Does a 5 year old need a stroller?

[autismgoesdisney]

We don't even own a stroller for our 5 year old and I refuse to rent one so that means I'll either have to borrow one or go buy one! Does a 5 year old really need one? We do plan on taking mid-afternoon breaks. We would have a simple umbrella stroller for our 3 year old. My fear also is my 7 year old STILL says she wants to sit in a stroller so if the 5 year old has one, they will fight over it.

 

[MommaSnowwhite]

We stopped using a stroller at Disney when my DD was 4. We just went at her pace. We didn't even own one for her - she just walked everywhere with us.

 

[squirrel]

I'm going to say yes. You are going when it is hot and humid.

I have been taking my niece's for the past 3 years (one at a time) and the oldest one was 5.5yrs on her second trip. She didn't use it as much as the year before but it definately made the day more enjoyable. I will be taking it again this year for the younger niece who will be 5.5 yrs.

I ordered mine from www.albeebaby.com and had it shipped to the resort. I know they have some great deals on the Britax Blink stroller. It's an umbrella stroller with a weight limit of 55lbs, reclining seat, carrying strap a decent sun canopy, storage area.

The two older ones can take turns with the second stroller.

 

[daisyduck123]

I'm going to say yes. You are going when it is hot and humid.



The two older ones can take turns with the second stroller.

My feelings exactly.

Have a great trip!

 

[Ashelleigh]

I would say yes. These kids get so tired at Disney. My 3.5 year old rarely used his stroller last year, but it was super nice to have and saved us from carrying him when he got tired. Times we really used it - changing parks during the day requires more walking, and it was also nice to have when leaving the Magic Kingdom after the fireworks - we were standing in line for 45 minutes, and he rode in the stroller. I plan to take ours back again this year(he'll be 4.5 when we go) for the longer days even though we'll break during the day.

 

[snubie]

I would go with a yes also because of your travel dates. WDW is a lot of walking and with the heat/humidity, kids have a greater chance of melt downs.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We went last month, and DS5 didn't use a stroller. He was fine. We did take afternoon breaks, and he did occasionally ride on Dad's shoulders.

If you do a WDW rental, you might want to just rent in Epcot. That's the park with the most walking, although we had no issues with it. The Kidcot stops made nice little breaks, plus the rides and stuff, so it wasn't one big slog.

 

[macpac5]

I would go with yes as well. My son has not used a stroller in 3+ years except for Disney. As much as I try to slow down I am a fast walker and I tire him out and it was nice for him (and his little sister) to have a chance to sit when mommy, daddy and big bro are getting caught up in the excitement Plus the dates your going are so miserable when it comes to the heat. Have fun!

 

[WicketsMom]

Although we don't use a stroller for my 4-year old any more, he did request for us to take his when we went to our local zoo a couple of weeks ago, and he did use it. We will be bringing it along to Disney as well.

Since your 7-year old is already indicating that they want to ride, it would probably be much easier for you to bring one along. You can always park it somewhere if they don't want it after all.

 

[robinb]

We don't even own a stroller for our 5 year old and I refuse to rent one so that means I'll either have to borrow one or go buy one! Does a 5 year old really need one? We do plan on taking mid-afternoon breaks. We would have a simple umbrella stroller for our 3 year old. My fear also is my 7 year old STILL says she wants to sit in a stroller so if the 5 year old has one, they will fight over it.

My DD used a stroller when she was 5 & 6, but mostly just for evenings when she was tired and at Epcot which is HUGE. It was really for my own convenience that for hers. We could keep on going after she pooped out.

Is the 5-year old child in your username "autismgoesdisney" the one who is autistic? If so, he may like having a "base" that will be his own as WDW can be very stimulating. I think another $20 cheapie umbrella stroller would be fine. If you'll have a car you can see how it goes without one and then buy one if it turns out you need one after all. You can also buy an umbrella stroller at any of the stroller rentals in WDW for about $40.

 

[NMAmy]

No, you don't need a stroller for a 5 yo.

 

[ccgirl]

We don't even own a stroller for our 5 year old and I refuse to rent one so that means I'll either have to borrow one or go buy one! Does a 5 year old really need one? We do plan on taking mid-afternoon breaks. We would have a simple umbrella stroller for our 3 year old. My fear also is my 7 year old STILL says she wants to sit in a stroller so if the 5 year old has one, they will fight over it.

You know your children best. FOr the 3 year old, definitely. I think I stopped bringing strollers prior to 5. Neither of my children have medical issues and we frequently walk at home. When the kids were getting tired we sat in a show or just sat on a bench. Do what you think is best for our children. There are also off site stroller rental places that will deliver to your hotel. I believe they are Orlando Strollers and Magic Strollers. SIgnificantly cheaper than WDW and the strollers are much better. Plus, you can use them to get back to your car.

 

[lan3]

I think 5 is kind of borderline for me. When it is so hot, it is very hard to walk through Disney. I would base my decision on a few factors:

1) What pace do you plan on going? Many people go at their children's pace. I may sound awful but I have no desire to go at my kids pace. They walk so slowly (esp my daughter). I think we would have seen half as much as we did without strollers. I could go on a ride and rush over to a restaurant for our ADR's. Without a stroller, you would have to do a lot less than with one. Some people enjoy a leisurely pace. I don't. I don't want to ride the buses back and forth for breaks. It really depends on your needs.

