Tell me your experience with a 5 yo and walking vs stroller

kniquy

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
We are planning a family trip next April. My daughter will be almost 5. I was just at WDW for a conference last month i felt that i saw many kids my daughters age being pushed in a stroller. We really want to avoid a stroller at all costs, but i do see that a lot of walking might be a bit much for her. We take walks around the neighborhood and she complains (at 4 yo now). I am hoping that a year will make some improvement in her ability to walk and not complain she is tired. I am also hoping that the sporadic walking -- slower paced walk going from ride to ride and not a swift quick pace will be manageable. I also feel there will be some excitement which will get her to want to walk from ride to ride/show

Please tell me your experience with a 5 yo in the parks? and did you absolutely need a stroller?
 
We didn't a week trip with a 6 and 4 year old and would definitely advise against not bringing a stroller for a few reasons...

1. When it is busy it is so much easier to keep an eye on them in the crowd, it saves you carrying them during busier times, after a parade and fireworks. It gets quit congested and they can get bumped around a bit when they are walking.

2. Nap time, we avoided having to go back to the resort for naps by having them nap in the stroller, we would continue visiting the park while they slept or we enjoyed an adult beverage and rested our feet while they slept

3. Going for walks can not compare to the amount of walking you do in Disney, if you are planning only one or two days in the park you may be ok but doing a week of walking is going to be too much for little ones

4. Having a place for your stuff, water bottles, sweatshirts and souvenirs take up space so be prepared to carry it all plus hold your kids hand. It's easier to stow it under the stroller or hook it on the handle.

We rented the Disney strollers, though expensive, they're were big enough for my two to sleep in or they walked along side them holding the handle. Plus at he end of the night you just rerun it and you don't have to worry about bringing them on the buses or back to your resort.

Hope that helps?
 
We are about to take our 3rd Disney trip! My DD was 3,5 and now 7. My DS was 5, 7 and 9 for each trip. We have had a stroller for each trip. We have never really used a stroller at home. I thought for sure that they would fuss on our first trip saying that they did not want to sit in the stroller. They never did!! They actually requested the stroller for this trip.
 
It really depends on your touring style and kid.

I still use a stroller for my 4.5 year old but I also have a 2 year old so the double is no more trouble than the single.

Will you take breaks? Do you plan to go from rope drop to night shows? Will she nap in a stroller (even if she typically doesn't at home).

Last month we did a rope drop to Fantasmic day and the 4 year old fell asleep on the boat ride over (in the stroller) to HS from Epcot. There is just too much walking and if I don't want a cranky kid, he sits in the stroller.

He does not use a stroller at home even at the zoo.

I do dream of stroller free days though!
 
I just did 4 days with my 5.5 year old. No stroller. It was amazing. The freedom of no stroller was so nice. She got a little overwhelmed with DHS rope drop and then the Epcot power walk to Frozen (international gateway to frozen is a decent walk). I think the only complaint was the walk to frozen. 'Why does my side hurt?!?!?'

We stayed at Beach Club so we walked to DHS and Epcot.

I will say she's a competitive swimmer who swims 5-6 times a week so she has great stamina (better then me for sure!)
 
We brought my daughter to WDW for her first trip when she was 5. We were there Sunday-Sunday (Mon-Sat in the parks).

She walked just fine at first, but we decided to rent a park stroller on Wednesday. Honestly, we were all feeling it by then. This was Epcot/MK day and we were glad we got it. We also got one on Saturday for AK/MK day. Again, we were happy with the choice.

There were times that we wished we had one the entire trip. We stayed at POR and it was a lot of walking around there. She was miserable by night time and wanted to be carried to the bus stops. It was tough.

This year we plan more rest and she is stronger now (7 years old by the time we go). I say go with your gut on this. If she complains about a neighborhood walk it might be hard for her. DD is the same way.

Stroller parking is something I hated, so take that as you will. I was glad not to have the thing on buses, also. She crashed in the stroller on those nights, though. It was nice to get to stay later because of that :)
 


For me, 4 and under are the only ones allowed in my stroller. If you're already taking walks, she'll be fine. Especially in April as the weather is great. When it gets too hot/cold you start to get more complaining.

As a note, we nearly always do a mid day break or don't go out all night. My 6yo made it from open Blizzard Beach through Rivers of Light last week though!
 
Unless your 5yr is accustomed to walking 5-8 miles a day, plan on a stroller, they don't have to use it all day...but they will appreciate the rest/ride every now and then. Plus, it gives you a place to put stuff, instead of packing it on your back...and gives the little a place to nap when the walking has done them in. Please don't expect those little legs to go all day long like yours do, that's what causes the major meltdowns that can be seen all around the park every day about sunset.
 
I went the first time when my kids were 7, 5 and 5 (twin girls). No stroller. I just went with how they felt. If they were tired, we'd stop and find a bench, or head back to the hotel. If you don't need a stroller at home, don't use it at WDW.

Less is always more when it comes to the parks. If your kid is tired, guaranteed you as a parent will be tired as well. Not the time to push a 5 year old around.
 
