Stroller for 7 year old?

[katyjeka]

We also love walking with our girls as they talk nonstop. Your post states it better than I ever could. Everyone has different opinions on what make a successful trip. What works f or one doesn't for another. As I said earlier maybe I'm just jealous as our girls at seven would never get in a stroller. I do believe in the end we r all good parents that just want to make some magical memories. Happy travels
to all.

 

[Hikergirl]

nobody is normalizing a stroller for a 7 year old at the mall. We haven't used a stroller since our son was 3 years old, in fact we sold it years ago. But when I'm paying $5000 for 5 days to see something, and my kid can hop in and out of a wagon so we can see more, and be more comfortable all day, especially in the heat, i'm going to take advantage.

Which proves my point, it's all about how much the parents spend.
A 7 year child doesn't need a stroller, the parent needs to change their attitude. Seriously if you can't manage to let your elementary school kid walk because you don't want to waste money, or take breaks and slow down a little and change your pace, take a less expensive vacation and different kind of vacation. Or wait until they are old enough to rent their own scooter so you don't have to "gasp" take a break.

And yes, using all the excuses of why a 7 year old "needs" a stroller in WDW IS trying to normalize it.
And we aren't talking about wagons, those aren't allowed at WDW.

 

[Klayfish]

A 7 year child doesn't need a stroller, the parent needs to change their attitude. Seriously if you can't manage to let your elementary school kid walk because you don't want to waste money, or take breaks and slow down a little and change your pace, take a less expensive vacation and different kind of vacation.

And yes, using all the excuses of why a 7 year old "needs" a stroller in WDW IS trying to normalize it.
And we aren't talking about wagons, those aren't allowed at WDW.

None of the above. No attitude change needed. We never think of it as a waste of money, we don't have an insane pace (we don't rope drop, don't commando tour, don't run all day every day), don't need any excuse for using a stroller. It's a choice we made. The kids were happy with it, we were happy with it. Seems like a win/win for us.

 

[Tys Nanny]

One of the nice things about being an adult is the option of doing what works best for your family. Can the children in our family handle walking 7-10 miles a day at DW? Probably. Are they more comfortable having the option of riding in a stroller from time to time? Absolutely! So why wouldn’t we use one?

I truly don’t understand why anyone should feel they have the right to denigrate other parents for making this choice, as if they are morally superior because their kids walk through DW and don’t eat mac and cheese. I might think that parents who don’t teach their children not to make decisions based on what others may think of them or who need to use their vacations to connect with their children because their lives are too hectic the rest of the year are making poor parenting decisions, but I realize that adults have the right to do what they think is best for their family and prefer to assume that most parents are acting in their child’s best interest.

And don’t forget, the OP’s question pertained to brands/types of strollers, not how to raise her family.

 

[mmastro719]

Hello - me here - the person who started this thread. I never once asked for an opinion IF my kid should ride in a stroller. I asked for recommendations for a stroller because I know a stroller makes sense for my family. To all of the people posting their opinions and stating that it’s their right to post them - if they are not stroller recommendations I don’t really see how they’re relevant. Please opine when it makes sense and is helpful to the question posed. And please keep in mind that your unsolicited opinion on IF I should use a stroller which again was never the question I asked is just your opinion not the end all be all for EVERYONE. I cannot believe how incredibly righteous some of you are. It’s sad and distasteful. Some of you who have posted did so just to preach and judge. I’ll do me and you all do you and if you have nothing nice to say simply move on. Why is there a need to go on and on?

To those of you who answered my actual question I appreciate you and am looking into your recommendations.

I probably won’t be posting on these boards again.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

[QUOTE="I truly don’t understand why anyone should feel they have the right to denigrate other parents for making this choice, as if they are morally superior because their kids walk through DW and don’t eat mac and cheese. [/QUOTE]

My guess is they have self-esteem issues and need to feel better about themselves.

Unfortunately, strollers and picky eaters seem to bring out the most judgmental on the boards who think their way of parenting is the only acceptable way. I got one on my case because I mentioned my kids think the Disney mac&cheese is "gloppy." If his kids had ever complained about the mac&cheese, they would have never set foot in Disney again in their lives! (Despite that I then found several posts where this guy was critical of the food at various Disney restaurants, and then received a warning when I pointed this out). Sorry, my children are allowed to have opinions!

 

[Tink_83]

Hello - me here - the person who started this thread. I never once asked for an opinion IF my kid should ride in a stroller. I asked for recommendations for a stroller because I know a stroller makes sense for my family. To all of the people posting their opinions and stating that it’s their right to post them - if they are not stroller recommendations I don’t really see how they’re relevant. Please opine when it makes sense and is helpful to the question posed. And please keep in mind that your unsolicited opinion on IF I should use a stroller which again was never the question I asked is just your opinion not the end all be all for EVERYONE. I cannot believe how incredibly righteous some of you are. It’s sad and distasteful. Some of you who have posted did so just to preach and judge. I’ll do me and you all do you and if you have nothing nice to say simply move on. Why is there a need to go on and on?

