What age did you stop bringing a stroller?

[sbd78]

We will be in WDW in a little less than 2 months. I was initially excited for my first trip without a stroller. My kids are 11, 7 and 5 and in the past, I've always had a baby or toddler on our trips so we obviously had a stroller. Even though they are past stroller age at home, I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring one for the younger two to have a break since Disney involves so much walking? I have a lightweight Maclaren I can bring. Or would it look ridiculous for kids that old to ride in a stroller, lol? What age did you stop bringing a stroller for WDW trips? TIA!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Each of my kids last trips with strollers they were 3. After that DS went back at 8 and there's no way I'm pushing an 8 year old in a stroller unless he has a medical condition. My son was/is a healthy, active kid.

When DD was 5 we went to WDW for her 3rd trip (previous trip she was 3). We debated on bringing a stroller and decided not to bring one. We did say that if she required one we would rent one. Only if she asked or complained. We never needed it. We went in August, did 6 park days with RD, midday breaks by the pool and back for a PM park. She never asked for a stroller once. She didn't even complain about her feet bothering her. It was the best trip ever!! Not having to push all that dead weight really gave me energy at WDW I didn't know I had. LOL We also went bagless that trip. It was amazing.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

My girls at ages 5 and 7 used a stroller during our 2014 trip and that was the last time we brought it. We actually hadn't used a stroller in forever but at Disney, it's a necessity. All that walking, the heat, the lines, the crowds. I have seen 12 year olds in strollers and TBH I get it, it's tiring! And no, it doesn't look ridiculous for 7 and 5 year olds to be in a stroller at all. We did a lightweight umbrella stroller and it was 100% worth it. Pros of having it, I never had to carry anyone and always had a place to hang my bag- Cons- parking it and coming out and stroller being move to another parking area by a CM and when both girls were tired they would try to both squeeze in it so my DH had to suck it up and carry a kid. It was easy to fold up for the buses and the monorail and so not a logistical issue. If it were me, yes I would bring it.

 

[mjkacmom]

We rented a park stroller when the youngest were 4, 4, and 6 (small kids, 6 year old weighed under 40 pounds). That was the last time they were ever in a stroller. Took the 6 year old to DC and walked all of the monuments a few months later, in the heat, she was fine, no breaks.

 

[Minniemouse07]

The last time we had one my youngest was 4.5yo. We made the trip again a year later and meant to throw the stroller in the back of the van "just in case," but it was in storage and we forgot to go pick it up. Our then 5.5yo did great w/o it and as someone else said...it was liberating to not have to push it everywhere and keep track of it. He never mentioned having a stroller for himself...possibly because he hadn't used it since the previous visit and it wasn't available at all.

I will say that I also prepared and gave each kid (our older one was 9yo that trip) an appropriate sized bag for them to carry their own stuff in. The 5.5yo had a small messenger style bag big enough for his autograph book, some pens, a disposable poncho, and a couple small snacks. Having everyone deal with their own stuff was almost as liberating as losing the stroller! I went from a large backpack to a small cross body bag.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

I think it all depends on your children and time of year. Due to work schedules we have to go during the summer. It is super hot and my youngest at 7 (and on the tiny size) enjoyed taking a break it once in a while and with three kids it was nice to plop her in it to get through the crowds & easier to keep track of the other two. When she wasn't using it, it was great for holding our water bottles. This year we're not taking one as she is now 9.

 

[sbd78]

Thanks for all the replies! We will be there May 27 - June 3 so heat will be an issue.

 

[danielocha30]

4 and 5 on a double stroller, I did it for myself to keep both in place and they were easy to manage instead of having two very excited kids roaming free. Went back a year later without stroller.

 

[jo-jo]

I believe there is a family here that brings a stroller just to carry all the stuff. They buy very little in the parks since they bring in drinks and food.

I'd say if you don't mind pushing a stroller, go for it.

We are going with our grandsons at age 2 and just turning 6. We are bringing a sit and stand. We also plan on bringing in about a dozen or so bottles/cans/pouches of soda/water/juice, so that will "ride" in the stroller too. We'll need lots of liquid for the 6 of us. And we don't like the tap water or disney prices.

 

[rg35]

We generally go in late June/early July. The last time we rented park strollers for them (triplets) is when they were 6. A double for our son, who is bigger, and a double for the girls to share. I'm glad we used them until when we did, but our last two trips with them being 7 and 8 they were totally fine with walking (and we did several all day park days at each of the parks). But they are active and we live in a city so they are used to walking. Kids who are used to a more sedentary routine may struggle more and could benefit from ramping up their active minutes prior to a trip.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I believe there is a family here that brings a stroller just to carry all the stuff. They buy very little in the parks since they bring in drinks and food.

I'd say if you don't mind pushing a stroller, go for it.

We are going with our grandsons at age 2 and just turning 6. We are bringing a sit and stand. We also plan on bringing in about a dozen or so bottles/cans/pouches of soda/water/juice, so that will "ride" in the stroller too. We'll need lots of liquid for the 6 of us. And we don't like the tap water or disney prices.

