Stroller Suggestions for Older Child- HELP!

[chrissiecutie]

I need a stroller for my 5 year old!

He's 43 in tall and around 40lbs. However, I want one that will grow with him and work for older/bigger kids. We plan on doing WDW in the next year or 2 and will most likely bring this next stroller with us. So it must work for him now and in a few years from now.

I searched on this forum and in WDW and didn't see much as far as actual suggestions go. Most of the discussion tended to focus on why you should NOT use a stroller for an older kid.

He gets tired easily, I want someplace he can fall asleep/rest in during the day and frankly, neither myself or DH are interested in carrying him for any part of our trip! Plus, I need a place to store our cooler and excess stuff!

On our last trip we had a Maclaren Quest and it worked fine. I've since sold it and would really like to find a jogging stroller to better fit our lives outside Disney and while we are at the parks.

This is THE LAST stroller we plan on ever buying. We only have one child and will not be having any more- so a sit n stand, combo, double, etc is not necessary.

Please help! Who uses a stroller for an older child and what do you use??

TIA!

 

[skiingfast]

I don't intend to be overly critical. Your child is five, he should be able to walk all day and you should be able to deal with it if he gets tired and cranky. You need to buy a backpack not another stroller.

Sit during parades or on benches to rest. Don't raise you child like he is a person in WALLE.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Sorry I don't have a recommendation for you on a stroller.

Just wanted to say that as a parent of a petite girl who was able to ride in a stroller for many years past when some would think it's unacceptable I really hated giving up that stroller. What it means is I now have to carry everything we need for the day. I have become the pack mule. And even though my DD10 is petite, even when she was 4 there was no way I could carry her for any distance. As a single parent without a strong backed DH to help I relied on that stroller.

Hope someone can give you some helpful information.

 

[kylieh]

I don't intend to be overly critical. Your child is five, he should be able to walk all day and you should be able to deal with it if he gets tired and cranky. .

Ouch. For what its worth our my daughter has extensive probs and has a lot of physio to help, but is limited in her abilities. The OP was request for help on getting around.

My daughter has issues, is 7 years old. We hired a wheel chair. we didn't expoit it at all. Used it as you would a stroller. Parked it etc.

 

[cccdisney]

Baby Jogger City Elite! We have one for our 6 1/2 yr old who has special needs. It has saved us! It is a jogging style but is not meant for jogging. It can hold children up to 75 lbs and the seat height is also very high. (My son can still use the canopy w/out a problem.)

Here is the link. HTH!

http://www.babyjogger.com/city_elite_lp.aspx

 

[Fantasy Girl]

My almost 5 year old is about your child's size. We have a MacLaren Volo umbrella stroller. We've had it since our son was about 3.5 and it's still holding up well. The only time we use it is when we go to Disneyland. It's lightweight, has a bit of storage and is easy to fold up.

 

[rentayenta]

I don't intend to be overly critical. Your child is five, he should be able to walk all day and you should be able to deal with it if he gets tired and cranky. You need to buy a backpack not another stroller.

Sit during parades or on benches to rest. Don't raise you child like he is a person in WALLE.

Should be able to???? My middle DD has some mild stamina issues and is small for her age (has IGF1- Deficiency). By looking at her, you would never ever know she has an illness. She used a stroller for those times when she needed a little break up until she was 9. Like the old saying goes: don't should all over yourself.


OP, I don't know what to suggest as far as stroller but each child's needs are different and if he needs one then go for it.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I don't intend to be overly critical. Your child is five, he should be able to walk all day and you should be able to deal with it if he gets tired and cranky. You need to buy a backpack not another stroller.

Sit during parades or on benches to rest. Don't raise you child like he is a person in WALLE.

Not every child is the same. Some have bigger needs than others. My 7 year old nephew is smaller than most kids a year or two younger than him because he was born premature, and has physical limitations because of it. Try to be a little more understanding.

TC: Do some browsing on various retailers and look for a stroller that suits your needs; we can't really recommend one for you seeing as we don't know your child and his or her demands. If space is an issue, I would suggest buying a backpack or an attachable bag of some kind to clip or hang on to the stroller, in some way that doesn't consume the childs seating space.

