stroller for 8yr old?

[stahshee]

my 8 yr old has no problem. is this your only child?

 

[kdtwiss]

I wish everyone would stop implying any 8 year old who does not like walking has a problem. Nothing wrong with a child smart enough to enjoy a ride while they still can. dISNEY IS A big place, and as a pp said the $$ spent on a stroller is well spent when you don't have to listen to whining/complaining. We rented a stroller for our 5 and 7 year olds last time and even WITH the stroller my 5 year old had some terrible blisters. There is still plenty of walking before and after the stroller rental folks, don't worry I am sure the OP does not intent to carry her child piggy back from the hotel to the bus stop, and from the bus stop to the stroller rental.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Just my 2 cents here...


My 3 kids are 6, 4, and 3 and we get a double. They all take turns walking, riding, etc. And all 3 can ride it in relatively comfortably when needed. My kids (even the little one) are ultra-ahtletic, outdoosy, etc. and are on the run all day long...but we get a stroller at WDW. And even the 6 yo wants to be in it quite a bit.

We could probably do it without a stroller as they like to be on the go, but we get one for a few reasons: (1) to carry all the stuff other than the kids LOL; (2) SAFETY...I love knowing that they are all with me...don't have to look behind me or freak out if they drop my hand; (3) just in case the whining starts, you have the option.

Time of year may also make a difference. We went last Sept. and it was VERY hot. They wanted to ride a lot and did get a bit whiny. When we went in Feb., they walked much more and had a lot more energy.

And BTW, they NEVER laugh at older kids in strollers...my 6 yo DS loves the idea that he can choose to ride or not and either way there will be kids his age doing that.

 

[kelscross]

I would not buy a stroller for the trip. Although renting one everyday you could buy lots of strollers for that price!! ha! Just play it by ear. I'm weighing the same thing back and forth for our December trip. My kids will be 4 and 5 they are both very small for their age so it's not a big deal to push them in a stroller and it's pretty handy for me to have something to put all of their stuff in, but at the same time I long for the day where I don't have to fold up the stroller to get on the boats or busses (you can push them right on the monorail with their strollers). I think at 8 I will definately encourage my kids to go without a stroller though.

 

[pandamom]

We won't be getting one this trip (dd5 and dd7). We did for mnsshp last year (they were dd4 and dd6 then) because they were free and we ended up regretting it. After awhile dd4 didn't want to go thru the hassle of getting in and out of the stroller so ended up sitting in it a lot. We didn't get a stroller the rest of the trip and had no problems or complaints. (Heck, by the end I wanted to be pushed around in a stroller but the kids were still going strong!) My dd5 also sometimes complains that she's "tired of walking" when we go shopping but it usually just means she's bored. Good luck and have fun!

 

[ahutton]

On our last trip our kids were 2 and 4. It was June and VERY hot, even the locals were complaining about the heat and humidity. We knew we would take breaks in our days, so when we went out in the morning we did not take a stroller. We took our time and tried not to criss-cross parks and we never had a complaint. When we went out in the evening we took one stroller with us for our 2 year old (primarily) but figured if our 4 year old needed a break we would put her in it and either let the 2 year old walk or we'd carry her. We found that even if we had it with us, unless we were staying to close a park the kids wanted to walk (to explore) and the stroller just got pushed around. After a couple days of that we only took it if we planned to close a park down! I always figured if we REALLY needed one we would just rent.

 

[gopack]

Let's not confuse weight with physical fitness. A child can be an average weight and still not get enough exercise. Only you know if your child gets enough exercise on a daily basis to handle the walking and standing in line that Disney requires. I don't think you need to decide before you leave. See how it goes. If it would be more fun for her to have a stroller then go ahead and rent one. She probably won't use it half the time anyway-too much to see! As other have said, they are a great place to store jackets, purchases, etc. Heck, my 11 yr old DD who swims 5000 yards a day on a competitive yr round swim team has been known to try to cram in her brother's stroller after 7-8 hrs. in the parks!! Have a great time!

 

[lamb1022]

Do it if you want. It's your money and what other people say doesn't matter. I say choose your battles wisely. I always get a double stroller (DD's are 7 and 9, DS is 4). I've found they come in handy, particularly when we are in Cosmic Ray's at the height of lunch and tables are scarce. The two older girls sit in double stroller with food on lap and it works just fine...

 

[cruiserkaren]

As soon as mine were around 2 they were out of the stroller. We go to the zoo and 6 flags alot and my kids know they are walking. I would never think about getting a stroller for my 6 year old. My kids always talk about all these big kids in strollers and laugh at them

Wow! I have to say I think this is the first time I have been truly offended by someone's post. I have a 6 year old dear, dear, cousin who I am so close to. Looking at her she looks like a typical 6 year old. However, she has many disorders that effect her so while she LOOKS like a 6 year old, she cannot ACT like a typical 6 year old. It breaks my heart when I think about the challenges she faces in the future, including people laughing/making fun of her. To allow children to laugh at other children and sound so proud about it is just....pitiful. Maybe before you laugh at children perhaps you should consider that unfortunately, not all are on an even playing field.

