When Kids Are Too Big for the Stroller - What to Do?

[crisi]

The last two posts point out the diachotmy of the issue:

Know your kids - some have LOTS of energy and good dispositions for walking. Others just won't make it, they lack the physical stamina - or are whiners who will make it but make everyone else miserable for the vacation (and vacation may or may not be the time to work on correcting this.) (A lot of DISers start walking with their kids to build up stamina before the trip - which honestly isn't a bad idea just for your kid's health if they are couch potatoish in their nature.)

Know yourself - some people are willing to take their vacation at a pace that allows little legs to keep up (remember, they take twice as many steps as we do). Other people want to commando the park like they always do - regardless of the state of the kids. If you are going to be angry and frustrated because you didn't get everything done due to tired kids - get/bring a stroller (and don't blame them for not being able to maintain YOUR pace). Other people are willing to spend only a few hours a day in the parks, spend their hours in the parks moving slowly, spend a lot of time in the pool or room, and completely miss Expidition Everest because its way over on the wrong side of the park and that's a lot of walking for a little kid - and still leave having had a wonderful vacation.

 

[lucynme]

The last two posts point out the diachotmy of the issue:

Know your kids - some have LOTS of energy and good dispositions for walking. Others just won't make it, they lack the physical stamina - or are whiners who will make it but make everyone else miserable for the vacation (and vacation may or may not be the time to work on correcting this.) (A lot of DISers start walking with their kids to build up stamina before the trip - which honestly isn't a bad idea just for your kid's health if they are couch potatoish in their nature.)

Know yourself - some people are willing to take their vacation at a pace that allows little legs to keep up (remember, they take twice as many steps as we do). Other people want to commando the park like they always do - regardless of the state of the kids. If you are going to be angry and frustrated because you didn't get everything done due to tired kids - get/bring a stroller (and don't blame them for not being able to maintain YOUR pace). Other people are willing to spend only a few hours a day in the parks, spend their hours in the parks moving slowly, spend a lot of time in the pool or room, and completely miss Expidition Everest because its way over on the wrong side of the park and that's a lot of walking for a little kid - and still leave having had a wonderful vacation.

I think this is the BEST answer I have heard on ANY of the threads on this touchy topic! I personally have been pondering this dillema, and have come to the conclusion that dispite my son being a "big" 5 (will be just 6 on our next trip) year old, I WILL be "one of THOSE parents" who cram their kid into a stroller...and by doing so, it will save me the frustration, and YOU the anger of hearing a whining kid through the parks!!! So, when you see me, and you'll know it's me, instead of the hateful glares, and the ugly snide comments, you can smile big and thank me!!!

 

[Shoshana]

I think this is the BEST answer I have heard on ANY of the threads on this touchy topic! I personally have been pondering this dillema, and have come to the conclusion that dispite my son being a "big" 5 (will be just 6 on our next trip) year old, I WILL be "one of THOSE parents" who cram their kid into a stroller...and by doing so, it will save me the frustration, and YOU the anger of hearing a whining kid through the parks!!! So, when you see me, and you'll know it's me, instead of the hateful glares, and the ugly snide comments, you can smile big and thank me!!!

Yep, probably the best answer I've seen, and I'm using it for my newly formed decision.

I can see both sides of the issue, and I agree that on face value, a 6-yr-old (my dd, kindergarten, September birthday), should not be in a stroller! However, it's a long day getting from the hotel ---> boat/bus ---> rope drop ---> park ---> boat/bus ---> rest time at hotel ---> boat/bus ---> dinner & parade ---> boat/bus ---> hotel. So it's not simply an issue of walking, it's an issue of a long day with lots of excitement and waiting crammed in.

My dd is a low energy kid -- has been since she was a baby, she didn't roll over or crawl until 12 months and walked at 18 months. The part about bringing a stroller that I don't like -- besides the glances I can imagine -- is keeping her out of it until it's really needed. Plus, a stroller will keep her off of her nana's ECV!

I'll be bringing the Maclaren. I do not want to pay $15 per day or wait in line or find that there are no strollers if I need one.

 

[crisi]

I think this is the BEST answer I have heard on ANY of the threads on this touchy topic!

Thank you. I had one of each (now ten and eleven and we haven't had a stroller for several trips). A son who could have EASILY been strollerless at four (and maybe earlier) and a daughter who still had one at six because she just moves SLOW and whines. And while I would have moved at her pace if it was just her, it never seemed fair to him to have to slow the whole family down when the problem was solved by a stroller.

Back when I was childless and my future kids were perfect (and I was, of course, the perfect parent - it was so easy back then to be the perfect parent of perfect children, wasn't it?), I thought strollers at six to be horrible. I might still hold that belief if I'd only had my son.

 

[monkey30]

we had a umbrella stroller for DS the last trip he was 3.5, and ds who was 6 used it just as much. We found when his feet got sore just a wuick 10 min break to the next ride or whatever we were doing helped energize him and made the days last longer. We would get there in the am and stay all day this way.

This time around we have a sit and stand as we have a new DS going along. We used it when DS was 18mths and 4yrs. it was great. the older one can stand or ride on the back and the seat is made for them, \

good luck and remember whatever works for u is what is best for u.

