Stroller for 5-year-old??

[weschmom]

OK...this may be silly...but I'm wondering if anyone else has taken along an umbrella stroller for a 5-year-old child? It will be just my DD and I in January, and she doesn't usually nap (though I plan to take a break mid-day with her). Just thinking that the parks involve a LOT more walking than what she does in an average day here, and at night, when she's tired, we could get around faster if I could push her. I'm sure she'd be all for it when she's getting tired. How much of a hassle would the stroller be? Is there a place we could leave it till we needed it?? Or would I be stuck lugging it around with us half the day??

Thanks!

 

[Kelley Family]

Last year I rented a double stroller for my then 4 year old DD and 10 year old DS. My DS is on the smaller side for his age so they both fit fine. IT WAS A LIFE SAVER! We are headed to WDW next week and I will be getting a stroller again. I'm sure they can both walk quite a bit but they day is much more plesant with the stroller!

 

[rkmassa]

We took a stroller for our 6 year old. He gets very tired, and cranky when he is tired, so figured better off with one. So glad we did. He never napped in the stroller, but it just made the day and evening so much easier for him, thus making it better for all of us. We never worried about leaving it outside of rides. You will see lots of stroller parking around rides. Just park it in the area marked. One year we took our expensive double stroller and worried about it, so we took along a bike lock and ran the lock through the wheel and around the basket area. Couldn't really go any place with it like that. Never worried about it. I know you are not allowed to lock them to anything at Disney, like a fence, etc. I would definitely take one, especially a small umbrella stroller. Very light and easy to haul if you need to.

 

[blessedby3]

Yep, we took a stroller last year for our DD7 and will be taking it again just in case this year. We have a Volo that folds up easily and she jumped in and out of it often and definately slept in it during the last part of MVMCP and we were glad to have it then. I also feel better when I know she can jump in it and we can rush off to the next ride without dragging her along. It also is great for holding the backpack and stuff you dont want to carry. Disney involves so much walking that young children arent used to. She of course doesnt use one in our normal life, but walking at Disney is nothing normal. We also do commando and are gone all day so this gives her the perfect place to rest her feet when she is tired.

 

[linskypens]

Bring the stroller!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had my DD in one till she was 7.
You can go a lot faster if you are pushing her, than you can dragging her.It also helps when you are wizzing by items for sale, that she cant stop and beg for.You can leave them all over the place, in any stroller drop all over the park, and it will be there when you get back.Ive never lost one.

 

[BamaFan121s]

Heck yeah! My daughter is 5 and her legs are shorter than mine. She's going to get tired, plain and simple. If her being in a stroller part of the time keeps her from getting as cranky, I welcome it and I'm sure the those around me do too!

 

[maelstrom]

You won't look out of place with your 5 year old in a stroller. There's people around here putting their 10 year olds and older in a stroller.

 

[kj2mom]

I just took my two four year olds (they turned 5 on the trip), for a couple months prior to our trip we walked daily to prepare. I didn't want to have the hassle of the stroller, I know some find it more convenient but just not something I wanted to do, and they did great. The entire 8 days we were there they walked without one single complaint. I figured if they saw the other children in strollers they might ask in which case I would rent one (I am a single mom and couldn't manage a stroller at the airport with all of our other items) but they never asked, never even mentioned that strollers existed.

We have been back from our trip for 3 weeks now and we are still walking every day, it is just part of our daily routine.

You certainly wouldn't be out of place and there are plenty of places for stroller parking, just be sure to use the designated areas or your stroller may not be where you left it. I saw many CM's moving strollers from incorrect locations to the stroller parking areas.

 

[MareSINY]

I took my niece alone to DW this past January, she was almost 5 at the time. I didn't bring a stroller because she refuses to use them. The only time I wished I had one was on our longest night in the parks. We had stayed one night to see Spectro and then decided to head back to the CR to watch Wishes from our room. By this time she was cranky and tired and had me carrying her. I felt like my back would break, and I wished I had a stroller.

I think it depends a lot on the kid, I am glad I didn't have the bother of a stroller by myself, even though that one night was a bit of a headache.

Have a good time!! I really loved our solo trip and I think you will too.

 

[Schmeck]

Could you afford to rent one at the parks? A five yr old might not need a stroller at MGM or MK, but it could be handy at EPCOT, especially if you are going at an adult pace, not a kid's pace.

