Tips for no longer using stroller

[Sconniemommy]

We are planning our next trip the summer of 2025. Our kids will be 7 and 6 at that time and are now too big for our stroller. Anyone have any tips on navigating through the parks without a stroller and having the kids walk?

An issue we have run into on other trips is they are capable of walking a good distance, they just complain alot and act as if they can't go that far.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

First everyone gets tired and cranky so sit down and have a snack and relax for a few minutes.

Make sure they are wearing comfortable shoes.

They should have more energy than you or I unless they have a medical condition so at 6 and 7 to me there shouldn't be much complaining just based on having to walk/stand.
Its not like you were taking the strollers into the lines so its really just them walking from point A to point B...
Not much you can do short of telling them no complaining or we won't be going...

 

[redrosesix]

watch out for other parents with strollers! It's like they only see what is in front of their face ie. not your kids who would be below their line of sight. Some of our worst memories at WDW were caused by my kid getting hit by strollers and other parents we know had the same issues. there were a few times she was knocked right over but the worst was when her foot got run over...the lady kept going and yelled back "we're late for a reservation" as if that made it ok. Our night ended with a trip to the first aid station and we cancelled the rest of the day at the park...and the next day because her foot was so bruised.

It may sound like an unlikely event, but believe me it isn't. I just think it's inexcusable but I don't think it will change with so many more things on tight deadlines.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Do you have a dog you take for a walk? We always walked our dog a mile every afternoon, plus our son played sports and was used to walking/running from a young age. Can you buy an old fashioned pedometer? Try it out at the supermarket and encourage them to hit a goal? It's all about tricks and bribes at this point IMO. Best of luck!

 

[bdrex28]

Tell them to suck it up, life isn't easy and now it's time they learn. I'd make them walk around the neighborhood wearing a backpack with at least 25 lbs in it for a month or two prior to the trip. That walk should be at least a mile to start then work their way up to 3miles.

*****I'M TOTALLY KIDDING******

Our son was just about to turn 5 the first time we had no stroller. He did pretty well, but this was way pre-covid and crowds were low since it was the middle of August. I carried a back pack with tons of water and cooling rags, etc. lines were generally pretty short.

We also made sure we stopped and did rests and of course riding a lot of rides helped because he was off his feet. We'd go out from about 8am to noon, eat lunch then head back to the room for break/nap time. We'd go back out around 5pm , get dinner then hit up the parks.

The funniest thing was day 3 we had a dinner reservation at Jiko. He absolutely passed out and he ended up sleeping on the bench at the restaurant. My daughters loved it because they didn't have to deal with little brother. The worst part was carrying him to our room which I think was the farthest possibly away as we were in a 1 BR at Kidani Villas.

overall, he was really good and it wasn't a huge deal. There were a few times he wanted a stroller but we would just tell him we didn't have one and we'd go sit and relax for a bit.

 

[Genie+]

When our kids were that young frequent short breaks worked. Whether it was hiking a few hours, walking a city all day to sightsee or miles and miles at WDW… they just wanted alot of tiny breaks and that did the trick.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Rent a double stroller anyway. It's great to have somewhere to keep your stuff, and when they start to whine they can take turns hopping into the stroller to take a break from walking; they will almost certainly be able to fit if they sit diagonally.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

OP: We took a sit-n-stand and removed the front tray so it was just a seat and whenever our DDs got a bit tired they sat. I much rather push them around then to take a lot of small breaks, plus having the storage underneath was so GREAT We liked closing the parks and with the stroller, there were never any melt downs from them or us. LOL Truthfully, we really missed not having a stroller on later trips.

watch out for other parents with strollers! It's like they only see what is in front of their face ie. not your kids who would be below their line of sight. Some of our worst memories at WDW were caused by my kid getting hit by strollers and other parents we know had the same issues. there were a few times she was knocked right over but the worst was when her foot got run over...the lady kept going and yelled back "we're late for a reservation" as if that made it ok. Our night ended with a trip to the first aid station and we cancelled the rest of the day at the park...and the next day because her foot was so bruised.

It may sound like an unlikely event, but believe me it isn't. I just think it's inexcusable but I don't think it will change with so many more things on tight deadlines.

Sorry to hear about your DD, unfortunately there are some parents like that. On the other side I can give you a lot of stories of kids not watching where they were going and constantly stepping in front of our stroller. Kids seem to never walk in a straight line. LOL I tried to give them a wide berth, but then you run into those families that thinks it's ok to walk 4-5+ wide and take up a lot of walking area. So it really does goes both ways. I would take strollers over backpack families any day. The backpacks seem to get bigger and bigger and we have been belted a number of times especially in the lines that goes back and forth, they are constantly hanging over into the other line.

