4 y/o and 6 y/o walking in WDW

[ohiominnie]

Our kids were 3 1/2 and almost 6 when we first took them to Disney. The ONLY time we rented a stroller was when we went around Epcot. That's a lot for even MY legs!
We rented a stroller on Epcot days for probably 2-3 yrs. Now they are 10 and 12 and, of course, they don't get the stroller rental anymore!

They are both small for their age, so can't help on the weight limit issues. Probably at 9 yrs old, dd was about 50 pounds.

 

[mvazul]

We were in Florida from 1/28 - 2/5/07. We did a ton of walking. We took DD5's stroller but never used it. We were in MK from an hour and half after opening until after closing. She never complained one time. We made sure to take breaks and she was fine. I think she was just so excited to be there. It was nice not having to worry about the stroller.

However, I would say you know your kids better than anyone. If they need a stroller, then by all means, get one! Have a great time!!

 

[Mainebound]

I know that eventually my two daughters (age 4 and 6) will get tired of walking in the them parks when we visit. However, I think they are slightly a little told old for a stroller plus my oldest would probably be waaaay out of the weight limit for most. So what do most of you do when you visit and kids start getting cranky about walking?

We rented strollers some days for our DS5 and DS7 on our May 2006 trip. It was a long trip - we had 10 park days in a row (although we do not stay from opening to close), so we decided on a daily basis what was best. I think maybe 5 days we used strollers. I often found myself pushing an empty one, esp. in the morning when they were too excited to sit. I really liked renting the double as opposed to bringing our own this year. (although I'm glad we had our own for when they were younger)

If the park is crowded or bottlenecked, the stroller actually gives me a sense of security -- I know where my kids are, they are not getting pushed or stomped, and we can move FAST, LOL!

 

[ceopamom3]

for the first time on an August trip, and my kids were just 5, 6, and 8. Prior to that, I always brought 2 pretty sturdy but inexpensive umbrella strollers. I have very tall children for their ages. To my surprise, they did great w/o the strollers! It was hot, we took snack and drink breaks and rested legs every few hours. I also try to fit in a long show or attraction mid-day for extra rest (my kids have napped through the American Adventure many times - sad to say). Don't forget in Epcot as well - you can take the friendship launches across the lagoon and save steps. We used the train in MK alot too!

Only you know your kids. Mine had been in a great YMCA daycamp that summer and were pretty fit and active kids. I would have rented or purhased strollers if necessary. You can always budget to rent one, and see how it goes.. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[susykt4]

We just got back from 9 park days with DD6 and DS4. We bought two $10.99umbrella strollers from WalMart and they easily lasted the entire trip. DD is ~55 lbs and DS is ~45 pounds. It was so much less expensive than renting and since they folded easily they weren't too big of an inconvenience on the buses. Neither child has used a stroller other than Disney for years, but they would never have made it in the parks as long as they did without one. We used them at all the parks other than MGM.

The 6-yr-old probably could have walked a lot more than she did, but the stroller was still necessary for the big parks. The 4-yr-old needed the stroller!

We ditched the strollers at Pop before getting on DME and felt like we had made a great $22 investment and saved a ton of money on rentals. If we go back next year I'll probably buy the cheap umbrellas again. The kids are way too big for them but they honestly looked more comfortable than those molded plastic rentals that would have cost us almost $200 for our entire trip!

 

[wen774]

We will be renting a double stroller for our 4 and 6 year old. Its worth every penny IMO.

 

[paulag]

In june, we will be at WDW with our 2 drama queens (6, 4) and 1 drama king (4). All are pretty big- the twins are about 50 each and the 6 year old is 65.

I know we will need strollers. I'd love to buy, rather than rent, but I don't want a huge investment, and I'm not sure of any strollers on the market that could hold the weight of even 1 child!!! What would you do? If you rent, would you rent a double and a single, or stick with the double?

This is my first time at WDW since 1987, and our first time as a family! I am so excited!!!! We are waiting to tell the kids until May, because we will go insane!

THANKS!!!

 

[U2_rocks!]

I'm not even that worried about the parks - we will be touring at an easy pace anyway, cause we'll have my parents along. I'm more worried about the airports - we have to connect in and out of Miami, and sometimes the gate we land at is so far away from the gate we need to fly back out of! We will also be carrying carseats, so i was thinking that bringing a stroller from home for the 4 yo might be a good idea. We can then rent another on the evenings that we'll be up late in the parks and think that maybe our 5 yo will want one to curl up in as well. Our 7 yo DS is very unlikely to need one - he can walk long distances, and doesn't get sleepy early like the girls.

Has anyone been really thankful for a stroller at the airport, or was it a hassle with security etc.?

