Does your 6 year old walk or need wheels?

[sillyminny]

Wondering what other 6 yr olds stamina levels are at WDW! TX.

 

[SnowAngel]

It really depends on your child. My girls have low stamina so I defintely rented a double stroller in the park for them. They were 7 and 5 at the time. The double stroller sat them both pretty well.

There is a lot of walking to do in the parks and it's always best to ready the child before you go by taking them on walks. Also even with a 6yo you should still need to take mid-afternoon breaks to let them rest and recharge. My girls always getty very cranky around 1ish and a quick break always helps

 

[tinaluis]

The last time we went to WDW my now 6 yo was 5 (and we also had her sisters, 3 and 9 mos.) and we ended up using our double stroller all the time and even had to buy a cheap umbrella stroller for those long walks back to the car. I'm hoping she may have a little more stamina this time, but I'm not opposed to renting a stroller if we need one either. On the other hand, I have a neighbor who just returned and her daughter is 5 and son is 7 and they absolutely refused to rent a stroller and all did fine. I think the fact that we already have a stroller for the younger two makes it a little more acceptable for us, but some people just refuse, and that's okay too. Whatever works.

 

[ZachnElli]

Well, we went in July 2001 (very hot and humid) and our very active ds (then 6 years) never needed a stoller, lol. He did just fine! At the very least, make sure your child has great broken-in walking shoes. Oh, we were there for 8 days too.

 

[sm4987]

We were there for 11 days this past summer and my DS walked. He loved it. In fact it was the only time I have ever seen him tired and wanting to take a nap! I think it depends on your child. We took breaks mid day and they slept and rested their feet and he was up and ready to go by the time we wanted to go back to the parks.

 

[shay425]

How much is the rental on the strollers? Also, if you go to another park in the same day, do you have to pay the rental fee again?

 

[CRCrazy]

Hi there - just back. The daily rental is $8, with a return of $1 when you turn in your receipt. Don't turn in the receipt if you are parkhopping - you can bring it with you to the next park, and get a stroller for no charge.

We rented a stroller on some days for our 6 year old. She got the infamous stomach bug shortly before we left for WDW - she was all better, but a little low on stamina. We would have rented one for her on long days anyway. Basically, there is too much in MK for her to spend any time in the stroller. We did rent one if we were there at night - she curled up in the stroller at MVMCP around 10:30 and went to sleep, so we were able to stroll around and enjoy the sights with our older daughters - just couldn't do anymore rides. She is fairly tall, 48 inches, but lightweight at just under 50 pounds. She wouldn't fit in a standard umbrella, but we almost wished she would for the walk/wait for buses and monorails. We always rent one in Epcot too, when you want to get somewhere fairly quickly, this works well, and we have left our jackets, etc with the stroller with no problems.

 

[beattyfamily]

It's depends on the child and your plan of attack I'd say.

We have DD's who were 6 and 3 our last trip in October and we brought our own double side-by-side and it worked out great. They used it a lot. It's a lot of walking. I always get blisters no matter what I do and I dont' want my 6 year old getting blisters. She also fell asleep in it a couple of times.

There were lots of times when she walked but just as many times that she didn't want to because she was beat.

Of course, the 3 year old used it always except in Fantasyland and Toontown.

Good luck!

 

[shay425]

Thanks for the replies. I thought if 2 other things. Do the rented strollers have any kind of covers over the top to keep out the sun? Also, is there any storage space?

 

[beattyfamily]

yes they do have a cover and yes they do have some storage for a drink and small things; its a neting for the stuff; no basket....

The only negatives I've heard is how uncomfortable they can be for little children, how expensive they are, and how if you just rent then you won't have a stroller for the trip back to your resort or at DTD but that's about it.

It's all a matter of taste and maybe how young your child is.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I think it does depend on your child. We took our twins to WDW for 2 days at age 3 1/2 and 3 days at 4. I wanted to rent a stroller on our 1st trip but DH didn't want to. I was amazed at how much stamina our little ones had. Never once on either trip did we hear them complain about walking in the heat and downpours we encountered. I just made sure they had good walking shoes, hats and kept the snacks and drinks coming. I was complaining more than they were! We even did a marathon on the last day of our last trip-we hit AK, MGM and MK all in one day-we were out almost 10 hours that day and no complaints.

 

[peg2001]

My just turned 5 DD did not use a stroller. We weren't doing the parks commando style, however, and took afternoon breaks every day. We also went in November when it wasn't so hot.

