Why are there so many strollers?

[Izzy&LiamsMomma]

Is it your child?

Are you paying for the stroller?

Are you pushing it?

Do you have some kind of magical vision that lets you accurately diagnose disabilities and ages?

If the answer the any of the above is "No" then really, let it go.

My now ten year old was walking everywhere early because we lived in urban areas with public transportation, and I wore her in carriers, so she was a serious walker, and didn't like strollers. I would have LOVED a kid who loved the stroller on outings.

My nephew, OTOH, at age two was bigger than my 4 year old, and we were judged by people who didn't realize that 1. he was only two and that 2. he had issues with his motor skills and muscle tone, making walking exhausting very fast.

Every family does what it needs to function best. I'm too busy watching my own kid to stick my nose in the stroller of others.

Thank you for this!! Just perfectly said!!

 

[BigAlsGal]

I think because back in the day strollers weren't nearly as convenient as they are today. Now strollers are soft and cushy. They recline so kids can comfortably snooze. They have pockets and holders to help parents. They provide shade from the sun. In those old photos those things are clunky and probably pretty uncomfortable for kids. God I wouldn't want to sit in that thing all day.

I use them still and my twin girls are 6. There's nothing wrong with maximizing my park time while allowing my tired kids to nap in a stroller. Sorry if it interferes terribly with someone else's vacation. My vacation. My call.

 

[Lisa1]

Strollers have run amuck - in my opinion. But - I will grant that it does depend on the child. We brought a stroller when my daughter was just under 1 - obviously. We didn't bring her back again until she was just just shy of 4 - and we rented a stroller for one day - for the Halloween party in Magic a Kingdom - due to the crowds and the waiting for fireworks for my usual "early to bed" child. We have brought her back every year since (she is 8 now) and have never even considered a stroller. She can run circles around us! Of course - it should be noted that I had her at 39 and my husband is 5 years older. But as avid as a Disney Infinity and Skylanders Swap Force player that she is - she also takes 4 dance classes, plays soccer, and plays baseball. She is no coach potato . I frankly think people do not keep their children active enough today and do not take in consideration the appropriate child pacing of things. Disney is such a sensory overload for a child - my daughter barely remembers much of her second trip and she was almost 4! That made me realize that we need to slow down occasionally and take a slower pace for a more memorable trip - and it has worked

 

[shepd]

What were the hours of Disney the year it opened, and how long would it take to ride everything? Also, how many visitors were from far flung places like Canada?

I think children are spending a *lot* longer in the parks, and many are coming from places where such scorching weather happens for a week or two, not in the middle of "winter". That adds up to kids that are worn out well before the park is closed, but who still haven't really done "enough" to be able to tear them away from the park without a lot of upset.

So, you use a stroller so they can take a rest while you try to finish things up in the park.

Let's also not forget that at the price of tickets, parents are given every reason to squeeze every minute possible from the park, whereas back then, tickets were much cheaper. In 1971, the tickets were $3.50, which in today's dollars is $20. If you paid $20 for Disney, you might just leave once you're tired as well.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We've commented a few times that it would be nice if the parks had a stroller lane/ECV lane. Something on the same vein as a bike lane. I think it would make things more pleasant for everyone. No one jumping in front of a stroller/wheelchair/ECV at the last minute, and no one crashing into ankles.

As far as parking, I don't know how people use to find their own stroller in the five deep parking in Fantasyland when it's busy... especially since the CMs had to keep moving them out of the way.

Doesn't work outside Living with the Land, where guests on foot regularly use the wheelchair slope - despite signage at the top & bottom and the potential hazard from a wheelchair. You couldnt have just a single lane - think of the traffic backups! - and there are few places where there'd be enough room for two-way wheeled traffic and people walking.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Please don't flame me. This is a serious question.

Years ago it was considered only for toddlers.

What got me to thinking about this, was One Man's Dream. As I walked through it the other day, in all the pictures of Disneyland, I never saw one stroller. I sat through the movie, and all the children were walking with their parents or running to their favourite things to do.

Because WDW is very large and children are not used to walking sooooo much in the blistering heat. Parents could opt to not bring a stroller but then it means more breaks for the child to just sit and relax and perhaps the child(ren) getting tired earlier and having to leave the park. Disney is expensive and keeping children less tired out, usually means a better trip.

Fair enough for May through September, even an extra month on each side. But it's just past the middle of winter.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sometimes, the stroller isn't for the kids, it is for the parents. My daughter is nine - judge me if you must - but we still bring a stroller to WDW. I use it to stash jackets, hang my lunch cooler from the handle, put drinks in the cup holder, stash Vinylmations, etc.

I took a solo trip to the F&W Festival and went absolutely insane trying to figure out where to put my cup so I wouldn't have to lug it around. If you saw a woman there making an awkward hand gesture all day it was me, trying to put my drink in the non existent cup holder. I am even seriously considering bringing a stroller on my next solo trip.

