6 year old: To stroller or not to stroller. . .

[ekatiel]

That is the question . He's been to the world twice. The first two times, we brought a Joovy caboose for him and his brother (who's now eight). We do not bring him a stroller anywhere else and have not for a while (possibly since our last Disney trip when he was 4 and a half). Of course, older brother was 6 during our last Disney trip, and since he had a younger brother, he got to benefit from the stroller. My six year old does complain sometimes when we've been walking for a while. DH and I swore off the stroller after the last trip (pushing 80 pounds of kids around all day is not fun). Should I break down and try to find a lightweight single for the six year old? --Katie

 

[Alesia]

I wouldn't have brought a stroller for my daughter when she was 6.

 

[Boski]

Just start going on walks now to prepare him We first took our kids to WDW when they had just turned 4 and 5 and we managed fine with no stroller.

 

[lanejudy]

You know your child best, and you also know your family's typical way of attacking WDW. Do you go strong from rope-drop to park closing late at night? Then you may well need a stroller. Do you take it easy with a "we'll get there when we get there" attitude and plenty of rest breaks? Then you can probably do without. Do you plan some "down" days to hang at the resort or will you be on-the-go every day? Think about how you plan to do the parks, how often you plan to visit the parks, and the frequency of your breaks throughout the day. Then think how your child does on his busiest/most active day. Can he repeat that level of activity for multiple days in a row?

May people will say no a 6-year-old doesn't need a stroller; just as many will indicate absolutely yes my 8 or 9 year old still needs a stroller. It can very much depend on the child and the family's style.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[lilipad]

I saw a lot of strollers with no kids, but a lot of stuff while we were there. I think, had we rented one, it would have just been for the stuff. LOL. You know your kids, if you think they'd actually use the thing then go for it I suppose. Otherwise, it's a pretty hefty expense when you can just take a backpack. KWIM? Personally, mine would throw a fit if we even suggested a stroller (for babies dontcha know). You might consider breaking the day up and going back to the hotel pool when people get whiney. Water always makes kids feel happier. That and snacks.

 

[TyTysMommy]

This question could open up some crazy debates. Some people think if your 6 year old uses a stroller they are spoiled, over-indulged, lazy, and many other terms they can come up with. Other people will say its up to you. You know your child best.

I took a cheap umbrella stroller for my son when he was 6. It helped me out more than it helped him. We could store all of our bags in it. He walked most of the time, but had a seat when he started getting tired and cranky. We could stay at the parks late while he slept. It was great for pushing a sleeping kid to the bus stops and to our room. He is 8 now, so he will definitely walk the whole time. I think 6 is the cutoff for my family.

There is no stroller law. Do what works best for your family.

 

[tbaptista]

Was in WDW in July and rented 2 single strollers for our stay DD7 and DS4.

Did my daughter need one, probably not, but having them sure did pick up the pace when walking around the park. So much easier zipping around with a stroller rather than dragging her by her hand in crowds.

Also, we don't leave the parks we do the park sun-up to sun-down. So when the kids wanted a nap that meant shopping time for us. They slept in the strollers for an hour or two while we shopped or just did site seeing.

It worked out great.

Did people give us looks for having a 7 year old in a stroller. Don't know was to busy looking at everything else. lol

 

[okeydokey]

I wouldn't dream of bringing a stroller for a 6 year old.

 

[jfelcie]

Our grandson was 5 1/2 this July. We rented one for the week and it was loved by all! It made everything sooo much easier!

 

[bitohoney]

There are plenty of attractions to see while sitting and plenty of places to sit for a break. At 6, I say no to a stroller. If he complains when he's 12 will you still put him in a stroller?

 

[lilipad]

Meant to add --- when we were first planning to go when our ds was 5, EVERYONE said to get one. I thought, "he hasn't ridden one in YEARS and he's the size of a 7 yr old!" But everyone swore they'd be a big help. Just about everyone I knew with kids 6 and under used them. That said, my guy is now 7 (and the size of an 11 yr old) so it wasn't really a viable option. I can see how, when he was 5, it would have come in handy (and we would have gotten some dirty looks), but hey. I can also see how it would add a little extra work though -- getting it on/off buses, having to park it, etc. Like the previous poster says, there are no stroller laws or rules.

 

[MisWal]

I never understand why people ask strangers this question. You are the only one that knows your kid and whether or not he will need a stroller. If you don't think he will, but then he does, you can always rent one.

 

[tbaptista]

There are plenty of attractions to see while sitting and plenty of places to sit for a break. At 6, I say no to a stroller. If he complains when he's 12 will you still put him in a stroller?

If they fit. Hell ya!

 

[Hootch]

the "you know your child" group.

For our trip when our daughter was six we rented a stroller a couple of days. People that say a six year old doesn't need a stroller may not have had experiences similar to ours. At six our daughter was playing rec soccer and had began competitive swimming. But she had leg aches from the time she was three if she had a very active day. We have talked with her pediatrician who chalks it up to growing pains. The stroller saved us from being up late at night with her.

She's nine now and we still have to put her to bed with a heating pad on her legs once or twice a week. She is still in soccer and does competition speed skating from 4-6 hours a week.

 

[PHXscuba]

NOT taking a stroller for our 6-year-old (we also had a very petite 9-year-old not much bigger) was good for all of us, in that we took it at their pace and were forced to slow down some. We weren't running from ride to ride, we took lots of snack breaks, we had TS lunches on long days, we called it quits when any of us ran out of steam. We didn't take midday breaks, but we did alternate later evenings with early leave-around-6-and-swim days. Our kids did a whole week in October.

PHXscuba

 

[worm761]

I would not even make that an option for a 6 year old. You have to push that around. Not gonna happen for me. I am in the start walking to build up stamina group. Go on nature walks!

I took DS on his first trip at 5. It never occurred to me to even think of a stroller as an option. We will be leaving in 31 days . I now have a 16 year old DS and a 2 1/2 year old DD. DD hasn't been in a stroller hear at home in over a year. Her first trip was at 22 months and she walked most of that. We won't be taking a stroller for her. Our stroller days are done.

 

[GillianP1301]

I'm also in the do what's best for your family group.

Our son is 4 and has only used a stroller a handful of times in the last 2 years. Both were for all day walking type outings. He only sat in it for a small percentage of the time, but without the option those outings would've been not so fun. For that reason, we have decided to rent a stroller for our trip next week. Would I do the same at 6? I don't know, I'll let you know when we get to that point. But, if I felt it would help enhance the trip, then I would do it without a doubt. Who gives a rat's patoutie what anybody else thinks. There is always going to be at least a few judgemental morons out there no matter what you decide to do, so no sense worrying about them.

 

[auprincess]

On our last trip, my oldest was 6. We had a double stroller, for my other 2, but a few times I put the baby in my babyhawk and offered the stroller to my oldest ~ she usually turned it down. The only time she sat in it was at the end of a long day back to the car/monorail/bus. Since we drove, we even brought our single lightweight stroller in case they all needed it, but we never had to use it.

 

[EWDonald]

No! If my daughter was 6 years old and couldn't make it without a stroller, we'd stay home!

 

[Brian Noble]

My kids' parent-powered lifestyle of leisure ended pretty early. By 4-5 they were completely done, even at theme parks. We did go a little more slowly than we do now that they are teens/tweens, but all in all that is not such a bad thing.