Do we need a stroller?

[MomofIndigo]

We bought an umbrella stroller w/ a basket at the bottom. It cost about $25. Now we take it on trips to WDW only. We didnt always need it during the day. We would park it and then come back for it when we wanted to go to another land or leave the park. By the end of the day when DH and I were tired it was nice to have. She fell asleep on the bus almost every night. By having that stroller we were able to open it up and plop her right in it...

It is up to you but like others have said "better to have it and not need it than not have it and want it".

 

[IslandAdventure4]

This was a hot topic right after we booked our trip. we have a 7 and 5 yo. the last time we went we used our double stroller. There was two areas where were going to miss it. 1 to hold all our stuff. it was perfect to hold backpacks, souvenirs, and had plenty of cup holders 2nd the DW and I enjoy strolling (no pun intended) with an adult beverage around the World Showcase at night, and Kids would always fall asleep in the stroller making it quite enjoyable for us both

 

[smorkovsky]

Having it in the airport is a big reason we bring one! MCO is a pretty big airport, imo, plus you have to get on the tram, probably have carry-ons, etc. That and back to the resort at night.

Thanks! Airports with little kids are so hard!!

 

[4kids4karen]

Wow, that feels so welcoming. Thanks. Apparently I should have spent a bit longer scrolling through old threads since that is easier than dealing with snark from people who can't be bothered to skip over disinteresting threads.

Otherwise, thanks for the responses. I thought I had most of these things figured out, but reading thread after thread makes you think you need to reconsider some things and ask the people who have BTDT. I don't want to schlep one through an airport, and I don't think we'll need it, so I guess I'll just figure that one out on the fly. That sounds like a cheap way of doing things. (eye roll)

Stick around, you will see this question posted at least once a week.

Here is my answer based on our trip just a few days ago. My kids I expect to walk where ever and when ever. They are active and athletics kids who play competitive sports. By this I mean as a family we can go on a 2-3 mile run together. We recently started taking the kids to swim laps at our community pool.

We just went with relatives and a 4 year old (one month shy of 5) who is not use to walking. I mean, she gets tried walking one block and wnats to her dad to carry her from because she is too tired. She needed a stroller, which we had because of her little 10 month old sister anyways (rented a double). If your kids are not use to walk a lot, more than likely you will need the stroller or to start taking them on long walks to build up their endurance. Personally, I would try to build up my kids endurance level as much as possible. Actually, this is a good idea for adults as well. There are many adults who are not use to walking distances who need to build up endurance.

Taking a stroller... or not... really is an individual preference based on the parent's expectations and knowing their own kids.

 

[worm761]

Stick around, you will see this question posted at least once a week.

Here is my answer based on our trip just a few days ago. My kids I expect to walk where ever and when ever. They are active and athletics kids who play competitive sports. By this I mean as a family we can go on a 2-3 mile run together. We recently started taking the kids to swim laps at our community pool.

We just went with relatives and a 4 year old (one month shy of 5) who is not use to walking. I mean, she gets tried walking one block and wnats to her dad to carry her from because she is too tired. She needed a stroller, which we had because of her little 10 month old sister anyways (rented a double). If your kids are not use to walk a lot, more than likely you will need the stroller or to start taking them on long walks to build up their endurance. Personally, I would try to build up my kids endurance level as much as possible. Actually, this is a good idea for adults as well. There are many adults who are not use to walking distances who need to build up endurance.

Taking a stroller... or not... really is an individual preference based on the parent's expectations and knowing their own kids.

I agree with the bolded. DD walked most of a week at Disney when she was 22 months old. She is 3 and we go on family hikes/nature walks. She walks them on her own. She walks everywhere all the time. She can walk over 3 miles before she needs/wants a break. When we go back to Disney she will be the same age as your daughter. Sept/Oct trip with 5th birthday in December. I have no plans to use a stroller for her. She can walk it so she will. Shows and ice cream breaks are a great rest.

BUT, if your DD is not used to walking a lot then you will most likely need a stroller.

 

[rt2dz]

My kids are out of a stroller at home by about 3. At Disney, more like 6. It's just....different. And my kids walked 2 miles to school at 5! I am offering no other opinions because it is such a hot button topic.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[aprilmay]

YES! We took our five- and three-year-olds in April, and we must have said a thousand times that renting from Apple Strollers was one of the best decisions we made in preparation for our trip. I absolutely would not go with small kids without one. By the way, neither of my girls uses a stroller at home. We don't even own one anymore. But, again, the heat, the crowds....it's just too much without some place of reprieve...

 

[charminnie]

I have a 7 and 5 year old. We rent Disney strollers. My 5 year old is big enough to deal with traveling from hotel to park, but in the park she needs a place to sit and rest her feet. When they were younger we used side by side. Disney is alot of walking espevially for those little legs.

 

[navywifetill2002]

My DD is about the same age and I will be taking one for our Sept trip. We go from rope drop to park close for 8 days and while she has never been a napper and doesn't want to stop what we are doing for a rest her little legs just can't keep up all day. We use it to get into the park and to an area then we park and do that whole area by foot the she gets a ride to the next area and back to the resort at night.

 

[Cappy81]

DD is the same age and we will be renting a stroller, not sure yet how much we will have to use it but want one on hand just in case.

