Should we bring stroller for 7 year old?

[NYCgrrl]

I think the average 5 and up child can walk DW with no problem and should be encouraged to do so if possible.
Know that this taxes your child? Rent/bring a stroller.

 

[DisneyOma]

Since they have a double, and the kid is a whiny brat when tired, save yourself the aggravation and bring the double, especially since you are driving down. Make sure to take lots of pictures of him in the stroller, so you can torment him later on when he is older. "Remember when you were 7 and a brat at WDW? And you had to be in a stroller with your little 3 year old sibling?" LOL!

 

[heather913]

We rented a stroller in May for our 1 year old, and went with the double. My older 2, ages 7 & 5, switched off taking rides in it while we were there. This served several purposes. Not only did it make it easier to get places, but it made it easier to navigate the crowds without having to worry about someone getting lost. We were also able to get places much faster. Yes, we could have slowed down, but why? We had a limited number of days in the park and a lot we all wanted to see. I knew where 2 of my kids were and we only had to hold 1 child's hand. Have him walk most of the time and let him ride sometimes.

I love that people are saying a 7 year old should be able to walk. Duh. However when I am on vacation, I want things as easy as possible. If that means putting a kid in a stroller that I am already pushing anyhow, you bet I'm going to do it. If you already know this kid will make life terrible if he's tired, bring the double stroller. It's not like you're putting a 7 year old in a stroller to take a walk to the park down the street. It is MILES of walking over many days that many adults can't even handle.

 

[Micca]

Another benefit to having a stroller: It keeps your kids from wandering off and it keeps them out of the way of other guests. Besides, you can keep a bunch of stuff in it

 

[Jerzetta]

We went 2 years old when DD was 5 and rented a stroller but it was a pain. You can navigate so much easier without it but we knew she needed a stroller and used it during the day. At night or when we knew we had "short" times at the park 4 hrs or so we would either park it at the beginning of the park and leave it there until we left or went stroller less.

With that being said we are going now and she is 7 and she is tall so most stroller won't fit so I know she will not be use to walking so much and plan on just taking it slow through the parks and making sure we sit and drink water every few rides to get her and us off our feet.

In the end the stroller is really dependent on the child and your touring plan. Have fun.

 

[nmrgrl55]

Our first trip my boys were 7 and 4. It didn't even cross my mind to bring a stroller (even for the 4yo). When my daughter was 3 we brought a stroller, but I am not bringing one this trip and she will be 5. Can he just rest for a little while in the stroller you are bringing for the younger one if needed?

 

[westie55]

As a child, I went to Disney World at 6 and 7 and did so without a stroller. My siblings did the same. I feel that a stroller is not necessary for most children beyond pre-school age. However, you know your child best and if you think he would be miserable without one, it is probably worth paying for the stroller so he doesn't make everyone miserable. You won't be the only person with a "large" child in a stroller. I've seen pre-teens in strollers. Not what I would do with my child, but not my place to judge either. You don't know someone else's circumstances. Do what you think is right for your family.

 

[Disfan1968]

Our kids are just eight and just six... the eight year old does not "need" a stroller per se, but I predict that in the wilting August heat may still hop in from time to time during our upcoming trip. Here is our stroller (Britax) seats one child over the top of the other, has high weight capacity and is very maneuverable. Expensive, but was worth every penny over the past eight years.

 

[DisneyOma]

Our kids are just eight and just six... the eight year old does not "need" a stroller per se, but I predict that in the wilting August heat may still hop in from time to time during our upcoming trip. Here is our stroller (Britax) seats one child over the top of the other, has high weight capacity and is very maneuverable. Expensive, but was worth every penny over the past eight years.

I'd have to be an exhausted, desperate 8 year old to ride in the bottom seat, LOL! Looks like a miserable position to be in, with the butt in front lined up with the face, and no view at all. Who gets stuck on the bottom/back?

 

[NYCgrrl]

I'd have to be an exhausted, desperate 8 year old to ride in the bottom seat, LOL! Looks like a miserable position to be in, with the butt in front lined up with the face, and no view at all. Who gets stuck on the bottom/back?