To those of you who answered my actual question I appreciate you and am looking into your recommendations.

I probably won’t be posting on these boards again.

I'm so sorry that you ended up experiencing this. Unfortunately the moderators don't really seem to be on the family board... other boards on here have these types of discussions stopped much faster.

To go back to your original question, the Disney strollers work well for that age group, but are the most expensive. I have a Bob Stroller that can handle a child up to 70 lbs. I also have a city mini gt, and that can handle a child up to 60 lbs and the city mini can accommodate a child up to 50 lbs. The city mini and city mini gt folds easier and as such is easier on the trams and/or buses. The BOB because of the larger wheels are more difficult to fold and take onto buses, etc. The BOB handles larger kids better though, IMO. It's just roomier. Also the basket is easier to access and accommodates more items. But again the BOB is a pain to fold for transit, so much that I have been known to walk back to my car instead of taking the MK trams...

A final option to consider is a Keenz - which is a wagon that you push (it cannot be pulled so it meets the requirements for Disney). That can hold 2 kids up to 110 lbs total. I have not tried this (if I was going longer I might consider renting just to try it out).

Again I'm sorry that this was your experience here, I often find the posts to be informative and very useful - but agree that this thread did not do that for you.

 

[jo-jo]

I purchased a stroller from Albee Monday night and it arrived last night so i can vouch for them being legit.

Did you order the cyber eternis m4 ($90) stroller? How do you like it? How is the shade and does the seat lay fairly flat? I'm having a hard time finding any pictures on company sites showing how the shade and recline works. My DD has a city mini double but is considering bringing a single in Dec.

 

[Jetta8300]

Hello - me here - the person who started this thread. I never once asked for an opinion IF my kid should ride in a stroller. I asked for recommendations for a stroller because I know a stroller makes sense for my family. To all of the people posting their opinions and stating that it’s their right to post them - if they are not stroller recommendations I don’t really see how they’re relevant. Please opine when it makes sense and is helpful to the question posed. And please keep in mind that your unsolicited opinion on IF I should use a stroller which again was never the question I asked is just your opinion not the end all be all for EVERYONE. I cannot believe how incredibly righteous some of you are. It’s sad and distasteful. Some of you who have posted did so just to preach and judge. I’ll do me and you all do you and if you have nothing nice to say simply move on. Why is there a need to go on and on?

To those of you who answered my actual question I appreciate you and am looking into your recommendations.

I probably won’t be posting on these boards again.

Don’t let the nasty people bother you and deter you from posting on a board that can be helpful and positive... the above response I got from Hikergirl was nasty enough that it doesn’t even deserve a response from me. I just feel sorry for people that judgemental.

But I’d like to add, I had a citiMini GT and that’s what my son used in 2017 when he was 4. From all the research I did, That’s what the off site stroller rental companies typically provide. He’s a taller kid, but he was getting to big for the GT even then. We knew it would be the last year for that stroller in 2017.

We just got back yesterday from using the in park strollers. He’s almost 6 now, but he’s about 60 lbs. He wouldn’t have fit in the citimini GT this year. So the in park stroller worked very well although It was a little tight... but it was good. Now my 6 year old niece is around 43 lbs and would be tall for a citimini GT, but she would fit. But she enjoyed the in park stroller as well. It depends how tall your little one is, as to whether or not a regular stroller would even possible. It’s interesting to read some of the other responses about strollers that fit larger kids, like the above poster with the BOB, and I wonder if they’re any bigger than the citimini GT.

 

[Favorite Grampy]

I'm so sorry that you ended up experiencing this. Unfortunately the moderators don't really seem to be on the family board... other boards on here have these types of discussions stopped much faster.

To go back to your original question, the Disney strollers work well for that age group, but are the most expensive. I have a Bob Stroller that can handle a child up to 70 lbs. I also have a city mini gt, and that can handle a child up to 60 lbs and the city mini can accommodate a child up to 50 lbs. The city mini and city mini gt folds easier and as such is easier on the trams and/or buses. The BOB because of the larger wheels are more difficult to fold and take onto buses, etc. The BOB handles larger kids better though, IMO. It's just roomier. Also the basket is easier to access and accommodates more items. But again the BOB is a pain to fold for transit, so much that I have been known to walk back to my car instead of taking the MK trams...

A final option to consider is a Keenz - which is a wagon that you push (it cannot be pulled so it meets the requirements for Disney). That can hold 2 kids up to 110 lbs total. I have not tried this (if I was going longer I might consider renting just to try it out).

