Older Kids in Strollers

[Bell30012]

Hearing the stroller/wheelchair rant on the e-mail show, I had to chime in. My daughter is six-years-old and every trip up until this upcoming one I've rented a stroller for her. I figure if I am willing to shell out the money for cost of a double stroller and I'm willing to push it, then I should be the only one worried about how old my child is that is in it.

Most of our Disney World trips are only four or five days long. This means that we have a lot to see in a very short period of time. Her little legs can't keep up with mine. Further, her little legs won't make it as long as mine will. Now this next trip, thanks to the seven for four promotion will be eight days! So, we are planning to take it a bit easier and we won't be renting a stroller unless I feel that it is tiring her out too quickly.

People seem to have too much time to gripe. Enjoy your vacation and let me enjoy mine. If anyone knew the battles that my daughter has had during her six short years on this planet, you'd leave it alone. When we get to Disney, I'm there for her. Do you think that pushing that stroller doesn't wear me out? There is no way you can assess a child or for that matter an adult in a wheelchairs condition without being a doctor and having examined him/her.

My father passed away a few years ago from non-small cell cancer. To look at him right up to his death, you'd have thought him an able bodied man. My father actually would not park in handicapped parking places even though he had the mirror hanger until those last couple of weeks because he didn't want anyone to say anything about it. You cannot judge a book by its cover!

[/rant]

 

[NDM#1]

I have to agree that you cannot "judge a book by its cover". Not everyone's issues are visible, and the person with the "issue" should not be made to feel like they have to "prove" anything to anyone. They are at Disney to enjoy a vacation . . . to maybe try to escape the difficulties they deal with on a daily basis . . . not to endure judgments from others.

 

[metalis4ever]

My father passed away a few years ago from non-small cell cancer. To look at him right up to his death, you'd have thought him an able bodied man. My father actually would not park in handicapped parking places even though he had the mirror hanger until those last couple of weeks because he didn't want anyone to say anything about it. You cannot judge a book by its cover!

[/rant]

Yet another great example that I have seen in posts regarding this general subject that further proves the fact that perception is not reality but rather perception is just another word for ignorance.

 

[drakethib]

I am a 37 year old healthy able bodied male and i will tell you point blank on some of my lazy days if I could convince my wife to push me around in one of those double strollers at WDW, I would do so in a second.

Anyone who would give me a nasty look or smarty comment to me while I would be getting pushed would immediately get mooned.

So there.

People need to relax.

 

[SGB13]

 

[TXYankee]

There have been days in WDW that I wished I could sit in the Double stroller
and have a couple of kids push me!

Is there some child labor law against that?

 

[alebisi]

I am a 37 year old healthy able bodied male and i will tell you point blank on some of my lazy days if I could convince my wife to push me around in one of those double strollers at WDW, I would do so in a second.

Anyone who would give me a nasty look or smarty comment to me while I would be getting pushed would immediately get mooned.

So there.

People need to relax.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I have come to the point in my life where I dont give a crap what people say or think. I will make a smart comment right back to them. My cousins kids are 5, 7, 9 and they all took turns in the stroller and there is nothing wrong with them they are young and Disney wears them out. It is an expensive vacation and if renting a stroller that I pay for gets me more time with out meltdowns at the park why shoud ANYONE care. It really just makes me laugh. How could a stroller possibly bother someone. If it does you need to check yourself in somewhere.

 

[bethy]

This topic just caught my eye. Do you honestly mean that people have the audacity to make comments about how other people choose to use strollers? You are kidding me!

My 7 year old is healthy and able bodied, thank God and she still likes to ride in our double umbrella stroller at Disneyland. Why the heck not?

Wait. Don't answer that!

 

[Tissa]

After the marathon we were at the MK that night for EMH. My friend is a 30 something mother of two who just did her first Goofy Challenge and was limping along. We spotted a ditched double stroller and had her climb in and we pushed her around the rest of the evening. People were actually stopping to say what a brilliant idea that was.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I have come to the point in my life where I dont give a crap what people say or think. I will make a smart comment right back to them. My cousins kids are 5, 7, 9 and they all took turns in the stroller and there is nothing wrong with them they are young and Disney wears them out. It is an expensive vacation and if renting a stroller that I pay for gets me more time with out meltdowns at the park why shoud ANYONE care. It really just makes me laugh. How could a stroller possibly bother someone. If it does you need to check yourself in somewhere.

This is me. I could care less what people say or think and don't even think about making a comment to me because I'll give one back.

