All that walking and 8 yr old

[douglisa]

My son will be 8 when we go to Disney next Jan. I worry he will not be able to handle walking all day. We went to the museums in Chicago and it was not long before he was begging to be carried!!! He is just to big for that! He kept stopping to rest and annoyed our eldest. He is small and skinny for his age and we were wondering what we will do when we go to WDW and be walking even more.

 

[mylilnikita]

Alot can change from now until the time you go. My DD9 is also nothing but legs and thin and I first took her to WDW when she was 5, we did go slow. I had taken her to a couple local theme parks for a trial run. Start him out walking when it gets warm, not sure where you are, but to get his stamina up.

 

[MSSANDRA]

And if not... rent a stroller. They are plenty big for a small 8 year old and if that will make the trip better for you...then by all means do so. There is a LOT of walking. Our DS is now 15 but were were at WDW when he was 8. he was premature and still had a little bit of lower than the adverage enduracne levels and would tire out before me. We begged him to let us get him a stroller one night when he was tired but he refused. If your DS would not be embarrassed, get the stroller. Carrying him would not be very practical somewhere as large as WDW.

 

[Belle1962]

Don't use the word "stroller" to him.

Tell him it's for all kids who get tired. Mickey doesn't want anyone to be tired--that's why he made them big enough for bigger kids too.

I am sure some creative DISers can come up with alternate name for it......

 

[disneyjunkie]

Don't use the word "stroller" to him.

Tell him it's for all kids who get tired. Mickey doesn't want anyone to be tired--that's why he made them big enough for bigger kids too.

I am sure some creative DISers can come up with alternate name for it......

Regardless of what word or phrase is used, an 8 year old would know it's a stroller.

OP, I agree with mylilnikita, get him walking. Try walking trails, zoos, theme parks...

My niece (turned 5 two months before the trip) and nephew (6 1/2)when they took their first trip to WDW. They both were able to walk (actually they ran more then they walked )around the parks for 7 days, from opening to closing without using a stroller.

 

[DutchsMommy]

Our last 2 trips to WDW with DS - both when he was 5 yo - were the first without the stroller. We ended up renting one about 1/2 the nights. He was fine during the day, but by dinner was pretty pooped. I actually really enjoyed it as the adults could stroll around and he generally fell asleep in the stroller. Now, I realize 8 is a lot older than 5 but I still think there is nothing wrong with grabbing a stroller if he needs one. Why have everyone unhappy and upset by forcing the issue? Interestingly my husband totally disagrees with me on this one. For some reason men seem to be really big on 'toughening up' their boys and not treating them like babies?? Anyway, I just ignore him for the most part Hope you have a great trip!

PS - I will be bringing our stroller for our upcoming Mom and Son trip - he will be 6yo but I really don't care. IF I need it I need it, and by bringing it from home I don't have to drop the rental at the gates and carry him back to the busstop at the Parks!

 

[3jsmommy]

I would see how he is the first day..if you need to rent one you can always grab one. I like having the stroller to hold all of the stuff I don't want to , & it keeps us moving much faster than we could w/out it.

 

[lmnholds]

I think you may be surprised how much energy he'll have in WDW. Our son is 8 too and complains about walking everywhere except Disney. He's usually running when we're in WDW. Of course he fractured his foot and has a walking cast and we leave in 6 days for our next trip We are going to see if he can handle walking and if not we're renting the poor kid a wheelchair. We find that even our tiny little 5 yr old dd spends more time walking/running in the parks then she does in her stroller! We usually bring an unbrella stroller for her but this year we're just going to rent one. Or maybe we can save $ and have her sit in the wheelchair with her big bro

 

[stepnut]

Our kids were 8 & 6 for thier first trip. Our first day was at Sea World, and while there was a lot of walking, there was a lot of sitting for shows. The next was a visit to relatives, so there was no walking. The 3rd & 4th day was nonstop, sunup to sundown walking at Magic Kingdom. They were exhausted, but not a single request of "Stop!" or "carry me", or anything like that. I was stunned. There was a moment of meltdown by my DD6 on that 2nd MK day, but I think that was because she was hungry and hot (It was July).

Now, I on the other hand, had sore calves for days. And I'm in GREAT shape! (I teach aerobics!)

 

[DawnM]

My kids don't complain at Disney at all.....it is only at places that aren't that exciting to them! LOL!

We just got back and even my 3 year old walked most of it.

I think we parents were the only ones complaining!

Dawn

 

[SilverMickey]

My kiddo's are small for their age... The youngest at 8 fit a large stroller just fine. We Did 7 long days in the park and were thankfull for the stroller. I think more for carrying a change of clothing, the popcorn container we kept filling up and water bottles. We even used it to hang wet bathing trunks from after the water rides! We will miss it when we go this year.

I had a graco stroller with large wheels. I covered the baby fabric with micky mouse race cars. I made a cloth water bottle holder from the same fabric that stretched across the handles and folded flat when the stroller folded. My oldest hates to admit it but he even napped in it one day when he hadn't slept well the night before.

