Umbrella stroller vs regular stroller

[goofy4wdw2]

We are debating using our regular Graco stroller vs purchasing an inexpensive umbrella stroller. Our 6yo DS will walk a lot but does tire walking in big places like Disney day after day. We use our Graco at our local amusement park. It’s great because he can hop in when he’s tired and we have a place to store our bags (DD and I have allergies so we tend to take snacks with us for in between meals). We did Cedar Point without a stroller this summer and he ended up on our shoulders some. Our plan for Disney is to use when needed and park it in a central place when not needed. The Graco has a great basket underneath, cup holders, very smooth ride. The only downside is it’s a little bulkier for the bus compared to an umbrella stroller. Are there any great umbrella strollers with a basket that aren’t too pricey? Not looking to spend a lot since this is probably the last trip we’ll take a stroller. Thanks!

 

[sponica]

Do you drive or fly? And if you fly, which airline as American only allows strollers less than 20 lbs to be gate checked.

Amazon has some decent umbrella strollers with baskets, but you'll have to check the max weights.

 

[DMLAINI]

We always rent from Kingdom Strollers. It's nice to have a bigger stroller to keep your stuff in. And they include a cooler bag & rain cover.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

We’re flying and have checked this stroller many times...since my 12 year old was a baby...so we won’t have a problem with that. I was only debating smaller for the bus but the regular size stroller is awesome otherwise with cup holders and a basket (and free since we already own it).

 

[sponica]

We’re flying and have checked this stroller many times...since my 12 year old was a baby...so we won’t have a problem with that. I was only debating smaller for the bus but the regular size stroller is awesome otherwise with cup holders and a basket (and free since we already own it).

I totally understand the debate, we have both a regular stroller and umbrella and keep going back and forth on which to bring. There are pros to both and cons to both...I think if you can easily fold the Graco, you may as well take that. Just don't overfill it with stuff because you'll have to carry it AND the stroller

 

[srwarden1928]

My niece took an umbrella stroller and a larger stroller (I don't know the brand) for her 2.5 yo. The first day we took the umbrella stroller. It was such a hassle that the second day we took NO stroller and she wore him all day. Then we tried the larger stroller. While it certainly had its disadvantages, it was the best choice of the three for us.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'd bring a cheap umbrella and use when needed, you can hang a mesh bag off the handle to carry some stuff too but on the buses you'll be glad you did

 

[kelliejason]

We’re flying and have checked this stroller many times...since my 12 year old was a baby...so we won’t have a problem with that. I was only debating smaller for the bus but the regular size stroller is awesome otherwise with cup holders and a basket (and free since we already own it).

We had this issue and found it better for us to take the full sized stroller. It wasn't much of an issue on buses or other Disney Transportation. If you are staying on property, you can always drive to the parks to avoid the buses since, if I'm not mistaken, Disney Guests still get free parking. The small amount of hastle folding it a couple of times per day was outweighed by the convenience of having the large stroller.

 

[deedubb]

We bought a "deluxe" umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D Lite Convenience Stroller) which folds up quickly and is fairly compact. It has a basket which was really handy for water bottles and jackets.

 

[jvz82]

I feel like umbrella strollers are actually harder to push. The big ones with the bigger tires roll so nicely and feels like they take less effort. And if you are tall, you have to bend way down to push it. Plus you have a place to store bags underneath so there's that bonus.

 

[icesk8abc]

We bought a Babies R Us Zobo Stroller specifically for Disney because we didn't want to take the big one. It fully reclines and has a huge basket for an umbrella stroller. My husband's favorite part is that when folded, it stands on its own which makes it much easier to tote around and on/off the bus. It has one cup holder - more for kids cups than big ones, but we just kept our refillable water bottles in the bottom basket. I'm not sure when your trip is, but we were able to get one at half price by buying last year's color when the new ones came out. It's done 2 Disney trips, at least 20 zoo trips, gets lots of every day use and still pushes well.

 

[bhartman]

We’re trying to make the same decision for our next trip. Our toddler will be 23 months when we go and I’d planned on taking our Maclaren Quest. It folds up pretty small and is really lightweight, so it seemed like a no brainer.

But when we went trick or treating the other night, our toddler decided she preferred walking over sitting in the stroller. In fact, she seems to prefer walking over sitting most of the time now. When she was out of the stroller and we had the diaper bag hanging from the handles, it was difficult to steer.

Our bigger stroller is a baby jogger city mini. It’s so easy to push, whether she’s sitting in it or not, even when it’s loaded down with a diaper bag and saddle bags. So now I’m considering taking the full sized stroller, just because I know it’ll be easy to push when she decides she wants to walk with us. But it’s so much heavier than the Maclaren and won’t be as easy when we’re getting on and off the buses.

 

[MudQueen22]

We have a City Elite and a Summer DLite umbrella stroller. We purchased the umbrella stroller from Amazon for just over $60 and it's our go-to stroller. Although the City Elite was very comfortable for the kids to sit in on our last trip, it was also big and bulky and heavy. The umbrella stroller is much easier to fold up and carry.

 

[srwarden1928]

We’re trying to make the same decision for our next trip. Our toddler will be 23 months when we go and I’d planned on taking our Maclaren Quest. It folds up pretty small and is really lightweight, so it seemed like a no brainer.

But when we went trick or treating the other night, our toddler decided she preferred walking over sitting in the stroller. In fact, she seems to prefer walking over sitting most of the time now. When she was out of the stroller and we had the diaper bag hanging from the handles, it was difficult to steer.

Our bigger stroller is a baby jogger city mini. It’s so easy to push, whether she’s sitting in it or not, even when it’s loaded down with a diaper bag and saddle bags. So now I’m considering taking the full sized stroller, just because I know it’ll be easy to push when she decides she wants to walk with us. But it’s so much heavier than the Maclaren and won’t be as easy when we’re getting on and off the buses.

The lightweight umbrella stroller was more of a pain than going without for us. The bigger stroller had its disadvantages, but it was much easier to deal with overall than the umbrella or going without.