So, consider:

1) style of touring, laid back or commando
2) temperature, hot or cooler
3) child temperament, active or lazy

No one answer is the right answer for every situation!!

Peggy

 

[chrisn]

No answer is right for every child. I have a 5 1/2 yr. old DS and we are definitley taking our umbrella stroller for him. If we didn't take it we would definitely rent one. There is no way his lazy legs would last for even 2 hours let alone 10. This however will be the last year we take one as he will be too big for the umbrella.

 

[disneymom3]

I would agree that it really depends--not only on the child, but even on the day!

DD 6 and I went to WDW in June just the two of us and never rented a stroller. She trucked right along, never complaining except on occasion about being hot. (Which it was. Esp for us minnnesotans!)

Fast forward to Dec. We went as a family and had the double stroller for boys 2 and 1. She complained about being tired and sore feet and needing to ride I swear every 10 min. The nice thing was she has a very sweet little brother who would hop out of the stroller every time we asked him to and let his sister ride. We did rent her a stoller in EPCOT because I really thought that expecting 6 year old feet to walk the world showcase was a bit much!

 

[Obsessed w/Disney in OH]

The one year we went in July(were we NUTS!!)--our five year old was in EPCOT about 10 minutes and said, "I thought Disney was supposed to be fun, and I am NOT having fun!"

We turned around, headed to the entrance and rented a stroller. All smiles...

That was the only park we used a stroller, but it sure made for a happier day for all of us!

 

[mykidsmom]

We went in August with our 6 yr old dd and 4 yr old ds. We always rented the double strollers at the parks and just kept our receipts to park hop. We thought they were wonderful and it definitely extended the time that we could spend in the parks. It was extremely hot, so our kids would stay in the shade under the cover and spray themselves with the mister fans.

I was surprised at some comments that I got from some older people. One older gentleman frowned at me and said "she's a little old for that, don't you think?" . (My six year old is very tall ) I just smiled. But I was amazed that he seemed to be bothered by my child being pushed in a stroller.

We are planning on going again this summer and we'll definitely use the strollers again (if she can fold herself in them).

 

[TerriBelle]

This topic is always interesting because you get so many different answers. I believe it depends on your touring plan and kids. We visited over Thanksgiving and it was our first stroller free visit in a long time and we LOVED it! We broke down one day because our 4 year old twins fell asleep on the bus and did not wake up happy. But other than that one day, they walked. We had been planning to bring our cheap umbrella strollers but when we got to the airport we discovered that we forgot them. The boys told us "We don't use strollers any more!" I think they really enjoyed walking like their older sister and cousin. They felt like big kids! They also liked to walk up to things and not have to crawl out of the stroller.

I do have to say that we never stayed at a park very long. We visit enough that we would go early and then head back for a swim and then maybe go out again at night. We also did not have to deal with really hot and humid weather.

We also used the penny press machines to keep them moving. This worked great especially at EPCOT. We let them press a penny at all the countries. It was a game to try and find the machine. They even started to ask the CMs in the countries where the machines were. This really worked well!

 

[clutter]

My 5 1/2 dd and I just did 10 days in December. I brought the stroller, first and foremost because we had an evening flight and I knew I'd never get through the airport with out it. (We were delayed an hour, and ended up checking in at 1am.) The first two days, she didn't use it and did fine. I missed it because I had to carry my backpack!! The rest of the trip she used it on and off.

However, a friend joined us with her early-morning kid (v. my night kid), so my dd didn't really get enough rest. Plus, we stayed at CD, specifically so we could walk back, so I knew I wanted the stroller for that.

FWIW, she hasn't used a stroller in forever. But I figured I needed it for the airports, I know I can't carry her for even short distances, so I figured I'd rather bring it and NOT use it than have to pay to rent.

Now, our next trip is after her 6th bd, but it looks like we'll be at the airport either in the late evening or early morning, so we'll probably drag it down again! Although i don't think she'd be as likely to use it.

 

[tjmw2727]

My 6yo prefers to walk but I am always prepared to rent if need be. Generally MK and MGM are no problem but AK and Epcot are so big that sometimes I grab a stroller. If we do a late night at Epcot I always get a stroller for her. By the time Illuminations rolls around she is tired and has a place to sit and watch the show. I also feel safer leaving with her comfy in the stroller.

TJ