stroller for a 6.5 year old?

[hillview]

We are going to Disney in January. DS1 will be 6.5. We don't ever use strollers however last Jan we went to Disney and to Europe and used a stroller for him in both places and he rode a good deal. I asked DS1 about needing a stroller in Europe this spring and he said no way. He does not know about Disney.

Will I regret not having a stroller at Disney for him? We will have a stroller for DS2 who is 4 and also never uses one but given the pace we have at Disney there is no way we can get by without one for him.

Anyone btdt?

tia
/hillary

[belovedgandp]

We went with a 4 1/2 and 7 1/2 - even the younger one hadn't been in a stroller for a couple of years. We only took a single and did fine.

But I think we were on the edge. My 7 1/2 YO is also a freakishly good trooper. He has ridiculous endurance compared to the rest of his soccer team and does run almost 2 miles regularly. There was one time when we were hoofing it a long distance that I ended up giving him a piggy back ride but otherwise he walked almost every step I did and I thought that was a lot.

We were there for 5 days. Total length would make a difference for my decision too; less time more likely to wing it than a longer stay.

My cousin went with two girls at 6 and 8 and brought singles for both of them. She left them towards the entrance of the park each morning, but said they saved them their sanity in just that walk to and from the shuttle bus and such each day.

[todzwife]

We brought 2 singles with a 5 and 7 year old, if nothing else to keep them from getting lost in large crowds. It was shoulder to shoulder and I was glad my kids were in the strollers and not somewhere they could have been separated from us.

[crl]

We did not take a stroller for ds when we went to WDW Thanksgiving 2010. He was nearly 7 1/2 and had not ridden in a stroller since he was 5. (We did have a stroller for dd, who was nearly eight months old.)

He was just fine without. He went from rope drop to way past dinner every day without complaint. Now, he is ordinarily extremely active so that might account for a good part of it. But it would have been ridiculous to have a stroller for him. Not saying that's the case for every 7 year old, but really it would have made more sense for him to push us given his energy level!

Since you will have a single anyway for your younger son, who likely won't be riding all the time, I think you can probably go without.

Catherine

[egoldber]

We stopped using a stroller for older DD at WDW after she was 5.

However, the stroller we used for younger DD had a step that older DD could hop on, and she did do that quite a bit, especially late at night and toward the end of the trip.

[clc053103]

DS at 6 was fine walking all day and night for a full week. However, he was the youngest child as we were touring with my nephews, 8 and 12. The year before, DS was 5 and strollered along with my nephew who was 7 going on 8! I think your DS could walk, but being with 4 year old brother who is strolling may inspire him to want a stroller too.

[hillview]

DS at 6 was fine walking all day and night for a full week. However, he was the youngest child as we were touring with my nephews, 8 and 12. The year before, DS was 5 and strollered along with my nephew who was 7 going on 8! I think your DS could walk, but being with 4 year old brother who is strolling may inspire him to want a stroller too.
Yeah this is part of my concern ... thanks!

[YouAreTheFocus]

We stopped using a stroller for older DD at WDW after she was 5.

However, the stroller we used for younger DD had a step that older DD could hop on, and she did do that quite a bit, especially late at night and toward the end of the trip.

This brings up a good idea--any chance you could borrow or check CL for a cheap ride-on board? That would be easier to manage, and your older son might think it's "cooler" than riding in a stroller.

[hillview]

This brings up a good idea--any chance you could borrow or check CL for a cheap ride-on board? That would be easier to manage, and your older son might think it's "cooler" than riding in a stroller.

So this is another topic. DS1 is 50 lbs and DS2 is 55 lbs. I don't think there is a stroller that works to carry this load is there?

[jenstring95]

We are going in January too! My kids are very similar in ages to yours (4 and 6, October bdays). We are taking the double umbrella. When DS (the 6 yo) gets tired, he wants us to carry him. That is NOT happening all the way through Disney, nor do we want to carry the 4yo so he can ride in the stroller. At some point I know he will have to walk Disney, but this will not be that trip!

