Strollers...I gotta ask!

[mytwotinks]

Lol! Yup, and my 4 and 6 year olds had mickey bars for lunch WHILE sitting in their stroller!

I must really be parent of the year!

EEK!!!!! And the Dept. of Child welfare didn't come take them from your custody? What is this world coming to?

 

[glass slipper girl]

and believe me, I am no health nut, but I truly believe as a society we are getting WAY lazier, and we are passing this on to our children. I hear a lot of "I put my kid in a stroller so I don't have to deal with whining, keeping track of my kid(s), ETC," (parenting?)

Do we all look like tiny little ants to you from way up there on your high horse? I hope you don't fall, because it's a long way down and you are bound to get hurt.

Yep, count me among the awful parents of the world. I'm such a terrible parent that my children say please and thank you without being reminded, are helpful, kind, compassionate and generous people, and are doing well in school. My first grader is sent up to a 2nd grade classroom for reading every day b/c when tested he was at an upper 2nd grade reading level. All of that happened because my husband and I are lazy parents. See...we're so lazy that we do nothing but park DS in a stroller in a corner of the living room all day and throw books at him. I'm so lazy that not only am I the room mother for both kids but I'm also the coordinator for all of the room mothers in DSs elementary school and the head of 2 other committees. All of that doesn't matter though because I said here on the DIS that a big reason we have used a stroller for DS6 is b/c is a whiner and we don't want to spend out trip dealing with that. NEWSFLASH! He is a whiner 365 days a year....always has been. We are working on that at home. He is currently whining because I will not allow him to pay one of the neighbor children $2 for one of those pop rock things that you throw on the ground and it makes a noise. Earlier today he was whining because he had to wear regular underwear and not boxer briefs. He whines all the time and we deal with it. As for the fact that if he is whining we should go back to the room and rest....people, we'd get to the end of Main Street and he'd start whining about something and we'd have to turn around. Most mornings we'd have to head back to the room before we even got to a park because he whines about having to wait for the monorail/bus/boat. Of course we aren't parenting and that is the problem. I guess if I were parenting the "propper way" according to the DIS parenting police, I should stay at home with him where he is perpetually in his room napping b/c whining means he's tired so we could just never leave our house...even for school. Here I thought we had a good system for us...we stroll when we are doing the longer walks where we need to move a little faster like from one big area to the next but then the kids walk between those things. Normally they do 3-5 attractions before getting back in to the stroller again. And we don't wear them out. We are almost never in a park for more tha 4-5 hours before leaving for a break so we aren't a comando family. Our system works for us. This trip will be the first time DS 6 isn't in a stroller but we sure will have a kiddy board available for him to hop on if need be!

So judge away people. have at it! I can't imagine why you want to waste your time judging the parents of kids who ride in a stroller for a few hours 5-10 days out of a year but if it floats your boat, go right ahead.

 

[badblackpug]

Well, I have obviously touched a nerve I think it is time to CLOSE before someone has a stroke!

 

[ilovejack02]

Well, I have obviously touched a nerve I think it is time to CLOSE before someone has a stroke!

Well.... do you think it could be because you made a comment about people would rather strap their kids in a stroller than parent their own kids while in WDW? Just a thought

 

[Dizneydaz]

Lucky for me my DD (turning 7 on our next trip) is still small enough to ride in her stroller. She's just over 44" and about 43#. This being said, the stroller is mostly for me! Being a single mother, traveling with my mom and DD, I don't have the luxury of having a big, strong, man to carry all the things needed in the parks along with a very sleepy 7 yr. old. She may only weigh 43# but after just a few minutes of carrying her my back is already aching! (I just carried her from the tram through the parking structure last night at DL and had to put her down about 2 min. from the car-I couldn't carry her any further)

Oh, and before you judge me about being a single mother, I adopted my DD when she was 2. My DM took care of her from birth and my bro was her birth father (And she is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me! )

On our last trip we were lucky enough to bring my niece, who was a DL CM, so we didn't bring our own stroller, we were able to get comp. strollers at every park and DTD. We even got the double stroller so there was enough room for DD and all of our things (we were a group of 5 women and 1 child). Having the double wide was good but our own stroller has more storage room, plus 2 cup holders! Also we'll be able to use the stroller in the airport, in the parking lots, and taking stuff from the room to the rental van.

