Stroller or Baby Carrier?

[starkid]

Hi all We are going to the park with a ~3 year old toddler in September.
She hasn't used a stroller since she was an infant, as we prefer to carry her.

Her mom is pretty adamant about skipping the stroller and just bringing a baby carrier, but I feel as though we should bring it for the trip? It just seems like it would be tiring to carry her around all day in the heat, especially as she'll be so big by then. Plus, the stroller would be able to carry other essentials, and she could nap in it. That said, I do recognize the cons as well. Such as having to park it, lug it around the airport and transportation, etc..

Has anyone had experience with JUST baby carrying? Is it plausible? Or is a stroller a must?

 

[Klayfish]

That will certainly be a personal decision. We never were into a baby carrier with any of our kids...at any time or any place. We certainly held the kids, but not for extended periods such as in an amusement park. That's what strollers are for. WDW is HUGE and you do a ton of walking. I'm very physically fit and I couldn't imagine carrying a 3 year old around all day for an entire vacation. Everyone has their own opinions on it, but I don't think it's a big deal at all to take a stroller through the airport or into the parks. Pretty easy, especially if you don't have one of those massive strollers (which is unnecessary, IMO).

 

[MooseBucks]

We baby carry at home but definitely stroller at Disney. Our oldest never liked the stroller even as a baby but our first Disney trip we brought it for naps and to hold her extra clothes and snacks - she used it more that trip then she had up until then. She still wouldn’t use it at home.

Disney is very stroller friendly I find and it’s not much extra work to bring one also Strollers at the airport can be so handy to hold carry ons or if you get in late/early flight your babe can rest in it.

Good luck with your choice! Worst case you bring/rent/borrow a stroller use it the first day and decide baby carry is enough

 

[Zomp]

Odds are that she is going to crash eventually in the park. If she needs an hour nap or so, you'll be thankful you have the stroller.

Also you're correct, the stroller is awesome to carry around things like snacks, extra clothes for her, etc...

I'd bring the stroller. Worst case scenario she doesn't use it and you push it from attraction to attraction.

 

[HeiHei2018]

Unless you are going on an unusually cold January day, heat is going to be a significant problem if you choose to carry. Baby carriers seem to make carrying even hotter. i would get an inexpensive umbrella stroller (you can ship to resort if you don't want to take it through the airport).

My daughter did fine walking at MK at 4, but I still had to carry her more than I wanted. My nephew insisted on being carried at 5, and his dad was exhausted by the end of the day.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I would definitely bring a stroller, for all the reasons you mentioned. Carrying a 3 year old all day sounds completely exhausting.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I'd also bring the stroller. You will likely still have stuff that you'll need to bring into the parks (snacks, extra clothes, pullups if not reliably potty trained, etc), and having one person carrying her and the other adult carrying a bag means no one ever gets a break from carrying something. September is hot and carrying a child or a bag of stuff around is going to make you much sweatier (little one too). Another consideration is that on rides, she likely won't be permitted to stay in the carrier, so you'd have to take her out then have to hold the carrier through the ride along with your bag since you wouldn't have a stroller to leave them in. Naps in a carrier might also be more difficult as the person carrying her wouldn't be able to go on rides, go to the bathroom, etc without potentially waking her up to switch her to the other adult. There isn't a whole lot of seating for you to take a test while wearing her and she's napping. Many QS locations won't let you sit without food during busy times, so it would be difficult to get a break while holding her.

If you brought a stroller, she could still be carried when you wished, but you'd have somewhere else for her to be to nap, when you needed a break from carrying, or if everyone was getting too hot, plus you'd have a spot to hold your stuff. Also, a lot of little ones tend to do a fair bit of snacking and drinking throughout the day at Disney, which is much more difficult and messy if they're being carried vs pushed in a stroller. It also becomes more difficult for the adults to be carrying a bag, her, her drink, plus if you want to have a drink/snack while walking. Maybe see if she will compromise where you bring the stroller and carrier, you handle the stroller and she can carry the little one whenever she desires, that way you still have the stroller as back up but she doesn't feel like it's extra stress on her to have to worry about the stroller.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'm a baby wearer.

Take the stroller. We went last May and it was incredibly hot in the carrier. Baby (or toddler) is going to need the break from the heat as much as you do.

