Will a Buggyguard keep my b-ready from being swiped at Disney?

[todzwife]

I've been reading more and more about people's strollers being swiped at Disney. I have a Buggyguard I can run through the back tires, although that seems like a huge pain...but will it really keep it from being stolen? It seems really thin.


I need a double because at night we split up and I take the girls back to the hotel and dh stays with our son for awhile longer to do the big rides. When we went in march, my 6 year old crashed every night and I ended up wearing my 2 year old while pushing the single back to the hotel.

I can not buy a cheaper double. Unless its under $100 but then it would suck to push my almost 50 pound 6 year old and 24 pound 2 year old. Yes?

[smiles33]

I have read of strollers being stolen, especially some ring of thieves with annual passes who were selling them on CL. I bought a bike lock but ultimately got too lazy and didn't use it on my BJCMD. I've also read of folks customizing their strollers in outrageous ways so they stand out too much for thieves to target them.

I figure if you put a lock on it, it's much easier for thieves to grab a stroller that isn't locked. Just keep in mind that CM sometimes move strollers around, too, if you don't leave it in designated stroller parking. Have a great trip!

[jam224]

I think the Buggyguard will deter thieves, yes. The cable is thin, but if you loop it through your back wheels or front wheels, it will make your stroller cumbersome to push. Just make sure to secure it to itself only, not to Disney property. Cast members need to be able to shuffle strollers, so if it's tethered to something, I hear that they will cut the lock. Definitely decorate/customize your stroller, so it's easily recognizable. Sometimes missing strollers are just a case of mistaken identity.

TBH, I stopped using the Buggyguard on our stroller when we went to Disney back in January. I used it faithfully the first day, but by the end of the week, I quit because it just got to be a hassle to unlock all the time. To be fair, it was a cheapy stroller anyway. I had no attachment to it. Maybe if it was my City Mini, I would've cared more and relied on it more.

If you're really nervous about your stroller being stolen, maybe you could rent one instead? You would have to purchase rental insurance to cover theft. I'm not sure if that would be a good (cost-effective) option?

[BayAreaMom]

Hi
I went to disneyland 20 days between 6/11 & 6/12. I never brought an expensive stroller- just a mac triumph ($100 on ebay). I did bring the buggyguard but it BROKE! IMHO it was cheaply made and flawed in how the cable retracted into the case. I also have a cable bike lock that I use. The problem is the macs don't have wheel spokes that you can run the cable lock through. So I usually only locked my stroller to my second stroller (also a mac) but only when we were going to be gone for over 30 min. Otherwise I didn't lock it.

I personally would lock a nice stroller- I wouldn't want to take the chance. I would not suggest a rental- they aren't very nice (at least the DL ones) IMHO. I love our Macs for DL.

My other advise is to not leave ANYTHING valuable in the stroller. All I leave is food, water bottles and sometimes clothes (cheaper, older ones). I see people leaving super nice diaper bags on their strollers and it just shocks me!

[babyonway]

We went to DL at the end of May and our G Luxe was stolen the second day we were there (at 9 am in the morning) so I would definitely use a bike lock. I agree not to put anything valuable on the stroller either cause I heard that people steal the stroller to get the stuff stored on it.

My stroller was found ditched that night so I got it back the next day PHEW! But our food and water bottles were gone (We didn't have anything expensive stored on it thankfully)

Have fun!

[BayGirl2]

I've been hearing more about strollers getting stolen as my trip gets closer too. I think a lock or buggyguard is a deterrent, of course you need to use it, or at least make it look like its in use, for it to be effective. There is a risk, you just need to assess how much risk you are comfortable with given the benefit of having a stroller you like to use.

I have to say I'm tired of hearing the "she left that expensive diaper bag/stroller!" judgement (not specifically in this thread, but in general). First of all, many people spend less than retail for diaper bags and strollers, so you really don't know that its was expensive for them, it could be a $30 beater bag that they don't care about. But more importantly, the true financial risk of losing an "expensive" diaper bag is so minimal in the scheme of Disney costs.

When I'm on vacation I want comfort and convenience. I don't want to have to lug all my kids stuff around or be stuck without something I need with a crying kid and miss fun time or have a sore back from pushing a $15 umbrella stroller. I have to weigh that against the risk of my bag/stroller being stollen and be comfortable with that risk. Even if its a $150 diaper bag or $500 stroller, its replacable, and that's way less than I'm spending on other things at Disney. If you wanted to quantify the risk, it would be say 1 in 10 chance of it getting stollen x $150, or a $15 risk. Worth it to me if it makes my vacation more enjoyable. Very few people judge others for getting say a $150 massage or a $500 hotel upgrade on vacation. Leaving a stroller/bag is not necessarily naive, for some its a calculated risk/benefit analysis.

Anyway, my main point is that you need to be objective about it and the impact the worst case of having it stollen would have on you. If you'll stress about the possibility the entire time, then don't bring it. But if it will enhance your trip, and losing it would suck but have minimal impact on your life, then bring it.

[todzwife]

Well, my sister just gave me her used graco quattro (what a BEAST!) and I think it will work well for Disneyland. DD1 will be 6 1/2 and we're going during a week when the park hours are short, so she shouldn't need a stroller so I think I'll leave my b-ready home this time around. I can't replace it if it's stolen. My nice strollers won't be coming with us this time.