Bringing a stroller for my 6 year old....How many dirty looks should I expect??

[Torontogal]

what people think!
The rule of thumb is get a stroller for AK and MK. MGM is not needed. Epcot is defintely needed. I am planning on renting one for my 5 yr. old for Magic Kingdom.
Don't care what people think - you want your children to be comfortable!
If you get dirty looks - they are just jealous that no one is pushing them around on wheels - ha! ha!

 

[ksmarper]

we just got back and got a few "looks" ourselves....we put ds2 and ds4 in separate single strollers...they did great that way and we didn't have to worry about the fussing! i did see many people with older children getting a double stroller (even for one child) there is more room and also room for loot!

 

[MazdaUK]

DS(11) did find Epcot hard going by the thime we were 3/4 round the World Showcase, but DS(5) was comfortable in the umbrella buggy (and no way could we fold elder DS up small enough for that anyway ) but if we'd rented a bigger one he probably would have had a ride or two.

We did like having our own though, as we found the longest bit for little legs is leaving the park - nothing to inspire them to keep walking and they can get whiney

 

[Tricialiv]

I don't understand getting looks. Why would you? We went last July with DD (1 week under 3) and DS (6), who is the biggest in his class. We rented a double for the week. Often both would be in the stroller and it worked great. The only time it didn't was at the end of a long day and they were both hot and didn't want to be touched at all by the other. DH carried DD and I pushed DS in stroller. In Dec DS will be turning 8 and will weigh 75 lbs. If he wants I will get him a double stroller just for himself. I also like a stroller to carry stuff in and you know right where they are in crowds. Of course I don't make them stay in the stroller. It would be his choice. I must have missed something I didn't read all past posts.

 

[all4fun]

Geesh don't people have better things to do at WDW than give people with bigger/older children in strollers a second glance much less a dirty look? I guess I'm so used to seeing kids of all sizes in strollers at WDW that I don't even give it a second thought. Funny story though - we took our niece (8) in January and she asked us why so many kids her age were in strollers! I think she was jealous.

 

[YEKCIM]

In mid July, I'm taking my (petite) daughter, who will turn 7 the week before and, to be honest, could care less about the "looks". What I do care about is my daughter's comfort, and stamina, so that we can enjoy the day to the greatest extent and, with past history as a benchmark, I am quite certain that we'd be on the bus back to the room by early afternoon without "wheels". My main regret is that *I* cannot ride in a stroller. BTW, my daughter calls them "buggies" b/c "strollers are for babies". Not yet seven and already learning to rationalize. Scary!

~YEKCIM

 

[LauraAnn630]

I like knowing where my kids are especially in really crowded areas.

Stroller are a great seat for DSs at parades, Wishes...ect...

A good place to keep your stuff!

A blessing if they fall asleep!!

 

[pedro2112]

I think I figured it out!

Everybody's who's been into the parks a bunch of times gets that you need strollers for the kids, I mean, the posts have been universally in favor of them.

What I think is going on is that it's the NEWBIES who still haven't cracked through that sophisticated real world shellac and embraced Disney that are giving the dirty looks.

So, the next time you get a dirty look, walk up to them with a kindly look on your face, pat them on the arm, and say, "That's ok, sooner or later you'll figure out how things are done around here!"

Actually, we did use strollers back in 03 when our DDs were 4 and 3. It worked out great! However, on our latest trip, our DDs were 6 and 5. We thought we would just rent strollers when we got there, especially for DD5. As it turned out, we only needed a stroller once, when DD5 got sick. She was so tired we got her a stroller for the day at MGM. Otherwise, we never needed them and had no problems whatsoever.

There is no "right" or "wrong" answer.. each family should decide on their own, based on what they know about their own children.