Strollers: Features to Look For and Avoid

Large Extended Canopy

It will rain. It will be sunny. It will be exhausting and perhaps overstimulating. Having a large canopy that extends to cover half of your child’s space is key! The large extended canopy will provide the obvious shade, but also help keep your little one dry during Florida storms and provide them with privacy when they inevitably fall asleep. Too short of a canopy and you’ll find yourself with a kid exposed to the elements – getting too much sun or getting rained on. I’ve see quite a few parents try to drape a blanket over the stroller to provide more shade, but this method ultimately struggles to stay in place and can lead to overheating. 

Reclining Seat and Foot Rest

Small children usually take regular naps during the day. At Disney, the days are longer, there is increased walking and standing, and the heat can be taxing – all of which leads to tired kids who will fall asleep in the stroller. Some children are okay falling asleep sitting up, but many prefer to be lying down. This is especially important for infants who may still be a bit wobbly or where slumping forward is a suffocation risk. Each stroller has a different style for the reclining mechanism and I recommend practicing it before your trip so you are prepared. If you have little ones under the age of two, you may want to consider a stroller with a pivoting footrest, which improves the ability of your child to lie down completely flat when reclined. 

Lightweight, Easy to Fold, and Compact

Many forms of Disney transportation – including the parking trams if you plan on driving yourself – require that you fold your stroller up when boarding. This means that you will need to be able to carry your stroller along with any of your bags and sometimes also your child. Don’t make it hard on yourself!

You’ll need and want to be able to fold and unfold your stroller quickly. When waiting for a bus, a large line of people may form and if you are struggling to fold your stroller the people behind you won’t always wait for you to figure it out. They may be impatient and go ahead of you, potentially taking your spot. (Most of the time someone will stop to help you because there are lots of good people out there!) To help alleviate this stress, practice folding and unfolding before you start your travels to Disney so that you are familiar with how your  particular stroller works. I also recommend starting to fold your stroller as the bus is pulling up to your bus stop so that you are ready to board when it’s your turn. (I have more tips that I will cover in a transportation related post later!)

Once your stroller is folded, it will need to stay with you on transportation when you board. In some cases it is a very crowded and compact space like the parking tram or the Walt Disney World Railroad in Magic Kingdom. In both of these instances, your stroller needs to sit with you on a bench style seat with limited space. The bulkier the stroller, the more difficult and cramped this will be. 

Maneuverability

You will need to navigate crowds, trolley tracks, textured pavement, wood bridges, and people suddenly walking in front of you. Having responsive wheels that can turn quickly and smoothly will make your stroller journey much easier. We all have had that cart in the grocery store with the wobbly wheel that is difficult to steer – imagine dealing with that for a whole vacation!

Quick Drying Material

Avoid cotton or other super absorbent fabrics. It will rain, which means your stroller will get wet. When the stroller can dry out quickly after an afternoon storm, you can get back to the magic faster! A wet stroller means wet kids and may lead to sick and grumpy kids, which is no fun for anyone. 

Storage

Kids come with a lot of stuff – just take a look at your diaper bag. That diaper bag needs a place to go and you won’t want to be carrying it around the parks all day – nor is it necessary to. A stroller should have ample room to store belongings, whether that is underneath the seat or behind it or both. Keep in mind that anything you put in the storage areas will likely need to be taken out when you fold your stroller to board transportation. (More on that in a later post!)

Dimensions and Style

Single, infant, side-by-side double, front-back double, sit-and-stand – the options are plentiful. However, the one style that Disney is not currently permitting into the parks is the wagon (even if it has a push style option). Disney has set restrictions on what size strollers are allowed into their theme parks and your stroller must be 31″ (79cm) wide and 52″ (132cm) long or smaller. These dimensions are primarily relevant when you are looking at larger strollers with seats for multiple children or a jogging style. If you are asked to have your stroller measured, there will be a taped-off rectangle on the ground matching the maximum dimensions that your stroller will need to fit inside to be admitted. Cast members are well-versed in knowing what brands fit and don’t, so do the research ahead of time to avoid complications. 

Seat and Seatbelt

If you plan on taking an infant, having a seatbelt that includes shoulder straps is important. A simple waist strap is not enough to secure wiggly little babies. Many strollers have options that grow with your children where the shoulder straps are optional and can be removed. Familiarize yourself with how the seatbelt works ahead of time, both fastening and adjusting, so you aren’t having to do this in the middle of a crowd. If you have an older child, look for a stroller where your child will have the ability to climb in and out of the seat on their own as listing them will get tiresome very quickly (and we all know how much kids like to be independent). While your child will be sitting in the stroller a lot and you certainly want them to be comfy, there are accessories you can add to assist with this.

Rain Cover

Technically, this falls under the accessory category, but as it is extremely important you may want to investigate the options before making your final stroller decision. If a model you’re interested in does not have a rain cover that works (even an off-brand option), you will want to consider a different stroller. Yes, it’s that important. 

Trays and Cup Holders for Kids

Trays are nice for little babies as you can sprinkle their snacks out on them and it gives little hands something to hold on to. But after that stage (which will disappear all too quickly), those trays are more of a nuisance than anything else. Eventually, having your child climb in and out of their own seat independently will be important and those tray often prevent that. Sometimes they are removable or pivot open, which is certainly preferred, but generally I urge you to avoid strollers with trays.

Parent Console

Avoid plastic consoles built into the handles as they just add bulk and not functionality. One of our first strollers had a plastic console with compartments and a “place for your phone.” Thing is, phone sizes are always changing and ultimately mine didn’t fit there. I wound up putting my phone in the cup holder, which then presenting its own issues. Sometimes the description and sales pitch of the features just isn’t practical in real use. If a stroller you really like doesn’t have a parent console with a place for your iced coffee and snacks – don’t sweat it! Just add on accessories later that fit your needs.

Big Wheels

Many jogging style strollers have large wheels that help provide a smooth ride on various terrains and a higher handle. While they are great (we have one, love it), they add a lot of bulk to the stroller – making it difficult to fold and taking up a lot of space on transportation. If you already have one of these or need one, I recommend getting a second, smaller travel stroller to use on vacations and leave the jogging style for at home everyday use.