8 year old and all the walking..

[NelleBelle]

Hi OP! So, first off, I think there is a big difference from when your son was last there and in a stroller at 6 and when he will be there as a "big boy" at 8. Hopefully, he will be, like others have mentioned, engaged mentally (e.g. not "bored") and will not "whine" about his legs being tired. Not to say that his legs won't get tired at some point...heck, my legs get tired towards the end of the day if we don't take some rest breaks. So, other than some of the great advice of doing some pre-WDW walking to build stamina, here are a few tips you could try:
--give him a watch with an alarm for scheduled breaks
--have him earn stickers (or whatever motivates him) for waiting in line, walking, etc without whining/complaining. If there is complaining, he has to give a sticker back. At the end of the day/trip, he can turn in his stickers for a big reward.
--give him an inexpensive camera so that he can focus on taking pictures while you guys are walking
--let him be in charge of "navigating the park" by holding the map and finding the next activity/ride, etc

I'm sure that your DS does have sore knees at night as it is common for children his age and even older to have joint pain as they are growing (e.g. "growing pains"). Your pediatrician sounds like he/she has ruled out any issues and if you've observed him playing appropriately for his age, then I would encourage you to start to ignore the whining when your family is out and about. I certainly would not put your back or spouse's back at risk for an injury by toting your 2 1/2 year-old around in a pack! You'll see lots of kids around his age who will get tired/bored waiting in line and will squat down in line or sit on ledges--let him (but PLEASE don't let him sit on any of the rails/chains in the queue--SO dangerous and asking for an injury that will definitely ruin the trip for everyone). Oh, and make sure he's wearing supportive footwear. If he indeed does have any pain in his knees, bad footwear will definitely exacerbate that!

So sorry for all the rambling advice (the occupational therapist comes out at times)

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

WE have taken my two boys the last two years, they were 6 and 4 the first time, and 7 and 5 the second. At we ended up renting a double stroller on several days at the park (end of June, hot as hell) and i think it was well worth it. Last year in November we did not rent a stroller, but we went with my inlaws who i had ordered a scooter for, and they rode on that on occasion. My 7 year old was able to walk all through the parks, from magic hours until fire work shows. However, in your case, you are going to be getting a stroller anyway for your 2 year old. In my opinion if you need a stroller no matter what, why not have the double stroller available. As you said, you can always use one side for holding bags and things if your son doesn't need it. But on the off chance he does, you have it right there for him to use. From my experience if you are renting them in park, the double stroller isn't all that much more expensive than the single one, and it gets you flexibility.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

www.applescooter.com/Stroller.asp?Venue=Orlando
Rent a double from these guys. They will have it for you at your hotel when you arrive and you just leave it with the luggage desk when you go home. A double is not much more than a single, these doubles are not super wide they fit through a regular doorway and fold up fairly easy for the bus. You already have a daughter who needs one so letting your son have a ride is no crime, it is your vacation so make it easy on yourself. And if pushing it becomes a pain you boot him every once in a while and you have a great spot to keep bags. If nothing else he can sit in it when your waiting for a parade or something

 

[21stamps]

Yes!! Definitely a typo, he is 72lbs

Whew ok,I had to read that first post twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.lol.

My advice- start walking every day together. Increase pace and length incrementally. Download an app or something and set goals to make it fun, offer a reward if need to.

Wanted to add another idea.. there’s tons of workout videos for kids on YouTube. Maybe find a cardio video that he likes and do it together on days that you can’t walk. There’s several that are only 20 minutes in length.

My son is 7 (almost 8) and he does cardio/agility/strength YouTube videos often. They have really helped him with not tiring out during a soccer or futsal match. They would definitely work for Disney walking

 

[OneofThree]

Wanted to add another idea.. there’s tons of workout videos for kids on YouTube. Maybe find a cardio video that he likes and do it together on days that you can’t walk. There’s several that are only 20 minutes in length.

Cardio exercise for an 8-year old? From watching my son, I think he's doing some sort of cardio all day long unless he's sitting down to eat or sleeping. Wish I had that energy.