I see those kind of strollers on the streets of NYC quite a bit. Generally, the older children are in the front seat so they can run around at will.
Not sure how a 6 and 8 y/o would fit in that stroller but if there is a will I bet there is a way, LOL.

Took an 11.5 and 8 y/o to Disney early summer and getting a wheeled vehicle for them never even entered my mind but an old fashioned harness was definitely a re occurring fantasy for the younger one. He never became fatigued from the heat (that was MY job ) but goodness could he run off in a nanosecond.
Told my niece that I love him fine but he wont be returning w/ us for the December trip but will for our regular camping trip.

When we did a bit of shopping the kids carried their booty ( No, I am not a pack horse for the able bodied after a certain age) and if a package wasn't big enough to fit in their day packs arrangements were made for the store to deliver it to the hotel. That's a service I enjoy and applaud at DW.

 

[Disfan1968]

I'd have to be an exhausted, desperate 8 year old to ride in the bottom seat, LOL! Looks like a miserable position to be in, with the butt in front lined up with the face, and no view at all. Who gets stuck on the bottom/back?

Bottom is daughter. She fits easily. There is actually room between her face and his butt to spare. She has a view out the sides, and is in 0% sun, which is an added bonus. She has never complained, and let me tell you, should would if she wanted to.

 

[kohlby]

We found our kids didn't need one at that age. From what I've seen, 5 is the age at which half of kids still need it and half don't. Two of mine did not - and we even had a commando style. However, my youngest still needed one at 5 due to sensory issues. He was physically able to do the walking but he needed one for emotional reasons, so that's something else to consider with kids - it's not always about the walking. Consider his emotional needs as well as physical.

My eldest complained about any walking when he was 6 - even 50 yards had him complaining. We only had a single for a trip and that was for the 3 year old. We also had a baby in a sling. So the stroller was to be shared by the 3 year old and baby if needed. 6 year old was over the 50lb max of the stroller so we couldn't even offer up that if he was too tired. We told the kids we would stay in the parks as long as they could handle. My normally complaining 6 year old did a great job! He didn't want to be the reason we left. He had to keep up with two adults and did well. We didn't take it easy on him either - we did 7 different theme parks over 8 days and crammed in a lot. Sometimes, kids will surprise you - especially if they know there's no other option. (On that note, when my youngest was 6, we brought a stroller and didn't tell him. He was the one who needed it for emotional reasons the year before at 5. We weren't sure if he was ready without. So, we brought it but didn't let him know. If we hadn't driven, I would have just budgeted some money in case we ended up needing one since we wouldn't have been able to hide it in that case).

 

[Disfan1968]

I see those kind of strollers on the streets of NYC quite a bit. Generally, the older children are in the front seat so they can run around at will.
Not sure how a 6 and 8 y/o would fit in that stroller but if there is a will I bet there is a way, LOL.

Marissa, 6 fits easily in the bottom. Josh, 8 is, believe it or not, tall for his age and STILL fits, more or less, meaning his feet don't hang down to the wheels and we are able to lower his sun visor without him ducking. We had not used it in over a year, so we actually took it out to see if they had grown out of it last week. We were delighted to see not. Again, only reason I suggest for kids this age is summer heat and walking distance in Disney can be well out of any child's norms. It also folds/stores on a bus much more easily than a side by side, and is a good spot to store our junk while browsing the parks.

The bar on the front of the top seat in the above picture (post 28) is removable. We won't even bother to bring it. DS hardly needs "containment" at this age, and will certainly hop in and out at will, preferring to walk the majority of the time I imagine. I doubt the bar will fit with him in it anyway.

 

[Dakota731]

Wonder if girls are different. Our three would have been mortified to be in a stroller at age 7! We sold ours at my yard sale when youngest turned three and never looked back, and it never was an issue.

 

[Disfan1968]

Wonder if girls are different. Our three would have been mortified to be in a stroller at age 7! We sold ours at my yard sale when youngest turned three and never looked back, and it never was an issue.

