Stroller situation for 3 young kids?

[dottieluv22]

We’ll be traveling with 3 young kids next October and I’m wondering what others have done!

At the time, we’ll have a 6 year old, a 4 year old who will be turning 5 during the trip, and a 17 month old. We’ll be doing a 10 night split stay on property, so a longer trip with lots of walking involved.

During our last trip, we used a double stroller for our then 2 year old and 3 year old which worked very well. Now that we have 3 small ones and I know that the standing boards on the back of strollers aren’t allowed, wondering what others have done. I’m guessing that all the walking will still be grueling for our 6 year old. Do people in this situation just do a double stroller as well as a heartier single stroller that would be good for slightly older kids? Should we just rent one in the parks if 6 year old starts to wear down? I figure it’ll be cheaper in the end to just rent one!

Any advice appreciated!

 

[Shellyred8]

I would go for the double stroller and then rent one in the park if the 6 yo gets tired. It really all depends on your 6 yo. My friends took their 6 yo boy and he outlasted them. If you have a high-energy 6 yo, you might be ok with just taking a break here and there for them to rest a bit and have a snack.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

It really depends on how much your 6 year old is likely to be in the stroller. When DS was just aging out but still got tired sometimes he would sit on the front of DD’s large jogging stroller or we would put the 2 of them in 1 seat. He had to entertain her as she got the final say of whether he rode or not, so she loved the attention from her big brother. It isn’t a good long term solution but it works in a pinch or to transfer locations (switching lands).

I personally am not a fan of the in park strollers. They really aren’t comfortable for anyone. You can always rent one last minute off property if you find that you are desperate (or if DH forgets to put it in the car - no need to ask me how I know!)

 

[jo-jo]

The one issue with bringing a double and a single, is when you get on the bus, it's tough to hold onto kids and strollers and bags. I'm assuming it's you, spouse and 3 kids.

Perhaps it won't be that big of an issue and the older kids can switch off. Or maybe the 17 month will want to walk all day. LOL

 

[woodys_girl]

When my kids were about that age middle could use the stroller (double) whenever she wanted, youngest switched between stroller, Ergo baby carrier, and a bit of walking, and the oldest walked mostly, but got the option of the stroller if one of the younger two wasn't using it. I thought about bringing another single stroller since my oldest really likes riding, but decided logistically it was not worth the effort and I'm glad we just had the double. We've also done the 2 in one seat in a pinch before, but that sure does make your stroller harder to push.

 

[danceintherain]

When my kids were 7 yo, 4 yo, and 18ish months, I took a carrier and Joovy Caboose Ultralight. The 7 yo rarely rode, even though he tends to tire easily. He actually split off to ride rollercoasters with my Dad a lot of the time. The 4 year old wouldn't ride in the stroller much. I actually ended up wearing her in the carrier at one point, because she wouldn't accept anything else. (she has since been dxed with ADHD)
At least once, the youngest was in the front seat, the 2nd sitting on the back seat, and the oldest standing. It wasn't easy to push, but it kept us moving and together.

We do a break everyday at Disney, so the boys got naps. DD doesn't really nap. I also try to avoid criss-crossing the park much. At Magic Kingdom, we do 2-3 lands, then leave. Sometimes we don't go back into the parks in the evenings.

 

[SLThomas318]

Not sure how big your kids are, but the front of a double bob has enough space for a small kid to sit on if in a pinch

 

[bluezy]

I would just take the double stroller and let the older kids switch off as needed. We always waited until our youngest child at the time was 4 years old before going to Disney World so that we didn't have to deal with a stroller. We made 3 trips with a 4 year old child and on each trip, the 4 yo walked the whole time -- never even asked for a stroller. None of our kids used a stroller anywhere after about 2 years of age. You might be surprised at how much walking a 5 & 6 year old are willing to do at Disney.

When we were there with our extended family last summer, our DS & DDIL had a sit-n-stand stroller for their 15 mo & 5 yo. The 5 yo rarely wanted to be in the stroller -- usually only riding when we were in very crowded areas. I imagine when we go next summer, she won't use it at all and they'll just bring a single stroller.

Another option is to just bring an umbrella stroller in addition to the double. Then you can play it by ear as to whether you need to bring it to the park every day. You might find you only need that extra stroller on certain days. I do agree with the PP who mentioned that wrangling 3 kids, 2 strollers, and whatever bags you have when getting on and off a bus or monorail is not going to be fun. And if you're using the Skyliner, you'll also have to fold up the double stroller if it's a side-by-side.

Since you're going to be there for 10 days, you probably won't need to be cramming a lot of walking into each day. You'll have plenty of time to sit and take a break (on a bench, watching a show, etc.) when needed and probably have some short park days thrown in. We were there for 8 days last year and easily managed a 3-4 hour break every day and only did rope drop 3 of those days. We'd have even more down time on a 10-day trip.

 

[dottieluv22]

The one issue with bringing a double and a single, is when you get on the bus, it's tough to hold onto kids and strollers and bags. I'm assuming it's you, spouse and 3 kids.

