Do we need a stroller?

[mummabear]

Not another stroller thread. Do what's best for your family.

Wow how rude! Should we add not another..FP+ thread, GAC thread, Is photopass +worth it? thread, Should I do BBB or PL? Is xxx doable? etc etc etc. Everything is repeated.

OP-Personally I would probably use a stroller at that point but I understand it can be alot of hassle pushing it around and parking it etc if it's not being used all the time. Maybe take it with you and decide after day 1 if you will take it into the parks that way you have it if you need at for the rest of the trip...

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I'd say bring it, like others have said they are also great for holding stuff.

I am torn with this too, for my 8 yr old...yes judge all you want, but we are RD people, my daughter has never been one to nap, so I really want to bring the stroller for when she needs to take a break, but DH doesn't want it this year.

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

DS was 4 and a half when we took him to the World last October. We didn't take a stroller, didn't need one and were very glad we didn't lug one down on the plane with us. Here's why it worked for us:

-DS had not used a stroller at all for more than two years.
-DS is very independent and does not like to be confined. He also never asks to be carried.
-I've never met anyone with as much energy as DS has--child or adult.
-DS is extremely active.
-We don't find it necessary to bring a lot of stuff with us to the parks. We take one backpack with refillable water bottles and a few other things (ponchos, etc.). No need for a gigantic rolling luggage rack.
-We chose to go at his pace. To me it just makes sense to default to what the smallest member of your party can reasonably handle. So if DS got cranky, we'd stop for a rest and a snack. If he still felt tired, we'd head back to the cabin for a nap. (Some days we left and came back, other days we stayed all day.) Also, his "tired" wasn't necessarily just sore muscles and tired legs--things that a stroller might help--it was more like overstimulation. The only way to solve that is to go somewhere with less stimulation.

DH carried DS from the Epcot gate to the bus stop on our first night. He didn't ask for it; we just realized he was beyond exhausted because we had gotten up before sunrise to get to the airport that morning. It was no big deal though, and that was the only "issue" we had.

 

[DISHoppy]

I always cringe when I see this question posted. My take is that you know your kids the best, so you should know the answer to the question already (not being mean spirited). Our DDs walked the parks since they were three (two years apart), and I don't mean light walking either. Ample breaks for drinks and snacks help. However, they have cousins that wanted to ride in strollers until they were six when we walked the boardwalk on the NJ shore for a mile or so. And we aren't talking about frail little kids...a very good-sized boy and a his sister. Much of it depends on how they have been parented in the past. In this case, the cousins were a tad pampered, IMO. We're not gung ho by any stretch, but we do have our DDs involved with lots of physical activities.

-Kevin

 

[maxiesmom]

Much of it depends on how they have been parented in the past. In this case, the cousins were a tad pampered, IMO. We're not gung ho by any stretch, but we do have our DDs involved with lots of physical activities.

-Kevin

I have to say this is pretty insulting. Not all kids are the same, and not all kids have the same level of stamina, in sports or not in sports. Saying kids are "pampered" and that is why they may need a stroller is ridiculous. I'm also not sure why there is always the implication that parents who have their kids walk are somehow superior parents. Whatever works for your family and your kids is what you should do.

 

[penel3]

I'd say bring it, like others have said they are also great for holding stuff.

I am torn with this too, for my 8 yr old...yes judge all you want, but we are RD people, my daughter has never been one to nap, so I really want to bring the stroller for when she needs to take a break, but DH doesn't want it this year.

We used our own stroller until DS was 7....I think it was more for our sanity than anything else, lol! We wanted to enjoy staying as late as we wanted, together, without exhaustion and meltdowns. So no judgement here! If at 8 he had still fit in his stroller then I would have brought it, we actually used an "abandoned" WDW stroller in MK one night when he was 10...don't flame me anyone...it was definitely abandoned!

too many WDW trips to mention, 2007 Wonder Concierge, January 2013 Wonder Concierge, March 2014 Walter E. Disney Suite (finally!!!!)

 

[seb65]

I brought one last year for my 4 year old. I am glad we brought it. I was alone with three kids, so if she tired, she could rest. Even though she hasn't napped in ages, she did fall asleep in it. She did choose to walk sometimes. We would leave it, for example, in Fantasyland while we did those rides. I must admit, it was nice to have a place to store things.
I think when we go next, she will be 6. My 5 year old son did not need one, so I am thinking she won't, either by then.