I would bring a cheap umbrella one with a simple basket. for all the reasons above. Not a "real stroller". Two trips ago we rented one later in the evening for my 8 year old.. She wasnt feeling well and we were in the situation do we go back or stay... I wasnt also 100% if it was simply being too tired or not.. sick in the eyes she was not. once we got the stroller and she was able to sit and lean back a few minutes, she was "healed". Then her and her older brother decided the stroller was a cool toy to push each other around fast and in circles but that is another story. :)
 
We did our first stroller free trip when DD was 5.5. It was awesome! We did play it by ear and decided that if she needed a stroller we would just rent one. She never needed it. We went in August and did rope drop, midday break by the pool and then PM park. She never complained either.

It was our best trip. I didn't realize how exhausting it was to push a stroller around all day. We felt way more refreshed. We also went bagless.
 
This topic comes up fairly often and frequently sets off a fire storm.

My cliff notes version. I'm 100% in favor of a stroller. We used them for our kids until they were 8 or 9 years old...even our oldest sat from time to time until he was 10. Our kids are very active and quite fit, as are DW and myself. However, we felt it was the right thing for us to do and wouldn't change it one bit. We always had a cheap umbrella stroller, which was fine. But I will say the larger wheeled ones, that have bicycle tires, are much easier to push.

Having said that, it doesn't mean our way is the right way by any means. Just the right way for us. If you think you need one, get it. If it turns out you don't, great. If you don't get one and need it, then not a big deal either. They're easy to get.
 
My opinion was not popular one a recent thread about older kids using strollers, but I'll post it here anyway. We will be going next January when my kids are 4 and 8, and I plan on renting a double Citi Mini. I know neither one will ride in it all day and it will frequently be parked, but I want it available for our late nights and longer walks. We go park open to park close 6 days on our Disney vacations. We wouldn't be able to do this without the stroller. My kids have never had a meltdown because they were tired. We only go about every 2 years, and for me going back to the resort everyday for an afternoon break is not an option. Having a stroller, even for the 8 year old, allows us to tour how we want. Do what you think will work best for your family, but I wouldn't think twice about renting a stroller for my 4, soon to be 5, year old. In fact, I wouldn't go without one. :)
 
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6 years old was the first time we did it without a stroller and it was a quick 4 day trip and my daughter's 8th trip. Basically, we took it sloe and didn't do alot.

At 5 I would not have considered going without a stroller...it makes things so much easier. The inconvenience of getting on and off the busses are worth the hours of convenience touring the parks.

EDITED...we never went with soley umbrella stroller. Full jogger every single trip. One time we brought an umbrella stroller but barely used it and got rid of it when we got back.
 
We took DD right after she turned 5. We decided to not rent a stroller ahead of time and played it by ear, We had 6 park days and we ended up never needing a stroller and it was awesome. I will say though that we were not there all day because we rope dropped and then left by two each day because the kids were tired.
 
My youngest will be 6 when we go in December and there will definitely be a stroller in tow. We first took DS15 when he was 5 with no stroller and I have never been so tired in my life. He was a load to carry every afternoon and every night. I'm too old for that now :)
 
We have gone the last 2 years when our kids were DS3 and DD4 and then this year DS4 and DD5. There is no way I would do it without a stroller! DH and I have dreamed about trying it but there is just no way we are willing to right now! It is too convienent to keep them together, to have a comfy place to sit for fireworks and parades, and the extra basket to put things. We took a leisurely stroll around WS at Epcot during late magic hours with our 5 year old asleep in the stroller...no way we could have done that if we didn't have one. It would have been back to the hotel bc they wouldn't have been awake to walk it. Our son even slept through wishes. Especially on a week long trip. It will be a must for us!

If your daughter complains about walking the neighborhood, there is no way she will make it at Disney! Don't forget it's not just walking...your also on your feet all day standing in line for rides, food, and meet and greets.
 
We have been going since my son was just shy of 3 (he's 36 now). We never took a stroller (single mom). If he got just too tired for words, we would go back to the room or toward the end of the day I might rent one. It helped that he hated strollers, he was a real active kid and loved to be free. Since it was usually just he and I (sometimes my Mom would go with us) we pretty much had a routine anyway. He wasn't required to hold my hand all the time unless it was just jam packed but he had to stay within a certain distance of me. If we were in line at a QS, he would stand in front of me then when I got the tray, he would hold onto some part of my clothes so I could feel him holding on. We went at his pace, if he wanted to stop and sit on a bench and drink something, we stopped (most of the time he was actually standing or jumping). I think it really just depends on you and your child. We didn't take a whole lot of stuff into the park, if he got too dirty we went back to the room and changed. I might carry a little baggy with crackers for him but most of the time I just carried a small crossbody with money, room key (before MBs) ID, etc (it was also before cell phones).
 
We are here right now with a 4 and 7 year old. My 7 year old is quite small, and only about 2 inches taller than my 4 year old, so probably about the size of a typical 5 year old. They are active kids, but it is a TON of walking. According to my husband, the best part of the trip is the double stroller.

I think it depends on your kid and how you travel. I originally intended on coming back to the hotel mid-day for naps, but after experiencing the buses, it felt like too much wasted time. I then planned on rope dropping and getting everything done by about 2:30 every day, but there is so much to see and do. Having the stroller has given us the freedom to just keep going. When the kids are hot and tired, they rest and we keep going. When I underestimate the wait time of an attraction and then nearly miss a fast pass, they can hop in the stroller and we can haul it across the park. My husband teases me that I like to get my money's worth, and fussy kids are not going to slow down my day.

I admire those who can just slow their pace down, take breaks, and catch it next time. If you are one of those people, you might be able to get by without a stroller, but it wouldn't work for us.
 

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