Stroller or not?

[TXTransplant]

Keep in mind...someone is going to have to push that stroller, and that can be very tiring on an adult. I took my son at ages 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 7 1/2 and rented a stroller all but the last visit. At 5 1/2 he was big enough that it started to become difficult for me to push the stroller with him in it (he had long before outgrown any stroller except for those industrial-strength contraptions they rent at WDW). Luckily, my sister was with me on that trip and we could alternate, because it would have been exhausting for me to go it alone. Now, my kid has also been well above the 90th percentile for height AND weight every time he has ever been measured. If your child is of a more average size, it may not be as difficult for you.

 

[seelyt2]

We never took a stroller for our (then) 5 year old, but we did go back to the hotel for a break in the afternoon. It was nice knowing that if push came to shove that we could rent one in the parks, but it never came to that.

 

[philschrek]

My son has a slight case of asthma as well not severe but can be triggered. We will be there the week of Halloween so the weather won't be too hot I'm guessing. We've been in Florida around this time of year not Disney and it was fairly pleasant. Well I'm kind of on the fence right now, guess we'll see closer to the time. Appreciate all the feedback.

The tricky thing with asthma is that you never really know when it can flare up. If you have a small stroller I'd bring it without a doubt if there's even mild asthma. If your child is handling it fine, it can stay at the hotel. If not, you're good to go

 

[philschrek]

He's 6, he will be fine even with asthma.

That's a pretty big blanket statement. Do you have a child with asthma? Last year when we went in May, my son's asthma was well-controlled. The humidity and allergens (different pollens/trees/grasses than we have at home) made it flare so bad he couldn't walk 5 minutes without going into a wheezing, coughing fit so bad he'd throw up and turn blue. A stroller to push him between rides and walking into the parks made the difference of him being able to stay in the parks or having to miss most of the day. I sure wish we he'd have been 'fine' without it.

 

[busymommy2pink]

I am *always* surprised at how many older kids we see in strollers obviously not designed for pre-teens at WDW. Even my 13 year old DD commented on it on our last trip. Some of those kids were taller than she was!

And likewise I am always surprised when I hear people comment about other children in strollers. Maybe it's just me, but I don't notice what other families are doing while i am at WDW. I am focused on my kids and what we are doing together and taking in our family time.
Likewise, if my kids pointed out something like that I would be quick to remind them that we dont know their situation and aren't to judge. I'm sure you would have frowned upon us lasts trip when you saw my 8 year old passed out in her sisters stroller. Know why she was there? She ate something that made her Not feel well. But please, judge away. While you did, she recovered with some Peptobismul and we got on with our day. Her stroller ride lasted an hour, not the whole day like you ma have assumed.

 

[Makcarly]

I'm renting one for my 5 year old DD for our trip. We haven't used one at home in quite some time but I knowing her and how she does in the heat, she's going to want a place to rest her little legs for a bit. She knows she will be able to walk whenever she wants to. I want our trip to be enjoyable and I know renting a stroller for her is the right thing to do for our family.

 

[madelyn]

Currently on our first "strollerless" trip and it has gone better than expected. Our last trip was in 2012 when my youngest was 5 so we took a stroller. We were driving from home so were able to bring a single jogging stroller. This trip she is 8 and I was tempted to bring a stroller. We plan to do a late EMH at MK and we also have a flight at the airport very early so Magical Express will pick us up at 2:30a. Hubby didn't want to mess with checking in a stroller at the airport. At the same age my sons who are now 13 and 16 probably hitched short rides in a younger sibling's stroller. Mainly I've missed a place to stash the water bottles, backpack and rain ponchos. Everyone just has to carry their own stuff. My 8 year old daughter has complained about carrying her backpack but hasn't complained her legs are tired. But this is March and not as hot as it usually is in the summer months when we usually visit. It has been nice not to have to push and track down a stroller.

 

[2binak]

We had no intentions of using a stroller when DD was 5.5 but we ended up renting a park stroller for two days of our trip that year. Temps that week (mid-Nov) reached into the 90's. We hadn't had temps like that up North in a few months so even though we were taking it slow, taking breaks, drinking lots of cold water and riding inside rides, the heat was still getting to DD (she has slight asthma too). Using the stroller made her more comfortable and we were all able to enjoy the day. You can always do like we did and rent a park stroller if needed.