 

[whogirl'smom]

We took an umbrella stroller and kept it in the Jeep just in case all week, for DD5. We did need it the night we went to Epcot for Illuminations; she hadn't had a nap and I knew there was no way she'd make it around WS to leave at 9:30 p.m. She did keep up just fine during the day, all day until day 6. We rented a Disney stroller our last afternoon at MK--had been to GF for tea party after riding things all a.m. and I knew she wouldn't last walking all over the park again. Actually, we were more glad to have something to hang the darn tote bag on by the end of the trip! I vote yes, take a stroller, and you can decide based on how your child does the first day, whether you will need to leave it in the room sometimes or take it some days! Have a great trip!

Oh, yeah, and I saw a teenager trying to get in a stroller one day, so age 5 would never look out of place!

 

[golden1]

I have torn about this for my 4.5 year old. We have a Peg Perego Pliko that we are bringing for my 2.5 year old and the 4.5 year old can stand on the running board in the back if she gets tired. I am thinking she will need a stroller for herself, especially in the evenings. I am not sure if I will buy a Volo or just rent a stroller.

 

[flortlebap]

Yep, our 5 1/2 year old neice had one this year. It was a godsend really, she would have been exhausted without it!

 

[blessedby3]

I have torn about this for my 4.5 year old. We have a Peg Perego Pliko that we are bringing for my 2.5 year old and the 4.5 year old can stand on the running board in the back if she gets tired. I am thinking she will need a stroller for herself, especially in the evenings. I am not sure if I will buy a Volo or just rent a stroller.

I would go with buying the Volo especially since you have a younger child. This is what I was wondering about on our trip last year. When I checked into the rental prices for a stroller I found I could buy a Volo for a few bucks more, then I would be able to recoup my investment afterwards when I sell it. I am keeping it until this trip next month, then will sell it as we wont be back to Disney for another couple of years and wont need it then. I got my Volo for $68 inclucing s&h from the internet. I bought a previous year model and I Love it. Wish I had seen it years ago when I used a stroller everyday. You would surely get tons of use out of yours if you bought one, since you have the 2 1/2 yr. old also.

 

[mom2rb]

I had my boys walking daily for about a month before our first trip, when they were five. They still couldn't do it. I ended up renting a stroller for them every day. The next year we ended up renting a stroller every other day. I wish I had brought my stroller with me that first year it would have been so much cheaper.

 

[bctripp]

My 5 year old used our Peg Perego Aria on our last trip. As a matter of fact. when I bought it she was 1 and we were getting ready for her first trip to WDW. When my oldest was 4 and 5, we rented for her. I didn't rent this past time because our stroller is really light.

 

[Frantasmic]

I did this last year for our Thanksgiving trip. It worked well...for about a day. He has outgrown strollers at home, so his dad (me) wasn't used to looking after a stroller. I left it at the bus stop at POR and someone else retrieved it.

We rent a single stroller now when we go. It is a life saver and worth the money, IMO.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

You won't look out of place with your 5 year old in a stroller. There's people around here putting their 10 year olds and older in a stroller.

By the end of some of the longer days, I wished someone would put ME in a stroller!

It all depends on the child, of course, but for us it worked to bring our stroller for DD4.5 while DS7 (almost 8) walked most of the time. Two different days though, in Epcot, we skipped bringing our own and rented a double for them both to use. It was great! Those were long days for us, and it helped both children enjoy the day instead of being cranky. After all, the whole point is to have a good time, and my feeling is that whatever you can do to achieve that goal is generally OK. I figure that if my feet are tired by the end of the day, the kids (who have shorter legs and therefore take even more steps per day than we do) are probably beat too. Why not help them to be more comfortable?

So, bring or rent, just do the stroller!

 

[kidd_freeper]

1. Yes. By all means use a stroller. 5 year olds get tired easily, tend to walk too slow or run ahead and need a significant amount of carry-in items. A stroller helps a lot with all of these.

2. Bring a brightly-colored bandana to tie to the handle of the stroller. CMs are ALWAYS moving strollers to different locations and it really makes it much easier to find your stroller. Almost nobody else does this. This will save a LOT of time and everyone else in your travelling group will think your so smart for having such foresight.

3. Consider renting a stroller from Disney. A 5 year old will not need a stroller between your hotel and the park entrance (younger children might, but not a 5 year old). The Disney strollers are much sturdier and will handle an older child (like a 5 year old) much better than an umbrella stroller. A 5 year old isn't going to need a stroller too much longer, and your can rent a Disney stroller for 6 days for about the cost of a new (cheaply made) stroller.

4. If you do rent form Disney, by all means get a multi-day rental ticket...you get a full refund for unused days and it saves you money and time in line to get strollers.

 

[pigletforever]

I saw tons of older kids in the Disney stollers. Up to ages 10 and 11 years old from the look of it. DS4 had one the whole trip and I plan on getting one next time we go. It made it so much easier for all of us. There were days I asked if I could get in and DH push me for a little bit.