 

[dismom301930]

I would suggest that you plan to rent (or bring) strollers. We went in December and had 7 full park days in a row and I know my DDs (2.5, 5, and 6) would not have made it without a stroller. We brought a Sit and Stand and our DD2.5 sat in the front. The older two took turns hopping in the back when they needed it and we sometimes even pushed all three of them at once! I was surprised at how often my DD6 wanted to ride. She hasn't been in a stroller at home since she was 3. It was a great investment for us and I am so glad we had it!

 

[dismom301930]

We will also be carrying carseats, so i was thinking that bringing a stroller from home for the 4 yo might be a good idea...Has anyone been really thankful for a stroller at the airport, or was it a hassle with security etc

We used our stroller to carry our DD2's carseat through the airport. We have a Sit and Stand, so she was able to ride in the front and we put the carseat in the back. We checked our stroller at the gate and DD2 used the carseat on the plane. It wasn't that much of a hassle at security. It was much harder to manage getting my three kids through security (ha, ha). I was very glad we had the stroller in the airport. (And also at WDW, as I stated in my previous post.)

 

[minnie411]

We rented a double stroller when we went last year. DS7 &DS5 (barely) used stroller when they were tired of walking, hungry, hot, etc. Actually, DS7 ended up riding the most

It was so nice not to have the kids complain about walking ... it was a great decision for us!

We are going in July with my two DD who are 5 & 7. We are toying with the idea of a stroller for my 5year old. I however know that my 7 year old will be the one who rides or complains about not being able to ride the most. Maybe we should just rent a double when we are there.

 

[minnie411]

The more I read the more convinced I am to either bring strollers or rent them.


It is a good place to put things

No complaining about being tired

Easy to keep track of kids; especially at busy times

My favorite was prevents kids from walking into stuff; Ha, if you only knew my daugher; she has named herself the "klutz queen"; she takes after her aunt

Finally, happy kids=happy parents

 

[becca011906]

Last year in sep '05 i asked this question about my 5,3,1 year old... if a doulbe would do it... i didn't want to rent b/c the hard plastic for a just turned 1 year old wasnt' going to cut it also she prefered a sling/carrier anyways. so when i had her in the sling, the 5 y/o got to ride, i was told by many to take 2 stroller a single and a doulbe... there was NO way i wanted to try to contain 3 kids and 2 strollers on the tams to the car, ect... it worked out great.
this year i really thought about only taking a single for my youngest to trade off and on with my middle, but changed my mind they are 2 1/2, 4 1/2, and almost 7 so i'm sure we'll be ok. i think i'm starting to wish we were taking a single and renting the 2 days at disney...

 

[Mainebound]

We are going in July with my two DD who are 5 & 7. We are toying with the idea of a stroller for my 5year old. I however know that my 7 year old will be the one who rides or complains about not being able to ride the most. Maybe we should just rent a double when we are there.

I don't know what your kids are like but ONE stroller seat would be a recipe for sibling rivalry in my family if there ever was one!!

 

[DisneyMama27]

We still rent the double at DW for DDs 5 and 8. DS9 complains that he doesn't get to ride, so we even let him have a turn sometimes! It's just too much walking at once, and I think even for them it's a mental thing - imagine being small and looking at any of the parks and thinking about walking that whole place! Saves us a lot of whining - worth the price!

 

[mousehouselover]

I guess I was a mean mom. The last time my kids went to WDW, DS was almost 4 and he walked all the time. He was having a ton of fun and very rarely complained about being tired. We made sure we had rest breaks for all of us and sat for meals. I think having a good time outweighed being tired or wanting to complain.

 

[minnie411]

I don't know what your kids are like but ONE stroller seat would be a recipe for sibling rivalry in my family if there ever was one!!

Never even gave that a thought. I think we would do two seperate, this way DH and I can share the load.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

Thanks for all the responses.....I think I'm going to go ahead and use one...One thing now is should I take my stroller or rent one...I have a Macalaren that I love and folds up tight, but I'm worried about leaving it...When you get on the rides is there somewhere to leave the strollers so that no one messes with them?

 

[kj2mom]

I took my two 5 year olds and what I did was prepare a few months in advance. We walked daily to get used to walking. I was prepared to rent a stroller if needed but they never once mentioned anything about walking, never once complained.

There is stroller parking in each area, just be sure to use it or you might not find your stroller where you left it. I saw alot of CM's moving strollers that were not left in the proper places.

 

[Mainebound]

Never even gave that a thought. I think we would do two seperate, this way DH and I can share the load.

that's what we did -- 2 cheap umbrellas -- two years ago (boys were 3 and 5). Worked great, esp. when we needed to split up.