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Strollers. Adults and families with children who have outgrown their strollers hate them. Parents with young children can’t live without them. Internet message boards heat up with emphatic opinions on both sides of the stroller—front and back! So this week we asked the Parenting Panel: How old is too old for the stroller? How old is old enough to walk? What worked for you? Boy, did our Panel respond!
Parenting in the Parks columnist Adrienne Krock’s three boys are now 12, 10, and 7. They’ve been visiting Disneyland since they were each just weeks old and Annual Passholders since their 3rd birthdays. Adrienne writes:
We started to transition our children out of the stroller at the parks when they finished kindergarten, as they reached 6. The transition started naturally for our eldest: When he was in kindergarten, his youngest brother arrived! We only had room for two of our three children in the stroller so we evicted the eldest. Every now and then, we might have carried the baby in the sling on a late night back to the parking structure but not often. When our middle son was about the same age, he preferred to walk and I became tired of dragging the double stroller. We easily transitioned to a lightweight, single stroller for my youngest at that point.
Before my youngest hit about 6, we still had reasons to let him use the stroller:
- Frankly, a young child has a hard time keeping up with big legs at a large theme park.
- The stroller gave his legs a rest and helped him last longer during our visits.
- Younger children need more gear, which is easier to haul with the help of a stroller. Now that my elder sons are 12 and 10, I love loading up their backpacks with hats, sweatshirts and water bottles. Last Sunday, they carried so much in their bags that my husband left his backpack at home and I kept my smaller backpack purse instead of transferring my haul into my “Big Mama Backpack”.
- Bringing our own stroller meant that for the long walks back to our car at the end of longer days, that precious little pumpkin was a lot easier to push in a stroller, than to carry!
- And, probably, most importantly, in large crowds, we found it much easier to keep track of our young sons when they rode in the stroller.
Our youngest was 5 on our first visit to Florida. Living in the Southern California desert, we truly appreciate the meaning of the term “dry heat.” We faced several hot and humid days during our visit to the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) and our sons had a hard time adjusting to that humidity! (I did, too!) Besides that, WDW is just plain huge! Having our stroller for our 5-year-old in Orlando just made sense to pace his energy level during our 11-day visit.
By the end of kindergarten, we also found they were happier to walk more than ride. That does not mean that the transition has gone smoothly. My now-7-year-old starts to whine at the end of a day at Disneyland. Fortunately, I have the luxury of being an Annual Passholder to afford me two strategies: First, we can visit for shorter days without worrying about missing out on too much. But second, when he whines, I remind him that if he wants me to bring him back another day, he better stop whining. He knows that the promise of whine-free (or at least reduced-whining) trips will result in more frequent visits.
Chris, also known as GusMan, is always planning his next family trip to WDW and loves to help others plan their trips as well through sharing his experiences. Chris writes:
Using a stroller is a rite-of passage for any touring family who has a young child. They act not only as a mode of transportation for the youngest in your group, but they also act as a napping place, and a place to get distracted from the ambient stimuli, as well as a place to store necessary travel items for everyone else in the group. They become the focus of controversy, as well as the saving grace for families who want to stay out till the very end. If the question comes up as to when is the right time to ditch the stroller, I would love to say as soon as possible. However, I’m not convinced that is the best answer for everyone.
My own personal experience demonstrated that while I wanted to have my son start walking at the parks, on his own, around age 5, I saw how it was going to be a fight. He did not like walking the far distances required for touring and he just did not have the stamina to stay out later. I can say first-hand that trying to make the long journey to the buses with what equates to a 50 pound “sack of potatoes” is not what I would call fun. I realized that we can view the stroller as a tool to help us all enjoy Disney at our own pace and not have any issue with it.
In essence, we learned that, in our situation, it was best to let our son make the decision for us. I know that may seem like a cop-out to some, but I do believe that when it comes to the family vacation, you can pick and choose your battles in order to keep up the vacation atmosphere. Anti-stroller training can easily be done at home in-between trips, and you can then gauge what mode of transportation is going to be best for your child. What we did to help work this out was that we started walking as a family while talking about Disney trips. It was a nice distraction and good exercise, but it also disguised how we were “training” to ditch the stroller for the next trip. Once we knew that the kids could consistently deal with walking a little over a mile without complaining, we felt like their stamina was at the point where we may not need the stroller anymore. To help make our point, we did have a stroller with us during the trip when he was 6, last year and we ended up not using it all that much.
Upon our return, we decided that the stroller was no more. Our son was a little reluctant, but he realized that he did not need it and that he could have a little more independence. The following trip, and he was stroller free! We paced ourselves so that none of us would get tired and it seemed to work very well. The key thing in our situation was that while I wanted the stroller gone, I needed to not force the issue. I think that if I had made a big deal about it, the transition would not have been so peaceful.