Anyway, I am not looking forward to the time when we no longer have the stroller. I was not raised with the generation of people who carry backpacks as a normal part of their day so I really hate having a backpack on, especially in hot, humid weather. I hope my DD will be in a stroller for a few more trips and if I see any of the people who hate to see bigger kids in strollers, I'll try not to hit the backs of the ankles (Seriously, I don't think I ever have but I can't tell you how many people think it's just fine to jump out in front of a stroller, forcing me to stop in order NOT to hit them)

And as far as being lazy, etc. As you can see by my pictures, my DD is by no means fat! She is healthy and athletic. She loves to "Extracise" as she puts it. She is polite. She says please and thank you. She is also very smart-she just started 2nd grade and is reading at 6th grade level. She is currently reading the 6th Harry Potter book and tested on the previous 5 with very high comprehension. Oh, and she's not a whiner either. Of course, that's probably because I give her too much and I push her in a stroller!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Do we all look like tiny little ants to you from way up there on your high horse? I hope you don't fall, because it's a long way down and you are bound to get hurt.

Yep, count me among the awful parents of the world. I'm such a terrible parent that my children say please and thank you without being reminded, are helpful, kind, compassionate and generous people, and are doing well in school. My first grader is sent up to a 2nd grade classroom for reading every day b/c when tested he was at an upper 2nd grade reading level. All of that happened because my husband and I are lazy parents. See...we're so lazy that we do nothing but park DS in a stroller in a corner of the living room all day and throw books at him. I'm so lazy that not only am I the room mother for both kids but I'm also the coordinator for all of the room mothers in DSs elementary school and the head of 2 other committees. All of that doesn't matter though because I said here on the DIS that a big reason we have used a stroller for DS6 is b/c is a whiner and we don't want to spend out trip dealing with that. NEWSFLASH! He is a whiner 365 days a year....always has been. We are working on that at home. He is currently whining because I will not allow him to pay one of the neighbor children $2 for one of those pop rock things that you throw on the ground and it makes a noise. Earlier today he was whining because he had to wear regular underwear and not boxer briefs. He whines all the time and we deal with it. As for the fact that if he is whining we should go back to the room and rest....people, we'd get to the end of Main Street and he'd start whining about something and we'd have to turn around. Most mornings we'd have to head back to the room before we even got to a park because he whines about having to wait for the monorail/bus/boat. Of course we aren't parenting and that is the problem. I guess if I were parenting the "propper way" according to the DIS parenting police, I should stay at home with him where he is perpetually in his room napping b/c whining means he's tired so we could just never leave our house...even for school. Here I thought we had a good system for us...we stroll when we are doing the longer walks where we need to move a little faster like from one big area to the next but then the kids walk between those things. Normally they do 3-5 attractions before getting back in to the stroller again. And we don't wear them out. We are almost never in a park for more tha 4-5 hours before leaving for a break so we aren't a comando family. Our system works for us. This trip will be the first time DS 6 isn't in a stroller but we sure will have a kiddy board available for him to hop on if need be!

So judge away people. have at it! I can't imagine why you want to waste your time judging the parents of kids who ride in a stroller for a few hours 5-10 days out of a year but if it floats your boat, go right ahead.

I couldn't agree with you more!
We no longer own a stroller at home but surely in WDW we need one. It's a ridiculous amount of walking for little legs. We'd get on 3 rides/day without one! I don't even understand why it's an issue with some people. Don't use that excuse about what our parents did back in the day. They also let us stand on the back seat and wave back to cars behind us doing 70 mph! Parenting 101: Just because our parents did it, doesn't make it right.