 

[pumpernickel]

I say no stroller. If the kids doesn't have the stamina, it is time to go back to the room for a nap.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Just did five days of parks, and stepdaughter decided to bring one of those light umbrella strollers for her almost five year old. We were able to move along faster for example from bus to admission gate as the adults and bigger kids walk so much faster. The stroller also had a cover to protect her from heat. In retrospect she was glad she brought it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I say no stroller. If the kids doesn't have the stamina, it is time to go back to the room for a nap.

I honestly don't understand why some think leaving the park is a better option than having the tired child ride along in a stroller. Why should the vacation grind to a halt because a little one's short legs can't carry them as far as the adult's legs can?

I think a stroller for a 5 year old at WDW is pretty normal. I would either budget the money for one or bring one along. If you end up not needing it, then great! But if you do end up needing one at least you have it along or have the money to rent one. Not every family likes to take breaks. Do what makes your family happy.

 

[ttintagel]

I honestly don't understand why some think leaving the park is a better option than having the tired child ride along in a stroller.

I don't think it's ALWAYS better, but I think it's just as valid a choice. There's also the option of slowing down the pace of the trip so that the younger kids don;t get exhausted in the first place. The posts that baffle me are the ones where people seem to think that a stroller is an absolute necessity. It may be a necessity for touring in a certain specific kind of way (adult pace), but there's no law that says that certain specific way is the only way you can tour.

Personally, if I found that I was running my healthy school-age children so ragged on vacation that they were physically unable to walk by the end of the day, I would have to stand back and take a good hard look at why I felt the need to drive them that hard instead of letting them have a good time and set the pace. If I still decided to do it, it would be with the understanding that it was a choice I was deliberately making for some reason, not that I just "had"to do it by default.

 

[Mama Who]

For a four year old? I'd bring one.

I'm not one for big kids in strollers but the amount of walking you do is going to wear out a four year old and even if all he needs it for is the ride back to the hotel, I think it's probably worth it. Grab a cheap umbrella stroller. No need for a behemoth.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think it's ALWAYS better, but I think it's just as valid a choice. There's also the option of slowing down the pace of the trip so that the younger kids don;t get exhausted in the first place. The posts that baffle me are the ones where people seem to think that a stroller is an absolute necessity. It may be a necessity for touring in a certain specific kind of way (adult pace), but there's no law that says that certain specific way is the only way you can tour.

I actually agree with you. There are a few choices--people can tour at a slow rate, and walk at the child's pace. They can walk a bit faster and take breaks. Or they can walk a little faster and have their child in a stroller. Each are valid ways to tour. It just seem some posters are very anti-stroller, and think stopping the vacation to go back to the resort is the ONLY way to tour.

 

[Love Tink]

Personally, if I found that I was running my healthy school-age children so ragged on vacation that they were physically unable to walk by the end of the day, I would have to stand back and take a good hard look at why I felt the need to drive them that hard instead of letting them have a good time and set the pace.

When you write something like this - with all the exaggeration and the coded words and the hyperbole - are you trying to come across as really judgmental and witchy? Or is it accidental?

Here's the thing. A four year old doesn't have to be driven or run ragged or whipped or run or flogged to get tired by the end of the day at Disney World. Sometimes a four year old just gets sleepy, or wants a comfortable place to sit, or wants to feel a little safe and removed from the crowds or could walk but would just rather not.

All the rude posts in the world won't make your hypothesis (that only children who are "run" half to death and driven like cattle and aren't allowed to have fun want a stroller) true. It's truly bizarre how narrowly some people see things.

 

[ChitownFamily]

I know that's a individual decision, but from your experience....

My youngest will be almost 5 when we go (trip Sept, birthday Dec.). I doubt we will spend more than 5-6 hours at a time in a park, and her daddy will undoubtedly carry her on his shoulders from time to time. I have a great jogging stroller I'd rather take (rather than rent, I mean) if I'm going to need a stroller, and based on what a lot of you guys have said, I'm starting to think I'd be an idiot not to take it, but I originally thought we'd be fine without. We are flying, so I'm not lugging it unless you guys tell me I'm an idiot, lol!

I bet you spend more time in the park than you think we said we would leave if we needed to...and we never left. Yes bring a stroller, that way everyone can be comfortable & not sweaty/hot from carrying a child.

 

[stephm0188]

We took the stroller last year for our then four year old and I don't have any regrets.

He's five now, and we're taking it because it works for our family. Going back to the resort for a nap was disasterous for us. He didn't want to rest, and we all ended up snapping at one another out of frustration. He's up for being in the parks open to close, but sometimes he just needs a little break. He'll sit in the stroller, pull the shade down, and take a few minutes to just chill out. If we give him that time, he's happy as can be going forward.

We know our kid and what does and doesn't work for him. Plus, I kind of like the cupholders

 

[thr33boys]

From my perspective, when you're trying to please a variety of age groups so that no one feels they are sacrificing valuable time, it doesn't make sense to me to have to leave the park or split the group up to take the tired ones back to the room when a stroller could solve the issue. My boys will be 9, newly 6 and a couple of months away from 5 when we go in December. I know my 4 year old will need one, so I'll probably get a double, since they're only a little more than a year apart in age. Otherwise, fighting over it will be a whole other issue. This will allow us to stay as late as we need to so that my 9 year old has a great time and the other 2 can doze off when they feel like it. My 2 youngest's are way beyond napping but a little bit of time off their feet will go a long way in keeping them happy and content and allowing us to do what we came for.