stroller for 7 year olds?

[Mgriswold224]

I have seen a lot of people talking about using strollers for older kids also. It would be strange to think about my 7 year old in a stroller, but is it a good idea to rent one? It will be our first trip.

 

[richkorn]

I have seen a lot of people talking about using strollers for older kids also. It would be strange to think about my 7 year old in a stroller, but is it a good idea to rent one? It will be our first trip.

I guess it depends on the child. We might rent one if he gets tired. I like that it holds our backpack & stuff.

 

[Iowajes]

It depends on the kid. I don't know many 7 year olds who would get in a stroller. But they sure might whine and drag and complain how tired they are...

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

I have seen a lot of people talking about using strollers for older kids also. It would be strange to think about my 7 year old in a stroller, but is it a good idea to rent one? It will be our first trip.

There is a very similar thread over on the Disney Families board. I don't see a problem with it. If you are going to be in the park all day long it is probably a good idea, better than carrying a 7 year old. WDW is a lot of walking and even if your child is active at home and they don't normally use a stroller they probably don't walk as much. I had a pedometer on last time and I had days I walked 7 or 8 miles. I used one when my daughter was 6. I know there are times I wish I could get in one. You could wait to get there and see how it goes and then decide if you want one.

 

[The Hendies]

We 'borrowed' a 7 year old a few years ago and for our one RD to close day we rented him a stroller. We were glad we did, and so was he!

 

[minnie mum]

Just a friendly warning OP. The subject of school age kids (without physical disabilities) in strollers is a contentious one. That said, we never had a stroller for our kids. If they were too tired to walk, we took a break and rested.

 

[famy27]

I wouldn't rent one in advance. If the 7-year-old gets blisters or has issues walking and wants a stroller later on, then you always have the option of renting one later.

I'd also check with the child. My DD would have been horrified if I suggested she ride in a stroller. If the child wants to ride in a stroller or requests one, then that's a different situation entirely

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

I have seen a lot of people talking about using strollers for older kids also. It would be strange to think about my 7 year old in a stroller, but is it a good idea to rent one? It will be our first trip.

We took one for our 7 year old ds last year. We didn't use it at dhs. In the other parks we went to, we used it to move to different parts of the park. Then we would park it and let him walk to everything that was close. Worked out great and ds was happy to have it. Have to admit we were happy to ride the backpack at times too.

 

[Leveretttltl]

We took our stroller for my 7 year old last October. I don't care what others think, but it's what worked for us. I would much rather have her rested so that we can continue with our day. Plus it enabled us to be able to take a small cooler for drinks and gave me somewhere to hang our backpack and bags. When we went for a shorter trip in March we left it at home and I do not plan on bringing it for our trip in October. However, if I need to rent one I will. A happy child makes for a much better vacation for everyone!

 

[Ariel on Land]

We rented a double city mini last fall for our 6.5 yo twins and our 2 yo daughter to share. Obviously the baby rode all the time. One of my boys has hypotonia so physically, he would not be able to make it in disney on his feet the whole time. But we just had our boys swap out. Even my typical son, did better getting off his feet here and there. I thought we might need the larger city stroller, but we did fine with the mini.

 

[ajwolfe]

I'd also check with the child. My DD would have been horrified if I suggested she ride in a stroller. If the child wants to ride in a stroller or requests one, then that's a different situation entirely

My boys both gave up strollers for good by 4 and rarely used them from 3 on. My 6 year old would flip if I asked him to ride in a stroller. lol. Now if we go with someone else that has a toddler, he will plop down and make a joke out of it and then immediately be back out. In his mind he is way too cool for a stroller and wouldn't want someone to think he was a baby...So you may ask your kid(s) if they would even sit in it before you waste the money.

I have to say I'm the opposite of a lot of people on here...I was so glad when we could do Disney without a stroller, I didn't care if I had a place to sit my backpack or not.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I wish my nearly 7-year-old would have had one - but not for her, for me! Kid was fine, Mom & Dad were beat

 

[vcgirl925]

I would not put my 7 year old in a stroller if all i had was a 7 year old. I might however get a double stroller if i also had a younger child and for the 7 year old to take rests too. But i don't think i'd get one JUST for my 7 year old. My son and daughter stopped using one when my daughter was 5 and he was 7. To each their own though. If you think it will make your trip run smoother, than go for it.

