What age is too old for a stroller?

[jzzikamarie]

OK...my 2 cents...
I personally have a problem when I see a child (5 and up) in a stroller when they are perfectly capable to walk. Seeing a child in a stroller when they are 8 just shows what is wrong with our society. It screams LAZY!!!!
At 4, my daughter is NEVER in her stroller, BUT Disney is a major exception to how I feel on the subject. We didn't bring our stroller because, like some have posted, I figured we'd be taking breaks and she'd be fine. Well, by the second day, she was completely worn out. We were up early and stayed late, so she did more than her share of walking. Needless to say by the third day, we rented a stroller. She didn't need it much, but it was nice for when she wanted to take a break and dad and I wanted to keep going. My suggestion is take one if you even slightly think you may need it. Better to take your own rather than paying 15 dollars a day to rent one.
And who cares what me/other think about it, right? You'll never see us again anyway....

 

[santa's surpriz]

My DD6 used a stroller at WDW in January. It makes the day mch more enjoyable. She can keep going all day long. When she is at WDW she does not want to stop. We must have gone to one of MK and back at least 10x. Her legs do tire easily (she is vertically challenged for her age.) The stroller makes that possible and gives me a place to stash our stuff. I love it. I really do not think an umbrella stroller is an issue getting on and off the buses. JUMP, KICK, and PUSH and BEND. She jumps off, I kick the lever and push it to the ground which locks it place and then pick it up. I made a game and had people laughing when we rushing to make the bus. The game takes about 5 seconds to get it folded plus I have a Mac so I get the handy shoulder strap.

It's really the child. WDW is not like going to mall, which we don't take a stroller. My daughter has always enjoyed the stroller which I do tell her that we only use it at WDW. We go to WDW in the cooler months, so we are pretty much going from sun up to sun down. I was so thankful this past visit bc we were not prepared for the length of the cold spell. A blanket kept my duaghter warm which I would probably would not have been able to do otherwise. Our breaks are usually eating a snack and that is it. Plus she always has place to sit and watch the parade

 

[njphv]

We're heading to the World in only 4 more days--and the stroller will join us once again. My DS6 is perectly capable of walking, but has, on more than one occasion, decided that he doesn't want to walk and stops wherever he is at that moment...because his "feet hurt" that just won't work on Main Street.. I'd love it if we didn't have the hassle of lugging the stroller onto the bus, but right now, it is necesary to the enjoyment of our trip for everyone. Besides, without a stroller, where would we stash all of our "stuff"?

 

[rcmsfeb04]

Thanks every one! The last time I took my family to Disney we took one stroller for my 3 year old and did not bring one for my 6 year old because I thought she was too old.

We went to the Halloween party one night and didn't get home until 1AM! Well the next day we went to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in the AM and because she was so worn out we had to drop $45 on a stroller!

So the next this is discussed at work I will say...
better a 6 year old in a stroller than a rent wheel chair....

Thanks again all! Beat wishes to all!

 

[BostonMom]

Our daughter was 4 1/2 when we went last fall. We didn't have a stroller for her, but our son's stroller was rated high enough to carry her weight so if we needed to we could carry him and let her ride (i.e. late at night). By the 3rd day of our trip though the late nights, walking all day, and hot weather got to her. We carried our son through most of AK. The next morning at HS my husband said "wait here for a minute" and surprised us with a stroller rental. This decision saved our day! At that point I didn't care who thought my very tall 4 year old (she looks 6) should be walking I just wanted her to enjoy herself, and I didn't want to be carrying the baby in the heat and sun.

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

This really depends on the child and their family. My children haven't been in a stroller since the age of 3 but it doesn't phase me in the least when people with older children use a stroller. Every child has a different limit and some children have physical, mental, or emotional limitations that aren't always "seeable" to everyone.

Thank you...you are so correct!!! We use a stroller at Disney for my DD7 (8 on our next trip) and probably will for a long time coming. Although she is only 7 she is a fairly big (read tall and somewhat "chunky") and often looks older than 7 she is more like a 3yo developmentally. We have often received odd looks and even nasty comments about her "behaviour" for her age. People just don't realize that because she looks "normal" and "older" that there may be something that is not "visable" to everyone. I wish more people would take this into consideration like you did!!

