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

[YodaGirl]

At 5, I didn't use a stroller. We went from rope drop till closing in the Magic Kingdom, and my dad had the pleasure of carrying me (asleep) back to the campsite.

That in mind, Disney has doubled the amount of parks that they have since I was five.

When we go in the spring, DS will be 1.5 yrs, and DD will be 6. I doubt that she'll need a stroller in MK or DHS, but our sit n stand will come in handy at AK and Epcot.

Bottom line is this: You know your child. If you think that your child needs a stroller, bring one. If in doubt, try it without one and if you need one, just go to guest relations and rent one.

I know that people on here can have very strong opinions one way or the other, but in actuality, I've never seen it be remotely an issue in the park. In fact, when we went in 06, my 5 yr old niece used a park stroller and no one stared or commented about poor parenting.

Have a good time!

 

[Planogirl]

These pointless arguments about strollers made me curious and since I like to people watch when we rest I watched for older kids in strollers during our last trip. I saw very few and being in a stroller certainly didn't seem to keep young kids from screaming either. We started to refer to those wails as the battle cries of the exhausted.

Why is this even an argument?

 

[Sphinx610]

So the big question.....DOUBLE or @ singles? I'm thinking of renting a double Citi mini for my 18 month old and almost 6 year old.

Thoughts??

The GT might work better for you. It is a little bigger and wider for your 6yo. My kids are 2/6 and that's what they recommended. You can see the comparison video on you tube- I believe Orlando Stroller Rentals made it and its on their Facebook page...

 

[North of Mouse]

To any parent that thinks my kid is lazy and we are encouraging it because WE would rather have him in a stroller when he is tired and WE don't want to take breaks....

Bring your 6 year old over, put the pads on and I bet my kid whips your kid up and down the football field all day long...

And when we are done with that, can drag the mats out and let them wrestle for a bit..

With all that excess energy I'd let him walk then, no problem

 

[bentopher]

I went in May. A single mom with 2 boys, 4.5 and 6. I brought a deluxe umbrella stroller. It saved me so many times. To hold stuff, to have a place for my older son to hold on to, and in desperate times I laid the back down and my youngest scrunched back and my oldest sat on the front so I could walk a bit faster to get some place or make the bus.

Was it a pain.. especially alone, yes.. on and off the bus, folding it and having other stuff yes. But could I have imagined all day at the park without it. Nope!

When I go in another year or so the boys will be 5.5 and 7 Not sure what I will do then. If I'm still single, I'll probably bring it. It's like an extra set of hands for me!

 

[ekatiel]

OP here. Wow. This thread has sure gotten a bit out of hand! For those of you who offered some insight, thanks . Still not sure what we're going to do. We are staying 12 nights, so it will be cheaper to buy one and bring it with us than to rent one. 12 nights means we can take it slow, but it also means that he might tire out at some point during the long trip, especially nights after parades/fireworks. In the end, it's going to be up to DH, who will probably end up doing 70% of the pushing (did I mention I love my DH? )!! BTW-- DH and I both hold master's degrees and our kids are skinny-- not sure they could beat someone up, though-- also not sure why any of that matters on a stroller thread !! Thanks again for the opinions, guys. --Katie

 

[baloo's girl]

We've gone to Disney many times. My kids are 3 years apart. 1st trip, They were 3 (boy) & 6 (girl). I participated in a double stroller swap, when that was happening here on the board. It was fantastic. The following year, 4 & 7, I rented a double stroller from Orlando Stroller . It was wonderful. We went with friends that year. They didn't get a stroller for their similar aged kids. My kids were happy the entire trip, not worn out. My friends kids were having melt downs daily from all the walking. They kept trying to get in our stroller, whenever mine popped out.

We went last year, my dd was too big for the stroller. So I rented a single from Magic Stroller or someplace (also great service). My son was 6. He barely rode in it one day and decided he didn't want to use it for the rest of the trip-so we left it in the room.

This year, we're not taking a stroller. And I must say, last year, when we didn't have a stroller, it was rather freeing and easier to move about. I also think it was easier, because my kids were older. But it was a pain having to carry our stuff around-the stroller made a great pack mule.

In my opinion, think about your children, their size, their personalities, how active they are, how they deal in crowds.

