Someone make him understand!

[okeydokey]

He *dad* better or he's a bit of a ... pig *would like to put something ruded. Hannathy - are you a parent?

Dad said he didn't want to push one. Is she going to make him? If he is willing to carry an occasional kid or whatever in order not to push a stroller, than that is his right. I suggested they bring a second and leave it at the hotel the first day and see how it went. If he changed his mind, it was there. If he was happy not using one, then that's great too.

I celebrated the trip we made when my youngest was 4 and we were able to leave the stroller at home. It is so much easier to navigate the parks without a stroller.

 

[ChristusG]

I am SO not one of those parents who say "well, I make my 1 year old (or insert age) walk around Disney all day because they are a big kid and need to do so." Kids get tired. Heck, I get tired! I wish I had a stroller to ride in! My oldest (who is 8) started walking about 90% of the time at Disney when she was an older 6 year old. Still, at age 8, she will ask to ride for a few minutes at a time....and we let her if there's room. My 5 year old will walk sometimes.

For two five year olds, an almost 4 year old and a two year old....heck yeah I'd bring two strollers.

 

[ktate82]

I would bring both. Can always just take one into the park and see how they do. If you don't need both, what harm was there? Better to be prepared than deal with crabby kids, that make crabby parents!

 

[Nomad70]

Honestly I would only take a single stroller for the 2 yr old. Mine all walked from 4 on.

So sorry but I'm more on his side than yours. I would take 1 for the 2 yr old and the other 3 would walk.

Same here. Only the toddler should need one. And personally, I would rent a stroller for the duration of your stay. You could get a double there. It makes taking buses and stuff much easier too.

 

[tina.tina]

From a year later perspective, if we had used the stroller we took, our then 5 yo DS would not have been as tired and wouldn't have had a mini-meltdown in DHS on our 4th day. DH had to carry him a few times during our 10 day trip because his little legs couldn't walk that much and we even took breaks each day.

 

[cel_disney]

Ha - I would still be taking two double strollers and leaving one in the room if we didn't need it! To be honest - I would probably bring a double and a single incase you wanted to have seats for two and only a single parent pushing ( this could be convenient if you had the younger two while dad took the older two somewhere....)...depending on the time of day or how long you would be out, you could have different options....

My 5 year old who runs track on a weekly basis and has been to Disney 6 times still cannot walk an entire day at Disney without whining more than I can take especially in the September heat....we will be renting a double stroller again for our kids in September...

 

[tzeitel]

Back in '08 DD was 6 and we did not think she would need a stroller - she did not use one at home so we did not even own one. She walked in to MK and went straight to the stroller rental (DH & I used to be CM and she grew up going to MK basically every week so she knew exactly were it was!) Second day at WDW my mom went to the store at Pop and bought her a stroller - best $40 we spent at WDW.

Not sure why some ppl here sound outraged that a 5 yo would get tired after hours of walking around WDW in 90 degree weather All kids are different (apparently some are sturdier than others ) and you know your own.

Personally I would bring the 2 strollers just in case and make sure to have a spot for your autistic son - DD is also in the spectrum and a place they can turn to to feel safe when it gets to be too much is priceless

 

[TiggerTrigger]

If a 5 yr old can be expected to play in 3 soccer games in a day at a tournament in 90 degree weather, they can do without a stroller at Disney.

You're assuming that every child is capable of this. The reality is that every child is different and MANY children would wilt somewhere in game 2 and in some cases, need medical attention by game 3 of the kind of tournament you're noting. I've lived in the south since the early 90s and I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids wind up in the hospital b/c of heat exhaustion just b/c some adult thought - "hey, they're young and energetic...they'll be just fine."

Many areas have banned this level of play during warmer months due to heat related illness issues and deaths. My older daughter's soccer league doesn't play games with start times beyond mid morning b/c it's just too dangerous and practices are usually after 5:30pm so that temps can start to drop.

