How old were your kids when they didn't need the stroller AT ALL in the parks?

[NikitaZee]

Thanks all. I think I'm just going to bring the one stroller for our 4 year old, and let our daughter take a turn in it if she's really tired. Like a PP mentioned, last time she did end up needing it, but it turned out she was getting sick with swine flu. I like the idea of walking every day beforehand to get little legs used to all the extra footwork at Disney.

 

[mousireid]

It depends on your touring style really.
Unless your child has a special need the excitement often keeps them going but when they need to sit and rest, please let them sit and rest coz there are so many grumpy, overtired and sometimes hot kids not enjoying it as much because its TOO much for them! And then the parenst are annoyed and its a MESS!
When we stopped bringing Dds stroller we heard about it a few times and made accommodations for her but getting up early (hey we are awake anyway) and then after lunch taking a swim or nap/rest was great, heading back out later on when little legs (heck AND big ones!) are up to it. Leisurely meals, snacks with a seat etc. Sometimes they really WILL crash out so when the crankies hit its time to go rest up, everyone will be happier.
However, if you are a commando the stroller might be a better idea because horsing around the park at top speed and zig zagging all over is exhausting for everyone!
Commando - bring stroller (JUST in case, you *might* not need one).
Easy Style - not necessary.

 

[NikitaZee]

It depends on your touring style really.
Unless your child has a special need the excitement often keeps them going but when they need to sit and rest, please let them sit and rest coz there are so many grumpy, overtired and sometimes hot kids not enjoying it as much because its TOO much for them! And then the parenst are annoyed and its a MESS!
When we stopped bringing Dds stroller we heard about it a few times and made accommodations for her but getting up early (hey we are awake anyway) and then after lunch taking a swim or nap/rest was great, heading back out later on when little legs (heck AND big ones!) are up to it. Leisurely meals, snacks with a seat etc. Sometimes they really WILL crash out so when the crankies hit its time to go rest up, everyone will be happier.
However, if you are a commando the stroller might be a better idea because horsing around the park at top speed and zig zagging all over is exhausting for everyone!
Commando - bring stroller (JUST in case, you *might* not need one).
Easy Style - not necessary.

Yes, good point. We are not commando style, but not exactly easy style - somewhere in the middle, leaning towards 'easy style'. I think we'll be okay without one.

 

[John Paul]

One...but he only got to ride the TTA while we explored. We returned to get him when we returned to the hotel.

 

[Lucky St. Louis]

The last time we used one our girls were 5. It was more of a pain because they wanted to walk and it seemed that we were always looking for the strollers when we got off a ride.

 

[ness1996]

My daughter was 4 for her first Disney trip and that was without a stoller. We waited till she was old enough to not need one. I don't take anything in the parks except my over the shoulder purse. I don't want to have to worry about carrying or pushing anything. She's a very active girl, and never complained. She spent some time on daddy's shoulders but mostly she walked and we breaked as needed.

 

[CathieArms]

4 1/2. Neither of my kids used or needed a stroller by this age. I took my dd when she was 4 1/2 and it never occurred to me to bring a stroller for her and she did fine. In '09, several people from this board talked me into bringing a stroller for my ds who was 4 1/2. I took an umbrella stroller for him and it was a major waste. I took it to the park twice and, both times, we ended up toting around an empty stroller which was a major PITA.

With that said, every child is different. If you go to your local mall and your kids need a stroller at the mall, then you might go ahead and take one. But, if your kids don't use one at the mall, then they likely won't use one at WDW.

 

[1hero2princesses]

It depends so much on touring style, time of year and the kid. I am going to bring at least a single for my youngest who will be 4 when we go in the summer. It is going to be very hot, we tour long days pretty hard and she still sometimes randomly falls asleep. She is also the least "hearty" of my kids and I know she can't make it a whole day. Big question is whether or not we bring the double as my other DD will have just turned 6. The only time I think it would be good to have is the end of the day after Wishes. She tends to go at full speed till she crashes and she is heavy to carry. DH back is not good so it will fall to me to carry her. Not sure how far I could carry her! Truthfully I don't think the mall is a very good comparison because walking around the local mall is no where near walking disney for 10 hours in the sun and heat! I think a good comparison might be your local zoo. We live near a large zoo and I know DD 3 definitely still likes to ride in the wagon there. I am really torn what to do myself!

 

[goofy4tink]

Dd, now 17, was out of a stroller at age 3. If she needed more time to get from point A to point B, we took the addtl time. If she got tired, then we stopped.
When she went to WDW, for the first time, she was 5. We took things a bit more slowly than we do now. She seldom got overtired from walking. Here's my rationale....when a child is up and walking, they get physically tired, which is pretty easy to do. You stop, relax for a bit, smell the roses so to speak. Maybe you grab a bite to eat, maybe you head back to the resort for a few hours. But, if your child is in a stroller, they are still being over stimulated..there is no way around it. WDW is an incredibly stimulating place. And the vast majority of kids can't take hours on end of that type of stimulation. So...if they're relaxing in a stroller, they aren't physically pooped out but emotionally/mentally, they are being 'assualted' by the sights and sounds of WDW. And this gets to a child after a bit. They start to get cranky and melt down..but the poor parents figure the child is just tired so keep going..after all, junior is being pushed around, how bad can it be???

