strollers to bring or not to bring

[jltdone]

our son will be turning 5 when we go to Disney. I am wondering if I should bring our umbrella stroller for him. He just turned 4 now and he is 43.5 inches so he is not a small toddler just tall.... what is everyone else thoughts and experiences on this....

 

[vleeth]

At that age, I would bring the stroller.

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

Bring.
If you find you don't use it the first day, you can leave it in the hotel/car.

 

[Disneylover99]

Bring the umbrella stroller.

 

[DisneyFam09]

Bring.

 

[bella2117]

Bring

 

[wdw4rfam]

Bring it just in case. My DD is 6- will be 7 a month after we get back, and is tall, and this is the first trip we aren't bringing a stroller. We tried to do without last year and it didn't go so well. She started out good, but by 3:00 she'd be asking to go back to the resort. We are going with my parents this year, so planning on taking it easy this time. If you are doubting he can walk it, better to take just in case,rather than pay those horrible rental fees at the park.

 

[mslhb]

5 for me is the grey area. We used one when DD was 4.5 and was glad we had it. Just went in June with my just turned 6 year old. She is very short for her age and did great with no stroller. It was soooo nice not to have one. If I were you I would probably just bring it and play it by ear.

 

[DisMom1981]

My son is 49 in and 50 lbs- also 5 yo. He will absolutely utilize the bench seat of our sit and stand. It won't allow him to really sit back and relax like a stroller for bigger kids but it is better than nothing. I would not recommend nothing.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[SLK1]

Bring it! If your child doesn't use it, you can put your drinks, bags, etc. in it. We miss having a stroller terribly (but a 7-year-old doesn't use one so we have to lug our own stuff now!!).

 

[Tondee]

I plan on taking mine this year. I think it is easy to wear little ones out and since I don't plan on taking a break there will be times he is required to sit. Plus it is nice not to have to look out for him in a crowd. I also put my cooler in the bottom. One less thing to carry!

 

[sb682]

Bring it. We walked a minimum of 8 miles a day on our last trip, and those were days when we were in the park from 9-1 and didn't end up returning. On full days, we usually walk 13-15 miles. My son is 4 1/2 and he preferred to ride in his stroller, even though he hasn't used one at home for about 2 years. He is usually pretty easygoing but the heat and the stimulation got to be a bit much for him this last trip and he liked being able to sit back and pull the shade down.

 

[butterfly71076]

That age, I say bring it. It will come in handy if you need it!

 

[hookedonears]

our son will be turning 5 when we go to Disney. I am wondering if I should bring our umbrella stroller for him. He just turned 4 now and he is 43.5 inches so he is not a small toddler just tall.... what is everyone else thoughts and experiences on this....

NOT. They're just too much trouble to deal with. If you decide you want one, just rent it from Disney in the parks when you get there. Cost a little more, but the convenience is well, well worth it.

 

[disnut8]

My history with strollers is this - my son dumped his stroller when he was less than two years old. I know, not normal but he walked everywhere. We took our granddaughter, my son's stepdaughter to Disney when she was five and I bought her an umbrella stroller where her stuffed Stitch rode more than her but it was nice to have especially at the resort. We then took my then five year old grandson who, like his father, is a walk happy kid and we did no stroller and he was fine.

However, since your child is turning five and you are thinking about an umbrella stroller and not a huge one, I say take it just in case. If your child surprises you and doesn't need it, no big deal. But if your child does need it, a huge relief for you.

 

[gtpoohbear]

It depends on how you are going to tour. We didn't use a stroller for DS on his first trip, at 2 yo, but we were taking it very easy, only a few hours in the park at a time and a long afternoon break.

Last trip, he was 3 but we used a stroller because we were going more commando, open to close with no break.

They are a pain to deal with, but so are cranky kids. If you are going for a more relaxing trip, a stroller isn't worth it. If you are trying to pack as much into a full day as possible, you'll want it.

 

[mum2four]

If in doubt, just bring it along.

 

[leebee]

The last trip we had an umbrella stroller for DD was when she'd just turned 6. We are not necessarily commandoes, but once we are in the park we are there to STAY, so we were always out and about from about 10am until at least 10pm, sometimes later. Yes, she walked more than she rode, but it was WONDERFUL to have it when she was tired, especially in the evening. I always feel so bad when I see parents who are carrying (either in arms or on shoulders) their 4 or 5 year old because the kid is just worn out, or tired and cranky, or whatever. After 10 or 12 hours in a theme park, I am tired, worn out, and don't want to carry a kid or wait for a dawdling child.

By the time DD was 7, we were done with strollers and, honestly, I missed it. I liked being able to walk at my pace, not hers, and I really liked being able to stick her in the stroller and GO when we needed to be someplace quickly. I missed having a place to stash the backpack and purchases, and especially missed having something to lean against while walking in the evening, when my poor feet were tired! Heck, I STILL miss the stroller at times, but with DD almost 21, I'm thinking the idea won't fly anymore!

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

BRING IT!

You will be SO happy you did!! When my daughter was that age we parked the stroller a LOT, mostly she walked all day.... BUT... in the evenings when she was tired she was VERY cranky, the stroller was a lifesaver! We would park it during the day and go retrieve it in the evenings, she had a comfy seat to relax in and we could still go about and enjoy the evening & fireworks.

100% bring it. It's better to have it just in case, even if its parked for a majority of the day! Plus it will save you a ton of $$ over needing to rent one, even if you only use it in the evenings!

 

[Bluegrrl]

Bring, but make sure it has a large canopy! The Florida heat is bad, and we are right next to the equator which means the sun shines almost directly on us. My husband once got sunburn just from walking from the car parking lot into our local mall! It gets really bad for people during overcast days - they think that they can't get sunburn - but you get it even worse there!

I see lots of little kids in strollers that have little to no canopies (Graco, Maclarn are some that come to mind) being miserable and burnt to a crisp. So be careful, but do bring a stroller - you will be grateful you did. Besides, it's either bring your own or end up paying Disney $$ to rent one, right?