Will I regret not bringing a stroller?

[thatgirl08]

Why is the stroller decision so hard!! I cannot decide either. Some days DD (4) is a trooper and other days she is a whiney mess.

 

[disney world dreamer]

For those of you who don't take a stroller, where do you out all your stuff?

We've taken one for our twins for last three years (were 5 this year). While I don't think they can handle the walking without whining excessively just yet, I wonder what I'd do with all the other stuff we lug (lunch, snacks, drinks) when we eventually stop hauling the stroller.

you really don't NEED all of that.
start packing lighter.
and if need be rent a locker.

 

[CdnCarrie]

For those of you who don't take a stroller, where do you out all your stuff?

We've taken one for our twins for last three years (were 5 this year). While I don't think they can handle the walking without whining excessively just yet, I wonder what I'd do with all the other stuff we lug (lunch, snacks, drinks) when we eventually stop hauling the stroller.

My kids didn't use a stroller past age 4. Hmm maybe my oldest did use it couple days at age 5 but I'm not sure. That would have been 2010 so can't remember for sure. I think we rented one for him couple times that trip if I remember correctly. Not daily but just on some longer days. The youngest for sure refused a stroller at age 5.

As for lugging stuff the only thing I missed about the stroller is having somewhere to put jackets. We don't take snacks and drinks into the park when the kids are past the toddler stage. Usually we are on the dining plan so we get more than enough food without dragging something from home. And I HATE dragging around water. We just drink it at meal time. The few things we take (camera, id, little cash) I put in a small bag. My kids are now 8 and 10 and this year I went with a wristlet only! That was freeing!

 

[SariKat]

We are bringing a stroller for our 4 1/2 year old for when we visit Epcot. That park covers a lot of distance so it is a must! In addition, we are doing MNSSHP and if he gets tired it's nice to have a stroller for him to crash in.

 

[LovesTimone]

When DD was 5 I would have never gone without a stroller, DD was a grazer and also a picky eater. So a collapsible cooler was a must for us. Also having a stroller gave me a place to put my day bag. With extra clothes, jackets, a few small things for in line. Even when she was 7, I still took the stroller. She was a small 7 year old. For us it worked.

My friends just got back, they have 3 girls, 4,5,7.. They rented a double stroller from one of the companies that drops off and pick ups at the resort. On arrival day they went into one of the parks mid-day and by that night when they headed for the buses, her DH was on the phone begging for another one, They rented another double, even though they only needed a single, they used the extra seat for all the stuff 3 princess can have. My friend said there was no way they would have made it thru a 8 night trip without them.


Another friend just went with her whole family, kids, grandkids.They went the umbrella stroller route for the airports, they had to change planes, they also used them when they hit the outlet mall. Her and DD's and DDIL's hit up a consignment shop for them. But for the parks they rented the larger ones with the sun shields, she said it was great when they arrived at POR the strollers were waiting and they dropped them off when they headed for the airport. They were there 10 nights. She said the umbrella strollers worked great for the airports, it gave the kids a place to sit and also sleep, they just tilted them back, when they were asleep, which was good as a 2 hour layover ended up being 6 hours.

 

[maxiesmom]

Why is the stroller decision so hard!! I cannot decide either. Some days DD (4) is a trooper and other days she is a whiney mess.

Then take or rent one just for the days she is a whiny mess.

 

[North of Mouse]

A 7 year old should not need a stroller, but I'd take a light umbrella stroller for the 5 year old. I didn't use one for mine at that age, but we didn't put in extremely long days for several days. 'How' you tour matters as much as anything IMO.

 

[buzznina]

We have been taking at least one stroller for 9 years now and will actually miss it once we stop Great to have to store stuff in the basket, DDs can rest their little legs when needed and if we need to get somewhere quicker, still happens once in awhile This way we can still be walking and seeing stuff and they are resting their legs. I have never felt like a stroller was a hassle or felt like I was lugging it around, especially if it is just an umbrella stroller, we have . We mainly use disney buses and rarely had any issues with them. Just an observation but it seems like we have seen more family melt downs by families with little ones that do not have a stroller more than families with a stroller. My DW will point this out because every once in awhile I will say "lets not take the stroller today", by the end of the day, I am glad I was overruled

 

[brymolmom]

My youngest can be very dramatic too. We had a 'no stroller after 5 for WDW' rule in my house. I think a LOT of it is setting the kids expectations. She KNEW going into her first trip outside of our rule that we would NOT be getting a stroller - no matter what (well - maybe for an injury). So she knew she had to suck it up and move along. I also implemented a rule that if she whined about how tired she was we would skip the next ride and sit on a bench (didn't want to use the 'going back to the room' consequence unless I was willing to really follow-through). So she and I would sit and dh and her brother would ride - she OBVIOUSLY did not want to do that. She knew that if she got really tired we could go back to the room. She only opted to do that once- after a LONG day at EPCOT - she opted to skip illuminations and we headed to the bus about 40 minutes before the rest of the family.

