5 1/2 year old and stroller?

[sharibrat]

DD has always been more t ired than most kids..........but this past summer, she did great going to the local amusement parks, pools, parks, etc. with no stroller. We thought she might be ready for a Disney t rip with no stroller.

We are/were really hoping on taking just an umbrella stroller for our son, 2 1/2. I have watched hubby lug that double stroller on and off buses for 3 years now and he is so ready for just the umbrella!!!

Well, we leave in 5 days (woo hoo!). Last night we took our kids to see Madagascar and then the plan was to go out for dinner. The show was done at 6pm, not terribly late. Well, my daughter whined and drug her feet the whole way to the car. She wanted us to carry her into the restaurant.......you would have thought I had another 3 year old! I was so frustrated and thinking we might want to at least take the sit and stand to Disney now.

My only concern about her walking there, is the walk from the park entrance to the bus, and then from the bus stop to our room (CBR)..........when she is exhausted........

Think we would be stupid not to bring a sit and stand or double???

 

[Miss LD]

I think it depends on who/what is heavier to lug.
Can the 5 y.o. go in the stroller and you carry the 2.5 yo?
Personally I'd bring the sit and stand one more time.
My son is almost 5. When we go to WDW in May we'll bring our stroller because we also have a 1 y.o. I think if we weren't I'd still be bringing the stroller. He's full of energy, but when he crashes he CRASHES.

 

[mco-missy]

What about two umbrella strollers? My oldest DD is 4.5 and wants to walk sometimes and wants to ride sometimes! With a lightweight umbrella stroller, I can fold it up and carry it when she wants to walk. Since you and your husband will be going two strollers should be fine and it would be easier to get on and off the busses than the big double stroller (I know we have one!)

 

[DisneyDaze36]

My wife and I went to WDW in Sept with our twin 4yr old boys. While they are full of energy, they preferred the strollers that we took. I guess the heat was a bit too much for them. We took two umbrella strollers and bought the connectors for them (Stroller Connectors by Prince Lionheart; about $12) If one wanted to walk, we still only needed one set of hands to push both strollers. Getting on and off transportation wasn't too bad either as you can fold up the strollers with the connectors still entact. Somewhat cumbersome but managable.

In the end, I would take an extra stroller. You never know if you will need it or not but you could just leave it in the room.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[ERMama]

if you have the sit and stand i would probably bring that. i wouldnt buy one though.
can she fit into a cheapy umbrella stroller weight wise yet?
in the end you have to do whats going to make your trip more enjoyable for you. i just know that for us, pushing around an empty stroller all day at disney that would only be used basically only for the ride to/from the bus would be more irritating for me.
we did end up renting a double stroller at disney when my kids were that age just at epcot because it was more walking. but he hopped in and out all day.

is it a time of the day issue for her or an activity/exhausted issue? because after sitting down at a movie for 1.5hrs i cant see how she was physically exhausted.

i do understand your issue as we have a kiddo who is more challenging and we too debated the stroller issue.

 

[slo]

Here is a statistic for you.........

According to my pedometer, that I wore to WDW 2 weeks ago, we walked approx 35 - 40 miles the whole week. My 5yr old DD INSISTED on walking, and I watched her walk, and she took 2 steps to my 1. So this means she walked approx. 70 - 80 miles in one week She was extremely tired by the time we got home - exhausted!!!!!

The only reason why she didn't want a stroller is because her 10yr old sister doesn't sit in a stroller - personally, I think she would have been better in one.

Now....when my older DD was younger, she sat in a stoller at 5yrs old. When we would go to WDW, we would rent a double stroller for both of them, and it worked out perfectly!!!!

In my opinion, if you think your DD is going to get tired, than please rent or bring a stroller. Save yourself the aggravation of listening to your child whine, and drag their feet, when you want to get somewhere fast. Also, it givees your child to take a small cat nap when they need to.

I've always been a big fan of strollers, and have never pushed my kids to not be in one. Like I said, if my 5yr old didn't insist on not being in one, she would have been in one this year.

Good luck with your decision, and have a great trip!!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

What about using the umbrella stroller to get to the parks for the 2 yr. old and renting a double stroller at the parks for the both of them. Lay the umbrella stroller across the top. (We did this many times).

One thing they do not tell you is if you purchase multi-day stroller rentals at the beginning of your trip it is much cheaper. You just need to keep the receipt and the tickets and if you park hop they will give you a new stroller at each park.

We are going without the umbrella stroller this year but are still renting a double in the parks as my 8 yr old still gets tired especially in EPCOT.