Sorry I can't be of more help. =(

 

[LavenderPeach]

Baby Jogger City Elite! We have one for our 6 1/2 yr old who has special needs. It has saved us! It is a jogging style but is not meant for jogging. It can hold children up to 75 lbs and the seat height is also very high. (My son can still use the canopy w/out a problem.)

Here is the link. HTH!

http://www.babyjogger.com/city_elite_lp.aspx

We have a Baby Jogger City Mini for DS who is 4. It has a weight limit of 50lb so it doesn't hold as much weight as the elite. But I just wanted to say that one of the things we really like about it is the way it folds - which is the same for the elite mentioned above. You literally just pick up the handle in the middle of the seat and it's folded (there are safety snaps you can use too but we don't usually do those since they are just an extra precaution). Btw, the rental strollers at DLR are made by Baby Jogger and fold the same way. We also like that the city mini is pretty lightweight (16lbs compared to 26lb for the elite) but you would probably want one that holds more weight.

Maclaren also makes a special needs stroller for older kids. I think it's called the Major. But it's expensive so not sure you would want to spend that much.

Good luck making a decision!

 

[chrissiecutie]

Thank you all! I will definately look into the BabyJogger!

SkiingFast....wow! Thank you for being overly critical. This was the general type of responses that I found on other threads while trying to get suggestions. Everyone bashing the parents who dared (gasp!) to use a stroller for their older children. You'll notice that I asked for suggestions, not judgments.

My son doesn't have any real special needs. He's in great physical shape and is used to walking, running, playing and being outdoors all day. However, after day 2 of walking around DL- anyone is tired. I sure know that I am!

He's also inherited my ability to get sick when overheated and exhausted. Why in the world would I ruin our vacation when all I could do was pop him in the stroller and keep on moving? I certainly wouldn't risk ruining it because of people like you who feel that 5 is too old for a stroller. You're intitled to your opinion but it doesn't mean you're correct.

And as others have pointed out...you really shouldn't pass judgments especially when you have no idea of the circumstances. Growing up with a sister with cerebral palsy, she was in a stroller until she was literally too big for the special needs strollers. I can't tell you how many hurtful comments my mother and father got from folks like you. I hope you'll use a bit more caution next time....

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thank you all! I will definately look into the BabyJogger!

Looking at the baby jogger website I see that they have a new model called the city micro. You should look at that too. It's cheaper than the city mini or city elite and according to their chart comparing all their strollers, it has a higher head clearance.

I forgot to mention that the other thing i love about our stroller (and the main reason we bought it) is that it is SO easy to steer. As our son got heavier, our other stroller (zooper waltz) got to be really hard to push but this one I can steer with one hand!

 

[Foxhound3857]

One thing to be careful of chrissie, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way. A child forcibly strapped into a stroller can get the feeling of helplessness and being trapped or cornered. If you do decide on a strap-in stroller for your son, you need to make sure that he's okay and comfortable being around characters, specifically the more imposing ones like Pluto. If he's afraid of characters and finds that he cannot free himself from the bonds of his stroller should one approach him, he's likely to cry and panic and that's never fun. Most characters can tell when a child is afraid of them, but not all of them (and some don't even care). Some will approach a child whether he or she is afraid or not, whether in a stroller or in his or her parents arms, and it can create unnecessary and sometimes embarrassing panic.

I don't know if your son is afraid of characters, but until the age of 20 (I'm 21 now) I was scared stiff of mascots. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. =)

 

[chrissiecutie]

One thing to be careful of chrissie, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way. A child forcibly strapped into a stroller can get the feeling of helplessness and being trapped or cornered. If you do decide on a strap-in stroller for your son, you need to make sure that he's okay and comfortable being around characters, specifically the more imposing ones like Pluto. If he's afraid of characters and finds that he cannot free himself from the bonds of his stroller should one approach him, he's likely to cry and panic and that's never fun. Most characters can tell when a child is afraid of them, but not all of them (and some don't even care). Some will approach a child whether he or she is afraid or not, whether in a stroller or in his or her parents arms, and it can create unnecessary and sometimes embarrassing panic.

