Tell me how your 5 year old did without stroller

[TamiRuns]

We are going to WDW with the boys in a few months. Ds1 is 7 and has good endurance and ds2 will turn 5 the week before we leave but he is small for his age. We haven't used a stroller for 2 years even at the zoo or small amusement parks. Dh takes the boys on long-ish walks 1-2 times/week which will increase as the weather gets nicer.

Some people have told us we should really have a stroller for at least ds2 and maybe both. We had a joovy sit n stand and ds1 only "hitched a ride" on occasion when he was 5.

Please share with me how your kiddos did at this age and what their activity level/endurance was like pre-trip.

On the flip side, did anyone not plan on a stroller and end up renting one?

We will be visiting all the parks...

[WatchingThemGrow]

Our 5yo rode in a stroller a LOT. There's a LOT of walking, esp. at entrance/exit, crowds, etc. The stroller also gives you a place to park your water bottles, etc. We tried to get away with just a double for our boys with a board for DD last time, and we decided that for the next year or two we'd bring a whole Maclaren for her instead.

[crl]

Our seven year old did great without a stroller. We had one for the baby, of course, but no option for ds to ride at all. He went all day from rope drop to well past dinner at the parks or at the hotel pool (dh spent one afternoon at the hotel with the baby while I was at the pool with ds, the rest were dh and ds at a water park or downtown Disney). He never whined or complained about being tired and never asked to rest or ride. (And we even had grandma in a wheel chair some of the time, plus his sister in the stroller). He is very active all the time though. I don't know that he would have made it, at least at that pace, at five without a stroller.

Catherine

[SnuggleBuggles]

We only did Disneyland so it might not be comparable. Never once in the day (opened and closed the park!) did we wish we had a stroller for our 5yo. If anything, we were glad we weren't stuck dealing with one. His fitness was good and hadn't used a stroller for anything since before he was 2.

[egoldber]

The problem with WDW is that it is generally many days in a row. A kid who can go a day or two without riding may need one by day 3 or 4.

But OTOH, my younger DD turned 5 on our last WDW trip. We took a stroller for her but she really did not ride in a stroller very often and we mostly left it in the hotel.

[TwinFoxes]

I don't have 5 year old experience, but one good thing about the stroller is you can move faster if you're, say, going from your car to your room at the end of the day, or if you're dashing to catch a ferry. If you're in a big crowd, strollers may be slower, but then the "baby containment device" aspect comes in handy. You don't have to worry about being separated. But my kids are younger, so take that into consideration.

[megs4413]

we took DC when they were 5 and 3 and rented a double. Thank goodness we did! now we're going again and they are 7 and 5. I will for sure be getting a single and I wish there was a good option for DD (7), but she's really too big for any stroller at this point. There's no way I would do 5 without a stroller. NO WAY! My DS is pretty small and tires easily. I am sure in the heat he will be asleep in that stroller every once in awhile.

[mommytoC]

We've gone to WDW twice, when DD#1 was 3 and 5. She's big for her age and has a good endurance level, and we've skipped the stroller (for her) both times.
(On our last trip, we did have a stroller for DD#2 .) We did "take it easy" that first trip, given DD#1's age and my pregnancy (30 weeks with DD#2).

We'll go again next year when DD#2 is almost 4, and may or may not take our stroller. She's similar to her sister, and shouldn't need a stroller much, if at all.
(We went to San Diego last month, and after much consideration, decided to go sans stroller - DD#2 did great at the San Diego Zoo (we stayed from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm).) By 5, we'd definitely leave the stroller home.

[DietCokeLover]

We went to Busch Gardens, Sea World and Legoland in Dec with a 4 yo and a 5 yo. We took strollers for both and are really glad we did. Both of my dc have good endurance, but it was really nice to have the strollers for when they wanted to sit or when going to and from the car.

[kerridean]

Mine are 6 and 8. We just got back from our WDW trip (Feb28-March 4). We did full, long days at the park. We did not need a stroller AT ALL, just like I predicted and kept telling everyone who insisted otherwise. My girls did not complain once, they even spent half the time running. We arrived every day at rope drop and stayed until about 8 or so. One night we stayed for Wishes, so until 10. No problem what so ever. I am so glad we did not bring a stroller.