Transitioning from Stroller to walk. Need reassurance....

[Nancyg56]

We had always used one for our DGD, and liked that she could relax when she was tired. By the time she wa six, and she was a little Peanut, she really did nto need one, so DD just rented it for an Epcot day (that is a lot of walking and it made it possibel for us to stay longer while she rested) and for the Christmas party. Honestly, if you really do not need one, I would play it by ear, and if needed rent one for the day. I bet you won't have to.

We are taking a 5 and 6 YO this Summer, and will have one for them. Once again, I bet it will be me who needs it! LOL! This old gal has less stamina than the littles! LOL!

 

[disneybliss2]

She's 48 inches now (yay- most ride level!) at almost 7. We are going in 7 months so she might grow a little
She is extremely active but when she gets tired she becomes a different child. With energy she is dancing and singing while she walks but with her normal bedtime at 730-8 and then going to bed at 10-11, the active child might not be so active anymore and she literally shuts down.

I almost feel like we should buy a $30 stroller just for the heck of it just in case we need it towards the end of the week or our late nights. I know she will be fine the first few days of our vacation though

Your daughter and situation sounds very similar to ours. We too took a stroller when our youngest was 1, 3, and 5. I was concerned how well she would do when we went this past summer when she was 7. There is no way she would sit in a stroller at home, nor would I even consider it, but for a trip to WDW it's another story. For one, there's miles of walking. We go at rope drop and continue until our evening ADR with no mid-day break. On a couple of evenings we'll also stay for a parade or light show. That makes a for a long day of a lot of walking for a little one. Both my husband and I are tall too so we have long strides which makes it even harder for her to keep up. Like your little one, when my daughter gets tired she becomes a bear. Her sweet temperament changes to being grouchy and whiney. We have a structured bedtime at home, so getting up early and staying out late makes it hard for her since she's not used to it. My oldest can go all night and day. My youngest just doesn't have the stamina. It doesn't make her bad, it just makes her different. I didn't even consider taking the stroller with my oldest when she was 7, but my youngest is a different person and and I felt she may need it. We also go in June when the Florida heat adds to making a tired kid even crankier. I didn't want to have to take the stroller but at the same time I decided it was my vacation and I shouldn't worry about the judgmental stares I knew I would receive from others. My goal was to keep my family happy. Well, I hauled it down to Florida and I decided to try the first day without it. If she did great without it, it would be a success. If not, we'd go back to the room mid-day and get it or just take it the next day. It was nice knowing I had it as a backup. Guess what? She never used it the entire trip. She did great! Never once did she whine or complain. She rolled through the heat and the miles of walking like a champ. I was shocked! It was so nice to be so carefree without the stroller. I thought we would miss the advantage of having the stroller to hold the backpack, drinks, etc. It was so much easier to not have to deal with the stroller. We could get through crowds easier, didn't have to mess with parking and finding the stroller, etc. It really was a big time saver not having it. I'm glad I took it for the peace of mind of knowing I had it in case I needed it, but I'm so very glad we didn't have to use it. It made a huge difference in our trip. I would recommend taking one just in case you find your daughter needs it. Better to have it available than not. Have a great trip!

 

[john516]

We have twin 5 years old and plan to use our stroller. Too much ground to cover otherwise.

 

[chicagoshannon]

My kids have more energy than I do. Seriously. A stroller isn't necessary unless they're pushing ME! The last time my almost 8 year old rode in the stroller she was barely 6. The only reason she did the was because I had it for ds. Our last trip in Septemeber was the last time we brought a stroller. Ds was barely 4 and he only used it for Epcot.

I've found that most of the complaining about walking isn't really about walking at all. The kids are usually hungry or bored (too long between attractions). So we either sit for a couple of minutes or get a snack. They perk right up.

Unless there is some medical condition kids don't need a stroller at 7. Not having a stroller is so nice! You don't have to backtrack after rides to pick the thing up!

 

[Nancyg56]

My kids have more energy than I do. Seriously. A stroller isn't necessary unless they're pushing ME! The last time my almost 8 year old rode in the stroller she was barely 6. The only reason she did the was because I had it for ds. Our last trip in Septemeber was the last time we brought a stroller. Ds was barely 4 and he only used it for Epcot.

