Do we need a stroller for the parks?

[Crystal824]

I think at that age you are getting to the point where you may not need a stroller....at that age it could really go either way. We are going next month with my DD who is 5 (she will be 6 in July). We are bringing a stroller because we also have a 19 month old, and we have a double stroller. I have a feeling that my 5 year old is only going to use it at night. I'm glad we have it just in case.

Really, it depends on your child. Will he ride in a stroller? Also it depends on your touring style? If you are going to be at the park from open to close, you should probably get a stroller. If you are only going to be in the parks for a few hours at a time, you will probably be ok without a stroller. Also how long is your trip? If you are only there for one or two days, you will probably be ok without a stroller. If you are there for a week, it does get tiring touring the parks everyday, you may need a stroller.

 

[kohlby]

From what I've seen - 5 is the 50/50 age, the age at which half need the stroller for Disney and half don't. My eldest didn't have a trip at 5 but had one at 6. Since baby was in the sling and the 3 year old was in the stroller, he had to walk. We walked A LOT - 7 different parks over 8 days. (4 Disney/2 US, and SW). And my kid who normally complained about walking did great. He rose to the challenge! My middle child had a trip at 5 and would have been fine without the stroller but she started using it because we were pushing around an empty one otherwise. It helped us pick up our pace, but we would have been fine without. (The 2 year old was supposed to use the stroller but refused to use the stroller and refused to walk - so we were pushing the empty stroller around for a while in hopes he would walk instead of using the sling. We eventually gave up on him using it). My third child DID need the stroller at 5, but not for the normal reasons. He easily could have done the walking physically. But he has sensory issues and really needed the security the stroller provided.

If you're driving and happen to have one, I'd bring it. If you're flying and think he can handle walking, then I'd plan on not using one with the back-up plan of renting one if needed while there. It also helps if the child doesn't think he'll get a stroller. We did a Universal theme park trip recently - the sensory-quirked kid is now 6. We brought the stroller but left it in our car. He didn't know we had it and did well. You can also try what I did with my eldest when he was 6 and we had that excessive walking trip. I told him we would stay in the parks as long as everyone acted like they could handle it. He made sure he wasn't the one acting like he needed to leave as a result.

 

[addiln]

We took a 6 year old last summer and she did fine. She never complained about being tired or feet hurting. We were at the parks all day and had no issues. I am sure it depends on the kid but I doubt you will need a stroller.

 

[Honeybee83]

our 4 year old didn't want a stroller. My wife had a fitbit on, she recorded 8 mile average at MK and 6 mile average for DHS and AK

and at the end of the trip, our 4 yr old still did NOT want a stroller and that was a stroller were "for babies", not big kids like her. mom and dad were happy not to spend the $15 rental fee ($30 for double stroller). we saw plenty of kids older and taller than our daughter in strollers.

then again, my daughter has never eaten a hamburger, hot dog, chicken nugget, tater tot or mac n cheese either and loves every single vegetable and fruit on earth.

#impressed

We are blessed with a little one who has an adventurous palate as well (full plate of Indian food at age 3). Were you able to find much to accommodate her healthy eating at QS restaurants? It has looked to me like almost all of the QS kids meals are chicken nuggets, pizza, or Mac and cheese.

 

[here757]

We brought our stroller for our Disney crap! Cooler. Snacks. Stuff we bought. Rain coats.
Only problem extra magic hours! My 3 year old shuffled all the stuff so she could ride, only to woke up at 130am to meet Ariel!! By our 5 year old
We did put the stroll on disboard when we left. Have it to another family for free when we left

 

[MamaJinji]

I'm really considering it myself. Last trip, my son was 2 and very obviously needed it. This time, he'll be 6. I took him around Busch Gardens Williamsburg with no stroller just after his 5th birthday, and he did very well with it altogether. But the Disney schedule will be a lot more walking, over a much longer period than a single day. Perhaps with enough rest and play time built into the schedule, your kids will be fine?