I don't know if your son is afraid of characters, but until the age of 20 (I'm 21 now) I was scared stiff of mascots. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. =)

Gosh! I'm sorry that you were scared of the characters....even Winnie the Pooh?? He's so cute!

We've been before and my son LOVED all the characters. I was a little worried about this on our 1st trip, especially since he was 3 1/2 at the time and had never been around mascots/characters before.

As far as straps go...he hates them! I'm a bit clausterphobic (sp?) so it's possible he's rec'd this from me, I sure hope not! Our solution is probably not the best but he's older now and we just don't use the straps/buckles at all. He hops right in and sits without any problem. So I don't have to worry about him jumping out- he does great. Of course we didn't do this when he was younger but now he's able to understand the importance of staying IN.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Gosh! I'm sorry that you were scared of the characters....even Winnie the Pooh?? He's so cute!

We've been before and my son LOVED all the characters. I was a little worried about this on our 1st trip, especially since he was 3 1/2 at the time and had never been around mascots/characters before.

As far as straps go...he hates them! I'm a bit clausterphobic (sp?) so it's possible he's rec'd this from me, I sure hope not! Our solution is probably not the best but he's older now and we just don't use the straps/buckles at all. He hops right in and sits without any problem. So I don't have to worry about him jumping out- he does great. Of course we didn't do this when he was younger but now he's able to understand the importance of staying IN.

Ahah, it's just one of those odd quirks everyone has in some way. Too bad; I realize only now how much I missed out on in my DLR visits as a child. Character interaction is actually half of the fun and magic, for the ones who enjoy it anyway.

If he's not afraid though then all the better. It'll certainly make for a lot of nice memories. So yeah, just look into the right stroller and something to carry food and souveniers, plan a careful itinerary for your trip, and have a blast!

 

[momtoatink]

My daughter is 5....47" and 52 lbs. The ONLY stroller that she can fit in is a BOB Revolution. I love love love this stroller. It has survived many theme park trips. It moves well and I can push it with just one hand....which can come in handy.

The other wonderful thing is that the sun shade is huge and really covers well. As a previous poster has mentioned that some kids can be afraid of characters and my daughter doesn't like Mr. Incredible so when he came around she just pulled the shade over and the she felt safe.

It has a weight limit of 75 lbs.

I have many pictures if you need to see it in action.

 

[chrissiecutie]

My daughter is 5....47" and 52 lbs. The ONLY stroller that she can fit in is a BOB Revolution. I love love love this stroller. It has survived many theme park trips. It moves well and I can push it with just one hand....which can come in handy.

The other wonderful thing is that the sun shade is huge and really covers well. As a previous poster has mentioned that some kids can be afraid of characters and my daughter doesn't like Mr. Incredible so when he came around she just pulled the shade over and the she felt safe.

It has a weight limit of 75 lbs.

I have many pictures if you need to see it in action.

Your daughter sounds like she's about my son's size. How far do her feet reach? How much stuff can the stroller handle without tipping over??

I had a Maclaren Quest for his 1st trip and while it worked great, I found it to be too lightweight. With a few things in the basket and a backpack hanging from the handles- everytime he got out of the stroller it wanted to tip backwards. And I didn't even think it was that "loaded down" with stuff!

The other downside was the canopy, but I bought a RayShade and loved it! Plus his feet would dangle over the front- which is why I've since sold it. I just felt like he was stuffed in there and that was a almost 2 years ago.

I've heard alot about the Bob's but just not sure if it's worth spending the money (even used from craigslist) for something that we will probably only use for another 2 years max. Do you think you will still be using this stroller for your daughter when she's older??

I would really like to "test drive" one- any thoughts on where they are sold? I've tried Toys R Us/Baby's R Us and they didn't have them.

Also- does anyone know where I could find the Baby Jogger City Elite? I looked at the website as someone else suggested and this stroller sounds awesome! The others don't have a high enough weight capacity, so I'm only interested in the City Elite but would like to have my son actually sit in it before I consider buying.

Thoughts on both??