If you are wondering if you need a stroller, then you probably have your answer. I would rent a stroller from one of the companies mentioned here or allears or mousesavers. They are all great. And worst case scenario-you don't use the stroller. But it is peace of mind to have it available.

Going to Disney should be a fun experience. Do what you have to for YOUR family to have a pleasant and peaceful time.

 

[maxiesmom]

These pointless arguments about strollers made me curious and since I like to people watch when we rest I watched for older kids in strollers during our last trip. I saw very few and being in a stroller certainly didn't seem to keep young kids from screaming either. We started to refer to those wails as the battle cries of the exhausted.

Why is this even an argument?

Because some people think the way they choose to parent is the only way to parent. And if you don't do things exactly the way they do, you are wrong, and maybe even endangering your child somehow.

The facts are that no 2 children are identical, and how one family handles things may be different than how another family handles things. And that is ok. We each are free to decide what is best for our families, and proceed from there.

 

[Phatoomch]

Because some people think the way they choose to parent is the only way to parent. And if you don't do things exactly the way they do, you are wrong, and maybe even endangering your child somehow.

The facts are that no 2 children are identical, and how one family handles things may be different than how another family handles things. And that is ok. We each are free to decide what is best for our families, and proceed from there.

I totally agree .... which is why its never good to ask a parenting-related question on the DIS

However, we can give insight and try to do so respectfully

 

[Sunny521]

Will be taking a stroller for DS 5. Its his vacation, too, and its not much fun if you are tired and someone is dragging you around. Much better to have the option I think.

 

[mommapea]

I think you know your child better than anyone else. Don't listen to anyone who says that just because their own child didn't need it, or it looks silly, that it's a bad idea. Honestly, we borrowed one down there when my daughter was 6, and I said over and over that I wouldn't do it. The problem is that she is a very tall girl, and my husband didn't want to end up carrying her everywhere. At age 6, she still tended to konk out in the middle of the day or on our way to the busses. He said there was no way he could break his back carrying her while she was asleep. He's actually the one who talked me into it. For the most part, we used to to keep our stuff. Loved having a place to hold my drinks. Just nice to have. And may I also add that I didn't use strollers for my girls after age 3 anywhere else. Didn't need them. Just this one last time at Disney. I didn't realize it was a problem one way or another...nor, anyone else's business. They could carry her, if they wanted to.

I do like the idea of family walks to increase endurance. That's what we're trying to do, now. Which reminds me...need to grab my girls for an evening walk

 

[kohlby]

So the big question.....DOUBLE or @ singles? I'm thinking of renting a double Citi mini for my 18 month old and almost 6 year old.

Thoughts??

How about a single and a sling/carrier? Then the 6 year old can get breaks while the younger one is in the sling/carrier? We did that for three trips and it worked quite well. (Though our stroller child was only 3 so the younger one was in the sling most of the time).

As for the OP - You know your child best. My oldest would complain about walking less than half a mile. His legs always hurt. He was tired. Then we went to Disney and a stroller was not an option for him. (Our stroller was only up to 50 lbs and he wieghed more - plus the 3 year ol was in the stroller and the nearly year old in the sling). We told the kids that we would leave the parks once someone acted like it was time to leave. We walked a lot. And the 6 year old kept up - with 7 different parks in 7 days with a break day in the middle. I had no idea he could keep up so well! I had thought I'd have to have more breaks or go easier on him - but nope, he rose to the challenge! So, even if you think your child may need one, you may be surprised!
On our last trip, the plan was for the 5 year old to not use the stroller. She has amazing endurance but is rather small. She did okay but we did end up giving her breaks in the stroller since the 2.5 year old refused the stroller and ended up in the sling. Those short breaks did help. She would have been fine without the stroller, but it would have meant slowing down our pace.

*I should also add that the beginning of June is the closest we've ever been in the summer and we usually go in the winter. That makes a HUGE difference. A child is much more likely to need a stroller in the heat of summer.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I hate, hate, hate strollers. Last time we went to WDW with children that were conceivably "stroller age", the stroller wasn't being used by either of the children half the time. We drug it around empty, and kept forgetting where we put it or had to go back for it.

Only you can know whether your child would use it. If it were me, NO WAY.

