What DO you leave in your stroller?

[starjazz]

We're the same - we leave backpack with food, jackets, a few trinkets, etc. Nothing of lots of value.

 

[tlmadden73]

First trip we went with stoller we would leave the small soft cooler that had drinks/snacks in it. Since it was cooler and we weren't going on any thrill rides .. I just carried around a backpack for a diaper bag.

On our second trip (in August), I wasn't going to carry a backpack, so we didn't bring a cooler for snacks and we just had a bag that had various things like ponchos, diapers, cooling towels, etc. and would leave that.

The bags would be in the bottom of the stroller .. we would never just leave anything loose in the seat.

Anything of value (money value or personal value) came with us ... (phones, wallets, souvenirs).

My father-in-law always left his resort mug in the stroller (hidden in the folds of the canopy). It was never taken.

The one thing that did get either taken (or blown away .. it probably blew away) was a poncho we used to cover our stroller during one of the August rainstorms while we were in the Muppets .. we came back to a soaked stroller .. not a big deal, but frustrating.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

So, about these squirrels... people are describing them as evil geniuses or something. Are they gnawing through zip lock bags or actually unzipping stuff?

Over many trips, we've only ever seen them stealing items left in plain sight.

One trip, we left an open popcorn in a cup holder- and a Universal Studios squirrel was on it in seconds.

We've also seen birds do the same.

Now last night, I saw a show on television where crows broke open all sorts of packages- at least where they could SEE a food item.

Not so much strollers...but we have seen less cute critters invade assorted spaces. Let's just say we are very careful to avoid leaving open food containers in our hotel room!

 

[KyGirl]

When we were there last spring, we just found it much easier to leave a few extra diapers, a change of toddler clothes, ponchos, sunscreen, etc, in the bottom of the stroller, knowing they were potentially at risk. We were lucky and nobody seemed to bother any of it. One thing to consider though, is that you have to get those things into the park so after the first day, I used one of those clear Disney bags from a store for going through the bag check and then "set up" the stroller for the rest of the day. That way the bag we carried on rides, with wallets, cameras, etc. wasn't jam packed when we went through bag check and they usually just kind of scanned what was in the clear bag (although I understand they may have stepped up security since then) and then could check our backpack much more easily.

The other thing that I consistently, MISTAKENLY, left in the stroller was my phone. With the ability to check ride times and change fastpasses on the fly, I was constantly on my phone (a frustration for a different post but anyway....) and because I usually wear sundresses without pockets I would make changes while we were walking and absentmindedly drop the phone into the parent console on the stroller with the intention of grabbing it when we got to our next stop and transferring it into the backpack my husband was wearing. I can't even tell you and would be embarrassed to know how many times I left the stupid thing in that little square pocket of the stroller console and ended up rushing out of restaurants and attractions to retrieve the phone. I was so lucky that nobody ever grabbed it. That would really have been a lesson learned but I'm lucky that I didn't. That little square part of the console has like a flap that covers it so I suppose it was out of sight and out of mind as we rushed to the next fun thing but it still would have been so easy for someone to stroll by and grab the thing. Ugh, my blood pressure rises just thinking about how many times we panicked over that.

 

[amylevan]

We only leave things that we would not be overly upset to lose - jackets or extra layers, diapers, wipes, bottles of water, sunscreen, and our cooler with DD's food (she has food allergies so it's just easier to pack her meals but she obviously wouldn't starve if it was taken).

I carry a very small purse (essentially a wristlet with a shoulder strap) that holds money, credit card, sunglasses & phone. DH carries the camera.

 

[owynn]

We had our refillable mugs stolen from stroller parking at the Cape May Cafe while we had brunch. But otherwise, we left the diaper bag and some other odds and ends, but never valuables.

 

[Crystal824]

We leave stuff in the stroller that we could easily replace if we had to. For instance, I leave the diaper bag with diapers, extra clothes for kids, wipes, etc. I also leave ponchos in the stroller. We generally have a cooler with drinks and a few snacks that we leave. Yes, it would be a pain to replace these items, but we could. It is more of a convience to take the risk that those things could be taken than haul it everywhere with us. We always take the camera, phones, wallets with us.

As for the squirrels, I have never had an isue or had any snacks taken. A number of years ago at Epcot, I saw a squirrel on a stroller. It had chewed through a back pack and a zip lock bag and was enjoying whatever snack was in there.

 

[OFF2NVRLAND]

We left diaper bags, jackets, water bottles and sometime souvenirs. The souvenirs weren't anything that we could take on rides so we had to kind of stuff it in the bottom and hope for the best. Luckily, we never had anything missing. Although, we did get a scare at Haunted Mansion when we came out to a missing stroller. I had parked the stroller along a line with others and didn't realize that this wasn't the stroller parking. It took me a minute to realize that ALL the strollers were gone so it wasn't stolen, it was moved. Lesson learned! I won't make that mistake again, lol

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Moved stroller panic is pretty common!

There's also a periodic chance of a sudden downpour while you are indoors. It is also pretty common in Epcot, where folks spend a good deal of time in each pavilion.

So that would be my other word of caution- make sure anything you leave in the stroller can tolerate a little rain, especially in summer. (in summer, good idea to keep at least one plastic poncho in pocket/purse.)

