Our CONSTANT internal debate over lugging “one more thing” across the Atlantic, all in the name of saving a child’s legs (and us from insanity?)
We started traveling internationally when our kids were 3 and 5, so a stroller was never in question at that point. Every year they get older, and every new trip we take, we revisit this question. But honestly from the birth-toddler phase (0-3), the stroller really is almost non-negotiable for nap schedules and containment (or at least it was for our kids).
So this past summer when they were 4 and 7, we crafted a pros and cons list of bringing the stroller. We changed a few logistics from what we did last year (for example, we will no longer gate check a stroller after they tossed it and broke a component), but we DID end up bringing the stroller. Here was our decision-making process, in case it’s helpful for you too.
1. Location
– Destination: Last year we went to Switzerland, and we actually left the stroller at the hotel for a couple days. This year when we went to Paris, it’s almost all streets and sidewalks (with a healthy dose of parks), so it was definitely a more urban environment.
– Stroller-friendly? When you’re taking Paris public transit, you need to consider stairs. You cannot assume there’s a working escalator or lift, so consider what it will be like to carry the stroller up and down a set of stairs (and then multiply this by 10, per day). In addition, Switzerland was fairly stroller-friendly as well, but we did access some areas that really were not made for strollers. We still brought it for our big transit days.
– Stairs, continued: If you’re going to have a lot of stairs, can your kid walk up the stairs themselves? This helped A LOT. Our kid would hop out for the stairs-heavy parts of the metro, and then hop back in the stroller once we were out of the metro. Or in times we needed to keep them contained on a busy train platform (traveling with a 4-year old, amirite?), we’d put them in the stroller and keep it moving. IF our kiddo was too young to do stairs themselves, we may have changed the type of public transit we used (and gone with the bus over the metro).
2. Kiddo leg-strength (if you have a better name for this title, I’m all ears)
– Stroller for transit? Honestly our home airport requires a LOT of walking. This does factor into our decision-making. It’s not just about how you’ll walk once you’re at your destination, but also the walking required to get to this destination.
– Child Flexibility: Herein lies one of our main challenges. Our youngest will make this trip SUPER unenjoyable if he doesn’t have a chance to sit down frequently. He has the energy to make this work, but his age and tiny legs would make this trip miserable if he doesn’t have a stroller. THIS is the factor that won out for our decision, fyi.
3. Daily nap needed
– Can your kid nap in the stroller? Kid #1, no. Kid #2, YEP.
– Does your kid need a daily nap? Kid #1, yep. Kid #2, YEP. Adult #1, yes. Adult #2, no.
– If you bring this, will it let you stay out longer in the day? Yes, quite honestly it will. Especially when one kid right now is able to be out and about all day, and keep going and pushing through, and the other kiddo is not? This was another major factor that played into our decision- it allowed our youngest to better keep up with our older kiddo and our family as a whole.
4. Stroller Logistics
– Fold-Up Stroller: Yes, ours is a travel stroller made specifically to fold up super small. In addition, we have a fold-up/fold-down buggy board we put on the back of the stroller in case we need to turn it into a double stroller. One of the kids can ride sitting down, and the other kid can stand up on the board on the back. Unfortunately for my husband, the double stroller feature was used more frequently than he would have liked on our last trip, which REALLY pushed the weight limit of the set-up.
– Carry-on or gate check: Yes, and we learned this lesson the hard way last year. One, we gate-checked it (it’s so simple! They’ll take it from you and give it back to you when you land!!) last year on the airplanes. And it took FOREVER to get it back on the other side (one time we waited an extra 20 minutes with a squirmy toddler). And, they broke one of the stroller/board components last year with the gate-checking too. So this year we kept the same stroller, but used the folding capabilities and put it up in the overhead bin above our seat, and did not gate-check.
– Minimalist Packing: Some days, we used the stroller to carry water bottles and kids toys rather than weighing down our backpacks. It allowed them to get their water whenever they needed it, and we didn’t have to carry it ourselves.
Looking Ahead:
Now, this year we’ve got both smaller domestic trips coming up, as well as bigger trips to Africa and Europe. Stay tuned if our decision-making process stays the same for those trips too (my husband just said “I’ve done my time with the stroller. It is done,” so again, stay tuned!).
TLDR Summary:
Rule 1: Invest in a travel-specific stroller (not your everyday behemoth you use at home).
Rule 2: Scout for elevators/lifts/stairs before hitting “Go” on public transit apps.
Rule 3: Have an exit strategy (if the stroller breaks, can we rent one? Can we buy a cheap umbrella stroller locally?).
