what is the best kind of stroller?

[cab0ad]

What kind of stroller do you recomend for WDW? I don't like the bulkiness of the big ones but the umbrella ones don't have a cup holder or storage! I'm not getting a park one. Too expensive and I want mine for he parking lot! Since my toddler will be getting in/out constantly I thought umbrella stroller, but it has no storage! Anyone have some advice here?

Has anyone ever had a stroller stolen from a park while on a ride? I worry about that too.

 

[mom2maggie]

I took a umbrella stroller the last time I was at WDW, but this time I'll be taking my larger stroller on days we'll be in the park all day, and the umbrella for shorter days. We're driving, so I have the luxury of taking both, but if I had to pick one, I'd say the larger one. I hated not having a good recline for her if she fell asleep in the stroller.

 

[mom2luncate]

Hi: We've gone several times when our kids were small and never had a stoller stollen. We did have a removable cup holder stollen once but that was it. I bought (on ebay) a new MacLaren (sp?) umbrella stroller for our last trip. Yes, it is a bit more money but it is extremely sturdy (held my 6 yr. old) has storage on the bottom and folds up easily and compactly and has a shoulder strap which makes getting off/on the buses a breeze. I'm tall and the stroller has higher handles and it turns on a dime. Regular umbrella strollers don't turn all that easily. I highly recommend it. Have a great trip!

 

[becca1125]

We have a jogging stroller.
Im 5'8 and dh is 6'6 so umbrella stroller are a pain in the rear, we feel like we are bent over trying to push it. Plus I need the storage, I have 3 kids. I also like this one because it keeps the sun off of her and it reclines a little so if she sleeps she will be ok. My youngest is 17 months, she will be 19 months when we go. Im going to take this stroller and Im thinking of getting one of those leash things for times she wants to walk but I dont know, Ive never been a fan of a "leash".

 

[my3sons77]

You will get a ton a different answers to your question. Take into account your toddlers age and temperment. You know your child better than anyone. Sometimes the ease of having a smaller stroller in the parks will lead to a much bigger problem than if you had a bigger one.

With all that said we brought our Graco Deluxe back in October. Sure it was big and sometimes a pain (only 1 time) on the bus but we didn't care. It was all worth it to have a comfortable toddler who was able to lay back and relax when he got tired. He took his naps in the stroller too. The storage on the bottom was great to hold all of our things and it was also nice to have the drink holders.

 

[lucigo]

After much research I decided I wanted an umbrella stroller with storage and a cup holder that would hold a bigger child, with a good sun shade. I went with babyplanet solo sport for price and looks.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2668364

Check it out

Oh, wanted to add, the sunshade is a big deal at disney...for protection from the sun obviously and because sometimes you just need a vacation from your vacation...

 

[mom2meiko]

we used a full size graco stroller on our last trip - dd was only 6.5 months old and we wanted to be sure she was comfortable and able to nap in it.

our next trip we will have 2 kids - dd will be 2.5 and ds will be 6.5 months old. we plan to use a full size graco double stroller - for the same reason - comfort.

you know your child best and what he/she will be most comfortable in. don't worry about the rest.

 

[NotUrsula]

By "umbrella" you seem to be thinking only of a WalMart cheapy for under $20. You need to work on widening your definition.

For travel of any kind, an umbrella-fold stroller is always going to be your best option. They are lighter and easier to carry and stow, and have fewer dangling bits to get snapped off in transit.

The features that you really need for theme parks are: 1) tall handles that won't kill your back when you are pushing it for hours on end, 2) recline, 3) a good-sized hood for shade, and 4) good suspension. I cannot emphasize enough how important good suspension is. An indicator of a stroller that has it will be the presence of double wheels on the back, though there are levels of good. (Macs have the best suspension on the market, which is reflected in their pricing.) Good suspension enables a stroller to still roll freely even when carrying a heavy load; much less work on an all-day outing.

Umbrella-fold strollers can easily be carried with one hand and are much easier to take on trams and the MK train than square-fold models. All but the super-cheapies normally will have a small basket and perhaps a hood pocket.

You can always add a cup holder and storage; do NOT let those be your criteria for purchase. (I use this cupholder on all of mine: http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids...ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1235156886&sr=1-3)

Using a large basket while in the parks is not a great idea anyway; you will be tempted to bring too much, and it will a major PITA to empty it all out to fold the stroller for transport on buses and trams. Put most of your gear in a backpack and drape it over the stroller handles so that you can just grab and go when you park outside of rides.

Some choices: Maclaren, Peg Pliko, Inglesina, Chicco, Baby Planet, Rock Star Baby, Mia Moda, and Joovy. There are also a couple of models from Graco and Evenflo now, but they tend to be made of steel, so they are a bit on the heavy side for minimalist designs. Combis are also pretty good as long as neither you nor baby is overly tall (though Combis do not actually umbrella-fold, they are light and compact.) Kolcraft reclining models are the baseline in this market segment; these are the ones sold in WDW stores.

 

[squirrel]

I bought a Perego P3 for my niece (4.5 yrs). It has a large canopy and reclines. It also has a tray for the child and a cup holder for the parent. There is also a storrage area under the seat.

I bought mine from www.albeebaby.com and had it shipped to the resort.

 

[jedijohn82]

With all that said we brought our Graco Deluxe back in October. Sure it was big and sometimes a pain (only 1 time) on the bus but we didn't care.

We have one of those Graco travel systems.

How hard is it to take something like that on the buses? Or is it worth driving every day to the parks in our own car?

 

[my3sons77]

We have one of those Graco travel systems.

How hard is it to take something like that on the buses? Or is it worth driving every day to the parks in our own car?

It's not hard, Just have it folded up and ready to go when the bus arrives Once I am at my resort my van doesn't move until we are ready to go home. So we never drive to the parks.

 

[TammyLynn33]

I loev that pic... SUbscribing..ALso worried re buses

 

[HGD24]

We bought a Peg Perego Pliko P3 when our DD was 4 months old and had Disney in mind when we bought it. It's lightweight but has all the features of a large stroller. DD's comfort is what's most important - afterall, she's the one spending a good part of the day in it while we only have to deal with getting it on and off buses for a couple of minutes a day. Not that we had any issues with it, but some people claim that the bigger strollers are too heavy and bulky for the buses. Plus, DH is very tall and I'm short - the handles adjust so we can both comfortably push it.

I will not put DD in an umbrella because I see so many LO's at WDW hunched over with sun blasting in their faces and I just can't see it as being comfortable or healthy. We also bought the Rayshade for added shade and for times when DD wanted to nap - we just pulled it down and it completely shut out noise and light.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

We bought a Macleran Techno XT. It folds really easy, can hold up to 55 lbs, had a rain shield, had expandable handles so I didn't have to hunch over. It also has nice pockets on the back and it held quite a few water bottles. I got lucky and found a really nice used one for $20!

 

[Mommy2JulietJocelyn]

like someone said above - you will get a lot of different answers - here is another that I haven't seen yet posted - I bought a Baby Jogger City Elite single - it is a jogger, one hand fold, very big sunshade, good storage options, height adjustable handle, folds small(compared to other joggers) but it was expensive. I find the best trick to keep it from being stolen is to ID it loudly- We have a sign with our name on it that is lime green and very bright - it is attached using zip ties - I also have our name & cell number hidden in 2 different places on the stroller.