4.5 year old & 9 month old

[AKP62184]

We are going end of Sep w a 4.5 yr old and 9 month old. Was planning on bringing just a stroller for baby (uppababy g-luxe) and was assuming 4.5 yr old could walk just fine. Some people I've talked to say they still bring a stroller for child older than mine. I don't ever plan on owning a double stroller and my other idea was bring baby carrier but Baby is big 20+ lbs and its painful on the back especially w walking a lot..
If I didnt buy this new stroller specifically for this and some other upcoming trips I'd just rent a double stroller for the week but I also dont want to be stuck with a huge stroller - I bought this stroller specifically for the size and amazing features..

What are peoples thoughts on this if you have had a similar situation... I was thinking really baby will be in stroller most of the time but if she is awake and wants a break we can carry her and give my daughter a break and let her ride in the stroller... Thoughts??

 

[Thing 1]

Five seems to be the dividing age between needing and not needing a stroller at WDW. Most kids younger than that will need a stroller. I would strongly suggest you have a plan in place for a stroller. Our DS was 5 his first trip without a stroller and that was in much cooler weather than September and already by age he was super athletic playing two sports. I would suggest renting a double off site as the park strollers are not good for babies, or finding a stroller that would work for your four year old at a co-sign that you wont mind not using much. Two is even better if you think there might be times you will separate at the park.

 

[Alesia]

I wouldn't have even considered bringing a stroller for my daughter at that age, but their are plenty of people who bring them for their 9-year-olds.

You know your daughter better than other people. You can rent one if it becomes necessary.

 

[msmama]

5 was my personal cut off because that's when my son outgrew the stroller and I wasn't buying another.

Take into your daughters personality. Are you going to be rushing her along all day? Will she totally melt down if tired? Would/could you do longer days if she had a stroller (and would you want to)? Is someone prepared to carry her (or baby) if she gets too tired?

Think about how it will impact your vacation.

We can NOT do full days (for my son, the stroller was more of a decompression chamber than a way to get from point a to point b - he could sit in the stroller, pull the sun shade and relax ALONE) even now that he's older. The stroller was great for his down time.

So, just things to think about as you make your decision...

 

[BabyHabs]

Rent a double stroller.

I went with my 3.5 and 5.5 year olds and both needed a stroller. We rented a city double and it really wasn't that hard to manuever. Disney is a lot of walking for a 4 year old. By the end of the day, I wanted to climb into the stroller.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

I would bring your carrier (do you have a back carrier, like an Ergo? I find them much more comfortable than the front ones like the baby bjorn) and let the older one sit as needed and wear the baby at those times.

 

[MudBud]

I also plan to bring my baby carrier & let my just turned 5 year old take a break in the stroller if needed. We're going in Nov though, not sure how hot Sept can be. My DD can walk quite a ways & we're going back to the resort for afternoon breaks so she won't be walking the whole day.

 

[HCinKC]

We had a single for our then 10mo and 6yo. I also had the carrier, but we mostly used the stroller for the baby. There were a couple of times that he was in the carrier, and my 6yo sat in the stroller ONLY as a chair. I never pushed him. He did not want to be in the stroller, and I was not about to push a kid that heavy around. Now, 4.5 is a decent amount younger, but if you think he can do without, I would not get a double. You can always rent in the park and/or take the carrier as a backup. IMO, walking at Disney is overstated. With all the breaks for eating, lines, rides, they get a good amount of "rest". All kids are different though. Think about trips to the zoo, trails, etc. If he can cut it there, then I wouldn't worry.

 

[kmdrago1783]

We are going end of Sep w a 4.5 yr old and 9 month old. Was planning on bringing just a stroller for baby (uppababy g-luxe) and was assuming 4.5 yr old could walk just fine. Some people I've talked to say they still bring a stroller for child older than mine. I don't ever plan on owning a double stroller and my other idea was bring baby carrier but Baby is big 20+ lbs and its painful on the back especially w walking a lot..
If I didnt buy this new stroller specifically for this and some other upcoming trips I'd just rent a double stroller for the week but I also dont want to be stuck with a huge stroller - I bought this stroller specifically for the size and amazing features..

What are peoples thoughts on this if you have had a similar situation... I was thinking really baby will be in stroller most of the time but if she is awake and wants a break we can carry her and give my daughter a break and let her ride in the stroller... Thoughts??

My kids are close to the same age as yours-- they will be almost 5 and 11 months when we take our trip in October.

While my 4 year old never uses a stroller, I am renting a double just for this trip. I am also planning on buying and bringing a carrier for my 11 month old to use when we can't use the stroller, in lines, etc. I don't usually use a carrier but again I want to be prepared. There are some areas, quite a few actually, where the stroller won't be allowed.

My thoughts are that I'd rather have the option for my four year old because the amount of walking in Disney is just insane and quite out of the ordinary.

I am going to rent from Orlando Stroller Rentals-- they rent City Minis. I have used them before for my DD and they were great. They drop off and pick up at the resort.

 

[Mmw37]

Our older son was 2.5 during our first trip, and we bought a cheapo umbrella stroller in Orlando. I also brought a baby carrier (wrap). We didn't overdo it at all, and went during one of the slowest and coolest weeks of the year. He barely needed the stroller even at that age. We're going again in January with him at 4 and our 9 mo old, and will probably bring just one. I'm a pretty avid babywearer, and will wear the baby most of the time, but then we will have options. We never use strollers at zoos or anything though, so we'll be fine. DS1 is really active and can run for hours no problem, and he barely wanted to ride at 2. YMMV of course!

 

[Tropics]

We're going to be handling this in two way with similar aged kids.

In January we'll be at Disneyland. There don't seem to be many places that rent double strollers. We'll have our G-Luxe for DD1 who will be a few weeks short of 4. For DD2 who will be 8.5 months, we will have a carrier (Beco Gemini).

In February we'll be at Disney World and will rent a double stroller.

While DD1 is very active, it's a lot of walking even for an adult. I think that 4 is too young to go without the stroller. this will also give us way to handle an evening or two if we want.

We went to WDW with DD1 when she was 11.5 months old. I liked having the combo of stroller and carrier for her then. When it was busy she really didn't like being in the stroller. Just think of how it looks to them sitting in a stroller and seeing this massive wave of legs rushing towards you. She was so much happier in the carrier when it was busy (and it was easier for us to take her one rides that way).