Please help settle another stroller debate

[got15]

We are going at the end of May and we're planning on doing a single stroller rather than a double. We have 2 children- -3&7. My husband would like for our 7 year old to walk the entire time. I would rather rent a double and he can choose to either use it or not. I know it'll be hot, my 7 year old said he needs it to relax when he gets tired. He is in great shape but when he gets tired he still wants to be carried and can be quite a bear. What would you guys do- single and walk or double and maybe walk/ride?

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Oooh, I love a good stroller thread! You are right, do the double. I know there will be nay-sayers who will say "the 7 year old should be able to walk and even push the 3 year old around." I too have a 7 year old and she would push her 3 year old brother out of the stroller if she needed to! You don't want to carry a 7 year old around, go for the double, and allow him to rest a bit!

 

[PrincessRogueOne]

Ditto, get a double. If he doesn't sit, extra storage for stuff!

 

[wilkeliza]

Does any place rent the sit/stand strollers? Do what is right for your family. You'll hear mixed things. If hubby says no to double tell him he'll be on packing 7 year old duty.

 

[Tink_83]

Could you compromise and start with the single and if you need it exchange it for a double? That way you can see how the 7 year old is handling the trip and take it from there. Either that or tell DH that when the 7 year old wants to be carried it's going to be his job to carry him

Ditto, get a double. If he doesn't sit, extra storage for stuff!

Although I will say we ended up getting a double the one time we rented and we only had DD; there is limited storage on those Disney rental strollers (I guess I'm assuming you are renting from Disney...). So if you are renting from one of the preferred vendors just get a double and ignore the first part of my comment.

 

[brockash]

We are going at the end of May and we're planning on doing a single stroller rather than a double. We have 2 children- -3&7. My husband would like for our 7 year old to walk the entire time. I would rather rent a double and he can choose to either use it or not. I know it'll be hot, my 7 year old said he needs it to relax when he gets tired. He is in great shape but when he gets tired he still wants to be carried and can be quite a bear. What would you guys do- single and walk or double and maybe walk/ride?

Are you going to all the parks, how many days, how long of days? When my dd was 6 we just rented a stroller for her at Epcot and MK, due to size of park and how long we were going to be there. When she was 7, we also had a new baby and so I rented and citi mini double for the entire week and it worked great. The 7 year old used it often and it was just as easy as having my single full stroller. I would def. error on the side of just getting a double for the whole trip. It just makes things easier and you're going to have a stroller anyways. It'll be nice for the 7 year old to have a place to rest, get out of the crowds and is especially helpful at night/closing when it's dark, everyone's tired and you're trying to get out etc.

 

[danielocha30]

get the double! is going to be hot and yes you might find yourself pushing and empty strollers because obviously both kids have enough stamina to walk. I personally love the power of restraining both kids in the stroller for my own sanity!

 

[DisneyChris2016]

If you're going to be pushing a stroller anyway, I would just go for the double.

 

[Klayfish]

Yeah, this one is a no brainer for me. Double every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. We had our kids in strollers until they were 8 or 9. They're all in very good condition, all three play lacrosse and both of my boys are football players. But WDW is mega-huge, I'd much rather them be in a stroller and not tired/cranky.

Being cheap like I am, I'm not a believer in any of those trendy $500 strollers. Any double, even an umbrella will work fine, that's what we used often. The only one thing I will say is a notable difference is the wheel size. An umbrella has small plastic wheels. So on an incline, it can get heavy. If you don't want to deal with that, just get something with a bicycle type tire. For our last trip with a kid stroller, we got a double jogging stroller off Craigslist for $50. Between my two twins and the giant bag of food I hung over the back of it (we pack our own food), it was literally over 200lbs of stuff. Pushing it was astoundingly easy. When we were done with our trip, we sold it on Craigslist...while still in WDW...to another family coming down for vacation and looking for a stroller. Sold it for $40, so my net spend was $10, for two weeks of use.

