Stroller for 7 year old w/ Autism? Yay or Nay?

[starkid]

I asked a similar question a few years ago when she was three, but then covid happened, and then life. She's finally taking her first Disney trip with us next month.

She does not use a stroller at all during everyday life these days, but if we are walking for awhile she will sometimes ask to be carried to the car, etc. Which has become a struggle because she is so big now. That said, I don't know if it's a boredom / "over it" thing, because if she's having fun she seems to have endless energy. So it's not necessarily physical.

We don't even have a stroller that she would comfortable fit in now, but I assume it would be easy enough to find a rental. But we are torn if it's going to get used. It's not so much the cost of it but it seems like a very big hassle to get tagged, and wheel it around, for it to go unused.

Another thing we are careful of, is that as she grows older she is increasingly more self conscious about certain things, and I'm worried this will be one of them. But it is SO much walking and I'm worried about not having an option if she decides not to walk.

Has anyone had experience? How did you go about it? Is it hard to get a stroller mid-day? If she decided not to walk.
Best shoe suggestions? Or any other tips? I'd love to hear anyone's experiences

 

[dreamer17555]

It’s easy enough to rent a stroller midday from the park if you choose to. As for shoes, they should be whichever ones she’s most comfortable in and are well broken in.

Keep in mind that she might not qualify to have a stroller tagged as a wheelchair. It will depend on the cast member and her needs.

I would say the biggest thing is to set your expectations. She’s likely going to need breaks and downtime. Don’t be surprised if like most kids she just wants to hit the pool. Look up what places you can go to get her off her feet- shows, train, etc and be okay with leaving the park if she needs to rest and recharge. WDW is overwhelming even for adults. If you let her somewhat set the pace it will help to mitigate some of that.

 

[scrappinginontario]

My NSN daughter used a stroller at Disney until she was 7 as we went hard for many days in a row. It was a welcome relief from walking and crowds. I rented a City Mini GT (I believe) from an offsite company and it was worth every penny. Sometimes we would leave it in stroller parking for hours but when we needed it, I was so glad we had it!! It was especially helpful at the end of the days when we were both tired. She slept as we waited for our bus then back to the room too.

 

[Gracedis1]

My kid was too big for a stroller at that age. I would plan in several rides, meals, shows and snacks where she can rest throughout the day. We loved the People Mover! You might want to go back to the hotel for some down time in the afternoon too. Be flexible with your plans and know when to bail. My son would get to a point where he was overstimulated and a meltdown was imminent. I am a park warrior who could stay from early morning to late night but that didn't work for my son.

 

[herdtoDisney]

We went when dd was 7 and I rented a park stroller. I did not want to have to lug a stroller on transport. She used it for really the first hour or so, and once she relaxed-she was out and did not want to get back in. This was a big change from the past where I'd bring my stroller and she'd pull the cover down over herself!

OP, I'd just ask her when you get to the park, if she wants a stroller to sit in. If she says yes, you could get it, and you could always turn it back in if she never uses it. I did end up turning dd's back in that day and she never used a stroller again.

 

[lanejudy]

it seems like a very big hassle to get tagged, and wheel it around, for it to go unused.

First, no need to get it tagged unless she has reason to need it in the queues. What you've posted doesn't sound like she needs the stroller in the queues.
Push it to a "land" or area, and park it with the strollers. Do your attractions, meals, etc. in that area. Push it to the next area. Repeat.

We don't even have a stroller that she would comfortable fit in now, but I assume it would be easy enough to find a rental.

Depends how big she is. Yes, there are larger "special needs" strollers but those can be large and cumbersome. 7 is the point that they have pretty much outgrown traditional "baby strollers" but it really depends how big/tall/heavy is she.


As others suggest, you can try going at a slower pace and being flexible so you can take rest breaks or even return to the resort as she needs. Be aware that your first day may go well...if staying several days or a week, the later you get into the visit the more likely she may need rest.

The best shoes are good sneakers or sturdy "school shoes" -- whatever she wears should already be broken-in, not brand new. I recommend bringing a couple of pairs so she can alternate each day and let the shoes rest a day.

