Stroller Age

[LeeAnn]

Friend's 6yrs old son is going for first time in May. Hasn't used a stroller in years. Also, hasn't walked as much as he's going to WDW.

Does he need a stroller? Have seen older kids in strollers. And don't know if he would go in one. Do they bring one? Or see day by day, and rent one if needed?

What you do at that age?

My kids are younger and a strollers is a life saver for us. Is different for 6yrs olds.

Thanks.

[scammermom]

If he hasn't used one for years, I would say no. I really think he will be fine. We took my stepson many, many years ago at 6 and he didn't use a stroller.

[cancer_survivor_06]

My DD6 doesn't use a stroller at home but when we are in disney she does. It is easier to keep up with her in such a crowd place. She doesn't sit in it the whole time but when she's tired or we are leaving or want to get from side of the park to another because or ressies or FP's she hops in. They are also great when you get back to the resort you have one to use because they always fall asleep on the bus. Keep in mind that if they decide not to bring one and after the first day wish they had they can rent one or disney now sells an umbrella stroller.

[abookworm]

I certainly wouldn't take one. Just rent one if they need to which they might late in the day. It's worth the few bucks to rent just for a few hours instead of having to lug one all around the whole time.

[aurorasleeping]

I used to go with a friends' then 7yr old daughter...and we usually rented a double stroller about half way through the day (sometimes first thing the morning if we were at Epcot).
She obviously didn't usually use a stroller normally, but Disney is *alot* of walking and even big kids can use a break, plus it always helped us get more done, becasue we could walk at our pace instead of that of a tired and sometimes cranky 7 year old.
As an adult I actually like touring the park with a stroller, because it gives me something to sort of lean on while walking which seems to help keep my endurance up. AND it gives me a place to hang/store some of our bags which is also nice.

[tjmw2727]

We stopped taking one at 5 ish but often ended up renting one a few times during a trip. Epcot evenings and long days at AK as well as the occasional late night at MK but not every day all day.

I would suggest budgeting a few extra $$ in case they want/need to rent at the parks and playing it by ear.

TJ

[Hannathy]

We didn't take one for my 5 yr old and he did fine and we go commando from open till midnight (it was Easter) I wouldn't take one and only rent if absolutely needed-why waste money if he hasn't used one and it isn't suggested he won't think of asking for one!

[We_Love_Disney]

As the other posters have said, I wouldn't bring a stroller, but I would consider renting one from time to time. I think if you prepare your child for the walking, and train go for walks a little longer each day until the trip, then you should be okay. Its hard to tell child from child, some will do fine, others won't be able to handle it. You be the judge.

Some kids from sitting all day don't tucker-out and are full of energy that the parents are lacking in the evening, and can lead to some pretty nasty scenes at the pools, or other evening events. Especially if they unexpectedly napped during the sitting and waiting.

[fairestoneofall]

We didn't take one for (then almost 5) DD. She made it the first day and a half and then was just exhausted. So, we rented one for the rest of the trip.

[famfab5]

Leeann-When are your friends going in May? We are leaving for the Sea part of our trip on the 17th and are trying to find a home for our Chicco Caddy...brand new by the way:thumbsup2 as ds won't need it after the Land portion!!:flower3:

[In Luv with Disney]

My son is 5 and we bring a stroller for him. Even though he doesn't use one all the time at home, one for the parks is mandatory. I also have a 20 month old DD, so I bring my Maclaren Twin with me. There is SO MUCH WALKING and he gets tired! He fell asleep a couple of times in the stroller in December. And when we were walking all over the place, he even ASKED to go in the stroller.

[Crazy4Disney72]

Friend's 6yrs old son is going for first time in May. Hasn't used a stroller in years. Also, hasn't walked as much as he's going to WDW.

Does he need a stroller? Have seen older kids in strollers. And don't know if he would go in one. Do they bring one? Or see day by day, and rent one if needed?