My daughter will jump in the stroller and rest when her little tiny legs get tired and that does help us extend our day. No, we are not one of those families who keeps tired and cranky kids at the park too long. She is a bundle of energy who loves Disney more than most. But at only 48 inches and 45 pounds, her nine year old body can't keep up with us long legged people all day.

Then you're bringing too much. Rent a locker if individuals can't carry their own jackets or souvenirs, or have the latter sent to your resort or park package pickup. Get a reusable bottle with a strap, or a carabiner.

 

[WildReekies]

Then you're bringing too much. Rent a locker if individuals can't carry their own jackets or souvenirs, or have the latter sent to your resort or park package pickup. Get a reusable bottle with a strap, or a carabiner.

She Can bring what she likes. Everyone they are just strollers . How about we all get cranky about something that matters ...

 

[magicbob]

She Can bring what she likes. Everyone they are just strollers . How about we all get cranky about something that matters ...

... like FP+, ECVs, pool hopping, reusable mugs, and BTGs!

 

[WantToGoNow]

Somet are children that may have a disability but the majority ate not. Many parents use them because they carry too much stuff to the parks and others because they don't want their kids to be tired and whiny.

I had a bus driver at AoA tell us in October that Disney is working on a plan to limit the size of strollers on the bus. He was specifically referring to one of the big doubles that everyone rents. I personally wish Disney would start limiting stroller use to those with small children and/or special needs but that will never happen.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Somet are children that may have a disability but the majority ate not. Many parents use them because they carry too much stuff to the parks and others because they don't want their kids to be tired and whiny.

I had a bus driver at AoA tell us in October that Disney is working on a plan to limit the size of strollers on the bus. He was specifically referring to one of the big doubles that everyone rents.

 

[Gracie09]

Somet are children that may have a disability but the majority ate not. Many parents use them because they carry too much stuff to the parks and others because they don't want their kids to be tired and whiny.

I had a bus driver at AoA tell us in October that Disney is working on a plan to limit the size of strollers on the bus. He was specifically referring to one of the big doubles that everyone rents.

Ahhh you heard it from a bus driver. I wonder if it's the same one that told me they were building a monorail to universal because they own marvel now.

That doesn't pass the sniff test. Disney wants families with kids to come. That means strollers and double strollers.

 

[Magpie]

I just assume that every "big kid" I see in a stroller has a legitimate need for it one way or another, whether it's a disability, parental convenience, or just lack of fitness. I generally don't even glance twice, as it's none of my business.

That said, I did take a LOT of pride in my own two sturdy little walkers, many, many years ago. We didn't own a car and we didn't buy a stroller until I was pregnant with my second, and had a scare, and the doctor said I wasn't allowed to pick up my eldest any more. Hilariously, she hated being strapped into the stroller, and would scream and grab at people's legs the entire time she was confined, so we used it as little as humanly possible.

I never had an issue with needing to carry a load of kid-stuff everywhere, either, except for those few months when I wasn't allowed to lift anything. That's what backpacks are for! After all... it's not like I had a need for a cart to haul our stuff everywhere, any more than my kids had a need to be hauled themselves.

We always had water and a couple changes of clothes, a small sewing kit, band-aids, a small book/toy, and some snacks. Pas de problem!

Edit: Oh... and sometimes sore legs happen to all of us, no matter what age we are. It's not the end of the world, or even the end of a vacation. My daughter grew from a stoller-hating toddler into an unathletic bookworm, and when she was a teenager we visited Universal. Spent a whole day running from ride to ride, and when she got out of bed the next morning she literally collapsed. We laughed at her as she hobbled into a hot shower to loosen up. I think the only accommodation she got that day was when we took the boat back to our resort instead of walking. We wouldn't have rented a stroller for her when she was six and we certainly weren't going to get one for her at sixteen!

 

[AmyB2006]

... like FP+, ECVs, pool hopping, reusable mugs, and BTGs!

...and bubbles.

 

[HookdonWDW]

...and bubbles.

... and getting sprayed by other people's fans...

So many complaints, so little time...

 

[tiggerdad]

... and getting sprayed by other people's fans...

So many complaints, so little time...

Holding those huge picture frame i pads up to take blurry pictures...

 

[AmyB2006]

... and getting sprayed by other people's fans...

So many complaints, so little time...

 

[glamdring269]

How many kid leashes did you see in One Man's Dream?

 

[fbarker]

wrongpost sorry

 

[AmyB2006]

wrongpost sorry

Right. Like the 9 year old pet peeve thread that was resurrected the other day? LOL That went south really quick when someone said her pet peeve was parents "cramming their fat daughters into Princess Dresses". Good luck with that one.