Now I understand this doesn't solve the issue that OP's DH doesn't want to push a stroller, but assuming every child has the stamina of your own could be setting OP up for disaster if her kids aren't like yours. Considering I've seen enough adults who appeared to be in good shape at WDW need medical attention by mid to late afternoon- it seems reasonable to have at the very least, a stroller back up plan for the older children in case it proves to be too much. Her DH may not want strollers period, but if it comes down to sitting in the room b/c the kids are too beat vs. pushing one- he may have a change of heart to salvage the trip. On the flip side, they may not need it and may do just fine, but wouldn't it be nice to at least entertain a back up plan just in case?

 

[ceemys]

My daughter is 4 now and will be 5 when we get to Disney. I am bringing my stroller. Every child is different. Bring the stroller and if you don't need it then leave it in the hotel room. Better to have it just in case and have a happy child than not have it at all.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Parking and retrieving it at times was a bit of a pain, but if given the choice of carrying someone and pushing someone in a stroller there is no comparison for me. Plus he has already said he is not going to carry any of the children, including the 2 year-old. My dh if he were here, would not have been carrying anyone either, but when dd was little, he wasn’t trying to convince me to go anywhere without her stroller. We did Sea World and the San Diego Zoo with her as a toddler and he was usually asking multiple times to make sure I had it. Personally I can’t imagine going without a stroller for the toddler at least.

My son is 2 and he walked a bit during our trip when it wasn’t that crowded (we had a lot of rain). I had planned to let him walk some, but with the rain he walked more than I even planned. He was fine, but I found was that it was more tiring for me having him walk because I had to keep up with him. I didn’t enjoy carrying him in the heat when he wanted to be held.

I actually saw a child who looked to be (by height and style of dress) to be around 10 at least riding in a rental, so no one will bat an eye. My 9 year-old walked the entire 9 day trip, and with minimal complaint, but we didn’t have long days. I personally would not have made her do so at 4 in the heat. It depends on the child too though. My son is different and probably will do it at 4.

It will still be hot when you go. What is your touring style? How long is your trip? Days 1 and 2 could be okay, but it is the subsequent days when things tend to change. Will you be seeing any parades, fireworks, be in the parks after dark? How is your special needs child going to react to walking? Keeping up with 4 little people at that time of night will be a huge job.

I agree that more conversation is needed and some activities like visits to nearby theme parks, zoos, etc. to test things out are in order. Depending on what kind of vehicle you have (and I figure with 4 children you have a good sized one) it could take up a lot of room in the vehicle to bring both strollers with everything else you will need. It would be better if he is on board with bringing at least one. You don’t want to start out your vacation with an argument when you approach the vehicle with them.

 

[jenluvs2go2disney]

I have 2 boys, 4yo and 6yo. I bring 2 small umbrella strollers. I don't want to have to carry one of the boys. I held my 4yo on my shoulders, so he could see the electrical parade. It was hot and not fun, but he loved the parade. I can't see carrying a kid and a backpack for most of the day.

You can park a stroller in each "land" for awhile and just walk to each ride.

They do have connectors to hook the strollers together, so only one has to push them. Not sure if they would work with those strollers or not.

 

[2binak]

I am surprised. I really didn't think 2 single strollers was that crazy for 4 kids that are still pretty young.

The 4 yr old will actually only be 3 when we go (her 4th b-day is 2 weeks later). The 2 yr old is VERY tiny only 22 lbs right now and she is so slow. I asked DH if he would carry her if we didn't have a stroller and he said "Nope, she will walk" .

Maybe I am extreme in wanting 2 single strollers for my 4 kids, but I just didn't realize it.

Take the strollers. Our DD is very active, but still got tired at times and wanted to be in the stroller when we went just before her 4th b-day.

Besides, strollers are great for quickly & safely getting kids through some of the bigger crowds.

 

[RoyalMom]

TAKE the strollers.