What you do at that age?

My kids are younger and a strollers is a life saver for us. Is different for 6yrs olds.

Thanks.

It is not at all uncommon to see older kids in strollers at WDW, it's just so much walking and often very long days. The last trip we used a stroller for my DS 9 was when he was 4, and even then he didn't ride in it much, but my DD 6 still uses the stroller at Disney. Now that she's older I use a Maclaren Volo which is basically a slightly larger umbrella stroller that has a weight limit of 55lbs. It's very light and even has a carrying strap, so it's no big deal taking it on Disney transportation. We just got back on Tuesday, and mostly she walked, but in the evenings or when we were trying to make it from one part of the park to another quickly, she rode. I like knowing where she is in the stroller, and especially this time of year, when we started off with sweatshirts, then didn't need them, then needed them in the evening again, I like having the stroller to stow all the gear! She fell asleep on the bus just about every night, and it was very nice to be able to have DH just carry her off the bus and put her in the stroller for the walk back to the room!

[blessedby3]

We bought the Volo specifically for our 2005 and 2006 trips for our DD8 (was just turned 7 and just turned 8 at the times). She of course doesnt use one at home, but Disney is not home and I enjoyed my trip much more without having to hear her whine that she was tired constantly. We do the parks commando and sometimes are leaving at 1am. She would be sleeping soundly in the stroller and we could still enjoy the parks. No one had to carry her to the bus stops either. The Volo is great. It only cost us $68 and the rental of a park stroller would have been much more for 2 trips.

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Friend's 6yrs old son is going for first time in May. Hasn't used a stroller in years. Also, hasn't walked as much as he's going to WDW.

Does he need a stroller? Have seen older kids in strollers. And don't know if he would go in one. Do they bring one? Or see day by day, and rent one if needed?

What you do at that age?

My kids are younger and a strollers is a life saver for us. Is different for 6yrs olds.

Thanks.
I am in the same boat. My kids haven't used a stroller at home for a couple years but I keep hearing about how much walking there is in WDW so we will most likely have to rent one there.

[stacy6552]

When our son was 6, we didnt bring him a stroller, but we did need to rent him one in the afternoon on a long day.

[liamsaunt]

Last trip my niece and nephew were 5 and 7. We always had a stroller for my niece. My nephew generally walked, but if we knew we were going to be out late--for example illuminations, or the night we went to MNSSHP, we got him a stroller for the evening. He walked during the day though--he would have had WAY too much crazy energy if we pushed him around all day!

[mtmbyck]

Renting the strollers at Disney serve so many purposes, you can move faster and the kids won't tire as quickly, it provides rest and shade for them, you know where they are (in the stroller) rather than having to hold their hand everywhere, and the strollers also provide good storage for water bottles etc. My DD's 7 and even the 9 year old appreciate the break when they want it. Animal Kindgdom is less walking than the other parks so you could skip this park but as for the other 3 parks, I would defiantley invest in the park strollers. Umbrella strollers kill your back, don't manouver well, have no shade or storage, and are not comfortable in 80 degree weather for your child. We tried this once and went back to renting after a day with an umbrella stroller.

[Elmo888]

Condition, condition, condition! DD6 didn't need one, but I conditioned her. We walked to school every day, which is almost a mile. For the last few weeks before our trip, she walked even longer distances (at least 2 miles) with me. She was fine at WDW. She was in better walking condition than DH!

That said, I would have rented one for her if needed. I didn't tell her this, but I did tell my DH that we would rent one if she really needed it. She didn't. When she was tired, it wasn't from walking. It was just time to go back to the hotel. We went back in the afternoon for naps, so I think that helped (all of us, not just her!).

[Shannon1129]

I was just wondering if there were double strollers available to rent? We are going in April and we will have my 2 yr old and my 4 yr old. The 4 yr old hasn't used a stroller in yrs, but I have a hunch, we may tire him out here. It would be nice if we could have just one to keep up with. If not, we are bringing a backpack carrier for our 2 yr old that we already have for our family hikes.

