when do you stop needing a stroller?

[Brian Noble]

I *think* my kids will be 7 and 5 the next time we go...i will definitely plan to have a single stroller for my youngest, but i wonder if i should plan to still rent a double at 7 for my oldest???

Both of my children were walking when they turned five. They were none the worse for wear.

 

[DSLRuser]

both girls, 9 and 4, had their last use of a stroller at wdw when they turned 3

 

[DSLRuser]

she is very petite and her legs tired easily.

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

 

[MusiqChic99]

My son is 5 and on the small size. I'm using one on our trip in 2 weeks. If we go again in November he will still be 5 and we will use a stroller again.

I will access again when he is 6. But I would say 6 would be the last year to use one if we did.

 

[scootch]

Do whatever works for you..... I last rented the double when my kids were 7 and 9. The 9 year old did ride in it occasionally, kept her out of the sun more than anything and since I take them to wdw without hubby, a great reassuring way for me to keep them together. Who cares if people object?? We all do what works for us in life.

 

[DisneyCher]

Once my kids were past the age of 3 we stopped bringing the strollers. I guess I'm in the minority here but it is easier without having to deal with folding it to get into the buses, getting thru crowds, parking and retrieving it, etc. Our kids were fine with walking everywhere at ages 4 and 5. Just take breaks when needed.

That was my parents' philosophy, too. By age 3, I was walking - and we habve the photos from Disneyland, Knotts, Magic Mountain, several zoos, and other amusements in Hawaii to prove it. My sister was 1 when I was 3.5, and we only got one stroller for her.

Having my own kid now, and dealing with a stroller, I can see how it would be a hassle (IMHO, of course) to bother with it for any longer than absolutely necessary. I'd rather walk slower and/or take a few more breaks than schlep that thing around everywhere.

 

[mill4023]

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

I guess there always has to be one troll throwing out insulting comments and trying to stir the pot. I love it when people start a sentence with "sorry" as if it will negate the rude judgmental comments they are about to make.

And this thread seemed to be staying so civil until your comment. I guess we wouldn't want that, would we.

 

[TaraBara]

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

What is the point of saying this? Does it make you feel better? Do you enjoy insulting other people?

There was just absolutely no need for this comment!

Don't most people tell their kids, "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say it." I think that should apply to everyone!!!!!!

 

[Steph01002]

This seems to be the debate everywhere these days!
We did not need one when the kids were 4 & 5 on their first Disney trip. I feel that pushing the stroller around in a crowded park is a pain. Then getting off a ride or out of a show and going to find it. It's just one more thing to worry about. We had season passes to a local amusement park where we would go from open to close, so I knew my kids could handle Disney walking.
There are enough shows to break up the day and rest along with stopping for meals.
I do think it is a bit odd when bigger children are squished up in a stroller (I don't think that would be comfortable), but to each their own. Disney is an expensive trip, do what works best for your family.
This year, the kids will be 6 & 7 for the trip and I couldn't even imagine putting them in a stroller. It felt odd for me to put them in a stroller when they were 3 & 4... but I also base that on my own children's capabilities and all kids are different.

 

[traci]

For us it was ages 6.5 and 5.5

Our last trip we brought both strollers and didn't end up using them. Our kiddos could finally keep up with our hectic pace. Kids were 7 and 6. We weren't sure so we brought them just incase. They were done though. We walk A LOT and the stollers have always come in handy (less cranky kids for us and we were able to manuver rather quickly with them).

I could care less what people think. Neither did my kids. They strolled comfortable while the sweaty little boy (who looked about 7'ish) walking next to them kept crying and begging daddy to carry him....

 

[bumbershoot]

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

Dude, really?

When DS was 5 he was in many classes at the Y, we live near downtown and walk all over the place for errands (farmer's market downtown, bank, coffee, meeting DH after work, etc), and yet even just Disneyland was too much for walking without taking breaks. And as I mentioned, there was some parental pushback on that, LOL.

Disney was the ONLY place I used a stroller other than the occasional jog with the jogging stroller...didn't own one until DS was 2 and then it was for Disney!

There are plenty of fit, healthy, strong kids who still can't do as much walking and standing, without complaint, as Disney requires.

 

[ses1230]

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

Wow, judgmental much?

OP, do what is right for your kids and your family. You know them best, we don't.

To answer your question, we have not yet done Disney without a stroller. This year DDs will be 6 and 3 - and I am taking our double stroller.

