Stroller for a 6 year old???

[mominwife]

I was reading another thread and people are bringing strollers for their 6 year olds. I find this absolutely ridiculous I mean toveach their own but it got me nervous I'm taking my 6 year old DD this Jan and honestly a stroller never crossed my mind. What are others experiences with this?

 

[shburks]

I was reading another thread and people are bringing strollers for their 6 year olds. I find this absolutely ridiculous I mean toveach their own but it got me nervous I'm taking my 6 year old DD this Jan and honestly a stroller never crossed my mind. What are others experiences with this?

We rented a stroller (Orlando Stroller, I think) the year my son was 5 and 6. Felt it was just too much walking for him. At 7 he walked the parks and did great. It worked for us but I know different people have different experiences.

 

[mesaboy2]

I was reading another thread and people are bringing strollers for their 6 year olds. I find this absolutely ridiculous I mean toveach their own but it got me nervous I'm taking my 6 year old DD this Jan and honestly a stroller never crossed my mind. What are others experiences with this?

My experience is that these kinds of threads get heated fast.

 

[KMcCP]

We were there is December and my dd will be 6 in April. I'm so glad we stuck with getting a stroller. We did so much walking and with the crowds at night it was easier for us to stick together. Every kid is different, but when it comes to Disney I don't think it's unheard of at all. I'd say do it.

 

[tophatgirl]

Well, my dd (6) hasn't used a stroller in 3 years but we bring one to WDW. Yes, it sounds crazy and she doesn't ride in it often but when you have a grumpy kid who has legs half the length of yours, it is nice to give them a break while still sightseeing. Also, we aren't the type to take the trek back to the room to rest mid day. AND - DH gets tired of piggyback rides at park closing time and OP is right, good way to keep together in a packed, dark environment.

To each his own....

Enjoy your trip!

PS - it is also nice to have a spot to hang a backpack

 

[MelissathePooh]

it depends on your child. Some kids are just smaller and wear out quicker than others. Some families go open to close - that can be tough for kids.

My 5 year old dd will be 6 in September. She is tiny for her age (does not have the energy stores or muscle capacity to go very long) and still requires a stroller for long trips or long days. I don't expect that will change for another year or two.

It depends on your child and what he/she is able to tolerate. Sure you will see some kids that do look ridiculous given their size, but hey - its not my business and I don't know what issues they may or may not have going on. There has been more than once where my feet were so sore I wish someone would have pushed me around at WDW!

 

[taylor3297]

I was reading another thread and people are bringing strollers for their 6 year olds. I find this absolutely ridiculous I mean toveach their own but it got me nervous I'm taking my 6 year old DD this Jan and honestly a stroller never crossed my mind. What are others experiences with this?

Took dd on her first trip when she was 4 1/2. No stroller and she did just fine.
Next trip dd was 8 and ds was 4. Again no stroller both did fine.

We did not go back for mid afternoon for breaks either. We did make sure to stop and rest here and there. We would grab a drink or snack, find a bench and rested a bit. Also, when we would stop to eat lunch we would take our time eating.

Now we do tend to go to rope drop and tend to be back to the room between 8 and 9 at night.

Do what you think is best for your child.
Like someone else posted, these threads can get heated.

 

[mominwife]

I def didn't mean for it to get heated in any way. Like I said to each their own I'm not judging others I just thought it was ridiculous for us I don't think she has been in a stroller since 3 bit reading others responses have me a little nervous.

 

[gwynne]

Took dd on her first trip when she was 4 1/2. No stroller and she did just fine.
Next trip dd was 8 and ds was 4. Again no stroller both did fine.

We did not go back for mid afternoon for breaks either. We did make sure to stop and rest here and there. We would grab a drink or snack, find a bench Now we do tend to go to rope drop and tend to be back to the room between 8 and 9 at night.

Do what you think is best for your child.
Like someone else posted, these threads can get heated.

We had a family trip recently that included our 5 yo grandson. We toured much like you mentioned in your post, at a reasonable pace. No stroller. It worked fine.

 

[bostonberry]

This is my 1st trip and I am reading we'll walk 5 - 9 miles a day. My daughter will be almost 8 years old when we go. Since I plan on renting a stroller for the 5 YO I'll make it a double to avoid fights. Surprised myself I am considering a stroller! But sounds like quite the place!

 

[kmb584]

I can't speak from experience as DD is only 3 and bringing her stroller is a requirement at this stage, but I do not find bringing (or more logistically, renting) one for a 6-year-old ridiculous.

Think about all of the miles traveled while walking the World. After our trip in October my pedometer read 76.5, and much to my surprise DD had walked most of that too (I had really stressed hand holding before we left and she, apparently, could not get enough of it!). That's a lot of miles for little legs!

At 6, I'd leave the stroller at home but be 100% accepting to the idea of renting one. Little kids get tired.

 

[AshleeH]

My kids are both active and healthy - both are involved at least three times a week in tae kwon do and are very in shape. That being said: They are not used to walking 5+ miles a day. My 9 year old can do it, but my 6 year old would get very grumpy. Our first trip he was 4 - used a stroller every day. our second trip he was 5 - we played it by ear (if we were going to MNSSHP, we would use it in the morning since it would be a late night). My kids also stop all naps at age 2, but when he was 5, he took a nap every time he used the stroller.