Emily Loftus is a wife, mom of 2, portrait photographer and Disneyland fanatic from Reno, Nevada. Emily writes:
We have visited the Disneyland Resort at least once a year, every year, since our son was 17 months and our daughter was 2 months old. Obviously a stroller is necessary when you visit Disneyland with a baby, but it’s nice to have with an older child, as well. It’s a great place to stash jackets, water bottles and other things you’ll need during your busy Disneyland day. Our method was always to keep all of our personal items in a backpack that fit in the stroller basket then we would take the backpack with us when we left the stroller. I have nephew, who is 5 years younger than my daughter, and, sometimes, we still use his stroller for some of our personal belongings, as long as there is room.
All this said: We quit using a stroller at Disneyland when our kids were 3-and 4-years old. We were driving to Anaheim from our home which is about a nine- to 10-hour drive. When we packed the car the night before we left, we decided to save the room in the car and not pack the stroller. We still regularly used a sit-and-stand stroller, and had never taken even a short trip without one, but we had a plan. We would try a half-day or so, without a stroller, then go rent one when the kids couldn’t take walking anymore. At the end of our vacation, my husband and I suddenly realized that we had never gone to rent a stroller and we never even missed having one.
Going without a stroller is significantly less cumbersome than going with one. We save time and footsteps because we no longer have to walk around to park and retrieve our stroller, before and after every single ride, attraction, show and meal. We found that our kids were a lot happier being able to walk, too. They enjoyed a little freedom, but they were still light enough to carry when it was necessary, which wasn’t often. We also found that their physical exhaustion matched our own, which helped us immensely, because they napped in the afternoon and slept when we got back to the room at night. During our stroller using days, they weren’t as tired at the end of the day and in their Disney-fueled excitement they heavily fought sleep. I can only assume they did so because they hadn’t been up and walking all day, like their dad and I had been.
During that visit to Disneyland, there never came a time where we felt like we were desperate for a stroller, so without even intending it, we weaned ourselves from it swiftly. I haven’t looked back for one second. I truly believe that a younger stroller weaning is much easier than an older one. At 3 and 4, both of our kids longed to be free of the stroller, they never missed it.
Mary Kraemer is an avid Disney fan and travel consultant with CruisingCo/MouseEarVacations who loves to travel with her husband and children to Disney destinations as often as possible! Mary writes:
My oldest child was just younger than 3 on his first trip to Disneyland and we did not use a stroller. He’s an active child and we just didn’t need it. I do remember a subsequent visit with him, maybe at about age 5, when he fell asleep in line while we were waiting for Splash Mountain fairly late in the evening, and while I was carrying him to the car (ah, the good old days, when the parking lot was right outside the front gates), I dearly wished I’d had a stroller.
My next three kids started visiting Disneyland at a much younger age than their brother, so strollers were a necessity for us since they were infants. And I think a lot had to do with the fact that we had twins and then our fourth baby 14 months apart. How could you manage without a stroller, really? We carried a lot of stuff in diaper bags, snacks, etc. so being able to wheel around the kids and all their stuff was a no-brainer.
We began averaging three or four trips to Disneyland per year with our kids and really had it down to a system, packing spare clothes and necessities for the day. Strollers were a convenient place for the kids to nap at times, so we almost never returned to our hotel midday to rest. Our kids learned how to read maps while they were still very young, and demanded to have them from the time we’d enter the front gates of Disneyland so they could "navigate" us through the park.
When the twins were about 5 and their little sister was 4, I began taking them to the park solo every once in awhile. That was quite a bit trickier than when my husband was at the park with us because we generally took our double and single strollers—and that was not manageable with only one adult. So, I flattened out one of the reclining seats on the double stroller and had two kids sit back to back on it; it wasn’t the most elegant (or probably ergonomic) solution, but it enabled me to get three kids from Point A to Point B all together. It was not so much that my kids needed a stroller at that point to get around but more that I needed the stroller to keep everyone together, especially when we needed to move through a crowd.
That system lasted about a year or so before we gave up our (very battle weary) strollers. We missed them very much, because of the amount of stuff that we’d bring into the park on a regular basis…sweatshirts for the cool evenings, a cooler with snacks, etc. And now, we were on our own to carry things…right to the convenient lockers at the park!
When clients ask me about renting strollers or bringing their own, I always advise them to bring their own stroller. First, they are familiar with it and know how much stuff they can pack into it, and it’s a familiar place for their child. The second (and perhaps more significant) aspect to me, as a parent, is the ability to not leave the stroller behind at the park gates when it’s time to leave…the very time when you and your child are the most tired and in need of the stroller’s convenience!
If you travel by air, it’s easy to ‘gate check’ your stroller, so you have it all the way until you board the plane, and then it’s ready for you as soon as you get off the plane. And if you’re driving, you’re probably used to having the stroller in the car anyway!
Some folks are worried about losing their expensive strollers at the parks, and if this is a major concern for you, my recommendation is to stop off at a local WalMart or Target to purchase a cheap stroller for your time at the parks; it’s likely to be less expensive than renting a stroller and you can take it with you at the end of the day. Whether you take it home with your or not is up to you!