 

[sponica]

My 2.5 year old is ginormous, I wouldn't want to carry 30+ lbs all day.

Bring the stroller, even in September it's going to be to hot to carry all day long.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

At 3 I certainly would not hold my child all flippin day long!
I realize that she won't literally be baby wearing her every second but probably the majority of the time.
I would absolutely take a stroller or if she absolutely do not want to bring one then at least be open to renting one from the parks.
Its going to be a life saver for your bodies plus a great napping space.
And yuck imagine how much more sweat there would be if she baby wears the entire time.
For a child twice her age my vote is for no stroller but come on the mom has to see that baby wearing all day every day is not a viable option here.

 

[stephk1981]

Carrying my DD this past February in our carrier was torturous on my back. We had used it for our 4 previous trips with her, but this time, I couldn't do it for more than an hour at a time. She was 16 months at the time, but 34" and 24 lbs. There is not a chance at all that I would go to Disney without a stroller for her. She could also walk/ run well and wanted in/ out all the time. Bring the stroller! You will use it, and have a great trip

 

[wendlle]

OK, so we ALWAYS go in September and let me tell you that it is HOT. The baby is going to cook (and so will the Mother) using a carrier all the time.
We do use a carrier and will be taking it again but we mainly use the stroller. It is just way too hot to keep a baby in a carrier for a long period of time.
Take the stroller.

 

[starkid]

Thanks all!
I did not want to overstep as I'm just a mere Auntie, although for all intensive trip purposes the "co guardian". I've worn her as well and while it's usually fine when out and about I definitely could not imagine doing it at the park all day. But I'm also a lot weaker than her mom, so wanted to get some other opinions.

I did bring it up again and mentioned that at the very least we could store stuff in the stroller, and her mom was on board with that. So we've decided to rent one. Thanks for all the help

 

[KrazeeK120]

My son is 3 and I cannot imagine having him and his 35 lb wiggly self on my back all day, especially if the weather is hot. He hasn’t used the stroller at home for awhile, but we took it to Disney in October (the week before he turned 3), and he sat in it fine. I say take the stroller.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi all We are going to the park with a ~3 year old toddler in September.
She hasn't used a stroller since she was an infant, as we prefer to carry her.

Her mom is pretty adamant about skipping the stroller and just bringing a baby carrier, but I feel as though we should bring it for the trip? It just seems like it would be tiring to carry her around all day in the heat, especially as she'll be so big by then. Plus, the stroller would be able to carry other essentials, and she could nap in it. That said, I do recognize the cons as well. Such as having to park it, lug it around the airport and transportation, etc..

Has anyone had experience with JUST baby carrying? Is it plausible? Or is a stroller a must?

we were there with a 4 month old in late August and out daughter found that neither she nor infant daughter could stand the carrier in the heat. unless you are used to Florida weather even in September I would have a stroller

 

[LookingGlass25]

I did both. The baby carrier was a lifesaver in line with my daughter, who was just under 3 (though a tiny, tiny 3). I almost didn't bring my carrier, but I was so happy I did, even though I only used it in lines. Having her on my hip or chest and still being able to use my hands was fantastic. If you can swing both, I would bring both. The stroller is great for napping and carrying essentials, like others have said and could provide your wife a potential break as needed.

 

[treemi01]

I get too hot using a baby carrier in WDW. I definitely wouldn’t do it with a baby over 6 months or so, but that’s just me.

 

[GoofyCoaster]

Stroller all the way for a three year old! Although I like the suggestion to bring the carrier too for waiting in lines.

It’s hard to convey the amount of walking, heat, and crowds at WDW through a message board. We used a stroller when DS was 4 and 5. We were all happier as a result. DS couldn’t walk 10 or 15 miles a day. So he walked some and rode some. And it gave him his own space to sit in the shade and relax when he was tired and needed a retreat from the overstimulation.

 

[LoriWV]

The stroller sounds like it will be a very useful option! If she hasn't used one in quite a while, it might be a good idea to re-acclimate before the trip so that she is comfortable with riding in one. Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[PartOfYourWDWorld]

I took both for babies. For toddlers, I would only do a strollers, specifically one with a good shade and that reclines. It definitely gets hot (for both parent and child) carrying/wearing them and you will find that you can navigate through the parks much quicker with a stroller. Plus, like you said, the storage in a stroller is a huge perk!