Do I have worry about having stroller stollen?

[LeeAnn]

After reading a couple of posts, I am rethinking what I was going to bring to the park.

I was going to bring my Infant Carrier Car Seat (part of a travel system) along w/ the Snap and Go.

I need the carrier for the airplane and car rides. I thought my Snap and Go would be an easy solution.

Now I'm worried that it would be stollen. Would you take my Infant Carrier Car Seat w/ the Snap and Go?

I also have have a McClaren umbrella stroller (just didn't want to bring that and the carrier). Should I bring that one instead (It's just as expensive as other other option)?

My daughter will be 9 months. I thought she would be more comfortable in the carrier than the cheap stroller. I hate to buy another stroller. What do you recommend?

Thanks.

 

[Nette]

How big is your daughter? She might be too big for the infant carrier.

My DD outgrew her's at < 6 mo and she is on the small side (only 17lb10oz at 11 mo)

If your DD is more than 26 inches long, she's probably too big for the carrier's safety guidelines. You should check the manual (or the manufacturer's website) to make sure.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I have heard (rarely- but occasionally) about strollers being stolen. (or sometimes moved and thought they were stolen or sometimes catching someone starting to (accidentally or on purpose?) take theirs instead.
HOWEVER, I think it's rare and we left our stroller on a LOT of rides at both WDW parks and US/IOA and no one ever touched it. We left stuff in it like diaper bags, backpack with camcorder and digi camera removed and taken with us on the ride, and soft sided cooler. Ours isn't a cheap one either- and made to snap on a carrier although we didn't use the carrier.

Maybe you should bring the umbrella stroller just in case? And use it the first day and see if it works okay for her? Then if it does- you can use it and not really worry about it being stolen (as much anyway) and if it doesn't... then you'd have the other one there so she wouldn't be uncomfortable the rest of the time?

 

[bartleby1]

Just another thought, depending on what time of year you are going, those infant carriers really trap the heat. I used my carrier a lot for my daughter who was born in the winter but my son was born in May and I was constantly taking him out because he was getting too hot.

If heat isn't an issue and you decide to use the carrier, definitely check the weight and height restrictions. My kids both outgrew it before 6 months old. Unless your baby is very petite, she most likely won't fit in the carrier properly and won't be very comfortable. The infant carriers also don't allow for much wiggling around which I know my kids were doing a lot of by 9 months.

Depending which Maclaren you have, your 9 month old may be ok in it as long as it is padded enough. The volo model doesn't seem very comfy for an infant, although they are great for older kids. Just my opinion of course

We just bought a stroller for our 13 month old for disney which seems perfect. It is the babytrend trendsport lite and was only $40. It is a babies r us exclusive so it can only be purchased at a babies r us store or through amazon. It is fairly lightweight, has a large basket (much bigger than the maclarens), has a snack tray for the baby, a snack/drink tray for the parents and reclines. I don't know how well it holds up, but for $40 it seems like a good deal. It is currently out of stock at amazon, but you can view it at this link. It seems they are selling out has fast as they are coming in. I had to keep calling our babies r us until they had it and then I ran right over to grab one. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t.../002-2719664-1761668?v=glance&s=baby&n=542444

We have a Maclaren Vogue that we are bringing for our 3 year old since it fits older kids very well but we wanted a snack tray for our 1 year old so opted for the baby trend. Also, I'm not sure where we would put all our stuff if we just had the Maclaren since the basket is so small.

HTH!

 

[bartleby1]

Hi - me again, lol! I forgot to add that we usually run a chain bike lock through the front wheel and around part of the stroller so it can't be wheeled of easily. You are not allowed to lock your stroller to anything in the park because the CM's need to be able to move your stroller at times. We use a cheapo lock which could be removed if someone really wanted to, but hopefully it is enough to deter someone from taking it. Because we only lock the front wheel, CM's can still tip the stroller on its back wheels to move it.

Good luck with whatever you decide! I headached over our stroller situation for months because I didn't want to buy new strollers (I already own two full size and two doubles, but they just weren't working for me, lol!). I finally broke down and bought a maclaren and the babytrend. I hope it works out!

 

[jessiesue]

Never had a problem with anything being stolen. I leave camera , camcorder, food, etc. in them at all times. I don't leave $, license, annual passes or anything of that importance in the stroller just in case something would happen. CM's are always straightening them and moving them to a different place but we are always able to find them.

 

[kaseyC]

We decorate our stroller so it stands out. We use the little round neon stickers people use to put prices on items at yard sales. Our stroller is so obnoxious looking and easy to spot that I am sure most thieves would bypass it. When you get home it you can easily reomve the stickers with soap, water and a dish brush. An added benefit is that it kept our DD occupied for hours as she tried to peel them off. Very difficult for a one year old.

 

[bnlbebes]

DW and I spent $70 on a new stroller for our trip with our 1-year-old. We also bought a bike lock for it, but only ended up using it once. There are so many strollers left outside each attraction that the chance that your stroller will be stolen is slim. As I said, we only locked ours at the first ride we went on (The Great Movie Ride in MGM) and sort of felt silly doing so. Don't worry about leaving yours alone.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by kaseyC
We decorate our stroller so it stands out. We use the little round neon stickers people use to put prices on items at yard sales. Our stroller is so obnoxious looking and easy to spot that I am sure most thieves would bypass it. When you get home it you can easily reomve the stickers with soap, water and a dish brush. An added benefit is that it kept our DD occupied for hours as she tried to peel them off. Very difficult for a one year old.

