The great stroller dilema

[ninjaprincesst]

When our kids were little, we took our double stroller. We where very conscious of those around us. What we did was, I sat in one seat, my 2 kids(they are 13 months apart) would share the one next to me, and my husband would stand in front of us with the stroller in between him and us. So the 4 of us only took up 2 seats. Or, if we were able to, get the seat that is next to the area with a gap and he would stand with the stroller in the gap to the side of us. We always had it folded up well before the bus came so that we did not waste other people's time. I bit of courtesy goes a long way. But that seems to be lacking now with most people, sadly.

Most people are not polite and the giant folded strollers take up the room where 2 or three people could stand, and besides the fact my knees always seem to get attacked by the things , when I really got angry was a couple of years ago a young lady (tweenish) was on the bus sitting in her wheelchair, the bus driver made a turn into the GF this huge stroller goes slamming into her and her leg is bleeding not even Im sorry from the rude stroller owners.

 

[jaklgreen]

Most people are not polite and the giant folded strollers take up the room where 2 or three people could stand, and besides the fact my knees always seem to get attacked by the things , when I really got angry was a couple of years ago a young lady (tweenish) was on the bus sitting in her wheelchair, the bus driver made a turn into the GF this huge stroller goes slamming into her and her leg is bleeding not even Im sorry from the rude stroller owners.

We never hit anyone with our stroller and like I said, we took up less space then we could have with my husband standing with the stroller. So you already had 2 extra seats to make up for the standing space that you feel we monopolized. So technically, we did not take up any extra space. It is funny that you bring up people taking up more space with a stroller. Do you go around to heavy people that take up 2 seats and probably space enough for a standing person and tell them that they are rude in taking up all of that extra space? Should big people not ride the bus because of the space that they take? I agree that there will always be inconsiderate and rude people. I have had all types of people bump into me, or almost hit me but I avoided it. ECVs are the worst for that, and NO, I don't cut them off. This is a personality issue, not a stroller one.

 

[NelleBelle]

We had a very narrow side-by-side double peg perego stroller we took when our boys were really young. That thing folded so flat that like @jaklgreen's stroller, it took less room than most single joggers did/do. I was glad when the oldest was "big" enough to walk but even then, his legs got tired and we ended up having to rent one of the hard strollers in the park to make it through the day, despite taking lots of breaks. Now that these boys are teens, those days are long gone

 

[Gingersnap]

I have some time to plan all this out as my baby girl is only turning 5 months and I don't plan on taking her for her first visit to WDW until around the age of 3 years old. It does seem like the consensus is not to travel with your own stroller as it may get damaged on the flight down. The rental prices seem reasonable enough and honestly all I want in a stroller is something where my daughter can be comfortable enough where she is not going to be fidgeting and wanting to get out constantly. I would also like something that can hold at least a little bag in the back of it.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

I plan on renting a citymini double for my 4 and 7 y/o girls when we go in August. I still bring by sit and and stand with us and fold it up and store it in the closet in the hotel.

 

[Kobe!!]

Was thinking of getting one for a eight year old... is this normal?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Was thinking of getting one for a eight year old... is this normal?

Not really.

We just got back and did a sit/stand for baby (1), and middle (3). Oldest (6) walked and was just fine.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Was thinking of getting one for a eight year old... is this normal?

Respectfully, unless they have a medical issue or are unusually small or frail for their age, no. You'd be hard-pressed to even find a stroller large enough to accommodate an average-sized 8-year-old, except for those designed for children with disabilities.

My kids were 4 and 6 at the time of their first visit to WDW -- at the upper range of typical stroller age. Despite our walking 5-10 miles per day, neither one needed a stroller. Unless you're planning an unusually strenuous itinerary (e.g., park open to park close with no nap, no breaks and lots of criss-crossing the park), a fairly well-rested 8-year-old of ordinary size and physical fitness should be fine without one.

Of course, if you're already getting one for a smaller sibling and it's a question of whether to get a single stroller for the little one, or a sit-and-stand double so their older sibling can hop on from time to time, that might be something to consider, as there's less additional hassle between those two options than there is between "stroller" and "no stroller"...

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Was thinking of getting one for a eight year old... is this normal?

I guess its personal preference but to me unless the 8 year old has a medical condition that would make it too difficult to walk or stand I would not get a stroller for that age.

 

[John park hopper]

We went to WDW with the granddaughter 2019 precovid she is 8 years old and did perfectly fine. My vote no on a stroller for an 8 year old.

