Stroller debate!!!!

[TinkerbellWDW]

My husband and I and our kids (7 & 14) will be at WDW on 12/30 - 1/6. I think we need to rent a stroller for my 7 year old just because it will be busy when we go and I will be able to keep track of her. My husband thinks it's waste of money and something we don't need to spend $ on. I have told him the stroller serves multiple purposes such as, holding stuff, saving our spot if we want to watch a parade, 7yr. old can sit and have a quick lunch while were walking to the next ride and I don't have to worry about her keeping up with us. My husband thinks it's a waste of time because he says we have to waste time looking for it after a ride in a sea of strollers. What should I do???? UGH!!!!!

 

[G00fyDad]

They will be 7...... skip the stroller.

 

[TinkerbellWDW]

They will be 7...... skip the stroller.

Thanks

 

[stevehousse]

My husband and I and our kids (7 & 14) will be at WDW on 12/30 - 1/6. I think we need to rent a stroller for my 7 year old just because it will be busy when we go and I will be able to keep track of her. My husband thinks it's waste of money and something we don't need to spend $ on. I have told him the stroller serves multiple purposes such as, holding stuff, saving our spot if we want to watch a parade, 7yr. old can sit and have a quick lunch while were walking to the next ride and I don't have to worry about her keeping up with us. My husband thinks it's a waste of time because he says we have to waste time looking for it after a ride in a sea of strollers. What should I do???? UGH!!!!!

Ya skip the stroller for a 7 year old, mine just turned 5 and we r bringing his just incase but we most likely won't be usin it...

 

[TinkerbellWDW]

Ya skip the stroller for a 7 year old, mine just turned 5 and we r bringing his just incase but we most likely won't be usin it...

Thanks

 

[Raven66]

You know your kid best. I personally think 7 is too old for a stroller. We took our daughter for the first time when she was 5. I asked her if she wanted us to rent her a stroller. She said nope. She spent that whole trip walking. Never once asked for one after the first time we asked her. She didn't even want to go back to the room for rest. I think you might find she doesn't want to use one.

 

[RandomPrincess]

An avarage healthy 7 yo should be just fine without a stroller. The great thing about your kids being older is you don't need to bring as much stuff into the parks. The kids can even have a small bag or backpack to hold there own stuff if needed.

 

[G00fyDad]

I really did miss the stroller when our children outgrew them, but only because we had nowhere to store our purchases and other stuff we take into the parks. However, we started having purchases sent to the front of the park for pickup later that evening, and the other stuff just had to be carried in a backpack.

 

[Tink0102]

My son was 8 and he did great without a stroller. However, our friends decided it was best to take a small umbrella stroller for their 7 year old. They flew and we drove to meet them so we took their stroller with us, but we got in a day later than they did so she was without it the first day. She was hot, tired and whiny (she's a little bit of a diva) and kept asking when the stroller would be there. There were several times late in the evening or after dinner that she fell asleep in it. So I agree with the previous poster who said you know your child better than anyone. If you do decide to take one I can give you a few tips. Go to a yard sale to find a cheap one. My friend picked her's up for $5.00. Thats much less expensive than renting one from the park. Tie a brightly colored bandana or scarf around the handle to help you locate it easier when you get off a ride. We never had an issue finding her's. If you are flying you can check it.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I personally feel a 7-year old should be fine without. I know I wasn't in a stroller at Disney at age 7. Come to think of it, I have no conscious recollection of being in a stroller--must've been out by age 4?

Enjoy being free of the SUV in the parks I love our City Mini Double, but won't miss it when the boys can exclusively walk.

 

[G8rchamps]

9 and 6- we still take the stroller if we are doing a full day. They "can" go without, but I think it helps by the end of a long day. Plus the storage- sorry we are stroller people.

 

[LucyK]

No kids here, but strollers for a 7-year-old? I don't see it as a necessity.

 

[flynnibus]

7 ? no stroller

You will do better yourselves without all the luggage too. Take a small draw string back or comfortable backpack instead.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

My two cents (without getting into what the debate around here often is). We used a stroller with DS every trip we took since he was 10m old until this last trip in March when he turned 7. We missed having a place to dump stuff like bags etc. but found that we gained a lot of time on our trip not having to go park the stroller and then search for it (after it was inevitably moved) after an attraction. DS did awesome and rarely if ever needed any break because he would be sitting on attractions etc. anyway.

EDIT: As a note, we brought along our pack and it proved to be all we needed. Anything we bought we had sent back to the resort so as not to carry it around. We had brought a backpack just in case we'd have to bring ponchos along but never had to use it because the weather was great.

