Stroller for 4-year-old?

[Jmomom1]

We have an 8-day trip coming up in May. I'm torn on what to do about a stroller for our 4-year-old. She no longer uses a stroller, but I know it's a TON of walking. She is tall for her age so i don't even have a stroller that she fits in any longer. She's too heavy to carry so I'm worried about what to do when her legs get tired. Last time we were there she was just about to turn three and smaller so a stroller wasn't a problem. What about wagons? Are they allowed? Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

 

[Habbott]

What height/weight is your 4 year old? My 6 year old is average/small and fit fine in a regular city mini. He would have been more comfortable in a city mini gt.

 

[North of Mouse]

We have an 8-day trip coming up in May. I'm torn on what to do about a stroller for our 4-year-old. She no longer uses a stroller, but I know it's a TON of walking. She is tall for her age so i don't even have a stroller that she fits in any longer. She's too heavy to carry so I'm worried about what to do when her legs get tired. Last time we were there she was just about to turn three and smaller so a stroller wasn't a problem. What about wagons? Are they allowed? Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

No wagons allowed. If you aren't sure your dd will want/need a stroller, just wait and rent one at the parks. Or, you could bring an umbrella stroller and leave it parked in certain areas you will be and walk to area rides. You will probably see the first day what her needs will be - lots of 4 yr olds need strollers there.

Having your own will be useful for leaving the parks if she is sleepy/tired. That's what I would personally do.

 

[Jmomom1]

My daughter is around 45 inches tall and 49 lbs (she's at the top of the growth charts always). I'm thinking we will rent a stroller--it's just so much walking and we do long days.

 

[ChiasMom]

I'm having similar thoughts. My daughter will also be 4 on our next trip (she turns 4 at the end of this month, and we're going in November). She's somewhat petite, so I'm not worried about her physically fitting into a stroller, but she has flat out refused to use one since she was about 2. She is very independent and, shall we say, "spirited," so it'll definitely cause a scene when I try to convince her that she may need one; however, as you said, it is indeed a TON of walking. We have a decent umbrella stroller that we could probably take with us, but I'm on the fence about actually bringing it. I don't feel like lugging it around the airport and hotel, but $13/day for a rental sounds excessive (not to mention having to go get one and bring it back every time we enter or leave a park - what a pain!).



sorry, this didn't help answer your question at all... just commiserating and thinking out loud!

 

[Kerriowl]

On our last trip we rented a double city mini GT for my 4 year old and 7 year old. The 7 year old was just over 48 inches tall and probably about 45 pounds (yes, he is very skinny) and he fit fine in the stroller. I love renting the stroller since that way you can take it all the way back to the hotel with you but YMMV depending on which resort you are at. This is definitely more of a selling point for the walkable and monorail resorts.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I was glad we rented a stroller for my 5 year old and 3 year old. We did so much walking so they got tired. When we were staying in one area, we parked it and would walk, but it was nice to have when walking from one end of the park to the other.

I am glad we had the stroller with us for leaving the park. The latest we left the parks was 8pm, but my kids were exhausted so we needed it to walk to the busses. A few times, they fell asleep on the bus. My DH would jump off, open the stroller and then come on and we would each carry one to the stroller. They slept the whole ride to the room and went right to bed. I would not have wanted to be carrying them!

 

[Imnatari]

We're heading down next year and I was worried about the same thing. My DD will be 3 next month, so she'll be just about 4 when we go. I had a cheap-o umbrella stroller we've been using since she phased our of our travel system when she was an infant and has recently preferred to be worn (she's tiny so wearing her is a breeze). She HATES being in the umbrella stroller. For more reasons that our impending Disney trip, I picked up a Chicco Echo on sale a few weeks ago... she LOVES it. It's more comfortable than the umbrella stroller but still not super bulky.

 

[Capang]

DD used one at 4 in the parks. She is also very tall so we used her full sized Chicco. We used it mainly to go land to land or if she needed a shady spot to take a break. It folded easily and quickly and was lightweight. I would either rent a full size stroller that your daughter would fit in or try to buy a second hand one on the cheap. It really was no trouble to gate check it at the airports and get it off and on a bus without impeding other travelers.