 

[starkid]

It’s easy enough to rent a stroller midday from the park if you choose to. As for shoes, they should be whichever ones she’s most comfortable in and are well broken in.

Keep in mind that she might not qualify to have a stroller tagged as a wheelchair. It will depend on the cast member and her needs.

I would say the biggest thing is to set your expectations. She’s likely going to need breaks and downtime. Don’t be surprised if like most kids she just wants to hit the pool. Look up what places you can go to get her off her feet- shows, train, etc and be okay with leaving the park if she needs to rest and recharge. WDW is overwhelming even for adults. If you let her somewhat set the pace it will help to mitigate some of that.

This is a really helpful reminder, thank you. Because I definitely think I'm maybe setting expectations a little too high We will be back but for this first trip we will only be there a couple days because of her school schedule, and already missing too many days later in the year for a cruise. So in my head I honestly was planning for us to spend the majority of the day at the parks. I have got to tell myself now that it's okay if we don't see most of it this trip

 

[starkid]

My kid was too big for a stroller at that age. I would plan in several rides, meals, shows and snacks where she can rest throughout the day. We loved the People Mover! You might want to go back to the hotel for some down time in the afternoon too. Be flexible with your plans and know when to bail. My son would get to a point where he was overstimulated and a meltdown was imminent. I am a park warrior who could stay from early morning to late night but that didn't work for my son.

Thank you for this advice! I usually have DAS for myself so I'm pretty good at pacing and relaxing inbetween rides, whether it be in the sit down shows or just lounging about. But I never went to someplace so big when I was her age so I'm definitely reminding myself that even that might be too much for her. Because as silly as it sounds until this post I didn't really think even think about going back until the end of the day not that we wouldn't be sitting or taking breaks but I just never thought about having to go back to the hotel. But in reality that probably will be what ends up happening

 

[starkid]

First, no need to get it tagged unless she has reason to need it in the queues. What you've posted doesn't sound like she needs the stroller in the queues.
Push it to a "land" or area, and park it with the strollers. Do your attractions, meals, etc. in that area. Push it to the next area. Repeat.


Depends how big she is. Yes, there are larger "special needs" strollers but those can be large and cumbersome. 7 is the point that they have pretty much outgrown traditional "baby strollers" but it really depends how big/tall/heavy is she.


As others suggest, you can try going at a slower pace and being flexible so you can take rest breaks or even return to the resort as she needs. Be aware that your first day may go well...if staying several days or a week, the later you get into the visit the more likely she may need rest.

The best shoes are good sneakers or sturdy "school shoes" -- whatever she wears should already be broken-in, not brand new. I recommend bringing a couple of pairs so she can alternate each day and let the shoes rest a day.

Thank you for the advice! For some reason I was thinking bigger strollers needed tagged in general. I also didn't know you could park strollers for that long. I obviously have seen stroller parking but I always assumed it was just for specific rides while in line. This is helpful bc we probably will just rent one then just in case. If anything it would be nice to leave non valuables in it like snacks.

As for shoes she usually wears vans now and I couldn't imagine wearing them myself in the park for hours, so thats why we're looking into getting her new shoes specifically for the park. But she is pretty picky with shoes so I guess it might have to be a choose your battles scenerio. We plan to come back at least a couple more times throughout the year but this first trip will only be a couple days, so I do think until this thread I was going into it with more of a gogogo attitude than I should the advice to be more flexible and pace is well received

 

[starkid]

My NSN daughter used a stroller at Disney until she was 7 as we went hard for many days in a row. It was a welcome relief from walking and crowds. I rented a City Mini GT (I believe) from an offsite company and it was worth every penny. Sometimes we would leave it in stroller parking for hours but when we needed it, I was so glad we had it!! It was especially helpful at the end of the days when we were both tired. She slept as we waited for our bus then back to the room tooI

I will look into that stroller, thank you! If you happen to recall the name of the company and would recommend them, please let me know I didn't realize you could park the strollers for so long and we probably will get one just in case then. I think during the excitement of the parks she won't be thinking much and will insist she's fine but I'm worried on the way back to the hotel it will hit her and she'll want carried (which I don't know if any of our party could handle after all day lol). And if not at least we have something to wheel our stuff in I guess haha

 

[starkid]

We went when dd was 7 and I rented a park stroller. I did not want to have to lug a stroller on transport. She used it for really the first hour or so, and once she relaxed-she was out and did not want to get back in. This was a big change from the past where I'd bring my stroller and she'd pull the cover down over herself!

