Stroller for older child

[cosine4]

I just have to hope its not stolen when we're there

I wouldn't worry about it too much. But if you are concerned, take a bicycle lock with you.

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

I know that this may sound harsh but I can not believe that healthy children are having a problem walking around the parks. We have went every year for the past 3 years and we only use strollers for the early 3 and younger crowd. We tell our children that if they complain that we can get a fairy Gomother for the day and that they can be baby sat at the hotel instead of having fun with us. No complaints thus far. We get started at 8 am and get back to the resort at around 11 pm for the 7 - 9 days that we are at WDW and they are fine. We do take small breaks throughout the day and enjoy the scenery (ecspecially at AK-that is our favorite) and we try to watch all of the shows to get off of our feet for awhile while being entertained (the best of both worlds). Last year we even left the stroller in the room for 2 or 3 of the days because our 23 month old decided that he wanted to walk. He is very obstinate and once he gets an idea in his head........ He had to be carried a bit but was fine! He will be 2.5 almost 3 when we go this year and we are taking a umbrella stroller ( the Chicco C5) just in case he needs it. Our family walks alot, though. Several days a week we walk 2-4 miles on our parks walking trail so maybe we have built up our childrens endurance. I am not trying to be offensive, I honestly just do not understand why a healthy 6 year old would need a stroller.

Nicole
Wife to Reuben
Mom to
Keitaaron 7
Xeyana 5
Chloe 4
Colin 2

 

[mytwotinks]

I am considering buying a Maclaren for my dd 4 1/2. I hate to spend the $, but she is as slow as a turtle and gets really grumpy when she is tired. She still takes naps and I am sure that she will take them in the stroller while we are there. I hate to spend the $100 but it will be over $80 to rent for the 9 days so it is only a small difference. The Volo is made for larger kids and pushes very easily. We have a combi tri-fold, but it is getting a little tight and it doesn't push very easily.

 

[mytwotinks]

I know that this may sound harsh but I can not believe that healthy children are having a problem walking around the parks. We have went every year for the past 3 years and we only use strollers for the early 3 and younger crowd. We tell our children that if they complain that we can get a fairy Gomother for the day and that they can be baby sat at the hotel instead of having fun with us. No complaints thus far. We get started at 8 am and get back to the resort at around 11 pm for the 7 - 9 days that we are at WDW and they are fine. We do take small breaks throughout the day and enjoy the scenery (ecspecially at AK-that is our favorite) and we try to watch all of the shows to get off of our feet for awhile while being entertained (the best of both worlds). Last year we even left the stroller in the room for 2 or 3 of the days because our 23 month old decided that he wanted to walk. He is very obstinate and once he gets an idea in his head........ He had to be carried a bit but was fine! He will be 2.5 almost 3 when we go this year and we are taking a umbrella stroller ( the Chicco C5) just in case he needs it. Our family walks alot, though. Several days a week we walk 2-4 miles on our parks walking trail so maybe we have built up our childrens endurance. I am not trying to be offensive, I honestly just do not understand why a healthy 6 year old would need a stroller.

Nicole
Wife to Reuben
Mom to
Keitaaron 7
Xeyana 5
Chloe 4
Colin 2

I don't mean to sound harsh but, I don't think it is realistic to expect a small child to be able to keep up with an adult. I know that we walk at least 5 miles a day in DW and there is no way that my daughter could do that. Plus add on top of that eating more junk food than usual, staying up later, staying in the heat, swimming more than usual and a lot of us agree that if we are at DW for fun that our kids deserve to be kept comfortable.

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

We walk slower so that our children do not tire out quickly and take breaks to enjoy the atmosphere throughout the day. We do not do Disney Commando-style. Our children also only drink water at Disney as Coke makes them feel sick and we do not eat junkfood. Once or twice we will get ice cream but that is it- otherwise it isn't a treat. We also go in November so that it isn't quite so hot outside. Like I said previously, we are a very active family and walk alot at home so maybe they have built up alot of endurance that other children haven't. Our children are also very mellow and go with the flow. In general they are not complainers or whiners and would be embarrassed later if they were to whine or complain so maybe they were tired at sometime and decided not to mention it. They did have alot of FUN, however. They can't wait to go back this year!

Nicole
Wife to Reuben
Mom to
Keitaaron 7
Xeyana 5
Chloe 4
Colin 2

 

[zookeeper]

I don't mean to sound harsh either, but I'm sure if I threatened my kids with being left out of the parks with a Fairy Godmother if they complained I wouldn't hear a peep out of them either. While I'm sure your family had a wonderful time without strollers, the OP wasn't asking if it was OK to use a stroller she was asking what kind would be best for her family. I can totally understand giving a child a rest in a stroller especially depending on the time of year you are visiting WDW. In the oppressive heat/humidity of the summer that many people aren't accustomed to, it's easy to see why most children might find it difficult to walk the 5+ miles a day that most people walk in an average day at the parks, regardless of how slow your pace may be.

 

[cosine4]

Plus with the crowds, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing my kids are in the stroller in front of me where I can see both where I am walking and my children.

 

[Oceana]

Just a note about "the need" for a stroller.

Our last journey to WDW we had decided not to use a stroller. Our 17 month old did just great in our ergo carrier and I can carry him all day in it without breaking a sweat. I feel like kids in strollers miss out on the stuff... all they end up seeing is legs and feet. WDW isnt designed for people at stroller height.

