the 6YO doesn't wanna walk

[heartbeeps]

ok, so what's the best strategy for a 6 year old who will walk a very short distance and then complain that she's too tired to walk any farther?

Plan A - I am hoping that she will be so excited the walking issues will disappear but if not, ... then what's the best plan B - umbrella stroller? Disney rental stroller? any other ideas? (Carrying's out of the question and heelie's aren't allowed.)

 

[badblackpug]

Oay, I'm mean, and I will probably get flamed to death for this, ...but I WILL NOT push a 6 y/o in a stroller. Whenever one of the kids complains about not wanting to walk I offer to return to the room for a nap or to go to bed. If they are truly tired they will say "yes." If they are just complaining they will say "no." I don't know how far off your trip is, but maybe you can start taking walks now to prepare everyone.

Again, maybe you will be right and she will be so excited she won't even think about it.

 

[babiektcher]

I have a 5 year old and he sat in the double stroller this last time with my 3 year old. It really is a far way for them to walk, and for me, its a safety issue, I know where my kids are, especially in those crowds. We rented and it was problem free.

 

[Sysyphus]

My DD5 is similar to the OPs... she is a "big girl" now who doesn't normally need a stroller, even for a full day at any of the local amusement parks, although I do tend to indulge her with piggy-backs any time we need to go any long distances quickly, especially towards the end of the day... that said we plan on getting a "length of stay" stroller rental (think it's $8/day - works in all four parks) for our upcoming 9 day trip - I don't really want the hassle of taking a stroller on the buses, and can probably do better without one for the first couple of hours, but it will be so nice to be able to pick up one when we need it... it's an awful lot of walking for little legs.

 

[Sleepy]

The only other option I can see for the age appropriateness (yes, I do think 6 is too old for a stroller.) would be to take alot of breaks on the park benches. She will very quickly realize she is missing out on stuff and will pick up the pace.

 

[tessie28]

when I go to Disney with my kids..my vacation is pretty much "child led" but only in the sense that whe they are tired we stop...we take in what is around us...we deal with the reality that little feet might not make it to every cool thing every trip....

but no, I wouldn't coddle a 6 year old with a stroller, unless thier was a physical reason.

 

[LJD2143]

For the past 2 years, we specifically prepare our 3 boys (ages 5, 5 & 7) ahead of time - with lots and lots of walking at home: walking the dog, hiking the trails in the local parks, and numerous trips to the zoo. This was especially important for one of the twins, in particular, who has had 2 surgeries on each foot to repair his genetic bi-lateral club foot condition. He can walk perfectly fine, but always seemed to lag behind and get tired sooner than the rest. The "training for Disney World" walks definitely worked - and my lagger soon became our front-runner!

 

[collcass]

when I go to Disney with my kids..my vacation is pretty much "child led" but only in the sense that whe they are tired we stop...we take in what is around us...we deal with the reality that little feet might not make it to every cool thing every trip....

but no, I wouldn't coddle a 6 year old with a stroller, unless thier was a physical reason.

We are going in July. we already have to rent a stroller for rour youngest, but I told DH we might as well get a double so that if our six year old needed to sit for a while he could. We could walk ten miles a day with them in New England and it won't do any good considering the difference in climate and the number of people in the parks.

I'd not given it a second thought until I read on here that people think it is coddling or unneccessary. Makes me glad that my 6 year old is the size of about a four year old so I won't have people staring at me like I am crazy for letting him get in a stroller.

 

[nicolem05]

Well we just returned a few days ago and my 6 year old can walk pretty good distances as we are avid hikers.. but we rented him one in epcot and after initial hesitation he soon was happy we had. There were tons of older kids in strollers and if he didn't want to ride in it we used it to haul backpacks, extra camera gear and souvenirs. We were really happy we did this and I found it easier to zip along at our adult pace and enjoy all the world pavilions. In fact I think we will do the same thing on our second trip this year. The strollers are not little baby strollers and we rented a double for him and thought it was the best choice. I didn't find pushing him any harder than our 1 year old as the rentals maneuver really well.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

Our son will be a month from being 6 this year and we still plan on getting a stroler. Last year we let him ride long distances and it alowed him to keep enough energy tl alow him to make it through the whole day. I will never carry him or push him in a stroler anywhere else, but I think with the ammount of walking that week, I am not going to make my stand.

 

[toesmom]

ok, so what's the best strategy for a 6 year old who will walk a very short distance and then complain that she's too tired to walk any farther?

Plan A - I am hoping that she will be so excited the walking issues will disappear but if not, ... then what's the best plan B - umbrella stroller? Disney rental stroller? any other ideas? (Carrying's out of the question and heelie's aren't allowed.)

