no stroller for europe vacation?

[marsipan]

we usually beco DS around, but we do have a maclaren umbrella that rarely gets used. when DS will be 10 months, we'll be going to europe for a week, and reallllly don't want to lug around a stroller that probably won't be used that much anyway. but i feel nervous going without one.. the max DS has been in a beco at one time has been 2-3 hours. i'm afraid more than that might be uncomfy for him? i dunno..
has anyone done vacation without a stroller? any tips?
TIA!

[ChetMC]

Depends

It really depends on where you're going, and what you're planning to do. I can think of lots of European destinations where an umbrella stroller would be a pain (bad on cobbles, areas too crowded for maneuvering, subway stations with no elevators, etc). That said, we've taken our kids to Europe twice and still used a stroller both times, albeit selectively.

My gut is that, if you have two people to take turns carrying your DS, and he's only 10 months old, I would not bring the stroller, I often have our DS in the beco for most of the day and he's fine.

[liseux]

We went to Rome 9 yrs ago with our then 10 month old son & brought no stroller & had a great trip!

Back then, the Babytrekker was the best, I used a maya wrap, unpadded & a trekker. There was no ergo, beco, MT's weren't out much & I was just getting into didymos. Babytrekker is similar to Beco, except baby faces out also. I prefer the seated position on the SSC's & MT's and the Trekker was pretty new to our boy, but he did well. We passed him back and forth, he slept, we all got a great workout, losing 8 lbs each even while eating tons of great food & drinking wine 2 meals a day. Have a great time!

[Keria]

I would take it, it will be nice when you need a place to put the babe down while you eat, or if he is sleeping.

[FelixMom]

I have gone twice to Hong Kong, once with a 9 month old, and once with a 6 yr old and a 7 month old. Never brought a stroller and wore him most of the time.

If you're going to be in a suburban area with huge shopping malls, I guess it would be okay. Otherwise it would be a royal PITA to lug that thing up and down places where there aren't escalators or elevators...

[marsipan]

thanks so much for the replies! i just wanted to know if it was possible, and this gives me hope! we really, really don't want to take the stroller and when i mention this to people they look at me like i have two heads.
liseux that's so great to hear that you guys got to indulge in the great food and get in a good workout we're going on a cruise so we'll be stopping by a couple of diff cities in italy, spain, and france so food is definitely one of the first things on my mind, lol!

[Prisca]

We went on vacation just a couple of months ago right after my baby boy had turned one. We didn't take a stroller and he did great. We did quite a bit of walking and we would be out for hours at a time. As long as I changed his position and nursed him on the go, he was a happy camper.

Have a wonderful trip!

[TheGirls]

DD is 15 months and we've done a few trips. We've rarely brought the stroller, and when we do, we usually regret it! And that's in the US where elevators are more common and cobblestones are less common...

Up until about a month ago, DD was content to be worn all day pretty much. Every few hours we'd make a point to find somewhere where she could get down for a bit and stretch her legs, but I'd have done that with a stroller too. She gets sick of the stroller LONG before she gets sick of the Beco.

We just wear her for naps, and for eating she can sit in a restaurant highchair (if available) or she can sit in someone's lap, or if we're eating outside we'll sit on the grass in a park somewhere and she eats while wandering.

We're debating whether to bring the stroller on the next trip to Seattle to see family (next week) and I'm thinking of skipping it. At 10 months I wouldn't even consider bringing it.

[annekevdbroek]

Just back from 2 weeks in spain with a 2 1/2 year-old. He has never been big on stroller riding and yet we still took it in hopes that it would be useful for naps or long walks. No such luck. We never used it. I carried him the entire trip, including hours of napping and long long walks. On the plus side I lost 3 or 4 pounds from carrying an extra 35 pounds for two weeks.

For a 10 month old who normally doesn't ride in a stroller - I'd not take it.

[possum]

We spent 3 weeks in Italy this summer with my 2 year old son. We don't even own a stroller, so we didn't even consider lugging one on the trip. Most days, he was worn for 5 hours or more. Although he can walk, he didn't do a lot of walking because of safety issues in busy cities/crowds and getting on/off trains, or on long walks. We took a woven wrap and a SSC. There is no way we could have gotten a stroller on and off of trains, around cobbled streets, through ruins, around museums (I never saw strollers in museums there, but I did see a few other LO's in carriers), or lots of other places.
I say, go and have a blast without a stroller.
Melinda

[zjande]

We took our then-16 month old with us on our honeymoon. We spent 9 days between the Czech Republic & Germany & the thought of having a stroller actually never entered my mind. I used my maya ring sling & it worked just dandy for us. I'd imagine that hauling a stroller around would be pretty annoying, unless absolutely necessary.

[crayon]

We have friends that live in Germany and have traveled all over EU this last year. They have a 6 year old who likes to zonk out on them mid way in touring! lol... She was begging me to come up with some idea because 1.) he is WAY too big for a stroller and 2.) even if he was smaller you can not use strollers- she said that pretty much everything is tight and cobblestone roads- so I gave her one of my carriers and he fits in it and so they take it with them everytime they travel. Now she has people coming up to her asking her where she got it and what not because they just do not have the ease of strollers there in Europe.

Leave the stroller take the carrier! ;-)

[lifeguard]

I just got from a 2 week vacation with my Mom who insisted we needed a stroller. I don't usually use one & it just totally reinforced what a pain they are to me. If you don't normally use don't bring it - you'll just end up cursing the thing the whole time.

[skeegan23]

We went to Ireland when DD was 14 mos and did lots of walking... we took a Maclaren stroller and the babyhawk. Used both and honestly, don't know what I'd do w/o the stroller. Nice to have once she was sleeping and in restaurants since a lot of the cafe's and bar/restaurants in Ireland didn't have child accommodations for seating... just something to think about! We normally don't use a stroller but it was super helpful for this vaca!

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by TropicalGirl

I would take it, it will be nice when you need a place to put the babe down while you eat, or if he is sleeping.

:

I'd take an umbrella stroller. Light weight, easy to fold, and cheap (in case it is stolen).

[gillibean]

I wouldn't bother, they can be a real hassle, especially if you're going to be riding tour buses or public transit. If you get really desperate you can always buy a super cheapo umbrella one and donate it somewhere when you leave.

[EMS]

I suggest bringing a stroller. I found that traveling with one was much easier in airports--even if my husband or I was carrying the baby in a carrier! You can push luggage in it. Seriously. And it would probably be good for eating in restaurants, if they don't have high chairs.

[marsipan]

just wanted to update this thread by saying we're back and didn't take a stroller, and it was FABULOUS!! i took the beco and the hotsling for hip carry and dh and i switched wearing him every few hours. it was so nice not to have to lug a stroller places with lots of steps/stairs, esp in cities like valletta and cannes. thank you so much for all of your replies, it def gave me the courage to do it!
except on the last day, we were in such a hurry that we left the beco behind on a bus : i almost cried, lol. sooo if anyone knows any becos/ergos on sale, please post!

[Prisca]

I'm so glad to hear that you're vacation went well! Hooray for babywearing! I'm sorry to hear about your carrier though.

Thanks for the update. It's so nice to hear!

[Adasmommy]

I was reading through this thread, getting ready to post that I would absolutely not want a stroller on my European vacation . . . didn't realize it was old!

I'm so glad you had a great time and didn't miss it!