OT note: If bigger kids need a ride, and fall asleep, they REALLY need to be buckled in. I ran over my 4 year old after she conked out and slipped out of the front of the double stroller on the way back to our room last year. really bad scene...

 

[emmababy]

I would take one double stroller. That way the other adult can tend to the walking kids. We have 3 under 5, and couldn't handle it if both our hands were full pushing strollers. The kids will all need breaks, but collapsing 2 strollers while dealing with 4 kids would drive me batty! My 5 year old walks a great deal and never rides in a stroller except at Disney!

 

[Bephus]

With that group I would definitely take one stroller and have the older kids swap out who gets to ride, 2 strollers would be a bit much and I would think that one would get pushed around empty most of the time.

If you are driving, that is another story, put them both in the car just in case.

FWIW, we do not bring a stroller anymore and we have a 6yo and a 4yo. The 4yo does get tired and sometimes gets a ride on DH's shoulders at the end of the day but the 6yo is fine with walking all day. Our first stroller-free trip was because I forgot to pack it in the car and DD was 2!!

 

[wallawallakids]

I am surprised. I really didn't think 2 single strollers was that crazy for 4 kids that are still pretty young.

I am taking two of these strollers. They aren't very big strollers.

The foot board is built in so it doesn't add any bulk to the stroller

The 4 yr old will actually only be 3 when we go (her 4th b-day is 2 weeks later). The 2 yr old is VERY tiny only 22 lbs right now and she is so slow. I asked DH if he would carry her if we didn't have a stroller and he said "Nope, she will walk" .

Maybe I am extreme in wanting 2 single strollers for my 4 kids, but I just didn't realize it.

I have this exact stroller. It was great in the parks. We just went in May and my twins were almost 5 and they really needed it to keep up with our older two. I say take two. They are not that hard to take with you and if you decide you don't need it, you can leave it in the hotel room. But, honestly, from one mom of 4 to another, you are going to need them. Have a great trip!

 

[wallawallakids]

Also, just a little side note here, my kids ONLY use the stroller at Disney. It isn't just the walking, they are good little hikers and walkers at home, and we make them walk at home, but it is the heat. The heat is tough on little kids when they are walking long distances. Also, if you are like us, you are going all day. That means not many breaks. When we hike we only go for 2-3 hours not all day. All day kills them. Add that to heat...you got a bunch of tired, crying kids and no where to put them. (Also, the stroller is a great pack mule for water bottles!)

 

[seashoreCM]

Keep an eye on the kids. If one of them is getting tired and slowing down then you slow down too and have a rest period.

At some point DH may decide to rent strollers. If he is going to express displeasure about pushing a stroller you might mention to him that he is a parent first and a park guest second. (He can do a solo trip sometime if he wants to be a park guest first.)

 

[mmiller711]

My grandsons are 10, 5 and 4 for this trip. We still take a double stroller for the 5 and 4 year old. It is so hot, long days, long lines and overload on the excitement. I know I can not carry them if they fall asleep or just plain melt down. I'd rather take a stroller for them to ride in and keep on going. We do push and empty stroller around for part of the day but it is still carring our extra water and supplies so no big deal. Heck some days I'd be sitting in it if I would fit ºoº

 

[Jessica14]

On our first trip, which was only three days long, we brought a double stroller for my just 4 and almost 6 year old. Having never been to WDW with kids and having never walked that length of time in the heat, it was the right choice to bring it. We parked it a lot of the time, but it made it much easier to get from say the entrance to Fantasyland quickly. I was also on my own one day and there is no way I would have gone without it.

At some point, my DH, said he didn't want the stroller and they could walk. I grabbed the stroller anyway and ignored him. I think sometimes if one parent is not the primary caregiver, his or her expectations are not realistic. It think the types of strollers you have are good-two can stand and the others can ride. Park them if you need too and use them when necessary.
Jessica