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

We took two McClaren Volos this year when we wnt in May, our boys were almost 5. One of our boys used the stroller all the time and our other son walked most of the time. Unless it was at night, when he was getting tired, then he jumped in the stroller. We are possibly going again in April 2009 and I will def bring those strollers again. Its alot of walking, as pp said you can walk about 5-7 miles in one day. Thats alot of walking for a youngster.

If you decide not to bring her a stroller and then change your mind once you get there. WDW does sell single umbrella strollers in the gift shops. I think they were about 40 bucks.

 

[sharibrat]

THanks for all of the tips!

I was being selfish in only wanting to bring the umbrella stroller to make loading and unloading on the bus easier. But my trip will be much more stressful if I have to listen to her whining and feet dragging!!!

She barely fits into an umbrella (she is tall), but she will do it. We can borrow one and we have one. I don't think I have time to order the clip to hold them together unless Babies R Us sells them? I am so glad you mentioned it though, because to have 2 separate ones could be a challenge to push if my 2 year old wants to be held!!

We do have the sit and stand and my concern is the backrest on the front seat does not come up very high. I don't think my baby would have anywhere for his head to rest when he naps. I'll have to dig it out and try it this afternoon......

oh the logistics of strollers and tired kids!

thank you all!

Oh and we did rent one on a day last year when we had to split up and hubby could not juggle the double and the baby on the bus......anyway, the kids LOVED that one!

 

[Skyw]

We took two McClaren Volos this year when we wnt in May, our boys were almost 5. One of our boys used the stroller all the time and our other son walked most of the time. Unless it was at night, when he was getting tired, then he jumped in the stroller. We are possibly going again in April 2009 and I will def bring those strollers again. Its alot of walking, as pp said you can walk about 5-7 miles in one day. Thats alot of walking for a youngster.

If you decide not to bring her a stroller and then change your mind once you get there. WDW does sell single umbrella strollers in the gift shops. I think they were about 40 bucks.

We used the same when my son was 4. And will use it again this year (5yrs). I like having him in it. It is easier to know where he is at all times and I can get to where I am going without stopping at everything!!!!

The umbrella strollers have low handles and can be uncomfortable for a whole day.

 

[sharibrat]

We used the same when my son was 4. And will use it again this year (5yrs). I like having him in it. It is easier to know where he is at all times and I can get to where I am going without stopping at everything!!!!

The umbrella strollers have low handles and can be uncomfortable for a whole day.

Yes, I do like knowing my kids are in a stroller, especially t hrough the airport!

 

[blum74]

I'll take a stroller on our next trip. My dd will just be 5 1/2. I'd rather take a stroller than carry a tired child or hear the whining. Plus the stroller is a great place to stash our backpack and water bottles.

 

[emmsmama]

Is it easy to find a McClaren Volo to purchase in a store in the WDW area? That is the stroller I was looking at for ds who is going to be 6 soon, but is only approx. 45lbs.

I saw them online for around $100 which isn't bad considering I could sell the stroller for half-price even when I got back and so effectively only pay $50 for two weeks of use. However we are driving down and don't have much trunk space so I can't buy one before we leave, so just curious if the McClaren Volos are easy to find in the WDW area.

 

[PoohHappens]

Most target stores carry a volo for $99 in store. You will not have a choice of color. They do not take up a lot of space if you want to just get it and take it with. You could lay it on the floor under the feet of the passengers in the back seat if they are children whose feet do not touch the floor. I think depending on the car you might even be able to put it in the back window. At least some suggestions to get it home if you do purchase one. Have fun.

 

[emmsmama]

I didn't even think of the ride home. I'd make it fit on the way home I guess lol. Is there a Target fairly close?

 

[AalliaA]

My daughter is about the same age as your daughter. She is usually very whiny and tired on days that have involved lots of walking. I was nervous about dealing with this in Disney, however, she was the total opposite! She was so excited to see all the attractions that she did not complain one time about having to walk or stand in line.

In my opinion, I would not bring a second stroller. It will be one more thing for you to fold up upon entering the monorail or the tram to the parking lot. Two parents, two kids, two strollers and a watchful eye on the kids is not easy to juggle.

 

[crl]

We will be taking a double umbrella stroller as we have in the past for our 5.5 yr old DD. She does great most of the time, but there are times I like knowing where she is at. And there are times when she just needs to sit and take a break and we can still be on the move to somewhere. It folds down and is light weight enough that I was able to manage the stroller, a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old on the bus alone one evening. We have the Jeep Umbrella stroller that we bought at Babies-R-Us.