Am I crazy?

My comment is more directed toward using the stroller to haul stuff (versus a young child). I've personally never seen the need for taking that much stuff into the parks. That's just not the type of person I am. I took teenagers once that thought they needed backpacks ... and then they tried to pawn their crap on me every time they rode something. Over the years I have personally found for us it isn't necessary.

Everyone does things differently, and there's no right way. For us, we need the stroller because of the food we bring into the parks. As I said, we stay offsite and no way on earth are we going to buy our food in WDW. It's insanely expensive. I read people talking about a budget of $50/person/day for eating at Disney...many spend a lot more than that. So for a family of 5, you're talking a minimum of $250/day...for food. Absolutely boggles my mind. We were just there for over two weeks and spent less than $500 on food...for all of us, not to mention the more nutritious food we pack. We did buy the kids some snacks/desserts in the parks, but those probably totaled no more than $50. As I mentioned, packing that food leaves us with a large bag. So instead of carrying it, we just stick it in a stroller. The bag weighs maybe 20 lbs, so when put into a stroller, it's ridiculously easy to push...it's 1/2 to 1/3 the weight of a small child. Since we have the stroller anyway, why make all the kids carry a backpack. Just easier to hang it on the stroller. It's not a ton of stuff anyhow...6 ponchos (always have a spare), a couple autograph books, a couple of power banks, maybe a place to put their lanyard if they want. Certainly, if we're going for a really short tour of the park where we're not going to eat a meal, we'll typically leave the stroller behind. But for the food reason, we couldn't do without it.
 
We have a $15 Wal-Mart umbrella specifically for carrying things. We call it our "gear stroller". Our kids are 13, 9, 9, so they no longer need a stroller to ride in...though we did have them ride all the way up until the oldest was 10 and the twins were 7. However, we don't eat in the restaurants. We pack our own food. Therefore, when we're in the parks for dinner, we're packing a full dinner for 5. DW makes a salad for herself, I'll have cut up chicken breast, the kids may have the same (or something like nuggets), enough veggies for the kids and I, a side of mac/cheese, drinks for everyone, maybe dessert...then ice packs to keep it all cold. When fully loaded, the insulated bag we use is huge and quite heavy. No way we're carrying that thing around. It fits perfectly in the seat of an umbrella stroller, and we just put the handles of the food bag around the stroller handles, which keeps it from falling. DW also carries a smaller canvas bag that has ponchos, the kids autograph books, our phone power banks, etc... We sling that on the stroller and have nothing in our hands. It sounds like a hassle, but I'm telling you from years of doing it that it's amazingly simple. Often, we'll just park the stroller somewhere near where we're going to eat dinner and leave it there until we're ready to eat. If we're only doing a short day, with no meals in the park, we don't bring it. But most of the time, we do. It just makes it easy.

No way would I have the kids carry their stuff in a backpack, or DW or I carry it. Forget it. The stroller is so much easier. The kids love pushing it too, they fight over who's turn it is.

We stay offsite, so we have our car.

I very highly recommend a stroller.

I'll be looking for yours around lunch time;)

But what do you do with the stuff when you go on a ride? Leave it to get stolen?
 
I'll be looking for yours around lunch time;)

But what do you do with the stuff when you go on a ride? Leave it to get stolen?

You want to anger DS13 who is going through his growth spurt by taking his lunch...more power to you. He's like a vicious dog when it comes to protecting his food. :dog2: :D

Yep, we usually just leave it. We normally leave the stroller in one spot for hours, typically near the spot where we're likely to eat. There's nothing of true value in all of our stuff. If someone steals our dinner, that sucks, but whatever. Same with our gear bag...the ponchos are $.98 each, the power banks are $4 each, my kids like their autograph books but they wouldn't be utterly crushed if they were taken, same for the lanyards...they only put pins they want to trade on it, and usually just a few. They don't do it for fear of theft, rather fear of them falling off...they've all lost one or two (they don't want locking backs because they want to be able to quickly trade them). So really, if someone were to steal the whole thing when it was fully loaded, including my kids lanyards were in the bag too, which 95% of the time it isn't, we're talking about maybe $100. It would stink, but not be the end of the world. We don't leave wallets, cash, etc...in them. Not saying it can't happen, but in all the years, we've never had our stuff touched.

We do the same at the water parks. We don't bother with a locker, because we don't bring anything of value in. Someone wants my stinky sweaty t-shirt, enjoy. :scared:
 
Nev-Er! I would get each kid a small backpack or waistpack,and they're responsible for their stuff. In fact this was always my policy with the kids, you want it,you carry it. I was SO happy when my kids stopped needing a stroller at 5 years old at Disney. They didn't even want to sit and be rolled after that age...when they got tired, we sat and rested somewhere.
 