 

[mamamelody2]

When my youngest was 4, we bought a Maclaren Volo for our Disney trip. We definitely used it plenty. I mean, he walked a lot, but he got tired. We have such cute pics of him asleep in the stroller at the bus stop at night.
It was very lightweight and had a carrying strap. It has taller hand grips than a cheap umbrella stroller, so DH was able to push it without hunching over. It was nice to have a place to store our stuff, too.

 

[Dismama2boys]

My 4 year old would never have made it without a stroller. I would say it's a must, although I'm sure there are exceptions.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Since 4 we rent one at the park depending on 1) if needed, 2) stamina, 3) temperature, 4) which park. Sometimes he's fine without one, sometimes it's needed just to not blow all his energy on walking. It's mainly Epcot where I've rented one, sometimes Animal Kingdom.

It works best for us to make the "game time" decision when there rather than mess with bringing a stroller, renting from somewhere else, etc.

 

[caliope]

We used the stroller (we brought our BOB) all the time when DS was 3. Last trip, when he was 4, we still brought it but used it less because DS wanted to walk. We stayed at the Poly and left it in the room during the day. It was extremely handy in the evenings, though, when DS got tired. At that point, he didn't argue getting in at all. He's generally good in the BOB because it's much more comfortable than an umbrella stroller and he's used to it from all our walking at home. I think if we'd tried to get him into a less comfortable stroller he would've protested more. We have an upcoming trip in March, DS is almost 5, and we are still planning to bring it.

 

[Dismama2boys]

We used the stroller (we brought our BOB) all the time when DS was 3. Last trip, when he was 4, we still brought it but used it less because DS wanted to walk. We stayed at the Poly and left it in the room during the day. It was extremely handy in the evenings, though, when DS got tired. At that point, he didn't argue getting in at all. He's generally good in the BOB because it's much more comfortable than an umbrella stroller and he's used to it from all our walking at home. I think if we'd tried to get him into a less comfortable stroller he would've protested more. We have an upcoming trip in March, DS is almost 5, and we are still planning to bring it.

Good point - my 4-year-old would likely have rebelled if we tried to stuff him in an umbrella stroller, or a hard plastic Disney rental. We drive, so we bring our big comfy one from home.

 

[minoh]

I'm thinking we'll be renting a stroller for my 2 6yo nieces. They're probably average size but I can't see them making it through the day walking the whole time. Do you have to rent in advance? It would be good to have a trial day instead of renting for the whole week, if we can.

 

[jvz82]

We just went in December and definitely needed a stroller for my 4yo. I never would have considered going without one for him. We actually had a double stroller for him and the 2yo, and at some points (especially on the last day) the 6 and 8 year olds even took turns sitting in there a little bit too.

 

[AZMermaid]

Since 4 we rent one at the park depending on 1) if needed, 2) stamina, 3) temperature, 4) which park. Sometimes he's fine without one, sometimes it's needed just to not blow all his energy on walking. It's mainly Epcot where I've rented one, sometimes Animal Kingdom.

It works best for us to make the "game time" decision when there rather than mess with bringing a stroller, renting from somewhere else, etc.

This is our plan for this June with my 5 year old. We are thinking we will just need it for our longer planned AK day- a Saturday two weeks after Pandora opens. It is also day 9 of our vacation. We are thinking generally, out of sight out of mind will work just fine. We did not get a stroller last summer in Disneyland when she was 4.

 

[morrik5]

We took our full size stroller for the Grandson when he was almost 4 and definitely happy we did. We intend to do the same next year when we return, this time with his sister who will be almost 4.

 

[GLovesDisney]

My almost 6 year old still uses a stroller for every trip (and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon). The City Mini is a great choice for older kids.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Yes, it is a lot of walking! Also, the stroller is a great place to stash all the ponchos, snacks, and Disney purchases