Does a 6yr old need a stroller?

[Aneille]

I'm on the side since you are already renting a stroller you might as well get the double.

1. In case the 6 year old has a meltdown or gets suddenly tired he has a place to rest and its shaded.

2. If he doesn't need the stroller, your youngest now has more room to spread out and you now have a place to put your stuff, ie backpack, drinks, popcorn etc etc....

If you only had the 6 year old I would say go with trying not to use one and then if you need one you can always get one there.

 

[liamandcaili]

DS6 did not need a stroller when we were there last April and never complained about his feet hurting. However, I did regret not having a stroller for him the night we saw Wishes at 10 pm...not because he was tired, but because it would have been nice to have someplace for him to sit for Spectromagic. It was a chilly night and the curb was COLD. I think I will get him a stroller this time the night we go to MVMCP for that reason.

Have fun!

 

[LauraAnn630]

ops...double post...sorry

 

[LauraAnn630]

I always rent or bring a stroller. It can be as much as 10 miles of walking a day! I dont want to listen to any complaining. I like to know where they are in crowded areas.


As a matter of fact, I need suggestions on a heavy duty stroller.
My 3 yr old DS will weigh a good 60# when we go next year.
He is to heavy for our stroller now! We have to buy a new one.
I dont want to spend to much. I was hoping to find something
around 100.00. I need something that will fold up easy and fit in
my truck. I dont want something so big that I have a hard time
walking through the shops. I always hated the double side by sides
because of that. Im going to buy a single stroller this time.


any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[joanchris]

We were at WDW Oct 8-15. We went expecting DD6 to walk, didn't give her the option of a stroller (and it can be hard for her as DD10 uses a wheelchair and is pushed all the time). She did fabulously. So, the day of the Halloween party at MK we told her that since she had done such a great job walking without complaining at all, we would get her a stroller that night (they were free!). She appreciated it, but then it got stolen while we were on Buzz (it didn't get moved, we looked everywhere!). We agreed that the next day, since we were going to Epcot and it was our last full day there that we would get her a stroller there. Later, when we would ask her what her favorite part of Epcot was she would reply, "the purple stroller!".
Do what feels best for you, but maybe having him walk at the smaller parks, or if you know you'll only be there a short time, and renting the larger one towards the end of your visit or, say, at Epcot, since there's so much walking there.
Good luck!
Joan

 

[Drizzo67]

This will be our 3rd trip this coming Feb and we plan on renting the double for our kids (dd-7, ds - 10). DD is very small for her age and often gets jostled around in crowds and DD has asthma and gets very winded trying to keep up in the park. More times than not its only one of them in the stroller at a time. My DD has taken a nap in it while DH and DS went on rides that she is too short for. It was a great way for them to ride the rides and not have her too upset.

Now if only they made one big enough for DH so I didn't have to hear him whine about his tired feet. LOL. That will teach him not to break in his new sneakers before leaving. (The kids & I walked the Mall for two weeks with our new shoes to break them in)

 

[Stepht5]

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

A little *food for thought* your 6ds is taking 2 steps (at least!) for every one of yours. That would wear anyone out! LOL!

 

[tjmw2727]

With a 6yo you may need a stroller especially for Evenings, Epcot and maybe Animal Kingdom. If your renting a stroller anyway its only a few more $$ and you have to push it with the baby so why not get a double just in case. The WDW strollers are easy to push and easy for a kid to climb in and out of. If it were me I would rent the double and if it goes to waste the first day and the 6yo dosen't need it then I would consider downsizing to a single the second day and play it day by day.

Ok - I just re-read and to the OP - your youngest is 20 months if I read correctly? If so I would consider brining your own unless you have done the research and think the park rentals will be ok for him/her.

The rentals are hard plastic and don't relcine if baby wants to nap, if you do rent consider bringing a towel or blanket to soften it. They are ideal for the 3+ set but IMHO not so ideal for 2 and under.

Here is a link with pictures of the strollers in case you haven't seen them.

http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

HTH
TJ

 

[sweetpeakaris]

I would get the double stroller, My dd will be 5 and 3 and I plan to get the double for them.

 

[DisneyMeep]

Thanks for all the posts. I was wondering about getting my 8 yo dd and my 6yo ds a stroller. Hubby is kind of against it cause he thinks they are too old for one, but I told him let's see what happens after the first day. I told them we would see about getting them one. Have any of you had trouble with other people taking them while you are on a ride? I'm always amazed to see bags and diaper bags left on them.

