DS 4 without a stroller?

[justKim]

I've seen a lot of posts by people saying that they bring strollers for kids up to 6 years old. My son will by 5 in June and our trip is in a few weeks. I hadn't planned on bringing a stroller for him, only the Maclaren for our toddler. I assumed that we would keep a leisurely pace for the kids and that he would be fine walking. He hasn't used a stroller in over a year. Are there people out there who have 4-5 year olds that don't use a stroller?

Thanks,
Kim

 

[woodybuzzy]

We just went a week ago with a 4 and 6 year old. The 4 year old has not used a stroller in ages. We were at all 4 parks ( and even Universal) from opening and rope drop to the closing and fireworks each day. We never used a stroller and walked everywhere. There were just two evenings that I carried him to the buses because he was tired. It worked out great. I rubbed lotion on their feet each night so they felt good each morning. They are little troopers and did great. They never asked for a stroller. They didn't want to leave the parks either. If you have time, schedule some swim time maybe half way throught the trip to rest your legs a bit.

 

[justKim]

Thanks for the report. We will be taking breaks from the park everyday for the kids, especially for the 14 month-old. I was taken aback by the number of people who were talking about using strollers with older kids, but I feel better after hearing about your trip.

Thanks,
Kim

 

[Schmeck]

Didn't use a stroller for our just-turned-5 yr old DD our first trip. We went nice and slow, plus she has always been a very healthy, active child. Even our then 2 1/2 yr old DD walked a lot, although we brought an umbrella stroller for her.

Second trip, no stroller, both girls were fine, at 8 yrs old and 5 1/2. Of course, we're lucky that both of our girls are very healthy, no medical issues, etc. But I figure that if they're getting too tired to walk (a lot of the attractions involve a lot of sitting you know, even roller coasters are just a seat that moves, LOL) then it was time to take a break, even just for an ice cream in the park.

Of course, we love to hike up mountains in the summer, and we even live on a very big hill, so a few hours of flatland walking, with lots of sitting down at attractions, seemed like nothing.

 

[HaleyB]

We like to use a stroller.
Unless it is a short trip, but otherwise we feel it is a huge help. You can always rent one if you feel you need it for a day. I would not consider doing the World Showcase without one.

 

[dijid]

Our 4 1/2yo will be without stroller this trip. I think she's up for it. Hasn't used a stroller in forever. Can walk for miles. We'll never be at the parks for more than a couple hours and will definitely take a liesurely pace. If we absolutely need to, we figure we'll rent one.

 

[kayt]

A different perspective: my sis, a true disney vet, swears by renting a stroller for every child in the pack whose bottom will fit in the stroller seat without feet dragging the ground! Her oldest child used a stroller up to age 9 or 10 at WDW. Made for parental sanity and far less grumpiness for a family that probably went full tilt every day of their trip. (btw she also swears by buying ice cream cones every time someone gets tired and grumpy in the parks.) I wonder if anyone else out there has tried the "stroller until they overflow" strategy?
kayt

 

[my3princes]

We still use a stroller for our 6 1/2 yr old. He doesn't use one at home, but we open and close the parks and do not take afternoon breaks. He also suffers from flat feet and requires orthodics. He would be far too tired and in alot of pain without it. We are also taking our 4 yr old neice the next trip and we will have a stroller for her too. That last trek after the fireworks with tired and/or sleeping kids makes pushing the stroller so worth it to me.

 

[justKim]

Originally posted by my3princes
We still use a stroller for our 6 1/2 yr old. He doesn't use one at home, but we open and close the parks and do not take afternoon breaks.

We do plan on taking an afternoon break everyday, and my son is as excited about the resort pool as he is about riding the rides!

Kim

 

[DisneyMomx7]

At home we only use a stroller for our 3 year old. In Disney we use a stroller for him and both girls (5 and 6). It keeps us sane, lets us move at a quicker place, and the last thing we need is somebody's feet hurting them. It's just so much easier. I would rather push a stroller than have to carry a dead tired child back to the hotel. There are so many older kids in strollers at WDW that nobody thinks anything of it if your big kids are in a stroller. Whatever makes the trip easier.

