strollers

[drgreene1096]

I know that I am new here, but I have been reading every post for the last several weeks. I have been reading many, many vents on people with strollers. As the driver of a stroller I want to say a few things.

1. My daughter will be 5 when we go to WDW in October and I am taking a stroller. See my picture so you will know what I look like. She is not about to graduate from high school, she is 5. She is tall for 5, but 5 nonetheless. That irritates me to distraction when I read people saying that kids shouldn't be in strollers when the look like they are older than a certain age. My daughter is taller than an 8 year old that goes to the same day care that dd does.

2. Maybe people who drive strollers wouldn't have to be so rude pushing their way through the crowds if other people wouldn't have family reunions in the walkways. If you are a trying to decide what to do next, where to eat, or where to go, why can't these people stand over to the side of the walk way and do this so others can get through?

3. And lastly, is EXCUSE ME or PARDON ME not in anyone's vocabulary anymore? I always say this when I am trying to get around or by someone, but very few people say it back.

I know my stroller is a hinderance . . . to me! But I am the one that has to tote it, push it, and find a place to park it and hope for the best. So if you don't like my stroller, then say Excuse me and go around. I will be the one walking to the right side of the path, trying to stay out of your way.


This is not being posted to offend anyone! I know there are people out there that are rude and inconsiderate of others, but I do try to follow some rules of simple etiquette.

 

[DISFANSHAN]

Well said .

 

[Andyjo0930]

I totally agree with you. I wish I didn't have to take a stroller, but the fact is, my son is autistic and a runner and we had no choice. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to take a double stroller for my kids and fold it down every time we got on the bus, and carry it up, and take everything out underneath it and try to find a place to park it, and try to maneuver it through the masses of people.

 

[coolbeans]

3. And lastly, is EXCUSE ME or PARDON ME not in anyone's vocabulary anymore? I always say this when I am trying to get around or by someone, but very few people say it back.

AMEN!

 

[mrzrich]

I totally agree with you. I wish I didn't have to take a stroller, but the fact is, my son is autistic and a runner and we had no choice. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to take a double stroller for my kids and fold it down every time we got on the bus, and carry it up, and take everything out underneath it and try to find a place to park it, and try to maneuver it through the masses of people.

Wow you took the words out of my mouth. I know my "normal looking" 7 year old autistic son looks a little strange in the stroller, But its his sanctuary from the over stimulation.

He is also a runner and sometimes we must resort to a tether with him. I'm sure lots of nay sayers look at him and think "How ridiculous to have that big child on a leash" They probably never had their child run off down a crowded Main Street USA after dark (The worst 2 minutes of my life)

 

[mansionterror]

My son will be 4 when we go back and we will be using a stroller for a couple of reasons.

1) He tends to wander.
2) When he gets tired he wants to be carried and he is 40lbs, way to heavy to carry for long periods of time.

We have a Macleran umbrella stroller so it won't be too difficult.

 

[kkproulx]

Thank you for posting dregreene! I too, will have a stroller for DD5 in October (and she is in the 95 percentile for height for her age)! She runs away when excited and when tired wants to be held! That ain't happenin' with us....we all want to have a good time. That won't happen if DH or myself will have to carry her or spend our day trying to find her when she runs away. Thanks again for the post!

 

[sdzman]

I dont understand why people have a problem with the strollers, it's not a big deal.

One time I was in Bush Gardens and it was so crowded, a small kid <2 years old came running out of a crowd and I just walked right into him knocking him down (I am 6'2" 250 lbs).......he was crying and I felt like crap. His mother stared me down like I meant to hurt him. If this kid was in a stroller or tethered down this wouldn't have happened.

WDW was made for kids (big & small). Be safe, be courteous and enjoy!

 

[Idroveallnight]

The stroller debate will probably never end!
We have finally graduated from strollers! However, my DS (now 10) was in one some of the trip when he was 7. He has no handicaps, issues, etc... It was simply that it is very hard for little legs to keep up all day. A stroller lets them rest, saves mom & dad's arms and backs!
Moving in a crowd is hard no matter what!!! ITA that a little courtesy goes a LONG way!! I just find it funny that so many people (not everyone) automatically blame the stroller, WC or ECV driver - as if they have singlehandedly orchestrated the downfall of society!

 

[GC&S]

Our dd will be 5 when we go in Sept and we will be taking her stroller. At MGM and parts of MK, we usually park her stroller somewhere, walk all over the park and then use it at night to get to the bus. That is one long walk for a tired and grumpy child. Makes for two less grumpy parents. I don't think she could do Epcot without the stroller. Our problem is that she is very tall for her age so it's hard to find a stroller to fit her.

The other place that the stroller is crucial is the airport. It always seems like we have to run to catch our connecting flight.

