Strollers: How Old is Too Old?

[jodeeb]

You should do what works for you and your family.

Last time we were in WDW we rented a stroller for DD who was 6 at the time and she is tall for her age. We did get some stares, but it was more important to us for it to be a pleasent trip for her and for us. It also was a great place to put all the stuff that you dont want to take on the rides.

The first time we went DD was 2 and her older sister was 6. She was only in the stroller for half the time because she wanted to push it so DD would hop in. Boy did we get stares then with DD2 pushing DD6. It was slow going, but that is what worked for us.

I'm going to miss having a stroller because I hate trying to fit all my bag in the nets on the rides. An this year we will have to have sweaters to. DH even suggested we rent one just to keep our stuff on.

My suggestion is to just rent a stroller in the park that you are at. We didnt think it was very expensive. That way you dont have to schlep the stroller onto the buses and monorail. You can decide each day if she needs one and do what feels right at the time.

 

[Colleen27]

My 4yo only uses her stroller when we travel but I know she's still a ways off from doing WDW without one. Any distance longer than a mile or so ends up with one of us carrying her and at WDW we don't want to be carrying her for the bulk of the day. We walk a lot at home - to school, to the store, to the playground - but her short little legs just can't keep up with the sort of walking involved in many of our trips. It doesn't help that she's tiny for her age, only 38" at 4.5, so she's taking 3 steps for every one of mine!

As far as renting vs bringing, that's a no brainer. The time when the stroller is most needed is for the walk from the bus stop back to the room at night and renting from Disney can't help with that! We'll bring our P3 along until DD is ready to handle all the walking on her own.

 

[bea2269]

Shoot I'd use a stroller for myself if i could!

Haha! I would rather have it than not. That will make for a miserable trip of she wants one, and you en up carrying her instead.

 

[mslhb]

We are going with our DD (4.5) next month. We are bringing a stroller. DD hasn't used a stroller since she was 2. To me the reasons we will opt for a stroller are 1. It is a ton of walking and DD is getting way too heavy to carry at the end of the day, 2. In crowds I like the idea of her in the stroller 3. Basket underneath will be nice to keep extra clothes, water bottles, etc. I don't know how much we will end up using it but I definitely want it just in case.

 

[mom of a lil pirate]

My son is 4 and 45.5" and we use one. I travel alone with him and after having to carry him at night back to the resort I swore never to go without one. I bring it instead of rent just so we have it to use getting back to the resort. If you rent at the parks they sty at the parks. I usually just have a strap and leave it folded up and carry it with us until he needs it. Seems to work fine. I agree that it is up to you and don't worry about others.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd was 5 the first time we went to WDW. She had been out of a stroller for about 2/3 years at that point. We never felt that she wasn't able to 'keep up' when walking through the parks. But, that doesn't mean that everyone should stop using strollers when their kids turn 3!! That's what worked for us.

I can't imagine, asking here, on an open forum, what I should do, especially in this case. None of us know you, we don't know your family, and we certainly don't know your child. Only you can make those decisions. If you think a stroller is appropriate, then use one. And stop worrying about what someone else may think!!!

But, remember....you have to fold that stroller up when getting on the bus. You have to navigate through massive crowds, with low lighting..hard to do with a stroller. You will also have to use the stroller parking areas, which are sometimes a bit away from attractions/shows. For those fireworks shows, and parades, it's hard to use a stroller....it's almost always best to take the child out of the stroller if they want to see.....and you didn't get to the curbside about 2 hrs prior to the parade start to save a good viewing spot, for that stroller.

We sometimes make decisions to tour the parks in such a way that it impacts our younger kids. They can't keep up with that pace..rushing from one place to another. But, if you take your time, and take some time to just plop down on a bench with a snack, your child can get a bit of a rest...and so can you.
We all tend to rush around, trying to see it all, do it all...and that's impossible to do at WDW. Take your time, plan in a sit down rest every few hours. Everyone will be happier.
And if you truly feel the need to use the stroller?? Go for it and stop worrying about what a bunch of strangers are going to say or think!!!

 

[AlohaAnnie]

I think it depends on the child. Our DD rode in a stroller until she was 7. She has a mild dose of drama & it was just easier for us and for her. It kept everyone happy. Since everyone was happy we had a great stay.

We called it Rollin Princess Style.