 

[mill4023]

Sorry, but maybe her legs wouldn't tire so easily if you pushed her a little more in every day life.

Not that I have any obligation to explain anything to you, but she is plenty active, plays soccer, and is perfectly healthy.

I really had no desire to make her walk 10 miles per day just so she could do without any rest in a stroller at WDW.

It's a vacation. Not an endurance test.

 

[ccgirl]

Not that I have any obligation to explain anything to you, but she is plenty active, plays soccer, and is perfectly healthy.

I really had no desire to make her walk 10 miles per day just so she could do without any rest in a stroller at WDW.

It's a vacation. Not an endurance test.

No need to explain.

In order to make our family vacation more enjoyable we let the kids set the pace. We've been known to take 3 trips in a row on the People Mover at MK because the children were tired. The 20 minute shows were often all my kids needed to get a burst of energy. I would say that judging by your child's age and you letting us know how active she is you should be fine without a stroller if you just let her go her pace. If you need one, the strollers they sell in the gift shops are quite nice. They are only $50. They are the umbrella type. Not sure of the weight limit but that is always an option as well. Honestly, I was quite surprised at how much I pushed an empty stroller this past year just before my DS turned 3.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[starlionblue]

When do you no longer need a stroller? When YOU can't keep up with your little cousins because they never seem to run out of steam! No seriously!

 

[tzolkin]

If you have the room, you may as well bring the stroller just in case. I would be annoyed to spend $30+/day to rent in the parks when I could have just brought my own.

We brought our two strollers for our two younger kids (4 and 6) last trip. We had used them our previous trips and figured we would probably still need them. (Honestly, we used the strollers more for our convenience than out of the kids' necessity. We liked how we could walk at an "adult" pace and how they were safely contained when we were in crowds.) Our plan this trip was to leave the strollers in the room when we went to EMH rope drop each morning and then pick them up when we went back to the resort that afternoon before heading out for the evening. (So we would just be using them for the later half of each day when the kids would likely be more tired.)

We wound up not using them at all. The kids were perfectly capable of walking for 10 days and we realized how nice it was to not have to deal with all the little annoyances of the strollers-- parking them, finding them, folding them, etc.

 

[amybethchristiansen]

Honestly, there is no right or wrong to this question.

HOWEVER, for us, once you are able to voice "I want to go see _____", then you are too big for a stroller. We are going in 3 weeks. We have a just turned 9 year old, a 6 year old, and a nearly 3 year old. The 3 year old will get a stroller, the others, I won't even dream of it! We cut off the stroller at 3, maybe 4. It has nothing to do with the size of the kid and how long their legs are. Those comments have truely made me LOL. That would mean that my 6 year old would ride forever as she is really tiny. But my 9 year old would have been cut off at 2 as he was already over 42 inches by then! And to the people who have said that they don't want to make their kids walk 10 miles, well, they are not doing it in one step. It is walk a little, rest a bit on a ride, walk some more, take in a show. So, it isn't like 10 miles in a stretch.

You have to do what is right by your own family, but my bigger kids would be at the concept of a stroller now. And they *might* just at kids older than 5 in a stroller.

 

[ccgirl]

Just wanted to respond to the comment about the children at other children older than 5 in a stroller. I hope that was just a joke because I would be mortified if my children ever made fun of another child that may have disabilities. Some children are in strollers for medical reasons. I would be so angry if my children made fun of someone else. My children know that we make our own decisions and we do not judge others who make different decisions.

 

[dragonfly08]

We went for one day last year, after our Wonder cruise, and did rent a stroller for our DDs (ages 4 and 6 at the time). But it was HOT in late August, we were tired from not sleeping well on the cruise, and we had only the single day so we knew we would be moving at a pretty good pace.

I took the girls again last month, at 4 and 7, this time for a four night trip. No stroller. We slept well and had enough time to go at our own pace. When they were tired, we rested, no big deal. They didn't even ask for a stroller and they did just fine.

 

[The_Alice]

Ours are 6 & 8, and they are going to walk it. We may have to piggy back the 6 year old. But, we have a rule (and a visual aid, lol) NO WHINING! You can do anything else you want, but no whining. If you get tired, tell us. We'll get an ice cream, sit on a bench, relax and when you're ready we'll continue on.

I also want them to sleep at night, and Disney is a sensory overload so it tends to wind kids up, in sometimes not so pleasant ways. Hopefully with all that walking they'll crash.