Would you bring a stroller?

[boiler717]

We are doing 5 days in Barcelona and 1 in Amsterdam. My son just turned 4.
Right now we don’t use a stroller much at all — never at a museum or zoo (although last time we did the zoo I wish I had one because it was 100 degrees and he was beat). We walk about a mile to the winery at home regularly and sometimes he will pick the stroller but often chooses scooter or walk.
My question is on which one to buy. I don’t want to take our vista and I hate our umbrella because it’s cheap. I’d like a trifold, but the one I want is $400 and it is crazy to buy especially if we aren’t having another kid.

[4speedy]

Can you contact the hotel and ask if they can help you rent one on Barcelona? For the day in Amsterdam, I wouldn’t bother.

[gastro]

I might - those two European towns are more stroller friendly than many. As long as the umbrella could manage the streets I’d bring that incase I wanted to get rid of the stroller and not have to bring it back home. It might also be nice to have a stroller for the airports.
I would not buy a new stroller for the trip.

[icedcoffee]

I’d look for a cheap used city mini. Maybe even post an in search of for someone who might have a really well loved one they want to get rid of. $50 or so should be fair for that. Or try to borrow one.

ETA: ignore me. I just realized you are interested in a trifold. Maybe still try finding one used?

[ECB]

Yes, i would want a stroller. No, i wouldn’t buy a $400 stroller just for this trip.

[dreamcrisp1]

For amsterdam, no. I use my carrier for most places instead of the stroller. You can also rent a stroller here. I’ll find the site and give it to you.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Do you have local consignment stores? I went to one before we went to disney and scored a stroller for $10 (it was years after my dd had ridden in a stroller, and I wanted to test out if she fit in them, which is why I wanted a store and not a bst fb group). She used it constantly in Disney, and then we left it there. Best $10 I ever spent, seriously!

[UMaineTeach]

Having visited neither of those places, I would bring a stroller, but you should probably not.

If your four year old regularly walks a mile straight without problems, I think roaming a city, with the intent of stopping to eat, rest, and play would be easier.

[readyin07]

I haven't been to either of those places so if they aren't stroller friendly hopefully someone will chime in with that, but when I ask the question should I bring the stroller, the answer is almost always yes that I think the "hassle" of the stroller is almost always worth it to me. Even a child who happily walks most distances might be tired after doing it a several days in a row, or when they haven't slept well because they're in a new place or adjusting to the time change...or whatever. It could be totally fine, but I like to prepare for it not to be lol. Nothing ruins my time like a cranky kid. A stroller gives me a shady place for an overtired or overstimulated kid to rest and have some privacy. It gives me a place to store snacks and drinks if they get hangry and sunscreen, a sweater or a blanket for weather issues. My kids seem to need to eat every twenty minutes. If I can give them a drink/snack in the stroller we can stay on the go without having to stop a million times.

I definitely wouldn't buy a new $$ stroller. I would make do with what I had, buy something inexpensive on consignment or facebook marketplace or see if I can rent one.

[rupertpenny]

No way would I bring a stroller. A typical 4 year old should be able to do a decent amount of walking.

If he rides a scooter I might look into bringing that, but not if it’s a big hassle.

[joy]

Yup, I’d bring a stroller. But I’d rent there or bring a $20 one from Cosco.

When our City Mini frame was being replaced, we used the $20 umbrella stroller from Cosco to do the 1.5 mile each way daycare run. It held up just fine on all the city streets. I am - decidedly - not picky about an umbrella stroller, though. A $400 umbrella stroller would never be on my radar.

Does it fold? Is it light? Do I care if I lose it? Let’s go.

[goldengirlz]

We did Europe at age 4 and the stroller was a nice to have the first couple of days (she would fall asleep at dinner due to jet lag) but after that, we didn’t really need it.

Take the cheap one you already have. Do NOT spend $400 on a new one if it’s just for this trip.

[steamboat185]

I wouldn’t. We never have really traveled with a stroller so maybe take that with a grain of salt. We make the kids walk or throw them on our back/shoulders if they really need a break.

[janegold]

I would want a stroller. My 3 year old can walk a mile fairly easily but tires after that, and we typically walk closer to 10 a day on those types of trips. I’ve traveled with our Mountain Buggy Nano and been reasonably happy with it - it’s a moderately priced trifold. If you’re literally just getting it for this one trip, though, I would probably look into rentals first.

[mrsGreeko]

We did not bring a stroller when we took our then 4.5 year old to London and Edinburgh. It was fine. He mostly walked and if he got tired I carried him on my hip or back or DH carried him on his shoulders. I wouldn’t bring a stroller and I definitely wouldn’t buy a $400 stroller for a 4.5 year old.

[loira]

Team no stroller. We're thinking of visiting friends in London soon, and I have no plans to bring a stroller for that. I frequently take A on a hilly 5k hike so am pretty sure she'd be fine. If she got tired on a trip, I'd just have my H carry her.

[nellgirl]

I wouldn’t, but mainly because my nearly 4 year old is a walker. She can easily do like 6-7 km in one go. If she needs a break, her daddy gives her a shoulder ride. I can’t imagine her submitting to riding in a stroller. She refuses.

[dreamcrisp1]

travelbabyrental.com/product/bugaboo-bee-stroller/

[pittpurple]

I've been to both places - Amsterdam pre kids and it's a bit fuzzy ;-)
But from memory, there are LOTS of stairs going up and over all the canals so I'd guess it would be more trouble than its worth.

Both my kids were long out of strollers by then - we went to Barcelona when the kids were 3.5 and 3 months and brought a stroller for the baby, but ended up mostly baby carrying as so many places just weren't great with a stroller. My daughter walked everywhere. When she got tired it was a good excuse for a snack / drink / slowing down and looking around.

We live in a city and rarely drive so they're used to walking a lot though - my son has refused a stroller since he was about 2.5 so we just roll with it. My husband does still pop him up on his shoulders if he's really struggling but it takes him a long time to get to that point - usually on hikes more than anything.

If your kid is still napping that might change things though - but we've always just prefered taking breaks in the day than dragging a stroller round. It makes for happier kids for us if we just slow down our pace a bit - and actually, it's quite nice to travel a bit less quickly. Lots of ice cream breaks :-)

I personally wouldn't spend $400 on something you would possibly use for 5 days, there are plenty of other options.