Should you or should you not bring a lightweight stroller to DisneyWorld? Having experienced both sides of that choice, I would have to say... definitively.... it depends!

How about I share both my experiences with you and then you can decide for yourself. On our first trip to the land where all wishes come true, we dutifully packed up our Jeep tandem. And I swore by it! My kids were 4 and 2 at the time. My 2-year old son spent a good amount of time in the stroller either by choice or coercion. When it was not occupied with a child, it was a great place to stow the giant diaper bag we brought with us. It was great for holding back the hordes as we staked out our viewing spot along parade routes. If we were parked somewhere, that front seat was a welcome respite for... me!!! On the downside, we had to get it off and on the monorail and the tram and the ferry and the trunk. My husband swears this one singular thing was the reason we were almost divorced in the Magic Kingdom in 2005!

Two years later, we went back. Admittedly, it was with much reluctance on my part. This time, we traveled light... no strollers at all. My kids were now 6 and 4 and with the energy reserves of bunnies. We traversed the parks, all 4 of them, for four consecutive 12 hour-days. We had no diaper bag. In fact, my hubby graciously lugged a small backpack and that was it. It was a really beautiful thing. We even managed to stake out spots for the nightime parade without the stroller blockade.

So if your kids have the stamina and you can trim down your accessories, I would leave the stroller at home. If you absolutely need one, rent them there. The double is around $18/day. The Disney models beat out a lightweight Maclaren for the purposes of parade stake-out anyway. Those things are like glorified shopping carts! If you don't want to pay the daily rental, they actually sell Kolcraft umbrella strollers there... for an outrageous $45 but hey, at that point, you're a captive audience. You're probably stuck with the meal plan too!

Most of all, don't forget what the Magic Kingdom is all about: the sweet fulfillment of your children's secret dreams... of meeting a mouse and wearing his ears.

Is the much coveted Bugaboo stroller really all it's cracked up to be? Really now, spending over $1000 on a stroller seems excessive, doesn't it? Isn't it all just Madison avenue hype?

I'm not here to tell you how to spend or not spend your hard-earned cash. All I can do is provide you with the information to make the right decision for your family. So this is what I've got for you... the Bugaboo brand is built on the foundation of knowing exactly what the active parents want in a stroller. Their product designers have taken great care to address every possible situation that parents may find themselves in with their child:

- mom, dad or grandma can adjust the handlebar to suit their own height comfortably
- baby can face you or the world in a moment's notice with its reversible bassinet
- if you're feeding the baby in the stroller at the table, you can adjust the carriage height for ease
- for overnight trips, the carrycot is approved for overnight sleeping
- the pushchair can be used as a separate seat

Have I forgotten anything? I'm sure I have. It's no wonder that Bugaboo won a 2007 Red Dot Design Award for innovative products that stand out from others because of their successful design.

And for those of you to whom style is just as important as function, you may want to hold out until November when Bugaboo will offer its Neiman Marcus' 100th anniversary special Cameleon stroller.

The competitive spirit must be human nature. That is the only reason I can come up with for why any and every endeavor, activity or material item can become a status symbol in our modern society. Yes, even the baby stroller. Perhaps I'm just feeding the frenzy by naming this site Best Baby Stroller. Or perhaps I'm just reflecting what every new parents wants to hear, that they are willing and able to give their children the very best... of everything.

It seems that even the act of reproduction can become a competition. My best friend just clued me in to the latest in parenting trends: "The newest status symbol for the nation's most affluent families is fast becoming a big brood of kids." says Tovia Smith in a recent NPR report. It seems that 4 is the new 2, as in number of children. Yikes! She goes on to explain that this trend, one that she refers to as Competitive Birthing, is a phenomena being driven by over-achieving women who have opted out of the workplace and have transferred their attention and energy into the home. Just imagine, a Bugaboo for 4!

My friends make fun of all the efforts I take to travel light. Yes, I did in fact manage to go away for a week with my two kids and get everything we needed into one suitcase... the night before we left! My thinking is, spending a week packing for a week's vacation pretty much sucks the fun right out of the experience. And as I've been keeping up on the latest parenting trends, I've noticed a new niche for other parents just like me: baby gear rental. Genius! Not unlike car rentals, you even have several options for stroller rental: a single ($8/day), a double stroller ($11/day), a double jogger ($13/day) or even a premium Bugaboo ($18/day).

The items are not limited to strollers, of course. Essentials like high chairs, car seats, strollers and portable cribs as well as "nice to haves" like Exersaucers, baby bathtubs, monitors, nursing pillows are all available. At first you might think that's a little extravagant but, is it really? Dollar Rental Car charges $10/day for a car seat. But airlines can charge $80/bag beyond two free items per passenger so if you are not a fabulous packer like me, renting your gear can save your back and your money.

I've stumbled upon a few companies... in the U.S., Baby's Away and The Traveling Baby Company. In the U.K., Tiny Tots Away provides a similar service.

Ooooooh... check this out, moms, dads, designers, stroller afficionados! I stumbled upon this recent post from an industrial design student looking for input on designing a stroller. As we all know, designer strollers from the likes of Bugaboo, Quinny and Stokke have redefined this parenting essential in terms of style and function. Wouldn't it be fun to contribute to another phase in its evolution?

I am an Industrial Design student at The Art Institute of Portland and I have a wonderful opportunity to redesign a stroller. I currently don't have children of my own, so I am asking for your help. I want to make sure my redesign is not only safe but functional as well. If you could answer my questions or give me any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

 So how about it, folks! Give Bonnie a few tips on your dream stroller by responding to her 10 questions.