Question about a lock for stroller wheels

[dmonroe]

I think I read here about people putting some kind of lock on their stroller wheels--where a cm could still move it; but it wouldn't work for someone trying to push a child in it. Was it a ski lock? Please help! I think I would like to do this with ours when we go. Last year I was so nervous about someone taking our stroller--even though it never happened. This would just give me a little peace of mind. Thanks-Dana

 

[Kermit]

You can use a bicycle lock to do that. Just go in between the front and back wheels. People can still move it by picking it up, but it's highly unlikely that someone would want it badly enough to carry it out of the park that way.

 

[SueM in MN]

Or if you lock both back wheels or both front wheels together, it can be moved by tilting it to roll on the set of unlocked wheels.

 

[alexandra uk]

I read on a previous thread about the ski lock.
The problem I have with my stroller, is that the wheels don't have any holes in them that I could thread the lock through, and the underneath basket is very small.
I'm considering taling the graco pushchair that I keep at my mothers, the wheels have holes, and it has a very large basket, but the problem with that one is that it is bigger than a stroller, and it doesn't fold very flat.
What do I do

 

[SueM in MN]

Another thing that people have reported doing is putting a lock so it goes across the seat. The stroller can still be rolled easily, but there will be a lumpy lock to sit on, so no one is likely to take it.
People have also reported putting a lock so it blocks the stroller from being folded. If someone does take it, they wouldn't be able to fold it to get in their car or on the bus.
A lot of "stolen" strollers are not stollen at all. Some people don't realize that CMs move strollers around and when they can't find theirs where they left it, they think it is gone. Also, since there are so many strollers the same, make yours look different with ribbons, tape or something. Often a stroller is stolen by someone who took one that looked just like theirs.

 

[dmonroe]

It really is hard to imagine anyone stealing a stroller at WDW! I honestly don't think it's a likely thing to have happen. But, it still makes me a little nervous--mostly because ds is 3 1/2 and it wouldn't be worth the replacement cost at this point to buy another one like the one we've got. I think I might check out the bike locks. And I really like the idea of ribbons or tape to identify it. That should prevent any mix-ups!

 

[Ithastobe]

I too am suprised about stolen strollers. What do people do with their cam corders if the entire family goes on a ride? I was planning on leaving it in the stroller and taking my chances.....

Thanks for these tips btw!

 

[alexandra uk]

I've read on another thread that you can take your camcorder on most rides with you.

 

[beattyfamily]

I got the idea to lock the wheels and bought a bike lock but then left it home. I just knew I'd end up not using it because I'd get tired of it....

I also am very good about taking everything with me at the beginning of our trip but then after a few days, we get lazy and trusting and end up 'sometimes' leaving some of our stuff in the stroller. I know it's crazy but we just almost give up. We're tired and too trusting I guess....

Also, we did get the idea of making our stroller easy to identify with ribbons and name tags etc... to help with the identical stroller problem.

Just posting our experience...

Fyi...one time my husband left our camcorder in Toontown on the floor next to the bench and when he ran back (from our resort!) someone turned it in! Isn't that wonderful? We were pleasantly surprised! So, although things do get solen from time to time, I believe it's few and far between that it happens (in relation to how many people go to WDW in a given year) and that the Disney Magic wins over most of the time!

 

[dmonroe]

We left our camcorder in the stroller several times. We just put it in ds's diaper bag and struck it in the stroller basket. Sure, I would have been upset if something had happened to it; but we were just soooo sick of lugging that thing around! You know, we'll probably end up doing the same thing this year--except it will be put in ds's backpack since he is pt now!

 

[Sonya in Boise]

You could always look into buying an inexpensive umbrella stroller. We got one that has a canopy and a basket for 20.00. It's not the easiest thing to push in dirt/gravel now that it is 4 years old, but I still use it for the malls when I don't want to get the double out.

 

[dmonroe]

I would probably seriously consider getting a cheap stroller for this trip; but we've got a Maclaren umbrella stroller. I've gotten really spoiled by this stroller. It's just so easy to use (easy to fold with one hand, nice big basket, nice canopy, etc), I'll probably bring it and get a bike lock.

 

[zurgswife]

During our many trips over the past few years we have never had a problem with our stuff or our stroller being taken....I have left camcorders, cameras, food, clothing all kinds of different stuff on strollers at different times for different reasons and nothing has ever been touched....Locking and unlocking a lock would drive me crazy...IMHO...

 

[skeezixspud]

The way I see it, the primary reason to put a lock on an expensive stroller is peace of mind. It might not get stolen, but if it did, you would be so furious with yourself that your trip would be even more ruined than the loss of the use of the stroller would account for.

I went with the fold-prevention method. I got a lock that looks like a carabiner (you know, the sort that climbers use). It is made of aluminum, large and brightly colored, w/ a combination lock. When we arrive at the park, I put the lock across one of the crosshatch joints on the stroller back, which prevents it from being folded. The lock does not need to be removed until we leave the park, and the stroller remains functional. The lock cost me $5 at Target.

Of course, people do take look-alike strollers by mistake, but based on many stories I've heard, the phenomenon that causes more real trouble is the "free rental." With rentals at nearly $10/day, some people are tempted to "borrow" one for the duration of the trip. You know, pick one out, use it for a week, then abandon it at the last park you visit. If it has been reported, Disney will return it to its owner. No harm done, right? Believe me, far-fetched as it might seem, it has been known to happen, and not that rarely, either.

As for leaving valuables in a stroller, that's a no-brainer. DON"T DO IT! If you feel you have to carry expensive equipment with you in the parks, carry a light backpack to sling over the stroller handles, and when you park the stroller, take the backpack with you onto the rides. People WILL steal things that are left in plain sight, from water bottles and mister fans to camcorders, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself if it happens.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yes, I'll have no one to blame but myself if it happens....so I/we will still choose from time to time to leave things in the stroller, and in all my trips to WDW, nothing, not even my daughter's sippy cup or a camcorder have been stolen....

I guess we won't worry until something DOES happen to us personally. Like I said before, someone actually turned in our camcorder! Magic at WDW DOES exist.

To each his own. I can't be bothered locking my stroller every time my DD's get out of it. Its not not worth the hassle to us. If the stroller gets stolen, oh well, I'll have learned a valuable less, I guess!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I leave our stroller, unlocked. Trusting, I guess. It makes me a tiny bit nervous sometimes, but we leave a $350.00 stroller. This time we'll leave the $350.00 double stroller and a $90.00 one (3 kids this time). (The only reason I buy such an expensive one is it is the lightest and folds up the smallest - which makes it the best for travel and for my bad back when I'm home - otherwise I'd buy the cheapest! .

But there is one thing I will NEVER leave with the stroller...EXPOSED film! That's the ONE thing that IS irreplaceable.

We do leave most of our stuff with the stroller (snakcs, sweat shirts...), but I carry the most important things with us - a small-ish camera, money, credit cards, tickets, and any EXPOSED film !!
I will leave unused film with the stroller, but I always make sure I have our exposed film -- I could deal with a missing stroller, but what if our picutres were stolen!!! Something to think about.

We've never brought a camcorder (might this time - not sure)...That will be something to think about.