 

[Ariel8676]

I know that I am new here, but I have been reading every post for the last several weeks. I have been reading many, many vents on people with strollers. As the driver of a stroller I want to say a few things.

1. My daughter will be 5 when we go to WDW in October and I am taking a stroller. See my picture so you will know what I look like. She is not about to graduate from high school, she is 5. She is tall for 5, but 5 nonetheless. That irritates me to distraction when I read people saying that kids shouldn't be in strollers when the look like they are older than a certain age. My daughter is taller than an 8 year old that goes to the same day care that dd does.

2. Maybe people who drive strollers wouldn't have to be so rude pushing their way through the crowds if other people wouldn't have family reunions in the walkways. If you are a trying to decide what to do next, where to eat, or where to go, why can't these people stand over to the side of the walk way and do this so others can get through?

3. And lastly, is EXCUSE ME or PARDON ME not in anyone's vocabulary anymore? I always say this when I am trying to get around or by someone, but very few people say it back.

I know my stroller is a hinderance . . . to me! But I am the one that has to tote it, push it, and find a place to park it and hope for the best. So if you don't like my stroller, then say Excuse me and go around. I will be the one walking to the right side of the path, trying to stay out of your way.


This is not being posted to offend anyone! I know there are people out there that are rude and inconsiderate of others, but I do try to follow some rules of simple etiquette.

Well said!!
I also don't understand this theory that children who are 4,5,6 years old shouldn't be in a stroller...are you kidding me..i am 30 years old and get SOOO tired after walking around all day, can you imagine what a 4 or 5 yo would feel like.
There are times in WDW or at the mall etc.....where i have my single or double stroller ( i have 5,4,and 1 1/2 yo dd's) and almost feel as though i am invisible, people will walk in front of us and stop..then get angry if (totally by accident) i run into their ankles, or walk 5 people across the walkway.
Also when my Grandfather was still alive we went to WDW, and he was in a wheelchair..that was even worse. I could not believe how rude some people were.
Don't get me wrong i have seen some people pushing stroller's that are completely rude...but there are so many that are not and they are just trying to get around. I just think more people..stroller pushers or not..need to be nicer to each other and more courteous. Please, Thank you, and Excuse me are not words that are heard too often anymore.
Have a great day everyone!!!!!!!

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Actually it wasn't until I read these boards that I was convinced to bring a stroller for our 6 year old who hasn't used one for almost 2 years. I just think that over time people forget how worn out the little ones can get. Like drgreene1096, I will also be "polite on the right".

 

[Quinn222]

I have no problem with normal stroller usage and if I accidentally step in front of you and get whacked it's my own fault and I'll apologize. However, there is a very large contingent of stroller users who use them as weapons to shove their way through or simply are idiots. We were walking on Frontier land one morning, very close to the right side of the path. There was no one else there. No one. I actually have pictures of the very wide, totally empty path. A woman with a stroller came running up behind us and actually clipped my 80 year old mother with it, nearly knocking her down, even though she had at least 30 feet of empty space she could have taken. We barely got my mom steadied when her idiot husband comes running along and did the same thing! They paired up ahead of is how we knew they were together.

Those are the stroller users we all hate. Not people such as yourself just trying to get through the park like everyone else.

 

[Doc CW]

I know that I am new here, but I have been reading every post for the last several weeks. I have been reading many, many vents on people with strollers. As the driver of a stroller I want to say a few things.

1. My daughter will be 5 when we go to WDW in October and I am taking a stroller. See my picture so you will know what I look like. She is not about to graduate from high school, she is 5. She is tall for 5, but 5 nonetheless. That irritates me to distraction when I read people saying that kids shouldn't be in strollers when the look like they are older than a certain age. My daughter is taller than an 8 year old that goes to the same day care that dd does.

2. Maybe people who drive strollers wouldn't have to be so rude pushing their way through the crowds if other people wouldn't have family reunions in the walkways. If you are a trying to decide what to do next, where to eat, or where to go, why can't these people stand over to the side of the walk way and do this so others can get through?

3. And lastly, is EXCUSE ME or PARDON ME not in anyone's vocabulary anymore? I always say this when I am trying to get around or by someone, but very few people say it back.

I know my stroller is a hinderance . . . to me! But I am the one that has to tote it, push it, and find a place to park it and hope for the best. So if you don't like my stroller, then say Excuse me and go around. I will be the one walking to the right side of the path, trying to stay out of your way.


This is not being posted to offend anyone! I know there are people out there that are rude and inconsiderate of others, but I do try to follow some rules of simple etiquette.

You are so right about this its funny. Very well said

 

[Hannathy]

I just have a couple questions...

When did kids change and why or how? It must be a scientific fact and should be studied. How is it that kids 10, 20 or more years ago children by 5 were perfectly capable of WALKING all day? No one carried these kids and they did fine. And don't say Disney wasn't so big, EPCOT has been around a loooong time and kids weren't in strollers then, same thing with airports.

