Does a 6yr old need a stroller?

[Alicnwondrln]

we are at the world in dec
we have 2 sons
ds6 and ds20 months
i wana rent a double for the boys so if the older one gets tired we have it and he can sit with his brother and stuff like that
DH says we dont need it
that ds6 can walk and i should stop babying him
so what do you think

 

[DukeStreetKing]

There are days when I could use a stroller!. My GF's son is 5 years old and we rented a stroller for the day. He's a pretty strong kid and loves to run around but a day at Disney can be very tiring and it was nice to have the stroller so he was happy, we were happy and it made for a nicer day. Nothing worse than a tired, cranky young person. That tends to lead to tired, cranky older people.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

There are days when I could use a stroller!. My GF's son is 5 years old and we rented a stroller for the day. He's a pretty strong kid and loves to run around but a day at Disney can be very tiring and it was nice to have the stroller so he was happy, we were happy and it made for a nicer day. Nothing worse than a tired, cranky young person. That tends to lead to tired, cranky older people.

thats what i say !!
thanks
i can see shawn start to whine and drive DH nuts as he wont want to go back to the room yet
i say get the larger stroller and have the extra room
rather safe than sorry

 

[BlueBayou]

I have 5-year-old and 2 1/2 year old DDs. I will be bringing a double stroller to DL this December. My DD5 is quite small.

Your son is probably going to be doing more walking than he is use to. Since you will need it for the younger one, you might as well have the double for storage even if your oldest doesn't use it.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

thats what i say !!
thanks
i can see shawn start to whine and drive DH nuts as he wont want to go back to the room yet
i say get the larger stroller and have the extra room
rather safe than sorry

There is also nothing better than heading back to your room for a little siesta in the middle of the day. The first time we stayed onsite, we went back to the hotel every day around 1:00-ish with the intent of napping or relaxing. We ended up hanging out in the pool instead, but it was still nice to get out of the parks for a little while. Going back to the parks at night feeling refreshed made the trip much nicer.

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

I agree to get a stroller for DS6 just in case. We will be bringing a stroller for DS5. He has been out of a stroller for a long time, but in Disney, we find we need it, since he is just too heavy to carry if he gets tired.

Jen

 

[BevS97]

My dd stopped using a stroller at Disney when she was just 6 - her sister was 3 months old, so we still had a strollre for her, and on a very few late nights I put the baby in a sling and let the big dd ride, but only a couple of very late nights (like after the christmas party).
We honestly didn't need a stroller for her the rest of the time, she walked just fine and I would have been pushing an empty stroller for nothing.
I would suggest waiting till you get there, and renting one for her if you need it in the evenings - I'm guessing you won't

 

[wannabee]

We just retuned from a trip in October. We hadn't even thoght of one for DS6 until after we got there. He just couldn't keep up. After 2 days I rented one and it was great. They are very big and he fit in it easily. We saw lots of big kids in them. It really saved our trip.

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

In Feb. DD was 5 and we took her stroller ( Disney is the only place we still use it.) With our flight schdedule, time change and later nights I just want her to have fun too and not be overtired. We will be there again in Dec. and she is 6 now and will still use it.

 

[pjshaff]

Honestly, nothing will ruin your trip faster than a tired, cranky, whining child. We have a 6 and 3 y.o. and always have a stroller for the older child. She enjoys riding in it b/c she never gets to at home, we can keep track of her easier, and it lets her go, go, go longer in the parks. My DH was iffy on the idea at first, but now sees how it improves ALL of our vacation.

 

[alisonbestford]

We have always taken a stroller and will be taking one again at Easter when DD will just have turned 7
Even if she doesn't sit in it I can pile all the 'junk', that seems to accompany us everywhere, on it
We're never organised enough to head back to the room in the afternoons

 

[crisi]

My six year old daughter, who is a whiner and not a great walker, made it the first day in the MK without a stroller. She did really great. But by day two, she was tired and we needed it to move around the park quickly. It was Animal Kingdom - where things are pretty spread out.

I don't think one is NEEDED in MK or MGM for most six year olds - things are close together, lots of sitting in these parks. I think some six year olds can do fine in Epcot and Animal Kingdom without a stroller, but strollers can make these parks a lot easier for everyone - they are huge and spread out.

It also depends on how you pace your day. We did a really FULL day that first day, which put her in a stroller for the rest of the trip. Had we done a half day slow the first day, we might have been able to get half days walking out of her.

 

[laughinplace199]

We have a 6 year old and a 4 year old and we are bringing umbrella strollers for both of them.

 

[MazdaUK]

Our DS was 5 1/2 and we took our very battered McLaren stroller. he didn't use it all the time, but was glad to have itsometimes - round the world showcase in the it kept him nice and dry, and we could eat on the hoof without slowing down too much (he hasn't mastered walking and eating yet - either trips up or drops food everywhere or both!) It was also useful to put water, waterproofs etc. in to save carrying.

 

[nemofanatic]

having the stroller is really helpful especially when they get tired of walking and tney will lag behind. Also when the park is really crowded especially during, before and after a parade-they won't get lost in the crowd.

Have fun

 

[Pooh Crew]

We got the double strollers for our kids who turned six right after our trip and never regretted the decision for a second! We did a length of stay rental where we paid for a double for every day of our trip at the first park and after that we just got our rental sheet stamped at every other park. It was no problem with park hopping either.

Another reason to get the stroller is safety: making sure a six yr old stays by you in the crowds is tough...knowing that my kids were all in the strollers kept my mind at ease.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree with getting one. My DD will turn 7 while we are there in JUST 10 DAYS!!!!!!! and we are taking our Maclaren Volo for her. She of course does not use one at home, but for miles and miles of Disney she will want to jump in occasionally. I dont blame her much because I am dreading all that walking. I can pretty much do it without whining (LOL) but she cant. I would much rather push her when she gets tired than listen to her whine about being tired. I also agree with the safety factor. I always know where she is when she is in the stroller. It is so easy for her to hop in and sit as we go between rides and we get there much faster also. I do have friends who returned a few weeks ago and her kids, 5 and 7 did not need one. She said her DH whined more than anyone about being tired and all the walking. It depends on your own kids, do what you are comfortable with. Have lots of fun!!!!!!!

 

[zookeeper]

We went in Sept. with our 5 kids (8,7,5,3 and 9 months). We didn't rent a stroller, but had 2 full-size and an umbrella (and my mom and dad to help, THANK GOD!) While the older kids didn't spend the whole day in the stroller, I have to say that each of them did spend some time in the strollers, especially the couple of times we stayed late in the parks. People will criticize that older kids should be able to walk, but heck, if someone would've been willing to push me I'd have sat in a stroller at times!!! Disney World is a lot of walking no matter how active you and your kids are at home. I say rent the stroller and enjoy!!!

 

[plutolovr]

Took my 5yr old twins, never used a stroller, kids were great. No whiners here!

 

[TerriBelle]

plutolovr - My twins also went without the stroller at 5. I guess we are weird but we LOVE going without the stroller.