She is also on the small side and still is.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ktlm]

We did it at 5, and we were very glad we did. DD(6) never used a stroller after she hit 12 months old and took her first steps, except for at WDW and DL. We did DL this summer with her at age 6, as our first Disney trip without a stroller. Let me tell you, it is a whole lot slower and quite a bit of a pain without the stroller. Plus, by day 3 with all that walking, my normally high energy never slow down kid was pretty much wiped out. We will be doing our first WDW non-stroller trip soon, and I have to say I am dreading it a bit. I say take it. If you decide you don't want to use it, you can always leave it in the room, but I bet you will use it.

 

[Magpie]

I wouldn't look twice at a small child/preschooler in a stroller.

Now, there have been times I've seen obviously school-aged children in strollers - 2nd or 3rd graders with no smaller sibling in sight, their legs dragging on the ground. That's given me brief pause, but not because I think their parents are "babying" them, but just because I'm curious as to what the child's mental or physical disability is.

Then I move on and continue enjoying my own vacation, without giving it a second thought.

 

[AngieMouse86]

When we went to WDW my lil sis was 7-going-on-8. We don't even own a stroller anymore but my mom did the length of stay rental.

My sis is very active and plays volleyball but she is also quite thin and gets pediatric migraines, and while otherwise perfectly healthy, she doesn't have the stamina to do the 12+ miles we were walking a day; That is far beyond what her age is doing in PE or vball.

She didn't use it very much each day but when she did, it was great for her. She'd want to sit to take a breather and took a couple cat naps. We go to DL often and she's just fine w/o a stroller there, but we're not usually doing commando-style touring there. Even without her in it for most of the day, it served as a handy spot to store a few things.

Do what you think is best for your family. I wouldn't even think to judge a family based on how old a child in a stroller looks like! There are so many things that we as strangers just *do not* know about another family and their circumstances.

 

[designermv]

 

[kohlby]

My daughter was 5 on our last trip. The plan was for her to walk the entire time. She could have done it. We would have been fine. With shoes on, she was a smidge above 44" - which I know due to what rides she was able to do! She's very slender and actually get mistaken for younger more often than older. My youngest was 2.5 and supposed to be in the stroller. But he refused. Since we were pushing around an empty stroller, we realized it made sense to let the 5 year old have breaks when she needed it. So, we could have gone either way - she liked having it but would have been perfectly fine without it.

On another trip, my oldest was 6. He normally complained about walking. He's very big for his age but his endurance is no where near as good as my middle child. He couldn't have the stroller since it was a single with a 50lb weight limit. That was for our 3 year old of the moment while the 11 month old was in the sling. So, he had to walk and couldn't be carried at all either. We did 7 different parks over 8 days and he did awesome!!! I was shocked at how well he did.

Our touring style is to get to the parks at rope drop and go when someone needs to leave. I think that helped too - he knew we would stay longer if he could handle it. It was the 3 year old that had us leaving around dinner time each day. It also helps that we go in the cooler off-season. I'm sure it would have been a totally different story if it had been hot.

On our next trip, our middle child is 6. And the 3.5 year old better use the stroller since I can't handle him in the sling anymore! But if he's out of the stroller, then we'll let the 6 year old hop in. I know she has the stamina for all day at Disney. But she's timid and likes having the stroller space at times.

If I had only one child and it was a 5 year old, I wouldn't take a stroller. I'd figure the child can walk and we would have two adults if carrying was needed. But, I wouldn't bat an eye at another child that age - or older - using one. I'm looking forward to stroller-free days so I'll be stopping the stroller as soon as I can!

 

[theresamom]

Ok.. judge a way... but walk a mile in my (his?) shoes.

My son was 7 during our first trip to WDW. He was a chunky monkey and not used to walking miles and miles in a day..day after day.

His legs were probably twice as short as mine, so he had to walk a lot more steps than I did..

We had limited time and didn't have time to wait on him..there was FUN to be had.

So, I bought a double stroller and we rocked WDW and had a great time. He wasn't tired and grumpy.. we didn't have to wait for him. Energy levels were high and feet were happy.

I'm glad I rented a stroller. Despite his age. Did I baby him? I dunno. Did we have a magical time full of fun and energy? YOU BET!

Of course, he's older now and is quite capable and keeping up...and I have no regrets. I'm pretty sure he's not scarred for life and I'm pretty sure I didn't offend too many people by having my son in a stroller.

