2 Travel ?'S....1st: Am I CRAZY for Not Taking a Stroller? 2Nd: Backpack??

The last time we traveled with a stroller was when DS was about 22 months and we didn't use it at all. I think you will be fine - if not - you can rent one in San Diego. I think a backpack is a great idea but I would NOT put my money, credit cards or id in it - too easy to get pick pocketed. We do still fly with our car seat - we have a GoGo Baby - it attaches wheels and an extendable handle to the car seat so you can pull it like a small suit case. If DD is small, she can still ride in it this way at the airport. BTW, a one hour layover is tight with a child. I wouldn't plan to get anything more than get to your gate with (if you are lucky) a quick bathroom break. Have a great trip :)

I would not take the stroller, either. All of my kids had their own mini backpacks by about 18 months and carried most of their own things, with me carrying anything extra in my backpack on longer trips. I would buy her her own backpack and put in it 2-3 diapers, the small wipes container, a sippy cup, a few snacks, and two small toys or activities...everything else goes into yours in order to refill hers. For day trips, this should be almost enough supplies for her at this age, so you would probably be okay with just putting the camera into your purse and forgoing your backpack altogether.

My youngest was 2 when we went to niagara falls he refused to sit in his stroller it stayed in the trunk almost the entire time. I put my ergo in my backpack when he wanted to be carried I wore him on my back and another adult took the backpack. :)

Here's what I've gleaned from our frequent travels with my active 2 1/2 year old. (When I mean active I mean, can't sit still, get into everything, please let me touch it, type active)

The big stroller was nice to have to put the diaper bags in so we wouldn't have to lug them around. However, it is a complete pain to maneuver. Ours even got stuck in the XRAY machine! The umbrella stroller is what we use now. Our daughter really likes it, and we waste time in the airport by zooming her up and down the aisle.

Yes, yes, yes to the back pack. We do that instead of a diaper bag, because I got tired of the thing (or both of them) banging into my legs, and killing my shoulders. Besides it give you two free hands to snatch your little runner, if she tries to take off. However, I would be very careful about where you put your wallet and such. I know the idea of pickpockets is outdated, but trust me, they still exist. What I do is get an old wallet of my husbands and put my essentials in it and carry it in my front pocket.

Let me say, that I am really jealous you are going with a bunch of people to help. I am taking a flight on Sat with just me and my daughter. Yikes! It's the first time I have flown without my husband, and I am really not looking forward to it.

My daughter was 7 and still liked to ride in a stroller in Disney. I would get a smaller umbrella type stroller however. No to purse and yes to the backpack.

No way would I take the big stroller. I would get a cheap umbrella one when you arrive if you do not want to travel with the one you already have. Age 2 was the last time we even took an umbrella stroller. At that age, they just want to get out and walk. Nice to have if their legs get tired, but with all those adults may not even need it.

As for the backpack...YES, we started to travel with one a year or 2 back and it's been great. My husband or I can carry it, lots of compartments & space for all your needs. Not the coolest thing, but when you are traveling places like that, most will have the same thing you do for their kids needs. If anything, bring a smaller purse for yourself, so if you do out to dinner, you can still feel like a girl and not just a mom ;)

If there will be lots of walking, BRING THE STROLLER~! (The BIG one!) Our almost 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old road in it constantly (they LOVED it) when we went to DisneyWorld last year. And it was a great place to hang our bags so we weren't carrying them! So even if you just pile it full of stuff, it will be a big help. I wouldn't go on a trip without one........ But we also don't give our kids a choice at times "IF" they want to ride. If they aren't going to walk, they ride! There is no way we would carry them all over town.... And we went on vacation with 8 ADULTS!

Backpack= YES. That is also what we do when we go on vacation. SO much easier to carry.

I always did a backpack as both a purse and diaper bag. That way hand were free for the little one. You also do not have to put it down when you go to the bathroom. Put a small purse in your luggage for an evening out when you want to dress up.

Forget the stroller, she can walk a bit or with 5 adults, you can take turns carrying her.

I would a least take an umbrella stroller. My daughter is very active too but I find when we vacation she gets tired and wants to sit in her stroller. Normally she doesn't want anything to do with it. I would take the stroller just for piece of mind and at 2 they can get a little heavy trying to carry them around.

For the purse Coach purses are so heavy to me. I love them but I do not take mine when vacationing. I guess I have weak shoulders. :) The backpack would be easier plus you wont have to worry about it falling off of your shoulder. Hope you and your family will have lots of fun on your vacation.

I take my stroller with me everywhere. Even when my son is not in it, I like to unload all of my bags and what not in there. It's soo nice not to have to carry everything all the time, it's like having a shopping cart with you all the time.
As for the stroller size, I would go and get a mid sized stroller, especially if you plan on A. traveling more and B. if you are going to have more children. I suggest a Combi. Decent size, folds super small, light weight and you can put a ton of stuff in it when your child isn't in it, and it's easily carried since it has a shoulder strap if you need to randomly do that.
If you don't want to buy a new stroller, but want to take one, they so make hoods that you can buy and put on a stroller. I saw one at Babies R Us and it was around $20 and put that on the umbrella.
Oh and backpack all the way. When I know i"m going to be gone all day with my son, I use a pack pack. SOOOOOOOO much easier than a diaper bag.

