOVED it!! It is nice that DD7 can fit into it if she is the most tired and cranky......I told my DD 4 that I was buying her a stroller and she said, but strollers are for babies...I can't remember that last time she was in a stroller. So I want a triumph....any tips on the cheapest place??

THanks EVERYONE!!!

LOVE, LOVE this board!! The ppl here are great!

J

 

[smilnjen]

What is the difference between the triumph and the quest mod? There is a 2006 quest mod on albeebaby for $119 + free shipping. I saw the deal on ebay too...are the 2007 triumps better or the 2006 quest mod?

 

[bumbershoot]

I am sooooo not a scholar on macs, but I *think* that last year they started to offer the rain shield with their strollers. So an '06 *might* not have that, but you would have to make sure with albee on that specifically. But it could be one reason for the lower price.

I didn't really see or feel much difference between the two we looked at at DL, except different colors and whatnot.


While testdriving last night, I was amazed to see how small the Mac and IPO folded! Since we had only had a Combi and the BabyTrend, which folded up smaller than my jogging stroller (so we thought that was small), I was astonished to see how itsy they both got. And until DH folded the IPO up I thought the footrest was totally solid, and figured that it would NOT fold up like that. It's good to test drive!


Something people on the budget (or for families?) board have been talking about is that if you buy it from an unofficial source, you void the warranty. That might be something to think about.

 

[jenjersnap]

Our '06 Triumph came with a rain shield that attaches to the top. Very nice little perk!

Sorry, do not know the answer to your Quest question. I've never seen one in person.

 

[TripleH]

I don't know the answer to your question about the Qwest either. Sorry.

I just wanted to say that I was at BRU today test driving strollers for my dd. She's still in preschool, but really tall for her age and about 48 lbs. I personally liked the Mac volo, but I really loved the triumph. It just seemed to handle better than the volo with her weight. I noticed that on the BRU website, it lists the max weight for both the volo and the triumph at 65 lbs., but in the store the signs said 55 lbs.

We tried the Graco IPO too, which seemed decent, but the reclining seat wouldn't stay latched on the floor model we were trying out.

Dd loved the Macs, but dh said he's not buying a stroller that we'll only use for 1 week. I begged, but he absolutely refused. That's fine...he can carry dd when her little legs give out...or pay to rent a stroller at DL. I tried!

So has anyone rented a stroller at DL? How big are they? How much is it?

 

[bumbershoot]

$10 a day last December. They are a jogging type of stroller, but I don't think the front wheel swivels at all. They are a bit narrow, in my son's opinion, until he settles all the way back.

Where are you guys staying? That's the big part that's rotten if you don't have your own stroller. Unless you're staying at Grand Californian or are staying at Disneyland Hotel and are willing to end your days at Tomorrowland so you can take the monorail back, the walk is going to be longer than you really want to do while carrying a tired child.

DH talked me into renting in December, even though we had a babytrend at home, because he didn't want me to have to deal with the hassle of the stroller at the airport. So we left a perfectly good stroller (for DS's weight 2 months ago) at home and spent 30 or 40 bucks on rental, but still had to deal with hauling DS's tired self to (I had us up earlier than DH and DS wanted) and from (kept them there too late, too) the Anabella (a bit further away than Paradise Pier), and by the end of that trip (I'm better at carrying DS, even though I'm not as strong, b/c of the "hip shelf" women have, and b/c DH's belly gets in the way of carrying DS easily) I was really to throttle my husband for talking me into doing that.

If you're going to rent at the parks, get the rental deal. It isn't actually a financial deal, there's no discount. But it saves you precious time, b/c after the first day (you pay for every day and you get a matching number of tickets) you just go to the person doling out the strollers, hand over your receipt, they make out a nametag (or you can just save the name tag from the first day) and hand you a stroller. LOTS of time saved there.

But if you are staying a full week or 7 days, that vs a Volo on sale really is in favor of buying the stroller, especially because you can sell it later!

 

[heatherleigh]

I purchased a new stroller specifically for our last DL trip. I needed something with a larger weight max in case my older boys rode in it. I wound up getting the MacLaren Triumph, I think. It is a great stroller, except there isn't much storage space underneath. The one other downside, is there is no cup holder. It drives so smooth though, that it makes up for it.

We rented a Disney stroller one day when all the kids fell asleep during Fantasmic, and I really liked that too. It's probably more economical to bring your own- depending on how long you stay.