LOL
I don't know why but that struck me as so funny- especially the park about trying to pull them off. What an idea... I might have to try that just for the part about keeping a toddler occupied. LOL

 

[christinanapier]

I personally haven't had a stroller stolen at wdw but could probably recommend a bicycle pad lock to keep it from getting stolen.
They have at walmart this bicycle padlock that uses a key to open it and its easily put threw the handle and both rear tires its not very easy to break it,very inexpensive,and has a plastic guard so won't rust it rain.
They are very easy to get off the stroller and on and if someone tries to steal the stroller would have problems with the wheelsmoving.
Used one last two years works great!!!

 

[BevS97]

I would take the Maclaren as long as it reclines. We are advised here in the UK not to leave our babys in carseats/carriers for lengthy periods of time as it is supposed to be bad for their backs.
I also don't think they are very comfortable for a long period of time, as they don't really have room to stretch around - think about how you feel after many hours in a car or airplane seat.

carseat info - see about halfway down the page this says 20 minutes which I think is a little excessively low, but I wouldn't want the baby to be in one all day for the length of your vacation.

I have never worried about my stroller being stolen, and it's never been a problem, sometimes they are moved by CMs but nothing has ever been taken from it, I think that locking it and unlocking it will be more hassle than it's worth.

Bev

 

[cali2gagirl]

That's a big stroller to lug around...IMHO.. I would bring your carseat and an umbrella stroller.. Buy a cheap one at Walmart for $10..they are sooo lightweight, and not a big investment if it's stolen..
Also..you can always rent one there..of course, get there early so I've heard

 

[Amaris]

We carted around a double stroller on our last trip and all went well... we tied stuff onto it through so if someone *did* take it, it would be a pain to get the STUFF off of it.... and it was also easy for us to recognize on the way back to it!

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

I would also make sure that you have ID on your stroller. I used return address lables. I put them in quite a few places. I also left my hanging tag from sending it thru the airlines luggage check in, with the name of my resort on it as well. (Since my bag tags have the little sleeve where you slide your address card in, it's easy to change with the resort name and stuff). I would just print out a new one with my computer complete with this info.

 

[crazymomof4]

This is a suggestion I actually read in a WDW guidebook. It's funny but a bit gross, so squemish persons stop reading now.

Tie a plastic bag containing a wrapped up diaper to your stroller handle. Add some Root Beer or Coke to the diaper for effect and stroller thieves will bypass your stroller for sure!

When tossing around the idea of buying a stroller or not I always factor in the cost of renting one each day. For example, for our 6 days rental would be $48 total. That can buy a decent umbrella stroller and I can sell it at our yard sale to recoup some of the purchase price.

 

[SueM in MN]

Tie a plastic bag containing a wrapped up diaper to your stroller handle. Add some Root Beer or Coke to the diaper for effect and stroller thieves will bypass your stroller for sure!

That hint has been around for so long that I am sure any thieves would assume that what looks like a dirty diaper on a stroller is a diaper full of Root Beer. Besides that, there are trash containers like every 20 feet all around WDW, so it's not believable that someone would carry a wet, dirty diaper along with them.

A better way to avoid getting your stroller taken is to make sure your name and contact information is on it in several places (hard to get off places) so if it does get taken, it can be returned to you. Then have something like ribbons, tape or something that will be noticed by anyone who takes it by mistake, so they will see they have the wrong stroller. Especially noticable would be anything by the handles since they are likely to notice that as they start to push.

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

Tie a plastic bag containing a wrapped up diaper to your stroller handle. Add some Root Beer or Coke to the diaper for effect and stroller thieves will bypass your stroller for sure!

I never understood how this was supposed to stop someone from taking a stroller?????

 

[crazymomof4]

Originally posted by SueM in MN
That hint has been around for so long that I am sure any thieves would assume that what looks like a dirty diaper on a stroller is a diaper full of Root Beer. Besides that, there are trash containers like every 20 feet all around WDW, so it's not believable that someone would carry a wet, dirty diaper along with them.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize the hint has "been around for so long", I just read it for the first time a month or two ago. Anyway, the suggestion was meant to be taken "tongue-in-cheek" (ergo the smilie that followed it) Since it gave me a chuckle, I thought I'd share it with others. I don't plan to use it and didn't really expect others to take it seriously either. From your post I can see that you missed my intent, but you did succeed in making me feel like my post was riduculous. I've been around here for a couple of months and this will not discourage my participation but this kind of response could be very disheartening to a newbie.

Like some moderaters put it: "Lets keep the boards a friendly and welcoming environment."

 

[cali2gagirl]

Crazymom - I found it funny I never heard it before...and I sure wouldnt' wanna take a stroller that had THAT on it, LOL
.. but I wouldnt' have done it either...I knew you're intent was all in fun

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize the hint has "been around for so long", I just read it for the first time a month or two ago.Anyway, the suggestion was meant to be taken "tongue-in-cheek" (ergo the smilie that followed it) Since it gave me a chuckle, I thought I'd share it with others. I don't plan to use it and didn't really expect others to take it seriously either. From your post I can see that you missed my intent, but you did succeed in making me feel like my post was riduculous. I've been around here for a couple of months and this will not discourage my participation but this kind of response could be very disheartening to a newbie.
Like some moderaters put it: "Lets keep the boards a friendly and welcoming environment."

My intent was not to make you feel ridiculous or un-welcome and I'm sorry if you took my post the wrong way. It is easy to take written words in a way they are not meant to be taken. I took your smiley as meaning that you thought it was a good idea, not a tongue in cheek one. A lot of people have shared that same hint, meaning to do it seriously, not tongue in cheek and I have even seen people "preparing" their diaper in the parks. I posted to warn people that this is not a good protection because I would hate for someone to lose their stroller because they did take it literally.