Yeah, both my kids were like, "What's this for?" when we dragged it out last week since they have not been in it in over a year. We just told them we wanted to see if they fit and that we were bringing it to Disney just in case, that they don't have to ride in it. Easy enough to gate check it and then leave it in the hotel if not being used. Provided they can keep up and not complain about walking, they can obviously walk. My guess is DD 6 will definitely make use of it. She's a bit of a lightweight and will certainly need breaks from the heat and just to get out of the sun in general. DS 8 will probably walk 90% of the time. But that other 10% of the time, it'll be nice to have an alternative.

 

[jessic2422]

I have taken my now 6 year old to disney 6 times and 3 of them in the last year. She needs and wants a stroller. Is she capable of walking absolutely. If I make her walk will she whine and make us all miserable, absolutely. It is a lot of walking and I want a stroller half the time. My vote is for whatever makes your trip the best it can possibly be.

 

[luvmy2babies]

It's certainly a real concern, especially for a child who has either never been to Disney or hasn't been before without a stroller or had a lot of space between trips.

We're going for the first time in 3 years this month. My son is now 7. We have never been in August. In my situation though I don't own one he will fit in. He's long outgrown his Baby Jogger City Mini. He's an energetic soccer player. He's been in a soccer camp this week with our local professional team.

My concern is his mild sensory issue, combined with the walking and the heat. On our last trip he would use his stroller as a retreat even though he was wearing headphones. The noise at Disney is constant and it comes from multiple directions. He was at times bothered by it. I still bring headphones to sporting events though he wears them less and less as he gets older. He also uses them in movie theaters.

He doesn't know about our upcoming trip and I just joked with him, "You don't need a stroller anymore right?"
Without hesitation, he says, "Yes...yes I do."

Since I no longer own one he fits into, renting would be the only option. In the past I rented from a local company that delivered; but I think I'm done lugging strollers on to the bus. I love the Baby Jogger series of strollers for the flat fold and one hand open and close. They even fold with a few items in the bottom basket. We have used one for every trip either our personal one or a rented one. But at this point, I would likely need at minimum a City Elite for him. Actually he could do the GT but barely. He's not close to the weight limit; but he is about 1/2 an inch from the height limit. Once the stroller gets to a certain size, it is less convenient going on and off the bus for me traveling alone with my children. I think I’m going to play it by ear and rent a park stroller if the need arises. I hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[TulipMom]

If you're dealing with parking a single stroller for the 3-year-old, it's not any more inconvenient to be parking the double one instead. So, I would definitely bring the double stroller.

My DS will turn 7 right before our trip and he is a hearty kid who loves physical activity and rarely complains about anything. But, since DD(5) is a complainer about physical stuff, we'll have to rent a stroller. We figured we might as well make it a double since we're messing with stroller parking and folding anyway. This will be our last trip with a stroller, though.

 

[Disfan1968]

If you're dealing with parking a single stroller for the 3-year-old, it's not any more inconvenient to be parking the double one instead. So, I would definitely bring the double stroller.

My DS will turn 7 right before our trip and he is a hearty kid who loves physical activity and rarely complains about anything. But, since DD(5) is a complainer about physical stuff, we'll have to rent a stroller. We figured we might as well make it a double since we're messing with stroller parking and folding anyway. This will be our last trip with a stroller, though.

One year we rented a side by side double. For me (the designated stroller wrangler) I found the side by side pretty inconvenient on the buses comparatively, and also it was ungainly inside shops as well. But those inconveniences are outweighed by the necessity to be able to seat both kids at once when needed. Miserable kids are just no fun!

 

[NYCgrrl]

One year we rented a side by side double. For me (the designated stroller wrangler) I found the side by side pretty inconvenient on the buses comparatively, and also it was ungainly inside shops as well. But those inconveniences are outweighed by the necessity to be able to seat both kids at once when needed. Miserable kids are just no fun!

You had me nodding in agreement until the very end. Inconveniencing other pedestrians with those too wide carriages is just wrong. Kids can scream and whine another few seconds and passerbys can still scurry past using the normal width dble carriages. Win/win for all points of view.