At What Age Did You Stop Using a Stroller in the Parks?

[asmit4]

The last trip any of my children rode in a stroller was age 5. But you will see kids but in strollers that appear to be old enough for Jr high.

I would bet that some who we see in strollers might be 9 or 10 or even older- but that they have physical/mental limitations that we might not outwardly see.

Now, IMHO- if your child is a healthy child without these kinds of limitations- perhaps once you kid hits 8...I'd say they need to grow up and stop being lazy. I see more and more kids these days just being lazy. LOL!

People have suggested on the boards to prep your family- especially your little ones by walking at home for 30 minutes a few times a week. Build up stamina!

 

[bigbabyblues]

Our first trip, oldest was 3 years, 10 months old, and youngest was 15 months old. The oldest only rode in the stroller one time, that was after Fantasmic when the baby was asleep in the backpack carrier. He never used a stroller after that. Youngest used a stroller some on the trip when he was 4, but we didn't take it after that. We went once a year at that point. We did take a break in the afternoons, but all of us needed it.

 

[PrincessKimmy]

This is a really good question, I have been thinking about this a lot. Our next trip is scheduled for Sept 2015, and I will have a 2.5 year old and a 4 year old. So I will be renting a double for sure. But I'll also have a 5 year old (a month shy of 6). And originally I figured the 4 and 5 year old could just swap out and take turns if the 5 year old really needed a rest.... but the more I think about it the more I worry she might need one too.

Nither of my older kids use them at home anymore.... but Disney is a whole different ball game. Something I am going to have to think about for sure.

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

My girl ditched her stroller at 18 months but used one just last week with glee on our Disney trip, and she will be 6 in July. With the heat, the walking, the excitement, and the LOOOONG days she never would have made it. Our next trip she will be nearly 8 and way too big for me to physically push around, so she will be on her own. No one looked at me twice for pushing a giant 5 year old around in a stroller and I saw many parents yelling at their exhausted kids by noon and throughout the afternoon. Do what works for you.

 

[chris31997]

At 2ish I carried DS for most of it. At 5 he walked. He was never one to be in a stroller.

Like others have said when he was tired and needed a break, so did his parents. In fact there were times the parents made him take a break cause we needed it more than him

 

[Kristina4109]

My daughter used a stroller until she was 5, and then she was done. However, this was at Disneyland, where there is considerably less walking than at WDW. Her last WDW trip she was 4 and in the stroller. This upcoming trip she'll be 8 so I'm confident she'll be all right. If she's pooped, we'll all take a break.

 

[brockash]

How old were your kids when you stopped bringing a stroller to WDW? I think my kids are getting close to not needing one during the day, but they both almost always fall asleep right before Fireworks, so it's still convenient for us to bring it even though we may not use it until around their bedtime. Thoughts?

Our kids use a stroller at WDW through age 6. They're both active kids average height although a little under weight. We took trips to Disneyland both when they were each 5 and didn't use nor did they need a stroller then, but it's much smaller, we don't go for as many days and it wasn't nearly as hot as our WDW vacations.

 

[powellrj]

4

 

[JusbKoz]

I wouldn't put an certain age limit on it. I would think about your kids and how they handle walking a lot and your touring plan. If you are trying to get a lot done in one day I would say get the stroller but if you are going to take your time and take breaks then you may not need a stroller. I think our oldest was 7 or 8? ( small for her age) Our youngest was 5. We was so glad when we didn't need to lug around a stroller but in the same time we had to go a slower pace because little ones take two steps to your one step.

 

[caselaw3]

mine used a stroller at 3.5 and 4.5 and i will be bringing the stroller again in Feb when they are almost 5 and almost 6 - i will be happy to have it if they need it - better than having them unhappy and ruin the fun...also....its a great place to put stuff!!!!

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

My boys were 7 and just turned 5 on our first trip. Never even occurred to me to have a stroller and they would have been mortified if we suggested such a "baby" thing for them! Never needed it. Several more trips since then and never even thought about it. Rest when you need it. Slow down to their pace.

 

[Minnesota!]

Both kids had their last stroller trip around 4 1/2. We got a double in 2008 when my kids were 20 months and 4.5. After that, we only had a single until my younger was 4. When we went when he was 5, he walked.

 

[robinb]

I would say that we scaled back from 100% at about 5-6 years old. We then went to just Epcot and at nights. My DD would go-go-go until she literally passed out (even with a mid-afternoon rest because she insisted on staying awake!). The stroller allowed us to continue through the parks even through she was asleep. When she was about 8 we only rented a stroller for New Years Eve because she was sure to fall asleep before midnight. At 9 we found abandoned stroller (rental stroller left with NO card and NO name) for NYE after the price seemed to double for a rental. That was the last time my DD used a stroller, but at 14 she still scopes out for abandoned ones to this day .

