What age limit would you use a stroller?

[stephensmum]

My ds had just turned 8 when we went the first time and I hired a pushchair every day (i'd not discovered the DIS then so didn't think about buying one). It wasn't just the walking it was the heat, we had a towel draped over the front to keep the sun off him. He never had one at home & was very fit & active but would have been miserable without one. We returned when he was just shy of 10 & he wanted one then, but we wouldn't push him!!!
Get one & enjoy.

 

[chmurf]

Do what's bet for your child. There are lots of older kids in strollers at Disney.

This

An earlier poster said really you are not walking much. With all due respect I think that is nonsense. I use a pedometer at Disney and our walking range is 5 to 12 miles a day. That's a lot for 14 consecutive days for a young child.

absolutely

But that other poster was from the US, and US guests do much shorter trips than we do (as a general rule). That poster probably didn't realise that this was the UK section and that there are a few specific things about our visits.
A 5 days commando style vacation is probably more doable without a stroller than a full 2 or 3 weeks.

Anyway, renting a stroller is among the first things I do after booking the flights and accomodation
DS will turn 6 next december. He's a good little soldier who walks to school every morning and every afternoon, 30 minutes each way, without complaining. But when we're in Disneyworld, I know that a stroller is a life saver.

 

[wideeyes]

My Daughter was 5 and would not use one. See how she gets on first so she's not using it just because it's there.

 

[Lucys dad]

The only visit we used a stroller was when the boys were 3 and 5 and then it was a single one for the youngest only. TBH it was more of a hindrance than helpful as parking it before a ride/show etc and then having to find it afterwards when the CM's had moved it became a real pain in the rearend Also negotiating a packed park is obviously more tricky with a stroller than without.

I would agree with this. We used one for our daughter when she was 4 and a half and it did become really annoying. Also, DD was so hyped she was constantly trying to get out the stroller. The next time we went back my daughter had just turned 7 and we never bothered and it was fine. One thing I did find useful was the strollers canopy that kept her out of the sun. No doubt a floppy hat would do the same job though.

Quite sure if we never bothered with a stroller the first time round DD would have been fine. As mentioned earlier they never exactly have to walk very far at one time. Regular breaks out of the sun and plenty of water is the way to go IMO.

 

[Lucys dad]

An earlier poster said really you are not walking much. With all due respect I think that is nonsense. I use a pedometer at Disney and our walking range is 5 to 12 miles a day. That's a lot for 14 consecutive days for a young child.

To be fair I took that post to mean that you would not walk very far at any one given time before stopping for whatever reason. Maybe I read it wrong.

I don't think there is any doubt that you clock up a fair few miles each day. More so than your average kid would do back at home.

 

[chmurf]

To be fair I took that post to mean that you would not walk very far at any one given time before stopping for whatever reason. Maybe I read it wrong.

I read it that way too, but I also think that this statement is flawed from the start.
You might have experienced it yourself. Walking a few miles at once is not a big deal. But standing in lines for a very long time, constantely moving 4 paces and stopping, that's really exhausting.
I'd rather walk for 4 hours than stand in line for 4 hours.

And think about the kids. They don't stand still in lines, they actually spend more energy in those lines than they would by simply walking along. (even for the well behaved ones, a kid will play and fool around, because they're kids and that's what kids do)

In the end, going from A to B on short distances, but repeated many times a day, with long periods of time standing up and still, this is probably more tiring than walking the 10 miles a guest walks in a day, in one go.

 

[Elise79]

My Daughter was 5 and would not use one. See how she gets on first so she's not using it just because it's there.

I would agree with this - we even had the stroller in the room and DD didn't ask for it. She was 4 3/4.

If I am honest she is fitter than me - she spends at least an hour outside each day running around playing and as long as we take the parks at her pace she shouldn't need a stroller as she is fit and healthy.

I am in the minority but I do not carry "stuff" in the parks (no large bags only purse/phone/tickets) and I would rather take break than have the hassle of a stroller.

 

[wideeyes]

I am in the minority but I do not carry "stuff" in the parks (no large bags only purse/phone/tickets) and I would rather take break than have the hassle of a stroller.

