Tell me your experience with a 5 yo and walking vs stroller

[Tk0021]

We did a week trip with 5 and 3 year old girls and we needed a stroller last June. You might say sure you did with a three year old but the 5 year old needed it too. I know there is a lot of complaining about the amount of strollers at WDW but we will be renting another one this September when we make our next trip. Not only did it help them get around but they both took naps in it and they feel asleep in it at night.

 

[Hikergirl]

My kids stopped using strollers after 3 so it never occurred to me to bring one to WDW after that. They have all managed fine without them, but we aren't commando style. We tend to arrive late morning or early afternoon and stay later. We also had no problem taking breaks if the kids needed them, or even leave the parks to go back to the resorts.
Every kid is different, it depends on them individually and how you tour as a family. My instinct would be not to take one, just for the hassle of it and rent one if needed.

 

[jo-jo]

We used a sit and stand for our 1yr old and 5 yr old DGS. 5 yr old rode a lot. But we also brought in about 100 lbs of soda/water into the parks. Well, it felt like a 100 lbs.

For one child, I'd get a cheaper stroller. For some areas, you can just park it and go on 3 or 4 rides. No need to move it to 50 ft to the next parking area. I'd want a stroller if only for the walk to the bus at the end of the night.

Our sit and stand was great in the parks, but awful on the buses. Thankfully we only used a bus a few times and that was at off hours.

 

[Dakota731]

My husband refused to maneuver a double stroller for our four year old twins and they did just fine. It was so nice not having to get them in and out for each ride and not to have to navigate the crowds. We did early morning opening until late night fireworks and they never complained. They were troopers who did fall asleep in a few shows but that's fine. We did sit down lunches and table dinners so there were breaks. I have noticed more and more strollers every year but back when my kids were little it was rare to see 7 & 8 year olds in strollers.

 

[my2lovedisney]

You know your kids best. Bringing strollers has pros and cons. I like them for the fact that they can hold anything you don't want to hold, including your child. I hate them for maneuvering through crowds and getting on and off buses. I personally would bring one, just in case mid week you find your child is tiring easier. Then you have it and don't have to worry about renting one.

 

[maxiesmom]

Only you can really make the decision to use a stroller or not. Know that if you decide to skip the stroller you will need to do things at the pace of your daughter. You may be walking slower than you like. As long as you are ok with an easy pace, you can always do a day without a stroller and see how it goes. But set aside the money to rent one, just in case. If you don't need to rent then you have some more mad money to spend.

 

[buzznina]

If you have a stroller take it, just in case you may need it and play it by ear.
Everyone has an opinion even me and I can only say what works for us.
We have been taking at least 1 stroller for years now and actually are dreading NOT taking a stroller. If there are 2 parents then they are not a hassle to get on and off buses, trains etc. sorry but that is just an excuse of parents that do not want to deal with it. Our youngest just turned 7, she is a bit small for her age, but is a very sloooooow walker. On our last trip (in March) we went to US for a day and did not take the stroller because the park closed earlier 8 or 9. We made it, but I noticed a few things after that day. While walking with her I noticed that it takes her 5 steps for every 2 steps of mine, so she is walking 2.5 times more then me, I noticed we definitely did not cover as much ground when we needed to get somewhere quicker and decided to skip a couple of things because of that. I also noticed that she was cranky towards the end of the day and wanted to be carried because she was "tired of walking". This has never happened when we had a stroller for her to use when she did not want to walk and could rest while we were still moving. So if we were at MK we would of either had to leave earlier then normal or have dealt with a melt down or me having a very sore back from carrying her. One poster mentioned that a tired child is the same whether they had a stroller or not, I totally disagree with that. On real late nights (with stroller) our DDs will be sleepy tired but not sleepy tired and exhausted from walking all day and night, and it makes a BIG difference in their demeanor. Again JMO

 

[kboo]

Last April we did great with just a light umbrella stroller, since our baby was small enough to carry or pop in the boba if ODD needed a break. But this August (our ODD turns 6 in early September), we're going to rent a city mini double rather than making the kids switch off in the stroller, because the heat in august will make it really uncomfortable to carry our fire hydrant of a toddler or wear her in the carrier. I can't remember if the OP only has 1 kid who is 5, then it might be ok. You know your kid and their limits. We've had to make a fast haul for a FP or ADR on occasion, and it's just been really nice to be able to pop them in the stroller and let them have a snack or drink while we do our brisk walk. It also just gives them some time to themselves and reset a little.