I have NEVER understood why anyone cares what someone else...a total stranger...chooses to do on their vacation. I went to Disney many times before needing to use a stroller or ECV and I can honestly say I don't recall ever thinking about a kid who I thought was too old for a stroller or a person that I didn't think needed an ECV. Since those early trips I have used strollers and ECV's and were thankful they were available. The stroller made our trip more enjoyable and the ECV made the trip possible for my mom. It literally boggles my mind that anyone would care that we decided to use either thing or why. I am like Kevin I now avoid the threads about strollers and ECV's because they make me so mad I can't see straight.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

My eldest will be 7 when we travel too and we are getting a stroller. There is no way she can do that amount of walking in a day. Its just too much to expect her to keep up. I struggle myself.

 

[Matt@WDWR]

I really don't worry about what other people are doing. It's none of my business. Okay that's not totally true. I do stare at the people in a 75 minute standby line and wonder what the heck they are thinking. LOL But that's it.

If kids are on a long trip, it definitely can get tiring for them. Many children do have disabilities though. Even if they didn't, if a parent wants a child to sit in a stroller that's their decision. I don't really care. It doesn't affect me.

 

[lttlmc3]

I have to say, listening to some of the stories on the boards and on the podcast, I am amazed at the audacity of some people! I can't believe anyone would judge a child or anyone for that matter for being too tired to walk! Much less comment about it! What's wrong with people!!!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I'm going to throw something out there on a tangent, hopefully to bring another perspective to this that takes it away from comparing it to disabilities - something that is apples and oranges. I think we sometimes get wrapped up in the personal aspect of topics like this being "someone criticizing our children" and not maybe looking at the more global topics that may spawn an odd look.

From a business perspective, I don't think folks have really understood the link between increased stroller prices and the use of the rental stollers by kids who are older and weigh much more than the recommended weight allowances of the strollers. Folks have complained on the boards about how the new Disney stollers are smaller and can carry less items and kids than the old versions. There may be a reason for this. On a routine WDW visit you could routinely see folks put 3 or more kids in one of the old strollers that is designed for only 2. Now, you can definitely only put 2 in the new design.

Disney strollers take a lot of abuse - because they are rentals, you would be amazed at the things people do with them, including daily habits of exceeding manufacturer's weight bearing limits. This destroys the wheels and suspension and causes great expense in replacement costs.

Possibly some of the looks people get aren't that they are putting older kids in the stroller - it could be more of "look how those people are abusing/damaging Disney property so that I have to pay more when I rent now" looks.

 

[Bell30012]

If my 40 pound daughter is anywhere close to the weight limit of a Disney double stroller, WDW got ripped off when the bought them. Actually, I think the weight limit is something like a 100 pounds on them but they are made to be very durable. Not so on the comfort scale but durable.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I chalk up the complaints because of Disney poor design in some of their walkways.

DHS and especially AK can be quite a problem to navigate through if there are tons of strollers, etc.

My family's problem is very specific to us. We have five kids and have trouble keeping us all together. We used double strollers when the kids were young.

I can understand the amount of safety a stroller can provide. My husband and I miss the stroller years at times.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Everyone makes choices that are best for them and their families. Others don't live in their shoes or believe in those choices, or feel that their values should be imposed on others. That is what makes our world diverse. I may not think the same way as others sometimes, and I try not to make judgements, but for humans, judgements are a primary nature. Just the way we're built. We try and fail. That's human too.

I'm going to put myself out on the table for you guys and let you know I'm going to be someone who is honest . It would be a lie for me to say I have never silently criticized about this issue in my head as I've walked past a family with 3 bigger kids in a rental stroller that isn't big enough for 2. I'm also going to say that I tend to have an analytical mind and look at all sides of a situation. That being said, having 2 girls under 4, I can see both sides of the issue.

I'm not trying to criticize anyone for putting 1 larger kid in, it's not a problem for me, I'm just trying to show the other side of the fence when it comes to seeing this happen with the rentals. It's not that people care what you do or how old your kids are - if it were your own personal property, it wouldn't really matter to anyone. It's the principle of watching abuse of the system when people exceed the limits of their rental purchase because they believe it's their honest right since they paid money. It's human nature to not be as kind or careful to items that don't permanently belong to you. We have all seen this happen or had it happen to us in our daily lives.

As I mentioned in my previous post - people abuse the rentals - not with one 40 pound kid, but with 2 or even 3 that are big enough to total over the "100" pound limit. Then they pile on all of the rest of their things, triggering the weight levels to be too much for standard wear and tear.

That's part of what causes the rental costs to skyrocket. And people to stare. The small handful of the population that generates the abuses makes it harder for honest folks to deal.

On the other hand, the other reason folks might stare are that many folks remember that when they were kids, they were made to walk at those ages. Then, they look at the latest statistics of childhood obesity and lack of exercise and make spontaneous correlations about how society is propagating the problem further. It's not personal - they don't know you from Adam to make it personal. It's frustration about modern society.