[letsgoagainsoon]

I was just wondering if there were double strollers available to rent? We are going in April and we will have my 2 yr old and my 4 yr old. The 4 yr old hasn't used a stroller in yrs, but I have a hunch, we may tire him out here. It would be nice if we could have just one to keep up with. If not, we are bringing a backpack carrier for our 2 yr old that we already have for our family hikes.

Yes, they have doubles.

[MommeeOfAPrnzess]

My friend and her son (5 then) went with us 2 years ago and I mentioned to her about her bringing a stroller for her son and she laughed at me! That was until she took him to a local amusement park (which is smaller then DW) and he didn't make it until noon!
Needless to say she went out that weekend and got a 3 wheel stroller for him!
(I got it now and will be taking it will us for my dd who's 4)
If she doesn't want to take on then she can rent one but they are hard and uncomfortable and they may not have any!
If he's not used to walking that much it might be a good idea to get one. Better safe then sorry!

[mom*to*2*princesses]

One of my DDs is 6. She has the boundless energy that most kids at that age seem to have and is very physically active at home. I can't tell you the last time she was in a stroller. We live in the middle of our town and we walk everywhere we can-church, the store, library, etc.

While we will not be bringing her a stroller, we will be renting one for her in the parks. There have been times that I wish I had stroller for myself after spending days walking around WDW parks, and I do cardio and weight training on a very regular basis and run 5Ks.

Rent the stroller!

[glass slipper girl]

We are just back from a trip. I had planned to have my 4 and 6 year olds walk it this trip given the shorter park hours and low crowds. Our first night we were at the Pirate and Princess Party so we had a free stroller. The next day at MGM they walked. After that we decided we needed to rent a double for them. COULD they have walked it...probably. Would it have been pleasant...absolutely not. ;) They are big kids (DS 4 is 48" and around 60 lbs, DS 6 is 53" and 67 lbs) and they fit into a double fine together and it was easy to push and steer. My husband was resistant to renting because that $16/day (for the prepurchase price) adds up fast but even he ended up saying it was worth the $. They still did a lot of walking outside the parks and were both complaining or sore legs and feet at the end of the day.

Here is a pic to give you an idea of how 2 kids of that size fit in the double...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/lhardegree/Feb2007/PICT0398.jpg

[loopner67]

My boys were 5 & 7 last March when we went there. After the first day of walking, they begged for the double stroller the second day. LOL. We rented one every day for the rest of our trip.

They are 6 & 8 this year and I'm sure they'll want one again. My 8 year old is on the smaller side, though.

Don't discount that the 6 year old might want a "ride" in Disney because of all the walking involved. Those little feet start hurting!

[perdidochas]

My boys were 5 & 7 last March when we went there. After the first day of walking, they begged for the double stroller the second day. LOL. We rented one every day for the rest of our trip.

They are 6 & 8 this year and I'm sure they'll want one again. My 8 year old is on the smaller side, though.

Don't discount that the 6 year old might want a "ride" in Disney because of all the walking involved. Those little feet start hurting!


Our last trip to Disney was the first theme park trip that we didn't rent a stroller. It was wonderful. While the strollers make things easier, they also complicate them. It was nice to be able to leave a ride and not find the stroller. It was especially nice to take the train around MK, and get off where we wanted, instead of having to go back all the way to get the stroller. Admittedly, I did have to carry a little one on my neck for quite a while leaving the park after a commando day (from opening to closing during T'giving weekend), but for us, it worked. That said, we were prepared to rent a stroller.

[disneyfreak74]

DS is 7 and he have to get a stroller for DD3 anyway so we always get a double. A lot of the time DS walked, a little bit of the time he wanted to ride, and a little bit of the time we had to fuss because he didn't want to ride but I wanted to be able to keep up with him. All in all, every child is different. Play it by ear. A stroller is not something that we would definately get for just him everyday. But I would suggest it for late nights and Epcot.