 

[annacali]

Are you only going to use the stroller at Disney? If so, maybe consider just renting while you are there...for two trips in the next couple years, the price of a rental might be less than the cost of a new stroller. Disneyland rentals are pretty reasonable---I found it quite easy to get the length of stay rental and just walk in and grab a stroller each day. No line, no waiting. The only caveat is not having a stroller to walk back to the hotel...but it seemed to me that if my kids had the stroller during the day they weren't too tired for the walk back at night.

I would definitely spring for the stroller at DL though...that was a LOT of walking---going from park to park and to and from the hotel was too much for my 4 and 6 year olds last summer. Once we rented one during the day for the parks, everyone was much happier! At WDW when there is just one park per day and it seems easier to take breaks (we DRIVE back to the hotel, not walk) we don't seem to need a stroller, go figure. Last trip we spent more time walking back to get it than using it.

 

[chrissiecutie]

Are you only going to use the stroller at Disney? If so, maybe consider just renting while you are there...for two trips in the next couple years, the price of a rental might be less than the cost of a new stroller. Disneyland rentals are pretty reasonable---I found it quite easy to get the length of stay rental and just walk in and grab a stroller each day. No line, no waiting. The only caveat is not having a stroller to walk back to the hotel...but it seemed to me that if my kids had the stroller during the day they weren't too tired for the walk back at night.

I would definitely spring for the stroller at DL though...that was a LOT of walking---going from park to park and to and from the hotel was too much for my 4 and 6 year olds last summer. Once we rented one during the day for the parks, everyone was much happier! At WDW when there is just one park per day and it seems easier to take breaks (we DRIVE back to the hotel, not walk) we don't seem to need a stroller, go figure. Last trip we spent more time walking back to get it than using it.

Yes! THANK YOU! I think folks seem to forget that you have to walk these tired kids out of DL at night. As one PP said, my son should be able to walk and I should be able to deal with it. Ha!

To answer your question- the stroller will not just be for DL, so the expense does make sense. Plus, I don't want to have DH be forced to carry DS back to the hotel at the end of a long day.

DS doesn't NEED the stroller the entire day but I always found it useful in getting him from point A to point B. Wheel him down Main St, park it at Fantasyland, ride all the rides (without moving stroller) hop back in and go on to the next land. Plus, he usually ended up eating snacks in it while I was shopping or napping (he slept for 3 hours once!) and watched Fanstasmic while cuddled up in his stroller and DH's sweatshirt!

Like you said....everyone is MUCH happier this way. I see no reason why NOT to have a stroller.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

One thing to be careful of chrissie, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way. A child forcibly strapped into a stroller can get the feeling of helplessness and being trapped or cornered. If you do decide on a strap-in stroller for your son, you need to make sure that he's okay and comfortable being around characters, specifically the more imposing ones like Pluto. If he's afraid of characters and finds that he cannot free himself from the bonds of his stroller should one approach him, he's likely to cry and panic and that's never fun. Most characters can tell when a child is afraid of them, but not all of them (and some don't even care). Some will approach a child whether he or she is afraid or not, whether in a stroller or in his or her parents arms, and it can create unnecessary and sometimes embarrassing panic.

I don't know if your son is afraid of characters, but until the age of 20 (I'm 21 now) I was scared stiff of mascots. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. =)

My DD hasn't been strapped in her Disney stroller for a few years, she simply sits in it and hops out when she needs/wants to. Yes if she was a baby/toddler she'd be strapped in but no worries now that she's older ~ OP DD's Disney stroller *and it's just a Disney stroller she hasn't "strolled" outside of Disney for several years* is a Mac Volo ~ she's fairly petite *still not tall enough for Indy and maybe 45 lbs.

 

[cccdisney]

I bought my Baby Jogger Classic through Babies R Us dot com. They didn't sell them at our store, but I knew I could return it there if something was wrong with it or if I didn't like it. I never found a store in our area that had one in stock (although you probably can find a City Mini one in a store and get a little bit of an idea). I just took a leap of faith and ordered one. SO GLAD I DID! I have no complaints. We previously used a Mac Triumph, and although he was still within the weight limit, his legs were too long.

Here is a picture of my son in the Baby Jogger. He was six in this picture and right around 50 lbs and 50 inches long. Sorry it's a little dark. HTH!