What Stroller to Take on a Disney Vacation?? Any Other Tips?

If you can take any kind of double stroller I would definately recommend it. A four yr old will have alot of walking to do. Use which ever one is light weight and wasy to use. They 4 yr old will want to walk also I am sure, but for when they dont want to walk you will be much happier if you can accomodate them. Good luck and have a great vacation.

my vote is for the sit and stand. We took one when my kids were really young and it worked out great. I do love the Disney rental strollers for a little older kids though.

a couple tips
you can do a rider swap so that both you and your husband can ride things that your baby can't

It can be a little stressful sometimes there with kids-especially if you have high expectations of everything you want to do/see. Just try to relax and do what you can.

The double stroller with storage and the best shade.

Double stroller for sure. My Disney advice is that if you want to do a character breakfast, book it now. They fill up fast and we ended up doing one at 7 in the morning on the last day of our trip. Kids were so tired by then and not at all excited about getting up early to do this. Also, they weren't really that hungry that early in the morning, so we paid $70 for two donuts and a glass of milk...

My other advice is to buy the autograph book right away. They have a stand at the entrance of the park. Buy one there and get the one with the slip for pictures next to the autograph. You never know when you will run into a character and it also makes a great keepsake.

Wear comfy shoes. Put style aside for the day, there is soooo much walking!! Take lots of water and most of all, have FUN! Wishing you safe travels and a wonderful trip!!

we went to disney with four kids years ago. Oldest was 7 youngest was 5 months. Take a very comfortable single stoller for baby they can lay down and sleep, we bought a sarong (big cloth swim suit cover) to keep the sun out of the stroller at any angle. Plus they are thin material and breathe. Rent a single stroller at the parks for the older one. They watch your strollers and all belongings for every ride (attraction) so they are safe.
I would watch people fold up these huge double strollers at the end of a very long hot day and lug them on the bus. NO Thanks! Take extra change of clothes for both kids! Some areas of the park there are no stores..we found this out when the 5 mth. had huge bm and we needed to change her clothes. Not a store in sight! It was so hot and the sun was beating down so hard we didn't want to take her out of the bathroom. One of the ride employees had a onesie sent over..they gave it to us! They are very sweet and accommodating!
#1 tip get a spray bottle fine mister and every so ofter mist the kids. We went in August and holy cow it was hot! No one got heat stroke or dehydration...except me from taking care of everyone else! You are going to have a blast Disney treats you Like you are paying them! And although a hot month we had the best time! Have fun!
One more thing about stroller if you are going to be the only one pushing then obviously you will need a double..get a front and back one not side by side. Back is for baby to lay down or sit up...front big kid when he gets tired!

Hi A. Marie, I hope you have a great time on your trip! Take the stroller that your baby is most comfortable with. Remember Disney has great strollers for use that are great for older kids (we used them when our girls were 2 & 4). Have fun!

I don't have time to read all the answers you received, so I apologize if my answer is redundant.

I would have 2 separate strollers, your own for your youngest, and a rental for your older child. That's what friends advised us to do, and it was great advice. We took our more plush stroller, so our youngest could have real nice naps in it, not sitting up. (Our kids were just-turned-2 and 5 at the time.)

There have been MANY threads here about Disney tips. (I've written on some before.) I suggest you do a search for Disney on Mampedia. I'm sure you'll learn a lot of nice tips!

One of the best I received, besides the stroller info, was to tie something really colorful on both strollers that would identify them immediately for us. The Disney people MOVE the strollers when you're in shows, etc.! I used bright pink material, and it was great!

Have a great time!

Whenever we've gone to Disney, we just rented a stroller. It was worth every cent!
You have to leave your stroller outside rides, so you don't have to worry about someone stealing your stroller if you rent one or worry about it breaking on the plane, etc... Plus the rental ones handle nicely & are nice & big (plenty of room for a dipaer bag, etc....) to fit in there.
Last time we went, our son was 7 mos & our daughter was 4 & honestly, I had my son in my THING-A-MA-SLING the whole time!---We actually rented a double stroller, but our daughter used it & the extra space was used by the diaper bag, etc... He was in our sling the WHOLE day! We did this 2 days in a row. I thought for sure my back would be killing me within a few hours, but it wasn't. We did a similar thing on the plane too--he'd be in the sling & my daughter would just walk to the gate, etc... & my hands were free to help her and everything.

As for Disney rides, at that age your little one's not going to be able to go on very much. You can do the Pirates & Jungle ones & the Haunted Mansion, Finding Nemo & Peter Pan ones, but that's probably going to be about it. I don't think we did anything else w/ our son.--When my daughter wanted to go on a ride that our son couldn't, my husband or I would take her on it while the other one stayed w/ our son. Obviously, roller coasters, Dumbo (unless you're feeling really gutsy), bumper cars, etc... are off the table.

Hope that helps some! Have a great time & take lots of pictures!!!

You need a stroller for BOTH of your kids. We just went in Jan. and our daughter turned 5 in March and our son was 2 1/2. We brought a double JEEP side by side stroller. BOTH kids were in it a ton! I was tired from all the walking! We found ours on Craigslist for $30! They both reclined. The only downfall of the stroller was that there is no storage basket under it. NO BIGGIE, we just had a backpack with that we left on the stroller when we went on rides. Nobody touched it. BUT, the kids could jump in and our themselves. NO lifting them over a bar.