 

[scrapper2k]

I'm just back and took an umbrella stroller for a skinny underweight 7 yr old. I'm so happy I did. He walked around the first two days and the stroller carried our gear (two backpacks) but as the week progressed and we did a ton (opening to closing each day) he started to use it. On Thursday, he wasn't feeling well and sat all day. I took him to the first aid station and he had a temp of 102. I can not imagine my week without the stroller. A cheap umbrella stroller does the trick.

 

[jenrose66]

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

I wanted to report back on this topic since I just returned home from Disney about a week ago.

I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old, and a 6 year old. We brought a cheap umbrella stroller for DD and the two boys had to walk.

They survived...but it was a challenge. We stayed at AoA and it literally took us 10 minutes to walk from the food court to our room in the Cars section. I have never walked so slow in my life. It was painful. The parks were even worse. I'm a fast walker so I'm not kidding when I say our time spent getting from place to place TRIPLED if not more so.

Maybe if we had went in January when the heat wasn't an issue it wouldn't have been so bad. However, I regret not having the double stroller. It would have kept our pace up, provided more space in terms of cupholders, etc...and it would have given the boys a little relief (as they could have taken turns with the extra stroller space).

Now if I had just been with older DS I would not have made a point to get a stroller...he could have just piggy backed on us sometimes...but I think DS 3 really could have used a stroller.

 

[MartDM]

I'm all for strollers if the kids want to use them - they have many positive advantages.

Park touring is a lot of work & exertion for little legs (remember, they take several steps for every one of ours). IMO, anything you can do to to maximize their physical and mental longevity througout a day in the parks is a plus. My little guy (who is 5 now) swore off his regular stroller at age 2, but has no problem being chauffered around WDW in a comfy double stroller. He walks when he wants, he rides when he grows weary, we make better time getting around the parks, and he never whines or drags his feet.

 

[deanimal]

My kids are 2.5 and almost 4 so we're definitely still in the stroller stage, even though my older DD usually refuses to ride unless she's about to collapse. However, I'm dreading the end of the stroller stage for MYSELF. Without a stroller, where on earth will I put all my stuff? Jackets, umbrellas, sunscreen, water bottles, snacks, etc, etc, etc. You mean I'll have to start carrying all that junk?
So for me the question has less to do with how my kids will do without one than how I will cope!

 

[Redbudlover]

I am taking my 6 year old DGD next month - if I got a stroller it would be so she could push me!!@

 

[HHSTigerFan]

I wanted to report back on this topic since I just returned home from Disney about a week ago.

I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old, and a 6 year old. We brought a cheap umbrella stroller for DD and the two boys had to walk.

They survived...but it was a challenge. We stayed at AoA and it literally took us 10 minutes to walk from the food court to our room in the Cars section. I have never walked so slow in my life. It was painful. The parks were even worse. I'm a fast walker so I'm not kidding when I say our time spent getting from place to place TRIPLED if not more so.

Maybe if we had went in January when the heat wasn't an issue it wouldn't have been so bad. However, I regret not having the double stroller. It would have kept our pace up, provided more space in terms of cupholders, etc...and it would have given the boys a little relief (as they could have taken turns with the extra stroller space).

Now if I had just been with older DS I would not have made a point to get a stroller...he could have just piggy backed on us sometimes...but I think DS 3 really could have used a stroller.

Exactly, when we got a stroller for our 4 and 7 year olds, it was for my sanity, not because I felt they needed one.. there is no way ANY child that age could keep up with me for an entire trip and not stress me out by needing to constantly take a break or take forever getting from point A to B...

Our upcoming trips, kids will be 6 and 9, only there for 5 days, think the only day we will get one is EPCOT/MVMCP day, not only is Epcot a lot of walking, will also be a long day.. most of the day the stroller will be empty, but at some point will be glad we have it..

 

[DW2010]

I am so glad this was asked. DD will be 6 October 2nd, the day after we arrive. I am debating on if I should rent a stroller. She used it a lot 2 years ago. I fully believe she would be fine walking, but Dh and I would have to walk at her pace which isn't exactly fast enough for me . So, in a sense, you could say that us renting the stroller would be more so for our sanity than because we feel she needs it. I'm still not sure what to do. I better decide quickly as we arrive October 1st.