What age did you ditch the stroller for your child at the parks?

What age was your child when you ditched the stroller at the parks?

  • Younger than 2 years old

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • 2 years old

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • 3 years old

    Votes: 6 16.7%
  • 4 years old

    Votes: 8 22.2%
  • 5 years old

    Votes: 8 22.2%
  • 6 years old

    Votes: 7 19.4%
  • 7 years old or older

    Votes: 4 11.1%

  • Total voters
    36
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Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Not to ignite the stroller debate, because we all have an opinion on them.

But for me our last two trips to WDW had our youngest a 1.5 years old and then 2.5 years old. When she was 1 we used the stroller. I hated it, because we had to park it for every attraction. When she was 2.5 we did not have one at all and it was much better. Our kids are pretty resilient, so she never complained all day about needing to walk. She was small enough to carry quite easily then too if we had to, which we did at the end of the day when we walked to the ferry.

But what age did you get rid of the stroller? I would be interested in knowing. Because I always feel the sooner you can ditch that the better it is for all the guests, for yourself and for your child. But we all have our preferences so I'd like to know when everyone did this. Explain your reasons as well.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Ditched?!?!?


Screenshot_20220421-135612_Instagram.jpg
 

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
Now that I have two young children, I'm interested in this answer, particularly if it helps convince my wife that we don't need to take our giant double stroller on our next trip.

I'm pretty sure on a trip when I was 4 I was walking the entire time.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Back in the dark ages (1983) most of us waited until our kids were old enough to be closer to small adults then babies. We started thinking about the trip to WDW when our youngest was 5 and honestly the thought of a stroller for either of my kids stop as soon as 3, so it never occurred to us that this was a necessity at that age. I honestly do not remember seeing any kids there that physically could walk that weren't walking. They never tired, however by the end of the day I needed one for myself. Those things were built for the wrong age groups.
 

ppet

Well-Known Member
It’s really nobody’s business except the parents of the child involved. Everyone should do what is best for their family.
The OP is asking opinions not telling anyone else what to do. This is called a discussion. Thank you for your opinion. Both of my kids where different, I don't think my son was in a stroller after the age of 2. My daughter went a little longer using hers. I think I might have babied my little girl some, since she was the baby of the family.
 

soxpackersdisneyhawks

Active Member
I say once the kiddos don't need to take naps in the afternoon is about the right time to ditch the stroller. Yes you can always go back to the room and take a nap but that is more of an inconvenience than pushing the double stroller around.
 

jpinkc

Well-Known Member
Opposite for us my wife still babies our son at 16 :D. My daughter though not so much. But she wasnt using one after 6 and little brother, figured out he liked to ride so LOL
 

drizgirl

Well-Known Member
I'll agree with that. But I will say that a 10 year old kid being schlepped around in a stroller is a bit much.
If I saw a 10 year old being schlepped around in a stroller, I would just assume they had an issue that required it. No self respecting 10 year old I ever met would agree to being pushed around in a stroller. Maybe a sprained ankle? Maybe some medical condition that gave them less stamina?
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
If I saw a 10 year old being schlepped around in a stroller, I would just assume they had an issue that required it. No self respecting 10 year old I ever met would agree to being pushed around in a stroller. Maybe a sprained ankle? Maybe some medical condition that gave them less stamina?
My sister and BIL continued to use a stroller for their older kids ( 9 + 10 ) who had no issues other than the fact that as the parents they used it because it made it easier for them to contain their kids. We got in a semi argument because I told them they were being ridiculous to wheel their very walking capable kids around. Their kids were not objecting. They continued doing it the entire trip that way and I tried to avoid commenting further.
 

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
IMHO, its all about the children in question. What are their physical capabilities and what is their current activity level? If they are sedentary, then by all means take one.
 

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
We brought at 4 because we were staying at BWV and with a larger than average 4yo and a smaller than average mom, I was worried about walks back. It was parked a lot though. Totally gone at 5. At 10 my kid was about my size. Does that mean I get a stroller too? 🤔 (and yes I won't say anything as you never know physical or mental states, but for healthy neurotypical 10yos I don't get it)
 

jloucks

Well-Known Member
That's sort of a trick question in that we did not go to WDW until our kids were out of strollers.

We used a wagon like contraption at other local parks/zoos up until 3 or 4. WDW too far away and too crowded to deal with perambulators.
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
I think it depends on kids. For some type of kids it's easier to not have strollers, they fight to get out for whatever the reason. For others a stroller is needed, they get tired faster, they need a nap(my daughter would sometimes ONLY nap in a stroller). Bringing a stroller is no easy thing, it's a pain to load on buses, to constantly park it and go back and get it. I would say most parents are happy to finally dump it, but only when it looks like their kids are ready. It doesn't effect me if someone has one, especially now that there are limits on their size at the parks. I still find electric scooters more concerning because some operators just drive them into crowds and they could hurt a person, that said I don't think MOST people would use them if they could avoid them because like the stroller it looks like a tremendous hassle to use them.
 

drod1985

Well-Known Member
It totally depends on the kid. The last time I went my 4-year-old was shorter than average and thus had a shorter stride. Keeping up with the adults walking in the parks would've been brutal to him. A above average height 4 year old may have had no problem keeping up.

It's almost more for me than him. If he's on foot then we won't get to our next ride fast enough! It's also helpful for storing what we need for the kids in the day: snacks, drinks, their merchandise, etc.
 

KrzyKtty

Well-Known Member
I say 4 for our family with stipulations for us. When we brought our son at 4, he didn't want anything to do with the stroller and it up say in our room for a week. Our daughter used it sometimes, but not all the time. She was much happier being babied for a longer period of time.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
If I saw a 10 year old being schlepped around in a stroller, I would just assume they had an issue that required it. No self respecting 10 year old I ever met would agree to being pushed around in a stroller. Maybe a sprained ankle? Maybe some medical condition that gave them less stamina?
Funny thing in relation to strollers and age, I asked my daughters, both of them, how they would have reacted if we put them in a stroller at 6 and 9 both said, rather loudly, we would have told you that we weren't little kids anymore. And yet one of them had her son in a stroller at 12. He was fine with it. No physical problems. He is now soon to be 22, attends online college and works a 20 hour shift per week and is exhausted all time. Good grief I was stationed in a war-zone at 22.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
We used our younger one's age, endurance, and overall mobility to determine when we could start going stroller free. We had two trips when she was four (10 months apart). While we did use a stroller for that first trip, actual need for it was pretty limited. So, it seemed like a no-brainer to go without when we returned 10 months later. We took a few more breaks on that first stroller free trip, but it was fine for her and so liberating to not be lugging it on to busses and hunting down stroller parking. That being said, I know some older kids who need it, especially if they use a "stroller as a wheelchair" designation. So, best to look at the individual child's needs.
 
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