MousePlanet columnist Chris Barry his wife Diane, 11-year-old Samantha, and twin 8-year-olds, Casey and Alex, live on Long Island and are all major Disney and Walt Disney World fans. Chris writes:
This has always been a no-brainer for our kids and for us. Strollers in WDW are a must. Each of our kids were 4-years-old on their first trips, so I can’t comment on anything younger than that. But, between the ages of 4 and 7, we happily rented Disney strollers for the kids, and they happily rode in them.
Disney strollers are big and roomy and easy to push around. It became part of the trip for them. They had their “guys” or their stuffed animals down in there with them. When we went on a ride or visited an attraction, they set them up in the seat or in the pocket so they would be waiting for them when we returned. There has always been one of those water fans tied to the handle within easy reach of hot faces. The stroller was their little car and they loved it. For late nights, the stroller became the crash pad for them. How many nights did we let them fall asleep in the stroller while we took turns going on attractions or watching a parade or fireworks that they just couldn’t stay up for? Too many, I’m sure. It was nice to have. Sometimes I actually miss it.
So, that becomes the question. When did we give it up? My daughter was the litmus test. She has three years on the boys, so we figured her quitting age in the stroller was a good benchmark. That age turned out to be 7. That certainly sounds old for a stroller, but remember, these are Disney strollers. They are larger and roomier and I think, made for kids up to age 7 or so. It was really size with them, not age. They’re tall and they just got too tall for the strollers. When my daughter was 6 and 7, we rented her a double size stroller. She fit just fine. So did the boys. However, the twins in the double stroller at age 7 were a little tight, but they wanted it and never complained. Sometimes they would take turns having it to themselves and we worked out a fair rotation.
The disadvantages of renting a Disney stroller are small. They are pricey. Although, renting for extended stays helps out the price a bit. The other main disadvantage is that the Disney stroller stays in the park. Now that may seem like a problem to some and I can sympathize. Sometimes that walk out to the buses, or worse, the walk back to the room from the buses was a bit much for the kids. Let’s face it; it was a bit much for us, because we were usually carrying them. But, I’ve never had to struggle folding a stroller and then try to fit myself, the kids and the cumbersome stroller on a crowded bus either. Plus, it was good for the kids to walk. The strollers became a part of the park experience for them, and unless they were asleep, we tried to get them used to walking once we left the turnstiles. We weren’t cruel. If they were exhausted, we carried. But, it was nice to know the option of them walking was always there.
Many people base their stroller use on their home life. If the child is out of a stroller at home, then they are out of the stroller in a place like Disney. Our opinion is that this is a mistake. Home is not a Disney park. The hours and the miles of walking, not to mention that charming Orlando heat can wreak havoc on any grown-up, never mind a child. Case in point, my best friend Lou. He has two sons as well, a year apart, close in age to our boys. They came with us on their first Disney trip. Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom and the younger guy wanted a stroller. I advised a double. He scoffed at the price and the need. He was sure the older guy was fine. I warned him. He ignored. Within half an hour, the older guy wanted in and he had to walk back to stroller rental for an upgrade. Yes, I agree, only you know your children, but do you know them in a Disney park? It’s a different environment. Our advice has always been to budget a Disney stroller into your trip if your child still fits in one. It’ll make them happy and when they’re happy, you’re happy.
It's your turn—keep the discussion flowing!
Visit the Parenting in the Parks forum on our MousePad discussion board, and share your opinions about this topic or many others, or send your suggestions via e-mail. Reader-submitted tips might be used in a future article, and you might be selected to participate in an upcoming panel discussion!
 
Comments
This is a great article.
We got our first annual passes this year, our daughter is just a little over 2.
I've always been less than a fan of strollers at the park, but of course, found that having one was a terrific convenience. It's been great to bring our own stroller, and have it there at need. Especially when we didn't have a pass, and a visit to Disneyland meant we had to maximize our time there.
We've really not been happy about the longer waits on trams, etc. with our own stroller. So, for our last 3 visits with our 2-year-old we've avoided taking a stroller at all. These have all been shorter visits (6 hours or so). Our daughter, again, only 2. Has really become pretty good about walking a good bit of the time. She's still light enough to carry when she's tired or we need speed. Will we use the stroller still? Of course, but we'll use it wisely, when we know it will serve us.
As a parent and park enthusiast though, I'm flabbergasted at seeing older kids riding about in strollers. Maybe I'm just not there yet as a parent, but it always strikes me as odd to see children, riding about in strollers when they're closer to 10 than to 1. I can remember very well still visits around those ages, and I know we weren't there with a stroller.
With others in my family, their children are 4, 6, 8-- they're not using strollers at all, and haven't after 3 or 4 for years. We're not that different from anyone else, other than we don't use strollers so much. I guess I'm just trying to say that you can go to the parks without a stroller and survive, and probably should for the older kids.
Sure, we're only dealing with one kid and two parents when we go, but I just can't see that strollers are needed by so many for so long.
If you have the stamina -- and are parked at Mickey and Friends --you can save yourselves some headaches in the morning and evening (when the trams are the most crowded) by walking from M&F to the Esplanade along Disneyland Drive.
