STROLLER ADVISE AGAIN!! - for a 5yo 50lbs

[NandP]

I THINK THERE ARE MORE THREADS ABOUT STROLLERS THAN ANY OTHER SUBJECT... ANYWAY

I have a 5yo who is about 54lbs, nad he is pretty tall, The stroller we have now is rated for 45lbs and he looks like baby huey sitting in it... any advice on a decent inexpensive stroller for bigger kids with a capacity of about 80-100 lbs? for him and the 300 bottles of water, first aid kit, umbrellas, rain ponchos, change of clothes, towels and 4 day supply of snacks my wife insists we take along with us everywhere each day....

Thanks

 

[merryweather's twin]

I would rent the WDW ones! They are a bit bigger and seem to hold alot! A 5 yo will also want to walk alot! The only park that it may be smaller would be AK. My now 6 yo wishes she had you for parents!!! She has been walking for 2 years now.... She has 2 younger sisters so no choice. Good luck.

 

[cmbelle]

I just got back and I couldn't get my 2 year old to sit in his stroller. One idea is to check A Baby's Best Friend (www.abbf.com) to see if they have a stroller to rent. It may be a better price.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't know if you are kidding or not about the "capacity of 80-100 pounds," but the only strollers you are likely to find to that much are strollers for special needs kids. Those cost on the order of $600 on up.
There are several sizes of WDW rental strollers and some CMs who post on the DIS have said they will hold up to a small 12 year old.

 

[jenjenmouse]

My DD had just turned 5 on our last trip and she didn't use a stroller at all except in AK because of the heat. We just rented it there. A back pack with a change of clothes for DD and couple of snacks and a drink did us just fine. It is sooo much better not to have to worry about a stroller. Oh the freedom!

 

[Gillian]

The manager at our local baby store likes to sit on the Maclaren strollers to show how strong they are! But they have almost useless baskets. Love mine but have to take the Graco when we go to WDW.

I second the rental strollers. Not good for napping, but otherwise great for an older child.

 

[catwho]

I agree with renting one while in the park. You could even get a double stroller to use as your pack mule But seriously, our kids use the stroller so intermittently that we are going to try not to use one at all this trip. We will see. Our kids are 10, 7, and 4.

 

[dandelion]

Originally posted by SueM in MN
I don't know if you are kidding or not about the "capacity of 80-100 pounds," but the only strollers you are likely to find to that much are strollers for special needs kids.

How about double strollers? We have a Graco DuoGlide that really isn't big enough for our kids (now 3 and 6) anymore. We're planning a May trip and it just occurred to me: what will we use? Maybe a park rental ... but I've never dealt with that hassle.

Any suggestions for a double able to carry about 80-85 pounds of kids, plus the backpack, ponchos etc? Other than Disney trips I'm not sure how much we'd use it anymore.

TIA,
Donna

 

[sconstantz]

We bought a stroller when DS was 3 just for Disney. Now he is 5, we never use it, but decided we are going Feb. 2 for a week, and the first thing he said is, and we'll take the stroller!!

It is a city light or metro light? We got it at Baby's R Us. It is meant for city dwellers who don't drive and therefor, walk their kids every. And need it to last and manuever well. I am not sure the poundage it is rated for, but the seat is bigger. It has one hand open and close and a very nice basket underneath.

It cost us about $60 2 years ago. I like it better than renting as I can "slowly" lower the seat when he is resting his eyes.... Go to a superstore, take DS with you, and check them out.

But, if this is the last year that you will use the stroller, I would rent. They are bigger seats. Count how many days you will be in the parks times the cost of a stroller (or double stroller) and you can see where you come out $$$$ wise.

Shelly

 

[sconstantz]

Now he is 5, we never use it,

What I meant is that we never use it except at Disney, and we use it every day. It has been our life saver, and well worth the money we paid!!

shelly

 

[#1 princess]

We just returned in Early November. I have two children ages 7 and 5 and both used the strollers all the time. I was actually surprised that my 7 year old used it as much as he did. There was so much walking that he got tired very quickly. I would definetly rent a double stroller. It was worth every penny!

