Stroller for Older Kids

[OhanaBreadPudding]

I like the idea of 2 strollers in theory, but I doubt they will be in them all the time. So that means you and your DH would have to push one at all times. With just one, you could still split up but only oneof you would need to push it while the others ran to get fast passes, etc. And with one you can park it in stroller parking for a good amount of time and its just one less thing to worry about.

But I don't have twins, so that's just my guess!

 

[luvmy3]

One twin is 60 lbs, the other 68. I was questioning double vs single because they could take turns. But after last night - a night in the ER because they both came down with croup, bronchitis and loverly high fevers - I'm leaning to a double or 2 singles in case the 12 days left don't get them completely recovered.

As far as them refusing to ride in one, the fact that they both ask to be in the cart at the grocery store, I'm not too worried.

Double vs singles... If we had two singles, DH could also push one... Argh! Decisions!

We are going to be at DW for 12 days

Why can't your dh push the double? No way would I push 130lbs worth of children around WDW, especially if I had my own health issues. Either they would walk on their own, dh would push them or we'd do singles (and quite frankly even 60lbs of xtra is pushing it).

Just since you brought it up, my youngest wouldn't ride in a stroller after he turned 3. He always liked being in the grocery cart, and even now at age 9 he asks if he can get it. A grocery cart is not the same as a stroller. You might want to ask them if they are willing to be in a stroller and not just assume they will because they like the grocery cart. It may not matter to them but better to know before you get there, than when you get there.

 

[msmama]

I'd go with 2 singles - citi elite (the mini only goes to 50 lbs). It is HARD pushing my son who maxes out the weight limit. Pushing over 100 pounds is going to be really hard. Especially if you a lady have health issues.

 

[mjkacmom]

One twin is 60 lbs, the other 68. I was questioning double vs single because they could take turns. But after last night - a night in the ER because they both came down with croup, bronchitis and loverly high fevers - I'm leaning to a double or 2 singles in case the 12 days left don't get them completely recovered.

As far as them refusing to ride in one, the fact that they both ask to be in the cart at the grocery store, I'm not too worried.

Double vs singles... If we had two singles, DH could also push one... Argh! Decisions!

We are going to be at DW for 12 days

Those are big 7 year olds! My 10 and 12 year olds all weight about 70 pounds, and I can't imagine pushing them in a stroller, especially with a medical condition. You are going for 12 days - no need to rush around (we only had 6, and I was a maniac with crossing parks - my mother kept up, she is in amazing shape, but we put my dad on a scooter).

 

[twinboysmom]

OP, with the weight of your children you are very limited on a double. I own a bob duallie and in all honesty, while I think it's got the best push around your children do exceed the weight limit. They are way to big for a citi mini. I know when we rented they asked us for the ages and weights of our children (can't remember which ones did and which ones did not) so I imagine that would be an issue. I would rent one single with a 75 limit and let them share. Take breaks and remember to relax some. Otherwise, I would rent a park stroller. You might not even need it (the vast majority of 7 year olds do not use strollers at WDW) and it will hold your children's weight. Whether they can comfortably squeeze into it might be another issue.

 

[smiths02]

I agree that I would rent a single and then rent a park stroller if you have to. Seriously, pushing one small single stroller around Disney can be a pain (so many crowds and you have to park it all the time!).

My 5 year old only needed the stroller a few times.

 

[dsneygirl]

My 7 year old is almost 60lbs and he barely fit in the Citi Mini. We rented for 1 night MNSSHP and he got in from about 10:30-12:30. He was so long his feet were almost touching the floor. I cannot imaging pushing that all week long. (let alone a double!)

 

[cel_disney]

My DS just turned 7. We have been going to Disney since birth and have always needed a stroller. As he is currently weighing in at 75lbs, this year I knew I needed to consider breaking the habit.

DH and I really preferred to have both kids in a stroller instead of whining, separating, not keeping up etc (particularly at the beginning/end of our day). So, we knew that we needed to find a way to still avoid those problems but not use a stroller.

I had DS sign a contract in May just before our Star Wars weekend trip that he could earn 10$ a day if he went stroller free - with NO whining, always keeping up etc. we of course take reasonable breaks when he needs to, but you know how 7 yr olds can whine even if thy are getting exactly what they want! Ha! The deal was no whining and no stroller use...if he DID need a stroller, no 10$ and no mickey ice cream snack that day (just healthy snacks) to offset the cost of the park stroller rental. It worked like a charm! He earned money in may and at our recent DL trip. This coincidentally also became his spending money for the trip!

Prior to this payment scheme - we were using the city elite (double) stroller (75lb limit and has a foot rest to keep feet off the ground). It was a bear to push in crowds (not an issue of it being full of kids or not - it pushed fine with 120lbs in it! It's just BIG!) and not as roomy as the city GT, but the footrest was a plus for us!

Since you want to rent a stroller to have something to lean on (I have a bad back I totally get that!), maybe some reward system can go into place so that you don't always need to push both twins...(I realize this is much harder than having 2 non-twins so it may not be feasible!)???

