Stroller for a 5yo

[JessZacc]

Yes, I'm bringing a little umbrella one for my son.. He hasn't used one for years but he is still little and will get hot and tired at times...

 

[kohlby]

I will be taking a stroller for our 5 year old on our next trip. It's a clunky 11 year old stroller, but it has great sunshade and storage and is good up to 50lbs, and he's 40 lbs.

My eldest would have not needed a stroller at Disney at 5. He had a trip at 3 and didn't use it much until the end of the trip. At 6, he went and we were not easy on him with the walking, and he did great. My middle child wasn't supposed to use the stroller when she went at 5, but the youngest refused to sit in it so it made sense so we weren't always pushing an empty stroller. I would have not brought one for her. Then there's my youngest. At 2.5, he refused to use the stroller so we had to use the sling, since he also refused to walk. At 3.5, I figured out how to bribe him to sit in the stroller at times - since again, he wouldn't walk. At 4.5, he actually enjoyed the stroller. He refused to do many rides and was a bit overwhelmed and the stroller allowed him a place away from everything. He does have some sensory quirks, so it helped out then, and I presume it will help out again on our trip this year. So, consider both the walking and if the crowds/attractions will overwhelm the child. My youngest is perfectly capable physically, but he really needs a spot to call his own to hang out for emotional reasons.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I think at 5 you could go either way. When dd was 5, ds was 3 and we took our double. She rode pretty much all the time. When ds was 5 we did not take a stroller and he totally rocked it without! We were prepared to rent if he needed one but he was totally fine. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was (is) to navigate the parks without the stroller!!!!

 

[okeydokey]

Never used one after three.

 

[BubblyTrip]

Yes. Rented a Citi Mini for my barely five year old. We go during peak times, and it helps move from rope drop to FL quickly. Also nice at the end of the day and in the crowds after parades. We don't use it from attraction to attraction.

 

[Merida3]

Same dilemma. Hate to bring a stroller on the plane if we don't have to. Friend said we can easily rent one there, but I think we'll just end up pushing in around the parks. 3 yo will likely refuse to ride in it, although will refuse to walk after a while too. Anyone know if you can rent strollers all around the parks or just at entrances?

 

[tanyaandallie]

Same dilemma. Hate to bring a stroller on the plane if we don't have to. Friend said we can easily rent one there, but I think we'll just end up pushing in around the parks. 3 yo will likely refuse to ride in it, although will refuse to walk after a while too. Anyone know if you can rent strollers all around the parks or just at entrances?

I would not even consider going to Disney with a 3 year old without a stroller. 5 is on the line of needing vs non-needing and most 6 year olds can do without (imo) though you will still see many 6+ in a stroller. At 3 I just can't imagine not having one. The crowds are INSANE in the afternoons, even during the non-busy times and I wanted a safe place for my kids to sit so they were not caught up in the crowds. I would definitely take you own. Disney strollers are very uncomfy. They cannot be rented throughout the parks, I believe just up at the front.

 

[Merida3]

I would not even consider going to Disney with a 3 year old without a stroller. 5 is on the line of needing vs non-needing and most 6 year olds can do without (imo) though you will still see many 6+ in a stroller. At 3 I just can't imagine not having one. The crowds are INSANE in the afternoons, even during the non-busy times and I wanted a safe place for my kids to sit so they were not caught up in the crowds. I would definitely take you own. Disney strollers are very uncomfy. They cannot be rented throughout the parks, I believe just up at the front.

Thanks for the advice! My husband wants it just for the airport so we should just bring our own.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I'm absolutely bringing a stroller for my 5yo. He hasn't used a stroller in years, but I'm not partial to carrying him around at midnight on a long park day, nor standing in line, at the end of the night, waiting for the bus back to the resort. I have 4 other kids and the thought of carrying them after a hot day at the park is not appealing.

 

[Merida3]

That's what I'm afraid of---carrying a sleeping child back to the hotel.

 

[krazy4crusing]

We have a five year old and wont be bringing our stroller this time. Our plan is to rent one on site only if we need one. We take lots of breaks and do lots of rides so I am hoping that she will be ok. I don't want to lug a stroller through airports, busses etc... this time. It's too much work. She barely used it last year when she was 4 and didn't use it at all for our MVMCP trip this Dec. It really depends on your child and their ability to handle the long days.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

For sure. The amount of people I see who look miserable, carrying their kids, asleep, out of the park, along with all their stuff is a big "no thank you" for us. LOL
We are bringing our double city mini, for our 7 mos old and 2yo, and our old single city mini for our 5yo. We plan on parking our single at an attraction somewhere in the middle of the park, then getting it late in the evening when our 5yo gets tired legs. We are park closers.