 

[disneygirl1]

The last time we used a stroller for our DS was when he just turned 5. Even on that trip we found we rarely used it. Only at the end of the night when he was exhausted. I agree skip the stroller, its just another thing to keep track of the in the parks

 

[Tinkerbell397]

I just came back from The World 2 weeks ago. Since most of the schools had just started, most of the children there were preschool and younger. There was an "ocean" of strollers at every ride. I a noticed a CM move a stroller because it was left in the wrong place. Who knows if the owner ever found it in the endless rows in the stroller parking area. I personally feel that a 7 year old is too old for a stroller. I did see several 6+ looking children in strollers and they not only looked silly, but I kept thinking...."why isn't that child walking instead of having mom/dad push him/her in 90 degree + temps. If you are staying in the park, you can have anything you buy sent to your hotel. If you are not, you can have packages sent to Guest Services at each park and pick them up on the way out. If your children get so tired that they cannot walk anymore, you can take a break. go back to the hotel for a rest or swim in the pool. Between the scooters and strollers on this trip, it was almost dangerous to walk and enjoy the park. Parents were speeding from one ride to another with strollers...single and double. Add an i-Phone to the mix to check on "wait times" and you have multiple chances to have a collision. My thought is that your 7 year old will spend more time out of the stroller than in and now you have an empty stroller that needs to be parked, folded for boat and bus rides etc. I would pass on the stroller and enjoy the trip. Hope it is Magical!

 

[Kbullz]

My son will be 6 1/2 when we go our daughter will be a month shy of 5. We are bringing our double stroller. For us not worth it during the evening and night time when they are tired and cranky to hear them complaining about feet hurting being tired etc. We realized we haven't used a stroller since last trip to Disney 2 years ago.
Defiantly get an umbrella stroller if you feel your son needs one. Its your child and you know him best.
Who cares if they look "silly" it's all about having fun and trying to keep everyone happy and comfortable if a stroller is what you need then bring it.

 

[pixiesteno]

I know when I was 7 if my mom had tried to stuff me into a stroller I would have been mortified! One interesting thing to consider is this, several years ago we plopped our butts down on the pavement in Frontierland to wait for the evening parade at the ropes and just spent time talking, relaxing, and people-watching. What I noticed was that as an adult sitting on the ground I was about the same height as the children being wheeled by in the strollers. I got lots of waves from toddlers by the way. But let me tell you what the perspective of WDW is from stroller height - butts and legs! Just butts and legs, and let me tell you most of it was not pretty!
As an a-side most healthy, able bodied 7 year olds should be fine in the parks without a stroller. There are plenty of benches around to sit and relax on. If you are truly worried about your child's stamina on the trip start walking together several months before your trip. This will give you both a chance to build up your walking stamina, work on street safety skills, talk about your up coming trip and how to keep track of each other in crowds, build excitement for the trip, and most of all have parent/child time. Even as adults getting some regular walking time in several months before the trip is very helpful and your body will thank you for it when on vacation. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MichWolv]

My husband and I and our kids (7 & 14) will be at WDW on 12/30 - 1/6. I think we need to rent a stroller for my 7 year old just because it will be busy when we go and I will be able to keep track of her. My husband thinks it's waste of money and something we don't need to spend $ on. I have told him the stroller serves multiple purposes such as, holding stuff, saving our spot if we want to watch a parade, 7yr. old can sit and have a quick lunch while were walking to the next ride and I don't have to worry about her keeping up with us. My husband thinks it's a waste of time because he says we have to waste time looking for it after a ride in a sea of strollers. What should I do???? UGH!!!!!

I would say that the only reason to use a stroller is if your 7 year old will get tired walking the park. The other reasons (hold stuff, save spots for parades, serve as a rolling lunch table) are not reasons for a stroller, and (not meaning to sound like I'm scolding anybody, but I suspect it'll come off that way), are obnoxious. Strollers are meant to help families with kids navigate the park, not to be a rolling storage cart, lunch tray, or blockade.

I do agree with your husband that looking for the stroller in a sea of strollers is annoying, but again, I think that's irrelevant. If your 7 year old will get tired walking the park, get a stroller and deal with the delays of looking for it -- they'll be shorter than the delays of dealing with a tired kid.

From personal experience, I can tell you that my older boy had no trouble walking the parks when he was 6, and did not complain at all about not having a stroller. My younger boy will likely not have a stroller on a our trip next year, when he'll be 5, because he has boundless energy. So on balance, my guess is your 7 year old doesn't need a stroller, but you do know your kid best.

 

[PhilharMagician]

We kicked the stroller 5 Y/O. If the kids are healthy and able to walk then it is good exercise and they should walk.

Talk to you child about a separation plan just incase it is needed. We always have one when we go to WDW. I traveled they with my daughter many times in the past when it was the two of us and my wife had to fly in a week later. One of the biggest problems is the bathroom in the parks. She was between 6 and 9 and I was always concerned sending her in the women's bathroom alone. We always had a plan and never had any issues. Make sure you child has a something with them with your cell phone numbers just incase she does get separated she should go to a CM and get help.

I do agree that I miss the stroller for just holding bags and backpacks, but on the other hand I don't miss having to find it after a ride or show and certainly do not miss paying for it. I was being lazy and not wanting to carry a backpack. Now we carry one backpack for all of our stuff we carry each day.

Do you need a stroller? NO!