Should We Get a Stroller for a 6-year old?

[qanita92]

I am traveling with my two six year old cousins this August 28-Sept 2nd. Do you think we should get strollers? I was thinking of renting from Magic Strollers.

 

[LovingDisney11]

I personally would go for it. I think they are great for toting around bags and for those tired feet at the end of the day. My DD is 6, and has a cousin that is 7. We get strollers for them every trip. I think its really helped cut down on the complaining too.

 

[RMulieri]

Thats up to you,My 4 yr old never used one at Disney and still doesn't at age 7.But we are willing to slow down to her speed and take it easy if need be, and she is our only child which makes it easier .

 

[GatorMama]

Thats probably a question that their moms can better answer.

 

[sharonabe]

Thats probably a question that their moms can better answer.

I agree. Every kid is different. I don't think either of mine would've been caught dead in a stroller at age 6! If their mom has never been, try giving her an idea of how much walking is involved in a day at WDW and let her decide.

One more "con" IMO is the hassle of using them on Disney transportation. You have to fold them up to get on the bus, carry it on to the bus, and find a spot for you and the stroller (and on crowded buses, this is NOT fun). Also at the parks, you have to park them at designated stroller parking lots for each ride and after the ride go back and find it and many times the CMs have moved them around to make room for others.

 

[mollybug2]

I brought one last fall for my 6 year old. She never rides in one at home, but as it was her first Disney trip and we only had 3 park days, I knew we would be spending long days in the park. She walked more often than not, but it was worth the hassle of bringing it when she did ride in it! We brought a Maclaren Volo, so an umbrella stroller. Not heavy, easy to transport, etc. I am going to bring her again this fall and she will be 7. I am 99.9% sure the stroller will be joining us!

 

[momof2n2]

I'm going to say no.
I was 100% set to rent a stroller for our six park days this trip. We are here now and we haven't used one yet. [We have one for the baby but were going to rent one for the 5 & 7 year olds.] The first park we went to was Epcot and we booked it to Soarin' and I never got back toward the stroller rental. We then figured it they could manage Epcot, they could manage all the other parks. And so far, so good! [We are here 12 days w/six at parks. We've been to 4 parks and haven't needed it yet.]

 

[jcemom]

It's tough for me to say...how long is your trip? Will it be hot? Do you plan to take the parks at their pace -- stopping for breaks if/when they need them and leaving the parks early if they get tired? Or do you want to spend long hours in the parks and stay for fireworks?

We've taken a stroller for DD all the way up to age 8, though this past trip she really didn't need it. (She is pretty small for her age, and I go at a fast pace, so it's hard for her to keep up with me. I took it just as much for myself as I did for her.) We take 10 day trips, go to parks every day, and don't do much resting except for pool time (and as that's just as tiring as park time I'm not sure it counts as a break, lol). Most of the time I am the only adult and I do not want to have to carry her out to the bus at the end of the night as I see many folks doing. Plus, I've liked having a place to put my stuff.

 

[YodaGirl]

I used to be in the camp that would say absolutely not. I walked Disney at 5 during the summer. Of course, I was REALLY tired at the end of the day, and my dad tended to have to carry me back to the campsite.

HOWEVER....
If it's during the summer, I might consider renting from Disney. I don't think that most 6 year olds (at least the ones I know) would really want to ride in a standard stroller. Of course, then there's the fact of whether or not they would even fit. The ones from WDW wouldn't be too bad. Plus, you can wait till you get down there to determine if it's a need. I wouldn't suggest the possibility to them, since they may just say yes because they want to be pushed around in the shade. If they're genuinely tired, have sore legs, feet hurt, etc, and taking a small break isn't helping, I'd say go for it. Heat can take a lot out of a person.

Double check with their mom just to make sure, though. Some parents view things completely differently. She may not want her kids in a stroller no matter what.

 

[justakrazymom]

My youngest will be turning 6 days after our trip.. we are bringing a stroller. His little legs get tired walking from his room to the living room. Yes he's a bit of a drama king. He does not ride in one at home, but we don't often walk 8 miles a day over 14 hours in a hot theme park.. My thoughts are I'd rather buy ( we don;t own one) and bring it and maybe not need it..then not bring one and end up having to rent at Disney prices..no thanks! If he gets tired he can hop in, if he rarely rides it then we will leave it at the resort the rest of the time we are there.

 

[tigeramy75]

We rented from Magic Strollers this past trip. First of all, let me say that if you rent from them, there are NO WORRIES about folding or fitting the stroller on transportation...I have never used a lighter or easier to fold stroller in my life! The stroller we own would have been a huge pain, but these were super easy to use.