I know that both of these may not be popular opinions, but since I was the little fat girl that always got picked last for gym class, I don't want that to happen to my girls. Emotionally, that's a huge issue for me, since I know what the criticism and teasing feels like. I want my girls to to able walk enough and be fit enough to handle anything!

 

[Becx N Gav]

Everyone makes choices that are best for them and their families. Others don't live in their shoes or believe in those choices, or feel that their values should be imposed on others. That is what makes our world diverse. I may not think the same way as others sometimes, and I try not to make judgements, but for humans, judgements are a primary nature. Just the way we're built. We try and fail. That's human too.

I'm going to put myself out on the table for you guys and let you know I'm going to be someone who is honest . It would be a lie for me to say I have never silently criticized about this issue in my head as I've walked past a family with 3 bigger kids in a rental stroller that isn't big enough for 2. I'm also going to say that I tend to have an analytical mind and look at all sides of a situation. That being said, having 2 girls under 4, I can see both sides of the issue.

I'm not trying to criticize anyone for putting 1 larger kid in, it's not a problem for me, I'm just trying to show the other side of the fence when it comes to seeing this happen with the rentals. It's not that people care what you do or how old your kids are - if it were your own personal property, it wouldn't really matter to anyone. It's the principle of watching abuse of the system when people exceed the limits of their rental purchase because they believe it's their honest right since they paid money. It's human nature to not be as kind or careful to items that don't permanently belong to you. We have all seen this happen or had it happen to us in our daily lives.

As I mentioned in my previous post - people abuse the rentals - not with one 40 pound kid, but with 2 or even 3 that are big enough to total over the "100" pound limit. Then they pile on all of the rest of their things, triggering the weight levels to be too much for standard wear and tear.

That's part of what causes the rental costs to skyrocket. And people to stare. The small handful of the population that generates the abuses makes it harder for honest folks to deal.

On the other hand, the other reason folks might stare are that many folks remember that when they were kids, they were made to walk at those ages. Then, they look at the latest statistics of childhood obesity and lack of exercise and make spontaneous correlations about how society is propagating the problem further. It's not personal - they don't know you from Adam to make it personal. It's frustration about modern society.

I know that both of these may not be popular opinions, but since I was the little fat girl that always got picked last for gym class, I don't want that to happen to my girls. Emotionally, that's a huge issue for me, since I know what the criticism and teasing feels like. I want my girls to to able walk enough and be fit enough to handle anything!

I think these are good points and well made.

I don't think 'all kids should walk' but the number of strollers sometimes makes it hard to get around the parks, as a childless couple we like to go at our pace and it can get frustrating to weave in and out. I remind myself and DH that we are at Disney (a place for kids of all ages) and maybe we'll be in that situation one day.

Personally I would prefere (the correct number of kids) that kids do have the option of a stroller as I hate it when I see parents dragging around kids that are obviously tired and having the screaming hab dabs (as my Dad used to say!). Although maybe they should go at the pace of the slowest and not run around all day, but then if you've only got a few days ...... You really have to weigh up your priorities and get the right balance.

I'm hoping they will make adult size strollers one day

 

[BriarRosie]

On the other hand, the other reason folks might stare are that many folks remember that when they were kids, they were made to walk at those ages. Then, they look at the latest statistics of childhood obesity and lack of exercise and make spontaneous correlations about how society is propagating the problem further. It's not personal - they don't know you from Adam to make it personal. It's frustration about modern society.

I know that both of these may not be popular opinions, but since I was the little fat girl that always got picked last for gym class, I don't want that to happen to my girls. Emotionally, that's a huge issue for me, since I know what the criticism and teasing feels like. I want my girls to to able walk enough and be fit enough to handle anything!

I think you nailed it when you mentioned why people often gawk at older kids in strollers. I think it has a lot to do with what some might consider "coddling" a child who may be perfectly capable of walking. I stare because I remember walking around the Magic Kingdom when I was 7 years old. It boggles me as an adult who knows what it's like to walk through the park from a child's perspective.

But I think you bring up a good point about exercise and the scary trend towards obesity in children. My weight as a child was fine. I started to lack activity as I got older, and now I'm paying the price trying to get back to a healthier size. I think walking around WDW is a great exercise program.

I definitely think my experiences as a child walking around the park color my views about this subject as an adult. I realize there are exceptions to the rule, as there are children who have to use the stroller as a wheelchair. I'm actually agreeing more about disapproval for the people who cram more children (and/or older children) into the stroller than it would really seem to hold comfortably.