Any 3.5 year olds who did not use a stroller (on a week+ long trip)? Also park stroller rental ?

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

When we go my toddler will be 3.5 . My child hates strollers and refuses them already. I am wondering what are the odds that in an almost 9 day trip, my 3.5 year old will be able to do all that walking daily? Has anyone's child been able to do this?

How did anyone find the park stroller rentals? Easy to push? Super uncomfortable, etc? I know about Kingdom, I used them in the past but I am not so sure my child will even want to ride in one so wondering if I needed one last minute if a park one would suffice.

 

[ucf_knight]

When we go my toddler will be 3.5 . My child hates strollers and refuses them already. I am wondering what are the odds that in an almost 9 day trip, my 3.5 year old will be able to do all that walking daily? Has anyone's child been able to do this?

How did anyone find the park stroller rentals? Easy to push? Super uncomfortable, etc? I know about Kingdom, I used them in the past but I am not so sure my child will even want to ride in one so wondering if I needed one last minute if a park one would suffice.

0% chance your child makes the whole trip just walking. If you don’t have a stroller for them you’ll end up carrying them all over the place. Also the stroller helps you get through the parks easier in my opinion so your kid isn’t getting trampled over walking through crowds. The strollers look fine that they rent in the park but we always bring our own for our kids (4,6). The stroller also allows you to put any bags, snacks, toys etc in it so you aren’t carrying around all the kid stuff on your back.

 

[Rory607]

I would bring a stroller at that age, even if they don’t use it at home. But if you don’t want to, I would probably buy an umbrella stroller at the park before renting the park stroller. I’ve always thought the park ones look uncomfortable for kids to sit in and cumbersome to push.

 

[charmed59]

My 3 year old didn’t use a stroller. Her normal routine was walking places, so Disney was no different. How does your 3.5 year old hold up at the mall or the zoo?

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d recommend bringing a cheap umbrella stroller at that age, just in case they need it. If they don’t need or want it, no big deal. Keep it folded up in your room. Slide it under the bed or hang it in the closet.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

When we go my toddler will be 3.5 . My child hates strollers and refuses them already. I am wondering what are the odds that in an almost 9 day trip, my 3.5 year old will be able to do all that walking daily? Has anyone's child been able to do this?

How did anyone find the park stroller rentals? Easy to push? Super uncomfortable, etc? I know about Kingdom, I used them in the past but I am not so sure my child will even want to ride in one so wondering if I needed one last minute if a park one would suffice.

for me one bad point about park rentals is the end of day when child is tired and you have to leave stroller at the gate and then walk all the way to the buses or boat or tram or car. that can be a long carry. if you want to try a couple of days go ahead but i would have the number of rental company with me

 

[quandrea]

My twins stopped with the stroller around two and a half. We did not do full park days though. Usually rope drop until about one thirty. Then we took a break and might have returned to a park for dinner and a few more rides in the early evening.

We preferred no stroller. They were active and happy through the day because they were not confined and slept really well at night.

Only you know your kids, but it’s doable.

 

[Calee]

Our first trip my kids were 4, 6 and 8 and we hadnt used a stroller in years. First day we rented a double in park after half a day. All 3 kids fought over it lol.

I loved renting the one in the park. I didnt have to deal with it on transportation or storing it in our room. We didnt need it outside the park. It was low to the ground and not babyish. If we hopped to another park we could show our receipt and get a stroller there. Worked for us.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Our 3 year old did Europe last summer (he’d just turned 3) without a stroller... we did have a single stroller for his nearly 2 year old brother. It was okay, not ideal but we made it and that trip was still wonderful. His sister (then newly age 5) also walked it. For what it’s worth we did 10-13 miles daily in European cities. We just got back from WDW and never walked that much in a day (I think our highest day was 9.3 miles, most were 7-8ish) but we did have a double so he had a stroller spot for WDW.

I think if you consider how much walking you do in your daily life, it may be feasible. We live in a city so walk to school, parks, grocery stores, the doctor, etc so my kids are accustomed to higher mileage days. It takes time for their little legs to build up to that. I do find they sleep better at night when they’ve been on their feet more during the day, so that’s a plus (our kids slept great at WDW and I think part of that was being extra tired out).

I’d probably rent a park stroller in your kiddos case if he needs it and know that you might be carrying a kid over your shoulder if you stay for fireworks.

Either way we found that Carousel of Progress, Tiki room, beauty and the beast singalong at Epcot, the Lightning McQueen show in HS, the Little Mermaid show in HS and Bugs Life and Lion King shows in AK were great breaks off their feet that they enjoyed.

 

[loves to dive]

We started going when my son was just shy of 3. He didn't use a stroller anywhere outside of Disney, hated them and you couldn't force him into them. I didn't even own one at that point. So obviously, he didn't use one at Disney. We would just go at his pace, if he wanted to stop and run around a lawn, we stopped and ran around a lawn. If he wanted to stop and rest, we stopped and rested. I was a single mom so used to going at his pace. He would walk a step or two in front of me most of the time, if it was too crowded he would hold my hand and in lines for food, I made him hold onto my clothes. If he got too tired for words, we would go back to the resort for him to rest. I also didn't carry a huge bag of stuff for him. I carried a tiny little bag to hold some travel wipes for when he got sticky in lines, and a small ziplock of whatever snack type thing he was obsessed with that day, usually cherrios. That was it. If he got too dirty, back to room for a wardrobe change. We didn't do rope drop to close either, it was never about how many rides we could ride or how much we could get done, just about enjoying the time and place.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

My 3 year old didn’t use a stroller. Her normal routine was walking places, so Disney was no different. How does your 3.5 year old hold up at the mall or the zoo?

