1st trip with no stroller - or not???

[Karrie Davis]

My son is almost 6, he turns 6 only 2 weeks after we get home. We leave on the 9th

He is a great walker, quite fit actually, he walks several miles at a time on a regular basis. I had no intention of bringing his old stored Mclaren. We are going with my Husbands Cousin this year and she has a 6 year old and is bringing a stroller so that she and her husband don't have to carry a super tired child if and when it happens, nor will they have to deal with a grouchy tired child who is forced to "keep going".

HUM..... sounds a little smart....

I talked to my son and the idea at 1st was HORRIFYING, but then he changed his mind. He thinks we should it and ONLY use it if it is really needed. I guess we could keep it in the rental car JIK.

what do other parents of new 6 year olds do? I should also say, my son is TALL, a solid 48 inches already, but he does still fit in the stroller decently.

What do other

 

[summerrluvv]

I say ditch the stroller. I can't remember how old DS was, but I think he was around 4 when we didn't use it anymore at WDW. It was sooo nice to not have to worry about parking it and looking for it after the rides!!

 

[laughinplace199]

I think I'd leave the stroller home and just rent one if he really needs it. That's what we did when our kids were that age.

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

I think the rest and shade of a stroller is beneficial to any child who can comfortably ride in one. I would not hesitate to use it when he was tired. Or consider a rental, which is what we do but is pricey, as DDs stroller was thrown away years ago.

 

[woodkins]

Our dd is 7 and we did bring and use the stroller on our trip a few weeks ago. I personally find it much easier to have a stroller for a few reasons: no tired crankiness, no carrying a sleeping child, much easier to navigate through crowds, always have a seat for the parade etc., let you leave sweatshirts, water bottles etc without carrying them around everywhere. BTW: dd is very physically fit, super active and stopped using a stroller at home when she was about 2.5 yrs old. If one kid has a stroller I would bet the other is going to want one.

 

[krcit]

I loved having a stroller just to put all my stuff in, lol.

 

[amyemann]

I never used a stroller for any of my children at Disney for older than 3 years old. They are more than capable of walking and can sit and rest if necessary. On our upcoming trip my daughter will be 2, turning 3 the next month. She doesnt even use a stoller at home when we are out and did use it when we went to the beach or Sesame Place this summer. However I am going to bring it to Disney...primarily for all of our bags. I am taking my four children on my own, so I will definitely need a place for those bags that we will bring along,

 

[Pixie Princess]

Our first trip my DD was 6 and we did not take a stroller for her or my four year old niece that went with us. We weren't in the park a couple of hours and my niece began complaining about her feet, and my DD was not far behind her. Eventually ended up renting a double stroller, and were so glad we did! My DD was 48 inches at 6 also, but she and the niece had plenty of room and were contented the rest of the week.

 

[lucynme]

The absolute BEST advice I have for you is this: I say you know your child, and do what is best for everyone involved. I was part of a thread with this very topic, and found it to be very touchy. My son will be just 6, and I WILL BE taking a stroller for him...I would much rather cart around an empty stroller for the "just in case", AND I would rather have a happy tired 6 year old in a stroller than a cranky, whining 6 year old without a stroller!!! And you must also keep in mind that the other 6 year old will have a stroller, so there is yet another chance for conflict...and you won't have to be carting it all over on the busses since you have the rental car... Good luck and have a GREAT time whatever your decision!!!

 

[back4more OH]

Only you know your child, but let me say that we just returned from our first stroller free vacation and it was great. We were a few weeks shy of my DS 5th birthday and we brought the stroller just in case, but it never left the room. DS walked those parked for 7 days and we never carried him. I loved not having that thing. No dragging it on buses and parking it and finding it. We were so excited and as soon as we got home we gave the stroller to my cousin. But do what's best for you we took it one day at a time on whether he would need it. You can always bring it and play it by ear.

 

[*Seanaci*]

The absolute BEST advice I have for you is this: I say you know your child, and do what is best for everyone involved. I was part of a thread with this very topic, and found it to be very touchy. My son will be just 6, and I WILL BE taking a stroller for him...I would much rather cart around an empty stroller for the "just in case", AND I would rather have a happy tired 6 year old in a stroller than a cranky, whining 6 year old without a stroller!!! And you must also keep in mind that the other 6 year old will have a stroller, so there is yet another chance for conflict...and you won't have to be carting it all over on the busses since you have the rental car... Good luck and have a GREAT time whatever your decision!!!

Ditto everything Lucynme said.

If it were my child, I'd take the stroller (especially since, given my knowledge about McClarens, it's a light-weight stroller).

 

[Hannathy]

I wouldn't take the stroller. We never took or used one past 4 and even then they were out of it more than in it. A stroller free trip is so great! It is so freeing to not have to bother with it or maneuver it thru the crowds. As far as junk once you don't have the stroller you start thinking more carefully about what you are bringing and find out you can do with out most of it.