 

[cjbcam]

When we went last year we had a double citi. My 2 year old (almost 3 at the time) REFUSED to go in it. I have never seen him ever freak out like when trying to make him get into it. We decided to just let him walk figuring he would eventually tire and want in. (Never happened) but my 4 year old and eight year old loved having it. I just weighed them today my now five year old is 45lbs and my eight year old is 55 lbs (she is very small for her age). We had no problem then. However my husband did most the pushing

 

[LONES]

I'm not a mother of twins, so I can't speak to that issue... but I would think with the size of your kids, your best option is going to be one stroller. That is a lot of weight to be pushing around in one big double... and I would be worried about breaking the rental. Last time we went, my kids were 5 & 7. We brought one single, and the 5 year old mostly used it. She didn't need it constantly, and we honestly found ourselves parking it quite often... hitting various attractions, and then coming back for it later.

Our 7 year old did use it one night leaving Epcot. We got stock at Epcot much later than we anticipated (waiting for our pearls to be set in Japan). The 7 year old was completely done by the time we got out of there. We decided to let the 50lb 7 year old ride in the stroller, and carried the 35lb 5 year old. It made the trip to the busses much better! Other than that night, our 7 year old was fine with her sister in the stroller while she walked.

We are going again in January. Our youngest just turned 7 on Friday. My mom travels with us, and likes to push the stroller for the same reasons the OP stated. She's freaking out a little that we don't "need" a stroller this time, and is worried about how she will be able to walk around the parks without pushing it. I'm actually considering using one. Our daughter is pretty tiny..(about 42" tall and just 40lbs). I'm pretty sure if we had one, she would still take naps at the park. She's too small for many of the rides anyway... so it will give her somewhere comfortable to sit while waiting for us.

 

[Moodyzblu]

My twins are teeny tiny 9 year olds (they just hit the 50lb mark) and I still get them a stroller. I usually get the double from the parks and have made a deal with them, they get to use it every other day.
We find having one in Animal Kingdom more of a hassle than it's worth, but Epcot .. a MUST !
I'm a single mom, so no husband to help push .. but the park ones are very easy to maneuver and if you rent for multiple days, it's a bit cheaper.
I like it because not only do I get around faster with them in the stroller .. but I know where they are !

 

[Ayleana]

We usually rent the double from the parks. I've heard people complain that they are hard or what not, but my DD (6) and DS (2) don't complain. The last trip my DD barely rode in it, however she did sit in it with her brother while waiting for the parade and then later during the Wishes and Fireworks. We tried taking our own once, and while we loved be able to push the stroller to the bus we found it to be a hassle to carry two sleeping/tired children plus the stroller onto the bus (just my opinion there) so we left it in the room the rest of the stay. I will most likely get another double on our visit next year, even though they will be closer to 8 and 4, mainly for my ds but I figure that my dd will get "jealous" and want to ride too.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I don't know of any double strollers that will hold their combined weight and they are pushing the weight individually of a single. I would have them walk and if you need a wheelchair for your arthritis and foot issues, they could take turns riding in that when you're not in it just to give them a break.

I'm sure without a doubt that my dd9 would still ride in a stroller if they made one to fit her weight. Ds12 only weighs 75 lbs and got a concussion 10 days before our trip. I considered renting him a wheelchair but I didn't and it turned out he had more energy than I did.

 

[anna08]

Please consider parking those strollers as much as possible and having them walk/run around. We are such a sedentary nation and really I have yet to meet a healthy seven year old who doesn't have more energy then their parents!

If they are exhausted and simply can't walk anymore at that age, then it's probably time to pack up and sit or head back to the hotel. You definitely will enjoy the parks so much more not having to weave around the crowds with strollers, much less a double stroller with 140+ lb of weight in it. You are not likely to last very long with that weight!

Just a physician opinion.

 

[kohlby]

nik76 - I'd do one single. It's easier to push around or park that way. They can easily take turns in one. We did three trips with a newborn and 3 year old in the mix and did just a single and a sling since we didn't want to bother with a double and it worked well. I realize you can't use a sling for that age, but 7 year olds should be old enough to take turns - or stop and take a break. Though my 7 year old doesn't think of strollers as for babies, she does not need one. She did sit in it on occasion on a trip when she was 5. Her 2.5 year old brother completely refused the stroller so I was stuck carrying him in the sling. (He has some sensory issues). So, I figured it was better that she ride than we push around an empty stroller. She didn't ride in it much, but enough that we were able to move around faster. When we went last time, she was 6.5 and she only sat in the stroller a few times, like when waiting when there was a ride she didn't want to go on. (We bribed the youngest, now 3.5, to sit in the stroller. The issue with him is that he wouldn't walk since he gets overwhelmed with the people around). Another way the stroller was helpful is that it has a strap attached. That way, the middle child could hold the strap while we walked so she would feel more secure about being with us. It helped when the eldest was 6 as well, but since he was more active and a wanderer. By having that strap, he stayed right with us.

Our eldest was over the weight limit of 50lbs of our stroller at 6 so he didn't get to even sit in it once that trip- and we did 7 different parks over 8 days. (He was only 3.5 on our trip before and walked most of the time at the start of the trip but used the stroller most of the time by the end of the trip). He normally complained about walking even short distances. We had hoped to get him in shape for walking, but it was a record cold winter here in the southeast so that didn't happen. (And we don't have appropriate clothing for that type of weather!) We told him that we would stay in each park for as long as the kids could handle it. If someone acted like it was time to go back, then we would leave. He rose to the occasion and made sure he was never the reason for us leaving. So, sometimes kids can really surprise you! We thought we would have to slow way, way down. I had the baby in the sling and the 3 year old in the stroller, so our pace was controlled by the 6 year old - but he walked like a champ!