Stroller needed for 5 year old?

[Hawkeyegirls]

Hi- For those of you that traveled with 5 year olds, did you bring a stroller?
We last went when she was 3 and it was used for most of the trip. Now she will be 5 and I'm not sure if I should rent one for the whole trip or just rent one for a high price at the park only if needed for the day?
Thanks!

 

[DSLRuser]

no, you dont need one. 3-4 is when my kids were kicked out of their strollers.

you may need a few rest stops here and there. but a 5 year old is plenty capable of walking it.

 

[loves to dive]

Depends on your kid, I didn't have one full time when mine was 3 so at 5 he wouldn't have used one if I'd tied him in it. I'd just rent a Disney one if it becomes necessary.

 

[Hawkeyegirls]

Did you all just rest in the parks? We don't plan on mid-day hotel breaks, just because last time that was more work, walking all the way to the busses, then all the way to the room. It worked best for us to stay all day until we were tired and then leave.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We did not bring strollers for our girls after age 4. That being said, the girls are 11 and 9 now, and we also have a 1 yr old son now as well. Sometimes, the 9 yr old hops in his stroller if we are carrying him, lol. (She's tiny, like 47 lbs).

 

[powellrj]

4 was our cut off age for strollers.

 

[Sunshinekid]

We've used a stroller for a couple of days when DD was 4 and 5. She did get out and walk a lot when 5 and hopped in when she was tired. We never used a stroller in Disneyland Paris when she was 3. It's a lot cooler in France. The heat can be really tiring. We haven't used a stroller since.
All kids are different. If it makes your child happier and therefore the whole family happy then go for it.

 

[Crystal824]

I have a five year old, and we are bringing a stroller for her. We are bringing one anyway for her sister who is 1, but we are using a double. Is my 5 year old capable of walking? Probably. Most likely, she will walk most of the day. At night when it is crowded and everyone is tired, it is just easier to stick her in the stroller. I know where she is, and I don't have to carry her. If you plan to do long park days, I would bring one just in case. The alternative may be carrying her to the bus. In the end, you know your child. Would she be modified to ride in the stroller? If so, you may not need one. I know my daughter is not used to walking 10-12 miles a day (I used my Fitbit last trip and that was our average day). If we didn't have the stroller, she would have wanted to be carried.

 

[brooke789]

We're coming in June and planning to bring a double stroller for our two 5 year olds. I just think about how they're so slow and say their legs are too tired just on a regular day!

 

[brockash]

Hi- For those of you that traveled with 5 year olds, did you bring a stroller?
We last went when she was 3 and it was used for most of the trip. Now she will be 5 and I'm not sure if I should rent one for the whole trip or just rent one for a high price at the park only if needed for the day?
Thanks!

We always bring a regular stroller through age 4. In my opinion 5 is kinda iffy...when are you going (summer is hot with longer hours), how many park days are you planning (just a couple or are you doing 4, 5, 6?) When my ds was 5 we did Disneyland without a stroller and no problem, but Disneyland is much smaller. When my ds was 6, I got a sit-n-stand just for that trip for him and my 17 month old and it was used by him quite a bit.

For my dd (small for her age) I brought her regular stroller when she was 5 and she used it on our MK days and Epcot day. When she was 6 we didn't bring our own, but did rent one for Epcot and our full MK days. When she was 7, we also had a 2 month old and I rented a double from kingdom strollers and used that on Epcot and our full MK days. She had nothing last year at 8 and did fine.

If you're going in warmer months and for longer/more days I'd just bring it and see how it goes, in my opinion 5's still pretty young and my group is not into going at a 5 year olds "pace." We're just not a group that goes at the youngest child's pace...we're rope droppers who stay til close, go in Aug./Sept. and average around 10 miles a day. In my opinion that 's a lot for a 5 year old, so we're happy to bring/rent a stroller.