Next year we will probably only bring an umbrella stroller for the fire hydrant. But we do like the stroller storage for jackets, ponchos, snacks, etc. and we generally travel very light!

 

[glk2009]

We were there in March, DD was two weeks shy of turning 5 and we brought our Maclaren. We never use the stroller at home and haven't on a regular basis since she was two, but for Disney, we bring it and she LOVES it. It was a great place for her to relax/decompress when it got too busy for her and she ended up napping a few times even though she doesn't nap at home. We did our first MK day without a stroller since it was a short park day for us and she did fine, but every now and then as we were walking between rides, she would ask where her stroller was. For all of the other days, we brought the stroller, but we were at the parks for the entire day. Having a stroller can be a pain, but the pros outweigh the cons for our family.

 

[DisneyOma]

Used a stroller when youngest was 2 1/2. That was it. Oldest was 5 on that trip, didn't need one. It was just a 4 day trip though. Older daughter was doing gymnastics then as well, and soccer. Very fit. And I never carry a lot of crap around, even when the kids were little. So no need for a stroller to haul our things.

I mean, if you don't care about going back and forth to stroller parking (and finding the stroller, getting it out of the corral after the CMs move it), folding it every time you go on a bus, folding it for the trams, etc, then fine. Don't leave anything valuable in the stroller, and make sure you have a cover for it if it rains. And don't leave food in it unless you want squirrels and birds all over it (and their poop). If it is an expensive one, bring a lock to lock two wheels together.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/thieves-at-wdw.3605582/

 

[maxiesmom]

I mean, if you don't care about going back and forth to stroller parking (and finding the stroller, getting it out of the corral after the CMs move it), folding it every time you go on a bus, folding it for the trams, etc, then fine. Don't leave anything valuable in the stroller, and make sure you have a cover for it if it rains. And don't leave food in it unless you want squirrels and birds all over it (and their poop). If it is an expensive one, bring a lock to lock two wheels together.

/

All of that sounds better to me than dealing with a tired, whiny child. One who would have been totally happy, if only they could have ridden in a stroller. Or better than having to stop the fun for everyone and head back to the hotel for naps, when the child could have napped in the stroller.

 

[kboo]

With ODD, we have in the past parked our umbrella stroller in a pretty central stroller parking area (Spaceship Earth for Future World, or by the Carousel at MK) for a while and walked around. I do remember one time taking ODD to Epcot where we left it for hours at Spaceship Earth while we walked around, but then used it from there to ride all the way back to our hotel on the Monorail. Ditto at MK, we didn't move the stroller after every ride. YDD (the fire hydrant) is almost 18 months. Looking forward to when we can do that again. August we'll rent a double stroller, and our 2018 trips will probably just use the single umbrella stroller. Maybe we'll be stroller free by 2020!!!!

 

[VAfamily1998]

We have 4 kids that are spaced approx. two years apart each. So we were still bringing strollers for the little ones when the older ones were in the 5+ age group, and yes...sometimes the older kids would take a turn in the stroller for a bit.

But our last trip with a stroller was when our youngest was 19 months and the 3rd child was 3.5. The next trip we took was nearly 2 years later--our youngest was 3.5 and the 3rd child was 5.5 and we did not bring a stroller. Our kids were fine walking with occasional piggy back/shoulder rides from us. We did rent a double stroller at the park for the MVMCP because we stayed late and they were starting to fall asleep. That was the only time we needed it.

 

[kahrani]

With ODD, we have in the past parked our umbrella stroller in a pretty central stroller parking area (Spaceship Earth for Future World, or by the Carousel at MK) for a while and walked around. I do remember one time taking ODD to Epcot where we left it for hours at Spaceship Earth while we walked around, but then used it from there to ride all the way back to our hotel on the Monorail. Ditto at MK, we didn't move the stroller after every ride. YDD (the fire hydrant) is almost 18 months. Looking forward to when we can do that again. August we'll rent a double stroller, and our 2018 trips will probably just use the single umbrella stroller. Maybe we'll be stroller free by 2020!!!!

This is what I did when I went to DLR both times with my daughter. Just parked it up in a land and did all the rides we wanted to do then fetched it to move onto the next land. Next time we go to WDW she will be turning 5 and I'll have a 2yr old so will still need a stroller. Ours has an option of adding a second seat and a skate board on the back. I think we will bring the second seat with us but only use it on long park days and otherwise just have one seat and the board if needed.