 

[ckmommy]

I was not going to reply to this thread--but here I am!!

We got back from our trip from WDW about a month ago. I know I am in the minority, but we made our kids walk (except for the 2 year old--he had a stroller). I have a 51 pound 7 yo, a 50 pound 5 yo, a 28 pound 3 yo and a 29 pound 3 yo. Guess what, they did not complain about walking. They held hands with Dh or myself and stayed with next to the stroller. When they were tired, we left the parks and took a break. We got up early and stayed late. We did the parks at a slower pace and may not have seen everything that we wanted to, but that is why we go back to WDW. W did not take a pedometer, so I do not know how much we walked, but even if we walked 8-10 miles a day, it was not all in one stretch. There are walking breaks all day long (sitting on rides, waiting in lines, eating, watching shows etc.).

So, to the OP there are still some families that do not bring strollers for their older kids. Putting on my flame suit.

 

[taximomfor4]

I don't particulary notice or care whose kids are in strollers, and how old they are. I will say, however, that my youngest dd (just turned 4) walked all around WDW for an entire WEEK. We kept the diaper bag, etc in the stroller -- yes, for 7 days. We TRIED to get DD to ride once in a while. It was August, it was HOT, MY feet hurt so I know hers must have too! But nope, she walked. All week. I would bet most kids at age 4 COULD do all that walking. However, I am just as sure that many of them would be overtired because of the schedule changes and that extra daily walking. So if parents choose to push the kids in the strollers, no judging here!

Oh, and we kept track of all 4 kids perfectly well. We had a strict buddy system, and handholding (or stroller-holding) was NOT optional.

Beth

 

[glass slipper girl]

I think all any of us "stroller moms" are trying to say is don't judge us and lable us as bad or lazy parents because our kids ride in a stroller for 7 days out of the year. That's all!

Well, I have obviously touched a nerve I think it is time to CLOSE before someone has a stroke!

Since this followed my post, I'm assuming it was directed at me. Trust me when I say I am no where near having a stroke over this. Having a laugh is more like it! I was trying to point out that I think it is actually COMICAL that anyone would be so judgemental about this issue. It's not like our choice of stroller or no stroller affects your life or vacation in any way. I personally would never rent a wheelchair to use as a substitue stroller so I'm not taking away a wheelchair from someone who may need it. I don't ram people with my stroller and I don't allow my sons to push it willy nilly around the parks either. What I do doesn't affect you and I'm not endangering my kids so I don't get why the judgement? I was just trying to make the point that you can't say I'm a bad or lazy mom based on that ONE observation. By that standard, the person who makes their kids walk but pulls the "quit crying or I'll give you something to cry about!" stuff in the middle of the parks when the kids get tired is a better parent than me. I would disagree with that (and I am NOT saying that everyone who has their kid walk is a parent that does that).

I don't judge those who have their kids walk, all I ask is for the same respect. If your preschool aged kids can walk all day with no issues then GREAT! Have a fantastic time being unencumbered by strollers! I envy that part but with baby #3 on the way soon we're a LONG way from that point. Kids are all unique and individual. They all develop at their own pace. You know your child best so you know if it makes sense to stroll or if your child can walk it all day. I know my child best. So you do what is best for your kids and I'll do what is best for mine. You don't know my child so please don't pass judgement on me for the choice I make on this issue when you can not know what is best for my kid.

If you want to be judgemental about a stroller issue then lets talk about the people who try to turn a single stroller (or double) into a double (or triple) by putting their infant in the basket under the seat or laying them on the canopy! THAT burns me up because that IS a safety issue.

 

[dbmarie]

Would you rather hear the blissful quiet coming from my girls as I push them or the screaming of my dd5 and dd8 as I plead with them to walk just a little farther. I feel that I am truely saving everyone within earshot by just renting the stroller.

