stroller for older child w/hypotonia, and ECV question

[disney-super-mom]

Hi everyone,

DH and I are taking our two boys, my MIL and my BIL, on their first trip to WDW in December, and I have a couple of questions.

First, our oldest DS (who will be 9 years old on our trip) has PDD-NOS, and with that he has hypotonia (weak muscle tone). His walking/standing stamina isn't all that great, so I was wondering if he would fit in a double stroller if he needed to take a break. We were going to get a double stroller anyway because our DS5 will most likely need a break now and then too, but I'm not sure how big the double strollers are and if our then DS9 will fit in one. He doesn't weigh a whole lot.....about 65 pounds. What do you think?

Second, my MIL will be 66 years old during our trip, and she has pretty bad arthritis in her knees. She can do some walking, so attraction queues and walking around our resort (AKL) shouldn't be too much of a problem for her. (She really can't do stairs very well though, other than just one or two steps...very painful for her.) But she for sure will need an ECV to get around the parks! I'm thinking we should just rent an ECV at the parks every morning since that's the only place she'll need one. Is this a good plan or not?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[zumbergc]

About the ecv renting MIL. The AKL is very large. Depending on where your room is at, the ends of the wings. One end of he wing to other end of the wing is 1 mile. We chatted up the bell service people, some were happy they had lost weight with all the walking. So, if you get stuck towards one of the ends, thats a 0.5 mile walk to the lobby, and it is uphill (can't remember if thats coming near the lobby or away).

It also isn't a short walk from the bus stop to the ecv rental section of the parks. That walk at the end of the day, could be a killer, then another walk once you hit the resort!

As for attraction queues, I would stay in the ecv. If she wants to walk around for a little bit great, but I would suggest having her wait until at least half the day has passed (the first day), this way she doesn't over due walking first thing, and end up in pain. Well, end up in pain it can last days, and make people grumpy, and we want everyone happy at disney.
My advice would be to rent offsite, so she has the ability to move about the resort easily.

Also, make sure she ices in the morning and night to help w/ swelling, also bring those pain killers, asprin, nsaids she may take w/. her to the park. If not the whole bottle, take one of those pill cases w/ just a few in it a day, in the event they are lost.

About the kids in the stroller, I've heard people talk about small 10 yr olds in the double strollers, someone else could give you better advice about the stroller issues.


Connie

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILTIES!

I would suggest you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information.
Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

You might be especially interested in Post #6 about the Guest Assistance Card and consider requestion one which will allow a stroller to be used as a wheelchair, so it can be taken into line.

And we normally recommend that people rent an ECV from an offsite vendor (see FAQ Post #2). As zumbergc commented, the corridors at AKL can be very long, as well as the distances from some of the bus parking to the ECV rental areas. The off-site rentals are much more maneuverable than Disney's as well as cost less.

And some of the attraction queues are extremely long, but you really can't tell until you are actually in the line.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thank you both for the advice and info!

 

[SueM in MN]

there is a picture of the single park rental stroller in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. The double stroller looks the same, but is twice as wide. WDW CMs have said that up to a small 12 yr old will git in one.

You might also want to look into the possibility of renting a special needs stroller (there are some links to rental places in the disABILITIES FAQs thread). You should not have a problem renting a stroller at the parks, unless you are going at a very busy time. But,in case you are concerned about him walking around the resort, that would be a good option.

 

[scottsod]

65 lbs wow I'm envious!!!! i wish!!! my 9 yo ds is only 53lbs!!

anyway, yes he will fit in a double stroller. those days are looooonnngggg for a kid so he will need something. get a guest assistance card from guest services and a tag that says stroller in place of wheelchair, that will let you take the stroller as close as you need. that is what we did with our 2 yo ds and it helped sooooo much. it helped to control him when he was getting out of control or cranky tired, he has ASD.

yes the ecv is a good idea. if you think the days are long for kids who have a unlimited amount of energy think about how bad it is for us and older people. ugh, but it is so worth it. get the ecv for her she will like it and it will make the trip enjoyable for all if she is not in pain or tired, same goes for your son. have fun!!!!!