Stroller for a 6 yr old?

[goofydad621]

Hi
This is my first time taking a 6 yr old and am wondering if I should rent a stroller just to give her a little break here and there. She is healthy, running 6 turning 7 a month after our trip but I wonder if she might still need one on those long days.

Your experiences are appreciated.

Thanks

 

[cleo]

Hi goofydad! A stroller for a 6 year old is still a good idea. Maybe she can make it through a day (or most of a day) at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom but I would get one for Epcot for sure, and possibly MK and MGM. I used a stroller for my son until he was 7 and although he did not spend all day in it we were very happy to have it in the evenings when he started to wear out.

If you have one you can bring from home, even better. That way you have it at the resort, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, etc.

 

[Kapp]

and the umbrella stroller that we brought saved us! Just too much walking for one that small (she was a small 6 year old) and trying to keep pace with her big sister. We like the umbrella strollers the best as they fold up out of the way when on a boat, bus, your room and are not as bulky as the ones rented in the parks. It really came in handy at night when she could just fall asleep. We got ours for only $9.00 and it was worth every penny!

Enjoy and have a great time!

Kapp

 

[2Disneybuggs]

My DS is 6 but last trip we had to rent him a stroller. He was too tired to walk. I'm going to see this year if he can manage walking otherwise I'll rent him one. He is tall so the ones at Disney are perfect for him.

 

[bubba's mom]

We were in MK in Aug. for a whole day....I mean up at 5:45am and at the gate waiting for MK to open at 7:30 am (on EE day--8am!) We stayed in the park the whole day (except to "ride" the monorail) and didn't leave until Wishes was over.....got back to our resort at appx. 11:30pm! What a long, wonderful day. DS was 5 1/2 at the time, tall for his age and rather healthy. He walked the entire day....without a complaint! (He did, of course, crash as soon as the bus started moving back to our resort at the end of the day.) I was going to get a stroller, but then I thought it might slow us down. I figured I could always go back and get one if needed. Turns out, I saved the money, cuz we didn't need it. I would advise: you know your own kids and what they are capable of. You could get the stroller right away and have it for rests and when she isn't resting, put your stuff in it....or, you can do a wait and see approach.

 

[laceemouse]

I say try to do without and then rent if you need to. My youngest is six, tall but a light weight. We went last March and did 3 parks in 3 days. She did great walking, and it was so much more convenient IMO. It was great not having to park and unload the thing, and then look for it after the show/ride. It was also much easier moving through the crowds without pushing that thing. The six of us just held hands and snaked through the masses. I have always been a fan of renting. Wrestling with folding the stroller to get on the tram or bus is just a hassle. When we had infants we had to bring our own, but as soon as we could move to the rentals we did. I think if you treat the child like a "big kid" they realize they can do it!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

We always seem to end up with a stroller....and our youngest will be 9 in November! We just run those little legs ragged! And no matter how *active* you think your kids are, unless they are accustomed to walking/running/standing on PAVEMENT or CONCRETE all day, their legs are going to ACHE if you push them to hard!

As an aside....we also ALWAYS bring Motrin or Advil....I give them one at night, because their muscles need the anti-inflamatory to help them recover before we get up and do it all over again the next day!

 

[tink2]

My DD will 5 1/2 for our Dec. trip and I plan to rent a stroller for her every day. One year, my niece was 5 or 6. We were in ther parks Mon-Fri all day every day. She did great until Thursday when she began getting tired. She asked for a stroller, her dad said no. By Friday, she was exhausted and very very ill- making for a stressful day for everyone. By Friday night, she was so bad her dad broke down and rented a stroller- in which she finally fell asleep and missed the last night. I'm sure DD could walk MK and MGM this year, but it is not worth it to me. If we were going for just a day, then I'd let her walk. But I don't want to ruin the last part of the trip b/c she walked. I would rather let her ride and be happier during the end of the trip.
You know your child better than anyone. Do what you think is best for you and your family.
Just my 2 cents!