Perhaps it won't be that big of an issue and the older kids can switch off. Or maybe the 17 month will want to walk all day. LOL

That is a very good point about the busses! The split stay includes resorts with transport to the parks that’s not just bus, but we will definitely have to use a bus for AK at least. Something to consider- I recall how much of a pain a double was with a 2 and 3 year old on the bus. Will definitely be tougher with a double, a single AND 3 kids. Might be a better idea to just bring a double and have the 6 and 4 year old switch and then resort to a park stroller if we get desperate

 

[dottieluv22]

I would go for the double stroller and then rent one in the park if the 6 yo gets tired. It really all depends on your 6 yo. My friends took their 6 yo boy and he outlasted them. If you have a high-energy 6 yo, you might be ok with just taking a break here and there for them to rest a bit and have a snack.

That’s a good point- and I didn’t consider how cumbersome a double stroller and single stroller plus 3 kids might be on the busses

 

[dottieluv22]

I would just take the double stroller and let the older kids switch off as needed. We always waited until our youngest child at the time was 4 years old before going to Disney World so that we didn't have to deal with a stroller. We made 3 trips with a 4 year old child and on each trip, the 4 yo walked the whole time -- never even asked for a stroller. None of our kids used a stroller anywhere after about 2 years of age. You might be surprised at how much walking a 5 & 6 year old are willing to do at Disney.

When we were there with our extended family last summer, our DS & DDIL had a sit-n-stand stroller for their 15 mo & 5 yo. The 5 yo rarely wanted to be in the stroller -- usually only riding when we were in very crowded areas. I imagine when we go next summer, she won't use it at all and they'll just bring a single stroller.

Another option is to just bring an umbrella stroller in addition to the double. Then you can play it by ear as to whether you need to bring it to the park every day. You might find you only need that extra stroller on certain days. I do agree with the PP who mentioned that wrangling 3 kids, 2 strollers, and whatever bags you have when getting on and off a bus or monorail is not going to be fun. And if you're using the Skyliner, you'll also have to fold up the double stroller if it's a side-by-side.

Since you're going to be there for 10 days, you probably won't need to be cramming a lot of walking into each day. You'll have plenty of time to sit and take a break (on a bench, watching a show, etc.) when needed and probably have some short park days thrown in. We were there for 8 days last year and easily managed a 3-4 hour break every day and only did rope drop 3 of those days. We'd have even more down time on a 10-day trip.

All good points- we take midday breaks at the hotel as well so that’ll help with any downtime!

 

[dottieluv22]

Not sure how big your kids are, but the front of a double bob has enough space for a small kid to sit on if in a pinch

I will have to look into that! Would be good in a pinch for sure

 

[unrequited23]

If you are flying I would recommend bringing a stroller from home to use as containment/command center in the airport vs renting in FL.

 

[juxtapose]

Take a double stroller and switch the older kid in if needed. With kids that small, I find we moved so slow anyways by age 5 my kids never needed a stroller. We do take afternoon breaks though and don’t run across the parks back and forth.

 

[mjkacmom]

It really depends on how much your 6 year old is likely to be in the stroller. When DS was just aging out but still got tired sometimes he would sit on the front of DD’s large jogging stroller or we would put the 2 of them in 1 seat. He had to entertain her as she got the final say of whether he rode or not, so she loved the attention from her big brother. It isn’t a good long term solution but it works in a pinch or to transfer locations (switching lands).

I personally am not a fan of the in park strollers. They really aren’t comfortable for anyone. You can always rent one last minute off property if you find that you are desperate (or if DH forgets to put it in the car - no need to ask me how I know!)

I preferred in park strollers. On our last trip, the youngest were 4, 4, and 6 (6 year old was the same size as the 4 year olds). They no longer used a stroller at home, we used the rented double as a way to go from area to area, and for parade searing. They either squeezed in together or took turns. They were find walking to the buses or back to the beach club.

 

[ElenaRN]

I would take or rent a double stroller and bring a carrier for the 17mo. A sit and stand would work too, but I've found them to be bulky and hard to push in the parks.
As PPs have mentioned likely the 6yo will mostly walk.
I've never been a fan of umbrella strollers in Disney but they do sell them pretty much in every park if you feel you need one.

 

[dottieluv22]

I would take or rent a double stroller and bring a carrier for the 17mo. A sit and stand would work too, but I've found them to be bulky and hard to push in the parks.
As PPs have mentioned likely the 6yo will mostly walk.
I've never been a fan of umbrella strollers in Disney but they do sell them pretty much in every park if you feel you need one.

Just wondering if a carrier will kill my back with a small toddler worth a shot perhaps. And you’re right! If worst comes to worst- we buy an umbrella stroller!

 

[Genie+]

I would just take the double stroller and let the older kids switch off as needed.

This is what I was thinking.

I also try to avoid criss-crossing the park much. At Magic Kingdom, we do 2-3 lands, then leave. Sometimes we don't go back into the parks in the evenings.

This too, especially with a longer trip. Don’t run the entire park at MK or EP. On the second day hit the side you missed. Plan best way to overlap for where you’d most like to repeat.

 

[Anna131517]

At those ages we rented a double and a single because we generally stay somewhere we can roll them back to the hotel (either on the skyliner or the monorail). Having strollers for all of them allowed us to stay in the parks longer because they would just pass out on the way back to the hotel. Depending on your 6 year olds weight, and the height of the parents, you might want to rent a city mini GT. If you need to take a bus everywhere then two strollers may not be ideal.

I have also used a baby/toddler carrier in the parks when my kids were anywhere between 6 months and 3 years old, more for waiting in line and on transportation than for getting around inside the park. I didn’t find it too heavy BUT I don’t think it would have been comfortable for my kids all day like a stroller is. An ergo would work well with an 18 month old. Front carrying works better for lines and transportation.