Again I'm sorry that this was your experience here, I often find the posts to be informative and very useful - but agree that this thread did not do that for you.

We used the Keenz wagon stroller on our last visit to WDW. We had a 2 and 4-year-old. It worked out very well. It was great to hold all our bag and other stuff, besides the grandkids, and didn't tip over like our regular stroller. It even had a cooler bag.

 

[Tink_83]

Don’t let the nasty people bother you and deter you from posting on a board that can be helpful and positive... the above response I got from Hikergirl was nasty enough that it doesn’t even deserve a response from me. I just feel sorry for people that judgemental.

But I’d like to add, I had a citiMini GT and that’s what my son used in 2017 when he was 4. From all the research I did, That’s what the off site stroller rental companies typically provide. He’s a taller kid, but he was getting to big for the GT even then. We knew it would be the last year for that stroller in 2017.

We just got back yesterday from using the in park strollers. He’s almost 6 now, but he’s about 60 lbs. He wouldn’t have fit in the citimini GT this year. So the in park stroller worked very well although It was a little tight... but it was good. Now my 6 year old niece is around 43 lbs and would be tall for a citimini GT, but she would fit. But she enjoyed the in park stroller as well. It depends how tall your little one is, as to whether or not a regular stroller would even possible. It’s interesting to read some of the other responses about strollers that fit larger kids, like the above poster with the BOB, and I wonder if they’re any bigger than the citimini GT.

The BOB is significantly bigger then the city mini gt... DD6 could fit in the city mini but would fit much easier in the BOB. Plus the BOB handles the weight better and takes curbs like a champ. I love it, right up until I need to hop on a Disney tram!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Which proves my point, it's all about how much the parents spend.
A 7 year child doesn't need a stroller, the parent needs to change their attitude. Seriously if you can't manage to let your elementary school kid walk because you don't want to waste money, or take breaks and slow down a little and change your pace, take a less expensive vacation and different kind of vacation. Or wait until they are old enough to rent their own scooter so you don't have to "gasp" take a break.

And yes, using all the excuses of why a 7 year old "needs" a stroller in WDW IS trying to normalize it.
And we aren't talking about wagons, those aren't allowed at WDW.

Actually certain types are allowed now and it could be they are rentals. They have soft sides are probably collapsible and must be pushed forward.

@mmastro719 - truth be known most every thread on strollers for older children evolve into a discussion about the need for them and your thread title " Stroller for a 7 Y/O ?" could easily be read more than one way. The other topic that's pretty much "hot" is "What age should I Bring my Children/Am I Crazy for Bringing an Infant? ?"

 

[starearedkid]

Hello - me here - the person who started this thread. I never once asked for an opinion IF my kid should ride in a stroller. I asked for recommendations for a stroller because I know a stroller makes sense for my family. To all of the people posting their opinions and stating that it’s their right to post them - if they are not stroller recommendations I don’t really see how they’re relevant. Please opine when it makes sense and is helpful to the question posed. And please keep in mind that your unsolicited opinion on IF I should use a stroller which again was never the question I asked is just your opinion not the end all be all for EVERYONE. I cannot believe how incredibly righteous some of you are. It’s sad and distasteful. Some of you who have posted did so just to preach and judge. I’ll do me and you all do you and if you have nothing nice to say simply move on. Why is there a need to go on and on?

To those of you who answered my actual question I appreciate you and am looking into your recommendations.

I probably won’t be posting on these boards again.

I want to thank you for this thread. We are going in October with our 1 year old (definitely in a stroller) and our 8 year old (who will most likely need a stroller-however I was not sure of the brands I should look for.) Every stroller I see is up to 50 lbs and she is now 50 lbs, so I definitely will be checking out some recommendations for strollers for an older kid.

 

[Tink_83]

Actually certain types are allowed now and it could be they are rentals. They have soft sides are probably collapsible and must be pushed forward.

@mmastro719 - truth be known most every thread on strollers for older children evolve into a discussion about the need for them and your thread title " Stroller for a 7 Y/O ?" could easily be read more than one way. The other topic that's pretty much "hot" is "What age should I Bring my Children/Am I Crazy for Bringing an Infant? ?"

I read back through the link to the other thread someone posted early on (post 2 or 3 here) and it didn’t devolve like this one did. In my opinion this one got out of hand and should have been shut down by a moderator.

The issue is not posting something along the lines of “we found we didn’t need one for kids at that age, instead we do XYZ”. Those are legitimate suggestions that can be useful. It’s when people start posting that touring styles need to be re-evaluated and kids should never be in a stroller at that age that people get offended.

I’m happy you have a touring style that really works for you and your family. That’s great! But it may not work for everyone because all families and situations are different.