Do what feels right to you! I have a hard time figuring out if an 8 yr old is a huge 5 yr old or a small 10 yr old... It is all up to what feels right for you!

When we left Disney we planned on giving our disney stroller to a family that might want it... but my youngest ended up not feeling well the day we headed to the airport so we kept it and he slept in it at the airport... By the time the plane took off he was fine. A bunch of over tired for us!

 

[douglisa]

Thank you all so much! I was thinking about the stroller thing too but assumed they would be to small. I hope many of you are right and that he will not tire but knowing him, being the whiny mommas boy that he is when he gets tired, he will hopefully not be too proud to accept the stroller. He is the baby of the family and the last child we will have so I am a bit guilty of smothering him in love! LOL Doug says he needs to "toughen up" also, as another persons husband says. LOL We would consider going back to the resort for rest but I am sure he would NOT go for that, besides....I do not want to miss a thing @ the park! LOL I wish they made something that does not look like a stroller for the older kids.
Thanks again, Lisa

 

[floridalaurie]

As long as you build in a few rest times-get an ice cream, inside shows, meals etc. he sould be fine. also, if you stay on site-head back to the resort for a swim or something. We took my DD in August (the hottest, most crowded time to go) and although whe said she was tired every so often, we took a couple of break and managed to stay in the park from 3pm until 3am when it closed. She slept good that night!! You know your child, so do what is necessary to let him enjoy the trip.

 

[Aliceacc]

I do not want to miss a thing @ the park! LOL I

I think that might get you into trouble.

I don't know when you're going, or for how long. But I do know that, unless you're there for a LONG stay during an uncrowded time (is there any such animal??) you're pretty much bound to miss something. Either that, or have memories of a crying 8 year old one consistently annoyed sibling, and 2 frazzled parents.

Why not do your homework, and focus in on each person's "Must Dos." (one for your son is enough rest that he can enjoy this vacation.

It may very well mean a daily trip to the resort to swim. (That's high on my kids' list, I'm sure.) And it may make you a little crazy. But if that's what MAKES his vacation, well, isn't that kind of the whole point?

It may very well mean splitting up: one parent with older sibling, one stopping for ice cream while your younger child rejuvenates. That's OK. Just have a solid plan for when and where you'll hook up again.

A stroller sounds fine; I'm fairly sure he won't be the only "big kid" in one. You can excuse it away early (before he's tired enough to need it) on the basis that you need someplace to store all the stuff you've brought to the park.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My DS7 has always walked at WDW; the younger one needs a stroller at the same age the older one walked. I think it depends on the child.

We take a break at the resort almost, if not every day. We all need it, not just the kids! WDW is exhasuting, if you've never been, it may surprise you. You'll see other kids his age in the stroller, he won't be the only one.

 

[Schmeck]

If you do end up getting the 8 yr old a stroller, don't be surprised if you end up having to push him all by yourself since you have said you baby him and your husband wants to 'toughen him up' - can you handle that?

Has your son had his blood levels checked to make sure he is not anemic? If he can't walk the museum, he's got a pretty bad endurance problem. Does he complain of leg pain, does he complain about running in gym class? When he's home, is he active, or sedentary? Has he grown a lot recently? Does he eat healthy food 95% of the time, or does he eat empty carbs if he can get them? I'd take him in for a check-up, just to make sure it's just a whiny mama's boy and not something more serious...

 

[mylilnikita]

Sometimes kids are silly.
I took DD9 to Oahu in October to see friends. I picked a condo that was close to a few things as I didn't have a rental car. The zoo was less than 5 minutes away, she whined about walking there, we got to the zoo, she was walking and running and playing at the little playground.
So start getting his stamina up and when you get there, he will probably so excited, he will be wanting to go all over the place.

 

[kacaju]

I have an 11 year old girl who has some slight motor skill issues. You know your kid the best, you need to do what will work for your family. For us, it meant not going to Disney until we were sure she could handle it. We only just took out kids this past year, mostly for that reason.
I think if you go with the knowledge that if he starts to get tired you will take him back to the resort and allow your dh and older child to stay in the park you will be OK.

I fully planned on taking our dd back to the hotel at any time if she needed it, but she didn't, she did wonderful.

 

[momxx5]

It totally depends on the child.

This summer we used a Mclaren Volvo, mainly for my tiny 5 yr old but also knowing that it would carry my small 8yr old (under 50lbs). Keeping up with others has been a struggle with our 8yr old and I'd rather her have a good time then get hung up on the stroller issue. She used it in late afternoons or evenings.

We still have the stroller and it was only used that week. But if we get to go back any time soon, then we would use it again.

 

[Aristomommy]

Disney walking is different from a hike or such. It's usually a couple of minutes of walking and then stopping for something fun. Many of the rides you sit on, which allows for a rest break. If it's still too much, take a break and go for a swim, if you don't want to rent a stroller. Our kids are very active and didn't have any problems walking from 5 years old but I see much older kids using strollers, so it's not so unusual.