 

[AZMermaid]

When my kids were 5 and 6.5 when we first went stroller free for a June (warm) trip. We were prepared to rent one if needed. But we went with out of sight, out of mind. Yes, they’d complain when we parked far away at Target at home! But in WDW- we walked 71 miles in 8 (6 park) days. Not one single complaint. No one even mentioned the walking! They are regular every day kids- not super athletes!

I teach first grade and these kids are capable of more than many parents think!

 

[CariadMartin]

We are planning our next trip the summer of 2025. Our kids will be 7 and 6 at that time and are now too big for our stroller. Anyone have any tips on navigating through the parks without a stroller and having the kids walk?

An issue we have run into on other trips is they are capable of walking a good distance, they just complain alot and act as if they can't go that far.

We just did our first stroller free trip this summer and the complaining stopped after a couple of days! I did just make sure he had lots of rest stops as it is a lot of walking for adult legs let alone little ones. Ultimately, they want to be at Disney and they want to do all the things, so they don't actually mind walking if they are happy about what they're walking towards!

 

[reddog21]

Rent a double stroller anyway. It's great to have somewhere to keep your stuff, and when they start to whine they can take turns hopping into the stroller to take a break from walking; they will almost certainly be able to fit if they sit diagonally.

Only rent a double stroller(side by side) if you like pain and agravation. Worst mode of child transportation in the parks.

 

[mjkacmom]

Only rent a double stroller(side by side) if you like pain and agravation. Worst mode of child transportation in the parks.

We rented a park stroller for our 4 4 and 6 year olds, basically used it to cross the parks. Loved it, easy to push, easy to hop in and out of. Of course we no longer used a stroller at home so a bit of a treat for the younger kids.

 

[rdaky]

watch out for other parents with strollers! It's like they only see what is in front of their face ie. not your kids who would be below their line of sight. Some of our worst memories at WDW were caused by my kid getting hit by strollers and other parents we know had the same issues. there were a few times she was knocked right over but the worst was when her foot got run over...the lady kept going and yelled back "we're late for a reservation" as if that made it ok. Our night ended with a trip to the first aid station and we cancelled the rest of the day at the park...and the next day because her foot was so bruised.

It may sound like an unlikely event, but believe me it isn't. I just think it's inexcusable but I don't think it will change with so many more things on tight deadlines.

Yes, some people act like fools with strollers. I have witnessed adults running with strollers and cast members yelling at them to walk. The same thing goes for some of the personal scooters, though. People speeding through or backing up, hitting people. But also people not paying attention and walking right in front of strollers, scooters, or cast members trying to push a cart.

We found it incredibly freeing to no longer use a stroller. A backpack with basic essentials works great. And I find that if you stop and do shows and not try to zip from one thing to the next without ever resting, it is better.

And whatever you do, for the love of everyone, DO NOT attach your kids to those old fashioned phone cord locking wrist bands. As a local, I have witnessed mutliple accidents with those things. I hope they're eventually banned.

 

[pweyl36]

Rent a double stroller anyway. It's great to have somewhere to keep your stuff, and when they start to whine they can take turns hopping into the stroller to take a break from walking; they will almost certainly be able to fit if they sit diagonally.

We did the same for my son who was 6 at the time.

 

[Anthony1971]

We were done at 5 and had no complaints. Can not comment on tips maybe just take some mall trips stroller free prior.

 

[Liastaob]

Good shoes make a huge difference, even for adults. My 6 year old complained constantly while wearing her crocks around; the next day we put her in sneakers and she was good to go the whole time.

We basically just decided "no strollers, you need to walk". We did do some prep beforehand by doing some long walks through our neighborhood. I did end up occasionally carrying my daughter, especially when we needed to get somewhere quickly like an ADR. It was good exercise

 

[rdaky]

Also adding, because I just thought about this, is that sometimes kids can walk but they're bored. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard that someone's feet hurt, they're tired of walking, and then they see a playground and suddenly the pain has miraculously gone away. Letting them pick a ride/attraction helps. Something like kid cot fun stops or the scavenger hunts in Epcot can be really helpful. Or the Pirates Adventure in MK, or wilderness explorers in AK. Or just let them free play at a playground for a while. Not 5 minutes but actually a decent amount of time to break up the day and let them enjoy themselves.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We stopped when DD was 5 and she never complained. We went at the end of August too so it was hot. We did RD, midday break and back in the evening. I think this helped a lot. That’s just how we used to tour the parks daily and it worked great. Going without a stroller and bagless was a game changer.

 

[sponica]

Going without a stroller and bagless was a game changer.

Honestly the only reason I still keep a stroller with us is for souvenirs and so I don't have to be the pack mule carrying popcorn buckets and everything.

 

[varsityboyz]

Only rent a double stroller(side by side) if you like pain and agravation. Worst mode of child transportation in the parks.

True!!!
Thank God, those days are over for us.