Stroller for 5 year old?

[momof2inapril06]

Do you think a 5 1/2 year old will need a stroller while at DW? I am planning to bring one for my almost 3 year old, but I have a feeling that my 5 1/2 year old will tire if we dont get one for him too. Thoughts?

B

 

[PatsMom]

It may depend on how much ground you plan to try to cover in a day. At 5 my DD walked - she wanted nothing to do with the stroller. But she was beat at times. We weren't pushing to do too much (and this trip was before the AK existed so we only had 3 parks). So we took quite a few in park breaks, just sitting around and eating frozen lemonade. We never were at the park early in the morning since I let her sleep until she woke up. And we were back at our Fort Wilderness cabin in the early evening a few nights because she was getting tired and cranky.

If you are planning short days with lots of breaks in the park, 5 might be plenty old. If you are planning a trip where you are on the go from park open to park close, I would expect that most 5 year olds would want a stroller. Heck, most adults would want a stroller with that kind of schedule!

 

[laughinplace199]

When my DS was 5, we decided to start him off with walking and then rent if he needed a stroller. He made it about 4 days with walking and then he started to get tired, so we rented for the last 3 days. As it turns out, he was coming down with a virus and was sick for the last 2 days of our trip. If he hadn't been getting sick, he probably could have gone the entire week without a stroller.

 

[PanandCindy'smom]

When we went in Dec. with my 3yo and 5 yo we took a double. I am glad we had it. We were there for 7 days, did all 4 parks, DTD, a Christmas Party and didn't really go back for mid afternoon breaks. While my son didn't ride all the time, he was more than happy to hop in leaving the parks and on the way back to the hotel. A few times, we would just leave the stroller in the "parking" lot in a land (Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, etc.) do all the attractions there and then get it on our way to the next land. I liked it for times that it was very crowded (leaving parks, parades) and for the airport.

 

[cjordan08]

I remember when I was younger and I would always get so tired of walking.. then I would start complaining and I'm sure I was a nuisance to the rest of the family. lol..
just depends on the way your child is I guess.
good luck!!

 

[natnelliesmom]

We have done this twice with 3 and 5 y/os. Both times brought a double stroller and thanked the stars above that we did! It was handy for evenings with late EMHs and both kiddos fell asleep. Also good for heading back to the resort room from the bus stop late at night.
In my opinion though- having a dbl stroller is GREAT for maneuvering through crowds or moving from one side of the park to the other quickly. I always knew both girls were safe in their seats. There are times when having a slow walker would have caused me nightmares!
I also think that it's so much walking all day- that it helps keep those nasty moods and meltdowns to a minimum. There is no dragging a sullen child along by the hand.
I say- bring a dbl.
-Sarah

Oh- one more bonus! I often would sit and save spots for the parade while my DH took the girls on one or two more rides. With the stroller- I could pull it right up to the curb and stand behind it. This way I was not saving any unneeded space. When my family joined me- the girls hopped in the stroller and there was room for my DH to stand behind it with me.

 

[luvwdwfla2]

Wej are heading down in May. We will have DS6 1/2 with us. I am planning to bring our mcclaren umbrella type stroller. We have not used it in a long time, I think it will probably be the last time we use it. My thought is bring it and maybe park it most of the day depending in DSs mood. It is a long way back to hotel with a cranky tired kid who has decided he had enough walking. I can't ask sons feelings on stroller b/c it is a surprise trip so far. One of my thoughts is to donate it at the end of the trip. Anyone know who it is that picks up used strollers at the hotels???

 

[mommyof2princesses]

We sold our stroller last spring and winded up buying a used one for our trip last Sept and are so happy we did! She is small for her age and her little legs could have never of kept up. We let her walk whenever she wanted to, but she had the stroller for when she got tired, She even took a nap in it two times and we were able to stay later in the park and then just wheeled her to the bus each night!

 

[mom of princessx2]

We took a sit and stand for our dd's in 2007. They were 3.5 and 1. DD 3.5 walked almost all week but it was nice for her to hop on if she wanted. We will take it again in May and dd will be turning 5 that week. We always take a afternoon break and sometimes just stay at the resort for the evening so the girls aren't too exhausted and can generally handle it okay. You could always see how he reacts the first few days and rent a double if needed. Kids moods can make or break our vacation!

 

[debraW76]

Hello. If you don't want to bring your own and don't want to pay Disney $31/day for theirs, consider participating in a stroller swap. i have a link to one in my siggie.

 

[MJAJmom]

For my sons, we did 2 different things last year. Our first trip in April with DS3 and DS5, I took 1 Graco umbrella stroller from home, mostly for DS3. The 2 boys hoped in and out all day/night. A few times they were both tired and one had to be carried, mostly towards the later afternoon/evenings.

For my october trip, DH was not there so I knew I wanted a double stroller. I rented one from OrlandoStrollerRentals.com and it was fabulous! I would recommend this over renting one from the parks (less expensive and much more comfortable). I loved the stroller so much I wrote up a review. Here it is: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1995724

 

[momof2inapril06]

Thanks for all the responses! I really think that lugging along a double will be a nightmare, but knowing my DS 5, he will be thankful for one when we get there. I looked at the stroller swap thing, but someone already has it for when we will be there. Thanks for the suggestion!

I will look at the orlando rental place too! Thanks a million!

B

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

YES! I will bringing one for my son who is 6 1/2 , well actually almost 7 by the time we go. I am not carrying my son! I weigh 105, he weighs 57....... no way! I am 63" tall he is 50" tall..... nope, nope, not doing it.

 

[LeilaKens]

I vote yes! We now bring our double stoller for twin DD2's and rent a double for DS6 and DS4. At the very least it gives us a lot of places to keep our things. DS6 could walk but DS4 would get too tired so we let them both ride when they want to. It's just easier than listening to them whine or carrying them!

 

[jensen]

I'm so glad you asked this question because I have some input... I was just at the world last week with my 5 1/2 YO DD. In planning our vacation, I was excited because I knew that this would be my first time without a stroller... but, then I started to think... would I miss the stroller? It is a great place to store things and I HATE backpacks... would I have to carry DD if she got tired? So, I decided that we'd take the stroller along and use it if we needed it. The first few days and it was so nice to not have to push a stroller and go looking for it when you got off a ride... we were really wondering why we bothered to pack it... but by day 4, DD was getting tired and her little legs just couldn't keep up with us... then she got an ear infection and was sick for a couple of days, so definately needed to be pushed around. Boy, was I glad I had packed it!

DH suggested that we leave the stroller at WDW since it would be one less thing to drag home and we certainly won't need it again... but, I decided we might want it in the airport... and we did use it.

Moral of my long story... take it... keep it in the trunk and use it only when you need it.

 

[ascolti]

Do you think a 5 1/2 year old will need a stroller while at DW? I am planning to bring one for my almost 3 year old, but I have a feeling that my 5 1/2 year old will tire if we dont get one for him too. Thoughts?

B

I assume your taking a stroller to avoid getting a Disney buggy. If you are thinking of getting a buggy also, why not just get a double buggy then the option is there.

But I have to say, when we took our 3 year old with a stroller we regretted it. She was fine to walk short distances and we used the Disney buggys to move her around the park.