Mine are 10 & 11 and we'll have our stroller. They have ASD but even if they didn't, I'd be bringing it along lol. I like not having to carry a bunch of stuff.
 
Our youngests are 6 and 7 and haven't brought our Bob in over a year. Yes we miss 'Bob', but there came a point where I was pushing an empty stroller because the kids wanted to walk. Frankly, it's my 10yo DD who's most likely to hop inside than the youngest. I have a rule that if they want to bring it then they are responsible for it. If the weather is iffy then DH will bring a bag, but we limit what goes inside of it. No need for spare clothes. Just a few dollar ponchos and water bottles.
 
It a very personal decision, and the pros and cons will be different for each family. When DS was 18 months, we took our own stroller, when he was 5, we rented one just on the days he needed it. By the time he was 7, a stroller didn't fit our touring style.
 


I'd, personally, try to pack less to avoid taking the stroller. I wouldn't want to deal with the stroller, if I didn't have to, but that's my preference as someone who has to take a stroller.

If you really don't see how you can pare down your belongings and a locker doesn't make sense for your family (due to cost or logistics), I would buy a cheap umbrella stroller (like Klayfish suggested) and sell your BOB jogger. The umbrella is probably going to be a lot easier to get through a crowd even if it doesn't handle terrain like the jogger does.
 
I wouldn't bring the stroller. Just the thought of getting it through the airport gives me hives. Pack less. When we go to the parks, I carry a lesportsac cleo cross-body bag. It is super lightweight and I can get 3 ponchos, my phone and wallet, sunscreen and a water bottle in it. If we buy anything, we send it to the front of the park or have it delivered to the resort. Even if only two of you carried backpacks, I imagine you could fit all of your stuff in it? Or rent a locker for the day for anything extraneous?
 
We put our stuff into one backpack that has good support and take turns carrying it. We go in December so instead of ponchos we pack versatile lightweight windbreakers in case of rain or a cold day. There's usually not much else in it other than medicine (headache and ADHD), a camera, a water bottle and glasses. Since we stay on property we send our purchases back to the room.

We're also pretty laid back and don't stay from rope drop to closing. If my kids get tired we stop and relax. Nothing's worth pushing them to their breaking point.
 
This is totally dependent on how you tour and if you bring your own food. At WDW, we generally stay in on-property resort rooms and buy all our food so it's easy not to carry a ton.

At DL when we go for the day I sometimes pack a lunch, but even then I can pack a lunch bag that fits in my backpack. Sandwiches, fruit, even salad don't take up that much room. But I only bring for one meal at the most. I personally would never bring a stroller just to lug my stuff, but you do you.
 
I can see the interest in using a stroller if you have a lot of stuff you want to bring, and may have a tired kid. But I would pick up a cheaper, lighter stroller- and sell it after the trip. No way would I lug a Bob for that.
 
Keep in mind that anything you put on the stroller, any sort of bag or cooler, will need to be checked by security before you enter the park. I have seen the open coolers and search around inside of them. One smart family ahead of me in line packed all of their food in clear ziplock bags. Made it easy for security to see what it was, and it kept it from being handled so much.

As another poster pointed out, anything you leave in a stroller to go on a ride has the possibility of being stolen. Unfortunately it does happen. So don't leave anything on your stroller that you would be devastated to have come up missing.
 
We went with boys at 4&7yo and rented a double stroller. It a total double edged sword. We rented a car, so no bus hassles with folding it up, but it was a pain to get through crowds and to have to go find it. But, it was great to have them take breaks from their feet and to store water/snacks, ponchos, etc. I was totally looking forward to not having one for our next trip. We'll be going in August so heat is a factor here too.
Our next trip with have boys at 7 & 10. There is no way I would pay for a stroller this time. However, we were about to sell our BOB Revolution (which holds up to 65lbs) on craigslist, when it occurred to me that we could bring it along to carry a cooler with waters, hold souvenirs, ponchos, etc. I've been struggling with finding the right size bag to carry everything and sort of dreading schlepping everyone's stuff. I was going to just not bring water (grab free from counter service) and scale way back on stuff.
The stroller would be a pain in the airport, but again we'd be renting a car, so not much of a pain in terms of buses. We also do a few PPO breakfasts and rope drop, so parking trams aren't an issue.
I could see my 7 yo wanting to ride after a long day, maybe even the 10 yo with the heat. We could then also bring our spray fans and flip flops in case of rain (which I wouldn't bother with if I had to carry it).
I'm just really torn if it's worth the hassle to have. To be honest, getting to carry a smaller bag in August might be worth it.
WWYD?
When we went in 2012 our youngest was 7.5 and we took a stroller. Absolutely think it's a good idea. He rode in it more than I thought he would. I had a hard time giving up the stroller in the parks. But now that we have everyone is responsible for their own water and things. We each carry a cinch sack on our back. That way too if we split up we have our individual needs with us.
 