OP, I'd just ask her when you get to the park, if she wants a stroller to sit in. If she says yes, you could get it, and you could always turn it back in if she never uses it. I did end up turning dd's back in that day and she never used a stroller again.

Her issue is she understandably hates being "babied" but sometimes doesn't really realize her own limits, and we don't really have anything to compare this amount of walking to. So I feel like it's the opposite for us; I 100% know she would say she doesn't want one in the beginning, maybe even as far as insist, but then as time went on it could go either way. Maybe if it seems like they wouldn't have one later in the day one of us will just get it in secret and park, just in case I'm paranoid because I really needed an EVC one time (I usually don't), and they didn't have them when I went even fairly early. But I also assume those are more limited

 

[Weedy]

If you plan on parking the stroller for awhile.
As you have seen there are lots of strollers parked and the Cast Members do straighten them out and move them around
Bring a bright colored scarf and tie it to the handle of the stroller to help you find it and it helps someone one else from accidentally taking it.
If you want to get really fancy get a Apple Airtag.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

We no longer use a stroller for our kids, but did at the parks up until a couple years ago (stopped when our autistic son was about 5). The main benefit to using a stroller for him was he HATES fireworks. We think it's the visual stimulation, because he doesn't seem to mind hearing them outside the house etc on holidays but turns away from even the fake ones on the Gran Fiesta Tour. When he knew fireworks were coming, he'd pull the stroller cover down. Now we just make sure he's on an indoor ride/show or in a store during fireworks (we're fine with one or both adults skipping fireworks so he can be away from them).

Our son is used to the walking (we never go back to the hotel, spend all day in the parks, but we do typically have a sit down meal a day). But even if the amount of walking isn't an issue for your daughter, I'd still consider a stroller if it might provide a "safe" place for her (like if she has any sensory issues or anxiety with crowds). If there are no known issues like that, I'd see how she does and then rent one if needed.

 

[Madteaparty001]

We've taken DD to Disney since she was 3 but didn't get her Autism diagnosis until around your daughter's age. There was a lot of trial and error over the years and each kid on the spectrum has different tolerances. A huge portion of her early therapies was being able to self identify her triggers and being able to vocalize them (stress tends to lead her to selective mutism). For her at that age, having a stroller with a large pull down canopy was a must. Sound doesn't really bother her but light and smells can be really triggering so being able to shut herself off from the world when she needs a break helped extend the time she could spend in the parks. I can still remember her face when we went into Pinocchio Village Haus to eat because I thought she would like to watch the boats. The smells and the sounds hit her and her eyes got really big and panicked, I asked if it was too much and she managed to nod. DH went to get food and I pulled down her shade, took her outside, and found a table on the patio by the ice cream cart. Immediate decompression and we avoided a sensory meltdown, your daughter will probably have her own tells but keep an eye out for overstimulation. We used Kingdom strollers many times: Kingdom Strollers , they dropped off and picked up at our hotel and they have a larger disability stroller that we used when DD was 9 before we transitioned to a wheel chair for long outings.

She also self regulates with music (music therapy was introduced to us by her OT and it's awesome) so we make sure she has a phone with her playlist or an MP3 player along with her large headphones. The headphones are JLab JBuddies Pro from Target: JLab JBuddies Pro , she said this pair goes completely over her ears so there's not pressure like some of the rounder headphones.