Ok, back on topic. Do what works best for YOUR family. Ultimately that's all that matters.

 

[theresemiller2000]

Wow! I have to say I think this is the first time I have been truly offended by someone's post. I have a 6 year old dear, dear, cousin who I am so close to. Looking at her she looks like a typical 6 year old. However, she has many disorders that effect her so while she LOOKS like a 6 year old, she cannot ACT like a typical 6 year old. It breaks my heart when I think about the challenges she faces in the future, including people laughing/making fun of her. To allow children to laugh at other children and sound so proud about it is just....pitiful. Maybe before you laugh at children perhaps you should consider that unfortunately, not all are on an even playing field.

Ok, back on topic. Do what works best for YOUR family. Ultimately that's all that matters.

I agree completely with this! My daughter was born with Klippel Trenaunay syndrome (KTS). She's just two right now, so noone would look twice at her in a stroller. However, a stroller will absolutely be necessary when she gets older for Disney. It breaks my heart to think that she will be laughed at as she gets older. She has just as much right to see Disney as any other child, she just won't be able to handle all of the walking that Disney requires. I'm truely saddened by that statement. My little girl is going to face enough challenges in her life, it's a shame that we won't even be able to go to the happiest place on Earth, without someone laughing at her.

 

[GottaGetToDisney!]

I know for certain that it'll be a double-stroller for our family this year!

When we did our "Girl's Only" trip two years ago, my DD was nearly 7 and I didn't consider a stroller for her, she just walked her tired little legs ragged. I also had to listen to "Mooommmmmyyyy, my leeeeeggggsssss are tired! My feeeet hurt, tooooo!" about 50,000 times a day. When we took the kids to a local amusement park last year, DD vocalized that it "wasn't fair!" that DS2 got to ride in a stroller, so we rented the double just to see if she would actually make use of it. Boy, did she ever! We were so glad that she at least had the option to sit and rest, if needed.

This Nov. we are planning on renting the double again, even though she's 9 now. (Nine today! Happy birthday to my baby girl! ) But, she's a petite little 50-lbs.-when-she's-wet nine year old. We don't care, and when she's exhausted SHE doesn't care, if we get any strange looks or snickers.

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[TerriBelle]

I guess what I am always puzzled with is how attached people are with their strollers. If it works for you that is great but we LOVE our trips without the strollers!

I think we move quicker through the parks without it, even though we have to walk slower for our kids. We no longer have to park the stroller one place and then get out of a ride and have to go back and find it. We can move through stores and crowds easier. We can get on the trains, boats, monorails, and buses easier.

My kids like to walk because they can see things better - for example at AK they can walk the trails and go right up to the exhibits. They look for the kid stations in each area. When they were in the strollers, we were always getting them in and out of the strollers so they could see better.

At Epcot they like to look for the mask station in each land or a press penny machine. This helps them get around to all the countries.

For my DD we told her that to ride the "big" rides, she needed to walk like a "big kid". This worked great for her because she LOVES the wild rides. She never complained as long as she got to ride the RRC! This approach didn't work on our twin boys since they have no interest in the RRC. They prefer the penny machine approach. They could get a pressed penny from a machine if they found the machine while walking.

We do go off season so the heat has not been an issue and we try to go at their pace. If they want to go back and swim, then we take a pool break. We also try and use transportation to take breaks - ride the monorail between MK & Epcot, boats to MGM/Epcot, train in MK.

We are glad that the strollers are gone!

 

[VSL]

Interesting thread. I guess it's an individual thing.

The obesity thing is true though - the Brits are getting it, and it's moving east slowly.

I think that unless the OP's child (or anyone's child, for that matter) has some kind of medical condition that means she cannot walk long distances then it may be a good idea to start taking daily walks with the child from now on, building up slowly so that by the time you get to Disney they will be used to the time on their feet (which will seem like less at Disney because of all the fun you'll be having!). It's not only good for overall health and fitness (regardless of the child's weight or whatever), but it makes for some good quality time with mammy/daddy

 

[dsnymomof4]

When we were there in July, we did see many "older" children in the rented strollers. We had a stroller fr DD4, but about a month before our trip, we started going to the track so DD7 and DD8 could build up their endurance a little bit. I think it helped ( I know it helped me as I was trying to lose weight anyway). Before that, we would be walking around the block and DD8 would say how tired she was. I would tell her, if we were at Disney, we wouldn't even be out of the parking lot yet! Maybe you could try to do without the stroller and if she just can't make it then you could always rent one.

 

[KristiKelly]

I guess what I am always puzzled with is how attached people are with their strollers. If it works for you that is great but we LOVE our trips without the strollers!

I think we move quicker through the parks without it, even though we have to walk slower for our kids. We no longer have to park the stroller one place and then get out of a ride and have to go back and find it. We can move through stores and crowds easier. We can get on the trains, boats, monorails, and buses easier.

