Question for all of you in here with younguns that you take to Faire:
My son will be just shy of a year when we go to TRF for Pirate's Weekend. He's not walking yet, so we're trying to decide if we want to buy one of the radio flyer wagons with the fold down seats so he can lay down when he naps, or if we should just push him around in his stroller all day.
Any suggestions from those that have 'been there, done that'?
I suggest the wagon. They are more likely not to get stuck and be a pain at times. And they are always great to store extra bought items in. We always rent one of the wagons when we take our lil ones to faire.
We have 5 kids (ages 2,4,6,8, and 10), and they all love faire. At Scarby, we left the baby with Granny because she doesn't do well in hotel rooms, but she did go to TRF last year when she was 1. We used the single stroller at Scarby, and our 3-year-old napped every afternoon for a couple of hours. We just reclined the seat, and he was very comfortable. We tried the umbrella the first couple of weekends, but when he passed out, his little head kept falling forward, so we switched to the normal one, and he slept great. We will take the double stroller at TRF like we did last year. We let them get out and run around a lot, but they have the option to sleep when they are tired. I also like the stroller because we can put things in the basket underneath. I have all 5 by myself for much of the day becasue my hubby is a performer, and I like having the option to restrict at least two of them for a while when things get crazy ;D Good luck, and enjoy your little one's first faire.
It sort of depends on your stroller. If your stroller does well in off-road situations, then use it. If your stroller fights you every inch of the way while being pushed across grass or mulch, use the wagon. I wouldn't use an umbrella stroller, they're not very maneuverable and don't have much room for "stuff".
We have a Graco Metrolite and had absolutely no trouble with it at TRF. Sterling Renaissance Faire in NY has gravel paths and lots of hills, and pushing the stroller was all but impossible. Those I saw with wagons weren't doing too good either. But TRF's terrain is very stroller-friendly.
I second being able to use the stroller as a restraining device. ;)
I definitely recommend the stroller. It's difficult to go shopping with a wagon, because they don't fit well in all the shops. I agree with the above comment about not using an umbrella stroller, though. I'd use one that has storage underneath and cup holders. My kids are 1 and 3 this year, so we might switch back to the single stroller, but we had the double out last year when my son was a baby.
Well this year will be my first with a baby in a long time....15 years...but I would reccomend the stroller for a couple of reasons. First like Anne Marie said they are excellent for reigning the younguns in, 2nd they do indeed do well on the terrain at TRF and lastly, wagons bounce......do you really want to try putting the little bugger in a wagon to rest or even ride in there I don't think it would work out too well. Not to mention you can keep a better eye on them and what they need if they are in front of you versus behind you.
Shawn
For the first 3 years of our sons life we used the Graco Quatrro Tour at faire, and it performed flawlessly. It can handle just about terrain you want to throw at it, with the possible exception of mud. We never tested it against mud, well, because unless there is a sudden downpour, it's not likely that we would have an infant out in the rain anyway.
Our son out-grew the stroller very quickly so we had to graduate to a wagon, and we chose the Radio Flyer #29 All-Terrain Cargo Wagon
http://www.radioflyer.com/products/wagons/29.asp (http://www.radioflyer.com/products/wagons/29.asp)
Air inflated tires gives the child a very smooth ride, unlike the solid plastic wheels of most wagons. They ride comfortably, especially when they sleep in it. And that makes it much easier on me. :)
My wife and are considering buying an all-terrain stroller (http://www.uncrate.com/men/images/2006/04/jeep-stroller.jpg) for next year, when the wee one will only be 6-7 months old, but it depends on how many children you'll have. She wants six (for an Irish family, that's damn near celibacy), and thus the stroller will be passed down to the subsequent generations. If you only have- and are only planning to have- the one, then you may want to look at the all-terrain wagon, as it will last them well past their toddler years.
I preferred a stroller for comfort and I could keep the boy in front of me where I could see him. He was an active bugger and pulling him behind us where we couldn't keep an eye on him scared the bejeebers out of us. Plus, there are cup holders! ;D
I'm glad I found this... This will be baby Dorian's 1st year out at fair, he will be 2 months and 4 days opening day. I will have our Stroller with us and the car seat that goes on top but when he gets ready to fall asleep I may take off the car seat and just lay him down in the big part of the stroller he did good sleeping in that part at A Fest. I kinda wanted a wagon so it would fit in more but it is about the baby not what people think does not fit in. I am looking for ways to cover it and make it look more fair like.
My son is 5, but has cerebral palsy, so we have to choose between the Jeep stroller, wagon, and wheelchair every year. Since we wont use the wheelchair out there because of its lack of all terrain durability, it comes down to the stroller or the wagon. . .
Personally for an OLDER child, I prefer the wagon. We pile Jeff's with pillows and tuck in a very light blanket so he can rest as he likes, plus in the wagon he feels like he has more room to play and move around versus being in the stroller. He doesnt need the support of a seat and we have really been able to customize the wagon (adding in a TV pillow this year for more support when he is sitting). Its cute too because its sort of done up like a Prince of Arabia's carriage, which I know he likes. His wagon also has an ice chest built in that you lift up one seat to access, and two cup holders on one side for drinks to sit.
Now, wagon drawbacks. . . there is really only one. Its pretty hard to go IN a shop with the wagon. Usually when we have the munchkins with us we are only strolling around and visiting, so that isnt too much an issue for us.
If you are going to use a stroller, I would def suggest it is one that is considered all terrain. Our Jeep stroller comes complete with shocks, so it does pretty well at fair when we do use it. I used ours more when Jeff was under 3 years, because it could stow his diaper bag and has cup holders for us up top.
Hope that helps a bit!
My "baby" is now 15, but I will say the main difference between the stroller and the wagon is there is no shade on the wagons unless you rig it yourself. Or maybe they have wagons with shades on them now?
Anyway, I know how sunburned I get walking around and sitting under the trees at the Sea Devil. Just something to think about.
I myself use a stroller, but I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas, or link about how to snazzy up either a stroller or wagon...plans on the net to make it a dragon, pirate ship, ect.
McCalls or Simplicity used to have one. I tried looking on their websites, but this is the best I could find... http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5501.htm?search=stroller&page=1 (http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5501.htm?search=stroller&page=1) With minor adjustment you could put another design on it.