We are taking our 5 and 3 year old girls with us to Europe for a part work, part vacation trip. I will be on my own with the girls while my husband is at work and I will have a rental car. I am wondering what kind of stroller to use. I know both girls will need a rest while we are raoming streets, zoos and muesums.
Thanks
A foldable umbrella stroller is the easiest to take with you. They're hard to find there.
The great thing is that parks and playgrounds are everywhere and you'll often find carousels.
It would be helpful to know which country you are visiting in the continent of Europe. There are many variables for each country. We can give you better information when you let us know.
I used an umbrella stroller a lot with my daughter, though she often just walked. After age 3, I don't think I used a stroller at all anymore.
I used a folding umbrella stroller for travels when my kids were smaller,, but by the time my boys hit 3 or so we quit that (most folding lightweight strollers are great for heavier loads,, which by 3 both my boys were big ). . Even with my daughter I think I stopped using a stroller by 3-4,, by kindergarden I know none of my kids would go in stroller as they considered them for babies.
Just plan easy days,, stop lots , bring lots of snacks etc. Don't plan on seeing alot, go at kids pace. I always allowed down time with kids,, ah hour or two in the afternoon we would return to hotel and nap or read books or just rest etc.
In England and France, I have seen children who appear to be as old as 5 being transported in strollers.
Does your 5 year old go in a stroller now? If so, you'll have to find some kind of double stroller. If not, just a small umbrella stroller will work. Depending on where you're going, there may be cobblestones, which can be rough with strollers. But you'll want something that can fold up easily and won't take much room, as cars over there are smaller than probably what you're used to.
Make sure to schedule daily playground time and ice cream breaks. And I mean daily. We make it an afternoon ritual to stop and get ice cream. It's a welcome break, and I think it's also a cultural experience, since every country has different ice cream.
I agree with the "slow down" advice you've received. I know my kids at three still used a stroller some, but not at five. If they need a stroller at five I think you're doing too much.
As a father of three, I can't comprehend why a five year old would need a stroller. Sorry.
Because although 5 year olds a perfectly capable of walking they can't walk particularly far or fast. If you have any decent amount of walking planned sometimes pushing the child for a while is the only practical solution. Probably not a situation that occurs in the US (or the mini-US of a large US air base) due to the car centric nature of the culture which I guess is why it seems unusual to Americans.
Peter, exactly correct. Hence the advice to slow her trip expectations down. What's she going to do-get a stroller big enough for 2 preschoolers? Push one stroller and pull another?
I'd recommend planning small excursions with a foldable umbrella stroller for the 3 yr old. I'm sure the 5 yr old can sit in it occasionally as well. Scale back your plans a bit. No one has any fun if any person is exhausted to tears.
Joelle - poster above hit it on the head - get an umbrella stroller for the 3 year old only. If the 5 year old is too tired then it's time for ALL of you to take a break. Traveling with your kids is a great time to do things a little differently - including nap/rest for the 5 year old, even if it is just "quiet time" in the hotel.
Our children are now 8, 6 and 4 -- and we still like to have a stroller handy in the car, just in case.
We have traveled with our own children plus several others, and have taken four European trips with this Urban Jungle Stroller from Mountain Buggy.
If all the kids were up to it, they all walked. It was handy to have a place to stow snacks underneath. If one of the older kids got tired, they could even sit a while on this one. (I'm even guilty of sitting on it... it's that strong... and I weighed 260 at the time.)
It folds 'fairly' small, but it is heavy at 21 pounds. Tires are big enough that they handle cobblestones great.
A stroller can serve many purposes when traveling with kids. In one instance, I misread a bus schedule and we had a ~2 mile walk from the a bus stop to our hotel. Our son, under 2 at the time, was lighter than my backpack (we traveled in one pack for all three of us -- my wife was pregnant) so... I put my backpack in the stroller, son on my shoulders, and the walk was easier on me.