 

[dmea10]

We are taking my 4 year old Granddaughter in October and we are bringing a stroller. She will be 5 in December. I know here at home she will sometimes tire out and her mom will give her piggy back ride around. Some days she is fine if we are at the zoo or the mall, other days she is tired and would do well with a stroller. I am not willing to ruin our day or hers because she is cranky or tired. She still naps every afternoon. I just think it depends on the kids. It is your family and you know them best. The worst part back when my kids were little was carrying them from the bus to the room at night when they were asleep. Did that one year and the next trip we had a stroller.

 

[BearInWoods]

this depend if your child has the energy to walk the whole day, and/or if you can carry them for an extensive period of time. i think after the initial adrenaline rush, they do get quite tired. but while the body is not all there, the mind is still driving them forward, ergo the need for a stroller. don't worry, you won't stand out!

 

[goodeats]

We do day trips with my 5 yo to Disneyland without a stroller. I love not having one.

When we are there longer than 8 hours the whining starts and she asks to be carried or kind of slows down on purpose. In WDW we would have a hotel to rest at so I think we'd be ok without one, but I would probably rent one in AK or Epcot toward the end of a trip. I would absolutely hate dealing with a stroller on a bus.

 

[DaniMoon]

We went in 2013. My son had just turned 5 and my daughter was 6. We had 9 park days. I didn't take a stroller. I was going to see how my lil guy did and would have rented one if he would have needed it. Now, at home my son could be whiny and at that time he would whine to be carried everywhere, but I still didn't want to deal with a stroller.

We did rope drop every day, took an afternoon break, went back to the parks in the evening. Not even one meltdown. He didn't ask to be carried, he didn't whine at all. We went at their pace, did everything we wanted and much more. We only carried him twice the whole trip. Once was after fireworks, it was just so crowded, it was easier to carry him. And one night he fell asleep on the bus back to the hotel.

If you are going to be in park from open to close, I think a stroller makes a lot of sense. If not, you can take a wait and see approach, you can contact an off-site rental place and have one delivered to your resort.

 

[wonderstruck88]

I'm having a similar debate for our trip next year when our kids will be 3.5 and 5. I know I'll probably get a lot of comments along the lines of "How can you even think about not bringing a stroller for a three year old?!" And I'm reading all of these comments, I hear the people who can't imagine doing it without a stroller...but even now at age two, our youngest pretty much refuses to sit in our stroller. Unless he's climbing in it just for the fun of climbing, in which case he immediately climbs back out. It's not an uncomfortable one - we have a nice City mini side by side. But we also have kids with boundless energy - they will literally run around outside (or in circles inside my parent's fairly large house) nonstop for hours.He doesn't even use one at our local zoo - it just turns into me pushing an empty stroller, even though our zoo involves a lot of walking before you even get to the animal portion. Part of me says better safe than sorry, and that I might as well bring the stroller just in case we need it. Then I think about folding it up and unfolding it everywhere we go, dealing with it in crowds, doing the stroller parking, etc., and...ugh. It doesn't sound so great.

At this point I think my plan is to not bring it, and rent one from Disney if it becomes necessary throughout the day. But we always take a midday hotel break/nap, will be renting a vehicle so no standing in line for ages waiting for buses, and in general I tend to go at a slower pace with lots of breaks - my feet get tired much more quickly than either of the kids!

(Tell me if you think I'm making the wrong choice despite everything I've said here - I really do want to know! This is our first trip with kids, so planning it has been completely different than usual.)

In your case though, I'd be leaning more towards renting the stroller - if she complains about walks around the neighborhood, walking miles at Disney is going to be pretty difficult! Excitement may help for the first ride or two, but it can be a pretty long walk just to enter the park and get to the first ride, so I wouldn't depend on the excitement keeping her walking without complaint for that long. As a grown up whose feet get achy pretty quickly, tired, hurting feet can definitely override excitement if it gets bad enough. And of course, the pace you tend to go in the parks will make a difference as well.

 

[maxiesmom]

(Tell me if you think I'm making the wrong choice despite everything I've said here - I really do want to know! This is our first trip with kids, so planning it has been completely different than usual.)

Seeing how it goes is not a bad idea. My only question is, how does the 3 1/2 year old do in crowds? Will they hold your hand the whole time, can you trust them to stay right next to you? That is also a concern, making sure they don't get separated or dart off.