At what age did you stop using a stroller for your child at the Disney parks?

[Timandalicia]

If it makes a difference I have boys and there are no special needs.

I realize if the boys walk we will probably need to take an afternoon break.

Oh boy oh boy. If it hasn’t gotten there already, this thread will turn into nothing about you and become an all out brawl. I’m very excited.
With that. You decide. Over 8 and you’ll be judged (by some). But if you don’t care then who cares. My philosophy is whatever modus operandi you need to get ‘er done.

 

[AmyMac1109]

We're taking my 3 1/2 year old for the first time this year. And a stroller is a legitimate concern for me. He HATES the stroller. Will not use it. But if we are limited by the legs of a 3 1/2 year old, we'll never get anywhere.

 

[Belleandtinker]

5 years old - yes, too old for a stroller but wow was it nice. Best decision for our DS and family. It truly made life easier - a place to hold snacks and water and purchases. Parked it then enjoyed the land/area then moved to the next location/land. During the parades, he had a great spot. At the end of the night, we buzzed out of there.

I don't think age matters, it's about your kid and how to get the most fun out of your WDW day.

 

[Lilsia]

We're taking my 3 1/2 year old for the first time this year. And a stroller is a legitimate concern for me. He HATES the stroller. Will not use it. But if we are limited by the legs of a 3 1/2 year old, we'll never get anywhere.

It's not as bad as it seems. I would just plan to do one area at a time instead of criss crossing the parks all day. Kids that age are going to want to stop and look at random stuff, like the ducks, so your pace is going to be slower anyway. The best advice that I can give anyone with toddlers is to absolutely take it at their pace. It is not worth the stress and meltdowns just to get a couple extra rides in. You do want to take it slower with more breaks, make sure they are drinking and eating enough, have plenty of bathroom breaks, etc. At that age, it has to be about them. Then, when your kids are all grown up, like mine are now, you get to go without them.

 

[AmyMac1109]

It's not as bad as it seems. I would just plan to do one area at a time instead of criss crossing the parks all day. Kids that age are going to want to stop and look at random stuff, like the ducks, so your pace is going to be slower anyway. The best advice that I can give anyone with toddlers is to absolutely take it at their pace. It is not worth the stress and meltdowns just to get a couple extra rides in. You do want to take it slower with more breaks, make sure they are drinking and eating enough, have plenty of bathroom breaks, etc. At that age, it has to be about them. Then, when your kids are all grown up, like mine are now, you get to go without them.

Great advice. Thank you. My older kids went as toddlers a bunch, so we know to do the toddler pace. This will be a first time with a toddler and 2 teenagers though. I suspect they'll be the ones struggling with the toddler's pace. Thankfully they can go off and do their own things.

 

[musika]

I haven't read all replies but on our first trip our kids were ages 6 and 2.5 and we rented a double stroller. Best investment ever. With just a 6 year old I probably wouldn't have bothered, but it was fantastic being able to pop their little legs in there so we could stay late for fireworks, have a quiet shady spot wherever we were, that little bit of storage for water bottles etc.

On our next trip our kids were 7.5 and 4. We did not get a stroller and frankly ended up carrying the 4 year old a lot. He was an unreasonable little soul in general on that trip though. I would say anything under 6, it's fair game. Older than that should be able to easily manage with adequate breaks.

 

[katyjeka]

It was a fight to get our kids in strollers after 3 or 4 so we stopped using them. This worked for our family however some families take them for kids that are much older. You know your child best and what will work for your family. The most important thing is a successful trip so go with your gut. Have a great trip.

 

[goodeats]

DD did her first WDW trip at 6 in no stroller. She did get tired but never complained about walking.

We were DL AP holders and now I can’t remember her last time in a stroller. Probably 3 or 4? It’s not comparable though because it’s not like we went for several days in a row.

 

[Ranger Liz]

My daughter is 5 and a half and we are planning on bringing one. My biggest thing is the airport and keeping her safe and close. For the parks I'm planning on us not needing one for the morning but then going back to the room to rest/recharge, and grab it for the evening. I don't think she will need it in the morning and by the end we will be more tired so it's nice to hang bags, etc.

 

[DisneyMama811]

our youngest will be newly 6 when we go, we are definitely getting a stroller, she has some strength and stamina issues and I just can't put up with the whining, I'd rather have the hassle of lugging a stroller around than dropping thousands of dollars to constantly listen to "my legs are tired" for 12 days...we will also do mid day resort breaks but I'm not even kidding I will die of shock if she isn't complaining in the first hour lol

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

My 5 yr old will be in a stroller, and honestly I wish my 8 yr old would still fit too, but she's too big. I loved the stroller era because we went at my pace (fast) instead of the kids' pace (slow), and we had to take fewer breaks.

 

[keziah23]

My child is 6 and big for her age. But the very last thing I want to do is try to get an over tired (often asleep) kid back to the hotel through the crowds at the end of the night without a stroller. We're planning on taking it again for our upcoming trip at end of summer but parking it for most of the day and only getting it once she gets to the point where she can't really go on her on anymore. Plus its a really convenient way to carry around your stuff!

 

[Jeannie]

We're going on a family trip with our 4 toddler grands, 18 mos, 2yr old twins, 3.5 yr old. Taking umbrella strollers for the 3 youngest. The oldest will walk. She's preferred walking to being in a stroller since she was 2.

 

[DisneyMama811]

We're going on a family trip with our 4 toddler grands, 18 mos, 2yr old twins, 3.5 yr old. Taking umbrella strollers for the 3 youngest. The oldest will walk. She's preferred walking to being in a stroller since she was 2.

even at Disney? that's a lot of walking for a 3 year old

 

[GoingSince1990]

You always see lots of the “my kids are way too old for strollers” brigade miserably struggling to carry their sleeping children as they are leaving the park at the end of a long Disney day. Better to err on the side of having a stroller even if the child will be walking for much of the day; it’s also very handy to have to throw your stuff in. I was actually quite sad when our youngest child started to flat-out refuse to allow me to rent one,

 

[Jeannie]

even at Disney? that's a lot of walking for a 3 year old

We're staying at a Disney resort and we like to take our time touring the parks. We'll take a break midday and have no plans to keep the kids up late. Her mom, my DD, was the same way! She was the same age for her first Disney trip, and didn't use a stroller.

 

[pixiemama91]

On our last trip our youngest was 6 and we did not bring a stroller. Overall she was fine. There were a few times that she complained but she got over it pretty quickly if we kept her occupied. We did end up renting one a couple of times in the evening in Epcot when were doing some of the food booths for Food & Wine which helped but we really didn’t need one for the whole trip.

 

[DLgal]

5 and 4, and for what it's worth, they BOTH have special needs.

We slowed down and went at their pace. And we didn't push them past their ability to walk. Never once had to carry out a sleeping child.

 

[DisneyMama811]

I think what it comes down to is you know your own child best, you know your own family and your travel style best and it's literally no one else's business. some kids may be fine without a stroller at 4 but some might struggle without one at 6.