Did your 5 and 7-year-olds need a stroller?

[wrldpossibility]

Yes, another stroller question! Why do I keep waffling about this? We'll definitely bring our own stroller (which one is another question) for our son who will be 2. I had planned on the older boys (5 and 7) walking. They walk fine at other theme parks for the day (Disneyland, Legoland, MarineWorld, SeaWorld), and are good little hikers in general who never use a stroller or whine for piggyback rides, etc. in our daily outings. But we'll be at Disney 10 days, and I want to avoid our 5-year-old suddenly deciding he will walk no more, lol. Should I plan to rent a Disney stroller when/if needed, or buy a new double stroller for the 2-year-old and whoever else needs a ride? I wanted to avoid a big bulky stroller on the buses. What to do?

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Yes! I bring an umbrella stroller for ds (5) - we've had it since we first started going to WDW when he was 2. Of course none of the kids use strollers anywhere else but Disney definitely. We stay for two weeks and go in July so the heat really can knock you out. I rent a double stroller for the girls (7 and 8). If they walked the whole time (especially Epcot) we would move at a snails pace.

This can be a hot topic so do whatever you feel if right for YOUR family. For us I love the convenience of the stroller and having somewhere to put things. The kids like it because it's a special treat - they definitely never use a stroller at home. It makes us have a more enjoyable vacation - isn't that what it's supposed to be all about?

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My six year old DS didn't have any issues walking over our 8 day trip, although we did come back to the hotel to swim around noon each day, and did take a couple of day-long breaks to go to the beach.

I would not get a new stroller. Instead I'd plan on renting one or two days if it turns out you'll need it. With a 2 year old you won't be going "commando" anyway so my guess is at most you'll want it once or twice. If one of them completely "crashes" during a day in the park you can always let your two your old walk for an hour (or get carried) while they get a chance to ride.

 

[staci]

I would NOT buy one, at that age you will never use it again and it will be a pain on the buses.

I would take yours for your youngest. Then plan on renting one if necessary at EPCOT and AK.

 

[BAYSIDE MOM]

I think you would be fine just renting the double stroller for the two older ones. We rented the double stroller for our 4 yr old and 6 year old in MK and AK, and by the end of the day they were both happy to sit in it, something they would never do at home!

 

[liznboys]

On all three of our trips last year, we did just as you said-we only brought our umbrella stroller with us, then rented as needed. We have 3 sons who were 6, 4 and 1.5 for the latest trip in December. This worked out great! They actually ended up sharing the umbrella, since our 1 yr old likes to be held a lot anyway. So our middle son could use it sometimes and then once in awhile our oldest would take a turn in it. It was enough and we never even rented a stroller on the December trip! I know we did on our February trip, and I think we did a couple times in May. We do take plenty of breaks though, so they had time to rest their legs. They never once got tired of walking. So I think we did well with our plan.

 

[justhat]

I wouldn't buy a new stroller cause like others have said, it would be a waste at your kids ages unless you planned to have more in the future and could use it again. I would let the older ones use the stroller you have and let the 2yo walk or be held for a bit, or just rent one if you have to. My daughter was 22 months on our last trip in December and she was hardly in the stroller at all in MK, but definitely needed it in the other parks. She likes to walk a lot so even then we didn't use it much, but sometimes my husband just didn't want to walk at her pace anymore so we'd stick her in it. So based on that, unless your 2yo is napping in the stroller, I'm sure he'd be okay walking a bit while one of your older kids takes a break.

 

[runwad]

I brought my stroller for our DS5 and found that our DD7 was getting in with him, too much walking for the kids, plus my husband tends to walk 10 paces ahead of us all, not because he's going commando just because he walks fast.

 

[mjmcca]

I ahve taken a nearly 6 year old and a nearly 5 year old to the parks and they both rode. Infact I think the 6 year old fell alseep for part of the time.

 

[rt2dz]

My DS5 does not use the stroller at home, or at Six Flags or the zoo or Sea World (day trips), but WDW is a whole different story. They tucker out. I don't know how many kids I see without strollers (up to about age 7) that you can just see if their face that they are beyond tired and stressed--even as you hear them argueing with their parents about needing to be in a stroller.

That said, I wouldn't purchase a stroller for them. You won't need it at home and it would be a waiste of money. I would just rent as needed when you get down there. Especially since your 7 yo is border line.

 

[Wendy31]

Last May, we had strollers for our 3 (2 months from being 4) year old little boy & for our 5 1/2 year old little girl.

We thought about renting, but then decided to buy 2 Chicco Caddy strollers which we loved. (I didn't want to bring our bulky double stroller that we had purchased when our DS was born.)

Of course, when we bought the strollers, it was w/ the knowledge that we would get at least 2 years' use out of them at WDW.

And, so, we're planning to use them again this year.