2) Are your kids good with the heat. My son who has autism is so energetic and could keep up no problem but not in the heat. He is awful in the heat. My other two don't mind it as much.

If the 5 year old is ok in the heat and you don't mind going slowly, I would leave it home or borrow one and bring it when it is necessary. For example, I would bring it or rent one on the EPCOT day. EPCOT is so big and so hot! The sun just beats down on you in that world showcase. You might leave it at the hotel for HS or AK because they are smaller parks. Good luck!

 

[kirstenb1]

My DD used a stroller when she was 5 & 6, but mostly just for evenings when she was tired and at Epcot which is HUGE. It was really for my own convenience that for hers. We could keep on going after she pooped out.

Is the 5-year old child in your username "autismgoesdisney" the one who is autistic? If so, he may like having a "base" that will be his own as WDW can be very stimulating. I think another $20 cheapie umbrella stroller would be fine. If you'll have a car you can see how it goes without one and then buy one if it turns out you need one after all. You can also buy an umbrella stroller at any of the stroller rentals in WDW for about $40.

You beat me to it. Our 5 yr old has autism and low muscle tone. She might be okay for the first day or so without the stroller, but over the course of several days, all the crowds, noises etc get to her. You can almost see a sign of relief when she hops in her stroller, and pulls the canopy over her face!! It really is a great way to put some distance between our kids and crowds.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Yes, I think you'll need one for your 5-yr-old. I think you should look into renting a double from one of the off-site rental agencies to have it delivered to your hotel. I would use it for the 3- and 5- yr olds. You said you have a "simple umbrella stroller" for your youngest, but how comfortable is it going to be for riding around hours a day? Does it have any storage space, or will you need any?

I personally would not want to deal with 2 strollers, I think using 1 double would be easier.

 

[ktlm]

DD(5) would tell you yes. She has refused to get in a stroller since she was 12 months old and started walking except for at Disney. Our last WDW trip was 2 months before she turned 5, and when we talked about leaving it home, she looked at DH like he was crazy and in her best 13 year old voice said "UH....NO". We were very glad we had it. We almost left it home for our DL trip this summer when she was 5, but we decided to take it and leave it in the room if we decided not to use it. Again, we were really glad we had it. Even though DL is much smaller size wise, those little feet can get tired when you are going from open to close like we do. The most important time for us was at night, when she was tired. If not for the stroller, she would have been begging DH to carry her all the way back to the hotel room. Also, we could let her fall asleep in the stroller at night, and then we could stay and take turns doing grown up rides. I would be careful about borrowing one from someone unless they don't care what happens to it or what it looks like when they get it back. Those strollers get beat up on the airplanes and at Disney. Our stroller has ONLY been used for Disney trips and after a few trips, it looked like it had been in daily use for years.

 

[canopynut66]

We don't even own a stroller for our 5 year old and I refuse to rent one so that means I'll either have to borrow one or go buy one! Does a 5 year old really need one? We do plan on taking mid-afternoon breaks. We would have a simple umbrella stroller for our 3 year old. My fear also is my 7 year old STILL says she wants to sit in a stroller so if the 5 year old has one, they will fight over it.

You can rent double stroller in the parks or call a scooter place and rent them cheaper and have the whole trip..they are good to have to pack all the stuff one needs with kids in. my cousin took her daughter who had never sit in one before and she decided she would sit in that one...she was 5 and her legs just could not keep up with adult legs... or could try consignment shop before leave home for one. to us was easier to rent from outside vendor and was at resort when we arrived..and not have to mess with it on the plane

 

[MSSANDRA]

If you really will refuse to rent no matter what then yes I would bring one. DS will be just at 5 when we go next and never rides in a stroller. We no longer have one. I however do not want to buy and push a cheap hard to push stroller around WDW so we are putting stroller rent in our budget. The rental are so easy to push and a double would give any of your three a place to crash. We will rent as needed. Maybe consider off site rental?

 

[Hoosier Mom]

When we took our almost 5 year old, it wasn't walking around the park that was so much the problem, it was standing in line. He wanted us to pick him up and hold him. Ugh. A stroller would not have helped us in line at all since they don't allow them in line.

I will say that we didn't stay at the parks until close except for maybe two nights to see Wishes and Illuminations. After supper each day, our son (and my hubby) were too pooped out to go anymore.

For us, renting a stroller would have been a spurge, but it would have been a nice one. So if you can afford to rent one, that would be great. I agree it's a lot of walking, especially at Epcot.

 

[kohlby]

I am not taking one for our 5 year old. However, we're not going when it's super hot. Also, we're taking a sturdy single for the 2.5 year old. If the 5 year old gets tired then the 2.5 year old can walk briefly or get carried. (I'll throw in a sling). My 2.5 year old is only 30lbs and the 5 year old is only 40lbs, so they're not super heavy. I really don't anticipate my 5 year old needing it except at the end of the evening. (But carrying the 30lb child isn't a big deal by then for us).

For our last trip, our oldest was 6.5 and he usually complains about his legs hurting while doing short walks while our middle child was doing one mile races at 4 and saying the race was too short! Since our oldest did a great job without, and carrying and the stroller weren't option for him since he's huge, I'm sure my middle child will manage.

*Though it's not the same thing, we did Six Flags Atlanta a couple months ago and the 5 year old did great without the stroller, despite the mid 90's heat. However, if I were going to do several days in the heat, I don't expect she would have fared nearly as well.