How old were your kids when they stopped using a stroller at Disney?

[disneymomof2boyz]

I was just wondering, because we are going in Dec. and they will be 4 and 5. I am thinking of not renting one and just "making" them walk. Am I being a bad momma???

 

[qcmommy]

I was just wondering, because we are going in Dec. and they will be 4 and 5. I am thinking of not renting one and just "making" them walk. Am I being a bad momma???

We aren't using a stroller. DS (7) and DD (4) will be walking and the occasional shoulder ride from DH. We have been going for evening walks as a family to get them ready.

 

[Hannathy]

Nope not at all! Mine didn't use one past 4 and even at 4 we left it parked most of the day. There was no way we were taking one for a 5 yr old and they did fine, and I'm talking commando style, rope drop till midnight over Easter.

 

[brergnat]

Only you know your kids.

My (just turned) 5 year old still needs a stroller for long days at Disneyland.

BUT, he's a walker in general, and he has LOADS of energy. Everywhere else we go, he walks.

I'd still take a stroller for him if going to WDW though. For MY sanity as well as his. I don't feel like carrying him and I'm sure my DH doesn't either. We'd want to enjoy our vacation too I don't want a back/neck ache at the end of the day Same for our 3 year old.

I think our youngest will probably be about 6 before we stop bringing our own strollers to Disney parks. That's not to say we might not RENT them, though.

 

[MissNurse]

We rented a double last summer for our 3 and 6 year old. The 6 year old was more than capable of walking, but if her brother was in a stroller, then of course I would hear the whining. It's not that my 3 year old couldn't have walked, too, but I wanted to be able to kick up the pace and not inspect every single bug on the sidewalk! We will be returning in 2010 (they will be 5 and 8) sans stroller. I have planned to start walking with them every evening to build up stamina before we go. Good luck!

 

[1hero2princesses]

It depends on a lot of things, one of which I rarely see mentioned which is how long you will be there. We went to the zoo the other day (chicago area so it is big) and the 5 and 4 year old walked. We had a stroller for DD2. They were fine. The 4 year old was just starting to get tired at the end of the day as we headed to the lot. But it was only 7 pm. If it had been 9 she might have really wanted a ride. Also, the issue of multiple days. I am guessing mine would be really good on day 1, but on day 5 they might want a ride. Anyway the fact that she was starting to get tired at the zoo made me decide to bring the double stroller again instead of the single. 5 year old will have to walk but I can't rule out him catching a ride for a few minutes just because he can sit and rest! My kids are very active and we have tried to do walks but I think it depends on so many things. How you tour, the time of year, how long you are there, your kids personality. Good luck and have fun.

 

[PollyannaMom]

....We have been going for evening walks as a family to get them ready.

We did that too when DS was 5!

That was the last trip with partial stroller (I think we rented 3 days out of 7.)

 

[powellrj]

We stopped at 4

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

It depends on a lot of things, one of which I rarely see mentioned which is how long you will be there. We went to the zoo the other day (chicago area so it is big) and the 5 and 4 year old walked. We had a stroller for DD2. They were fine. The 4 year old was just starting to get tired at the end of the day as we headed to the lot. But it was only 7 pm. If it had been 9 she might have really wanted a ride. Also, the issue of multiple days. I am guessing mine would be really good on day 1, but on day 5 they might want a ride. Anyway the fact that she was starting to get tired at the zoo made me decide to bring the double stroller again instead of the single. 5 year old will have to walk but I can't rule out him catching a ride for a few minutes just because he can sit and rest! My kids are very active and we have tried to do walks but I think it depends on so many things. How you tour, the time of year, how long you are there, your kids personality. Good luck and have fun.

Yes, I agree! All those things do make a difference. So, here it: We will be there Dec 11-16th. I am assuming in good weather, not hot, but temperate to maybe even cold. We also usually return to the room in the afternoon for naps. I also think that there are parks that are harder than others. In my opinion, Epcot is overwhelming in terms of walking. MK, AK, and DHS are more doable in my opinion. I am thinking that I am going to mentally prepare them for not having the stroller. But also prepare myself (financially) just in case I see them needing one.

