Stroller for a 6 YO

[areno79]

My daughter is 6, and we are struggling with the same decision. We go several times a year, and we've never gone without a stroller. However, our last trip was to DL and we did the open to close thing (and we're East Coast people) without the stroller and she did fine. It was pure bliss not to have to spend 10 min at every location parking, unloading and retrieving the stroller. I know that the walking in WDW wears me out, and I know that she always falls asleep at some point.

Pro:
Life is so much easier and takes so much less time without a stroller!

Con:
If they get tired, they may need a nap or you may have to go in early.
You have no where to stash your stuff that you don't want to carry on rides.

I just thought of an easy solution. Take the stroller in and park it in a centralized location. Go through the whole park, when they get tired - retrieve it and use it for the rest of the day...

Thanks for letting me use you to think out loud... LOL

That's actually a good idea...then you don't run the risk of them being out of strollers when you *do* need one. Thank you for thinking out loud!

 

[areno79]

Hi
Hey areno79 we will be there the same time as you at the CBR ,when are you going to MNSSHP party we are going 10/20.

We're going to MNSSHP on the 20th too! This is our first time...have you ever been before?

 

[MKB419]

We're going to MNSSHP on the 20th too! This is our first time...have you ever been before?

Hi went last year and had a great time. Try to get some rest that day.We are going to spend the day at CBR and maybe a quick trip to DTD. We went to the later parade and spent alot of time in Fantasyland,they loved the Danceparty. It is so worth the money. Are you dressing up. My DD is Jasmine and DS is Woody at lest for now.
MK

 

[3_disprincesses]

I will take a stroller for DD until she is at least 8 yo. I like her having the option to jump in and ride if we need to get 1/2 way across a park for an ADR or something. But I find it PRICELESS at the end of the night when she is asleep and I am totally exhausted...I don't think I can carry her from the busstop to the room! It will be cheaper to go ahead and pick one up from a consignment store or garage sale than it will be to have to rent one when you get to the parks.

 

[squirrel]

I think it also depends when you are going.

The summer months and even in October can be quite warm and muggy. If you aren't use to it, it makes you more tired.

My niece spent most of the time in the stroller last year and she was 4.5 yrs. I'm bringing the stroller again this year. I bought a stroller just for WDW last year.

I would check out the second-hand stores. I just saw two Perego strollers older style similar to the Aria (maybe it was an older Aria) for $10. My neighbour had just bought one like the ones I saw at a garage sale for $3. If I had seen something like that last year I so would have bought it.

 

[Julylady]

You might want to ask your husband if he is able and willing to carry her if she get's super tired or falls asleep on the way back to the hotel.

I used a double umbrella stroller for my two nieces ages 7 and 4 at Disneyland earlier this summer. They both LOVE the fireworks and wanted to stay for them every night. However, within two minutes after the fireworks ended they were both fast asleep in the stroller. It was no problem to wheel them back to the Disneyland Hotel. I don't think we would have been able to stay for the fireworks if we hadn't had the stroller.

The point is to think about how you want to tour. If you are willing to cut your day short the second she starts to tire, don't take a stroller. If you would rather let her rest or fall asleep while you continue on your way, by all means take one!

I agree with the previous posters who say to bring your own rather than renting. In my experience it is the trips to and from the park when we use it the most. Many times during the day, we just parked it in a stroller parking spot and went on our merry way.

Donna

 

[Fabinva]

My DD6 gets tired just from walking the mall but during our last trip we only rented one a couple of days out of the week we spend there. We paced our walk speed and took breaks often to keep kids from getting tired, also we did not spend all day at the parks, we left around 5pm most days, we rented the double stroller on those couple long days and made both kids, ages 6 and 8! so much happier.

 

[diamondpixienc]

My kids will be 7,5, & 11mo when we travel to the world, and my youngest right now have not used a stroller in about 2yrs and the older one has not been in one 3yrs now. However, I do plan on renting a double for the 7&5 year olds as we will be bringing the 11mo stroller fr home (we are driving) Now, I also plan on a taking long neighborhood walks daily about 2 mo before our trip to prepare them but I will certainly still rent the double Just In Case! I would hate to have one of the older ones spazz out , head start spinning while spewing green bile

 

[princessmom29]

I will be taking one for DD6 this year. I just don't see us doing 12 hours of walking without it. She doesn't use it at home and hasn't for years, but disney is a different story. I would rather have it if need it than deal with a cranky, tired kid who just doesn't want to walk anymore. Last year it was a lifsaver, and the only way we could do the parks without a midday break. She would use the stroller when she got tired of walking, and after a little while get out and walk. She did great for 5 12+ hour days that way!

 

[rs505]

DS is 6 and we brought an umbrella stroller just in case and flying Southwest meant we could check it. We paid like $20 for it.

DW thought it was a mistake, but even though DS is extrmely active he needed the stroller. In the end, DW agreed that it was a good idea. Without it, we would have had one whiney kid and we would never have been able to cover as much ground as we did.

DD was just a few days shy of 9 and she walked.

I do think it depends on your kid, but for us it made life easier.

 

[Minniemama350]

Many 6 yr olds use strollers at WDW. If she needs one, it will make your trip better. However, if she doesn't, so much the better. They have become astronomical in price and it is not always pleasant to navigate, as some people are not always kind about you needing one. My son(9) had a pulled muscle in his neck and was taking codeine the last time we were there. The only way we could safely take him in the parks was a stroller. (He didn't have the problem until we were already there, in case anyone was wondering) Let's just say that people sometimes think they know the whole story...

 

[squirrel]

You shouldn't have to pay, if you gate check the stroller. You take it all the way to the airplane, just before getting on fold it and leave it with the rest of the strollers.

 

[Dizzymrslizzy]

My SIL uses her double stroller for her 6 and 4 year olds. The 6 year old definitely can walk most of the day, but there are times when he just wants/needs to rest. He will also still nap on some days

 

[jscott27]

Last year with a 1.5YO and a 4.5YO we had a stroller mostly for the 1.5YO, but the 4.5YO used it some, too. This year we will again have the umbrella stroller with us, even though the 2.5YO will want to walk even more. We also hang our cooler and camera bags on the stroller, which makes it nice to have even when the kids don't need it.

I also prefer to give the now 5.5YO a ride in the stroller and the 2.5YO a ride on my shoulders when both are tired. It is a lot easier to carry 30lbs on your shoulders than 50lbs!

 

[allyphoe]

My DD6 is a very non-walking kid. We took a stroller on the trip after she turned 6, and used it less than on previous trips, but still a lot. And when we weren't using it, I ended up carrying her for chunks of time. It's entirely possible she'll have a stroller for the 7yo trip, too, but her year-younger cousin will likely be a walker for that trip, and was almost entirely a walker at 5.