We were lucky in that when we needed it most, Disney Visa offered us free stroller rentals at Disneyland. We would take our daughter in her infant carrier, rent a second stroller when we got there, and had the advantages of getting to take the rolling locker all the way home with us and only have one child (if needed) to carry to the car at the end of the day.
When they discontinued free strollers we decided it wasn't worth constantly paying even 1/2 price and figured our kids were old enough that they could take turns in the stroller. This mostly turned into carrying our younger child and letting our older child use the stroller. Overall, I think our younger one walked more than the older one did. She still prefers to be carried as much as possible.
In preparing for a trip to WDW when our kids were 2 1/2 and 5, we opted to buy the Britax B-Ready stroller. This is a monster stroller designed to fit two, but with the second seat being removable if it's no longer needed. It takes up most of the trunk space. The stroller worked great in Florida and at our home park of Disneyland. Because we now have two seats, we are more firm about not carrying our daughter. If she wants to not walk, there is a place for her to sit.
Because the stroller is so big, it is also psychologically easier to leave behind. For shorter trips, we are more willing to do without and just make both kids walk (with some carrying of our younger one as tolerated). We went on a trip recently that started at Disneyland to pick up fastpasses for Star Tours and go on a few Fantasyland rides. We did this with no stroller and it was great. We then left to meet some friends for lunch. After we returned, we brought out the stroller and used it for the rest of the afternoon. Since it had already been a long day, we were very grateful to have the stroller by mid-afternoon.
Last weekend, I had planned on a family trip to Disneyland for the morning/day when my husband woke up with a headache. Since we had already mentioned the trip to them and I do like to keep my word when possible, I decided to take both kids by myself. In doing so, I made the decision that I would have better control of them without the stroller so I packed a single bag accordingly. We spent most of the day in line for princess/fairy pictures but the kids had a good time and it proved that a longer Disney trip was possible sans stroller. There was one moment walking from Toon Town to Main Street where my son insisted that he needed to rest. So we took a break by the Alice bathrooms, ate some raisins, and in a few minutes were ready to complete the trip. I told both kids before we left that I wasn't going to carry either of them and if they got to the point where they needed to be carried, then we were going to have to go home.
Knowing my family, I'm pretty sure my son will want to keep sitting in the stroller as long as it is an option. When we decide that he is too big, we will have to either stop bringing it completely or remove the second seat. It has been nice to see that the world doesn't come to an end if we don't have a stroller but I think we will be bringing it for a while longer for our all day trips.
I haven't really thought about this until recently. We take two strollers one for my son who is four, and another one for my daughter, who is 7, to use at her discretion. There are several reason that we still bring one for her.
1. It makes it easier to navigate the crowds, especially at rope drop. Not to mention we can to to places more quickly and make better use of the early hours we are in the park before the crowds swell.
2. It allows us to stay later in the parks and not have to deal with children who are fatigued.
3. It keeps me from having to listen to bickering when we have only one stroller.
4. I don't have to carry sleeping children at the end of a long day when I am tired as well. We usually walk back to the parking structure rather than fighting the crowds to get on the tram.
What I find a little confusing is why people care one way or the other if I have a stroller that I allow my daughter to use. If people don't want to use one for their child, that's their prerogative. Apparently people don't have enough to worry about if they are upset about that.
Glad to see so many parents stopping the use of strollers when their kids are around age 5 - a child older than 5 should be capable of walking around a theme park with no problems. If your child cannot walk by themselves at that age, you need to seriously think about turning off the television and making your child play outside.
Too many parents complain that their children get tired if they walk -- if your child is tired, it's time for a rest. Don't force the child to keep going all day if they need a nap mid-afternoon. I see countless people at WDW who have children (who are too large for the strollers to begin with) asleep in strollers in the afternoon.
Our three boys (triplets) were done with strollers by age three. Mainly because it's too much hassle to haul around a triplet stroller. They are active boys who have never had any trouble walking around a theme park all day, and they're almost 10 now. Even they find it ridiculous when they see a seven- or eight-year-old in a stroller!
Let me give you an answer to this -- we care for several reasons: First and foremost, there are TOO MANY strollers in use at the Disney Theme Parks. They take up valuable sidewalk space, they cause injuries by bumping into people, and they tend to slow down traffic flow wherever they're used.
In a broader sense, we care because there is an obesity epidemic in this country, and one of the main causes is a sedentary lifestyle. If you train your child from an early age to not live a physically active life, you're setting up your child for a sedentary adulthood. This is a public health crisis, about which we all should be concerned.
Wow, you make a lot of assumptions in this post.
I see more people slowing down the flow of traffic simply because they aren't paying attention to their surroundings, some with strollers, most without. How about large groups of people standing in the middle of a walkway, or people wandering with an almost complete lack of awareness? That is a bigger issue for me strollers.
I see more people bumping into me than bumping into them. Especially people who jump in front of the stroller I am pushing or, again...simply not paying attention to their surroundings and walking into me.