 

[AirGoofy]

We used a stroller last year (6/4) for 4 year old only. This year, we are doing no stroller for either. I am able to pack 1 one on my shoulders all day - and could carry both if they would not wiggle - so that is not a problem for me. I think AK was far worse than Epcot. AK seemed like much more walking to me.

 

[5 for WDW]

Our kids stopped using strollers in WDW once they were 4. We have never had an issue at all. Out of sight, out of mind seems to work for my kids.

But, we have to go back to one for this trip and I am not looking forward to it. Our daughter (5) fractured her ankle so we had to go buy a stroller for her. She is not happy about it at all. But, we have explained to her why she needs it.

It alll depends on the kids. You can always rent one there if you don't bring one and they need it. Have a great trip!

 

[pooh4evr]

We haven't done a trip without one yet becaise our youngest is 2 now- so we'll have a single when we go in Dec- now when we went last time we had a 6, 4, and almost 1 yr old the oldest didn't use it at all but middle and of course youngest did- but we don't break for naps - they would nap in the stroller- so it is a bit different. I will miss the stroller when we don't have one simply as a place to store all the junk we take with us into the parks!

 

[littlbugmom]

We used a disney double stroller every day in the parks for our then 4 1/2 yr old. We don't own a stroller because he hasn't used one at home for a long time, now. However, they are useful when going to the zoo or any type of amusement park. I like the double strollers at WDW. They're roomy.

For us, it's not about age. We'll be using the double stroller again next year when my ds is 6yrs old if I think it will make for a better trip for him. He has a few issues that make a stroller helpful in large, crowded and stimulating places. Who knows if he'll need one next year...but if he does, that will be ok.


Why not do without that first day in the parks and see how it goes? You can always rent one at any time, if you decide you want one.

 

[Hannathy]

We haven't done a trip without one yet becaise our youngest is 2 now- so we'll have a single when we go in Dec- now when we went last time we had a 6, 4, and almost 1 yr old the oldest didn't use it at all but middle and of course youngest did- but we don't break for naps - they would nap in the stroller- so it is a bit different. I will miss the stroller when we don't have one simply as a place to store all the junk we take with us into the parks!

I used to wonder that also (where to put stuff) but what happens is when you don't have the stroller you stop and think "why am I taking half this junk?" I realized that we weren't using the vast majority of it and pared down. I also made the rule if you leave with it you carry it back. It is so liberating and freeing when you don't have the stroller to deal with anymore! and all the junk you bring with it.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My oldest has never used a stroller at WDW....he went when he was 3-1/2, almost 5, 6, 7, and 8. The youngest used a stroller until he was 5 at WDW. Our first stroller-free trip was great!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

By the time my boys were 4, they wanted nothing to do with strollers - even at WDW...

 

[WantToGoNow]

We will not be using a stroller this year - dd is 5. We went shopping yesterday at the outlet malls. I babysit a 20 month old who was in my Mac Volo stroller. The baby got out and the stroller tipped (because of the shopping bags). I told dd5 to sit in it to hold it down - I tried pushing it and there is no way I'm pushing her around WDW. She will walk (along with ds8) or we will be spending a lot of time in the room. She walked at the outlet malls from 10:30 am - 7:00 pm yesterday and was fine.

 

[ms_missy66]

I have a 6 and almost 5 year old and we're still using one. I think it matters on the personality of your child. My little one just quits sometimes and it's SO much easier for me to stick her in the stroller and keep moving than to fight it. We're going in March and June and I fully expect to rent then as well. The gals will be 7 and 5.

 

[Olivia'sMom]

I have a 6 and almost 5 year old and we're still using one. I think it matters on the personality of your child. My little one just quits sometimes and it's SO much easier for me to stick her in the stroller and keep moving than to fight it. We're going in March and June and I fully expect to rent then as well. The gals will be 7 and 5.

I agree mine is 5 and we will be taking one for her. She does like to walk and we will let her but sometimes she needs more of a break than we do.

 

[Get me to Disney!]

I am lugging along two strollers this year. My son is 6 - almost 7 and my daughter is just about 4. I refuse to rent strollers at 10.00 a day or whatever. I figure I take them one day and if they don't use them, we leave them in the room for the rest of the trip. My husband and I tend to do things from open to close so we don't want to kill the kids by making them walk sooo much.