I've found that most of the complaining about walking isn't really about walking at all. The kids are usually hungry or bored (too long between attractions). So we either sit for a couple of minutes or get a snack. They perk right up.

Unless there is some medical condition kids don't need a stroller at 7. Not having a stroller is so nice! You don't have to backtrack after rides to pick the thing up!

True. The reason DD had one the last time was that the Christmas party was wicked crowded, and she felt that when we were walking DGD would be better off in teh stroller than on foot. My DSIL ended up carrying her because he felt she was so little she could get swept away, the traffic was like swarms! By 7 she was over teh stroller, and the one who would have benefited from a ride was me!

 

[stormer]

Just a thought for anyone worried about their kids falling asleep during the ride back to the resort. When my ds was 5 he fell asleep every night on the way back. The first night the cm at akl saw and offered us a wheel chair to push him back to the room. It worked great and hubby just wheeled it back to them. You could always try that if it is too far to carry kids back to your room.

We went stroller free whe. They were 5 and never had any problems. At that age they are becoming more independent and building their stamina. If they were tired we took a little break.

 

[Brian Noble]

Please tell me your experiences from your child's transition.

The day each of my kids turned five marked the end of their parent-powered lifestyle of leisure. Neither were the worse for wear. You do have to go at their speed, not yours, so it can require a bit more planning, but 9 times out of 10 my kids were more energetic than we were.

 

[KEPE]

Same here... DD is 7 on our next trip and will be the first w/o the stroller. I'm going to miss it holding all our stuff. My thought is going w/o it and if she gets exhausted we take a break. If it's a long park day and she is getting to that whiney point we'll rent one if I feel there is a need but I'm not planning on it only know it's an option if I really need it. BEst of luck!

 

[Princess Melody]

Mine is almost 4 and does park open to park close without a stroller just fine. We go often & some days I bring it, some days it stays at home. After age 3 it started getting left at home more and more. I don't believe in rushing from ride to ride though. At that age it's great to have the excuse to actually slow down and see things from their perspective and see the magic in little things I'd rush right by if I were pushing her in a stroller. We take breaks for lunch and dinner. We sit down frequently when we are on rides and in shows. She was never a stroller napper so that doesn't come in to play for us (and she walks out at the end of the night just fine! If I notice she is getting really tired in the evening we leave then vs staying for fireworks). If the stroller isn't there, I don't mention it, and she knows her only option is walking she does fine so I'm pretty sure a healthy kid twice her age would do fine. There is so much to see and do it distracts her and the stroller isn't missed and should she get tired sitting for a snack or show reenergizes her. I honestly don't remember there being so many older kids in strollers at Disney before the internet became so widely used and parents started discussing it. Years ago it was rare to see a child over 5 in a stroller but now you see tons of them, many smashed into strollers they outgrew long ago. If you do decide to go the stroller route I'd rent a city mini vs buying a $20-$30 umbrella. We own both & the cheapie umbrella is hard to push & navigate with a petite soon to be 4 yr old (not to mention her head is close to the top) so I can't imagine pushing a normal weight child over 5 in one. The cheap ones also don't have baskets or any/good sunshades, which are reasons I'd consider a stroller for an older child. You could always try without & rent if need be. As long as you don't plan on running from attraction to attraction all day & plan on stopping & sitting for lunch & shows your child should be fine!

 

[Moms]

We did our first Disney trip with our daughter a week before her 3rd birthday and have probably done twenty or more since (she is now an adult). I am most likely in the minority, but we waited until she was 3 so we didn't have to deal with diapers, special food, or a stroller. We never took one, never rented one and never had a problem. There were long days but we went at her pace ... if she was tired we sat and rested, if a break was needed we went back to the hotel for a nap and a swim and when she was little we kept our plans loose and easy. That said we never felt the need to do everything as we were fortunate enough to know that there would be more trips and anything missed could be done next time.

 

[Dizzymrslizzy]

Our last trip to WDW we had a 1 yr old and a 4 1/2 yr old. I brought the stroller for my DS (the 4 1/2 yr old) and he didn't need it AT.ALL. And we stayed at Carribbean Beach. He was up from Rope Drop to Fireworks for 10 days.