Disney isn't a marathon it is a lot of walking that is broken up with walk then stand, then sit, or ride then a little walking then do it all over again. If kids get tired they can sit down in line or in our case when they got tired we usually were to so we all took a break. Kids have more energy than most adults so if I can walk it so can they!

If they are complaining their feet hurt check their shoes, kids feet shouldn't hurt from 1/2 day of walking if they have proper shoes on. As far as the others having a stroller, this will give you even more joy as you zip thru crowds and onto busses and they are struggling with the dumb stroller.

 

[katie111]

I'd bring it. I took my 2 older kids alone last year when they were 5 & 6 and they definitely needed it. I rented a double from Orlando rentals & it was money well spent. At home they never use a stroller as I only bring one for my DS2 when we go out but even he barely uses it. I also think its great for holding stuff. You can always park it somewhere in the park & then just go get it if you need it. You don't have to push it around all day if you don't need it, although I don't know why its a big deal to push it anyways. Especially in Jan, you might have extra sweatshirts & such which can get pretty heavy when you're carrying them around all day.

 

[Karrie Davis]

Thanks everyone! I did not think about 1 having a stroller option and the other not having it - something to really consider. It is tough becasue I REALLY was looking forward to NO stroller. I guess I will decide before we leave - LOL

 

[happymommy]

I'd rather bring it and not need it, than find out on day 2 or 3 that you need to rent one (they are expensive to rent).

I took one until my DD was 8, and did end up needing it by the afternoons! She tires easily, though. It was nice at the end of a busy day to have her be able to rest on the way back to the room (we stay onsite usually). Also, one trip BOTH my kids got sick at different times (they were 7 and 9), and one afternoon we were at DHS and she fell sound asleep in the stroller. I felt her forehead, and she was BURNING up with a fever. I stroller her back to the Dolphin sleeping (you don't have to fold up the strollers for the boats) and called the East Coast Medical clinic who sent a very nice doctor to our room (yippee, insurance reimbursed us as well). She had strep throat! That same trip my DS also ended up with a high fever, and a horrible ear infection (weird it's the only one he's had in about 6 years too).

That trip was the last one I took a stroller with us for, but was so glad I had it. Without it, I couldn't have gotten her back to the room (I can't carry her at all).

Even though my kids stopped using strollers at home very young, we kept one around for Disney trips. So if it were me, I'd bring one. And this is coming from someone who only brings carry ons for luggage!

HTH

 

[2thfairy]

We just went to disney at the beginning of dec. I have a 3 and 6 year old. We took 2 maclarens for the boys. Our 6 year old only used it the first 2 days and then decided he could do without it. He did great. I knew if I took it then he would not use it but if I left it at home he would throw a fit and want it. I did not want to ruin my vacation by listening to him whine about the stroller. We had to carry him a couple of times when he fell asleep on the bus but it was not a big deal getting back to our room. I put him in the stroller once and carried our 3 year old. It is a tough decision and you won't know until you are there. We did not go hard this trip and I think that helped. Good luck!!!

 

[Sienna]

I am debating the stroller issue as well. My daughter will be a few months shy of her 5th birthday. We won't have a car, but I'm wondering if there's a place to store a stroller in the parks? I suppose we could always rent one in the parks if we need it, but honestly Disney's strollers don't look very comfortable, and they don't recline.

What about those other rental places (Orlando Stroller Rentals) - I'm wondering if we're there a day or two without a stroller, then realize we want one for the rest of the trip, can we rent one on short notice, or do we have to rent them way in advance? Those look more comfortable than the strollers available in the parks.

 

[sunnymom5]

We were in Disney this past July with my kids twin 19 mo old, 6, 7 and 10 year old. At some point in the day, my husband and I were carrying the twins while pushing my 6 and 7 year old in the double stroller. My 10 year old even tried to sit in it at times. It just seemed at some point someone was "tired" and it proved to help not only for the little ones but for my older ones as well. I didn't intend on having my 6 and 7 year in it...but....it helped. If only for small breaks, it proved to be beneficial to us. Also, it was great place to put all of our extras like autograph books, water, snacks etc. that weren't valuables but those items that you didn't want to take on rides.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
Do what's best for you. I feel guilty now but my then 4 year old son did all the walking no problem. His sister came along when he was 4 and I never considered a double stroller. His sister is 4 this year and I can't imagine the trip without a stroller.

 

[pl71]

I definately think it's wise to bring it with you, just in case you want it by the end of your trip. I would guess that you won't need it, but it's not hard to bring it.

We went in Aug with my 4 year old son and my oldest son who was 6 year 4 months for a 5 day stay. My six year old never rode in the stroller, he just was endless energy. We did do mid-day breaks on all but one day, so we weren't pushing him too hard. Our four year old was always in the stroller.

My friend went with us and also had a 4 and 6 year old, both girls. Her 6 year old only once asked to sit in our stroller (after our only full park day, post fireworks to get back to the car). Her 4 year old was exhausted and since they didn't bring a stroller they ended up carrying a cranky little girl nearly the entire trip. They really regretted not bringing a stroller. Having seen that bad experience, I think that if you have any doubts, bring one along just in case.