I am the same. I just have my usual bag that I use every day.

Though I only use a stroller for my 12month old when I am out for more than a few hours otherwise I put her in her wrap. we both prefer it. I hate pushing a stroller around.

 

[Julia Ann]

Thanks for all your comments, that was really helpful. I think we will just play it by ear and see how she gets on, DH is adamant that she won't need a stroller as she is, at 5 now, quite energetic, but the florida heat and every day being active for 14 days may be different.

 

[london75]

Just to re-iterate my earlier post, our youngest is just 5 and hasn't used a pushchair here since she was 3 but wondering around the Trafford Centre yesterday she was soon on my back and actually fell asleep. That's ok in an air-conditioned building but we pretty quickly abandoned finding sandals for the holiday and took them home. Fine here but not what you want to do on holiday, especially with them suffering from timezone issues for the first few days. Far better to have a stroller she can sit in while the rest of us carry on. 30 minutes later she'll be awake, full of beans and raring to go at which point we park the stroller somewhere and probably won't collect it until we leave the park. At least we have it though!

 

[marcgiu]

OP , I would just do whatever is right for you - don't worry about looks from others either. My son is 6 and has ASD and we use a pushchair still at WDW.

If you don't want to take one but then find you do require one there is a great red and black pushchair that most of the WDW stores sell. Its around $50 but is cheaper (and more convenient) than hiring one every day.

 

[joolz1910]

Your children = your call. You know your children best.

My youngest DD was just 5 when we went and we took our own stroller. It was a lifesaver as we could stay out later if she fell asleep, no whining about being tired etc. My middle daughter was 8 and she would have thought we were mad if we had suggested a pushchair for her. Not only are my kids different ages, they are also very different from each other...which brings me back to my first point.

 

[london75]

Your children = your call. You know your children best.

My youngest DD was just 5 when we went and we took our own stroller. It was a lifesaver as we could stay out later if she fell asleep, no whining about being tired etc. My middle daughter was 8 and she would have thought we were mad if we had suggested a pushchair for her. Not only are my kids different ages, they are also very different from each other...which brings me back to my first point.

You're lucky, my not far off 8 year old would still happily get pushed everywhere if she could get away with it! We don't let her though before I get frowned upon!

 

[joolz1910]

You're lucky, my not far off 8 year old would still happily get pushed everywhere if she could get away with it! We don't let her though before I get frowned upon!

Lo, I am almost 43 and would like a big adult stroller for myself sometimes.

My youngest would hardly get out of the pushchair, if you look at my trippie pictures, you will see she made good use of it.

 

[bex7583]

i have just bought a new double pram for the holiday , i have a just turned 4 ( yesterday ) a 5 and a 6 year old will be 7 week we fly , however the 7 year old is the one who moans the most so im expecting him to use it more than the other 2

i wasnt sure if i needed one but the more i have thought about the long days the ate nights and hot weather i would rather have it and not use it much than spend all holiday wishing i had taken one , we will probably leave it in the hotel through the day and just take it when we go back out in the evening

 

[Julia Ann]

good idea Bex7583 - for the evenings especially

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

My dd will be 4.5 this year and we won't be taking one for her. We are staying at a Disney hotel so will be going back for breaks, also sitting down in rides, restaurants etc. If she complains of being tired we will rest.

 

[tinks_1989]

We aren't taking a push chair next time DD will be 2 and 1/2 yes it's young but she hates her push chair. Its such a hassle getting her in and out of it between rides, characters etc it becomes more of a pain. The only thing it was good for was hanging our bag on it. There are plenty of us for her to go on our shoulders and if we really did struggle I would just go to Walmart and get a push chair.

 

[ashearer]

OMG do not go without one. Our daughter was 5 and we thought we'd be fine. We ended up buying one in the hotel shop ($90) on day 3.so buy a cheap one here and just leave it (we gave ours to someone as we left the parks).do not underestimate how far you'll walk and how much more youll get to see. Also,its great to put your bag with suncream ,water etc in bottom. Tie a piece of ribbon on handle so you can easily identify it.theres usually signs at the entrance to tell you where to leave them.DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT ONE!!