We rented a single for my three year old. That being said, I was really surprised at how often my six year old rode in it! He had been twice before (at age 4 and 5) and we had never used a stroller for him before. But this was our longest trip and he really liked having somewhere to sit and take breaks. He is naturally more low energy than our three year old, who spent the whole trip wanting to "walk like a big boy!!!" Anyway, before this trip, I probably would have said a six year old wouldn't need a stroller, but I am really glad we had one. A double probably would have been perfect. Magic Strollers are also a little cheaper than renting from WDW, and they deliver to your resort and you just leave it there when you check out. We were very happy with them.

 

[Andtototoo]

First time dd went to WDW she was 6. We did not rent a stroller as she had not used one in years. She did not need one at WDW either.

My particular pov is that I will only take kids old enough to walk on their own steam to WDW.

 

[amym2]

Do you really want to push a stroller with a 6yo in it? My 7yo doesn't quite weigh 50 pounds and there's no way I'd push her. So much easier to maneuver around crowds without a stroller also.

 

[jcemom]

Do you really want to push a stroller with a 6yo in it? My 7yo doesn't quite weigh 50 pounds and there's no way I'd push her. So much easier to maneuver around crowds without a stroller also.

That's why it's so tough to tell someone else what THEY should do. Opinions vary so greatly.

My DD 8 1/2 only weighs 38 pounds, and it's so much easier for me to push her in our Maclaren than it is for me to hang on to her and keep up with rope drop crowds. She just cannot walk as fast as I do, and I worry about her getting trampled. On our last trip, at 8, she walked some days and we took the stroller some days. Personally I thought the stroller days were easier for me. We won't take it next time, because she is just too old for it, and I will miss it.

I won't miss folding it for the bus, or going back to wherever we've parked it to retrieve it multiple times per day.

I will miss going at my own pace, and having a place to stow all my stuff.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Thats probably a question that their moms can better answer.

Thank you, there is nothing worse than having someone else try to make your parenting decisions for you. Could you please talk to my mother in law?

 

[jcemom]

Thank you, there is nothing worse than having someone else try to make your parenting decisions for you. Could you please talk to my mother in law?

Good luck with that! My MIL is the same way! I know she means well, but sheesh!

 

[sukhakuli]

We bring the double when we're out for a long day. My ds needs to be in a stroller for safety, but even the 8 year old gets tired after several hours on her feet, and I think there is no reason for her to be uncomfortable on vacation just because it would embarrass me if she was in a stroller.

Do you really want to push a stroller with a 6yo in it? My 7yo doesn't quite weigh 50 pounds and there's no way I'd push her. So much easier to maneuver around crowds without a stroller also.

It depends on the type of stroller you have. Our stroller is incredibly easy to push, even with 100 lbs of kids in it. It also maneuvers through crowds like a dream.

 

[USAND3KIDS]

Yes yes yes. We got one of the double strollers every day during our last visit. DD was only 3 but even my 7 year old son at the time had to ride for a while to get off of his feet. Also handy to put all of your things in and makes an automatic chair for 2 during fireorks and parades.

 

[LONES]

Our last trip to Disney our girls were 5 & 3. On our next trip (hopefully January 2012!) they will be 7 & 5. I'm sure we will be bringing one stroller. My DH will kill me, but I'm pretty sure I'll buy something (probably a Maclaren Volo) for that trip. Our last trips we had our main Graco stroller, and then a smaller, cheap stroller (we've never done a double). Last time the small stroller broke a couple of days into the trip. We spent the rest of the trip with the 3 year old in the stroller most of the time, but then would let the 5 year old ride when she got really tired. It was a lifesaver leaving the WS at Epcot late one night. We had done the pick a pearl in Japan, and it took a lot longer than they thought to have them set. By the time they were finally ready.... the 5 year old was done!!!! It was so nice to just throw her in the stoller, and double time it to the bus, rather than trying to lug a 40lb 5 year old (on the verge of a meltdown) through the WS!!! Our younger daughter is super tiny (she's only 28lbs now at 4 1/2), so if we have to lug a sleeping kid back to the room at night, it's easier to put the older one in the stroller, and carry her. At this point, I would only bring one stroller with, though. There is no reason they both need to be in a stroller all day long (and the 7 year old would look pretty ridiculous). However, for the few times a day she needs a spot to sit and rest, or at the end of a long day heading to the bus, I'm willing to endure the disapproving stares from people I'll never see again.

 

[JamieH]

Let their mom decide because its going to depend on the kids. My DS is 5 1/2 and is very tall for his age so I'll probably get looks but I don't care. I'd rather be able to stick him in the stroller and rush at my own pace then wait for him to keep up and listen to him complain. He HATES to walk and we frequently battle the entire time I'm anywhere b/c he wants to ride in the shopping cart or in the stroller like his sister (who is 2). I don't give in during regular outings, but this is DIsney in May where we'll be walking miles a day in the heat so I've rented a single jogger from Magic Stroller. We had a double the last time we went with both kids (its just he and I this trip) and I found it very easy to push and maneuver, even with both kids so I'm sure the single with just him won't be a problem. Besides, I like having a place to throw my bag if I get tired of carrying it