how old is too old for stroller

[Dimples1973ca]

DD will be three the end of October and we still keep her in a small cheapy stroller when we head to the mall and such. Keep her a little more contained. We are going to WDW for December 2009. She will be four by then. Is that too old to have her in a stroller for that time? If so what stroller would be best for a tall four year old?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[imthatgirl]

i dont think any have age limits, could be wrong?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

There is no age that kids "age out of" a stroller by. Each kid is different. If your child wants to ride in a stroller at 7 and you want to push it that is your choice. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Do what is best for your family!

 

[thepeach80]

I would take it, if no other reason you can use it to hold all the crap. I personally get annoyed w/ people at the zoo who have children that have obviously outgrown their strollers still pushing them around (this is when there are no other smaller children there who could've used the stroller). I let my 5yo use the stroller the other day at the store b/c my dd had gotten out and he had just woken up in the car, but I usually make him walk. We took AJ at almost 4.5yo and he didn't use the stroller till the end of the week when we went to 'boring' Epcot. There's no way I could've even gotten him in the stroller at WDW, he wanted to be walking w/ us, my almost 3yo was the same way.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

Very much depends on the kid and not just their normal excercise routine but their ability to cope with the heat.

We went in august and our 4 and 5 year old are very used to walking, we have no car, it's not unusual for them to walk several mile in a day and neither had used a stroller since they were aged two- our five year old coped just fine and i feel he would have a year earlier too at age four, however our four year old could not deal with the heat and I ended up wishing we'd have taken a stroller for the baby and a second stroller for her. They're fit kids, they walk alot- we could anticipate fairly accurately their endurance levels and how long they could stay awake but we couldn't anticipate how they'd react to the heat and humidity.

 

[HLDisney]

I used a stroller for my almost 6yo DD last November and I saw kids that were even older than her in the Disney strollers. There's a lot of walking to be done in Disney so it's understandable that kids who may not need strollers at other times might need them at Disney. My DD didn't need to use it all the time but she really needed it in the evenings when we were headed back to the resort and waiting for the busses.

We're going back to Disney this coming Nov and I don't think we're going to bring the stroller this time.....but only because this is our 3rd trip in 3 years and we're not going to be going "commando" (at the parks from sunup to sundown) this time. If I thought we would be out all day, I I would still bring the stroller. And honestly, I'm going to really miss having the stroller to hold our stuff.

Helen

 

[maxiesmom]

DD will be three the end of October and we still keep her in a small cheapy stroller when we head to the mall and such. Keep her a little more contained. We are going to WDW for December 2009. She will be four by then. Is that too old to have her in a stroller for that time? If so what stroller would be best for a tall four year old?

Thanks for the advice!

Four years old is definately not too old for a stroller at Disney World.

The strollers that Disney rents are great for older children. The kids sit in them with their legs straight out, they don't bend at the knee and hang over like in most strollers. So you don't have to worry about your child sitting with their knees under their chin. The strollers are fairly tall too, so that you don't have to walk hunched over in order to push them.

I really like the Disney rental strollers.

 

[ambiwan]

You should also keep in mind the length of your trip. Your 7 year old may do well for 1 or 2 days, but may start wearing out earlier after a week at the world. We also like to take our own stroller because it can be a long walk from a bus stop to your room at the end of the night with a tired kid. Last trip we only had 1 dd and we took her regular stroller. It was kind of a pain to deal with on a crowded bus. Our next trip, we have 2 dd (5 and 2 1/2). We plan on taking 2 umbrella strollers. No where to really store items under the stroller, but I created a bag that hangs on the back of each one. It has one big pocket for a change of clothes/diapers, and lots of little pockets for first aid, wipes, sunscreen, etc. We took a "test run" at the zoo and they worked great.

 

[budbeerlady]

DD was still hanging out in the stroller when she was 6 at Disney. She was capable of walking but I didnt want to tire her out much. We all want our vacation to be happy and if pushing her around a bit did that I was all for it!

 

[momz3]

We are going next month and I just got a double stroller for my 18m and 6 year old. I KNOW she is going to get tired and honestly I dont want to listen to her complain her legs are tired and can't walk anymore. Plus it can hold all our stuff!!

 

[happymommy]

Last year, DD was 8, and after a couple of days I got her a double stroller a few times at Disney! It is a lot of walking, and she tires easily (it was hard for her to get enough sleep sharing a room with the 3 of us).