 

[maxiesmom]

The last two posts point out the diachotmy of the issue:

Know your kids - some have LOTS of energy and good dispositions for walking. Others just won't make it, they lack the physical stamina - or are whiners who will make it but make everyone else miserable for the vacation (and vacation may or may not be the time to work on correcting this.) (A lot of DISers start walking with their kids to build up stamina before the trip - which honestly isn't a bad idea just for your kid's health if they are couch potatoish in their nature.)

Know yourself - some people are willing to take their vacation at a pace that allows little legs to keep up (remember, they take twice as many steps as we do). Other people want to commando the park like they always do - regardless of the state of the kids. If you are going to be angry and frustrated because you didn't get everything done due to tired kids - get/bring a stroller (and don't blame them for not being able to maintain YOUR pace). Other people are willing to spend only a few hours a day in the parks, spend their hours in the parks moving slowly, spend a lot of time in the pool or room, and completely miss Expidition Everest because its way over on the wrong side of the park and that's a lot of walking for a little kid - and still leave having had a wonderful vacation.

THANK YOU!!! This is truly not a one-size-fits-all kind of issue. A lot of not fat, not lazy kids need strollers at Disney World. And a lot of little kids can get by without one. Do what works best for your own family, and don't worry about what anyone else things.

 

[bumbershoot]

Read up on the Maclaren strollers before you buy one. There was a big recall recently because some kids had parts of their fingers cut off. I don't know the particulars.

Some parents were letting their kids put their fingers in the hinge while the stroller was being folded or unfolded. Some kids got the very tips of a finger or more than one snipped off b/c someone was so out of touch with what their kids were doing that they folded it all the way without noticing that there was, you know, a FINGER in the way.

So Mac sent out some cloth/zipper/velcro covers out, you put them over the hinges (and stickers too), there, now kids will have to work much harder to get their fingers in.

Some recalls are truly product issues (like the wooden peg thing that had easily broken pegs...ours broke before the recall happened...or the snaps on the See Kai Run boots that came off way too easily on toddler-sized boots and could be a choking concern), but sometimes recalls are "parents need to know where their kids' body parts are" problems, and IMO this was the latter.

The last two posts point out the diachotmy of the issue:

Know your kids - some have LOTS of energy and good dispositions for walking. Others just won't make it, they lack the physical stamina - or are whiners who will make it but make everyone else miserable for the vacation (and vacation may or may not be the time to work on correcting this.) (A lot of DISers start walking with their kids to build up stamina before the trip - which honestly isn't a bad idea just for your kid's health if they are couch potatoish in their nature.)

Know yourself - some people are willing to take their vacation at a pace that allows little legs to keep up (remember, they take twice as many steps as we do). Other people want to commando the park like they always do - regardless of the state of the kids. If you are going to be angry and frustrated because you didn't get everything done due to tired kids - get/bring a stroller (and don't blame them for not being able to maintain YOUR pace). Other people are willing to spend only a few hours a day in the parks, spend their hours in the parks moving slowly, spend a lot of time in the pool or room, and completely miss Expidition Everest because its way over on the wrong side of the park and that's a lot of walking for a little kid - and still leave having had a wonderful vacation.

Woohoo! Excellent!


DS inherited my sensitive legs. He can go go go all day, but he will pay dearly for it in nasty leg aches at 2am. I used to get those leg aches for no reason at all (I was even tested for juvenile RA b/c they were so random and awful).

So even though we don't use strollers at home (when he fit in the jogging stroller and I was taking fitness walks, we used the jogger for those walks), for Disney oh yes we do. DS will be 6.5 for our WDW trip, and I will very likely bring the volo (assuming his weight still works for it) just in case!

 

[hsmamato2]

Back when I was childless and my future kids were perfect (and I was, of course, the perfect parent - it was so easy back then to be the perfect parent of perfect children, wasn't it?), I thought strollers at six to be horrible. I might still hold that belief if I'd only had my son.

HA! funny

 

[pixarmom]

It's so hard to say! No two kids are the same, and even when we think we know what ours will do, they surprise us! I was concerned about the walking when our two older boys were 5 and 6 - one of them complained about walking around the block at home. At Disney, he all of a sudden had a lot of energy and no complaints - except for socks (he was fine with the new ones that had mickey on them.) So I do think comfy socks/shoes are universally important, but other than that, it's just based on our best guesses about how our kids will react. I like crisi's "know your kids," and "know yourself" advice!

 

[woodkins]

We just got back this week from a 6 day trip to WDW & brought our stroller ....and our dd is 7. She needed it and so did we. Between the crowd navigation, tons of walking and long days it made all of our lives easier. She has not used a stroller at home since she was 2 years old, but in Disney it is a necessity for her. If people want to judge me for it, so be it, but my dd wasn't crying that her legs hurt or wandering off in the crowds. And just for the record she is one of the most physically fit children I have ever seen, she is a competitive gymnast and has abs of steel LOL, so people can't say she is lazy or fat

Our relaxed and happy stroller riding kid