Tips on getting kids ready for all the walking

[Queentoottoot]

Although my children play sports and are not overweight they get "tired" from walking pretty easy. We plan on taking them hiking a few times before we go to Disney at the end of May. Any other suggestions to "get them ready"??
My husband refuses to carry either one of them. They are 5 and 8 years of age.

 

[CherCrazy]

I think your kids may be so distracted by all the rides and Disney characters that they may not notice their feet are tired. I would say plan on taking lots of breaks and make sure they aren't wearing NEW shoes. Old sneakers that are already broken in will be much more comfortable.

 

[Stitch Inside]

Do you have a local zoo? We went to ours last week. In our case, it's us parents that need to get in "Disney" shape. We put extra weight in the bottom of our stroller and marched all over the zoo. I suggest renting a stroller at Epcot. Otherwise, they should be fine as long as you take breaks and drink lots of water.

 

[Deesknee]

I think your kids may be so distracted by all the rides and Disney characters that they may not notice their feet are tired. I would say plan on taking lots of breaks and make sure they aren't wearing NEW shoes. Old sneakers that are already broken in will be much more comfortable.

I agree.

We did however take walks around our local track. Sometimes making it a race if there were no other people there. We always buy new sneakers about a month before our trip & break them in this way. I tend to keep my own sneakers much longer than I should ( that makes for blisters & sore feet also) buying new a month or so before our trip insures no problems from to old or to new. lol

 

[moopdog]

When the weather around here gets decent enough (mid april?) I'm going to start taking a walk with the kids every day. I will take the stroller and have the kids get out and walk for awhile... back the in the stroller when they get tired, and then back out again... etc. We live in a very rural area, so we can just the leave the stroller & come back for it if we want. This is mostly for ME to get in shape, but my plan is to get them used to walking for a while everyday. Our trips not until Sept, so we have time!!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

You may have to factor in the heat.

At 4 years old my daughter didn't need a stroller in Dec. When she was 7, we went in May and the heat zapped her. I was shocked because she is an active child. I ended up renting a stroller for her so that we would be able to do more each day. She was happier and we got to do a lot.

We also start walking each evening after dinner around our circle to help build up stamina. We usually walk 7-8 miles a day while at WDW.

Lori

 

[Myalyas]

We also had to rent strollers for the two 10-yr-olds we had a few years ago because of the heat.

 

[jenndisney]

We also park a bit further away from the store when I need to get a few things. Every little bit helps.

Also, get moleskin! Just put in on the balls of the feet every morning and you will be surprised at how well it keeps your feet from getting blisters and hot spots.

I agree with the trips to the zoo and track. We also will walk a mile or so to the ice cream shop (when the weather is good) for a treat. Makes mom burn the calories in the treat!

Also, keep the kids hydrated. They won't notice it with all that is going on. We take a drink break every 30 minutes just to make sure.

 

[MNmom]

The only time my DD(7) had a problem was the morning of our Princess Breakfast in Norway. Part of our problem was that we were in kind of a hurry as we arrived for our PS about 5 minutes late. We had a PS before the park opened so we had to walk from the bus stop through the EPCOT entrance/Future World and around the lake to Norway. Then after breakfast we had to walk all the way back to Future World because World Showcase wasn't open yet. We were exhausted and it was only 9:30am. We are both in pretty good shape as I work out and play competitive tennis 2x/week and she plays soccer and swims all year.

This was the only time that she really started to drag on our whole trip. Needless to say we will NOT be booking a PSB before the park opens this summer. We will wait for a later time and enjoy Future World first then after breakfast just stroll around the world.

It is these kinds of little things that can really make a difference in a pleasurable day and a day of dragging your kids around.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I think the "all day" at the parks walks are just different than normal walking. I agree to go at their speed, take lots of little breaks including a inside sit down lunch if possible, and being open to renting a stroller is that will make the day better for anyone. We have aways had the rule when anyone is too tired to have fun we stop. Sometimes a ice cream in the shade helps and sometimes we need to get back to the room. Just relax, and slow down and everyone will do fine.

 

[2tinkersmom]

We took an umbrella stroller for our 6 year old.....she just has never been a walker so I knew she would tire quickly. I was so glad we did, not only was it handy and simple for in the airport it was nice to have it to "hang" our daily collection of stuff on while walking. We went in Jan. and actually had close to 80 degree days so I can imagine her tiring even easier when we are there on warmer days.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

The kids will go for walks with me after school to walk the dog and that helps some. Also last year I bought them each an inexpensive pedometer from Walmart to wear while they walk - They LOVE to rack up the steps and try to out do each other. This year I told them that they can wear their pedometers to WDW so that we can see how many steps we walk each day.

 

[grlpwrd]

I say practice, too. Practice walking at zoos and hiking and make sure they carry their backpacks with supplies and water. Yes, taking breaks here and there. That way they will get a feel of what to expect.

 

[crisi]

Yep, park walking is different. A little walk, a little ride, another little walk, a show, a snack.

This isn't "getting ready" but some "while you are there" advice.

We've always rented strollers for mine (4 and 5 last trip - and the 4 year old is NOT a walker). But we often leave them parked. They do get REALLY TIRED on the way back to the resort - even if they ran to the ride we went on right before we said "time to go back kids!" We have resorted to piggy back rides - we will walk them twenty steps (we count) - they have to walk 200.

Don't skimp on the transportation options. Grown ups sometimes faster and easier to "work" the Disney transportation system (hey, the bus for BWVs just pulled out - but that one is going to MGM - lets catch it and walk) - with kids, wait for the bus. (And am I the only one who would like the guiderails lined with skinny benches at the bus stops! Not anything too traffic impeding, just a few inches to set your back end)

Epcot - particularly WS is difficult - a LONG walk without a lot of interesting (for kids) attractions. You might consider breaking it up over a few days. We schedule a few dinners there and see the countries around the spot we are having dinner. AK is also pretty spread out - if your kids are tired there, avoid the trails (which are very interesting) and Rafiki's Planet Watch (also very interesting), both had me tired. MGM and MK are both easier "walking" parks.

 

[sskem96]

My kids are 5 and 8 also. We took them to Six Flags last fall. We told them if they could walk all day and not complain, we would take them to Disney this year. My 8 year old is not a walker at all, but they had motivation and they did great. I told them I am open to getting a stroller at Epcot since we are doing WS on arrival day and they might already be tired, but the whole point of waiting til they were older to go was to avoid having to deal with the whole stroller issue. It's so nice when you can finally go places with no stroller and no diaper bag!