 

[SEA333]

The winners are the parents who have happy kids at the end of the night, although you wouldn't know it from some of the posters on the DIS! It's like a badge of honor or something...."my kids would be MORTIFIED if I mentioned a stroller after the age of 3!! I win!!"

We rented one for my DS when he was 5 year old, who gets random, severe leg cramps (thankfully seeming to be outgrowing them now that he is 8) but when one strikes he cannot walk. Luckily we never needed it for that reason, but as our first time as a family in WDW, I rather enjoyed using it in each land for all of the junk we brought. Haven't made that mistake again!!! LOL

I thought that we would really need it at park close (we were there from 9am until after Wishes), but I ended up returning it empty while DH and the kids staked out our spot for Wishes. DS was totally fine. We did not feel it was needed for the next trip when he was 7. However, IF we felt it was, I wouldn't let anyone else talk me into not getting one just because their superhuman child can walk from here to the ends of the earth.

Do what you need to do to keep everyone happy!

 

[SEA333]

I would say that we scaled back from 100% at about 5-6 years old. We then went to just Epcot and at nights. My DD would go-go-go until she literally passed out (even with a mid-afternoon rest because she insisted on staying awake!). The stroller allowed us to continue through the parks even through she was asleep. When she was about 8 we only rented a stroller for New Years Eve because she was sure to fall asleep before midnight. At 9 we found abandoned stroller (rental stroller left with NO card and NO name) for NYE after the price seemed to double for a rental. That was the last time my DD used a stroller, but at 14 she still scopes out for abandoned ones to this day .

Hahaha!!! My 14 year old would probably climb into one and let me push him around all day if he could! No shame for him...and he is a big strong football player.

 

[robinb]

Hahaha!!! My 14 year old would probably climb into one and let me push him around all day if he could! No shame for him...and he is a big strong football player.

Yeah, she was pretty disappointed when she tried to crawl into a single stroller and she was too big for it!

 

[LONES]

We have 2 DD's that are now 7 and 9. The nine year old is on the small side for her age, and the 7 year old is the size of most 4-5 year olds we know.

Our older daughter was pretty much done by 5-6, but we always still had the stroller with for her sister, so she did still have a place to sit for a bit if she needed to. I remember one night leaving Epcot late, and making the decision to push the 6 year old and carry the 4 year old. It was 24lbs vs 40lbs, so it was really a no-brainer as to who we were going to carry! Other than that, I don't think our older daughter used the stroller much that trip at all.

We just went this past January, and for the first time did not bring a stroller. Our 7 year old is still pretty small (about 45" and 42lbs). We did rent a stroller at Epcot. We had been out late the night before, and had a 11:30 ADR at Akerhus. She fell asleep while we were at the restaurant. I ran back to the front and rented a stroller, just to be safe!

At one point when we were stopped to watch a street performance, the 7year old got out to sit on a bench with her grandpa. My 9 year old jumped in the stroller to sit and watch the street performer. I actually kind of laughed to myself that we were going to be mentioned on the Dis as "you wouldn't believe these people that had a 12 year old in a stroller!!!" by someone who got a 3 minute glimpse of our vacation.

 

[texasroni75]

5 years old.

The last time we brought a stroller to WDW for our then 5-year-old, our 8 year-old begged to sit in it every so often at the parks. We did NOT bring a stroller just for her, but did let her sit if her brother wanted to be out walking. She was very small for her age at the time, so admittedly she did fit without any trouble.

 

[blessedby3]

My youngest DD is 6 and we are heading to the World in 20 days for a 2 week trip
This will be her last trip with a stroller. She is a tiny little thing and still fits easily in our Mac Volo. She won't ride in it all day, but when she gets tired we will have it for her to jump into. It is also nice to have when the crowds get overwhelming and we need to be somewhere quick. I feel she is safer when she is in there
I am dreading when we don't have the stroller as it is a great place to throw the water bottles and junk we carry.

 

[tnd]

We stopped using a stroller in the parks when my son turned 5 (we go every year around his birthday, so we used it on the trip he turned 4 on, but not when he turned 5). He had stopped using a stroller everywhere else by 3 so I was glad to get him into it at 4. On the trip where he just turned 5, he got a bit tired and sometimes got a ride on dad's shoulders, but generally he just walked and did well with it.