See? He KINDA fits!!!:lmao:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/froggey74/WDW%20Jan%202007/HPIM0193.jpg

[kileybeth]

For us, we debated the year ours were almost 6 and almost 9 (!yup,9) and decided not to take it. Younger one had not used a stroller in almost 2 years.

bad decision. rectified on day 2 of trip by a quick trip to wally world for a then $9.97 umbrella stroller. Both kids took turns in that thing!! It was great for the bags as well as everyone states and (please do not flame me) for making sure after waiting for over an hour in a spot for a parade, no one walked in front of my very short children!

the benefits outweigh the liabilities in my mind ever time I think on it

renting was not a financial option for us, at $18 a day or something like that (do not know the going rate but it is on these boards someplace) we could have bought a new umbrella everyday of trip! hehe

anywho, now all th eparks/resorts have that $40 one available for purchase if you want to "wait and see". I tlooked decent enough for a week or twos use?

good luck and happy vacation magic!

very very very glad I will not be bringing our own double this year. . .what a monster that was to drag around, very glad by afternoon though when older kids wanted to keep going and both of little ones would just lay back and sleep for over 2 hours shaded and comfy. . .while Mommy shopped:-)

[taximomfor4]

we must be quite in the minority...Last trip, we did 8 straight park days with 12yo dd, VERY VERY SMALL for age dd8 (size of a 5yo), petite ds6, and dd (turning 4 and VERY VERY SMALL as well). We bought a Maclaren Quest, because the 3 younger kids were all still under 50 lbs, so would be under its weight limit. Well, lo and behold, we pushed an empty stroller for 8 days. Nobody rode in it, not for a minute, not one single day. It was a great place to put the diaper bag and any purchases, and water bottles. Otherwise, we pushed it for absolutely no reason. We did not train the kids, or condition them, we never go for walks. We just take the parks at a child's pace, sit and take in the ambience once in a while, etc. We didn't even go back to the hotel for a nap mid-day. We did, however, take it easy in the afternoons -- catch shows, etc.

Every child is different. We didn't have any "tired-child" meltdowns, no blisters or complaints of sore feet. It just depends on the individual child, I guess. None of my 4 have ridden in a stroller anywhere after about age 3. I don't know why not, they just don't need or want to.

Have a great time. Perhaps rent one as needed, I bet you won't need it every day.

Beth

[Nienor]

I'm not the only oddball. Everyone seems to be renting strollers for older kids. But mine will walk from 10 am til midnight at an amusement park from the age of 3. I guess it depends. But I enjoy not having the stroller. Especially since Disney loves to neaten them up and they are never where you left it.

[beattyfamily]

It can also depend on the child and what kind of touring plan they do.

My 10 year old stopped after age 6 and my younger DD stopped after age 7. Even after my 10 year old stopped, she'd whine, complain and be jealous of her younger sister having the stroller but she got by alright. She got blisters once so far.

My younger DD has always tired much easier than the rest of us. She also gets lost (in her own little world) easily so that's why she was in the stroller longer.

I'd say though that at after age 5 you could just play it by ear and rent if you have to rather than bring one. They are usually too big for regular strollers by age 6 anyway but the Disney strollers can fit bigger kids.

Disney is SO exhausting (especially in August!!) even for adults, let alone kids.

[Briar_Rose]

I would recommend playing it by ear and renting one if needed. Every child is different. My DD will not sit in any of her very cushy strollers for more than half an hour and she is only 17 months, and unless we are going to be out for hours we just let her walk. I can't imagine her at six. My little sister was the same way at 4 on our first trip to WDW and never used a stroller and we definately went commando for a week. Other kiddos though may tire quickly and enjoy the being pushed around. What is his personality like? How active is he?