Take the stroller.
LBC

I would take the big stroller, but that's just me. I like to have space to stash stuff and a tray for my little one to put his snacks...but if nothing else I'd bring the umbrella. I usually travel alone with my kids, so a stroller is a must for me, but if you have that much help I suppose you could probably do without. The biggest times I need it are to wrangle them when getting through security (like right before and right after when you have to reassemble and put on shoes, re-stash stuff, etc.) and if you need to eat a meal or something at the airport. Plus, when you're waiting for your luggage it's so nice to strap them down and not worry where they've wandered off. So, if you feel like someone could just watch her during those times then make the call. Also, I bought a bag to attach the back of my umbrella at Babies R Us so I could stash at least a few things like a snack, sippy, and my wallet if we were just running out. My kids are both very active but sit/sat in the stroller pretty well at 2, at least during crucial times! ;) And, I also vote yes for the back pack but you might want to pack a small purse in your suitcase for those times you don't want to lug the whole backpack. Just my 2 cents!! ;)

If you already know she doesn't like to be confined - why on earth would you WANT to bring a stroller?

In San Diego - if you are going to the Wild Animal Park and Sea World - they ALREADY HAVE strollers there for your use....

I would have a small backpack for my child (I used to have this COOL Baby Gap backpack that fit toddlers) any way - have her stuff sippy cup, etc. in that - why break your back, neck and shoulder carrying EVERYTHING?

Girl you are SUPPOSED to be going on VACATION!! RELAX!! ENJOY!!!!

KEEP IT SIMPLE SILLY!!!

A few times I had to fly with my daughter when she was around that age, I packed a back pack - it was just way easier to have it hanging from 2 shoulders instead of always falling off of one, and having the weight evenly distributed.

Also, see if you can pick up a cheap stroller at a thrift store in San Diego. We happened to do this when we flew down to Orlando for our Disney World trip and it worked out great. Cost us 10 bucks and we just donated it back when we were done. Even if everyone is willing to carry a 2 year old, it can get old quick.

Take the stroller.

Like you said, she only will sleep in her bed. Take the familiarness of her stroller.

Honestly, when I traveled with my 2 year old, I was shocked at how much time he sepent in the stroller. Think of it from their point of view and they're just walking around with a bunch of knees. I think they feel safer in the stroller.

And if you gate check it, it'll even be handy to have in the airport (minus the little hassle of getting through security) to carry stuff.

I'd do a backpack, too. That way hubby can help out with carrying it some.

When my kids were the age of yours I traveled with an umbrella stroller (even if they werent' in it I could put the backpack in it) a backpack and a small lightweight bag on a long adjustable shoulder strap.

I still use the small bag when we're in a city, amusement park even hiking. It's for my wallet or cash/ATM card, cellphone, camera, chapstick and sunglasses. Using the adjustable shoulder strap it can be made to be a fanny pack by shortening the strap - or a small purse with the strap across my chest / one shoulder (do you know what I'm talking about?) It provides easy access to cash and it's on my front so I don't have to worry about it being stolen.

The backpack is for sweaters, water bottles, change of clothes for the 2 yr old, diapers, wipes, bandaids, etc. My kids are teens so I rarely use a backpack anymore - maybe just a stringbackpack.

But I wouldn't leave home without the umbrella stroller. It's easy to drag around - it offers a place for your DD to sit when she's tired, even though there's no bag underneath you can often rig up a way to hand the packpack off the handles, or put a string backpack on the handles for loose stuff.

Just my opinion - but I wouldn't drag the big stroller and I wouldn't go with out one. Even with all kinds of family around - holding a 2 yr old can be exhausting - especially if it gets warm. And while the umbrella stroller doesn't have a canopy you can get a cute brimmed sunhat or even baseball hat for whish should shield alot of rays.

Good luck mama and have fun!

I would definitely take the umbrella stroller and a backpack. You can get a travel lock to lock up the backpack and you won't have to worry about pickpockets. I always lean toward taking the stroller. Even though there are 5 adults, a 2 year old can get heavy fast! Not to mention I love the stroller in case I needed to keep my son in one place while we were moving quickly. I'm so bummed that he is too big for the stroller now. It was a lifesaver when we traveled.

Hi,
In regards to your second question, I took a NorthFace backpack with me when I traveled internationally with my 1.5 year old son. It was a great substitute for a diaper bag as it has a lot of compartments and it carried all my travel documents, I had my wallet in it and change of clothes.

The following blog article might be useful to you:
http://titterblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/the-most-essen...

My son is 2 now, he is equally active and if I were you, I would keep an umbrella stroller around just in case.

I hope this helps.

I'd go with the backpack (I have a backpack anyway) and the umbrella stroller. Even if there's no room to pack your stuff, you wouldn't have any storage if you didn't bring a stroller at all and you could put a bag in the stroller seat for a while when she's walking.

backpack is a great idea. your daughter is 2, she can walk a lot (they seem to have more energy than we do) and if there are plenty of adults it might seem doable to do without the stroller - i absolutely would not take the big one. if anything, take the umbrella stroller (better than nothing, imo) i am sure other adults will have bags, etc, that they may want to throw on it. that's what we always ended up using ours for. have fun!

They do have strollers at the theme parks, but they are a ridiculous price for renting (to me, anyway; what a waste of money!). If you don't mind transporting it with you, I'd take the big stroller (like you said, it would be a nice way to carry all your stuff) and it would be a comfortable place for your daughter to rest when she gets tired. Theme parks are huge, especially for little ones, and they can get tired out easily. I know you have five adults with you, but for me it would be easier to bring the stroller (I get tired walking in the heat and wouldn't have the energy to carry my child everywhere :-). Oh, and definitely one backpack; much easier to keep track of and carry everywhere.

Anyway, whatever you decide to do, good luck and have LOTS of fun!