Overall - worked great. Just let her know what to expect and what you're willing to do and the consequences of improper behavior. I think my dd maybe whined twice the whole trip.

And I LOVE being without a stroller. I never thought I would say that since I liked bringing lots of stuff...But it is SO MUCH NICER not having to chase after it after every ride! You'll LOVE it!

Good luck!

 

[MandiC]

This probably depends on how tolerant of strollers you are I hate bringing extra 'stuff' in anywhere, watching people with strollers in Disney reminded me that we will not bring our younger two kids to Disney until they can do it without a stroller.
I am hoping next year at 4 and 5/6 they can. We don't mind sitting down for breaks, in fact we enjoyed finding places to sit and relax last time...and tbh I'd rather carry a sleeping child out of the park at night than deal with maneuvering a stroller through the crowds after Wishes/IllumiNations...

 

[nitmavis]

It depends on your child(ren). We brought one when our youngest was 4 and it just ended up being a pain. We brought it when she was 3 too because at that age we definitely needed it. She didn't want to be in it most of the time because she was trying to keep up with big sis and older cousins. Our extended family members ended up using it to dump there backpacks. Really?! I don't want to push a stroller to begin with much less one with other peoples stuff in it. Grrr. She's also on the smaller side so it was easy to carry her. It's not bad having a backpack and also carrying a child. After the first couple of days we left it in the room. When we got home hubby threw it out! We were so sick of strollers!

 

[maxiesmom]

It depends on your child(ren). We brought one when our youngest was 4 and it just ended up being a pain. We brought it when she was 3 too because at that age we definitely needed it. She didn't want to be in it most of the time because she was trying to keep up with big sis and older cousins. Our extended family members ended up using it to dump there backpacks. Really?! I don't want to push a stroller to begin with much less one with other peoples stuff in it. Grrr. She's also on the smaller side so it was easy to carry her. It's not bad having a backpack and also carrying a child. After the first couple of days we left it in the room. When we got home hubby threw it out! We were so sick of strollers!

I would never recommend carrying a child around WDW. It is too easy to trip, or as my brother in law did, whack their head into a sign. Not to mention who wants to walk miles a day carrying a child? No thanks.

 

[nitmavis]

I would never recommend carrying a child around WDW. It is too easy to trip, or as my brother in law did, whack their head into a sign. Not to mention who wants to walk miles a day carrying a child? No thanks.

There are plenty if parents who carry their kids. I'm sure you've seen them. I never said I carried her for miles or hours. Only for short periods. Most of time she walked. Everything has it's pros and cons. You have to evaluate everything and do what's best for your family. For us, getting rid of the stroller was worth it.

 

[maxiesmom]

There are plenty if parents who carry their kids. I'm sure you've seen them. I never said I carried her for miles or hours. Only for short periods. Most of time she walked. Everything has it's pros and cons. You have to evaluate everything and do what's best for your family. For us, getting rid of the stroller was worth it.

I was actually with a parent who insisted his 4 year old didn't need a stroller, he would carry him. And then my brother in law started complaining when my nephew wanted to be carried. Adults get tired too, and hauling a child around makes all that walking even more tiring.

And then not only did he walk my nephew's head into a low hanging sign, which resulted in much screaming and crying, he hit my sister in the face swinging her son up onto his shoulders.

Yeah. Not so great memories of an adult who insisted carrying was the thing to do, and going stroller-less would be awesome. It wasn't.

If another family tries it and it works for them, great. But it may not be as simple as it sounds on the Dis.

 

[nitmavis]

I was actually with a parent who insisted his 4 year old didn't need a stroller, he would carry him. And then my brother in law started complaining when my nephew wanted to be carried. Adults get tired too, and hauling a child around makes all that walking even more tiring. And then not only did he walk my nephew's head into a low hanging sign, which resulted in much screaming and crying, he hit my sister in the face swinging her son up onto his shoulders. Yeah. Not so great memories of an adult who insisted carrying was the thing to do, and going stroller-less would be awesome. It wasn't. If another family tries it and it works for them, great. But it may not be as simple as it sounds on the Dis.

I hear you! Stroller-less doesn't work for everyone. And with your experience I can certainly see where you are coming from! My 4 year old was happy to be walking with the big kids and we were happy not having one. However, if we had mishaps like you did I would definitely want the stroller.