Stroller for older child

[evandmp]

Not crazy at all, my 6 1/2 yr old is 35lbs, maybe 41 inches. My friends just turned 2 yr old is almost her height and weighs more than her. As moms we know our kids limitations. I take turns between putting her and my 1 yr old in the stroller. Ds was 2 1/2 on his first trip to dland and I never used a stroller for him. Each child is an individual so if they need a break why not give them one. Besides if you end up not needing the stroller its great for carrying all your personal belongings.

 

[MCBWHITE]

ETA: I used city strollers for our rental and they had some really great rates and you get them delivered to your hotel room. I hate flying with a stroller.

Yep. This! I also second those who said wait till you get there to see if you need/want one. Then, IF you do, I think city strollers is the way to go! Good rates, good strollers, very convenient!

 

[momof4fans]

Rent one from Anahiem City Strollers. They are awesome! You won't regret it. It will save your kids from complete exhaustion. I personally wouldn't dream of making a 5 year old walk for 12 hours. You take it back to your room unlike the in-park rentals. You carry tons of stuff in it. I'll be sad when I can't have a stroller at DLR anymore!

 

[disneyxica20]

as others have already said, do whatever you think will be best. i'd recommend taking one just in case.
my husband and i spent 3 days at the parks with our niece (9) and nephew (7) and we ended up getting a stroller on our last day. i know 7 and 9 year olds are old for a stroller, but our niece has problems with her hip and she started having pain on our second day, so it was either a stroller or a wheelchair. we went with the stroller since she's pretty tiny. it ended up working out pretty well. they took turns riding in it and our nephew has a bad habit of wandering away, so it was nice when he was in the stroller and we didn't have to be watching him like a hawk as much, haha

 

[motor58]

I just booked a rental with city strollers for a single. Our kids are 9, 7, and 5. I figure this is probably our last time with strollers as our next trip won't be for a couple of years. We could go without this single stroller but I know it will help a lot with the 5 and 7 year old. The 7 year old especially wears out fast, so giving her a break will be good for all of us.

But the best part of a stroller I found on our first trip was a place to keep everything. It was wonderful and I know I will miss it!

You can really play it by ear and rent at the park, or do city strollers (they deliver and pick up at your hotel for free).

I agree with everyone that says do what is best for your family.

 

[profa]

Great replies. I like to have a stroller to put the water bottles in (they get heavy) and extra jackets. Also with a stroller, I knew where dd was and only had to keep track of my other two in their bright shirts. You could always go without during the day and then bring it for the evening. It makes the day more enjoyable for everyone if your child is less tired

 

[LisaT91403]

My son is almost 6, and we visit the parks often. Up until 5 1/2, we used a stroller (even though we NEVER used a stroller anywhere else!)

DS is small for his age, but despite that, it seemed like it was time to give up the stroller. I was nervous the first time we did it, but it worked out really well. It was a lot easier to navigate through crowds, and I liked not having to go get the stroller after finishing a ride.

On the down side, I really missed having a place to store our stuff. I rented a locker for jackets, and DH carried a backpack. On our 2nd non-stroller trip, DH didn't come and I had to carry the backpack. I was not a happy camper!

I guess my point is that there are pros and cons. For our family, though, I think the pros outweigh the cons in that it's better for our almost-6-year-old DS to walk (so I'll just have to suck it up!)

 

[Mickeybell]

On our last visit my youngest DS was 6. I was not going to bring the stroller. I had actually pulled it out of the garage and was going to sell it on craigslist to make a few extra bucks to bring to Disneyland with us. Well.... that didn't happen. Both my DH and my DS6 didn't want to let it go. We haven't been to Disneyland without a stroller for the last 12 years! So we took it with us "just in case". We decided to leave it in the hotel the first day/night and see how it went. It actually went really well without the stroller.
It was hard to let go of our stroller habit. Its just so nice having some place to store all your stuff. But it helped us not bring so much stuff in and we shopped at times when we knew we were heading back to our room. We really really liked not having the stroller. It gives you more freedom to go from here to there without worrying about the stroller and all our stuff!
I would say bring your stroller just in case and see how it goes. That way if you need it you have it and if you don't then next time leave it home.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I vote bring one! My DD's Disney stroller till she was 8 was a Mac Volo, you'll do a lot of walking/standing, I get exhausted!

 

[sun8]

My kids are almost 7 and almost 5...we still stroller them in cheapie umbrella strollers. We mainly use them on the walk in and out and we take them from land to land. Generally, once we are in a land, we leave the strollers in one spot and grab them again when going to the next land!! Honestly, it is so much easier getting them through crowds in strollers.

 

[KB'sMom]

ntsh

 

[ddwlms]

My DGD was positively offended that we brought her a stroller at 5 years old. But she ended up napping in it at one point, making packing it completely worth while.

My 2nd DD was 4 on her first trip and didn't use a stroller, but we still used a stroller for my youngest at age 7. She overheats much easier and gets headaches easily, so I just didn't want to push her into being miserable.

 

[bumbershoot]

The thread is over two years old fwiw.

 

[nursejackie]

We always bring one with us. The airline carries it for free from the UK so it isn't an inconvenience at all. We use it for our 9y/o in the parks otherwise there would be lots of moaning about walking around the parks all day for 16 days. Another plus for us is dumping everything in the stroller (bags/drinks and snacks/clothing layers) so we don't have to carry it all day. It's a win/win for us all round.