My daughter is involved with USA Swimming and competes on the team in our community. She practices 1.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. She ha also played T-Ball, soccer, and done gymnastics, so I'd say she is doing fine as far as an active lifestyle goes. Thanks for your concern though.
Or, I live and let live, smile, and make the best of it.
One has nothing to do with the other. I have six year old who enters races with me on the weekends, is involved with dance and juggles an involved soccer, basketball, and baseball schedule throughout the year. He doesn't have an ounce of fat on him and still benefits occasionally from use of a stroller for the very reasons woody9six listed above.
My nephew (now 7) has had severe asthma his whole little life. Let me tell you, there is nothing more scary than holding his hand in mine and watching him have trouble breathe as we are walking in the August head and humidity to a dining reservation all the way over in world showcase from the park entrance.
While we didn't use the stroller the entire time for him last year, we did insist that he use it when we were doing a lot of walking.
There are many reasons to use a stroller, some of which have nothing to do with the age of a child.
I would prefer not to have to administer medication through the nebulizer at night than not put him in a stroller because it might impede traffic flow.
In any case, we'll see how it goes this trip and thank you for all the advice! I'll keep you posted.
What Niwel said. I frequently walked from the parking structure instead of dealing with trams. (I also arrived at less crowded times and/or folded my stroller to get on the trams faster.)
And, as a side note, for anyone who needs to worry about obesity, please note: Walking instead of taking the tram increases my exercise. And for the record: I do watch and monitor what I eat and I have completed three half-marathons in one year's time, and have two more on the books, less than 6-months apart from each other. (Judge me by my size, do you?)
Ya know what else slows the floww of traffic? People who stop in the middle of the walk way to figure out something instead of moving to the side. I think its crazy to have a kid in a stroller who is bigger than the stroller, if that's the case rent a wheel chair. There is no problem with evc because we don't need the elderly having heart attacks at disneyland. Id rather worry about the 6 year old with a pacifier then if they need a stroller. If the parents think they need to bring a stroller to baby there kid then its on them. I'm hoping by 4 or 5. That DS is done with the stroller...I have a ways to go.
I have told this story before, but one trip my husband and I were at DCA waiting for the Photopass gal to take the picture of this kid (about 7-8 would be my guess, yes, I know kids can be big, but his attitude also made it seem that way). He was being a pill and it took a while, but okay. This was where the waterfall thing is over by Bug's Land. Then the PP gal is explaining PP to the mom (Grandma?) for another 3-4 minutes. So, we have been waiting 10 minutes. The Mom says well, "can you take our picture over there?" and points to the area where the vineyards are (maybe 50 feet, maybe). The kid throws a fit that he will not walk that far and gets in the stroller and is pushed for like 10 seconds and then gets out to throw another fit about the picture. It was unreal. Yes, the kid was overweight- not hugely, but for sure pudgy. We continued to wait (I have no idea why, I think because we had so much time invested in this darn picture and two, it was sort of like watching a car accident). Then the mom insisted the PP gal walk them over to the Paradise Pier area for those pictures, so they left us and I KNOW the PP knew we were waiting. We should have spoke up, but we were so flabbergasted at the whole thing. So, whenever I read about 7 year olds in strollers, I always think of this over indulged brat from DCA! Fair, probably not, but that is my association!
ETA- I just realized I know a very sweet and fit 7 year old who uses the stroller on some trips, but for some reason, I never think of her in the stroller wars.
I'm impressed that so many people can make so many over arching generalizations about my child and my fitness as a parent with so little factual information to back it up. So let me see if I have this straight...my otherwise polite, intelligent, physically active daughter is an overweight, overindulged brat because I am babying her?
I've got some pretty convenient associations as well for what it is worth.
We had a rule with my nieces and nephews, to go with Auntie, no strollers for them. NOW, that said, I don't think it is any of my business how old or big some child is that is in a stroller. If it makes a parents vacation easier on them, do it! Ignore those who make comments/give looks, it isn't their place. Whether you use a stroller/pacifier/leash/any other child device, it is your families decision.
Last weekend, I saw a young boy, probably 10, in a stroller. My first thought was "Too old", then I thought "None of my business." Later I saw him entering the BTMRR HA line in his stroller, and watched his parents transfer him for the ride. Moral, you never know why the child is in a stroller. Those who teach school, can also note that some children are very large for their age (ie tall). MDM has had a 1st grader that was almost to her shoulder. Why are we judging when there is no way we know all the facts? Is there are reason we really need to judge other people's decisions?
I never said your child was any of these things. I said that particular child was and unfortunately even though I know a very nice kid who is none of those things who still uses the stroller on occasion, that whenever I see this battle on the boards, I think of him. I even admitted it was not a fair one to make.
I am not going to say anything or even give a second glance to a older kid in a stroller (unless he makes me wait a ridiculous amount of time for a picture ) but I think for me, 5 or 6 is about the limit. Now my son is 10 months old, so I also totally admit I may eat my words in a few years.