This year he was 6 and we were staying at Bay Lake Tower. We rented a stroller to walk him to MK, parked it out of the way when we got to the park, and would use it on the walk back to BLT. This kept the trip whine-free (a necessity for this mother) and kept my husband free of back pain, since he didn't have to carry a child on his shoulders all the way back to the hotel.

To each their own - but I've learned to never judge others for what is best for their family. We have never had a single meltdown or snippy comment in Disney and aside from my kids being very well-behaved, I credit a well-rested child for this occurrence.

 

[shburks]

I def didn't mean for it to get heated in any way. Like I said to each their own I'm not judging others I just thought it was ridiculous for us I don't think she has been in a stroller since 3 bit reading others responses have me a little nervous.

Your dd may be fine. Our ds is a turtle...so slow! And he's very short for his age with short legs! At 5, we went with another family who had their double stroller (3kids). I think it would've been particularly hard to tell my ds he had to walk when his trends were riding! We also knew that it would be a more enjoyable stay if he could sit occasionally and not be constantly trying to keep up with us. This was still pre-K year for him and he still napped, too. We no longer owned a stroller at home but found it invaluable at Disney!

You can always rent one in the parks if she suddenly wears out! Don't stress or worry. You know your child. Do what's best for your family.

 

[mominwife]

Took dd on her first trip when she was 4 1/2. No stroller and she did just fine.
Next trip dd was 8 and ds was 4. Again no stroller both did fine.

We did not go back for mid afternoon for breaks either. We did make sure to stop and rest here and there. We would grab a drink or snack, find a bench and rested a bit. Also, when we would stop to eat lunch we would take our time eating.

Now we do tend to go to rope drop and tend to be back to the room between 8 and 9 at night.

Do what you think is best for your child.
Like someone else posted, these threads can get heated.

I pretty much planned on something along the the lines of what u described. If she needs a stroller I will rent one it really just didn't cross my mind in all my planning.

 

[Jasperann]

On our first trip when the kids were 3, 6 and 7 (not counting my teen) we had a sit and stand. The 3 (almost 4 year old) was in the stroller all the time, except for rides and had not used a stroller for even the zoo since he was 2(ish). The girls (6 and 7) would get on the sit and stand towards the end of the evening, because their legs were so tired. But we really went commando the first trip, it was so bad that our 6 year old was falling asleep standing up , sitting down , ... walking... We really ran ourselves into the ground the first trip.

The second trip we had a stroller for DS he was 4 at the time. We did not use it on all the days. If we knew we had a short day we didn't bring it with us. The girls did not use one at all that trip. We did take it at a much more relaxed pace, no falling asleep in strange places for our girls.

Last year I took the kids to Sea World for 4 days and DS was 5. I did not have a stroller and he walked all day everyday. The last day he did want me to carry him out of the park though. We also took it really really slow at Sea World.

But really only you know your kid. If you think that they can do the parks with out a stroller than don't worry about it. You could always pick up a cheap umbrella stroller if you need one.

 

[Southernmiss]

DD was 5 our first trip to Disney. She did fine. We brought an umbrella stroller the first day and it was a junk holder and just in the way. So we left it in the room after that.

I have beautiful pictures of her dancing under Mickey's Sorcerer's hat at DHS as we closed the park down in the wee hours of the morning one night. All the walking didn't bother her.

DS, on the other hand, who was 8 would have loved to have had a stroller

 

[wahoostampingirl]

My twins are 11, but we started going when they were 5. We used a stroller when they were 5 and 6. I wasn't going to use it when they were 6, but we were fighting colds while there and it helped when they needed a rest. I think a 6 year old could go either way, but if you don't use a stroller, keep in mind that your child might need frequent breaks, especially toward the end of the trip.

Have a great time!

 

[aaarcher86]

My kids have used strollers for years and we aren't planning on bringing one for either of them in February. They'll be 5 and newly 7.

Both of them are incredibly tiny people - the 7 year old is maybe 42" and 35 lbs!!!

If either one of them just can't handle it throughout the trip we will reevaluate.

 

[kpm76]

It really all depends on how you plan to tour. I don't ever think a family's decision to do what works for them, especially if it's going to enhance their vacation enjoyment, is ridiculous. I know that's not what you meant, but so man people are quick to judge and for the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone cares enough to criticize another's decision.

Anyway....our kids are 5 and 2 and we take a Mac for our little guy. I did take a cheap umbrella for DD in Oct but she barely used it so I am leaving it home for our trip in a few weeks. We do walk a lot.....upwards of 10 miles/day and I'm a fast walker....drives DH nuts We've realized that for the most part, DD can keep up and it's not worth taking the stroller for her. If she needs it, we'll rent one. That said, I would rather a family take a stroller for an "older" child than to have meltdowns or have a day cut short because the kid is too tired. Remember, WDW is exhausting, especially for little legs

 

[PAGAS]

My daughter just turned 4 and we still bring a stroller. It is the only place we ever use a stroller with her, but it makes it so much easier, especially at the end of the day. I selfishly will be sad to abandon using a stroller. It is such an easy place to keep snacks and drinks.