I come to these boards because I enjoy reading different strategies for touring. I get ideas and find some work for me and others don’t. I love reading about someone like klayfish who has great tips for people who pack their own meals into the park and suggestions to make dining at Disney a healthy experience. It’s not my style but it works for his family and he has great suggestions if your trying to bring your own food in. There is another poster (or more) that use hydration backpacks for their family, again not my style but I’ll admit those kids are probably better hydrated then mine! And it makes me remember that I need to consider hydration needs when at Disney.

The strollerless group also has some good suggestions for making that work and provides food for thought. For instance I did ask my 6 year old if she wanted a stroller and it’s a hard no. I’m probably bringing one stroller, my BOB, and if she gets tired we’ll take turns carrying the 1 year old and if she gets tired early in the day I’ll rent from Disney. It’s one day so the cost of one rental won’t kill me.

I think there is a way to express these opinions that don’t put people on the defensive. I just ask everyone if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face don’t post it. Write and come back if it’s a hot button topic.

Finally, I’m just going to end with this: there is nothing wrong with the comando style if you and your family like it. Is it laid back, no, is it what I’d recommend for most, no. It is how my family has toured Disney for decades though. As a young child I remember thanksgiving weeks where we would visit my grandparents and my extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) would decend on Disney for a day. We would drive down from Jacksonville to Orlando (approximately 3 hours) leaving around 5:30 am and would go until the fireworks or closing show at whichever park we were at. In fact for years I thought the park closed right after the fireworks! I can’t blame my parents for wanting to leave by then either these are very happy memories for me and for people to bash this type of touring is in effect bashing my family, and my fond memories of Disney. I wouldn’t recommend this as a primary way to visit a park, but it’s one way of doing it, and it’s not inherently wrong.

As an adult with kids of my own I don’t go for extended trips. My husband doesn’t like Disney so I go with my younger siblings and for a day or two at a time (for help with my kids and because I’m not the only Disney loving person in my family!) We do a relaxing family vacation that is in line with what DH and I both like, just not to Disney... also It’s not the only thing I do with my kids, we go to the pool, park, movie night, etc. and I love talking to my 6 year old right now as well. Please don’t assume because I have a different style, that wouldn’t work for you at all, that I somehow don’t do those things at other times with my kids or am a bad parent. Those assumptions cause people to go on the defensive, and end with threads like this.

 

[GoingSince1990]

OK, that does it. On our next trip I’m going to rent a stroller for my 13 year-old daughter, just to annoy the anti-stroller evangelists.

 

[Lilsia]

Sorry to have gotten off topic. I would highly recommend going to the store near year that sells the bigger strollers and have your child sit in them to try out. Most importantly push the stroller with the child in it. Trying to push a stroller with a child that exceeds the weight limit is near impossible. It might also be cheaper to rent one from one of the stroller rental companies, especially if you will only be using it at WDW. All strollers seem to be made a bit different and some might have a higher weight limit, but the child is too tall for or vise versa.

 

[Disneyforus]

I’m glad to hear the positives about the BOB, we have one reserved for our 5 yr old in May.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Hello, helpful people! Can anyone speak to stroller that are good for TALL kids? My DD just turned 5yo, and her height in inches (46) is greater than her weight in pounds (43). So, I can easily find strollers where she fits the weight limit, but many don't mention height boundaries in their specs.
N.B. Like the OP of this thread, I am NOT asking opinions on whether or not I should take a stroller. The number of costume changes my cosplaying family does in the park is reason enough for a stroller with a good basket, esp since wagons are no longer allowed!

 

[GoingSince1990]

Hello, helpful people! Can anyone speak to stroller that are good for TALL kids? My DD just turned 5yo, and her height in inches (46) is greater than her weight in pounds (43). So, I can easily find strollers where she fits the weight limit, but many don't mention height boundaries in their specs.
N.B. Like the OP of this thread, I am NOT asking opinions on whether or not I should take a stroller. The number of costume changes my cosplaying family does in the park is reason enough for a stroller with a good basket, esp since wagons are no longer allowed!

One option is to just rent a Disney double stroller. She can sort of sit a bit diagonally, but there will still be lots of room for you to put bags etc. in with her. And weight will be no problem.

 

[Tink_83]

Hello, helpful people! Can anyone speak to stroller that are good for TALL kids? My DD just turned 5yo, and her height in inches (46) is greater than her weight in pounds (43). So, I can easily find strollers where she fits the weight limit, but many don't mention height boundaries in their specs.
N.B. Like the OP of this thread, I am NOT asking opinions on whether or not I should take a stroller. The number of costume changes my cosplaying family does in the park is reason enough for a stroller with a good basket, esp since wagons are no longer allowed!

I personally like the BOB for taller kids. There is more then enough room for a child that height and it’s easy to maneuver. If you don’t think she will use it often then the city mini is another good option but the BOB has more head height. I also find that the BOB has significantly better storage space.