How old for stroller?

[SweetPeasMom2]

We have 2 kids - ds will be 6 in May and dd will be 4 in June. Neither do strollers anymore (once in a blue moon dd will ask for one while at the mall). Do your older kids (around my kids' ages) do strollers while at Disney?

 

[tete01830]

Absolutely! We take 2 single strollers for our 6 and 4 year olds. It is a ton of walking for their little legs...At home they dont use them either but at WDW by midday they are asking to sit. We take our own from home and it is worth it to me!

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

What kind of stroller do you use? The only one we have is a cheap umbrella stroller. I had said for a while I wanted to get an in between one but never did. For Disney, I can see the advantages of having a basket.

 

[tete01830]

I use two Mclaren (sp?) volo's. I have had one of those and a combi and I did not like the combi at all. I went to a local Target and was able to get another volo for only $50. That was a bargain. I also got the stroller attachments to keep them together if we want. The volo's are worth the money..Very easy to steer and lightweight. I think there are some online sites that have them for 70 with shipping. I will look and see if I can find it.....

 

[hlbrink]

OP, there is another active thread on this board that discusses this very topic (I can't recall the specific title). Anyway, a few posters take a strong stance on this and feel entitled to tell others that their child is "too old" for a stroller There is soooooo much walking involved in a Disney vacation that I would definitely bring strollers for your two kiddos. My DD is 4.5 yrs and I wouldn't even consider not bringing one for her. My niece is also coming (turns 7 in May) and my SIL is bringing a stroller for her as well. I have a stroller (I think it is from Target) that is a step up from an umbrella - it is completely collapsible, yet has a small storage bin and the bottom and a small canopy.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Yeah, beware the posters who will swoop in and tell you your kid is old enough to walk, lol. Cuz, you know, they know better what's best for your kid.

I haven't been to Disney with the kids yet - but we will take a stroller for each child, ages 4.5 and 30 months when we travel.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Just as many people will swoop in and tell me that I NEED a stroller for my 4.5 year old and I should run and buy a Mac, so it works both ways.

That being said, we are not bringing a stroller for him next month. We brought it in December and used it less than 1/2 the time. If he got tired during the day, we would sit on a bench for a short rest, cool off, grab an ice cream, then get back to business. It was nice not having to go search for it after the rides, fold it on the buses, and push it through post-parade crowds.

HOWEVER, it was my husband's idea to leave it in the room and I was hesitant so I told him that if DS got tired, he would be the one that had to carry him or walk across the park and pay for the stroller. He did have to carry him a few times at night going back to the buses, and of course he fell asleep on almost every single bus ride back to the resort, so then we had to carry him back to the room. But since I have a lightweight son, a construction worker husband and only 1 kid, it worked out fine. Your kids are older and there's 2 of them, so I don't think that would work for you.

Kids get tired and a stroller may come in handy, especially if you are planning loooong days in the parks and staying for fireworks etc, or if your trip is during the hot summer months. People will give you opinions both ways. You know your kids (and yourselves) best.

 

[~Kristina~]

My kids would rather sit in the stroller at Disney than walk. I think it makes them feel safer, plus their moods are better since they're not getting tired.

 

[TJA]

We do not use a stroller/jogger at home at all, but in Disney it's a completely different story. Our twins were 4-1/2 last trip and will be almost 5 next trip. We take a double jogger with us and our kids LOVE it. They like to take breaks from the sun and all the walking and get cozy in the jogger, put the canopies up and drink some cold water. If they are really tired, they will recline their seats and fall asleep, especially later at night. Could we make it in Disney without our jogger? Probably. But it wouldn't be nearly as relaxing. If you stay at an Epcot resort or monorail resort, you can let the kids fall asleep right in the stroller and then just wheel it on the monorail back to your resort or else simply walk back to your resort without waking the kids. It's awesome!

We have a Baby Jogger double. However, many people on this board love the Maclarens for their older kids because they hold more weight and are lightweight strollers.

 

[ldo]

that way, we can easily fold and hop on a boat or train and it gives 1 kid a break walking--also, if they are REALLY tired or out late, one can sleep/rest and Dad can piggyback the other--trading off works pretty well for us--mine were 6.5 our last trip.
I also like a stroller b/c it is a good way to keep up with the kids in a crowd if one is in the stroller and my back gets a break b/c I can hang the BP on the stroller.

 

[HelenePA]

Last year we took a stroller for our son who wasn't 2 yet. When the girls got REALLY tired I carried him or let him walk and the girls got a lil ride mostly my 6 yr old she has a heart condition which makes her tired/sweaty more easily than most kids (but you wouldn't know she has a problem looking at her so dont judge older kids in strollers)

 

[bzzymom]

When DS was 5.5 we spend 10 days at WDW and I rented a stroller every day. There were times when he wanted to walk, so I let him push his stroller.
When DS was 6.5 my parents took him to WDW. (I was 8 mo pregnant and couldn't go). My mom uses an ecv. They rented a stroller for him the first day walked most of the time, so they only rented them when they were going to be in the park in the evening..at MK and Epcot. It worked out well.
When he was 7.5, he didn't use a stroller at all.

 

[mykidsintow]

We do not use strollers for our kids at Disney. Our daughter has a wheelchair, but all other kids walk after 3. We have never had problems at all. I don't want to deal with the stroller hassle and thankfully we have some kids with endurane!

 

[Princess Roo]

People definitely have strong opinions on this! I think it depends on your preferences and your touring style. DS who turned 3 on this trip hardly used the stroller...definitely could have done without with just a few piggyback rides. (We brought 1 stroller and a sling for him and baby sis.) I couldn't see myself personally bringing a stroller for a child over 5, but there are lots who do. So I think one stroller for the two of them to share (or "for" the 4yo that the 6yo can use sometimes) is a good idea and also gives you a place to put some of the stuff you want to carry into the park without being a significant inconvenience on the buses or around the park.

 

[2dogmom]

I would have used my double for my 7 and 4yo on my December trip but my 7yo was too big for it. We just took it slow, rested when she was tired, and went back to the resort if she was tired. I still had a single for my 4yo. Do whatever you feel is easiest for your family.

 

[F1Julie]

When we went for DD's 4th birthday, we used a stroller. When we went again when she was 4 1/2, I left the stroller at home. It was so much better! It's so much easier to get around and navigate through crowds without one. We didn't have to park it and then try and find it again after each ride. Not using a stroller saved us a lot of time.

 

[DevilDuckie]

We have 2 kids - ds will be 6 in May and dd will be 4 in June. Neither do strollers anymore (once in a blue moon dd will ask for one while at the mall). Do your older kids (around my kids' ages) do strollers while at Disney?

At 4 a stroller would have been useful. At 6 my son would have been mortified if I'd tried.

 

[_queenie_]

My kids all stopped, even at WDW, at 2.75/3 (though my DD3.75 still sits in a jogger while I walk in the morning, my neighbor and I go at a pretty fast pace) but every kid's different. I would have to say that 5 (before sixth birthday) is the absolute oldest to be in one in general.

 

[Hope73]

I love the strollers. It contains kids and you can get across a park soo fast by letting them ride.

 

[zoemurr]

and we ran 'em from 8am-10pm every day for 8 days with no stroller. DH had to carry DS one night (he's light..) and we had a few sleeping kids on the busses at night but that was all. I'm sure they would have thought they were missing a lot in a stroller. I loved the fact that it was just the 4 of us with one backpack and fanny packs.