As others have said, putting items in a large clear plastic bag is helpful. If you can find a clear Disney shopping bag, that's good. You might also find a 2gallon ziplock bag. As someone else said, a clear bag makes it easy at security (and while boarding buses) to simply grab everything out of the stroller. Security can then easily see the contents.

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

Nothing expect waters and snacks. Our stroller was stolen last February last year, so we take it all with us now.

 

[Anonymous Sandwich]

Thinking about taking a stroller, even though the kids are too big. I don't want to carry everything.

 

[Baklava]

We left sweaters, ponchos, beverages/refillable cups, leftovers that were in boxes inside bags. We kept valuables to a minimum and those went in purses or pockets. Pins and phones and things did not get left in the stroller.

 

[brockash]

Obviously, no wallet, ipads, merchandise, etc.

Do you leave jackets? Food? Water bottles?

I'm not sure if I should stuff all our things in a backpack and haul it around, or just leave them in the bottom of the stroller and assume no one is interested in taking our rain coats or snacks.....

Thanks!

We take 2 bags. We take a backpack for extra bottles water, extra clothes baby, food for baby, diapers/wipes stroller rain cover (really it just stays in the bottom of the stroller out of the backpack). We have a smaller bag that has the camera, money, a couple diapers, a bottle, a thing of food for baby and a change of clothes for baby, just in case the back pack gets stolen. We've been going for a decade and have never had a problem.

 

[okilydokily]

I haven't used a stroller at least since I turned 40. Figure I got another 10 years before I need one again.

But when we used one, I left everything in it. Cameras, purchases, backpacks. the only think I wouldn't leave was phone and wallet. I never had a problem. I read about it online, but never had to experience getting stuff stolen. Maybe I look poor.

 

[GWhitten98]

We have left pretty much anything we were worried about walking off...jackets, rain ponchos, diaper bags, Disney mugs, etc. The only thing we every had walk off was a rain poncho we were using to cover the stroller b/c it was raining. Guess someone though they needed it worse than our stroller or it blew off(although it was snapped on loosely.)

 

[GillianP1301]

I don't use a stroller anymore, but when I did I only left stuff that I wouldn't be upset about if it was gone, stuff like sunscreen, ponchos, drinks, snacks. I would always have a small backpack that I could easily grab and go on attractions with that had money/ID, phone, camera and my son's autograph book.

 

[OneoftheMels]

We left our balloon, tied with knots, on our stroller. By the time we were off of our ride, the balloon was gone. We had just purchased it 15 minutes before the ride. It broke my daughters heart.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Maybe I look poor.

You suggested a good idea. I always figured if you are going to leave anything parked: stroller, car, etc. Make yours the least desirable one to steal. AVOID the most expensive one!

I think the fake diaper trick is too well known to be effective...but slightly messy is SUPER- I always figure thieves will pick the spotless stroller/car, because it is unidentifiable.

That is why I think it is actually a GOOD idea to leave a certain amount of non-valuable items in your stroller...especially items that are hard to remove/replicate. IMO one of the easiest items is bright colored stickers, and ugly ribbon w/strong knots. Ribbons can be cut off, but it is a bit more effort if the ribbon is wound around and attached in multiple spots. Good luck removing a bright pink sticker! A bright sticker also makes finding you stroller in the parking areas much easier. In WDW, simply using a bright red shopping bag makes your stroller unique.

I also think you don't want to have the brand new $1,000 stroller. It would be much better to have a decent quality five-year old stroller at WDW. Bonus if it is an odd/bright color!

 

[okilydokily]

I think sometimes there are accidents though. I know we had rented a stroller once, not from Disney, but there were still a bunch like it in the parks. Anyway, my son got in one and I was talking and not paying attention. I started pushing and it wasn't until we walked from TT to The land that I noticed. I ran back and put the stroller back, mentioned it to the CM who didn't seem to care one bit, and retrieved the correct stroller. If the people had come back and thought it was stolen, would they come back later to look? Also, things like the balloons are not always stealing. Kids may not understand and grab something sitting there. Then a parent may not know whose it is or where the child got it, maybe give it to a CM. And from my experience, most stroller attendants are not all that concerned with guests, just move strollers wherever they want and not able to answer questions. I am sure there are some bad people at the parks too, but it may not always be what you think.

 

[kayemgi]

We started off with good intentions of not leaving anything in the stroller and by the end of our trip we were cramming everything we possibly could into it at every opportunity! You just get tired. We were very lucky and never had a problem. I think our extremely large (8.5x11") personalized tag and LED string lights may have helped, as they made our stroller easily identifiable (a theft deterrent perhaps).

One thing I didn't think of until our first time trying to get onto a bus was that if you want to fold your stroller, your life will be much easier if you can get everything out easily. Finish drinks that you have in the cup holders before you get in line for the bus. Have everything in a bag or bags that you can easily pull out from the storage compartment. Have stuff that your kid needs/wants in the stroller (toys, drink cup, snack cup) attached with stroller leashes so you don't have to load and unload that stuff every time. Every random jacket, merchandise bag, park map, and half-eaten banana need to find a home when you go to fold the stroller. Be prepared!