Stroller for 5 year old

[jcdeberry]

I am trying to decide on whether to bring a stroller to our DW/Universal vacation this summer. We used one last year when he was four and it was a life saver, especially at night when he would fall asleep as we were leaving the park. He is a heavy child and it would be too hard to carry him to the resort room. Should we plan on bringing one again? What about Universal? It is our first time there (we will be staying at RPR) and unsure about logistics. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Tattylou]

Personally, I think it's better to have the stroller than not...better safe than sorry. I have brought one for my son every year. He used it gladly every time. On our most recent trip in Dec he was 6 and he was in the stroller plenty of time. Wdw is so huge and it's so much walking. I can't speak for universal bc I haven't been since I was a teen in the 90s. We are going in April for a day and I'll probably bring the stroller. If he doesn't use it then it can hold our bags or whatever, but I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and wish I did.

 

[Spork24]

I would say yes, both of our nephews rode in strollers at Disney at 5yo. It helps save their legs and keeps them from tiring out faster. If you find yourselves not needing it, you can always leave it at your hotel as the week goes on.

 

[Mainemama]

Different families vary on their answers, but I would personally say yes. Worse case scenario, you don't use it. When my very active, hadn't used a stroller since he was 2 at home, son went as a 5 year old, we used one. His 7 year old sister fought him for it. In it all day? No. but we definitely used it at night, and also just to sit in during waits. I think the standing can actually wear on a 5 year old more than walking. If you know he won't use it en route, I would just rent one. We are taking our stroller this summer for our 5 year old, but our trip involves more than Disney and we will want it elsewhere. She does still use a stroller on occasion at home.

 

[Ambehnke]

I would say yes. I told my friend who went for the first time last year that she might want one for her 6 and 7 year olds so she picked one up at a rummage sale and thanked me afterwards for making the suggestion. She said it would have been a miserable trip without it! Their little legs aren't used to walking that much!

 

[Dbktmc]

I would absolutely take one. My 5 year old son always rides in ours off and on throughout the day. I believe that it prevented him from becoming exhausted and having any type of meltdown. It was especially a life saver at the end of the night when we were standing and waiting for the busses to take us back "home" as well as the walk from the bus stop to the hotel room.

 

[cakebaker]

We used one for my almost 5 yr old grandson. I actually voted against bringing one, but was glad that we did! A lot of times we would park it in a general location and pick it up when we were moving to another part of the park. Just leaving the park at night made it worth bringing. I suspect this will have been our last trip using it though.

 

[Klayfish]

That's purely a personal decision on what's best for you and your family.

We used strollers until my oldest was 10 and then for my twins until they just turned 9. Yes...really. We're very physically fit, even the kids, but WDW is a massive place. We're there to enjoy ourselves and for a long summer trip, we didn't want them getting cranky and tired.

 

[beck00]

That's purely a personal decision on what's best for you and your family.

We used strollers until my oldest was 10 and then for my twins until they just turned 9. Yes...really. We're very physically fit, even the kids, but WDW is a massive place. We're there to enjoy ourselves and for a long summer trip, we didn't want them getting cranky and tired.

Completely agree. We've always used a double and our oldest is 8 for this upcoming trip. We went back and forth and finally decided to get the double again, mostly for evenings/parades/long waits and to help me...I mean her ... around meltdown time. She wouldn't throw a fit at her age, but the amount walking can get intense. It will be worth it in the evenings when she's cranky and we can throw stuff in that side during the day when she's not using it.

 

[Lizziotti]

I didn't bring one on our first trip this was 15 years ago. I still feel bad for my son that had just turned 5. Boy was he exhausted! My dd was 6 1/2 and seemed fine without it. I guess it depends on the kid but i now have a 7 year old and I would bring It! Besides it's nice to have all that storage, cup holders etc...

 

[aggiedog]

Another yes. For perspective, last time we were at WDW and Universal, my friend's pedometer said we walked 9-13 miles a day. And we weren't doing any sort of crazy cross-park dashes for rides. That was just standard point A to B to C, etc.

We used (rented) a stroller at WDW long after we stopped even owning one at home, probably until our youngest was 8. And we'd rent a sturdy jogging stroller so my older ones could ride a spell if they wanted.

And quite honestly, the added storage is a gem!

 

[hergosling]

Never use a stroller at home, haven't in years, but rented a double from Kingdom Strollers for our kids last year and will be doing the same this year. Our six year old actually asked me "hey we're getting one of those 2-seated things to ride in again, right???" Like he was legitimately concerned about going without. Made me laugh. And for what it's worth, I totally recommend Kingdom Strollers. We had a fantastic experience with them, was super convenient and was a wonderful high-end stroller that we got to keep for the week.

 

[jcdeberry]

Thanks for all the replies. It just confirmed what I was thinking myself. Thanks for easing my mind!

 

[Klayfish]

Another positive to a stroller is trying to leave after fireworks or a parade. When you're trying to exit a park with the masses and have a tired child, it's no fun trying to leave when they're on foot. They're tired, cranky and don't want to walk, at a time when they need to. In a stroller, none of those concerns, plus no chance they get separated from me.

 

[4GoofyCrew]

Yes. Our son was almost 5 on our last trip and I'm glad we still brought it. It came in handy, especially as the week wore on and he got more tired/bored with seeing the same stuff. It was nice to have a place to store our bag with snacks and spare clothes for him too.

That being said, we are all SUPER excited to not have to bring it this time!

 

[WhispyPixie]

I would say yes....enjoy it for another trip before they age out and you end up back packing all the crap we take to the parks..lol

 

[DaniMoon]

Like others have said, it varies greatly from family to family and on your touring style.

My son had just turned 5 before we went in 2013. I was on the fence. We didn't use a stroller at home for anything and I certainly didn't want to take one on the flight. So my decision was to wait and see, if I needed one I would rent one and have it delivered to our resort (we were there for 10 days). Well, he surprised us. He didn't whine or complain once, didn't asked to be carried or say he was tired. Now, we were there in October and didn't do any late nights. He's also a peanut, so the two times we did carry him were no big deal (once leaving the parks after fireworks and it was just easier to carry him in the crowd and once he fell asleep on the bus ride back to the resort)

We also always took breaks during the day, we never did open to close. Something else, to consider. Have fun.

 

[AshleeH]

We used one for our son at that age. He stopped using them at home at age 3, but in Disney I want a stroller some of the time, so I know my kids do.

 

[Boski]

You know your family best, do whatever you thinks is the right move!

We've never done a stroller and our first family trip the boys were 5 and 4 (well technically 3 but a month away from his Bday). We toured at their pace and did a afternoon break back at the resort.

 

[dmea10]

My Granddaughter will be almost 5 on our trip next fall. We plan to get a reclining umbrella type stroller to take with us. I feel like it will just make for a more enjoyable time if she is not walking 10 miles a day! We went to Nashville yesterday and toured a museum for a few hours and then went to dinner and walked around the mall for a few hours. We were glad that we had her stroller so we could shop and she was not cranky or complaining. She is a well behaved child but after all that walking and the long hours with no nap we can all get cranky lol