ok, can you guys stand another stroller question, lol??

[bartleby1]

Hi! I'm kind of a new poster here but have lurked, read, and gained soooo much valuable information from you all. BIG thank you!

Anyway, my question is about strollers. We will be going to disney in July with our 3.5 year old DD and 13 month old DS. I have been looking for two cheap light weight strollers rather than bringing our big duoglider ( although I'm still not sure if it will be easier with the duoglider or with two lightweights). My problem is that I haven't been able to find a lightweight that my DD fits in. She is 32 pounds and 40 inches. I wanted one with a canopy but it seems I need to chop her head off in order to use the canopy on all the ones that I've tried, lol! Also, her feet almost drag on the ground on many of them. We did find one that she fit in, but it was $289 (I think it was a maclaren). I can't spend a ton of money for a stroller that we are only going to use on one trip. Any suggestions?? Or should I just suck it up and take my duoglider? Oh, she will probably be napping in the stroller too, so it needs to be fairly comfy, best if it reclines. We are staying off site so we usually spend the whole day at the parks.

Thanks to anyone who can offer some suggestions!

Debbie

 

[E&B's Mom]

I am big fan of what I call "The $10 Walmart Special." It's a basic umbrella stroller withough any accessories (including roof/visor) but I love it. Light, easy to fold and Cheap. My kids have used them since they were 6 months. We used one for DD5 when we went to WDW in August 2000, and we just made sure she kept a baseball cap on to keep the sun off her face. Had verey minimal rain and her rain jacket worked just fine. We are planning to to the same thing with DS4 on the next trip in May.

 

[sha_lyn]

I love the combi SUBV. Very lgiht weight and fold up small. Even has a shoulder strap that come in great when you're trying to hold onto a childs hand and carry the stroller onto a bus etc.

http://www.combistrollerstore.com/subv.html

 

[hygienejean]

Hi,
We are going with our almost 3 year old DS and a 11 month old DD in May. I also decided against taking our huge and bulky Duoglider. Too much! We are doing the same as you, taking 2 umbrella strollers. I got the Combi SUBV(2 of them) just like the previous poster. It was very reasonably priced on the internet. We have done a couple of test runs and it seems like a great stoller but of course the real test is yet to come! lol! I think the weight limit goes to 40 pounds so it should last us. I am not sure about the height though! Good luck!

 

[sha_lyn]

Tthe weight limit for the SUBV is 45 lbs according to the web site.
The only "warning" I have is the feel of it takes a little getting use to. The wheels are suspended independently so it goes over uneven pavement, trails etc easier. This makes it sway a little from side to side. I've read some posters here that sent it right back because they thought it was cheap and about to fall apart. Believe me it is suppose to sway a little, and once you get use to it, it is no big deal at all.

It does not have cup holders which was the only thing I wish it had. You can buy cup holders in several different brands. I think ours are prince lionheart.

 

[bartleby1]

THanks for all of your replys and suggestions. We did try out a combi in one of the stores we went to last night but she was almost dragging her feet on the ground and her head was hitting the canopy. She looked really squished. They didn't have the subv one, it was the travel savvy one. Is the subv one any bigger? It did seem like a great stroller, very light, but I was afraid she would get her feet tangled in the wheels. Are other 3 year olds fitting in these? She is a little on the tall side but not enormous compared to other kids her age. I'm not so worried about the weight limit since she is only 32 lbs and has only gained 3 pounds in the past year, but her height seems to be a problem.

 

[sha_lyn]

DD is 5 1/2, 39 lbs and 44 inches tall. She still fits the SUBV very well. However I checked the demitions of the 2 on the site, and they are almost the same. The travel savvy seems to be an "upgrade" but weights more and doesn't fold as flat.

 

[laughinplace199]

My daughter is 3 yrs old, about 38 inches and 33 pounds. We used Kolkraft reclining umbrella strollers for both of our kids this past October (our son was 15 months at the time). They reclined and had canopies and we thought they were great for $30 each!

 

[BevS97]

At 3.5 and 4.5 my dd used a pretty basic umbrella stroller, it doesn't recline or have a canopy, but it does have swivel wheels - I think swivel wheels are essential for your sanity!

We have a seperate parasol that we used with it, and we added a net basket underneath so that we could carry a small cooler bag and all our other junk. It also coped with a backpack slung over the handlebars.

Mine was bought in the UK, so no point in sharing the exact brand, but it worked a treat, and even though it didn't recline, she was still able to sleep in it (and did on a couple of occasions).

Bev

 

[welovedis]

The Travel Saavy and the SUBV have essentially the same footrest length so they would fit your DD pretty much the same way. Have you tried the Maclaren Volo? I *thought* the footrest seemed better in that one as my 6 yo DS sat it one at the store and his knees were not up to his chin at least-lol!

Good Luck!

 

[NotUrsula]

It's not MUCH bigger than a standard umbrella, but a little bit, and it has larger-diameter wheels, as well as double wheels both front and back, which tend to make it easier to steer with heavier weights. The hood is a flat hood, which may be a bit low, but you could always flip it back and put a Graco clip-on umbrella on the stroller instead. The Caddy also has a built-in shoulder strap, which can be handy, and a two-position recline.

The Caddy normally runs about $50-60. I've seen them locally @ BRUS and BCF Baby Depot. (Be aware that Baby Depot does not issue cash refunds, only store credit.) You can probably get the best price by buying on the web, however. The Caddy is a new model, but I think that the resale value on it should be fairly good, you should be able to sell it for nearly what you paid for it.

http://www.dmartstores.com/chiccadligst.html

 

[jenniferk97]

I bought the Maclaren Volo for our Disney trip, and so far we LOVE it! It's only 8 lbs, the lightest we could find, yet very sturdy for an umbrella stroller. My suggestion is to go to your nearest Babies R Us and try them all. We needed a taller one, since we are tall people, and we love the shoulder strap...I've used it in the mall, for the escalator, when there was a long line at the ONE elevator....

Anyway, you can get it for $99 at www.babiesrus.com which is actually a part of Amazon. If nothing else, go there and to www.epinions.com and read up on other people's experiences.

Hope that helps. Also, with my tall children, I've always take off canopies and just used sunscreen and hats. The Volo is cheaper because it doesn't have those the padding or canopy, but they have a version called the Daytripper that is only $150. They both have rather small baskets underneath, too. I LIKE the simple mesh fabric, because it's easy to wipe clean and cool!

We don't leave for Disney for a few more weeks, but I'm totally certain we'll be thrilled with this eight pound, well made stroller. It has comfy padded handles that are more ergomically correct than the standard umbrella type. My husband loves this stroller!

JenniferK

 

[jenniferk97]

I forgot to say that the Volo is good up to 40 pounds. I know even my large children have slowed way down between 30 and 40 pounds...so it might last you a good while.

Another cool thing is that it comes in a long box, and you pull it out and it's ready to go...no assembly at all. Again, if you try it out next to those 11 pound strollers, I think you'll choose the eight pounds for carrying on the train at MK, or on the monorail, or the busses.......

JenniferK

 

[disney fiend]

I'm dealing with the same issues, but I'm debating about bringing two strollers or three. I have DD 4 and DD and DS twins, who will be 18 months when we go in Sept. I was thinking umbrella stroller for 4 year old, but didn't want to bring duoglider for twins. Debating about twin stroller (probably kolcraft) or two lightweight deluxe type umbrella--like caddy, volo or combi. Haven't made up my mind. And do you think a regular umbrella will work good enough for 4 year old or should I upgrade her as well? thanks, all.