Stroller for 4.5 year old?

[MommaMacD]

We are headed to WDW in 10 days for the first time. I went in 1997 but I know that its a totally different ballgame now. My 4.5 year old daughter hasn't been in a stroller in 2 years, but so many people are urging me to bring one. I'd hate to lug one there if I'm not going to use it, but carrying my daughter is out of the question. Would a Macleran stroller do the trick? Thanks so much!!!

 

[Jaco5nc]

Would a Macleran stroller do the trick? Thanks so much!!!

We are going to bring my Macleran for my 6 year old DD. It folds up pretty compactly and I figured if we didn't use it we would stash it in our room. I am going with the better safe then sorry attitude.

 

[MommaMacD]

Thanks so much for your honest response. Better safe than sorry it is! Have a great trip!!!

 

[Nath&Bellasparents]

Mine are 4 &6 and I'm leaning towards bringing el cheapo strollers(finding somewhere centrall located to park them) and using them if need be, once the kids get tired thats alot of dead weight to lug !!! TRUST ME...

 

[MommaMacD]

Thanks for the advice. Have a great trip

 

[Goofy for DW]

We just got back last Friday. My DD is 4 and we rented a stroller while we were there. Definitely the best $50 we spent! She rode it in it most of the time and even crawled in and napped a few times (which she would never do at home) So if it's not too inconvenient I would say take it! Have a great trip

 

[ktlm]

Absolutely take it. I'm betting you will be using it. If you aren't, you can always park it somewhere, or leave it in the room. DD didn't set foot in the stroller from the time she was 12 months old and took her first steps...not at the zoo, not at the mall, etc...except at WDW. At her first trip at age 2 and 10 months, she took one look at the size of WDW and jumped right in. We used it at age 3, 4, and 5 too. We thought about not taking it at age 5, but she specifically asked for it, and boy were were glad we had it. We did DL this summer with her at age 6 without a stroller for the first time, and boy was it rough and slow compared to the stroller days. We will be doing WDW again before she turns 7, and I have to say I'm a little bit worried about what it is going to be like for a week without a stroller.

Ours was a MacClaren and it was great for WDW and DL. One suggestion is that even if yours is an uncommon pattern, tie ribbons or something to it because there will be another identical one somewhere. Ours was a pink polka dot pattern that was pretty unusual but we still saw identical ones parked in stroller parking on a couple of occasions.

 

[DISNEYNV]

Yes, bring the stroller or rent one to be picked up at your hotel. My kids are 4 and 8 and last trip my daughter was six and used ours. This trip we rented from Orlando Stroller for the first time because we didnt want to have to lug it with us on the plane and my son is over the weight for our Maclaren. I dont like to have to push them in the parks, but Id rather do that than have to carry a 65lb. kid when they are tired. Have a great trip

 

[DISNEYWITHCHILDREN]

Bring it! My dd is 4.5, and we use it on every trip to the park. During the afternoon she rests in it, if we have to get through crowds it works really well, and she goes to sleep after wishes in it!

And even if you dd doesn't use it at all you can stash all your stuff in it!

 

[Lavaluma]

A Maclaren works perfectly. We hadn't used a stroller for 2 years when we went last year. Actually, it had been so long since we used a stroller that we didn't even have them anymore. So, we bought 2 used ones on Craigslist to use for our then 3 and 5 year olds. When we didn't use them, we just carried them over our shoulders with the shoulder strap. They were a lot lighter to carry around just in case than carrying a 30 and/or 40 lb child. My husband was very doubtful about buying them until we got down there, then he was glad to have them because we ended up using the strollers a lot more than we expected.

 

[mobesfamily]

We are leaving in 9 days (maybe we'll see you!) with our 4 1/2 yo twins and taking our BJ City Mini Double with us. They do still use it on long outings at home and it will be great way to keep them with us. They are also not the kind of kids who can "hang" so any evenings when we are out past 8pm will require at least a ride to the bus stop.

Have a great time!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We just got back and it was our first no-stroller trip. Our youngest is 6 1/2. He did great with walking, just complained a few times about "running out of energy," but he hung in there and we rested when he needed a quick break. I thought for sure my husband would have to carry him to the room after the Halloween party, but he perked up and walked it, no problem.

However, on all our previous trips, we have definitely needed a stroller. We used a Maclaren Volo in the last 3+ years and it worked great. Light enough to fold up and get on the bus easily, but comfortable enough for him.

But it sure was nice being able to ditch it this trip!

 

[PeanutButterMom]

For our trip, PB will be 7.5 and Jelly will be 4.5. I'm planning on bringing our Mac + a buggy board. PB is small (barely 40lbs) and has stamina issues. I seriously doubt Jelly will like to sit, so most likely it'll be PB sitting and Jelly standing on the board.

 

[garjanjones]

We took our 4.5 year old in July. Take the stroller! We used it everyday. We talked to him ahead of time and explained that if he would ride in the stroller he would have more energy to ride more rides and stay up later. He did great. We took the Maclaren. It was great. We had a small backback that hung on the handles, rather than our sweaty back in July. We did learn our lesson on the first day though. It rained while we were in a ride and DS could not ride in a wet stroller. We took the poncho the next day, after the stroller dried out and always covered the stroller with a poncho while in a ride. It stayed dry the rest of the trip. We plan on taking that stroller every year until he is just physically too big to ride in it.

 

[sturowski]

We fly out tomorrow morning and I am ringing a stroller for my almost 4 yr old but not bringing one for my almost 6 year old... Last year when e was turning 5 he used it one night we were out late and that was the only time... I hope he will be ok this year!!

 

[LuLuO]

First Years Ignite. It is easy to fold, holds up to 50 pounds, easy to steer, reclines, nice size basket, some models have mesh pockets on the side, a parent organizer with zipper. We used them on two Disney trips and use them at home. Love them.

 

[tkitty]

Dh and I are taking our 51/2 yr old DGD on this trip and know for the sake of our sanity we would want a stroller. My DGD can get very cranky and even though she does'nt use a stroller, there is a lot of walking, and possible long days. I've tried the $10 strollers and they are too short, uncomfortable to push and don't push easily, imo. So I was watching Craigslist for a good used stroller more suited to a larger child. I was very lucky to find a Macleran Triumph for $30. This seems to be perfect and I could even bring it back and sell it for more than I paid!

 

[JStiffler]

My DD will be 5 when we go and we are also bringing an umbrella stroller for WDW as well as the airport. It will help get us around much quicker and help her last longer thru the day. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[Andrea464]

Our DD was 4 when we went. She walked almost everywhere. She did zonk out on the buses though. It was great to not feel tied down to a stroller!

 

[sturowski]

Mine are 4 and 6 and I will be bringing one in September for the youngest at least. We used it alot last year when they were 3 and 5.