 

[mom25kiddos]

We are food packers and bring in a pretty decent quantity of lunch/snacks. So extra stroller space is never a bad thing, even if it is never used. And the hassle factor of going from a single to a double is pretty minor compared to needing the extra seat and not having it. We already have the double though-if you are needing to go out and buy one, as previously suggested i would just pick up a second hand one.

 

[brymolmom]

I'll chime in with a vote for your dh- single is the way to go. Sounds like your 7 year old can handle it and pushing two kids with one that size around will tire out you and dh way sooner. It's your vacation too so everyone old enough to do so should be 'pulling their own weight'. That said- We never (maybe in extreme cases with sickness involved) ever carries our kids for more than maybe 20 feet from the car to inside after they turned 6...so if your child is used to being carried, and might ask to be- that might change things. If there was a big chance my 7 year old would be too whiney about walking- he or she would be spending a lot of time missing out on rides. I would not get a stroller just for that reason as it'll just enforce the negative behavior.

 

[Camshell]

It's up to you to decide, but we took our 7 year old daughter and her older brother for mid-late May for a 10 day trip. We never even considered a stroller. She walked everywhere and did fine. If anyone needed a break we took one (found a shady spot/ride). We didn't go commando, so maybe that helps. The only thing that makes it more complicated (or not) in your situation is the younger one will have a stroller and the older one may see that as being "unfair", especially if he/she is feeling tired.

 

[kohlby]

We tell our kids we will stay in the parks as long a stay they can handle - and leave once someone shows signs of not being able to handle it. Our eldest complained about barely walking any distance at 6. He magically did great at Disney with no stroller. He didn't want to be the reason we left the parks so there wasn't crankiness. (We had a single with a 50lb weight limit and he was too big, so he didn't have an option. Our 3 year old used the single and the baby in a sling). When the second child was 5, she did well without a stroller - same thing. The third child needed one at 5 due to his sensory issues, but he did well without at 6. I'm with your husband - I'd have the 7 year walk so I didn't have to push the double unless the 7 year old has emotional or physical limitations.

 

[Tozzie]

7 years old and still needs a stroller there is really something wrong with that. At 7 he should be able to walk.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm definitely in the camp that thinks a 7 year old will be fine without a stroller, but that is because of my own kid's experiences. I know families still use them at that age and there is nothing wrong with that but, I have to vote with your hubby on this one.

 

[Funfire240]

Will your 7 year old even want to sit in a stroller? My kids after they started school refused to even consider a stroller and we've never had a problem. I think the only time DS was carried out he was 5 and that was at midnight of MNSSHP after a day of Disney Springs walking, swimming and then the party. But then again, only you know your child and their ability and you can hear people say things one way or another here (and I'm sure there will be a lot) but it's ultimately up to you and your DH and what you are all comfortable with and how you think he will be.

 

[Klayfish]

7 years old and still needs a stroller there is really something wrong with that. At 7 he should be able to walk.

Oh, puh-lease...

 

[katriscari]

This is our first time having a stroller (10 month old coming When my other son was 5&6 he walked...no stroller rental. We are not the type to spend sun up to sun down at the parks though either. If he was tired, we went back to the resort, napped, swam, etc. Then when we would head back out it did not seem so unbearable for him to be walking again. Ultimately, you know your child best. If you think it may put a damper on the trip not having a spot for him I would just do the double. You will be pushing a stroller around regardless.

 

[kwdw]

No way at 7 years old unless they have some type of special need! The younger one is going to get cranky and tire out even with the single stroller before the 7 yo will. Our last trip - the 7 year old had the most energy to keep going! She was a bit whiny on our last day - but that was more about having to leave that day than anything else. She was willing to walk across a park again to get in what she wanted as the last ride of the trip.....

 

[aprincessatlast]

Are you guys rope drop to close type people? Off property? If so go for the double. I will say though not having a stroller and going from a double to a single is so freeing!! We went stroller free when my dd was 4 and it was so awesome as we had so much more freedom however we are not rope drop to close kind of people. We always took long mid day breaks at hotel on property using the busses or monorails, so that helps.