Taking a stroller-hating, super mobile/climby Toddler...

[RIDisney179]

We went to Disney last summer when my son was 10 months old and while I was SUPER nervous about taking such a young kid - it was actually a great trip! It was so easy because I was still nursing so we took lots of breaks in the baby centers and he didn't have a choice but to get wheeled around and napping in his stroller. We are going again in a few months and my son will be 22 months old...and I am now freaking out. He is now super mobile, tantrumy, typical toddler. Has anyone gone to the parks with a kid this age who really does not do well in a stroller? It is going to be July and super hot so lugging him around isn't going to work and he probably would never oblige to being carried versus walking. Aside from trip cancelation...any words of advice??

 

[katied]

Yes, we've done this. Earlu June 2008 I was on a trip with my DS (13 months) and DSister, DBIL and DNiece (23 months). DNiece HATED her stroller, was VERY mobile (running, climbing stairs, etc). She also was in the tantrum stage.

However, it wasn't really that much of a problem overall (not as much as DSister expected). Most of the time, DSister and BIL took the stroller along, but it was frequently parked and you have to walk to get from the parking to the ride, so DNiece was able to walk at that time. DNiece did ride in the stroller far more than she would at home. She did get tired and find it a nice option to take a break. She even napped at times in the stroller - which she would NEVER do at home.

Another good way of keeping her in the stroller was snacks - she loved all of DS's snacks, and using once of his snack traps, since it was new to her. So she would happily sit in the stroller and munch on cheerios or cheese and crackers.

 

[labdogs42]

We took my DS at that age and he ended up riding in the stroller more often than we thought he might. We also made rules that if he didn't want to hold hands, he could hold the stroller, but if he let go or walked away from us, he would have to ride in the stroller for a while. He did pretty well with that. Now he's 5 and we're still taking the stroller for when his little legs get tired!

 

[2binak]

Not sure how you feel about them, but we had a backpack harness for our 21 month old DD. The rule was that if she wasn't in the stroller, she had to wear her backpack. We never let her walk far from us, always kept her right by our sides, but it allowed her some freedom while keeping her from running off, getting lost or getting in other people's way. We practiced using it a bit around home before our trip and by the time the trip came, she loved using her big girl backpack.

http://www.amazon.com/SafeFit-Boy-Backpack-with-Harness/dp/B001DF4OQ2

 

[Mrs. Charming]

DD normally fought us (still does at times) tooth and nail not to get into the stroller. She'll even still try to wiggle out. However, at Disney, she was so tired out at times that she just gave in without a fight--- this happened more often than not. There is hope, there really is!

 

[brymolmom]

Just make sure to establish the rules before you go. Say the words 'at Disney you HAVE to be in a stroller' a lot so it sinks in. There might be a fight or two at first, but put your foot down. You will be happy you did and he will learn quickly that to go anywhere/do anything at Disney - he needs to listen to the boss and get in!

 

[PA Princess]

I agree with others...you may just be surprised at Disney. We have traveled with 4 kids over the years at that age and two of our were real stroller haters from a young age. Trips to the mall were not a joy at that stage. But things were different at Disney.

I think that fatigue is the number one reason. Disney is huge to adults, and to a kid that size it much seem beyond huge.

I also found that the crowds were intimidating to one so young and they often seemed to feel safer in the stroller.

Also, I think there may be a bit of peer pressure involved...the sheer number of strollers cannot go unnoticed even by the smallest of tots and suddenly they do not feel like the odd guy out in a stroller but one of the crowd.

The good news is that there are places small ones can walk (Fantasy Land is especially great for this since the rides are so close), and we just made certain to take advantage of play areas where our toddlers could walk and climb and be a toddler for breaks throughout the day.

 

[tartemis]

I have been on two trips with a toddler that wouldn't ride in a stroller -- one when she was 18 months and the other when she was 2 1/2. We are opposed to trying to force a kid in a stroller and actually encouraged her very early on to walk instead.

At 18 months, after the first day, we even stopped bringing the stroller into the parks because there was no point. At 2 1/2 we also had a 6 month old so we brought a double stroller and occasionally, the 2 1/2 would get in to ride when she was getting tired -- but, had me not had the 6 month old we probably wouldn't have brought in any stroller.

Here is my advice:

-- take the park at your child's pace. At 18 months that meant that we spent 3 hours in Main Street USA because she found everything so fascinating.
-- you don't need a backpack leash or even require that the child hold your hand; just make sure to ALWAYS keep an eye on them. We never made our child hold our hand because she wanted to explore more (of course in dangerous situations or moving through a thick crowd we did).
--- take the park at you child's pace. (This is key, which is why it bears repeating.)