Why is it any different or less tiring to play in 3 soccer games or 3 baseball games a day for a tournament, or dance all day in a competition and these kids manage that OK.

Yes having an excess amount of strollers does bother everyone. They take up a lot of room, slow things down on the busses and trams, take up room on the transportation, clog pathways, etc. And the size of these things can we say SUV-what ever happened to the nice umbrella strollers? Oh I know they can't hold elementary size kids.

I don't understand why the adults want to tire themselves out more pushing a kid who is perfectly capable of walking, yes there are a few,very few, who have a real medical need but not most. I have taken 3 different kids to Disney over the last 20 yrs and none of them used a stroller after 3 and all did fine and I bet very few stay as long at a park as we do. Disney was much nicer without all the strollers clogging everything. I was at an airshow yesterday and we walked about 6-7 miles and you know what almost all the kids were walking! I saw very few strollers and only for toddlers, cause it is hard to push on the field, and I saw no meltdowns, no kids dropping from walking or whatever else is supposed to happen to them, and it was hot and there is no shade on an airfield. Wonder why they can walk there but not at Disney?

 

[WDW4ever]

I've never been annoyed by strollers anywhere I've gone but the discussions on the boards about them have raised my awareness level. As a person who hasn't used a stroller in at least 13 years, I will remind myself not to judge or get cranky about who's using them and why if I do start experiencing "stroller rage"

 

[Roxane]

I have no problem with normal stroller usage and if I accidentally step in front of you and get whacked it's my own fault and I'll apologize. However, there is a very large contingent of stroller users who use them as weapons to shove their way through or simply are idiots. We were walking on Frontier land one morning, very close to the right side of the path. There was no one else there. No one. I actually have pictures of the very wide, totally empty path. A woman with a stroller came running up behind us and actually clipped my 80 year old mother with it, nearly knocking her down, even though she had at least 30 feet of empty space she could have taken. We barely got my mom steadied when her idiot husband comes running along and did the same thing! They paired up ahead of is how we knew they were together.

Those are the stroller users we all hate. Not people such as yourself just trying to get through the park like everyone else.

Very well said. I feel so bad for the kids in the strollers that are being used as battering rams. I'm an AP holder and see it all the time. One time we were waiting for rope drop at AK. This woman behind me rammed me 3 times with her stroller. I mean come on, the rope was still up and no one was going anywhere yet. Her child looked totally mortified, I felt so bad for him. The mother just glared at me like it was my fault the rope hadn't dropped yet. Stroller users like these make me wary of all people with strollers. It just seems like there are more inconsiderate people with strollers than responsable stroller users. But of course the rude ones stand out in my mind.

 

[Jlampley]

I hope I'm like most people and choose not to judge others for their choices that really don't impact me. Whether someone chooses to put their 2yr, 4yr, 8yr, 12yr old in a stroller has nothing to do with me, my family and our wonderful visit to Disney. If they feel it helps make their experience better - good for them. I'm sure on very crowded days, the strollers cause a slower pace or make you have to step aside. My advice is to take a deep breath, smile and remember where you are. Also, who knows, one day you might be one of those people in wheelchairs or scooters and you are the reason people have to step aside.

 

[mnasmom3]

I've never been annoyed by strollers anywhere I've gone but the discussions on the boards about them have raised my awareness level. As a person who hasn't used a stroller in at least 13 years, I will remind myself not to judge or get cranky about who's using them and why if I do start experiencing "stroller rage"

I think that's exactly the point here. Well said.

When people see a child they deem too old to be pushed around, they need to remember not to judge. I, too, have a 5 year old who looks normal but has cerebral palsy and can't possibly walk the parks all day long for a week straight. She'll be in a stroller. Even if she didn't have a disability, I'd probably still get her a stroller. As far as airports, air shows, malls, etc....no comparison to the amount of walking in a week of Disney. I don't believe I've ever walked anywhere else all day, every day as we do at Disney. So, before judging, remember that everyone situation is different.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

I am in the middle of the road on the stroller debate. Of course, no one enjoys being run down by a stroller. We stay on the look out for strollers and try to stay out of the way. Not because we hate them, but because people pushing strollers don't have it easy. They are only trying to enjoy themselves and look out for their children's health/safety. My son is eleven and asks for Tylenol during our days at WDW because his legs hurt from all the walking. And I must confess that the last time my son went he had just turned 10 and we rented a double stroller (didn't intend to, it just happened) for him to ride in as we toured World Showcase. Mind you he is a small sized child about the size of the average 9 yr. old right now. For the record, he's already been told "No Stroller" anymore. He can walk, and we will slow our pace when necessary.
Have a magical day everyone!