We all make choices as parents that people agree and disagree with. I will just try not to take it personally when others disagree with my choices. I think message boards are a different beast because people give opinions they would never give in "real life" to total strangers.
We all make choices, AND the choices or decisions we make will often change as our dynamics change. Before I had children, there were several things I swore I would never do or that I would always do. THEN I had kids. I did things I swore I would never do, and didn't do things I was certain I would. As they grew, many of my beliefs changed. And as they gained their own opinions, I can just sit back and smile, as I know those too shall change.
So nice it needed to be said twice!!!!!!! Each of us makes the 'call' that works for our situations. Looking back over my career as a parent I remember my arrogance at 21 and my humility at 30 and my acceptance at 40 and my don't give a rats what "they" think in my 50's....strollers are really the least of our worries as parents, as so many have said, if it makes your vacation work for you then go for it.
As a non-parent, I believe one of the purposes of this article was to help parents of young children, or adults who may have children in the future, think about some of the different sides of the 'stroller age' discussion, so that they can make informed decisions for their own situations. Kind of like Malcon10t said, many people 'would never' until they actual see how their kids are - and if an article like this can get them to think about multiple sides before the situation arises, then it can help them.
My favorite thought? I was a perfect parent before I had kids...
Ain't that the complete gospel truth of the matter!
that's funny you should say that. Dear wife and I always tell people "We were perfect parents ..... then we had kids."
Well, my youngest are 6 1/2 and I'm about ready to plunk down $700 for our first (and probably, hopefully only) adaptive stroller. We're at the point where I do partial days in the park sans a stroller, but by day two or three or beyond, that isn't going to work for us outside of a few morning hours. I would hope my family visually would be a good reminder of why not to judge. Gee, identical twins but one's in the stroller (with a leg brace) and one isn't. However, in jeans that's not so visible.
You know, we've historically done long full days in the park without "going back for a nap" break, which worked fine with us if we had our stroller(s). Let each family do what works for them! Crickers, family vacations are about the whole family. Not necessarily just the needs of the youngest (or oldest). So, if a stroller allows a young one to nap and gives everyone else the hours in the park to do more, GO for it. It's their money, their time, their family. If taking a break is what kid/mom and dad need, do that. There's no one right answer. I've found our dynamics to be constantly changing... every trip has been a little different!
As far as judging, yeah, I'm sure I've seen a pudgier older child in a stroller and thought to myself- kid needs to walk! Are there some kids who should be walking for exercise/endurance issues but who's parents don't have them? Sure. But how that can REALLY be "our" concern when we're never going to see that family again... I just can't see it. I have direct concerns about child obesity and life styles within my family too (big big concerns) but Disneyland sure ain't the place for those. Nor is a day, or a few days, worth of walking going to fix some child's weight problem. I would find it very ironic were we in the parks tomorrow and someone thought/said something to me about Chloe being in a stroller still when just today I'm dealing with her PT and Physio Dr about what more we can do to increase her stamina/endurance.
I know alot of SID/autistic kids use strollers and that the use has far less to do with physical needs than behavior/emotional issues. If that big kid being in a stroller gives them and their family and surrounding guests a better visit- then that's the right decision for that family.
I actually have a book with that title.
The reason I'll put as many of my kids as I can in my stroller: it makes getting through crowds with 4 kids easier. I know where they are and that one didnt stop to tie their shoe. Also I have a 6 yr old with asthma and she tires easily and is usually the first one asleep in the parks so we've brought a double stroller and an umbrella stroller until she was 5. We are taking a double stroller to WDW and likely my 3 youngest will switch off riding.
That was the best part for me about the stroller. Leaving with the hordes after illuminations, and even for the opening of the parks, having both kids in the stroller, they unable to get lost in the crowd.
I think if we were doing a day or 2 I could skip the stroller, but 4 plus days of 5 miles a day is rough on most adults let alone young kids.
My daughter was just 5 the first time we visited WDW and had not been in a stroller at all since she was 3. It didn't occur to me to rent her a stroller our first day at MK. By day 3 we were lining up to get one before entering the parks and it really improved the quality of that visit. She actually walked a lot and it carried the bags, but boy, were we gald of it during lots of different points that trip. Is she fat? Nope. Is she lazy? Nope. Did she suddenly want a stroller again when we got back home? Nope. Did my then 8 year old try and grab a ride too? Yep. Did we let him? Once or twice then the novelty was gone and he didn't even ask again.
WDW is huge, I advise anyone with a 4-6 year old used to walking to bend the rules a bit if it improves the quality of your trip.
I.Love.This.Post.
On Facebook, someone commented that she didn't understand how kids can run around all day at home but then tire out and need a stroller at DL.
Now, I'm not in the best shape ever but I'm not entirely out of shape either. (Three Half-Marathons so far, registered for two more!) But after a day at Disneyland *I'm* more tired than after a "normal" day of "running" around. It's just not the same.
Many people have worn pedometers in Disney parks (or brought their GPS's.) And it is often striking to see how much *more* walking around a person does at a theme park than they do at home. Even if they're "running around".
