Yikes, more stroller questions!

[OnourwaytoWDW]

Ok..being a stroller nerd here.
We have now a jogging one. Fold up nicely, nice big tires for easy pushing and going over rough terrian, but if you put the snack tray on it, my daughter doesn't fit any more! LOL She looks all giant size. 38 inches tall and close to 30 pounds. She's 2 1/2. She can't even get the harness around her anymore.

Most new joggers I look at have a "lean" to the seat backwards. I want her sitting up straight so she can check everything out.

DH said the stroller is fine. He LIKES the big rubber wheels. I really want her to have at least a tray or at least something for her to hold on to because if we stop quick, she might plop out!

So, here are the criteria, nice big wheels, easy to move around, some sort of tray on front.

I was looking at the Expeditan jogger, but read a few things about the front wheel being all jacked up. Don't need that in the middle of our trip.

I keep reading over and over about Maclearn, but the wheels look like hard plastic and would be a rough ride.

Thanks!

 

[Elmo888]

A few points (maybe this will help, maybe not!)...

Where are you staying? If you will be using Disney buses, compactly folding and lightweight is a big help. Trying to drag a jogging stroller onto the bus will be difficult (and a crowded bus, such as at closing, will make it even worse). If you will have a car, then this isn't an issue. Umbrella strollers are lightweight and fold compactly.

Are you talking about a true jogger with a fixed wheel or an all-terrain type stroller with a swivel wheel (in either case - with your jogger or the Expedition)? A fixed wheel is a pain when walking (I had a fixed wheel jogger for walking, and I sold it and bought a swivel wheel model). And it would be a pain at WDW when you are in crowded areas and tight spaces, since a larger area is needed for turning the fixed wheel jogger.

Bigger wheels are good for a.)fast speeds (such as jogging) b.)uneven terrain (such as hiking in the woods). On paved, smooth surfaces, the smaller wheels of the Maclarens aren't a problem. I believe that the wheels are a hard rubber, not plastic (someone might be able to confirm this or you could find a Mac in person).

There are a number of compactly folding lightweight umbrella strollers that you could check out, but the reason that I would lean towards the Maclaren is the high weight limit (55 lbs or so?). Since you have a 2 yo, you could get a lot of use out of an umbrella with a high weight limit. (I've seen some nice umbrellas with only a 35 lb weight limit, and you wouldn't get much use from that.)

Does that help?

 

[happypooh]

I have a bob revolution and love it. We had installed the car seat bar to hold the baby seat carrier but ended up keeping it on as my DS would hold on to it like a napper bar I guess and we felt better about having something infront in case we braked suddenly. Having said that the straps really do hold him in well.

 

[mavdav]

I agree with Elmo888. It really depends on what resort you stay at. If you are staying at one of the Value level resorts, go compact b/c you will be in those buses like sardines and it is standing room only. I always feel sorry for the people carrying the larger strollers onto the buses. It is a real pain to lug on board and it hits everyone when you are going down the aisle and what if you have to go all the way to the back!

I would highly suggest getting a Maclaren. We love ours and we bought it specifically for Disney. It folds up compactly and my husband likes it b/c of the carrying strap and the fact that it folds up fast. The Triumph version has several seat positions.

If you are going during the summer I would highly recommend a smaller stroller and not one as bulky as a jogger. Honestly, you won't be running or pushing on dirt or gravel. Just the concrete sidewalks of Disney. Go for lightweight and comfort.

 

[mello]

Ooops, Double Post

 

[mello]

DD is 5 and has long since outgrown her little cheapy umbrella stroller. She's about 43" and 30 lbs - tall & thin for her age. WeVe had a very hard time finding a standard stroller where her head didn't flop out the back in a reclining position and her legs didn't drag on the ground.

Today we tried out various Macs, Jeeps, and Bobs, among others.

I'd say, if money isn't an issue, go with a Bob - they are the sturdiest and most roomy, lengthwise for taller kids. They maneuvre great. But they're PRICEY. (At least they were at REI). Since this stroller is really only for our upcoming trip (she hasn't used one at home for over a year), we decided spending the $ on a Bob wouldn't be prudent.

The Macs are all very nice for the price, and actually had plenty of headroom, but her legs had a tendancy to dangle off the little footrest - they're not quite tall or long enough for a child her size, though a year ago they would have been ideal.

We settled on a Jeep Liberty "pseudojogger" - I say pseudo because it looks just like a jogger, but is called an all terrain stroller and says not intended for jogging. It had the most head and legroom of everything we looked at except the Bob, and a nicely engineered footrest. It's slightly bigger than a standard stroller, but actually smaller than a regular double stroller, so not overwhelming huge for WDW. It maneuvers great, has a nice size basket, and dd says it's quite comfortable. We had to get the model without the ipod dock/cd player thing because it stuck out and bumped her on the head. It was removeable, but then there would be no cupholder or parent tray at all. We wound up ordering from ToysRUs online for $99, and feel like it's the best thing out there for the money if you're looking for a stroller for an older child.

I've been agonizing over the whole stroller issue for weeks - use one or not, rent or buy, etc. etc., even before the rental prices went up. So hopefully this mini review helps somebody!

 

[OnourwaytoWDW]

We are staying at the Poly. The only times I can see us folding it down would be for the bus to Animal Kingdom, DDD, and MGM.

I would like a swivel front wheel. The swivel we have now is nice.

I believe we'll have to go down to Babies R Us and test run a few. Ugh.. I didn't want to spend the gas!

Thanks everyone!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

We settled on a Jeep Liberty "pseudojogger" - I say pseudo because it looks just like a jogger, but is called an all terrain stroller and says not intended for jogging. It had the most head and legroom of everything we looked at except the Bob, and a nicely engineered footrest. It's slightly bigger than a standard stroller, but actually smaller than a regular double stroller, so not overwhelming huge for WDW!

We have the Jeep Liberty stroller and my daughter (14 months) really likes it. I wasn't planning to bring it to WDW because it is so bulky and heavy (ours is the model with the inflatable tires and ipod dock). When are you traveling to WDW? I'd love to hear how it goes for you using that one.

 

[mello]

Hopefully it will be here in time! (we ordered it online last night). I'll try and remember to post about how it worked out when we get back.

 

[all4fun]

What stroller do you have now that is too small?

We use a jogger w/swivel wheel at WDW. DH wanted it because he kept kicking the back wheels of our Kidco stroller (very similar to the Macs). Ds was also getting too tall for it, but he's about the average height of a 6yr old and he just turned 5.

If your dh is willing and able to carry it on and off the buses then I would just let him do it. For the most part my dh takes care of the stroller on the buses and it works out fine. We usually stay at the Boardwalk so we only have to bus to two parks anyway. It's worth it for us to have a stroller that is both comfy for ds AND comfortable and easy for us to push.

Our stroller is a Dreamer Design Manhattan (www.dreamerdesign.net) . I admit it's pretty big but it's plenty big for my tall ds. It has a 75lb limit and it handles really well. Ours came with a rain cover which is essential when dealing with the rain in Florida (we even got poured on quite a bit in the 1st part of April which is not supposed to be a typically rainy season). We got ours off ebay last June when they were clearancing out the '07 models.