 

[maxiesmom]

Haha! I would rather have it than not. That will make for a miserable trip of she wants one, and you en up carrying her instead.

Agreed. And after watching my brother in law walk into a sign while carrying my nephew on his shoulders at WDW (and listening to him scream and cry) I'm not a fan of carrying kids on your shoulders. Not to mention, if you don't have a death grip on them the whole time and they shift around, it is too easy to drop them.

I'd bring a stroller along. If you need it fine, if you don't, leave it at the resort.

 

[WantToGoNow]

If she whined and wanted carried in NY she will whine and want carried at WDW. Both of my younger children had their last stroller rides at WDW when they were 5. They knew not to ask me to carry them because my back couldn't do it - they were last carried sometime around their 2nd birthdays.

 

[bumbershoot]

Age has nothing to do with it, the question is, 'Can the person in question keep up with the park touring you plan to do?'

I think that this should be the only answer to the question. Ever.

I willingly admit that my touring style in the past hasn't accommodated those with shorter legs than mine. Heck, it hasn't even been easy for my husband to keep up. (growing up shorter than ALL of my friends, I learned early to walk FAST) Because I'm nearly incapable of slowing down (even on a solo trip I walk briskly) the stroller was definitely needed for DS. Now, we only had a stroller for Disney (and a jogging stroller for, well, jogging at home); I have never taken a stroller into a store or mall or ANYWHERE at home. And DS definitely still needed it during our Disneyland trip when he was 5. He was unable to keep up with the touring style I was setting back then.

I'd rather see kids in strollers than kids being dragged from place to place and complaining about being tired.

Yep!

Then I take back all those mental judgements I made earlier.

When reading sentiments of people whose children don't use strollers and don't believe in them barring diagnosed conditions after a certain age, remember that it's possible their family is physically gifted with the ability to walk for days at a time, OR they walk slower than other families do, OR they simply have children who are better at doing some things than others. We all see the world through filters.

Yesterday at the store I was watching a toddler girl in a shopping cart who had been parked in touching distance of a display of teapots. While looking at whatever I was looking at, I was also watching her. Because I see toddlers near teapost through the filter of dealing with MY child, who, when presented with a display of ceramics would have wanted to make a lovely mess of ceramic shards. I was telling the mom how cute her girl was, and telling her laughingly about my silly worry, she said that her toddler isn't that curious, and if she does touch things, she does it softly and gently. She will have a MUCH different filter than I do, because of the particular children we have.

So don't let stuff like that mess with you.

Also, even at 5 my son's legs were dangling off the Volo. Didn't mean it wasn't appropriate for him. He fit by weight and it was basically comfy for him as long as he didn't fall asleep (his head also went up beyond the back of the Volo). It was a good way for him to go from point x to point y.


When we had our first WDW visit when DS was 7, we brought the Volo just in case. We didn't even unfold it and it stayed in the hall of the villa the entire time, but we had it, just in case.

 

[GillianP1301]

This past summer, we rented a city mini from magic strollers for my 4yo, 42" son, so size wise you should be fine. He hasn't used a stroller since he was 2, but it was totally worth it at WDW. We would often park it and leave it while we did multiple attractions in the area and then pick it up again for longer walks.

 

[ttintagel]

When I was 5, I would have been absolutely mortified if my parents had tried to make me ride in a baby carriage. When I was 5, it was all about, "I'm a big kid, not a baby." They'd have had to strap me it, and I'd have screamed bloody murder.

Then again, my parents realized I was a child with child-sized legs, and they would never have expected me to keep up with an adult pace or stay up as late as an adult. Until we were old enough to have an adult's stamina, they didn't try to do things as a family that would have taxed us kids beyond our capabilities.

 

[NHKristy76]

Honestly, make her walk. We stopped bringing the stroller when our DD was 2. After they she walked and there's no way I'd even consider a stroller (or carrying!!) a 5 yr old...

 

[Funfire240]

OUr DD4 is 45" and we used the stroller (an umbrella one). We let her walk when she wanted to or ride when she wanted to I thought it was very nice to have when she tired out she did fall asleep in it a few times which allowed us then to walk around the park instead of having to stay in one place. It was also nice at night when she was tired or leaving the park at close with the crowds (and waiting for the buses!)
Other than vacations, she doesn't use the stroller anymore but it was so nice especially at Disney - we would've moved a lot slower and not seen as much if she had been walking the whole time