 

[loves to dive]

Mine wouldn't use one at home after he was 3 and before then after he started to walk it was a struggle to get him in one. He went to WDW the first time when he had just turned 3. We played it by ear, usually didn't have one in the mornings and toward late afternoon if we didn't go back to the resort (back then it was what is now Shades of Green, it wasn't military then) I would rent one from the park. Most of the time he didn't use one at all. The next time we went he was just turning 5 and there was no way that kid would have been in a stroller. I never did the pack mule kind of thing, if he got dirty he got dirty I didn't change his clothes, just washed him up in the bathroom if it was needed so no change of clothes or anything like that. I usually had a small bag of some sort that I put baby wipes in for those quick clean ups and if he needed a poncho it was usually folded up really small in my purse.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

My kids will be 5 and 3. I am going to rent a citi mini double. I have not used my double stroller in months, but last summer after 4-5 hours in an amusement park or zoo, they would be tired and want the stroller. The one time I did not have it and said they will want to walk, they got tired and DH and I carried them through the zoo and to the car. Ialso think we will need it at night especially on nights that we do fireworks.

 

[SweetMissy]

Every kids is different. I baby wear so I wear them when they're young but once a little older, we've always rented a stroller. We just went a couple weeks ago and I rented a double because I remember when we took #3 as a baby (4 months), we rented a double for the times I needed a break from wearing him and for our DD who was 5 at the time. Well....our baby is 7 months and our #3 is now 4 and I regret renting a stroller at all. I wore the baby pretty much the whole time and our 4 year old was actually fine walking as much as Disney entails. But you can't know ahead of time how your kid is going to do. Ours was parked a lot and the last 2 days we actually left it at the resort. :/

 

[quagmire0]

If your youngest is pushing on 6, there's no need for a stroller. In fact, they'd probably be pretty close to pushing the weight limit of most strollers. Strollers are really optimal for that 4 and younger crowd. Our kids will be 11mo, 4, 6, and 9 on our next trip. We'll probably rent a double and use it for the younger two. I think 5,6+ year olds can handle the walking. It's all about touring plans and taking breaks. Nice thing about Magic Kingdom, IMO, is that there are a ton of sit-down and indoor rides within a small area. So you don't have to be walking all the time. Other parks are more challenging, especially AK and World Showcase.

 

[kohlby]

We are blessed with a little one who has an adventurous palate as well (full plate of Indian food at age 3). Were you able to find much to accommodate her healthy eating at QS restaurants? It has looked to me like almost all of the QS kids meals are chicken nuggets, pizza, or Mac and cheese.

Portions are large enough that you can share an adult meal with your child. My 9 year old and I often share a meal still. It gives her more options.

 

[Sunshinekid]

We used a stroller for our trips when DD was age 4.5 and age 5.5. She was 7.5 last year and we didn't use one.
We will sit and rest watching a show if we can. Typically we do from opening to after lunch in the parks and then head back to the hotel to chill inside or by the pool. Then we might head to Disney Springs or offsite for dinner. She was tired a couple of days last year and hubby lifted her on his shoulders for the walk back to the car at the theme parks.
All kids are different and if using a stroller means your kid is happier and you all enjoy your holiday more then go for it.

 

[eyeblaura]

Our last trip my kids were 3 and 6. We took the stroller for the 3 year old but the 6 year old walked the whole trip and did just fine. We took some breaks and there was a bit of whining at the end of day sometimes when we were heading for buses but really never whined in the park when doing something fun and interesting. We are going in September and they will now be 6 and 9 and I am so looking forward to no stroller this trip. No lugging it on buses or back tracking for it after rides etc.

 

[scrappinginontario]

It's personal. My 6yo and I go hard at the parks and renting a stroller is a lifesaver for us. There are times when we park it for extended periods of time but in the evenings it's worth it's weight in gold. We've been to Disney twice since she turned 6 and of the 11 nights we slept at a Disney resort, she was asleep 10 of those nights by the time we returned to the room. When she's tired she crashes regardless of what (parades, fireworks, crowds, etc.) is happening. We're going again when she's 7 1/2 and a stroller is budgeted for this trip too.