I prefer to go with the physical tiredness vs mental tiredness. It's so much easier to deal with. So, I let my dd walk around and get tired. We then would get a drink or bite to eat and get away from all the stimulation and she would bounce back pretty quickly.
But, that's just me. It worked for me, may not be what others would choose to do. We don't do commando type touring...we are more laid back and not in any hurry. If we need to take a break for a few hours, so be it.

 

[NikitaZee]

Dd, now 17, was out of a stroller at age 3. If she needed more time to get from point A to point B, we took the addtl time. If she got tired, then we stopped.
When she went to WDW, for the first time, she was 5. We took things a bit more slowly than we do now. She seldom got overtired from walking. Here's my rationale....when a child is up and walking, they get physically tired, which is pretty easy to do. You stop, relax for a bit, smell the roses so to speak. Maybe you grab a bite to eat, maybe you head back to the resort for a few hours. But, if your child is in a stroller, they are still being over stimulated..there is no way around it. WDW is an incredibly stimulating place. And the vast majority of kids can't take hours on end of that type of stimulation. So...if they're relaxing in a stroller, they aren't physically pooped out but emotionally/mentally, they are being 'assualted' by the sights and sounds of WDW. And this gets to a child after a bit. They start to get cranky and melt down..but the poor parents figure the child is just tired so keep going..after all, junior is being pushed around, how bad can it be???I prefer to go with the physical tiredness vs mental tiredness. It's so much easier to deal with. So, I let my dd walk around and get tired. We then would get a drink or bite to eat and get away from all the stimulation and she would bounce back pretty quickly.
But, that's just me. It worked for me, may not be what others would choose to do. We don't do commando type touring...we are more laid back and not in any hurry. If we need to take a break for a few hours, so be it.

I think that this is a great point, and I've never looked at it that way before. Something to keep in mind I think.

 

[Marla1106]

We went when my older son was 2.5 (he is now 5) and he barely was in the stroller. He walked most of it and was fine. But, it was a place to keep the "stuff" that we brought into the park.

We will be taking a stroller this time My YDS will just have turned 2 and I'm bringing the stroller to contain him. Ha! He will want to walk the entire time but isn't the best at listening. So he'll sit.

ODS won't need it and hasn't sat in a stroller since he was 2 years old.

But I would totally do what you plan. Have your kids switch out if necessary. Plus it's a place to cart all your stuff that you have.

 

[Planogirl]

I brought along an umbrella stroller when DS was just 4 and he had little interest in it. Our stroller days were over after that.

Kids are different though!

 

[jraymond503]

We rented a double stroller when we went in November and the kids were 6,4, and 2. We kept the 2yo in most of the time and the other 2 took turns if they were tired. Unfortunately the 2yo HATED being in it and would kick, scratch, and hit anyone sitting next to her when she was in a bad mood so consequently spent most of the time in it by herself. She was too little to really walk, yet pitched a fit everytime we put her in it.

She will will be 3 this time and the others 7 and almost 5. We are planning this time to just take an umbrella stroller and letting whomever is the most tired ride (we'll take turns). The 3 year old has been "working on" her walking and listening to Mommy and Daddy skills because she is adamant she "wants to walk!" at Disney this time. She's been told she can walk as long as she listens and stays close, so we shall see how things go. I refuse to rent a stroller again though... too expensive. I am also pretty sure this will be our last year bringing one. By the time youngest DD is 4 I think she'll be just fine.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Well let's see . . . my kids are now 24, 19, and 13 and they all still look wistfully at strollers by mid-afternoon. Seriously, it's not age as much as pounds, and it's not them as much as it makes it easier for me (when they get tired they lag behind). I used a stroller just for WDW until they weighed too much to use one, and I sought out strollers that had a heavier weight limit!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Five.

Once they turned 5 in our house, no more strollers. And that included Disney. We just went at their pace and took a break during the day and ended the day when the one not in the stroller got tired.

It worked great for us but every family is different.

 

[RMulieri]

Never used one over the age 4.We told her way before we went...no stroller.Wasn't an option.We started a family walking plan a few months prior to our trip.Once there, we went at her pace, rested when she needed to etc. Disney IS a lot of walking, but also ALOT OF STANDING ,SITTING AND RIDING.She did fine.Most days outpaced and outlasted the adults.Every family is different, but this worked for us

 

[Thumperr]

My 3 year old hardly used the stroller when we were there in September. If he was in it for more than 30 minutes a day it would be a lot.

When we go to DLRP (we live 4 hours away from Paris and go a lot) we don't even bother taking a double stroller, just the single for his brother (with healthissues) and he won't use it.

Ofcourse, we don't go commando and take our time doing everything.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Very individual decision.

My oldest DD was out of a stroller by 1 EXCEPT at WDW where I had her in the double stroller until she was 9 or 10. She's tiny but she is a runner and a wanderer. Most of the time in the park it is my two DD's and myself and I needed her to be in a controlled situation. Even at 13 I keep my eye on her when we are out she still get distracted and head the wrong way. Will probably never have the concept of "stay with me".

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

FWIW most umbrella strollers won't hold even an underweight 7 year old, max out in the 40-50lb range. DS was a week shy of 5 last year and underweight for his age so we did the umbrella thing but this year it will be out of the question so almost 5 will be our last stroller experience. I refuse to rent or buy a costly stroller for him and at this point putting him in the umbrella at at least 10 lbs over the max weight limit would be bordering on dangerous so no more strollers for us.

 

[robandkelly13]

Our DD was too tall for the stroller at 4. We went fully intending to use the stroller, but it was uncomfortable for her and she was able to keep up walking all 10 long days.