[crl]

So this is another topic. DS1 is 50 lbs and DS2 is 55 lbs. I don't think there is a stroller that works to carry this load is there?

The Mountain Buggy Duo holds 110 pounds. But that's a lot of $$$ for one WDW trip. You might be able to add a board to your existing stroller; you could post on the stroller forum to ask about boards and their weight limits. I would NOT want to push a combined 105 pounds, plus the stroller weight though. If you really think both kids will need to ride at the same time, I'd look at finding a second single on CL or renting a second single so that each parent can push one kid.

Catherine

[kochh2]

Another option is to check disboards.com and see about either renting a stroller, or some times there is a stroller swap, usually free- we did a fridge swap lsat time we went and it went perfectly, didn't cost us a dime to borrow this community fridge!! worth checking it out!!

[hellokitty]

We are going to wdw next wk. I'm bring two singles. One for my two yr old and one that we can use for our very whiny 6.5 yr old and possibly his soon to be 8 yr old brother (who is skinnier and weighs less than the 6.5 yr old) to share as needed. I also figure it wouldn't hurt tO have an extra stroller to haul our stuff.

[mommytoC]

I asked DS1 about needing a stroller in Europe this spring and he said no way...Will I regret not having a stroller at Disney for him?

I think your DS1 has answered your question...I wouldn't take one. If he changes his mind, he can take turns riding with DS2. Our DD#1 did great at Disney last year at age 5 (she had more energy than DH and I combined :)), but hasn't ridden in a stroller since she turned 3.5 (and DD#2 was born).

[spunkybaby]

We just went to Disney World and brought our P3, which has a step on the back. DD2 turned 5 on our trip and rode in the stroller almost all of the time. DD1 will be 8 in the spring. She walked a lot but hopped on the back of the P3 whenever we were in a rush to get somewhere (Dumbo at rope drop or a show) and definitely appreciated the ability to ride at night.

Two singles or a double would have been overkill for us, but the P3 was perfect, although it was a bit of a beast to push with both girls riding. We made DD1 get off the back whenever we were pushing uphill.

[hillview]

We just went to Disney World and brought our P3, which has a step on the back. DD2 turned 5 on our trip and rode in the stroller almost all of the time. DD1 will be 8 in the spring. She walked a lot but hopped on the back of the P3 whenever we were in a rush to get somewhere (Dumbo at rope drop or a show) and definitely appreciated the ability to ride at night.

Two singles or a double would have been overkill for us, but the P3 was perfect, although it was a bit of a beast to push with both girls riding. We made DD1 get off the back whenever we were pushing uphill.

Thanks! What is the weight of your 2 together?

[spunkybaby]

Thanks! What is the weight of your 2 together?

A little less than your two--I think they're about 85-90 pounds together.

[mytwosons]

We went when DS1 was 6.5 and didn't need a stroller. However, if he indicated he needed a rest, we let him rest.

[hellokitty]

We just left WDW yesterday and thank god we had the double stroller. My 6 and 7 yr old fought over who got to ride. I don't blame them, we did a lot of walking (and sometimes running). My little double combi held up great for this trip!

[heatherlynn]

We just left WDW yesterday and thank god we had the double stroller. My 6 and 7 yr old fought over who got to ride. I don't blame them, we did a lot of walking (and sometimes running). My little double combi held up great for this trip!

Too funny; we just left there this morning! I brought a Volo and they fought over it a lot. I did rent a double at Epcot for them, thank goodness.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Too funny; we just left there this morning! I brought a Volo and they fought over it a lot. I did rent a double at Epcot for them, thank goodness.
We were just there, too. Thurs at MK and Fri at Sea World. We only had the BJCED with the board behind it, but the 5.5 yo needed a dedicated seat. She was not a happy camper having to ride behind/under whenever we were in a hurry. Granted, she did walk here/there, but trying to make it to a show, a ride, a meal, etc. and having to get through the crowds was a challenge. Do you have someone who will loan you a Maclaren?

[hillview]

Ok I will bring the mac quest and the BJCM and see how it goes. I would MUCH rather push a kid in a stroller than deal with a child who WANTS to be pushed :)