Add to all of this: Children's legs are smaller than adult legs. So for every few steps I take, my children have to take more steps to keep up with my stride! Getting around a Disney park requires more energy on their part than an adult's.
These are some of the reasons that I think that comparing the stamina of a child to an adult's, and comparing stamina at home to a day at a theme park, are too "apples/oranges" to be effective arguments against using a stroller during visits.
I lost my 6 year old at Legoland for 2 minutes this summer, at which point she did exactly the right thing - going back to the most recent attraction which was staffed up front by an employee. In heavy crowds it only takes two or three steps to completely lose sight of your parents/kids given height differences. My 4 year old will be in a stroller in heavy crowds until she knows the drill really well and I can trust her.
The last time I rented a stroller was when my younger child was 6, when the rental prices went way up. Until that point, even my older child, at 7 or 8 would hitch a ride on occasion. Neither of my children were obese, not even close; in fact one is barely in the 5th percentile for weight, and they were normally active children. They had long stopped riding in strollers at home. The reasons for the stroller had nothing to do with encouraging them to be sedentary, and everything to do with the specific conditions in the Disney World vacation. First, it was much hotter and much more humid than conditions at home, or any place else we normally would go, which really sapped their stamina. Walking for miles in that heat was very tiring for them, and we would end up carrying them or perching them on our shoulders, which was difficult for us. I remember one trip having a five year old fall heavily asleep after a stimulating day-and we had taken a break mid-day, we always did-and carrying her out of the park as "dead weight" ; very hard on me. Also, as previously stated, it was a lot easier to keep track of them in a crowd-they would not normally dash away from us or wander, but, unless you are actually holding onto the child's hand, it is very, very easy for a parent and small child to get separated, even if the parent is being attentive. Yes, I think that there are totally legitimate reasons to have a child who is "too old" for strollers in one, in very hot and crowded conditions.
I'm taking my DD7 to DLR for a few days next month. We're staying at HoJo's. Am I bringing the stroller? Abso-freakin'-lutely. DD is a very active, very slim little thing. I'm not worried about her weight unless I have to carry her. She does a lot of walking when we're in the parks. We'll usually park the stroller in one place in a "land," do all the rides/activities in that land, pick up the stroller & move to the next land. It works out really well -- and it gives me somewhere to stash stuff without having to spring $10 (or whatever it is now) for a locker. If we decide to watch a parade, she has a built-in comfy seat while we wait. For WoC, she can stand in the stroller & be able to see. I don't have to worry about losing her in large crowds.
It works exceptionally well when we're going back and forth from the hotel a couple of times a day. That's a lot of walking for little legs -- and carrying her if she suddenly crashes at the end of the evening is simply NOT an option. She is a complete night owl -- been going to bed between 1 & 2am (occasionally later) for a few weeks now. I plan to take full advantage of her night owl-ness -- but that becomes challenging if she becomes physically exhausted before she's mentally tired. Pacing ourselves & using the stroller works well for both of us. When we do a day trip & park in Mickey and Friends, we usually walk from the parking structure to the parks and back (unless there's no line for the tram). The stroller folds up easily - something I can do with one hand ... so we don't have to wait for the stroller portion of the tram.
When will we give up the stroller? When DD decides she doesn't want to use it any more. If some random stranger doesn't like it, I really don't give a rat's backside.
Go shna!
As a senior citizen who never had children, one of the things I detest is parents, especially ones with strollers, that feel procreation confers upon them some sort of entitlement and privilege. These people drive their strollers like there's no one else in the park, cutting in front of people, running over their feet and stopping short right in front of them. They also let their children run rampant, spoiling the experience for others in the park.
Wow! Parenthood does give me the privilege to share a magical experience with my children. I am entitled to enjoy the parks with our without my kids just the same as you. Your bad attitude is probably spoiling the experience of everyone around you.
I thought there were only "ban kids from Disney" posts on the other fan sites!
When I am at Disneyland with my child in a stroller I am very careful not to run over anyone or get in the way. On our last trip, I was the one being run over by inconsiderate people. People would come practically running out of a store or attraction and run right into my stroller, and not even apologize. I also had people constantly cutting me off, crossing right in front of my stroller and forcing me to stop walking so I wouldn't hit them, in which case I'm sure I would have gotten a dirty look.
You cannot generalize all parents that way, just like you can't generalize any other group of people.
I'm not saying all parents are like that, but there are enough of them that seem to live in their own little world. Yes, you should be able to enjoy DL or WDW with your children, but be aware of others around you.
I have avoidance techniques when it comes to strollers, mostly through the application of defensive driving strategies learned through 35 years of riding motorcycles on Southern California's freeways. And don't tell me it's different, because it isn't. I'm actually very tolerant of strollers and will even help people struggling with them, especially on the parking lot trams.
Another category of people that brings out the curmudgeon in me are inconsiderate operators of those "electric convenience vehicles..." I had one stop short in front of my at Disneyland last week to the point I almost fell over her. Normally I don't say anything, but this time I did... You don't stop your car in the middle of the street? Why should you do it on a sidewalk?