 

[21stamps]

Cardio exercise for an 8-year old? From watching my son, I think he's doing some sort of cardio all day long unless he's sitting down to eat or sleeping. Wish I had that energy.

Yes..we focus on agility and strength specific workouts a few days per week.. but he does a ball touch video every day.. they are fast paced and provide timed ‘water breaks’ within, besides footskills they really build up stamina. But there are pure cardio workouts without a soccer ball, which would be more appropriate for the OP’s goal.

It made a huge difference with futsal and indoor soccer, he used to get red faced and tired out a lot faster than he does now that we’ve been doing the videos for several months.

 

[OneofThree]

Yes..we focus on agility and strength specific workouts a few days per week.. but he does a ball touch video every day.. they are fast paced and provide timed ‘water breaks’ within, besides footskills they really build up stamina. But there are pure cardio workouts without a soccer ball, which would be more appropriate for the OP’s goal.

It made a huge difference with futsal and indoor soccer, he used to get red faced and tired out a lot faster than he does now that we’ve been doing the videos for several months.

I guess what I'm saying is that, I would think an average 8-year old would have no problem keeping up walking around the parks from a fitness perspective. In my early 40's, I strength train (up to 85% intensity) ~3 times per week and do high intensity cardio for 30 minutes 3-4 times/week, and I still think I'd tire before my own 8 year old.

 

[21stamps]

I guess what I'm saying is that, I would think an average 8-year old would have no problem keeping up walking around the parks from a fitness perspective. In my early 40's, I strength train (up to 85% intensity) ~3 times per week and do high intensity cardio for 30 minutes 3-4 times/week, and I still think I'd tire before my own 8 year old.

I agree with you. However, if the kid isn’t accustomed to walking a lot, and especially if he isn’t accustomed to heat, do prep work beforehand.
At least he’ll only be complaining about the heat and not tired legs.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Bring a stroller (or rent one when and if the time comes) just in case he's flat out done. At least your day won't come to an abrupt end. Or just use it to give him occasional breaks (with the understanding that they're just that).

 

[NelleBelle]

I’m just curious, because my kids are 12 and 14 now and haven’t used a stroller in years, do the strollers they make nowadays have weight limits for kids of 8 years (without rereading all the posts, did OP state her DS was ~75ish lbs)? I knlw some double strollers say 100lbs. It thought that was more for average of each seat? Either way, OP, if your son does get tires, it’s ok to take a break, take in a show. You don’t have to tour commando style unless that IS your style .

 

[jaklgreen]

I’m just curious, because my kids are 12 and 14 now and haven’t used a stroller in years, do the strollers they make nowadays have weight limits for kids of 8 years (without rereading all the posts, did OP state her DS was ~75ish lbs)? I knlw some double strollers say 100lbs. It thought that was more for average of each seat? Either way, OP, if your son does get tires, it’s ok to take a break, take in a show. You don’t have to tour commando style unless that IS your style .

That is good old fashioned advice. An 8 year should not have any issues getting through the day if you tour the park in a reasonable manner. So unless someone is constantly rushing around the whole day then healthy kids have no problems. We always put in extra sit down breaks when our kids were young, not super long ones just, "hey, let's sit for a minute and have some water", type of thing. Ask any grandma if they would have pushed their 8yo in a stroller and they would have told you that you are out of your dang mind.

 

[correcaminos]

I’m just curious, because my kids are 12 and 14 now and haven’t used a stroller in years, do the strollers they make nowadays have weight limits for kids of 8 years (without rereading all the posts, did OP state her DS was ~75ish lbs)? I knlw some double strollers say 100lbs. It thought that was more for average of each seat? Either way, OP, if your son does get tires, it’s ok to take a break, take in a show. You don’t have to tour commando style unless that IS your style .

Our single one had a weight limit of 40-50 IIRC. So since my son is larger than average (tall and definitely not lanky with decent muscles per his ped and was always the height/weight of an average older child) we outgrew them faster. Once he outgrew his we were done. There are some more expensive models that a friend of mine got for her child with autism to be used when he had sensory overload, but in general most wouldn't fit a larger than average 8yo (both in height and weight like my own).