There is so much to see at Disney and you can't forget that young kids can't walk nearly as far as adults. And remember all those touring plans? Well if adults really try to follow them properly, the little ones end up pretty tired.

It's expensive to go to Disney and the last thing I want to deal with is a tired child by 2pm. So I'd say get a Maclaren Volo for cheap or rent while you are there.

6 is still pretty young. The child can walk for a few hours, but by 12 or 1 you can expect that they can't keep up with an adult's pace. I wouldn't be bothered by what others think, it's your holiday and you know best how much your child can tolerate.

For me I bring a stroller and don't think twice about it. It's tough walking from one section to another and telling your kids to hurry up so you can make it on time for a show that is starting. Or hurry up we have to get a good seat for the parade. I think some parents expect too much from the smaller kids.

 

[karajeboo]

Oay, I'm mean, and I will probably get flamed to death for this, ...but I WILL NOT push a 6 y/o in a stroller. Whenever one of the kids complains about not wanting to walk I offer to return to the room for a nap or to go to bed. If they are truly tired they will say "yes." If they are just complaining they will say "no." I don't know how far off your trip is, but maybe you can start taking walks now to prepare everyone.

Again, maybe you will be right and she will be so excited she won't even think about it.

I'm right there with you! Our 5 year old had absolutely no problems walking for 7 days (and we are definitely the park commandos!!!). She was so absorbed in what was around her that she did not complain once. I agree that maybe you should start walking now to gear your child up for the trip?

 

[dimimi]

Our son was 6 and we used a stroller. He NEVER used a stroller at home, but there was no way he could keep up with the rest of us. We used the stroller to hold our jackets/water, etc. It was just so easy to put him the stroller and move without whining, etc. We brought an old stroller from home and then we left it at the resort when we left because we knew we wouldn't be back for him to need it again...hopefully someone else used it. Also, sometimes it is SO crowded that it is nice to know exactly where your child is.

 

[morgy827]

When I was growing up going to WDW my parents goal was to get us OUT of the stroller. It's really hard to push a stroller around the parks all day, find a place to park it before each ride and try to find it after each ride. When we were young we took a lot of breaks and if we were tired we left. The breaks actually let us enjoy more of WDW than we would have if we were asleep in a stroller.

 

[karenklo]

When we went in 2003 our youngest was 10mo and our oldest was almost 4. He made it 2 days walking and then begged for his own stroller. When we went in 2006 he was 7 and the youngest 4 and neither one needed a stroller. Our youngest never wanted to stop. We had to DRAG him out of the MK at 1:30am.

 

[mousemomof2]

My daughter will turn 7 when we go in March and I bought the Maclaren Volo just for her. Well, for our sanity also. That being said, we do not let her use it here at home.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just curious, do those of you who think a stroller is coddling have your 6yr. olds walk 10 miles a day at home?
Seriously, a day at Epcot can easily exceed that amount.
My strategy with that age is rent one if needed - that usually means Epcot and maybe MK, although all kids are different.
My kids all stopped using a stroller at home at age 2. Disney, on the other hand, is nothing like home. With all the complaints I read on these boards about having to stand on buses, it's safe to say there are a lot of adults out there who are pretty tired too. Rent the stroller if you need one! - JMHO

 

[ddstratton]

I guess I'm an odd one. I will have no qualms at all about renting a stroller if my child gets tired when we make our first trip this October. And our daughter will be 9 (yes nine) when we go. I'd rather push her in a stroller when she gets tired than have a cranky kid to deal with. She obviously doesn't use a stroller in normal daily life, and can usually out-walk any one of us. However, Disney World is a completely different experience from normal daily life. Do I plan on getting a stroller for her? No. Will I get one, if I think it will make all of our live's easier? Most definitely YES!!

Basically, I guess my philosophy is whatever works for you! It's not hurting anyone else if your older child rides in a stroller, so why not?

 

[mhm]

No one is going to look at you funny for letting your 6 yr old ride in a stroller at Disney, except maybe a few that don't have kids. Our dd5 had not used a stroller at all in over a year, but would not have lasted long at WDW in September without one. The heat just wears them out if they are not used to it. At DL in January, we did not rent a stroller the first day--and ended up carrying her (at 5o lbs) across DTD back to the hotel at the end of the day. After that, we rented a stroller, and parked it once in each "land" while going from ride to ride. She lasted through the fireworks (well after her normal bedtime) those days. Things are much more spread out at WDW than DL, too.

 

[Nikisha421]

my DD will be 5 in April and when we go to AKV in August I am going to get a stroller