I am one of those drivers of the ECV's. I try to drive defensively, but I find many times, people walk or stop right in front of us, expecting us to stop on a dime. It's simply not possible. EVERYONE should be able to enjoy the parks and EVERYONE should be aware of their surroundings and be considerate of others. It's not just us ECV drivers or Parents with Strollers. For the life of me, It drives me NUTS when people stop right in the middle of a pathway or walkway to have a conversation or look at a map. It's just like a road/street-KEEP TO YOUR RIGHT!!!!
I totally agree people should keep to the right and the many times I've been I found myself being that person. I couldn't make up my mind and probably acted like a tourist. I was turning my stroller in circles. Could decide where I wanted to go and just wandered aimlessly around. Felt so bad cuz I was that person who I hate. I think it was the fact we went at night. For dinner instead of lunch like normal and it was empty not packed like normal. Hopefully I'm ok next week when we go again
I see many more of these people than those with the stroller. My daughter was in a wheelchair one trip, and we actually had someone climb over her to get to Space Mountain a couple seconds faster. I've seen people step over a stroller to get somewhere faster. I've seen people stop dead in their tracks in a busy moving walkway to check their maps and cause more issues than a stroller.
One thing we need to remember, we notice the misbehavior of one child, yet fail to notice all the children who are well behaved. I hate when kids are running around in restaurants. Inevitably every time we go to a restaurant, there is a family with a child/children who are running around in the restaurant. What I don't always notice are all the other children sitting quietly in their chairs minding their manners.
As an ECV user, there are times we have to stop suddenly. Usually it is because someone decided the 12 inches of space we have between us and the next person is the perfect spot to cut through to get somewhere quicker. I try and leave enough space so that if the person in front of me stops short I have room to stop without hitting them. But often, people in a hurry will take that space. They follow me so close that if I have to stop, they will run into me. They step in front of me and shove kids in front of me to get there that split second faster. It is something that is just going to happen, so I learn to just try and be prepared for it.
This is so true! The bad behavior of one is noticed way more than the good behavior of the other 20!
You go girl!
I don't necessarily agree with the OP's posts, but you have to admit there are some parents who are guilty of mis-using their strollers or not taking any actions to control their children--I've seen them, I'm sure you have too. I didn't read his post as "ban children from the parks"--rather---"ban ill-behaved children with parents who couldn't care less from the parks."
Just yesterday I had someone with a gigantic double-stroller who completely blocked a pathway oblivious to anyone wanting to get around them. (Yes, they moved it when asked but it shouldn't have been left there to begin with). Just as I will admit I have seen some ECV users who left much to be desired (would the manufacturers please remove those stupid horns--there is no reason for them other than for some obnoxious person to repeatedly beep it in a crowd.)
I'm hoping that what the OP is talking about in his/her multiple posts are those parents or ECV users who feel they are MORE entitled to shove their way in front of people or let their kids run amuck and bother other people simply because they are a parent and have kids or because they are disabled. I'm sure you can agree that these types of people are not needed or wanted in the parks and deny others the right to enjoy the parks too.
No one is denying you your entitlement to have a magical time in the parks with your children--but by the same token you shouldn't deny other people the right to have THEIR magical time by mis-using a stroller or not taking some steps to keep control of your children or pushing your way through a crowd on an ECV. (And by "You" I don't mean you personally, I mean people with kids or using an ECV.)
Yesterday on the bus back to the Toy Story parking lot a Mom was letting her three boys (all under 7 I would say) scream at the top of their lungs and punch each other-- and she never said a word to them. So everyone else on the bus got to endure the ear-splitting screams of these children while the Mom did nothing. This was not an example of an out-of-control child that a parent can't control--there was no attempt made at control That's not appropriate, is it? Just like I think the ECV user leaning on their horn should have their license suspended!
OP may have been a little broad-brushed in his assessment, but in some cases I would say he is right on--there ARE those who feel because they have kids that they can do want they want and to heck with everyone else because Disney is for kids. Same for some disabled people who feel everyone should get out of their way because of their disability. (And yes, I am disabled myself and still get irked at some.) And as Malcon10t and sunnydalegirl have alluded--there are people on the other end of the spectrum who purposely or obliviously run into/around/over strollers/ECV users and that's not right either.
Here, Here!! to Toocherie whole post, very well written! Thank you.
I was in DisneyWorld years back during the summer with my daughter. It was hot. Then I squatted down to tie my duaghter's shoe and it was scortching. The heat coming off the pavement for a little one has to be horrible. It felt 10 degrees hotter closer to the ground. We opted for a stroller to keep her cooler.
Why discuss banning anyone, is my point. A trip to Disney puts kids and parents in foreign territory, and increases a chance in misbehaving by both. Im not going to judge others because their kid is having a meltdown or acting up for a moment. It could quite easily be me the next day. Everyone has their moments of being oblivious to what's going on around us. I don't see the point in critiquing everyones parenting skills on vacation.