 

[momx2]

We went in Dec. with 21 mon. DD and older DD who turned 5 while there. We were going to bring both our Gracos (we have 2), but decided against it. We decided we didn't want to bother with 2 strollers on the buses, etc. I'm glad we made that decision. We were going to rent a stroller for 5 yr. old DD if needed. We asked at the entry of every park and she never wanted one. She hoofed it the whole way. Mind you were are not the commando all day tourers. We go in the morning, go back to room and rest and then go back at night. We asked every time to rent and she said no. I think if we had of brought one she would have wimped out and rode in it. I'm glad we didn't have one. Now I know she can do without. Try it without one and rent if you need to is my advise.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

We went with family in July - lots of water bottles, and kids' stuff plus a 7 year old with type 1 diabetes. Hannah is a tall girl and she fit beautifully in the double which she used more than half the time due to heat and energy level which fluctuates with blood sugar. We hauled lots of stuff and she had room too. It was great! Downside is not having a stroller outside the park itself to get to the busses or car. But she managed quite well then or she got a piggy back ride from a grown up.

 

[tricia]

To dandelion:

I am going down at the end of April and just bought a second Hand Sit N Stand. I believe A Baby's Best Friend rents them for about $65 per week. I will be using my for my 2 yo and 5yo. It is perfect. The older one can decide what he wants at any given time.

 

[dandelion]

Tricia, that's a good tip. Maybe I can find one before we head down around April 23. Thanks

 

[NandP]

I found a jogging stroller by In-Step (safari) it has a swivel front wheel.... I suppose the fixed front wheel makes it hard to navigate crowds with normal joggers... it folds up to about the size of a VW Bug, so that will be a joy to carry onto the busses... and it does have a basket underneath... I wonder if it will be worth spending the $120 on a stroller?

 

[padams]

Last year, I read a similar stroller thread prior to a WDW trip with DSs, then 4 and 6. We have been to WDW each year since DSs were 1 and 3, and each year we had rented a double stroller. DSs had quit riding in strollers when they were 3 and 2 (everywhere except WDW), and wouldn't be caught dead in one at home.
Anyway, in the thread, a mom had commented that her similar age kids were physically fit, active kids, and that they didn't need a stroller at WDW. In spite of some concerns about where we would put all of our stuff and would we end up carrying DSs everywhere, she inspired me to try WDW without a stroller. I told DH that we would rent if we needed a stroller but I wanted to try not having one.
Being stroller-free was so liberating! We had a wonderful trip. All of us quickly realized how much time we had spent parking and finding the stroller after each attraction or area of attractions. We rode and saw significantly more attractions with the extra time. We could walk through any crowd and not worry about bumping anyone with the stroller. DSs never asked to get a stroller and never complained about walking. It was so obvious to them that they were getting to do more without a stroller. DH did carry younger DS twice, once from the back of AK to the exit, and after Illuminations from the World Showcase to exit Epcot, only because of the crowd or we needed to catch our plane. Did I mention that we tour commando-style, and stay at the parks all day? If we need a break, we sit and have a snack or see some shows.
What about all of the stuff to carry around? Well, we decided that DSs didn't need an extra outfit, either they wore a shirt that was a little dirty by the end of the day, or in an emergency, we bought a souvenir t-shirt, which we would have done anyway. I carried a small backpack with wallet, camera, film and a water bottle (we didn't need 4 bottles since we share all of our germs as a family anyway), and that turned out to be plenty of stuff and all that we needed.
I understand that for medical reasons some children need a stroller. However, for healthy, active children over the age of 4, I highly recommend trying WDW without a stroller.

 

[crisi]

Just a another note:

We rented and renting turned out to be not much of a hassle at all - in some ways possibly less than a hassle than getting a stroller on and off buses.

At opening at each park they have "stroller express" CMs standing around. Bring enough cash with you and they will give you a card to get your stroller. No waiting in line once the park opens, except the line which moves quickly trading cards for strollers. After the initial rush, stroller rental if we arrived later never involved more than a one or two minute line.

The biggest hassle was not having the stroller to get the kids back to the hotel at the end of a long day. We did our share of toting two kids around the TTC, onto buses, and around the hotel.

Renting from the back of the park in the middle of the day because you suddenly have a tired child would be a little bit of a hassle - but with multiple adults, you can always send one adult back to get the stroller while everyone else stands in line for a ride or has a snack.

 

[peg2001]

Originally posted by padams

I understand that for medical reasons some children need a stroller. However, for healthy, active children over the age of 4, I highly recommend trying WDW without a stroller.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am of the same opinion and am always surprised by the number of posts about older kids riding in strollers. I don't blame the kids, after all, *I* would love to ride and be pushed to all the rides and shows too. However, I have to walk and so do my kids, ages 3 and 6.

Peggy

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't have any way to carry all your stuff, you probably won't want to even bother with it like padams stated. If everyone has to carry their own junk, you bring less in and it makes it easier to carry your new stuff out. Plus it makes it easier getting on the bus when you head for the parks in the morning.

If you think your kids might be able to walk, leave the stroller at the resort and just rent one if you are wrong.