 

[MariDisney]

Well, I don't usually post on "these kinds" of threads. But, here I go anyway. My DD 6 is pretty big for her age (51 inches and 67 lbs. at last check). She's in great physical shape, so no worries about that (competitive gymnastics and acrobatics and whatnot) as well as academically gifted (a year ahead of her age in school and being evaluated for the gifted program). Now, I ONLY tell you all that because I don't want anyone to worry about the parenting she's receiving or the possibility of her becoming obese at WDW or whatever.

I had pretty much decided that we wouldn't rent a stroller this trip. It will be my DD, and my Dsis's dd5 and ds7. We're bringing an umbrella stroller for the 5 yo. My DSis was going to get the single for her DS. My DD was not happy with the idea of her being the only one walking. She COULD do it, of course, but thinks she'd rather another trip in the stroller. So, being that part of having a good trip to me is having happy kids, I plan to go ahead and get the double and DD and my Dneph can share it. To me, the peace of not having complaints is more than worth the cost of the stroller and the stares from those folks wondering why my ginormous DD is being pushed.

And, if she wants a mickey bar for lunch on top of it all, so be it. Heck, I might have one myself.

 

[PixiePop]

Most people don't care if you have your children walk at WDW....so why do some care if some of us let our children ride in a stroller?

 

[ZachnElli]

I was not going to reply to this thread--but here I am!!

We got back from our trip from WDW about a month ago. I know I am in the minority, but we made our kids walk (except for the 2 year old--he had a stroller). I have a 51 pound 7 yo, a 50 pound 5 yo, a 28 pound 3 yo and a 29 pound 3 yo. Guess what, they did not complain about walking. They held hands with Dh or myself and stayed with next to the stroller. When they were tired, we left the parks and took a break. We got up early and stayed late. We did the parks at a slower pace and may not have seen everything that we wanted to, but that is why we go back to WDW. W did not take a pedometer, so I do not know how much we walked, but even if we walked 8-10 miles a day, it was not all in one stretch. There are walking breaks all day long (sitting on rides, waiting in lines, eating, watching shows etc.).

So, to the OP there are still some families that do not bring strollers for their older kids. Putting on my flame suit.

We are the same way. We just got back Tuesday night and I can't imagine putting my 7 year old in a stroller. She never once complained about the walking. She didn't last time we went either when she was 5 years old. She's not even super athletic, just average. But she walks with no problems or complaints! I have to admit, I didn't even look at the other kids in strollers though. I have no idea how old most kids are in the strollers, I didn't even look!

 

[cstraub]

Just stumbled across this thread and I have to say that I am so sick of seeing this stoller issue coming up again and again.

Why does an older child riding in a stoller bother you so much? Maybe you need to focus on your own family instead of worrying about what others around you are choosing to do.

FYI:

My DD6 had a skull fracture and contusion at age five. Ever since her injury she tires more easily. It's not something others can "see". We always use a stroller in WDW. Ya know even if she did not require a stoller and just wanted one I would let her use one. Too bad if others would think she is too old. If you want to go to WDW and be the stoller police that's fine- I'll be on the HM escaping from reality.

We just toured Europe for 6 weeks and she was in the stoller a lot. The only comment we got was at the Eiffel Tower where a young man said to us that our DD ws too old for a stroller. I smiled and looked him in the eye and said "Yes she is". He did not know how to respond. I got a chuckle out of his reaction to my comment.

Life is too short people! Have fun! Smile and be happy that someone is trying to do right by their child!

 

[tacomaranch]

Our DS 3 yrs old has autism and having him in a stroller cuts down on the exteme sensory issues and keeps him focused and having a good time. He also is a huge runner. I could blink and he would be gone in a flash.

A Stroller is the only way for us. Right now I am trying to find a high weight limit stroller for him.

To each's own. I don't pretend to know what is in others lives and I know they don't have a clue about my son. I would never judge. That is for only One.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

By the way. DH and I love walking behind people with strollers!!! They clear the way. No kidding!!!!!! It's great!!!!!!
So please... Keep your kids in strollers as long as you can. It really helps us out!!!!