 

[Merida3]

Sounds like a good idea as long as no one takes off with it. Have you tried that before?

 

[Cappy81]

We are going to rent a stroller for our 5 year old and have it delivered to our resort. Not sure how much we will end up using it, but I feel better knowing we have it at our disposal if needed.

 

[HaveKidsWillTravel]

I think you know your child best. Some kids can walk the parks at three, some eight year olds get tired! Our 5 year old is super physical and could 'probably' handle walking. But - after a week, I doubt it. Plus he gets super cranky and his baby sister will have a stroller. So for us, absolutely are we bringing a stroller. We have a double Maclaren. Personally it works for us. I'd rather bring a stroller and avoid a meltdown than not. But each kid is different.

 

[lcj19]

As far whether to use a stroller or not...you know your kid best. My DD will be 4 when we go and while she is perfectly capable of walking she is easily distracted...mostly by the ground and trying no to step on cracks . It is easier for me to put her in a stroller, than remind her every few minutes to walk like a big girl. Leaves us both relaxed and happy. Also, she tends to nap when on trips, while at home we don't do naps. The stroller is a great place for her nap while we enjoy walking around.

 

[wallawallakids]

You know your kid best. Do what you think will work. Some 5 year olds might still need it. Our kids didn't after 4 but that means nothing. Each kids is different and some are not used to walking all day in the heat.

I will say that I was SUPER nervous about not having a stroller in the parks. We had a double with our oldest two (they are 14 months apart) and then went straight to a double with the twins (oldest 2 children were 4 and 5 at their birth). So we ALWAYS had a stroller! I thought I would die not having a place to stuff our jackets and hold our water bottles. I couldn't imagine NOT having it. But the twins turned 5 and I thought I would rent one but leave it in the hotel and try without first. (After all our oldest two were forced to walk by that point). I was worried. But let me tell you, IT WAS THE BEST. Not having a stroller is so much easier. I never would have believed it, but it is. Esp. not having a double! You get in and around so fast. You can get in line faster, you can navigate easier and get on the bus in a snap without having to fold the stroller, carry all the crap you had stuffed in it, a kid, and the stroller on the bus. I can not stress how awesome it is to not have one.

So do what is best for you and what works for your child but when the time comes…..DON'T BE SCARED TO DITCH the stroller. It is seriously the best feeling ever and makes Disney even more fun. (If that is possible!) Have a great trip!

 

[BeachClubBride]

I just got back from a stay at the yacht club with a 3 year old and an infant. A few thoughts:

1) the offsite stroller rental companies are great. They deliver the strollers to bell services, the city mini is very convenient in the parks, and the price is much more reasonable than the disney strollers. We used apple stroller and had a great experience.

2) the walk to Epcot and MGM is long for a kid. A 5 year old could probably do it but may not walk as fast as you would like in the morning and may ask to be carried on the way back. We avoid the boats as we find they are slow.

3) For Mk, it is a pain to bring the stroller on the bus and it needs to stay parked the whole time you are in fantasy land. Most of the time the stroller was pretty useless in Mk but it was nice to have it for the parades. Unfortunately, I found way too many people thought that it was ok to create a walkway next to my daughter when she was sitting on the curb. I just am not comfortable with people stepping over (and accidentally kicking) my daughter.

4) Depending on your strategy...Ak is a lot of walking. We go to Everest then to the safari then dinoland. This seemed to minimize wait times and allowed us to save our fast passes for later in the day at another park. Downside is that it is a lot of walking and you might need to slow down your pace if you don't have a stroller.

5) The stroller is great for carrying stuff. When my 3 year old walked we would put the backpack in her seat.

6) I feel safer when my kids are in the stroller. When my 3 year old got more than 5 feet away it could be tough to see her and I would panic.

I know many people don't like seeing the older kids in strollers....and we saw some really old kids in strollers. But 5 is still fairly young and it really depends on what your family plans to do. When my daughter is 5, I expect she will still be in a stroller.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

Sounds like a good idea as long as no one takes off with it. Have you tried that before?

No, but here's hoping. LOL

 

[mssong85]

We are bringing a light weight McClaren as well. My DD used it when she was a month shy of 4 and will be using it again a month shy of 5. Everyone has their own preferences, but for us we like to stay late. I love my late nights in MK. We would not be able to do them if my DD did not have a place to sleep and recharge.