Stroller for a 3.5 year old?

[Disney1fan2002]

I am considering NOT bringing the stroller for my ds who will be four in Feb. We are going in November for Thanksgiving, and it just seems like it would be so much nicer if we could just hop on and off the busses without fighting with a stroller. There is always the option of renting a stroller if he just can't hang on. He is a pretty tough cookie. He has walked with me through our neighborhood, and gone as far as a mile and showing no signs of tiring. I figure, if we don't rush, and take time to stop and smell the roses, he should be fine.

Anyone else let their 3-4 year old walk? How did they do? The main reason I do not want to get a stroller is my 5yo DD, if I get a stroller for the 3 yr old, all of a sudden, she becomes infantile, and can't walk, needs to be carried ect. If I rent a stroller, they can take turns sitting in it. I have already told her whenever we go somewhere and she wants to be carried..she needs to start practicing for Disney..LOL.

I guess I will play it by ear. If they are really exhausted, we always have the option of renting. Am I being mean?

 

[kdonnel]

We bring a stroller to use around the hotel and Downtown Disney. For the parks we rent one. Getting on and off the bus can be a pain with a stroller.

If I were you I would plan to rent a double stroller in the parks. No need to take turns sitting.

 

[crisi]

My just turned five year old is a walker and always has been. We will rent a stroller for him and his nearly four year old sister not because of him, but because she is not a great walker.

However, we have taken our slow walker to the zoo, the State Fair, our big local amusement park, museums, nature walks, all strollerless this year and she has done just fine. So WDW this year, the stroller will be more for Mom to be able to move at her pace rather than for the kids. And because day after day does get more tiring than a single day strollerless.

If you do break down and rent (and its worthwhile in Epcot where everything is so spread out, and probably not at all worthwhile in the MK, where everything is so tight and you are standing in line or riding more than walking anyway), consider a double for both your kids. The doubles fit my five and four year old just fine. Its more expensive, but if your DD is like mine, not having to listen to the whine is worth every penny.

 

[laurie31]

My kids are 4 and 6 and I haven't used a stroller for over 2 years. They do fine all day at the zoo and all day at our local amusement park. However, I am planning on using a stroller for the younger one and renting one for the older one at Disney. I won't take it to MK, but definitely to Epcot and maybe MGM. My aunt still rents one for her *9 year old*! The heat and humidity add up with all the walking to make kids really tired (and aunt is a FL resident, so her dd is used to the heat!) She says it's so much easier that trying to carry everything and you can move so much faster. We plan to go at the kids' pace and "stop and smell the roses" as well, but I don't want them to be so hot and tried that they can't have a good time. Howver, I think your plan of renting if they need it is fine. Also, if there are two adults, I would rent two singles instead of one double. They are easier to maneuver not to mention pushing two older preschoolers can get heavy!

You could always take your stroller and not use it unless you had to. Leave it in the room when you go to MK, but definitely take it to Epcot Then see how it goes other times. If you do afternoon breaks you could leave it behind in the mornings and take it in the evenings if you're staying for Illuminations/Fantasmic/ FITS.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!

Laurie

 

[Momof2boys]

My boys are 3 & 5 and they still use a stroller at Disney. They will never sit in one at any other time. However, Disney is just too much walking for them. When we went last April, we just took a stroller for my 3 yr old, but ended up renting one also for my 5 yr. old. This Nov. I am just taking two easy fold up umbrella strollers. I don't want the hassle of having to rent one each day. Also, I don't want to carry them back to the hotel at the end of a long day.

 

[clori]

I went in Feb when dd was 2 years 8 months. I know we are in the minority but found the stroller to be a nuisance. First of all we walk a lot at home and dd can easily walk a mile. We brought a stroller to Disney even though at home dd hadn't used one at all in over 3 months. At every park dd walked all day and the stroller was used primarily to push our water bottles. We went to each park for early opening and stayed until closing. DD fell asleep at Epcot during illuminations but that was it. Also where I felt the stroller would have been most useful was while waiting in lines and that is when it wasn't allowed. (We were there during the first week in Feb and never waited in line for anything). We took the stroller to downtown disney and again found it a waste. My dd was too busy playing on the small playground, riding the train, playing in the lego area etc and never used the stroller. We used our compact easy folding stroller with a carry strap that it was a non issue for us on the busses etc but next time as long as we go the same time of year (no heat/humidity/long lines) we will not bring a stroller and just rent at epcot if need be. It also helped that dd was only about 26 pounds so no problem if she needed to be carried a bit.

 

[sandygirl]

It is not a question of being "mean" to expect your children to walk the parks without the advantage of a stroller. You know your children better than anyone else. You also know yourself, "Can you carry that child if they fall alseep?"

My DD is 6 and only 43 lbs. But let me tell you, when she falls asleep and all her dead weight is on me and her beautiful long legs are dangling down unbalancing the distribution of weight, she sure feels HEAVY.

I just experienced this a couple of weeks ago in Disneyland. She fell asleep before the fireworks and I had to carry her all the way back to the hotel myself. Let's just say, the next day I rented a stroller.

The other advantage I see to having a stroller with you is safety and security. I like knowing that I have my DD right where I know where she is at all times. She can't get jostled, or too far ahead of me, and I feel safer. I literally wheeled the stroller right into a large stall in the ladies restroom.

Do what you think is best.

 

[dimimi]

We brought our stroller for our 5 year and we LOVED having it. We put our water bottles in it, our purchases, camera, ponchos, etc. My husband was NOT thrilled that we were bringing it, but he's decided that we are bringing it next year! Our son will have just turned 6 when we return.

Also, he never uses a stroller at home. It made it easy to wak quickly somewhere and to keep track of him. (I am a fast walker)

My friend's whole family went in the summer one year. They said the crowds were very heavy so they had even 7/8 year olds in the Disney strollers to keep track of them.


The only time itwas a pain was getting on and off the bus. We were on the monorail, so usually we didn't have to fold it.
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

[Tonyspad]

We always rent a stroller. I have two boys , 7&5, it always comes in handy. It is a little tight with the two of them in a double, but believe me at the end of the day when the 5 year old poops out the 7 yr. old gets in right next to him. We will be renting a double next year and I doubt my older son will get in, but it is a good spot to rest your personal items and packages.

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

I have always taken mine, I enjoy the convenience of having a place to keep our drinks, any extra items that we may have brought with us, and durign the heat of the day mine have liked being able to get under the "roof" of the stroller out of the aun and to rest those tired little legs!
I have read where you actually walk 2 miles a day while in the parks. Don't know if it's true or not, but you do a lot of walking, plus with crowds the little ones are so easy to get run over by an adult not paying attention!
My youngest is 6 now and while she is too big for our stroller I think I will more than likely rent one when down there in dec. I don't want to trya nd force her to walk that entire park every day until she drops and I have to carry her!

 

[tjkraz]

A few minutes hassle with the stroller on a bus vs. a tired child that could ruin (or at least cut short) a day at WDW...

Not much of a decision, IMHO.

 

[cinder1]

DH and I have been having this discussion. We will be at WDW in Oct. We have 3 kids, DD8, DD6 and DS3.5. I am insisting we bring a light umbrella stroller for DS. My DH thinks it's not necessary because in March when we were there, DS did not ride much. But when he did, we needed him too.

Of course, my girls want to ride in the stroller. But both are too big. DS does not want to ride. He weighs 37 lbs now and I told him, he walks or rides, but his poor daddy was not going to carry him all over WDW.

I also like being able to put water bottles etc in the stroller instead of lugging them around. DS probably will walk a lot but when he is tired or we are trying to walk fast, he will ride.