Of course next time we go we will have a little one of our own so I guess we will be clearing the way for others!!!!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

good ? when we were there we saw kids older than ds7 in them and was like why arent they walking
some of need to
kinda sad when a 7 year old sees fat kids riding around in a stroller
no flames please
we did talk to him about being nice as he doesnt know that some of those kids needed the stroller
but it was sad

 

[mytwotinks]

Our DS 3 yrs old has autism and having him in a stroller cuts down on the exteme sensory issues and keeps him focused and having a good time. He also is a huge runner. I could blink and he would be gone in a flash.

A Stroller is the only way for us. Right now I am trying to find a high weight limit stroller for him.

To each's own. I don't pretend to know what is in others lives and I know they don't have a clue about my son. I would never judge. That is for only One.

I looked and looked for a stroller for my bigger girl! The only one I found was the Maclaren Volo. I just bought one on ebay that should be here tomorrow. It ended up being $95 after shipping. That is a little cheaper than I could get it at babies-r-us. It pushes soooooo easy. The seat is wider than all the others too. I wanted to find something less $$, but I really don't think it's out there. I saw some used volos on ebay going for even more than I paid so I might sell it when we get home, but I might just keep it till I am sure that I won't ever put my dd in a stroller again!

As far as I am concerned the judgmental people out there can look all they want and wag their finger at me and talk about me behind my back. My family is at DW having a great time so if someone else wants to spend their vacation time worrying about what I'm doing that's their loss. While they are griping about all the kids in strollers who should be walking, their own kids are wishing they had their mom and dad's attention!

 

[laceemouse]

I was not going to reply to this thread--but here I am!!

We got back from our trip from WDW about a month ago. I know I am in the minority, but we made our kids walk (except for the 2 year old--he had a stroller). I have a 51 pound 7 yo, a 50 pound 5 yo, a 28 pound 3 yo and a 29 pound 3 yo. Guess what, they did not complain about walking. They held hands with Dh or myself and stayed with next to the stroller. When they were tired, we left the parks and took a break. We got up early and stayed late. We did the parks at a slower pace and may not have seen everything that we wanted to, but that is why we go back to WDW. W did not take a pedometer, so I do not know how much we walked, but even if we walked 8-10 miles a day, it was not all in one stretch. There are walking breaks all day long (sitting on rides, waiting in lines, eating, watching shows etc.).

So, to the OP there are still some families that do not bring strollers for their older kids. Putting on my flame suit.

Amen sister! What bugs me about all of the big kids in strollers....total and utter gridlock and being run over by stroller commandos to name a couple of things! I totally agree with you about the walking breaks....you walk, sit on a ride, walk, stand in line, walk, sit in a show, ect, ect. I am old and fat and I can even do it. Honestly, if your kid is whining and compaining all day, maybe you shouldn't keep forcing him/her to go back to Disney! And to all those who think they have to have a stroller to carry all of the junk they bring into the parks, don't bring it! We have pared down to one small backpack and we take turns carrying it.....sign me....happy to be stroller free

 

[glass slipper girl]

Honestly, if your kid is whining and compaining all day, maybe you shouldn't keep forcing him/her to go back to Disney!

Seriously? Have you ever met a child between the ages of 4 and 7 since that is the age range most people are taking issue with here, who was FORCED to go to WDW against their will?

A 6 year old boy forced to eat at CRT again for his sister, OK but the whole trip? I have yet to meet a kid that age who has to be brough against their will, kicking and screaming in to the park.

My whiner is a total and complete Disney fanatic. Wants to be involved in planning every aspect from resort choice to park days, list WDW as his favorite place on earth when asked those kind of questions and when he made a card for me for valentine's day in kindergarten last year this is what the inside said...

I would bet other whiners are like mine...the whining has nothing to do with being FORCED to go to Disney and more to do with their personalities. Believe me, it is the ONE THING I would change about DS if given the chance. I told DH today that I just pray this baby doesn't have the same whiny gene that our oldest got!