She's also very touch sensitive, partly due to autism and partly due to her arthritis, so there's a lot of trial and error when it comes to items she's willing to wear. Shoes are a huge undertaking, mostly because the stores never seem to have her size so we end up ordering about 10 different pairs for her to try on to get to 'It's fine.' Target Cat & Jack slip-ons such as these: Cat & Jack Sariah Sneakers are nice for casual walking and easy to take off when curled up in the stroller. For more intensive walking she likes new balance: Kid's New Balance Arishi , the Velcro means she can adjust how tight it is on her foot easily.

How does your daughter do with restaurants? Are you planning to eat out a lot? When DD was 3 she hid under the table at every character meal, she'd watch them enraptured but when they would come to say hi she completely shut down. At 6 we tried meet and greets instead and she talked to them enthusiastically. Be prepared for either reaction or even something in between. If your daughter is really picky about eating, like many on the spectrum are, I have tips for that as well.

 

[SueM in MN]

I will look into that stroller, thank you! If you happen to recall the name of the company and would recommend them, please let me know I didn't realize you could park the strollers for so long and we probably will get one just in case then. I think during the excitement of the parks she won't be thinking much and will insist she's fine but I'm worried on the way back to the hotel it will hit her and she'll want carried (which I don't know if any of our party could handle after all day lol). And if not at least we have something to wheel our stuff in I guess haha

Multiple companies rent the City Mini GT stroller, Kingdom Strollers is one that a lot of people use.
The thing to be aware of for the 'regular' strollers is the height and weight recommendations for each. The City Mini GT is recommended for a height of 48 inches or less. The maximum weight is 60 pounds (child plus anything you are carrying on the stroller. Taller kids will be a bit scrunched up, which can be a trigger for some kids.
Kingdom Strollers and multiple companies also rent special needs strollers for larger kids.

 

[Weedy]

If you plan on parking the stroller for awhile.
As you have seen there are lots of strollers parked and the Cast Members do straighten them out and move them around
Bring a bright colored scarf and tie it to the handle of the stroller to help you find it and it helps someone one else from accidentally taking it.
If you want to get really fancy get a Apple Airtag.

I just saw this on Instagram. Great idea for marking your stroller. She made it herself.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[AprilsZoo]

I just saw this on Instagram. Great idea for marking your stroller. She made it herself.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Now that this “hack” is out there, I would plan to put stickers or something on the flag. (Many CMs have stickers to give, just ask nicely) Even letting DD draw on it with Sharpies would be helpful if there’s a sea of flags on strollers, lol.

On my scooter, I put pinwheels from DollarTree or 99c Only.

°o° °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° °o°

Idk how big your DD I’d, but the park strollers are very small and low to the ground. They seem like they are half the size of a normal jogging stroller, even though they are the same general shape/design.

Our then 6 yo DGD had a difficult time fitting in the one DS rented for her. And after being in it for about 90 mins, she suddenly developed severe charlie horses in both calves… I mean we could SEE the knots! We found out that first aid has hot packs as well as ice packs.

The nurse said the spasms were most likely caused by how she was sitting scrunched into a too small stroller— something we hadn’t considered. DGD didn’t complain that she was scrunched in, or that there was no cushioning (we did put sweatshirts in for padding though) because she welcomed the confined space to get out of the over-stimulation. She also thought the characters printed on the stroller canopy were “cute”, which she deemed a desirable feature of the stroller, lol.

I just wanted to put that out there for you to consider. My DGD is just slightly below average size for her age, but she barely fit in the stroller.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Like others said, no need to tag it as a wheelchair unless you would want it in the queue. My son is autistic and we brought his stroller to Disneyland through age 5. You know your kid best and if you think they might use it...I'd definitely bring or rent one they might fit in.

For us, we brought one from home but our son didn't fully outgrow it. He used it off and on for the trip when took when he was almost 4. We attached a tall, fake, yellow flower to it with the zip tie and it was always easy to find. The stroller was also a nice help in keeping him in the shade. (In the pic, that's actually a shade extender that we purchased and it was amazing.)



When he was 5, we brought the same stroller and the same flower. But it was December that year so we added some battery powered lights, for fun. But....he literally didn't sit in it at all. So it was basically our mobile 'locker.' We never brought it again after that trip. He's 10 years old now. We take a break at the hotel each afternoon so I think that helps.