The problem was my son saw the strollers as some kind of ride. He had never been in a stroller in his life and he kept seeing all these other kids riding in them so everytime we left a ride or show he would attempt to steal some other kids stroller. It wasnt about tierd it was about wanting to see what all the fuss is about. Kinda like the 1 kid in a playgroup who doesnt use a pacifier stealing the other childs out of their mouth to see why on earth they would have it in their mouth ya know?

anyhow just a kids eye view of why strollers are sexy at any of the young ages.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

I know that this may sound harsh but I can not believe that healthy children are having a problem walking around the parks. We have went every year for the past 3 years and we only use strollers for the early 3 and younger crowd. We tell our children that if they complain that we can get a fairy Gomother for the day and that they can be baby sat at the hotel instead of having fun with us. No complaints thus far. We get started at 8 am and get back to the resort at around 11 pm for the 7 - 9 days that we are at WDW and they are fine. We do take small breaks throughout the day and enjoy the scenery (ecspecially at AK-that is our favorite) and we try to watch all of the shows to get off of our feet for awhile while being entertained (the best of both worlds). Last year we even left the stroller in the room for 2 or 3 of the days because our 23 month old decided that he wanted to walk. He is very obstinate and once he gets an idea in his head........ He had to be carried a bit but was fine! He will be 2.5 almost 3 when we go this year and we are taking a umbrella stroller ( the Chicco C5) just in case he needs it. Our family walks alot, though. Several days a week we walk 2-4 miles on our parks walking trail so maybe we have built up our childrens endurance. I am not trying to be offensive, I honestly just do not understand why a healthy 6 year old would need a stroller.

Nicole
Wife to Reuben
Mom to
Keitaaron 7
Xeyana 5
Chloe 4
Colin 2

I don't mean to sound harsh either, but I can't imagine threatening my young child that if she's tired I'm going to hire someone to look after her in the hotel while we are on our family vacation! My dd is quite active, just today she did an hour of swim team practice and then 45 minutes of tennis lessons, came home, had a little quiet, indoor play out of the heat and humidity and then went back to the pool for 4 hours. I have no concerns about her level of fitness or activity, but I certainly don't expect her to be able to completely keep up with us while on a Disney trip. No matter how slow you go, it's still a lot of walking! I would rather her be comfortable so I have always taken a stroller for her, even on this last trip in March when she turned 6 while we were there. She didn't sit in it all the time, not even most of the time, but when she needed it, it was nice to have, and I enjoyed having it to tote stuff around in! She will be 7 when we go to DL next June and I plan on taking it there, too, though being a year older and DL resort being smaller, we may not end up needing it at all, but I certainly won't shame her if she does! Anything that makes our trips easier and more enjoyable for all of us is fine with me!

 

[LuvOrlando]

My WDW trips are all about fun and having a nice time. When my kids are cranky I can't have fun.

I still get a double stroller for my 2 kids DS8 & DD7 and I don't see anything wrong with it. Of course, both of my kids prefer to walk and do so as much as possible so I put my backpack and coolers in the stroller when they're not using it-lockers cost $15 or so. But by the middle of the day both of my kids start asking for turns in the stroller. My kids are tired, their feet hurt, they are hungry, and they are probably hot so why shouldn't I let them sit while I wheel them around in peace? I'm happy & they are happy. Win-win for my family.

 

[taraprather]

I too was in the same situation on a stroller for my 2 1/2 year old and my 7 year old. I went out and bought a sit and stand at target for $119.99. It works great! We've been to Kings island a couple times with it and it works great. Both my kids love it. The only problem I've had with it is my kids fight over who gets the back seat! I can't wait to use it on our disney vacation in
September!

 

[azuwish]

After surfing through these sites for the last 3 hours I have decided to join in!
We have a 4 year old who's size is off the charts and I feel your pain at the sticker shock for renting a stoller.

We have just returned home from Lego Land- fun but NOT Disney!- on the way there we bought a Macclearan Triumph ($130 from Babie r us- probably cheaper on line or ebay but we were desperate!) SAVED THE TRIP!!!! Holds child weight up to 50 lbs, reclines a littlefor comfprt and no crying about sore feet and tired legs.
We are going to POL in Oct and I figure we can ebay it when we get home. I also bouth one for my duaghter 18mos- she will be in hers for awhile.

Do your self a favor and buy the accesory cup holder! ($6)

 

[flynnmnstr]

44inches and almost 50 lbs- when we go on trips where both boys need to be sitting (we have a 22mnth old also), we use our two single Maclarens. Quick trips to stores and malls we'll use the sit and stand. Its getting tough because he's reaching the upper limit of the weight on the Maclarens but it still works for us. Jogging strollers are tough because they are hard to manuver on and off buses and in the parks when its more crowded.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Here is what I've used since the kids were 3 & 4 and DS began to outgrow our Graco side by side.

http://www.epinions.com/content_38070292100

I agree with all the pros & cons in the above.

For the past few years (retired last year) I've only used the stroller when we went to Amusement parks or Fairs when there would be too much walking for the kids to do comfortably so I didn't want to spend too much. Its been to Dorney Park countless times, WDW and Universal 2 times

This stroller is sturdy and was able to hold DS & DD until last summer when DS simply got too wide, the fact that he weighed 80lbs (very tall too) and DD weighed 40 didn't effect the stroller at all (those huge wheels are tough). DS's long legs fit easily and I liked having space at the bottom for waters, snacks, towels if at a water park. It had a hood too which was nice in the blazing sun.

It is a little akward regarding putting it into non-minivan/SUV trunks. Since the wheels are huge, like little kid bicycle wheels, the front one does need to be slipped off in order to fold it. To be honest this was annoying but not hard to do.

As for turning it, this too was a little cumbersome. You do have to tilt the stroller back on its back wheels to turn it since the front wheel only wants to go straight. I got used to it since the stroller wasn't heavy at all.

Overall, I'm pleased with the many years use I got out of this stroller. Given my son's size and the fact I wanted him to be able to actually sit I didn't have many options out there.