 

[bumbershoot]

The only time we used a stroller at home was when I wanted to jog, and we used the actual jogging stroller bought for thatpurpose. We didn't even own any stroller until DS was over 2 and we realized we were going to keep going to Disneyland and I was tired of renting them.

Used the simple (non-jogger, of course) stroller for the trips when he was 3, 3, 4, 4, and 5 a couple times (and probably a couple more trips in there. Then when he was 6.5 we went to WDW for the first time. Having no clue about how we would deal with WDW, we brought the Volo, allowing him to make the decision each day to bring it to the parks or not. It sat in the hallway of the villa, folded up, the whole time. He never wanted or needed it. At some point in that year+ he just didn't need it anymore for Disney.

Storing water bottles and sweat shirts, chapstick, sunblock, etc.

Not having to carry a backpack around to store sunblock, bottles, camera, etc.

Well, those shouldn't have been left in the stroller to begin with, because people do steal things out of strollers.

Not to mention, critters get up into strollers and search around. Saw one at Disneyland gnawing on the cap of a bottle of water. That cured us of leaving *anything* in the stroller (we had already had theft on a previous trip).

Then at WDW we really got a visual of how bold the squirrels are there (worse than at DLR). This is at the clown pool at BW, with people all around. Imagine this dude all over the stroller with the water, chapstick, etc...

Taking breaks most days during the afternoon to go swim (but that might make her even more exhausted for the night!).

Taking a break to swim, for us, is ending the day. Swimming is major activity, and wipes us out.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm big on water bottles but hopefully we can swing one huge 60oz bottle that we share and keep refilling
Sunblock will probably only be applied in morning and then when we go to the pool (no comments about sun burn please!!)

You said not to, but...if I applied once maybe twice a day I would be a lobster by day 2. If you can get away with that, you must have the skin of my husband and son.

Igloo MaxCold backpack cooler. Carries your water. Keeps it cool. Can put the sunscreen in the outside pockets. Then have another, light, backpack for ponchos and sunglasses. There's no need to just have the one backpack. By our trip when DS was 7 he was carrying the MaxCold towards the end of the day when the supply of water was diminished, and now he's regularly the carrier of it.

I almost feel like we should buy a $30 stroller just for the heck of it just in case we need it towards the end of the week or our late nights.

$30 stroller with a tall and I assume matching weight to age/height kid...misery for the parents pushing it.

I've found that most of the complaining about walking isn't really about walking at all. The kids are usually hungry or bored (too long between attractions).

SO true.

 

[finedice]

DD never had a stroller at 4, 6, or beyond. Never needed - if she/we got tired, we left the park for awhile. There are far too many strollers at WDW. Nothing wrong if they are needed, but IMHO, kids in Kindergarten+ should earn the fun and the magic with the exercise. She would probably have thrown a fit if I tried to put her in one anyway.

Now me on the other hand - I would love to be pushed

 

[lauradis]

DH drinks a ton of water. I encourage him to wear cargo shorts. Men's cargo shorts can reasonably carry several water bottles.

We leave the resort with more water (in summer), and drink one early. Maybe while walking down Main St. I'm not one to stand in line just for water, but at every meal, at least in summer, we get (extra) water with our meal. We are not above refilling our bottles with leftover ice water from a meal, or carrying a paper cup for a bit.

I'm with you on sunblock. Last trip, I found a sunblock stick. We apply a good dose before we leave the room. The stick is largely for back up. Walking around, my legs have never gotten burnt, mostly my face/shoulders. On prior trips, I found a tiny container/tube and refilled each night as needed

My cell phone is kind of my everything-in-one now: electronic copies of conf #'s and receipts, GPS (w/car), camera, phone.

Mostly plastic ponchos will fit in a back pocket. If you ever end up with a jacket, zippered pockets are great. I have a windbreaker from LLBean (technically it is not a rain jacket) and it folds down into it's own zip pocket. Love it at WDW.