She does get floppy/cranky when she gets tired at some point so yeah, you are right. I guess I will likely need to take one or rent one.

 

[Dawn Peterson]

My kids were 7 and 10 on our last trip and we have done the parks without strollers. However we rented one this last time on our last day and I would recommend it. I think they were capable of the walking but giving them the break to be pushed let us stay in the park longer with better attitudes. It was easy to rent and return. You can always give it a shot and have the stroller rental in your back pocket.

 

[Van@Disney]

If you think he will end up needing one, or that you will end up needing him to be in one ( your call you know your child best) you can try to make as much of it his decision as possible. In this case maybe take him to buy a cheap stroller and let him pick which one he wants after trying them out ( if you can find one with a straight up seat so that he can see fully he might like it more) . Perhaps let him give the cashier money etc. Or let him decorate it, stickers bike ribbons, whatever. My daughter added bike lights to hers, which she thought looked great.

 

[brockash]

When we go my toddler will be 3.5 . My child hates strollers and refuses them already. I am wondering what are the odds that in an almost 9 day trip, my 3.5 year old will be able to do all that walking daily? Has anyone's child been able to do this?

How did anyone find the park stroller rentals? Easy to push? Super uncomfortable, etc? I know about Kingdom, I used them in the past but I am not so sure my child will even want to ride in one so wondering if I needed one last minute if a park one would suffice.

I just cannot imagine any 3/4 year old who wwouldn't want to jump in a stroller multiple times during a 9 day disney trip. My kids never used them past 2/3 at home, but Disney is way different and they'd want them still at 6/7. At 3.5; it'd be non-negotiable...we'd bring our stroller from home. I'm positive he/she will fall asleep in it at least once.

I guess I should also add; as a family we don't go at the pace or whim of any 1 person and certainly not the youngest/smallest. I suppose that would make a difference.

 

[Aj1129]

My son who was almost three at the time disliked the stroller. He walked all around wdw the first two days. By the end of the trip he was jumping right in the stroller. His poor legs most have been so tired. Last years trip he was close to four and refused to walk. He wanted his stroller the whole trip. This year he will be almost 5 and we plan on bringing his stroller from home. We haven’t used his stroller at home, but I can’t see him lasting a week of walking in the hot August sun.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

My kids are 5 & 3.5 and stroller free at home. We were at WDW a couple weeks ago.

I considered no stroller, a single and a double and brought our double for a few reasons:

1. Walking through crowds: when we walk through a thick crowd, I feel more comfortable with my kids in the stroller. Many adults look above and over the people in front of them and not down. When it’s shoulder to shoulder, my kids go in the stroller.

2. On a few occasions, my 3 year old hopped in the stroller and fell asleep (to my surprise!) A little stroller catnap was just what he needed to refresh (he will not lay down for a nap at the hotel.)

3. My kids walked for much of the day, but at the end of the night, they were tired. Stroller was helpful for walking from the back of the park to the front after a long day. Also, we were staying at BLT, so they’d ride back to the hotel in it at the end of the MK nights.

4. For during rain! We had one very rainy day a couple weeks ago. The kids were so much more comfortable being able to take cover in the stroller under the rain cover. They stayed dry and comfortable.

5. For snack time. If we grabbed something to eat and couldn’t find a bench or somewhere to sit, the kids would take a break and sit in our stroller (we always try to stop for snacks, not eat while walking.)

So, for us ... the stroller was very helpful on our most recent trip even though my kids NEVER use a stroller at home anymore.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

My kids are 5 & 3.5 and stroller free at home. We were at WDW a couple weeks ago.

I considered no stroller, a single and a double and brought our double for a few reasons:

1. Walking through crowds: when we walk through a thick crowd, I feel more comfortable with my kids in the stroller. Many adults look above and over the people in front of them and not down. When it’s shoulder to shoulder, my kids go in the stroller.

2. On a few occasions, my 3 year old hopped in the stroller and fell asleep (to my surprise!) A little stroller catnap was just what he needed to refresh (he will not lay down for a nap at the hotel.)

3. My kids walked for much of the day, but at the end of the night, they were tired. Stroller was helpful for walking from the back of the park to the front after a long day. Also, we were staying at BLT, so they’d ride back to the hotel in it at the end of the MK nights.

4. For during rain! We had one very rainy day a couple weeks ago. The kids were so much more comfortable being able to take cover in the stroller under the rain cover. They stayed dry and comfortable.

5. For snack time. If we grabbed something to eat and couldn’t find a bench or somewhere to sit, the kids would take a break and sit in our stroller (we always try to stop for snacks, not eat while walking.)

So, for us ... the stroller was very helpful on our most recent trip even though my kids NEVER use a stroller at home anymore.

Thank you. I am convinced. We will need to bring it. Thank you all who responded.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thank you. I am convinced. We will need to bring it. Thank you all who responded.

my guess is you will be glad you did

 

[MrsDuck]

My 2yo doesn't like his stroller either but will *sometimes* ride in on at Disney. We typically bring it with us just in case.

 

[mercuryvenus]

We just went with our 3.5 year old. She doesn't normally use a stroller at home, but she used one a lot at Disney. It's a ton of walking for little kids.