Too big for stroller?

[goofy4tink]

That's always a challenge, trying to get out of the park with the herd while pushing a heavy double stroller. Been there, done that many times. Especially on Main Street with the darn trolley tracks. You are trying to be careful to not whack the person in front of you in the ankles with the stroller, while trying not to get run over from behind, or have people try to rush and get around you...and step right in front of you. I've had words with a few people who are so impatient that they wind up basically pushing my kids legs as they're trying to squeeze in front of us. The fun part of it is my kids think it's great. From their point of view sitting that low, it's a see of legs. They try to be my navigator to weave a path through...daddy, go left. Dad, go right. Dad, run. Dad, STOP!!!!!

I have always wondered how little ones felt in that sea of legs!!! I figured it must be horrifying! I always try to give those with strollers a wide berth...for the very reasons you mention. I just get annoyed when someone feels they're more important than I am, based on the fact that they have kids, with them, and I don't.

my kids wouldn't have tolerated the notion. As soon as they were walking they both thought a stroller was only for babies!!

That was my dd! There was no way she was getting into a stroller!!! Too funny. I asked my dd if she wanted me to get a stroller when we were at WDW that first time. She looked at me and told me they're for babies, not me. I'm in kindergarten you know!!! Geez kid. Just asking.

It's just people who like to judge and be negative about anything they can. They aren't the ones having to carry a 35lb child to the bus stop at 11:30 at night.

And I didn't!!! If my child was that tired, it would be my own fault for keeping her up too late. And that's something I chose not to do. Did it mean that there were things we missed? Sure. But, she survived, and had a great time the next day..
But, I was the mean mommy that told my child, at the age of 4, that if she wanted something for the plane ride, she had to be responsible for it!!! She had her own carry on bag, and she pulled it herself. And no, she wasn't a hindrance to others in the airport!!! She learned very quickly what was acceptable and wasn't. I don't remember carrying her very much once she started walking...that would have meant one of two things had happened...1. she was hurt, or 2. I wanted to move more quickly and she would then have a major hissy fit. I didn't carry her! Not listening to that fit!!

I'm truly not being negative. I fully realize that there are many reasons a larger/older child might be in a stroller. And that is none of my business! That's why I say it's up to each family to decide what is best for them. Just don't try to push past me and cram into me, from behind! Can't tell you how many times that has happened....and seldom is an apology forthcoming.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Honestly I never even read your post @goofy4tink, so I am not sure what you're on about. I wasn't referring to you. I am also not one to really care what other people do about parenting unless I witness obvious abusive acts.

The OP asked for personal experience so I gave mine. I don't think it's very nice to say people are raising lazy children if they have a 5 year old in a stroller. That was all I was pointing out.

 

[TavieP]

Been going to WDW every year since 1982 when my sister and I were 3. We got strollers until we were 4. Boy oh boy did we want stroller when we were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... 35... but there were two of us and it was often my mom (my dad hates Florida and didn't come with when we were younger) traveling with a friend with kids of her own, and she couldn't push two strollers, so we had to walk and that's that.

I have pictures of my sister and me on the monorail, crying from exhaustion one night in 1985. Ah, cherished memories.

 

[ParrotBill]

This topic posts about once every year and grows to 50 or 60 pages. it's a very personal decision and has as much to do with the child's abilities as it does the parents.

We got our child off stroller at age 5 because we wanted to be more mobile and carry less stuff. We did it by changing our park visting habits. Shorter visits to the park, big mid day break, return to park. without fail. Slower pace. Hydrate the child. Feed the child. Hydrate the child. Feed the child. Breaks in air conditioning and some meals inside. You just can't commando the parks and expect kids to keep up or last the day and if you do that then they need a stroller until much later. And some kids are ready earlier and some are not.

 

[Barbara76]

On our first trip my DD was 4 and we didn't even think about getting a stroller for her since she hadn't used on since she was a baby, she did great.

 

[Juliet25]

Is it unnecessary to rent and drive around a double stroller for a close-to-6 year old with a 1-1/2 year old? The younger child definitely needs a stroller all the time, but the older child doesn't need one at all in "normal" situations like shopping. Do you think an almost 6 year old would benefit from a stroller when all day at WDW? I'd hate to rent and haul it around if not necessary.

