Our Lil\’ Red Wagon

We were gifted this wagon. And we LOVE it. Not everything in life is perfect, but this is pretty close. The normal way to get around with two little ones is a double stroller, and I am pretty sure that I would have bought a double stroller if I wouldn\’t have been gifted this – because who ever heard of not having a double stroller with multiple little ones?

But since we\’ve been gifted the wagon, and used it – I am pretty sure that we will never invest in a double stroller until at least two things happen:

• MOVE. to a location with more storage space. and that storage area has to be more accessible. no going down stair lugging a bulky stroller thank you very much.
• VEHICLE UP-SIZE. to a vehicle that has more storage space. this collapsible stroller is the perfect fit for our car trunk in whose space also holds three lawn chairs and a booster seat over the nice-weather-months.

So here we go. Here are the reasons why the Lil Red Wagon is our favorite.

• MORE THE MERRIER. While a double stroller comfortably seats two, this lil beast has held six lil Martin munchkins at an extended family event. And Aunt Steph pulls it along on her runs with four lil Stoltzfus munchkins. Most of the time, it holds our two boys, maybe another friend, my bags, and anything else I would like to haul along.
• PLAY TOY/ PARENT TOOL. My favorite tools are those that have multiple uses. The children love to push and pull the lil red wagon, and it has kept multiple groups of children entertained at cousin\’s gatherings. It also serves as Hudson\’s (3 month old who isn\’t crawling or sitting on his own) play area/changing table/bed when we are in the woods, around the campfire, or anywhere else that the need arises for a spot to rest his 16 pounds. And. It has a tray that flips up to form a table for Cameron to sit at. Does anyone else find it difficult to have your children eating around a campfire/picnic-area-without-tables? Do you get your toddler to balance their plate on their lap? Kneel on the floor and put their plate on their chair? Feed them while sitting on your lap? Have them sit on the ground/blanket? The wagon solves this issue so nicely for us with it\’s tray that flips up and perfectly accommodates Cameron\’s child-sized lawn chair so that he has a table and chair to eat at.
• COMPACT. As I alluded to earlier, we do not have a lot of storage area. And this wagon folds up flat (with one pull of a strap) into a nice rectangle-ish-shape that is perfect for vertical (in your closet) or horizontal (in your car trunk) storage areas. Like the lawn chairs that fold up, it also has a sleeve that slips over it to give it added protection and a nice-to-the-eye-look.

Now for the cons. Because everything has a down-side as well.

• PULL. You have to pull it instead of pushing something in front of you ie. a double stroller. So it uses a different set of muscles.
• POSITION. And you don\’t always have an eye on the munchkins because you are in front of them instead of behind them.
• POWER. When you pull six children up a hill – it\’s going to FEEL like you are pulling around six children. You just want to keep that in mind when setting out on an adventure.
• So that is my plug for the Lil Red Wagon. Maybe, some day, if we have more storage, we may also get a double stroller. For those moments when the cons outweigh the pros. Possibly. But even so, we will keep our Lil Red Wagon because now that we have it, I do not think we want to be without it.

Also. Great gift idea – to parents. to grandparents.