Traveling with an 8 month old: stroller or carrier?

olliesmom

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 5, 2015
We're going to be traveling to Disney in December with an 8 month old and trying to plan out the logistics!

We have an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D, which reclines and has a storage basket) and a Lillebaby structured carrier that we are planning on bringing with us. From what I understand, the strollers need to be left outside a lot of attractions and restaurants, so we would need to carry DS in lines until we board attractions. Given that I'm guessing he'll be pretty big and wiggly at 8 months, I'm wondering if it would be easier to use a carrier than hold him in our arms.

On the other hand, if we're going to be using a carrier often, is it still worth it to bring a stroller into the parks? We'll be staying at the Beach Club. It would be handy to have somewhere for him to nap and somewhere to store all his things easily too... and he might get heavy for hours in the carrier!

For non-mobile babies, I'd love to know what others found the most convenient!
 
When are you going? It's really hot most of the year and I'd want the stroller just for times I was too hot to have a baby strapped to me.
 
We used both for my grandson last summer, he was 8 months as well. It was nice to have him in the carrier for longer lines.

Edited to add my daughter also clipped a fan on to it to blow right between them
 
Our carrier got a lot of use in WDW. It worked really well for lines and “fidgety” times. Used it during May and September trips. My dh nor I found it too uncomfortable.
 
When are you going? It's really hot most of the year and I'd want the stroller just for times I was too hot to have a baby strapped to me.

We'll be going in December so it should be fairly cool! Last time we were there in December we were in our winter coats.:faint:
 
We used both for my grandson last summer, he was 8 months as well. It was nice to have him in the carrier for longer lines.

Edited to add my daughter also clipped a fan on to it to blow right between them

That's great to know! Thanks!

Our carrier got a lot of use in WDW. It worked really well for lines and “fidgety” times. Used it during May and September trips. My dh nor I found it too uncomfortable.

How old was your little one? I'm totally fine carrying mine now at almost 5 months, but not sure how easy babywearing is as they grow!
 
That's great to know! Thanks!



How old was your little one? I'm totally fine carrying mine now at almost 5 months, but not sure how easy babywearing is as they grow!

September 2016: 7 months old
May 2018: 9 months old

Two different children (obviously) but they both did really well.:)
 


That will really depend on your personal preference. DW and I never used a carrier for any of our kids, anytime or anywhere. We always used a stroller. So when it came to WDW, it was the same thing. I'd suggest doing whatever you're most comfortable with at home.
 
I used an umbrella stroller with a stroller fan for DS when he was 8 months. I just carried him through the lines then. But I did bring a front carrier with me but I never used it. It was just too much to put on every time we stopped to get in a line. Easier to just carry him.
 
I like to have options. We used both when our DD were little.
 
I would recommend both! We took our daughter at 4 and 9 months and we used the stroller majority of the time but carrier when she wanted to be out and about seeing things.
 
I took my oldest on his first trip at 7 1/2 months in December and used both.

When we weren’t in line, I used the stroller. Remember there’s a lot of walking (some longer distances between attractions, arriving/leaving the parks, etc), and it’s great for naps.

When we were in lines, I used a front-facing carrier. With the exception of the carousel, I was able to keep him in the carrier on rides. It made it easier to get on and off rides, plus he was already positioned on my lap and able to see everything without me worrying about him squirming.
 
Both! You'll appreciate having options. The stroller is your home base to store all your stuff. Yes, you have to leave the stroller outside the rides, but we usually leave it in one spot in a land and move it when we are done with that area. Especially in "winter" when it's quite cold in the morning/evening but then really warm mid-day, a stroller gives you a convenient place to toss your coats (and for us, we will even change between pants and shorts as needed), not to mention all the baby gear. Diapers, changes of clothes, snacks, toys, bottles, etc. etc. etc. off your backs and onto the stroller.

The carrier is for the rides and lines. You will wear yourself out very fast if you hold the baby the whole time with your arms. I wore my first son at Disney until he was almost 2, and he was a heavy dude. I'll be wearing my second in a few weeks, he is 9 months and 19 lbs and I'd much rather distribute that weight with a carrier. My husband also takes turns so nobody gets worn out. I will also be trying to find safe places for him to crawl and exercise since he is crawling now.
 
Both! You'll appreciate having options. The stroller is your home base to store all your stuff. Yes, you have to leave the stroller outside the rides, but we usually leave it in one spot in a land and move it when we are done with that area. Especially in "winter" when it's quite cold in the morning/evening but then really warm mid-day, a stroller gives you a convenient place to toss your coats (and for us, we will even change between pants and shorts as needed), not to mention all the baby gear. Diapers, changes of clothes, snacks, toys, bottles, etc. etc. etc. off your backs and onto the stroller.

The carrier is for the rides and lines. You will wear yourself out very fast if you hold the baby the whole time with your arms. I wore my first son at Disney until he was almost 2, and he was a heavy dude. I'll be wearing my second in a few weeks, he is 9 months and 19 lbs and I'd much rather distribute that weight with a carrier. My husband also takes turns so nobody gets worn out. I will also be trying to find safe places for him to crawl and exercise since he is crawling now.

100% this ^
 
Why not both? We used the stroller for long walks, eating, etc. We'd park the stroller and use the carrier in the lands, or at MK, just parked it by the carousel most of the day.

If you use a front carrier, you can leave the baby in it on most rides, which also contains then on the ride. I used both at 6 mo, 11 mo and 18 mo. I'm thinking about renting a bigger carrier for my next trip at 30 mo.

FYI, the most scared I've ever been on ride was the magic carpets when DD was 18 mo and not in the carrier. She decided it would be fun to stand up while trying to look over the edge. I spent the rest of the ride holding her down as she fought as hard as she could to get away.
 
We're going to be traveling to Disney in December with an 8 month old and trying to plan out the logistics!

We have an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D, which reclines and has a storage basket) and a Lillebaby structured carrier that we are planning on bringing with us. From what I understand, the strollers need to be left outside a lot of attractions and restaurants, so we would need to carry DS in lines until we board attractions. Given that I'm guessing he'll be pretty big and wiggly at 8 months, I'm wondering if it would be easier to use a carrier than hold him in our arms.

On the other hand, if we're going to be using a carrier often, is it still worth it to bring a stroller into the parks? We'll be staying at the Beach Club. It would be handy to have somewhere for him to nap and somewhere to store all his things easily too... and he might get heavy for hours in the carrier!

For non-mobile babies, I'd love to know what others found the most convenient!

We took our son on his first trip when he was 8 months old in April of this year. I highly recommend a stroller. It's a great spot for your baby to take a nap. You also have additional places to hold items instead of having them in a back pack. We used the carrier while in some of the lines, it mostly depended on how long the wait was going to be. more than 15 minutes he usually went in the carrier. The baby centers are great spots to rest at. My wife used them at least once daily during our trip and said she was very grateful they were there. It gave her and baby a moment to get out of all the craziness that is the parks and a moment to relax. Our son learned to crawl on our third day at the parks so he was not very interested in getting around during that trip. Also, the meet and greet with Snow White in Epcot was a amazing experience for our family, if you have the time I recommend it. Have a great trip!
 
I'm going back in October with an almost 4 year old and still bringing a carrier! Mostly just for a couple of evenings when we may stay late and I don't want to worry about him falling asleep (much easier to carry 38 lbs on my back than in my arms!).

So I definitely vote for both!
 

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