 

[NelleBelle]

Our single one had a weight limit of 40-50 IIRC. So since my son is larger than average (tall and definitely not lanky with decent muscles per his ped and was always the height/weight of an average older child) we outgrew them faster. Once he outgrew his we were done. There are some more expensive models that a friend of mine got for her child with autism to be used when he had sensory overload, but in general most wouldn't fit a larger than average 8yo (both in height and weight like my own).

My oldest son, too, was always taller and weighed more (off the growth charts for both for age) so we outgrew our double jogger and double side-by-side. I think we rented one the MK double strollers when he was 5 and youngest DS was 3 but after that, both were on their own for walking as they both could not fit in a stroller. The one trip, we had a manual wheel chair for my MIL where we put the youngest on our way out of the park on a few nights when he was 4, otherwise they just got lots of breaks and we left the parks

 

[GenerationX]

We started going to WDW every year when the boys were 2, 4, and 6, and we continued through their middle school years. We always took mid-day breaks to go back to the resort to relax or swim and consequently did not need strollers for any boy over 6 years old. In addition, the mid-day break out of the park is essential when you have a 2 year old.

 

[NelleBelle]

Totally agree with the mid-day break/swim at the resort!

 

[Weather_Lady]

Put me in the old-fashioned group! My kids went stroller-free at WDW (with a mid-day nap/swim break) from their first visit at ages 4 and 6, with no problems. The average 8-year-old should have no trouble, so long as the touring pace is reasonable and allows for periodic rest-and-refreshment breaks. (When I see a child of 8 or so in a stroller at WDW, I assume that the child has special physical challenges -- or else that their parent has special mental challenges!) All kidding aside though, to the extent that your son's knees give him significant trouble and become a physical challenge, a wheelchair rental might be more convenient than a stroller.

As far as the whining goes, if your son is like mine, then the whining only happens when we're walking somewhere that isn't exciting to him. At Disney World, we're rushing to keep up with him, because he's excited for every destination! Hopefully you'll find the same.

 

[DarthVader]

I'm not necessarily advocating this, but I have seen older kids being pushed around in a wheelchair at the parks, especially 2 at a time.

I did that a few years ago, not fun. One child had a broken foot and the night before our flight the other spent the night at ER with a badly sprained foot. Both were on crutches, and we had to wheel them around the park

 

[Weather_Lady]

I did that a few years ago, not fun. One child had a broken foot and the night before our flight the other spent the night at ER with a badly sprained foot. Both were on crutches, and we had to wheel them around the park

What terrible luck! Glad you were able to come up with a solution.

 

[ELG13]

I haven't read all the responses but we are going in September with our 3 and 6yo and we are absolutely renting a double stroller. The 6yo rides when she's tired but also it's a good place to sit when we watch a parade or grab a snack and can double as an umbrella if it rains (which it most likely will in September). I would rent a double. Most deliver to you and pick up and come with a rain cover. My husband thought I was crazy for our last trip bit he said it's the best money we spent on the trip. It's is a TON of walking. I hit 30,000- 40,000 steps a day. You will not be the only ones with older kids in a stroller. Our daughter gets the same pains...just growing pains after particularly active days. She didn't ride that much this last trip but it was nice to give her the option. And she's an active kid normally. We play sports, go on walks and bike rides. And sometimes it's just easier to plop 2 kids in the stroller if it gets a little crowded. I'm actually surprised at the people thinking it's strange. I just think it's a good option to have just in case...plus it's great storage!!! That being said...it's likely he will want to walk since there is so much to see.

 

[DreamalittleDisney]

I will be renting one for my 5year old usually very active boy I will only let him use it on a night when we are back in the parks so me and his dad can still enjoy holiday time without having to go back to the room.. he can fall asleep and we can still walk world showcase .. we also have a pair of ear defenders for if he's sleep when fireworks start!