My kids like to walk because they can see things better - for example at AK they can walk the trails and go right up to the exhibits. They look for the kid stations in each area. When they were in the strollers, we were always getting them in and out of the strollers so they could see better.

At Epcot they like to look for the mask station in each land or a press penny machine. This helps them get around to all the countries.

For my DD we told her that to ride the "big" rides, she needed to walk like a "big kid". This worked great for her because she LOVES the wild rides. She never complained as long as she got to ride the RRC! This approach didn't work on our twin boys since they have no interest in the RRC. They prefer the penny machine approach. They could get a pressed penny from a machine if they found the machine while walking.

We do go off season so the heat has not been an issue and we try to go at their pace. If they want to go back and swim, then we take a pool break. We also try and use transportation to take breaks - ride the monorail between MK & Epcot, boats to MGM/Epcot, train in MK.

We are glad that the strollers are gone!

I agree, I feel like strollers slow us down as well and our kids see so much more without it. I would play it by ear and if she really needs it after she's there a few hours then rent one. I'm guessing though that she won't need it.

 

[SueM in MN]

My youngest DD has cerebral palsy and can't walk, so we (of course) always had a wheelchair for her. Pushing a wheelchair around all day (even a lightweight wheelchair) is a physical challenge. We told other DD that we couldn't manage a wheelchair and a stroller and she would have to keep up, but would be responsible for letting us know when she needed to stop and rest. Other than a few times when she asked us to take her sister out of the wheelchair and carry the wheelchair's owner so she could ride it at the end of a day, she did very well as a 5 and 6 year old without a stroller. She was not a very athletic child, but was not out of shape.

On a recent trip in March, we went with my niece and her 3 yr old. She did not have a stroller the first 4 days of our trip and kept up very very well. We are not commando tourers, but were also not moving really slowly.
No complaining from the 3 year old. At the end of the 4th day, she still didn't complain, but said her legs were "all out of walk" and she would really like to not walk so much the next day. So, after that, we did get a stroller for her. I do think if we had split up the first 4 days and alternated "walking" days with days where she didn't have to walk so much, she would have made the whole 9 day trip without a stroller.

Whether you get a stroller or not for your older kids, it is important to take into account what toll it will take on you. I have seen parents who look about ready to drop pushing a stroller with an older child in it. If the child is not complaining and is full of energy at the end of the day, but you are so tired you can barely move, that doesn't sound like a vacation to me. So, if you find/think you need a stroller for an older child, maybe also look at some other ways to conserve energy. Just my personal opinion.

 

[Jen D]

I guess whatever works for your family... we do not like having to push and keep track of a big stroller and never rented one for my dd after age 4. It was a lot of work to wean her off the stroller at home (we don't have a car and walk several miles a day) and I certainly wasn't going to backslide at WDW. I have to say when we went at age 5 she never asked and it never came up once; I honestly don't remember her even complaining about the walking. Well she would sometimes say "how much further" but that's just like "Are we there yet?" in the car.

I have to agree with what SueM says about the toll on the parent. I can't imagine wearing myself out to push around a healthy 8 year old. Since she's been walking she has had as much energy as us, if any of get tired we find a bench and rest.

Maybe it is because we walk so much at home (dd's school is a mile away and we walk to and from every day) but she has been required from the age of 5 to be responsible for her own walking and responsible for her own backpack. I don't want to be an ogre but I think she can handle it, and she does.

Luckily the option is there if you need it... so if she truly wears out you can get it but I wouldn't tell her she has the option at all at first... it does cost a bit of money and it is a lot of work for you. I don't think it is fair to an exhausted parent to have to push around a healthy 50-60 pound child... although I guess some people like the strollers for their gear.

 

[staci]

This is kinda a side note, but after reading all these comments I just was wondering if the strollers at WDW have a weight limit? I think DS's big stroller we use at home is 40 lbs, I think his lightweight one may say less than that? The strollers at WDW have always seemed more accomodating for preschoolers than babies at WDW, do their weight limits reflect that?

 

[SueM in MN]

This is kinda a side note, but after reading all these comments I just was wondering if the strollers at WDW have a weight limit? I think DS's big stroller we use at home is 40 lbs, I think his lightweight one may say less than that? The strollers at WDW have always seemed more accomodating for preschoolers than babies at WDW, do their weight limits reflect that?

Some WDW CMs have posted in the past that there are strollers large enough to hold small 12 year olds, so I don't think you will have a problem with 40 pounds.
What some people with larger kids do is rent a double stroller for one child.

 

[alisonbestford]

We just returned from a holiday to Turkey with DD (6) and I 'dug out' the pushchair from the bottom of the cellar stairs before we left

No-one could remember how to fold it, as we hadn't used it for so long, but it was invaluable on my commando missions around the resort

I shall be resurecting it for our Easter 2006 trip, to WDW, when DD will be 7 to preserve my own sanity and save having to break my back carrying too much stuff

I strongly suspect that DD way over rides the weight limit specified by the manufacturing company and yes, she jumps straight out of it if she sees anyone she knows, but it's worth it's weight in gold to me on our trips