 

[Indy_UK]

We are going to probably rent a mini city for our 6 year old son in august. He has autism and he struggles to walk long distances here as it is in the UK. I think the heat and crowds will only add to that but these strollers seem light, compact but gives them a bubble rest in at times

 

[RememberWhen]

We are going to probably rent a mini city for our 6 year old son in august. He has autism and he struggles to walk long distances here as it is in the UK. I think the heat and crowds will only add to that but these strollers seem light, compact but gives them a bubble rest in at times

Just a quick note for you about the City Mini. The max weight limit is 50lb and max height is 44 inches. My almost 5yo is rapidly approaching those dimensions. Unless your child is smaller than average, you might consider one of the special needs strollers for your kiddo. They fit a larger kid more comfortably, though they are a little heftier.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Was thinking of getting one for a eight year old... is this normal?

I would respectfully advise against it. 5 is pushing it for the stroller as it is, and strollers in the park are an absolute nightmare. I didn't realize how bad it was until we had kids with us on our last Disney trip. They are really a hassle, people don't move for them, the stroller parking is chaotic and cutthroat. If the eight year old is an able-bodied child, there is nothing that a few good rest breaks can't help, but I wouldn't put myself through the stroller parking Hunger Games, that's for sure.

 

[Indy_UK]

Just a quick note for you about the City Mini. The max weight limit is 50lb and max height is 44 inches. My almost 5yo is rapidly approaching those dimensions. Unless your child is smaller than average, you might consider one of the special needs strollers for your kiddo. They fit a larger kid more comfortably, though they are a little heftier.

I’ll have a look into it as I didn’t want to get one that was more obviously for a special needs child.

 

[RememberWhen]

I’ll have a look into it as I didn’t want to get one that was more obviously for a special needs child.

I get that. I looked at Kingdom Strollers, just because we used them once, and this is what they have:

It didn’t look obviously “special needs” to me, but you could also consider one of the big jogging strollers. I think they handle a bigger kid better with higher weight limits. And the real tires will handle better with a bigger kid.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works great for you!

 

[Indy_UK]

No, I appreciate the info.

TBH, we are in a position where we are eligible for DAS which should help the most with the wait times.

When I think about the faff of organising one, having to collapse it on the Disney buses each time, I may just rent the Disney ones in the parks on days where we will probably need one. It won’t be every day and I’ve taken steps like requesting a room next to lobby at AKL to reduce walking time

 

[Doberge]

We use a city mini luxe with a bench seat for our 6 year old. I believe the bench is weighted up to 65 pounds. The 3 year old sits in a regular seat. Both are walking more each trip. I still bring the stroller when it's just me and the 6 year old because we're all happier and it's worth the hassle compared to her being exhausted more easily.

 

[Indy_UK]

Im struggling so much on this. Husband doesn't want to rent the hard plastic Disney ones as he doesn't think they look comfortable. Where he weighs 56lbs, he is well over the weight of most strollers.

We are going to Vero Beach too so we probably need one for there too as I expect we'll do some walking/exploring

 

[RememberWhen]

Im struggling so much on this. Husband doesn't want to rent the hard plastic Disney ones as he doesn't think they look comfortable. Where he weighs 56lbs, he is well over the weight of most strollers.

We are going to Vero Beach too so we probably need one for there too as I expect we'll do some walking/exploring

The hard plastic strollers are uncomfortable. They’re fine for a smaller kid for the one day (we rented one at AK when our DS was 4ish and we didn’t have a stroller.

I think the stroller companies offer airport pickup/drop off, so it would be no problem to bring it with you to Vero. Check out Kingdom Strollers. The city mini gt might work. The weight limit is 60lb.

Side note: Let us know how you like Vero! I’m trying to convince DW to stay there!

 

[Indy_UK]

The hard plastic strollers are uncomfortable. They’re fine for a smaller kid for the one day (we rented one at AK when our DS was 4ish and we didn’t have a stroller.

I think the stroller companies offer airport pickup/drop off, so it would be no problem to bring it with you to Vero. Check out Kingdom Strollers. The city mini gt might work. The weight limit is 60lb.

Side note: Let us know how you like Vero! I’m trying to convince DW to stay there!

Thanks again. Ive looked again and the GT could be a good option. Son is under the weight limit but does measure at exactly 48 inch so I think at least for this trip we may get away with that.

I hope we like Vero, bought a 100 point DVC contract for there without ever being before