Oh my, we drink a ton of water compared to most people (DH and I usually do almost a gallon/day) and we bring big refillable water bottles. Our first time doing it, I thought I would die, the water fountain and soda fountain/coffee water is so so gross. I'm from FL and think that Disney's water is about the worst I have ever tasted in the states. We now have learned to bring flavor packets to kill the taste. But I can't even do coffee at the restaurants, ugh. I refuse to pay $3 for a bottle of water.

 

[loves to dive]

I never took one, we started going when my son was just shy of 3. He hated them and wouldn't use them unless he was dog tired. If he got too tired for words, I would either rent one or we would go back to the resort. I didn't carry a lot of stuff for him either, just a little baggy with his snack of the day and that's it. If he got too dirty we would go back to the resort and change clothes, we would go to the restroom to wash face and hands when needed, I'd get water or something to drink in the park. We would go his pace not mine, stop and rest when he needed it and just go slow.

 

[jhoannam]

We did not use a stroller on our last trip, our kids were almost 5 & 8. They did fine.

 

[Klayfish]

I believe there is a family here that brings a stroller just to carry all the stuff. They buy very little in the parks since they bring in drinks and food.

I'd say if you don't mind pushing a stroller, go for it.

We are going with our grandsons at age 2 and just turning 6. We are bringing a sit and stand. We also plan on bringing in about a dozen or so bottles/cans/pouches of soda/water/juice, so that will "ride" in the stroller too. We'll need lots of liquid for the 6 of us. And we don't like the tap water or disney prices.

That would be us. We pack all of our food, so we have a small umbrella "gear" stroller. BTW, the water served from QS places at WDW is filtered, so it really shouldn't have any taste.

As for kids in strollers, it's a 100% personal decision. We used them for our kids until they were about 8, and don't regret a second of it. There are plenty of kids around that age in strollers at WDW, and even if someone looked at us funny, I don't really care. We thought it best for our family and it worked out great!

 

[michbaron]

I definitely don’t care how ridiculous it looks we LOVE having the strollers for our boys, it makes life so much easier, our kids are almost 6 and 2, our older son walks some and sits some but if it’s crowded or we need to get somewhere quick it’s so much easier to have them in the stroller, we can pack a bunch of stuff if we need to, they can nap, we don’t have to worry about carrying them if they’re tired since they’re both really big and hard to carry after a while, I always bring a stroller with me places, like at the mall even it’s just nice to have somewhere to put all your bags or at Disney leftovers to bring back to the room, we put a fan on them and they can put the cover down and cool down, no complaints about tired legs, I’m clearly all about it lol

 

[westie55]

The general rule of thumb that has worked for our extended family is that once the kids are in kindergarten, they walk. This has worked for us through the years. YMMV.

 

[Shanti]

We will be in WDW in a little less than 2 months. I was initially excited for my first trip without a stroller. My kids are 11, 7 and 5 and in the past, I've always had a baby or toddler on our trips so we obviously had a stroller. Even though they are past stroller age at home, I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring one for the younger two to have a break since Disney involves so much walking? I have a lightweight Maclaren I can bring. Or would it look ridiculous for kids that old to ride in a stroller, lol? What age did you stop bringing a stroller for WDW trips? TIA!

Our first family trip was when my son was 5 and we didn't even consider a stroller and I'm glad we didn't. Walking is good exercise, and considering the kids' stamina before overscheduling a day will help keep you all from burning yourselves out during the trip. It can also help you to pack less for your park days: after everyone is potty-trained/eating non-baby food, there is really no need for multiple bags or a stroller full of stuff for a day at a theme park. The parks are more fun when you don't feel like a pack rat.

 

[sbd78]

Technically the youngest doesn't start kindergarten until this Fall, so we are still good there! But I think they will be o.k. without a stroller. We are on the dining plan so no need to pack food. Water is all we will need.

 

[Stubbzilla]

My youngest will be barely 6 when we go back. I'm bringing a single stroller that I've had for years. Last year we went to another place that required a lot of walking and I didn't bring a stroller. I ended up carrying the littlest one way too often. She wouldn't normally have sat in a stroller but after an entire day of walking she was done, and it wasn't even hot like it will be in Orlando. I wouldn't bother renting or buying a stroller if we didn't happen to still have an old one, but at this point I'd rather have it and not need it.

 

[friedela]

My kids are 6 and 7 and we still rented a stroller for each of them and we were thankful we did. It was so handy to have to put all our crap in and at the end of the night they always fell asleep. Plus the crowds... we went at a "low crowd" time and it was so busy... there were times we were rushing to our next reservation or fast pass and it was SO nice to just put them in their strollers and go rather than having to drag them, make sure they are behind us and pressure them constantly to "keep up!". I feel like strollers eliminated SO much stress for us and made for a much nicer trip overall.

There is no wrong or right answer, just whatever works for you. You can try a day without one and see how it goes and if it's a nightmare bring it the following days