In your case, you might be better off renting a double stroller for your two older ones, but I don't see any problem w/ them riding in a stroller.

I just think strollers make it so much easier for young kids & their parents - Like DisneyMomX7 said - -

If they walked the whole time (especially Epcot) we would move at a snails pace.

This can be a hot topic so do whatever you feel if right for YOUR family. For us I love the convenience of the stroller and having somewhere to put things. The kids like it because it's a special treat - they definitely never use a stroller at home. It makes us have a more enjoyable vacation - isn't that what it's supposed to be all about?

There were several times we would park our strollers & let the kids walk & pick the strollers back up as we backtracked (like in Toontown or Fantasyland). But I was very glad we had them.

Strollers allow us to go at a faster pace, and the kids don't get as tired or as grumpy. At parades, they got to sit in the strollers instead of on the hot pavement. We clipped their drinks to the strollers, so they had drinks whenever they wanted. I was super-pleased w/ our strollers & very glad we had them!

 

[JillL.]

=0)

last october a DF and her daughter(7yrs old) went with us to disney.. I suggested that she buy a cheap umbrella stroller at wallmart 14.00 for her daughter...She laughed at me. I of course brought an umbrella stroller for my 7 year old which i folded up and put in the bigger strollers basket and attached with a small bungie at the handle. after 1 day her daughter was crying and exhausted...and wondering why my daughter got to ride when she got tierd..
"NO FAIR". never once did i say told you so BUT i have to say i thought it.

and as far as renting...its not very convient on a spure of the moment need..depending were you are in the park. when my kids finally admit they may be tierd the next step is melt down !!!!
if someone gives you grief you could make up a disguise for it like disney backpack caddy/stroller

 

[dismom9761]

My DD6 was fine walking in all the parks last year except for EPCOT.We rented one and were able to tour the countries without her getting tired.

 

[loopner67]

We plan on renting a double stroller in the parks - if you rent for multiple days, you get a $2 discount. It's not super cheap or a deal, but it works for us.

Why I like the Disney Strollers.....(vs. bringing mine with me)...

My boys don't need it in the airport, around the hotel, etc... They only need it for in the parks.

The strollers are pretty big and sturdy. They're actually probably bad for little, little kids, but they are GREAT for bigger kids. Our 7 year old is the same size as our 5 year old, so they both fit great.

You can turn in a stroller in one park, then just get another one when you get to the next park without having to tote one around with you.

If it gets lost or stollen, they just give you a new one.

There's just too much walking in the parks for either of my boys to make it through without getting overtired and cranky. Having the stroller really helps make our "park time" much more pleasant.

My strollers from home - double, single and umbrella ones - do NOT have cup holders. The Disney ones *do* have cup holders. Woo Hoo!

~~~~~~
I know this has been said, but it *is* a personal preference. You'll have to project to your time in the park and ty to decide what will work best for you. I vote for the stroller, though.

 

[Brina]

No, my 5 year old twins walked everywhere, even EPCOT, when we were there in Nov. According to my pedometer our highest mileage day was about 14 miles and they kept up just fine - when we left to return to the hotel they wanted a swim and to play in the playground..

 

[chip91]

Mine were just 6 & 7 & they needed a double stroller! I think it was partly due to the heat & partly due to the fact that b/c we were off site we did 13-14 hour park days the entire trip.. 1st day we spent 13.5 hours at MK, they had blisters & were exhausted the next day so we said to heck with it & rented a double, it was a life saver! Also, my 6 year old napped a few different times in the stroller.. Like a prev. poster said, they didn't need it for walking around the airport or walking to the parks just around them!

I could def. see the benefit of staying on site & take a few hour break during the day, if we go again, that is what we are aiming for & they'll be old enough to walk!

Chip

 

[splashmt]

We walk at all parks except Epcot. We take Epcot much more leisurely and like to have several cocktails along the way and we love to put our 5 year old in one of the big double wide strollers so he can sit and play with toys while we take it easy. Strollers wouldn't make sense for us at any other park, but at Epcot it does for us.

 

[wrldpossibility]

You all reminded me of what somewhere in my Disney-hazed mind I already knew...it's nuts to buy a stroller for one trip! I'll rent as needed for the older kids, and take our Chicco Caddy for the 2-year-old (I LOVE this stroller, too!). Easy to load onto buses, and the older ones definitely don't need a stroller in the airports, resorts, etc. Thanks!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

we rented a stroller and used it!

our 5 yo fell alsleep during WISHES one night!!

we also used it to carry stuff...we did not get one for AK but we did for the others...probably could have skipped it in MGM

 

[jenks0718]

We took our regular stroller for our dd 1 at the time and my ds was 6. We needed to rent him a stroller. There was no way around it. He gets really cranky in the heat and this worked well for us. We hooked on a little portable fan and we were good to go! He is 7 now and we plan on renting one this time as well.