 

[abinormal]

I rented a double when I went with a 2.5 year old and a 5 year old. We didn't do midday breaks so it helped her rest her little legs while we kept going. She walked when she felt like it and rode when she felt like it. She's an active kid but that's a lot of walking. I'll probably keep it as an option for her now because she recently developed a special need. But for a typical 5 year old it's a judgment call.

 

[piglet1979]

We had one for my daughter when she was 6. She does not like to walk and gets tired very easily. She was always my good napper. That year she still ended up taking a nap a day or two out of the week in the stroller.

 

[DisGin]

I probably wouldn't bring one just for a 5 year old. I have a 2 and 3 year old and occasionally my 6 year old would hop in if one of them wanted to walk. A couple of times I made him get in after fireworks in a heavy crowd just to make it easier on me. I'd probably rent one if it was obvious she couldn't handle it after a couple of days.

 

[Hawkeyegirls]

Yes-on a normal day at the zoo/mall she complains about being tired, so that is my concern. If I get tired and my legs hurt, Im sure hers will even more. While its more money I may rent one. I don't like how bulky the theme park ones are and she is too big for an umbrella stroller and I no longer own a stroller. We will be there in Sept. so it will be hot.

 

[Crystal824]

Yes-on a normal day at the zoo/mall she complains about being tired, so that is my concern. If I get tired and my legs hurt, Im sure hers will even more. While its more money I may rent one. I don't like how bulky the theme park ones are and she is too big for an umbrella stroller and I no longer own a stroller. We will be there in Sept. so it will be hot.

If she is complaining at the mall or the zoo, I would definitely rent one. WDW will be a lot more walking. I have to say after the nighttime fireworks at the MK, it gets incredibly crowded (wall to wall people). I really like sticking both my kids in the double. I know exactly where they are.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes-on a normal day at the zoo/mall she complains about being tired, so that is my concern. If I get tired and my legs hurt, Im sure hers will even more. While its more money I may rent one. I don't like how bulky the theme park ones are and she is too big for an umbrella stroller and I no longer own a stroller. We will be there in Sept. so it will be hot.

Going by this, yes, I would bring a stroller or rent one for the parks. The ones WDW rents may be large, but they are a dream to push.

 

[roseaster]

No 4 is our cut off. 4 you get a stroller, 5 you walk. I think I would have a talk with her about WDW and walking and complaining. If she is healthy there is no real reason that she should be tired walking at a mall.

Our kids knew beforehand that there wouldn't be a stroller. The only time I ever recall complaining about being tired was after we woke them up when the bus got back to the hotel and they had to walk back to the room.

Honestly, at the end of the day, when I am exhausted and want a shower and my bed, I do not want a well rested child.

 

[Gracie09]

We brought ours for our two five years old last year (5 then 6 now). They were in and out of them but when they were tired at the end of the day or it was crowded it was nice to have. Also one is super slow like soooo slow and the other just in her head and will wander away so when we needed it it was nice to have it there. Each family has to make their own decision about what they want to do. Can they walk all day, probably but my dh took 25000 steps most days sometimes more. Given their legs size they would take double that. The stroller made things much more pleasant for everyone

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

Absolutely I would bring a stroller for a 5 year old. Worse case bring one and park it....you know where it is if you need it. I have 4 kiddos and all of mine ( 3 kids are over 5) have needed a stroller at that age. Everyone does things differently, but to me 7ish is more where its time to be walking. I would rather have a peaceful day and everyone happy then a child complaining all day their feet hurt. I walk alot and this is extreme walking all week. It kills my feet and body...I wouldn't push a 5 year old to feel that way.

 

[Tara1988]

In your case, I would rent a stroller (not a park stroller). You'll want it the most going to and from the bus stop in the evenings, park strollers aren't available for that. My 5 year old could do without a stroller, but we're bringing a double for our 2 youngest (almost 2 and new baby will be between 2-4 months), and we plan to bring a carrier for the baby so the 5 year old has the option to ride if needed, and to make exiting easier when its crowded. But if he was a complainer, I would be looking for a triple stroller option. I will do whatever is needed to avoid whining at Disney World