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

OK...my 2 cents...
I personally have a problem when I see a child (5 and up) in a stroller when they are perfectly capable to walk. Seeing a child in a stroller when they are 8 just shows what is wrong with our society. It screams LAZY!!!!

Maybe you need to take some sensitivity training! People can have "invisable" disabilities and may look to you like they are capable of walking but are not. (Please see my post above) I agree there may be some that are plain lazy but you should not judge when you don't know a person's situation.

 

[DebRMN]

OK...my 2 cents...
I personally have a problem when I see a child (5 and up) in a stroller when they are perfectly capable to walk. Seeing a child in a stroller when they are 8 just shows what is wrong with our society. It screams LAZY!!!!
......., BUT Disney is a major exception to how I feel on the subject. ........And who cares what me/other think about it, right? You'll never see us again anyway....

Let's see.....I Don't have a problem when I see older kids in strollers, BUT it drives me crazy that my older ones whine to be in strollers, & I have told them they are just being lazy.

Every child has a different limit and some children have physical, mental, or emotional limitations that aren't always "seeable" to everyone.

This is SO absolutely true. One of my oldest kids had open heart surgery & has pretty low endurance, is 6 years old, & 37 pounds soaking wet. So yes, he needs a stroller at Disney.
My 3 year old will need one too..........so that leaves my extremely headstrong twin (of my heart kid) with no stroller........it doesn't bode well with her.
it is very frustrating.
__________________

 

[TheMals]

Regardless of how old a child is it depends really about how much you can bear. Can you carry your child if need be because he/she is in a deep sleep? Can you stand moving about on and off busses for yet another trip? Do you like carrying the stuff needed for the day when you don't have a stroller handy? It is really up to you. It doesn't matter what others think of your situation. You make the call. What will give you the support you need to have fun and enjoy your trip.

This is our first trip without the stroller, one of 16. Our son is six and fortunately is very capable of walking. It was a break for us not to have move a stroller around via the airport. The disadvantages was that he wasn't a captive audience in the stroller so he wouldn't lose US! We had to do more vocal shepherding this trip. I also carried more - no place to tuck items instead of carrying them. So now we have to listen more to his agenda! It's harder to steer away from temptation. AND I can't believe he's 6 already. I miss those younger days and slower paces.

Do as you will. There is no right or wrong!
Enjoy!
The Mals

 

[JusbKoz]

I don't care if they are in a stroller or wheelchair there is no way a child or adult can be lazy at Disney. My daughter still had to wait to be line for up to a hour or so and since her legs was some what rested she didn't complain. Remember kids sometimes have to take 2 or 3 steps for our one step so they are putting in more work than the adults are But you know what ??even if someone said something about our seven year old(and they never did) being in a stroller I would LAUGH at them because they are the ones....Or they have perfect non complaing, non tired kids at Disney (which I don't think exist)

 

[jodeeb]

I would say it depends on the child. We are going in June with DD6 and dd11. We do not plan to rent one right away, but if she gets tired we will. Last time we went ,then dd2 and dd7, we rented a single, but dd2 wanted to walk half the time so when dd7 got tired she rode.

We go to Disneland almost every year and have rented one everytime. This will be the first time we wont get one right in the gate. I think I will probably miss it because it is alway a nice place to dump the stuff. Its always nice when there is a wild ride that you need to hold on too, you dont have to take a big back pack with. I've never had anything stollen.

 

[piratemamaof3]

my youngest DS will be about 2 wks shy of 5 and I am def. going to take one. Mostly b/c he can be a wanderer and some times we need to put him in to keep track of him or even a TO when he won't listen.

Also middle DS yes he is 7 and has a lot of energy but sometimes his little legs just need a break (or we need him to keep up).