My almost 6 year old made it without a stroller, but it was rough at times. He was carried quite a bit. Honestly, I would go with the double this one time, unless you want to let the older child ride while the younger is carried. That might be a good compromise.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Is it unnecessary to rent and drive around a double stroller for a close-to-6 year old with a 1-1/2 year old? The younger child definitely needs a stroller all the time, but the older child doesn't need one at all in "normal" situations like shopping. Do you think an almost 6 year old would benefit from a stroller when all day at WDW? I'd hate to rent and haul it around if not necessary.

Could you get a stroller like a City Elite (renting from an offsite company) and get one of the sit and stand riding boards that goes with it? That would allow the 6 year old to get a rest from walking (even if they are standing), and if you have the 1.5 y/o out of the stroller and the 6 y/o wants a break, the stroller would be big enough for the 6 y/o to sit in. Seems like a good compromise.

 

[MariMama]

It's just people who like to judge and be negative about anything they can. They aren't the ones having to carry a 35lb child to the bus stop at 11:30 at night.

No, I wouldn't. Because when the kids were done, we were done. If that was 8 or 9pm, then that was when we headed out.

 

[Dismama2boys]

No, I wouldn't. Because when the kids were done, we were done. If that was 8 or 9pm, then that was when we headed out.

Yes, we're done when the kids are done. Even if that's 4 in the afternoon, which it sometimes is as we get later into the trip. BUT HE STILL WANTS/NEEDS TO BE CARRIED OUT OF THE PARK SOMETIMES. I'm tired of the assumption that if a child is tired and doesn't want to walk, it must be that the parents were selfish and pushed them too hard. My kiddos can be fine one minute and DONE the next. It's a ton of walking, many days in the heat, and kids (and adults!) get tired. Kids don't always give advance notice when they reach their limits. Stooooop with the judgement.

 

[SaintsManiac]

No, I wouldn't. Because when the kids were done, we were done. If that was 8 or 9pm, then that was when we headed out.

Congratulations!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I agree with Teacher100. Having both children in buggies keeps them under control in crowds, enables you to get from A to B much faster and will save on park meltdowns. You can always take a cheap folding stroller for the bigger child and 'park up' so they can walk around when you get to the area of the park you are visiting.

Not really. You have to park the stroller and look for it again after every ride/pavilion/land. (depends which park and how often you move it) it is also much harder to walk around the parks with a double stroller or two strollers. Simply put, the people around you aren't sympathetic. They don't make space for double strollers.

Finding a stroller in the stroller jungle takes quite a bit of time over the course of a full day. While you are on the rides, the CM's move them, so you rarely find them where you LEFT them. you often have to hunt all over for it, especially if it is one of the common brands, or a bland color like blue/gray/black.

(Marking with something bright and hard to remove- helps, but only a little. Bandanas, stickers, glow sticks; we tried it all over the years.)

OP, while the toddler will need to use the stroller MOST of the time...you may find that granting the older child a few short TURNS in the stroller really takes the edge off. Maybe give the older child 2/3 'wishes' per day - where each wish = ten min in the stroller.

Still....one more option we sometimes used...was to let the kids double up once in a while. If you do it all day , you'll trash the stroller, but if you do it for short periods (walking down Main street at the end of MK) That might be just enough to take the edge off.

 

[Delirium]

Everyone has something they judge other people about. And, if they deny it, they are either lying or not self-aware. People get judged for being obese, or smoking, or having too many tattoos, or being too obnoxious, or not giving enough attention to personal hygiene.

So, at the risk of getting slammed in this thread, I will admit that I cringe every time I see a kid that I deem to be too old/big for a stroller. I realize there are special situations, and I've probably been guilty of falsely judging some of those.

That said, in my opinion, most children above the age of 5 should not be in a stroller at Disney. Nor, should the child even expect it to be an option at that age. Careful planning, such as not criss-crossing the park, catching shows or heading back to the resort to rest in the heat of the day, and knowing a child's limit, will go a long way to keeping children from getting to the point where a meltdown occurs. And, if you stop and think about it, while 7-9 year old kids may legitimately get tired on occasion, they should be well beyond the point of having meltdowns anyway.

 

[Meeko5]

Judge away! My 7.5 year old will be eating chicken nuggets or pizza every night and riding in a double stroller with his 2.5 year old brother most of the day. THE HORROR.

Why? Because it works for us. Not because he is lazy, or underprepared, or obese, or special needs, or not special needs, or constantly catered to. Nor because I'm a bad parent, or a better parent, or any other excuse.

Use a stroller, or don't. But don't let worry of being judged either way affect YOUR vacation.