 

[4greatboys]

We will be using a stroller for our 4 yr old. It gets tiring for little ones trying to keep up with the big people. My 4 yr old wont use it all day everyday but its nice for when they do get tired to take a little break.

 

[Selina]

Well....we always hired strollers for our kids (when they were 5 and 7!) Of course, they hadn't been in strollers for years at home, but this is not home and the walking involved is nothing like home either. The strollers are great for them to have a nap, keep out of the sun while walking between attractions and a huge bonus to carry all the stuff in the bags that come with you everyday at each park. 4 1/2 yo's are imho still young to do all that walking and enjoy it all much more if they ride in the stroller - it's enough for them to stand in line without doing the walking as well!

 

[TerriBelle]

We go without and love it!

Our twin boys were almost 5 (Nov trip, b'day Jan) when we forgot our strollers. We had been planning to take the strollers one last trip but when we got to the airport we realized that we had forgotten to put them in the car! I was so mad but the boys asked "Why do we need strollers? We never use strollers" The trip turned out great and we only rented a stroller one afternoon/evening near the end of the trip. This year in Jan, the boys had just turned 6 and we didn't rent. We were at the parks from opening to closing because it was too cool to go back to the hotel and swim!

We have never been big stroller fans so for us it is wonderful to be free of the stroller! It is always interesting to me the people that love their strollers. I always found them to be a real pain. Maybe it is because we have twins.

 

[Schmeck]

My kids would laugh so hard if they saw a ten year old using a stroller. I'd probably laugh at the poor, tired parent pushing that ten year old around...

 

[Daxx]

Posted this on the Theme Park Strategies site ... but it might be helpful here, too:


When we went last summer, DS was almost 7 yo. We brought the umbrella stroller "just in case" and I am so thankful that we did!

I would recommend your own umbrella stroller. If you rent a stroller, you have to surrender it at the gate, which means your child will still have to walk or be carried to the transport you use. W/the umbrella stroller folding up so nicely, it was very easy to transport on and off the bus/monorail/etc.! Added bonus ... by the time we got to our hotel, DS usually fell sound asleep on the bus. When we got off the bus, we just popped DS into the stroller and wheeled him right to our room. Easier than lugging the dead weight of a sleeping child and you definitely can't go from park to hotel room w/a rental stroller. Just something to think about!

What we would do w/our stroller was keep it folded up and we would find an "out of the way" place for it. For example, at Disney Studios, we'd leave it at the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular stroller corral (we asked a CM if it was ok first, and they always said yes). B/c it was folded, it was thin and out of the way, for the most part. Once DS got tired, DH or I would go to retrieve the stroller while the other rested w/DS. That way, we didn't have to lug the stroller all over the place yet it was easy to access. It was nice to have it at the end of the day when DS was too pooped to walk to the bus.

HTH!

 

[Disney_1derland]

We are going in November with our 4 year old and our 2 year old dd's. The 2 year old needs a stroller to keep her from pulling Stitch like maneuvers and destroying everything in sight LOL. The 4 year old has not been in a stroller since she was 2 and may or may not need one. I think she will. She is easily overwhelmed by crowds and large objects. Well, we know there will be crowds and there are lots of larger than life objects there. A stroller gives her a 'barrier' of sorts between herself and the very large, crowded, noisy *World*. She is tall but tiny and a stroller will give her a vantage point that is safe for her. When she wants to get down and explore, we are happy to let her. "Stitch" gets to exercise her little legs too, but in short doses where she can do no harm to her environment! She is fearless and knows no boundaries. This trip will surely be an adventure! One who wants to experience the World on her own terms and One who wants to take a bite out of it! We must be nuts!

 

[Villaness]

I like the idea of leaving the umbrella stroller closeby. I think that works best for smaller parks like MGM, there really isn't a central location for the MK. We will be traveling with a 2 year old and she will definitely need a stroller. I worry about the 4 1/2 year old with flat feet who gets tired very easy (especially when walking all day on cement!). We tend to walk at a rapid pace, and I can already hear the complaints. This will be the tough one to handle.