 

[t-roy]

We didn't use one last year and don't intend to use one this year. DS is 5 and he kept up last year without a complaint. Same as bubba's mom, he crashed as soon as we got on the bus. We take breaks every afternoon for dips in the pool and naps. Our group consists of ds, me (40) and dear grandmother (60 something) and our motto is we're all going to be tired together. So he has to walk as much as we have to walk and this way he's not fully of energy as soon as we get back to the room from resting while in the park.

But that's how my ds is each parent knows their child so you'll know whether your dd will need the stroller or not.

 

[eeyore0062]

Just to let you know, the strollers at Disney MGM Studios and at DTD only hold up to 40 lbs, and are extremely uncomfortable for kids who are above 40 inches tall. Those in the other parks are hard plastic and will comfortably seat a child up to about 44 inches tall.

 

[Russell]

RENT THE STROLLER! Get to the park early and rent one. I plan on for my DD who is five turning six. You don't want to be all the way in Fantasyland or Morroco and discover you need a stroller when you can ONLY rent strollers at the front entrance. Plust it's great to hang bags and things on. We are using the Disney transportation so there shouldn't be a need for strolling across the parking lots. But if your restort is big, you might want to bring an umbrella stroller to get around.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

A BIG YES to renting or bring a stroller. We used it every day for DS (4) and 2 DDs (5 and just turned 7). Both girls are very petite and the even though they are physically fit and amount of walking would have exhausted their little legs plus we would have moved at a snail's pace. Anything that makes your life easier at WDW is worth it IMHO.

 

[Brian Noble]

You probably have to know your own kids. Now that DD is six, she is no longer in strollers in parks, while not-quite-4 DS rides from place to place. My home park allows wagons, so DD might get a ride at the end of the day to the car, but that's about it. It's much easier on dad to pull one rather than two!

That said, we *never* try an open-close day in a park, even when the hours are as short as 10-8. We *always* either leave by 4-5 for the day, or leave at 1-2 for an afternoon break, depending on park hours. I suppose we could get through an eight hour day, but even that would be a stretch.

It's not just the walking---these places are so stimulating that my kids do better if they aren't subjected to an entire day of it. But, YMMV.

 

[zurgswife]

We have a WDW only stroller...my dd hasn't used a stroller in regular life for about 4 yrs...she just turned 7....but we will be bringing our stroller with us in Dec. She is the youngest of 4 and the older ones don't always like to wait for her little legs to catch up....besides I'm a big fan of the storage...

 

[DisneyKidds]

Our DD will be 6 on our next trip, and we'll be sure to have a stroller seat for her. Of course that means having two strollers, a double and an umbrella to accomodate our three little ones, but having the stroller for even our 6 year old is invaluable. Great to give them a break to keep them fresh, and great for them to crash in at the end of a long day. Sometimes they even sleep in the stroller while the DW and I enjoy a nice meal. And when they aren't in the strollers, they are great for hauling your stuff around.

 

[tae1218]

Bring the stroller. We used a stroller for my DD6 on our last trip. I was gald that we had it because we went in June and it was so hot and crowded. We are not bringing it on our next trip though. I will miss it because it is a great place to hold things and it saves their little legs so they are not so tired and cranky. Next time we are just going to take our time and stop for more breaks if she needs them.

 

[knnrock]

We rented a stroller last year for dd (6) at the time and it was much easier to get around the parks. I plan on renting another one even though she is 7, it helps towards the end of the day when she is exhausted.

 

[NCombs]

I would. Our kids are 4, 8 and 11. We rented a double-stroller every day and they all used it at different times.

 

[Jen D]

I guess I'm in the minority but I would not bring a stroller. If you get there and really find you have a problem you could rent one but I'd avoid it and see how your daughter does without it. Remember somebody has to push 40-50 pounds of healthy kid and that's gonna be you. We went when my daugher was five and again at seven and the stoller issue never came up.

But take that with a grain of salt- we don't own a car and walk everywhere here. My daughter has been walking to school, which is about a mile away, since she was four. Weaning from the stroller is a big step here and I wouldn't want to backslide at DisneyWorld.