Disney strollers for 7-year-old (medical need)?

[BusyMom2Three]

My ped recommended we have a stroller on our upcoming Disney trip for my very asthmatic DS. I know a lot of people have strong opinions about older children in strollers, but his is a medical necessity (not that he won't walk often).

I don't feel he needs an ECV or wheelchair, and we can't rent a traditional stroller b/c I won't be able to wash the soft parts in allergy detergent at Disney, so my options are buy and bring a stroller or rent the Disney ones, which I believe are all hard surfaces, so I can wipe them down (he has allergies that are one of his asthma triggers, and I know he comes in contact w/ allergens all over Disney, but I don't want him laying his head on them in a stroller and breathing them in while resting during a potential asthma exacerbation).

Are the Disney strollers suitable for a tall 7-year-old, and are they easy to push and turn? Has anyone found a stroller besides the Disney ones that fit a 7-year-old (that aren't $500 )? I was looking at the Maclaren Triumph as a possibility.

Thanks for any input! This forum has been so helpful!

 

[nfceagles]

I've never tried the Disney rentals, but I've seen plenty of older children in them and the wipability would be nice.

I see you have a 4 year old. Are you bringing a stroller for that child? I think most 4 yr olds need a stroller at Disney. The reason I ask is that my 7 yr old Peg Perego P3 was perfect for our recent trip with my 6.5 and 3.5 yr old. It has steps on the back that an older child can stand on. Both of my children are old enough to be able to stand on them so sometimes my 6.5 yr old even ended up in the seat when my 3.5 yr old wanted the steps. It was so much nice on long stretches of walking and I knew where they both were in crowds. I don't know if P3s still have this feature, but I've also heard of accessories that you can attach to existing strollers to create the same sort of thing. I think they're called boogie boards.

 

[BusyMom2Three]

I see you have a 4 year old. Are you bringing a stroller for that child?

DS4 is very high energy (he barely sat in the stroller last March!), so I was thinking about bringing one stroller, and when DS7 is walking, DS4 could take a break then. Not sure, though. I prefer not to lug a double stroller around (makes it harder on the buses), but I'm not positive what would be best yet. DS7 has days where his decreased lung function is very apparent and causes him to tire easily and walking around is hard on him. I'll check out the stroller you suggested. Thanks!

 

[MSSANDRA]

We were there last month and I insisted on renting a WDW stroller for my 5 year old that had been ill the night before. He refused to ride in it but the point is, he fit when he sit down for like 1 minute but there was not a lot of extra room. He is 45 inches and 47 lbs and has really long legs. No clue if he would have been hard to push as he never got pushed in the 15.00 stroller We had looked for a stroller before we went and really found nothing that would fit him that was not crazy expensive. Maybe a special needs stroller would be the way to go.

 

[jmartinez1895]

Do you have a friend that may loan you one or do you have a local thrift store where you could buy one cheep, wash it and then donate it when home. The Disney rentals are easy to clean, they have a cloth and plastic mesh canopy, but they are hard and not comfy at all. They are also very low to the ground. All your child will get to see while in it is the back of peoples legs. Standard stroller will have the child higher and they can see and do more. Our 8 year old still uses a stroller due to medical need. Of all the places that we take him Disney is the only place we have been that people did not stare or say something about an older child in a stroller so you should not worry about that.
If you do end up renting a Disney stroller be sure to pay for all your days upfront so that you can get the discount ( I'm guess you already knew that, but I wanted to make sure you knew).

 

[SueM in MN]

Many people rent a double WDW stroller for an older child. They are low to the ground, but are very easy to push, even with a larger child in them.

You can also look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature. Post 2 has equipment rental information.
Toward the top, you will find information about renting the strollers at the parks.
Then, scroll down a bit until you get to the places that rent special needs strollers.
There are several places that rent them and an advantage to renting one would be that you would have it for your entire trip, which may make keeping it clean easier.
Another idea - would you be able to cover the stroller with something that you can wash, such as a blanket, so he doesn't come into direct contact with the stroller. That would help with ones that can't be wiped down.

People have also looked on websites like Craig's list or eBay to find special needs strollers. If you. Can find one at a reasonable price, you would be able to resell it when you get home.

And a note about wheelchairs and ECVs.
ECVs can't be rented to use by a child. One of the companies that I know of will rent to older teens, but in general, they can only be rented for use by adults.
The park rental wheelchairs are adult sized and will probably be too big for a 7 yr old, unless he is really large. There are some off-site companies that rent smaller adult ones, but even those might be too big for a 7 yr old.

 

[BusyMom2Three]

Do you have a friend that may loan you one or do you have a local thrift store where you could buy one cheep, wash it and then donate it when home. The Disney rentals are easy to clean, they have a cloth and plastic mesh canopy, but they are hard and not comfy at all. They are also very low to the ground. All your child will get to see while in it is the back of peoples legs.

No friends have strollers anymore (my 4yo is the baby of our circle ). I did think about buying a used one. I looked on craigslist and there isn't much, but I may try a couple of resell places nearby. I hadn't thought about him staring at everyone's legs in the Disney strollers--good point!

Another idea - would you be able to cover the stroller with something that you can wash, such as a blanket, so he doesn't come into direct contact with the stroller. That would help with ones that can't be wiped down.

...

And a note about wheelchairs and ECVs.
ECVs can't be rented to use by a child.

Covering a rental is a great idea. I have no idea why I didn't think of that simple idea. I wasn't thinking when I put ECV. I can just see my son trying to drive one of those!

 

[SueM in MN]

No friends have strollers anymore (my 4yo is the baby of our circle ). I did think about buying a used one. I looked on craigslist and there isn't much, but I may try a couple of resell places nearby. I hadn't thought about him staring at everyone's legs in the Disney strollers--good point!


Covering a rental is a great idea. I have no idea why I didn't think of that simple idea. I wasn't thinking when I put ECV. I can just see my son trying to drive one of those!

Regarding staring at people's legs - a regular stroller is still pretty low, so not that much different.
Unless it's really busy, he will be far enough away from people that he's not going to see a lot of legs.
Close up when it's crowded, he may - my DD is in a wheelchair and sees quite a few butts.

You'd be surprised. I've seen people who think a 5 yr old driving one is a good idea!

 

[primrosea]

I know peoples opinions are different, but I have a stroller for my 9 and 6 year old for when they need it. My 9 year old has OT issues so this time we used a sit and stand version. Most of the time we just drive it to the basic area that we are going, park it and walk from ride to ride. I would say they only really use it 20% of the time, but it is there just in case. Plus, it is handy to have to hold bags and ponchos!

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Although we live very far away from Disney I put our Liberty by Advance Mobility on Craigslist in Orlando as we could leave it at bell service for a short time period.

I also listed it in Clearwater as my brother lives there and he will be keeping it for me when we move to the EU.

I hope you find an easy solution. I like this one because it has a sun shield, easy to move around, is comfortable and holds up to 100 lbs. It folds easy and I can woman handle if I had to onto a bus but we use the lift when I am alone.

All we get is spam email from craigslist so it has been hard.

 

[Chubbylita]

I think it's SO totally Fine! You are doing it for a very GOOD reason =) Enjoy your trip!