One time I was at DisneyLand and it started to downpour. I went around all the strollers by It's a small world and put all the canopys down so the seats wouldn't get all wet. It was my good deed for the day.

Later!!

 

[go cowboys]

I think a stroller would be invaluable. My 9 yr old will still ride in one. It just helps us get around faster and seems to be easier to keep up with all the kids. I think it encourages the younger one to stay in the stroller too.

We also find it easy to use the stroller to hold space for parades or have an easy shelter in case of rain. Throw a poncho over it and its a rain tent.

We always rent from Disney so we don't have to haul around on the monorail/bus and it seems a little expensive but I would "pay for it" with my wife if I did not give her the peace of mind a stroller offers in all the crowds.

 

[robinb]

My DD is 6 years old falls asleep in her stroller every evening at WDW. We try to limit it for evenings only because she would rather ride around than walk any day . We move faster between attractions when we walk.

 

[4theloveofdisney]

As a mom of three and a 7 year old going on 8, I can tell you that while you may not need it initially, at the end of the day your 6/7 year old will appreciate the stroller and most importantly, so will you!!

 

[Barb D]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my DD6 in April. She's very tall for her age -- 4'2" already. Will she even fit in the rental strollers?

But really, the time I'll want it is for going back to the room at the resort at night. Last time we went we did rent her a stroller at the parks, but by the time we got back to the resort she was asleep. She was just too heavy to carry that far, so I ended up having to "zombie walk" her to the room. What I really need is a cheap, sturdy, BIG umbrella stroller just for the trip.

 

[robinb]

What I really need is a cheap, sturdy, BIG umbrella stroller just for the trip.

That's the Holy Grail! Our Maclaren is still holding up well under the weight of my 42 inch 48 pound DD. I'm glad we invensted in a Mac when we did.

 

[MazdaUK]

My younger DS is tall for his age (Just turned 6 and well into age 7-8 clothes ). We took our own stroller because we were thinking of getting rid of it anyway (he never used it at home). I covered the handles with really bright fabric (nothing fancy - just sewed a rough tube and pulled the thread tight!) so we could spot it amongst all the othe McLarens

We never had anything taken from the buggy (didn't leave cameras, but did leave new WDW merchandise on occasion, under our other stuff) although it was moved sometime it was easy to spot becaue of the bright material. If it looked like rain we put the hood and raincover over so it was completely protected, with all our stuff on the seat.

Very last day we were on Spaceship Earth and the wind must have caught the rain cover - the buggy was soaked! We were on the way back to the hotel anyway so we took all our stuff off and found a trash can - farewell good and faithful servant

 

[TammyJ]

We have two children, DS is 2 and DD is 5. Our plan is to take our regular stroller and it will be for DS most of the time. He will need to get out and stretch his legs (how long can a 2 year sit), then DD gets to ride. While we have never done Disney, this has worked well for us in touring other places.

I do think that it does depend on what kind of plans you have. We are a bit more laid back...not the go until you drop kind. My DD likes to linger and really "soak things up." So our pace may be slower than many. But this vacation is for them and if we don't get every item on our list checked off we know we will have had the most wonderful time because we didn't turn it into a marathon.

Do whatever helps your children enjoy this vacation the most (within reason of course).

 

[ktbugsmom]

Just to throw in my two cents. My daughter will be 6 in February, and we will be there in January for 9 days. I would not dream of heading to WDW without our Maclaren... it has been there 5 times already! While my daughter is tall (48 inches) and 50 pounds, the stroller still holds up. And, while my daughter is active (plays hockey, basketball and is a good swimmer), the walking at WDW is a ton. It just makes getting around SO much easier for all of us. She gets whiney and cranky if she has to walk all of the time. It just makes my life less stressed out when we are trying to get around.

Also, on that note, when my sister goes to Disney, she always rents a double stroller for her kids - and they are now 7 and 10! (Small kids though - my almost 6 year old weighs as much as her 10 year old and is almost as tall!) But, kids just get tired from all of the walking and it can just make getting around easier.

However, you know your kids best... so go with that! Maybe try it without a stroller for a day and rent as needed. Have a ball!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

i plan on getting it and he can just be mad
and he will be cuz dh is a baby
ds6 will need it at some point and neither one of us is gonna wanna carry the 20month old around adn its gonna be to busy to let him walk

thanks everyone
I knew i was right !!
ahahah LOL

 

[MazdaUK]

My DSis bought a $12 stroller from Walmart (it had a small canopy and abaggage net) for her younger DS (6 and 8) to share. They were in Florida for 3 weeks, and they left it at the villa for the next family when they left.