 

[Tasmen]

We took our stroller for my 7 year old last October. I don't care what others think, but it's what worked for us. I would much rather have her rested so that we can continue with our day. Plus it enabled us to be able to take a small cooler for drinks and gave me somewhere to hang our backpack and bags. When we went for a shorter trip in March we left it at home and I do not plan on bringing it for our trip in October. However, if I need to rent one I will. A happy child makes for a much better vacation for everyone!

That's the logic I used for our upcoming trip. I'm renting a stroller for my DD (she turns 6 a couple days before the trip). I want to have it if we need it and not be stuck with needing one and not having it. She's already made comments about how she's going to need a 'scooter' (that's what she calls a stroller) while we are there so that she doesn't get lost and can rest her out of battery (her words again ) legs.

 

[Minnie222]

It depends on the kid and depends on which park.

MK and Hollywood Studios have things closer together and less walking, so don't generally need a stroller for the older kid.

AK is larger with things spaced far apart. It depends on your touring plan here. If you don't go back and forth within the park, probably don't need a stroller.

Epcot involves a lot of walking. It may be wise to have a stroller for that day, for the kid's and parents' sake.

 

[uchi]

I was thinking the same thing for my 4 year old son. He is really active and he has not used a stroller since he was probably about 2 and a half. We will have breaks in the afternoon and go back to the hotel to the pool or to relax a little bit, so it's not like he will be walking all day. But I still think he might get tired.

So I thought what would be the worst case scenario if we did not have a stroller and he was tired: carrying him, him being cranky, carrying our back pack; and the worst case scenario if we had a stroller and didn't use it that much: looking for somewhere to park before we got on rides, not being able to get out of one ride and get to another one quickly, and other complications of having a bulky stroller to enter the park and on the buses.

I'm thinking not having the stroller and him being tired and cranky would be worse than the complications of having one. So we are going to rent one and see, if he does not get tired and he's happy without the stroller, we will just leave it in the room. But we will have it just in case.

 

[AshleeH]

Doesn't bother me - your family, your business.

We used one to walk to and from BLT to MK on our last trip (our son had just turned 7 the month before). He walked all day around the parks, but rode the stroller back to the hotel. It kept my husband from having to carry him on his shoulders back to the hotel, like he had to do a year before.

My kids are healthy, active, and get tired after walking about 7 miles a day at Disney. If someone saw that he was in a stroller and had a problem with it, well, that's their issue. Not mine.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

You must get a stroller, where else are you going to tie up the child harness? LOL sorry couldn't help myself

 

[pixarmom]

We have three boys, ages 14, 13 and 7. Our two older boys were finished with strollers by age 3 or 4. They went all day at Disney without a stroller no problem when they were 4 and 5 years old. We were able to go at their pace and didn't need strollers. But every child is different, and our youngest teaches us that every day!

Our youngest is seven years old and has a ton of energy - he's on swim team year-round and his engine runs far higher than either of his brothers. He just ran the Princess Half Marathon Weekend 5K - it was his 4th 5K, I think. He's one active child!!! But he has two teen brothers who are up to 3x his size and can walk fast. He also has an anxiety disorder and ADHD and sometimes needs the sensory break a stroller provides. So we end up renting one in the parks. It doesn't feel like a typical stroller, but gives him both a sensory break and helps him keep up with his older brothers. With his engine running so high, he can exhaust himself quickly, so the stroller rental works out well for him.

So I always say do what works for each individual child. And the Disney Parks strollers are great when kids are too old for a regular stroller, but might need a little extra support in the parks. We get the multi-day rental (discounted!) and just pick one up when we need it.

 

[Barzeski]

We used one with our daughter when she was 6.5. It was convenient for long treks across the parks (I'm a commando) and transporting her back to the room at night. We used a maclauren umbrella stroller. Of course, our dd has a growth delay and was the size of a 4 year old at 6.5. On our last trip when she was 9 and the size of a 6.5 year old, we didn't even consider it. She runs so walking was a breeze.

I think it really depends on the kid/touring style. Each parent gets to decide (no judgement) ---that's the best part.