I would do the stroller...when we go, we are taking our stroller...heck dh might be pushing me in it at the end of the day after all that walking. Lol
 
I would love for the kids to carry their own stuff, but I'll be honest, they are very likely to leave their bag somewhere (like on a ride or lunch table). I don't want to be constantly reminding them to have their bags or worse have them have a meltdown after they leave it somewhere.
I agree that it is crazy to have a stroller for that age of kids (that's why we were selling it!, we haven't used it in over a year and then only for the zoo).
I guess I'll ask DH if he would rather carry a backpack (which he didn't have to last time) or deal with the stroller.
Why do they need backpacks, even? You can get water at the park, and ponchos are so light they can all easily be carried in one bag. I think the issue is that you're overpacking for the parks. The kids shouldn't have to carry anything- their job is to walk, & if they're too tired to go on, it means it's time to leave. Mom or dad can carry the few necessities (wallets, ponchos, meds) in one lightweight bag. No need for a stroller at all, or a bunch of bags.
 
We went with boys at 4&7yo and rented a double stroller. It a total double edged sword. We rented a car, so no bus hassles with folding it up, but it was a pain to get through crowds and to have to go find it. But, it was great to have them take breaks from their feet and to store water/snacks, ponchos, etc. I was totally looking forward to not having one for our next trip. We'll be going in August so heat is a factor here too.
Our next trip with have boys at 7 & 10. There is no way I would pay for a stroller this time. However, we were about to sell our BOB Revolution (which holds up to 65lbs) on craigslist, when it occurred to me that we could bring it along to carry a cooler with waters, hold souvenirs, ponchos, etc. I've been struggling with finding the right size bag to carry everything and sort of dreading schlepping everyone's stuff. I was going to just not bring water (grab free from counter service) and scale way back on stuff.
The stroller would be a pain in the airport, but again we'd be renting a car, so not much of a pain in terms of buses. We also do a few PPO breakfasts and rope drop, so parking trams aren't an issue.
I could see my 7 yo wanting to ride after a long day, maybe even the 10 yo with the heat. We could then also bring our spray fans and flip flops in case of rain (which I wouldn't bother with if I had to carry it).
I'm just really torn if it's worth the hassle to have. To be honest, getting to carry a smaller bag in August might be worth it.
WWYD?
We took my 6 year old this summer. I was worried about how she would do, and she did great until the last 2 days when we rented a park stroller for quick breaks. I was super worried about all the stuff we usually carry with us. Let me tell you, we found it so freeing to not have a stroller. Nix the cooler. Get the free ice water from quick service and restaurants. It is filtered and tastes fine, best of all it is FREE. As for ponchos, carry a small backpack. Ponchos and souvenirs will fit. If you are buying big souvenirs either have them sent to your resort or pick them up at the end of the night. Heck, you can even ship them home for relatively cheap. My husband carried the backpack and I had a dooney small cross body bag that fit sunscreen, a small first aid kit, my wallet, and a few other things. It was so nice not dealing with a stroller. After day 7 we rented one as my daughter was exhausted. It was easy to get in the park but it sure was a pain to find it in a crowd and maneuver it through the crowds without hitting people.
 
Thank you everyone for the very thoughtful replies!!! I'm still torn, but leaning toward not bringing it and making DH carry a small backpack (so I can just carry a small crossbody). We have another year, so maybe the youngest will have more stamina by then.
 
I would love for the kids to carry their own stuff, but I'll be honest, they are very likely to leave their bag somewhere (like on a ride or lunch table). I don't want to be constantly reminding them to have their bags or worse have them have a meltdown after they leave it somewhere.
I agree that it is crazy to have a stroller for that age of kids (that's why we were selling it!, we haven't used it in over a year and then only for the zoo).
I guess I'll ask DH if he would rather carry a backpack (which he didn't have to last time) or deal with the stroller.

We only take one bag but we all take turns carrying it. DH and I just made sure to be alert when the kids were in charge.
 

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