WHATEVER stroller you take, print and laminate and zip tie a "stroller belongs to" label to it. MAKES it soooo much easier to find YOUR stroller at all the stroller parking areas. Plus, it will decrease the chance of it getting stolen.

ADDITION: Bring a baby carrier for your 6 month old too! That way if it's about nap time, just strap the baby to one of you and you won't have to wake him up for rides! We used an ergo 2 years ago when we went to Disneyland and our son was about 6 months old (a big baby!) We also had a stroller with that time as well.

I just returned from Disney last month with my then 9 month old, 2 year old and 4 year old. About the stroller, you will definitely want one that reclines for the baby so he can nap. Your four year old--well, it kind of depends on his/ner personality. Mine never asked to ride in the double Combi that we brought for our baby and 2 year old. She was fine walking. We took lots of breaks, didn't try to "do everything" and we had a wonderful, happy time. I would not really recommend the sling that others have recommended if you are going at a hot time, you will burn up and make each other hotter. Definitely take lots of drinks in with you as others have recommended and small snacks, too. Those saved the day for us, I wish we'd brought more. Also, someone else recommended buying the autograph book first thing...I'd even say buy it ahead of time if you are near a Disney store or online. I never would have thought my 4 year old would be interested in that, but she was, and it would have been nice to have it from the very start. You will have a wonderful time no matter what, just plan ahead and take it easy. We can't wait to go back in a couple years and enjoy the Magic Kingdom in a whole new way!

Definitely bring a double stroller! Your 4 year old won't last all day and will want to ride a some point. You do not want a cranky 4 year old begging to be carried out of the park. We went when our kids were right around the same ages and we have a combi side by side. Wouldn't have considered going without a double stroller! Take the one that will give the little one the ability to lay down. Sounds like that's the one they will both be most comfy in!

Bring a double stroller for sure. There is SO much walking at Disneyworld that your older child is sure to get tired and need a rest. The last thing you want is a whiny, overtired kid who needs to be carried around the park.

I also highly recommend bringing some sort of infant carrier (Ergo, bjorn, etc) so that you can wear your baby in the carrier while waiting in line.

Go on Disney's website before your trip and research a little bit about going with kids. There is a baby center where you can change and feed the baby in a nice, quiet place. They also have child-size toilets for your older one.

Bring lots of water and snacks so you don't have to spend a fortune on food at the park. Wear comfy shoes for all the walking.

We live in CA and have annual passes to Disneyland. My son is almost three and he LOVES it. I'm sure you will have a great time.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - great travel games and toys for kids of all ages!

last time we went to disneyland we had a 9month old and 2 and half years. we used the single strollers from them and just took the bus from our hotel it is a short walk from the bus. we used the lockers for our stuff and then just took the necessaties around with us. for anything outside of the park we had an umbrella stroller and a front carrier. i liked using there strollers cause there are no worries about others taking them while on rides. good luck have fun!

Our sit and stand worked out great for our kids. The first trip was with a 3 yr old and 4 month old. The second trip was when they were 4 and 16 months. Both trips were in August with mega heat! My husband was against taking a stroller for the 4 yr old, but they do get tired. Do you really want to carry the hot, whiney, heavy preschooler around?

My only real advice is to remember naps and downtime for everyone. You don't have to do everything, it'll be there tomorrow or 5 yrs from now. Everyone will have a better time if their not worn out.

Good luck!
T.

I am not familiar with all of the strollers you mentioned, but you'll DEFINITELY need either a double stroller or a stroller for each. A double stroller sounds much more convenient to me. Children older than your four year old even use strollers at Disney. There is SOOOO much walking. Besides, you can keep things in the bottom of the stroller and won't have to carry them (nothing valuable of course)! HAVE FUN!!!!!

My tips are to check a bag of water and snacks. I forget what it was called... i think magic express. They sent yellow tags in the mail. When you drop your bags off at the airport, you don't see them again until they are sitting in your hotel room! I also packed the mini cereal boxes and plastic bowls and spoons. We would buy milk and oj down there and put them in the room fridge. This way we had one free meal. The meal plan took care of the rest and was well worth it :) We went went my kids were 2, 4, 9, and 10. My other advice is to plan the hall of presidents (those kind of attractions) at nap time. It really works and they napped on our laps.

Have a great time!! There is no place like disney ;)

I have a feeling that the stroller won't be needed at all for your 4 yr. We went 2 yrs ago without one for our then 3 yr old twins and they did just fine walking. Last year we were 4 and they couldn't have cared less about riding in a stroller...they were so excited that they drug everyone else through the park to get from place to place. In my personal opinion--I wouldn't even bother with anything other than a single stroller.

Disney tips--pack some food to take in. The prices are ridiculous and kids are constantly getting the munchies. Also--go to downtown Disney and take your 4 yr old to the T-Rex cafe. I will warn you though--a reservation is highly recommended. It's a smidgen pricey, but for 5 of us (my hubby, myself, our older daughter and the twins) we all ate for around $90, which included the tip.

Have a great time!

We took a cheapie umbrella stroller to walk from the parking lot and then checked it in where rented one of the Disney double strollers. They are SO WORTH IT!!! My (usually cranky) 2 year old was an "angel" for 3 days in that stroller. I also recommend when you get into the park decide what rides you really want to go on and get the "fast pass" to come back at a certain time and go to the front of the line. I also recommend making breakfast or lunch reservations with the characters well in advance.
Have fun!!!!