What's the oldest age you've used a stroller?

[Happyinwonerland]

Sorry, but healthy kids in strollers past about age 4 or 5 is over the top. So what if you have to slow down and not go command ? It's their vacation too, slow down to their pace. If you put an 11 year old in a stroller and their friends find out, they are going to be made fun of so badly by their peers.

If the 11 year old truly can't walk, take them to the doctor. It could be a sign that they have weight or joint problems, Asthma, A heart condition. etc.
Are they able to run around and play sports? If they can, then they should be able to walk disney world. And if they whine about it? I would make them go spend the say in the kids club with the rest of the toddlers.

But that's just me. I have no tolerance for things like this.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We last used a stroller for our younger son at Disney when he was 4. Our oldest was 3 on his first trip, and we never used one for him. As they got older, they thought it was strange to see kids their age and older in a stroller and would comment to us about it. We didn't have any problems with whining, or "I'm tired" complaints, they were used to walking when we went places. We did take afternoon breaks. We are horrible parents.

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

My niece turned 7 on our first trip and we were there for 10 days at the end of July into August (hotter than Hades and humid). Certain days and in certain parks we rented a stroller. If we as adults need breaks, certainly young children do as well. It is, after all, miles and miles of walking a day. After that trip, we worked on her stamina and would take long walks. The next trip she was more prepared, we slowed down our pace and she didn't need one.

 

[Average Joes]

There is no way my 7 year old daughter would need or use a stroller. However, I know my youngest, at 4, will. She doesn't have the same stamina as her sister at that age who didn't need one at 4 except a bit at Epcot.

Take the kids for walks. They should be able to easily walk 5 km (3 miles) now unless they have some sort of injury/disability. Get them to walk a bit more than that. With all the breaks, standing, etc. built in it isn't that bad the stamina required is probably similar.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

We stopped using strollers around age 4. I was glad to get rid of the stroller at WDW. It's so much easier getting around the parks with everyone on foot. I do miss the storage it provided though.

 

[asbyrneva]

Last time we used one DS was 5 and he decided it was for babies. He's nine and would have been mortified if I got one for him at 7 let alone now! And he would never have gotten in it. At 5 he spent more time pushing it then riding it.

 

[ctnurse]

I just asked DS, 11, and his answer was, "unless the person was disabled there is no reason why an 8 and 11 year old should ride in a stroller."

 

[Chelle's Belles]

We used one when mine were 5 and 7 for longer park days. After that, they were just too big and heavy.

 

[bdcp]

I do have to wonder if some of these same kids who are riding in strollers are wearing shoes that give them extra height so they can ride rides with height restrictions.....

I also have to say I would never have paid my child to not whine. I agree that people have to do what is right for their child, but that doesn't mean caving into whining, or thinking children are more fragile than adults. Your average 5 year old can go nonstop for hours. It's the parents who sometimes can't. As I said above, we didn't use a stroller and we also never took a break. We kept to decent bedtimes (9-10 pm at the latest) and had a great time. The overtired children I see aren't tired from walking. They're tired from being kept up late and getting up early.

 

[kwdw]

I really, really think one of the writers for the movie Wall-E reads this board.

 

[Julylady]

Last time for a double stroller was 7 and 4 at Disneyland. I could have gotten by with a single stroller for the 4-year old only, but I knew that if the 7 year old was tired and Sissy was riding, it would get ugly. At the end of that trip the stroller broke due the combined weight of both kids. We recycled it when we returned home and that was the last time either one ever used a stroller. At age 8 and 5 at Walt Disney World they walked the entire time and have since.

 

[busymommy2pink]

Never. We wouldn't bring our kids until they could walk with us and that was 4 1/2. They went next when they were 6 1/2 and by then they were poking fun at kids older than them who were in strollers.

This is a shame. It's too bad you are content raising bullies. Empathy starts at home. Allowing children to poke fun at anyone is just plain wrong. If your children see older children in strollers perhaps you can tell them, "you're right, we don't do that, but we also don't know why that family has chosen to allow it. Not all disabilities are visible to a stranger. It's never nice to poke fun or judge those we don't know."

OP, we rented a stroller for our upcoming trip. DD will be 6.5. She has major sensory issues, and sometimes need that dark little cocoon to regroup while strolling through the park. We choose not to own a car, and do walk miles each day, all weather (even -30 in the snow to school!). So it's not a physical lack of being able to. And we certainly don't use one at home. But we do make an exception and rent one for her during Disney vacations. We also leave when she's done. We miss fast passes, don't get to do everything, but always have a great time

 

[lovin'fl]

4

 

[focusondisney]

I just asked DS, 11, and his answer was, "unless the person was disabled there is no reason why an 8 and 11 year old should ride in a stroller."

I like how your son thinks!!

 

[Dis703]

ODS barely used the stroller at 2 1/2 but at age 4-6 he hopped in occasionally because I had a double stroller for our twins. He's 7 now and too big for our stroller. He could probably fit in one of those rentals but that's not an expense I would take on to push a 7 year old around the park. He went without one when we went just me and him at 5 years old and he did fine. We just tried to take an easy pace. If he got tired we sat down for a bit and took a break.

 

[Planogirl]

4

I love your very direct answer.

I only want to add that calling others judgmental and so on seems a bit odd on a forum. The OP asked the question and hopefully expected all types of viewpoints. I don't condone making fun of kids but otherwise all is fair when someone asks such a loaded question.

 

[nikkid1]

My girls are just 4 and just 7. We leave in 28 days and after being there in April, I still stand by the double stroller rental. We clocked 14-18 miles of walking a day staying at the yacht club. We could have never covered that much without the stroller.

 

[JimmyBean42]

My DS is 4 and I tried to convince DW that he does not need one and will want to walk anyway. She won me over by this statement "It's not that he needs one or that I don't want to take breaks or that he'll get tired, it's that he will get trampled by people there & probably multiple times per day and they won't even stop or apologize they'll just keep going on their way". Sadly she is dead right with that one.

 

[Trinity88]

We may use one this trip for my just turned 5 year old. We want to stay out past her bedtime (which is 7:30), so we may use a stroller in the evenings so she can at least relax a little.

 

[lustergirl]

This is a shame. It's too bad you are content raising bullies. Empathy starts at home. Allowing children to poke fun at anyone is just plain wrong. If your children see older children in strollers perhaps you can tell them, "you're right, we don't do that, but we also don't know why that family has chosen to allow it. Not all disabilities are visible to a stranger. It's never nice to poke fun or judge those we don't know."

OP, we rented a stroller for our upcoming trip. DD will be 6.5. She has major sensory issues, and sometimes need that dark little cocoon to regroup while strolling through the park. We choose not to own a car, and do walk miles each day, all weather (even -30 in the snow to school!). So it's not a physical lack of being able to. And we certainly don't use one at home. But we do make an exception and rent one for her during Disney vacations. We also leave when she's done. We miss fast passes, don't get to do everything, but always have a great time

dramatic much? 30 below in the snow, yea okay.. And you pass judgment on others and I would consider having my child walk in such cold weather to be abuse. Oh wait I am being dramatic now