I brought one until she was 7. She hadn't ridden in it at home in years, but at Disney, they were fighting over it!

It's so different than at home, and it's come in handy! She got sick (the trip she was 7) and fell asleep in it. It was nice to have our own, so I pushed her back to the Dolphin (she was running a fever and sleeping, ended up having strep throat).

I'd bring one if you can.

 

[badblackpug]

 

[mrsklamc]

I saw a grown woman in one at AKL in april.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

You will get many different opinions on this.

My DS never rode in a stroller past 4 yo. And DD will turn 5 right before our October trip and we will not take the stroller.

It , IMOP, is so much easier without it. I shove all my "park stuff" in a backpack and we send all souvinirs back to the resort. We love just going and not hunting on where the CM put our stroller this time.

But as I said this is just our opinion. You will hear people who push 8, 9 and 10 yo around in strollers. Thats fine if you want to, but me I couldn't imagine pushing my 5 foot 100 pound 9 yo DS in a stroller.

 

[swald91]

I would also bring it. Some kids don't mind the walking-as long as they are not wanderers!! Kids get tired -as do parents- but if they get a bit sleepy you can always put it to use! My kids are 7 & 11 so I haven't used one in years! Sometimes I wish someone would push me around in one of them!!!

 

[sueh]

There is no age that kids "age out of" a stroller by. Each kid is different. If your child wants to ride in a stroller at 7 and you want to push it that is your choice. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Do what is best for your family!

I have to agree with this.

I went in July and my girls were 7 & 6 and I got a stroller for them. It was hot and very crowded and my kids were comfortable and I knew where they were at all times.

But when we go in Dec 09 I will not be getting a carriage for them. It should be less crowded and they will be older by then. Also the only thing that stunk was parking the stroller and then trying to find it in the sea of other strollers. Sometimes we had to backtrack for it.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Bring one! Or rent one (but that is very costly in DW), for sure. We went last year and my son was 4 and he was very happy at the end of the day to take a load off due to the heat and the walking. Heck, I could have used one at time!!

 

[natnelliesmom]

We bring a double stroller for DD3 and DD5. They are great walkers- but we like to stay in the parks all day- and this way they can rest when they need to. I also like to have a home base- and a place to leave our things when we go on rides. When it rains- my DDs can be undercover.
It's also great when you need to get from one place to another in a hurry. No 3 y/o I know can hurry all day long.
It's also invaluable when there are crowds. I don't have to worry about anyone getting lost- they are safe in the stroller!
Strollers are great when you are going back to your room late at night. My DDs always fall asleep on the bus and we just pop the stroller up and put them in- then we can do the looooong walk back to our room without carrying two sleeping kids! Great!
I highly recommend bringing one.
-Sarah

 

[caroline1851]

Obvioulsy, assuming a child does not have special needs of any sort, 6 is the oldest, imo. I just don't think a child of 7 or more should be riding around in a stroller. Most kids should be able to handle walking around all day. it's not as though there are not break times (lunch, shows, etc.)
I asked my ds6 if he wanted me to get a double stroller for when we go and he said no way would he ride in a stroller.
Kids need to toughen up. If they want the fun, they should have to walk. It's ridiculous the stories i read on here of 9 or 10 year olds using a stroller-that's just laziness.

 

[all4fun]

We took a stroller for ds who just turned 5 last April. He definitely didn't have the stamina for all that walking, and pushing him in a stroller was so much easier on my back than carrying him, which he would have preferred over walking if he didn't have a stroller to ride in. He was "only" 40lbs back then, which isn't a lot for a 5yr old, but it is a lot to try and lug around the parks, lol. We are going back in December, and will be taking the stroller again. I don't foresee us pushing him absolutely everywhere in it. We will probably be parking it in stroller parking and making our way around the different parts of the park on foot, then retrieving it before heading to the next area, or out of the park. There is no rule that says you have to use it all the time, but it sure is nice to have if your child is getting worn out, and it can make the difference between a happy child, and a cranky one. It is vacation, after all, where you're supposed to be having fun. We don't use the stroller at home any more. jmho.

eta: also, during really crowded times, putting a kid in a stroller is an easy way to keep them "contained" and close to you, and it's much easier to keep them from being trampled by some other guests as you try and make your way through throngs of people.

hth