If I have to carry a bag, I like the Dooney and Bourke crossbody pouchette. It is so light I don't notice it, even in summer heat. It tolerates getting wet. On rides, I don't have to do anything with it. Just big enough! I also hate having any bag at bag check, but this has only ONE main zipper compartment. One zipper, and the guard can see the whole bag. The inside of the bag has pockets, so items like chapstick can be kept organized. Holds everything BUT water.

Last summer, we had a combo all over FL trip planned....we broke standard protocol. I normally don't bring a backpack, but for that trip- I found a small backpack cooler at Target. The brand is embark. While it is a backpack, it is small, with padded straps. It worked great at the beach/hiking. We also used it one day at WDW when realfeel temps were over 100. Since it was small, it was way better than the average backpack.

This is why my husband loves his cargo shorts. He also loves to show me what he can fit in them. I told him great you can be the pack mule.

First trip for our last DD was between 6/7, she would have died if I told her she had to ride in a stroller. She did want her own hoveround. lol

If you plan to take breaks in the middle of the day, do you really need to haul around sunblock, jackets, extra stuff????????

 

[My3Princez]

. I have the same question! I bring more than you because I'm really prone to sunburn and I now have to carry cheaters in order to read a menu, but enough to fill a stroller?

When we brought our stroller with older kids who weren't likely to use it, it was a super budget trip and we brought almost all of our own food in a cooler, plus the usual stuff. It was just nice not to have it strapped to my back in a backpack!

 

[North of Mouse]

Know a few pp's were posting 'tongue in cheek' about needing to ride in a stroller themselves, but no kidding last night we saw a 'large' mom holding a child in a Disney rented stroller being pushed by another lady. Couldn't believe my eyes - wish I would have gotten a picture - it was priceless LOL!!

That's the oldest and largest 'child' I've seen yet in a baby stroller on this trip - although the large, older children in huge baby strollers seem to be bigger and more numerous than ever. I've seen lots of people giving them the 'stink eye' though, especially on buses. It's usually the 'dads' that seem to have the good fortune of toting them, and every other word they say is 'excuse me' as they bump and bounce through the isle of the buses.

 

[My3Princez]

Well, those shouldn't have been left in the stroller to begin with, because people do steal things out of strollers.

Not to mention, critters get up into strollers and search around. Saw one at Disneyland gnawing on the cap of a bottle of water. That cured us of leaving *anything* in the stroller (we had already had theft on a previous trip).

Then at WDW we really got a visual of how bold the squirrels are there (worse than at DLR). This is at the clown pool at BW, with people all around. Imagine this dude all over the stroller with the water, chapstick, etc...

Taking a break to swim, for us, is ending the day. Swimming is major activity, and wipes us out.

I know some things get stolen out of strollers, but if someone else needs my pbj sandwich or bottle of water - I'm okay with that. We never left anything that would be a huge deal if it disappeared. As far as the squirrels - it would be pretty obvious if they got inside the zippered cooler bags, so that didn't bother me either. They are welcome to climb all over the outside.

 

[itchin2go]

We rented a Disney stroller for my daughter when she was that age. We would never have had her in a stroller anywhere else at that age, but it made everything much easier. I would also not have brought a regular stroller, but the Disney strollers are so roomy. You will see people with kids that age in strollers, and you will see kids that age without. It is not my place to judge ... simply tell you my experience. We personally wanted to feel free to keep going after my daughter started dragging. Simple as that. It removed a very real constraint on our experience, left her in a better mood, and has the bonus of a drink holder and a place to store merch. It's pricey, but it was worth it.

Do what you think is best, but know that a rental is always an option.

 

[DisneyFive]

Right there with ya OP. This will be our first year without a stroller too. (youngest will be 8) We brought one when our youngest was 6, and about half the days we didn't use it. Like you, we use it just as much to hold bags and coolers as holding kids. The cooler can be heavy, since we keep waters in there.

Those days we didn't bring a stroller, we used a backpack instead. It was great not having to push a stroller around, and my son didn't seem to miss it at all. The only problem is that the backpack was pretty dang heavy by the time you get all the crap in there that you need. Not so fun lugging it around all day in the 90 degree Sept heat.

Trade-offs I guess.

Dan