Also not being a Disney expert but we go to our local amustment park and use a stroller/wagon to hold all the junk that ends up traveling w/ us. (so as not to have it on my back all the time)

 

[disneybliss2]

I think it totally depends on the child and what works best for your family. My dd6 had one when she was 3 and 5. I can't imagine not having had one. I don't think it's anyone's place to condemn another family for taking a stroller for their child just because they think the child looks too old to be in one. My dd6 is very tall for her age and is always presumed to be a year older. Also, they shouldn't naturally assume the child is lazy. My dd hasn't used a stroller in years, but we hoof it at Disney while we're there. We walk 12+ miles easily on any given day while there. Also, my husband and I are very tall, so we have long strides. Between the combination of our long strides and our fast paced walk, there's no way my dd could keep up. Poor little thing would be running alongside me. She would have been miserable. My husband and I aren't necessarily all commando when we go to Disney, but we don't dilly dally at all either. We are on a mission for the first half of the day for sure. We slow our pace in the afternoon. We only get to go every other year, so I have to maximize my time while I'm there. I don't have time to stop and take a break constantly. My dd is by no lazy and could have handled it, but at the pace we go to maximize our time in the mornings, she would have struggled to keep up w/ me. Some adults would find it hard to keep our pace. We usually park the stroller in Fantasyland and from there she walks about. We mainly use it to navigate between lands or places in parks; then we park the stroller and she walks about that area until we're ready to move to our next section. In the afternoons while I stayed w/ dd1 that took a nap, dd5 walked around w/ dad and didn't use the stroller at all. For larger parks like Epcot, it's a must. I worried a lot about taking it this past trip when she was 5, and in the end I'm so glad I didn't base my decision off what others thought. Afterall, it was my family vacation and I wanted it to be the best for my family.

 

[jzzikamarie]

Maybe you need to take some sensitivity training! People can have "invisable" disabilities and may look to you like they are capable of walking but are not. (Please see my post above) I agree there may be some that are plain lazy but you should not judge when you don't know a person's situation.

I was being sarcastic as to how I felt on the subject and you can clearly see that I was joking by the end of my post. I was contradicting what/how I felt...sorry to offend!
Sad we have to explain ourselves on here, when we are just giving our opinion. Isn't that what the OP wanted, our opinion, wanting to know what we thought?
Obviously a touchy subject in general. You may not agree with what I typed or how I feel, but isn't that YOUR opinion on thinking I need sensitivity training? We all have our OWN opinions on everything..something we have to deal with. YOU did the same thing in judging me.
Thanks!

 

[Robin's Nest]

This is my first post ever. Forgive if not right. We just got back from WDW on March 1st and rented a double stroller while there. My DS 10 and DD 6 both rode in the stoller without complaint.

 

[fottafamily05]

Our DS is 7 1/2 and still will sit in a stroller when we go to Disney in April!!!!

 

[tjbaggott]

We plan on renting a double stroller, they are bigger, for our 6 year old as well as any of our older kids that might want in at some point (12 and 17).
My 17 yr old has stamina issues since finishing her cancer treatment, she gets winded easily and her feet get blisters on the bottoms when walking great distances.
I remember hearing from a women who said they rented a double one for her young daughter and their bags. She was pregnant at the time and said that at times even SHE sat in that big double one with DD while DH pushed it around! I don't know if I'd do that, but my 17 year old says if she needs to she absolutely will. She used a wheel chair last time we went but she hated how that drew attention to her.

 

[cyndik1111]

Was the OP suggesting that 1/2 her coworkers frowned upon older kids in strollers?

We now have to worry about being judged because we let our kids ride in strollers beyond their time?

It is so hard being a mom now a days.

Do what's best for you, the child and the stroller.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I couldn't imagine asking an older child to ride in a stroller (over the age of 5). Driving or flying I'd probably try to find a way to get one there.

 

[tjbaggott]

Keep in mind that the double strollers you rent at Disney, are not like typical strollers, they are more like push carts or jogging strollers. If Disney rented out wagons, I'd rent one of those, but they don't, so the stroller we will use happily.