 

[mommycrawford]

i kind of see it this way: pushing a six year old and 11/2 year old is a lot of work, but carrying a six year old and pushing a 11/2 year old would make the trip unpleasant and more difficult than I would want to deal with!

Disney is hot, and children get tired and cranky, even in a magical place!...what will help you keep your cool and enjoy sharing time with your family?...wnatever it is, do that!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Maneuvering busy parks within even a single stroller can be a pain! When my 2 youngest kids were preschoolers (2 1/2 -4), my strategy was to bring small, cheap umbrella strollers but not let the kids know I had them. When the kids started getting tired, either dh or I would head back to the resort with the kids. At the beginning of the week, the kids did great! Towards the end of the trip, we would find ourselves using the strollers more - and dealing with tired cranky kids. Part of this I'm sure was due to the stress of a week at WDW but I'm betting even more of it was because using the strollers allowed the kids to stay in the park past what was a reasonable time for them. On that note: remember that you have to close up your stroller to board a Disney bus. Not much fun with kids who are sound asleep. I once tried to exit AK with 2 soundly sleeping toddlers. Ugh!

 

[kellyjeanie]

That said, in my opinion, most children above the age of 5 should not be in a stroller at Disney. Nor, should the child even expect it to be an option at that age. Careful planning, such as not criss-crossing the park, catching shows or heading back to the resort to rest in the heat of the day, and knowing a child's limit, will go a long way to keeping children from getting to the point where a meltdown occurs. And, if you stop and think about it, while 7-9 year old kids may legitimately get tired on occasion, they should be well beyond the point of having meltdowns anyway.

You could worry about all that, or you could just relax and get a stroller. There's no moral victory to not getting a stroller. No contest for who's kid can walk the most. No medal for doing Disney without a stroller.

 

[CS Torkelson]

have you considered getting a "Skateboard" for the back of the stroller?

http://www.babyjogger.com/product/glider-board/

it attaches to the back axle of the stroller. We used this the last time we were there with a 5 and 3 year old and it worked SOOOO much better than renting a double.

I'll check it out. Thanks!!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It comes down (mostly) to one simple question: Who has more endurance: the adults or the kids?


There is some room for a little middle ground of sorts. You'll probably find there are times when you can park the stroller and leave it in one place for a time, like Fantasyland. Other times, you are kind of forced to do that: the Seas and the Land share (or did share) a parking area. You have to leave the stroller outside pavilions like the Land, and walk around inside without it.

In practice, the toddler is likely to do quite a bit of walking. There are likely to be times (short excursions) when you don't use the stroller at all: going to the pool, dinner at your resort, etc. You may find you leave it in the room more than you think.
There's is also an option to get one mid-vacation. You can call a stroller rental place, drive to the outlet mall, rent one from WDW. WDW used to sell strollers, too- but I don't know if they still have them.

Another factor to consider is the weather. This time of year, torrential downpours happen with some regularity. A mesh stroller helps, a cover can help (though storms are often windy). the can pop up suddenly while you are inside a pavilion. Also, many attractions stop running during a storm, especially over at AK.

You know yourself and your children better than we do. Your children know themselves best of all. Strongly consider asking your older child what SHE wants to do, because this is a learning opportunity for her. Consider giving her some ownership here. (At least if you can both keep your cool about it.) Again, you know your relationship best. Either way, you are unlikely to ruin the vacation.

 

[Baklava]

my kids wouldn't have tolerated the notion. As soon as they were walking they both thought a stroller was only for babies!!

And that's an important factor. How will the child feel?

My kid needed one. She needed a place to retreat from sensory overload and I knew it was going to be a vital tool, but the first morning before she'd experienced the parks we did have to talk about how mostly strollers are for babies but this was a special circumstance.

There are a lot of things to consider- whether a child can handle the walking, whether the parent can handle the weight of pushing, whether the child's dignity will be bruised... it's not a black and white situation. Even my 2 kids had very different needs. My son would have dropped dead of mortification before getting in a stroller at 6. He just would have felt totally humiliated. His sister was just worried about what was right because she's autistic and that's a thing for her. Once she got that it was okay she was totally golden in her little pod. Some kids much older are begging for one. It's not as cut and dried as I thought it was when I had one neurotypical kiddo and all the answers.

 

[TavieP]

Trying to imagine what my mom would've said if we'd asked her to push us around WDW in a stroller at age 11.