Double stroller for 5 and 7 yo???

[Dancing Queen]

It is not crazy at all. I was not going to bring a stroller for my 6 year old. At the last minute, I bought a used umbrella stroller (my son is small). After sitting in the car for so long and then swimming at hotels, he sprained a muscle (so bad we took him to er for X-rays). Since he can barely walk, we have been using stroller all week. My new outlook on strollers is use them!!!

 

[skateshome]

I will rent a double stroller for my 2 and 7 year old. Could care less what others think
She rode in one also when she was six.
She plays sports all year round, excellent swimmer, so she's not lazy. Lol
I just don't want her to be cranky. She won't ride in all day. She will want to walk with her 10 year old sister. But anytime she wants in is fine
I also like stroller as a holder of stuff and bags. So nice.

Where people make fun of people in stroller at 5-7 year old I think it's absolutely ridiculous to leave mid day for a kids nap. What a waste.
But I would never down someone for it. There preference.
Stroller also good for naps

My philosophy on any vacation is when everyone is happy the better

This is the answer you are looking for. We have rented from KingdomStrollers the last 3 trips and they have been wonderful.

 

[MartDM]

Our DS7 is extremely active in multiple high energy sports and when he's not doing that he's swimming, hiking, shooting hoops, etc. In short, he's a very active and very healthy guy. He hasn't used a stroller at home since he was about 2.5 years old (and even then it was only for long evening strolls and the like) and he typically doesn't do a lot of resting. WDW is an entirely different deal for him though. His legs take 2 steps for every one of ours and no matter how active a kid is at home, multiple days of that gets tiring (especially in the heat), even though we take a midday break and don't rush around the parks commando style.

We used to get a stroller for every day of our trip but, while he can now easily hoof it around the smaller parks, we still offer him the option and he often will take us up on it at Epcot or if we are going to have a late night (for the parties, etc.), or toward the end of our trip when he might be wearing thin. Could he walk every day...sure. Do I want him to walk when he's tired...no - the stroller gives him the ability to take a load off and avoid that cumulative exhaustion that piles up as the days go by. He's never had a meltdown, never gotten overly tired, and we all always have a nice trip because we make that accommodation available to him.


If someone feels the need to take time out of their vacation to judge my son being in a stroller, they are doing their vacation wrong. I could not care less anyway.

 

[elainer]

Of course you know how quickly your children tire and if they will need a stroller. I would think that it really depends on how you tour the parks. If you stay late in the parks it may be the right choice.

That being said, if you don't want to have a stroller your kids will most likely be fine. On our last trip my son was 4 and he never used the stroller. We did not stay late, and usually left before or right after dinner. You may also want to keep in mind pushing a 5 and 7 year old is a lot of work.

 

[cattywampus]

I totally agree @MartDM. My 6 yo (soon to be 7) uses a stroller at the parks. Big woo!

He is athletic, swims, is a blue belt in karate, takes gymnastics and just started to learn to ride my horse. Go ahead and be as judgmental as you want. I couldn't care less. I'm not talking about those offer a different perspective or experience -- I'm talking about those that are "oh so shocked" one might even consider using a stroller in the completely artificial marathon of a place like Disney. It isn't anything like real life. I'm not worried he's gonna start riding in it other places or ask for his binky back. Seriously people.

We have gone several times per year since he was one and always had a stroller. He wasn't always in it, but certainly used it a lot. He appreciates having a seat, shade and snacks. After fireworks or our last ride of the night, he frequently curls up and sleeps on the way back to the hotel, meaning an extra 30 mins of sleep that night. I don't have to worry about mis-timing a break and finding myself in the far corner of the park with an exhausted child. I have a little cushion that I can use to make it out of the parks very comfortably for all, if schedules don't go as planned. As someone else mentioned, I also appreciate knowing exactly where my child is in very crowded situations and it gives me something to brace against when I walk (bad back) and means I don't have to carry a bag. Why do people care? Silliness.

In approximately 15 trips, he has had exactly one meltdown, ONE, largely because he is well rested and well fed. He was three years old at the time and it lasted all of about 60 seconds, because he was able to jump in his stroller and nap on the way out of the park.

Honestly, I would bet that many of the "my kid would rather hike 100 miles in a snowstorm than use a stroller" are the ones with kids melting down. Every trip I see kids looking enviously toward the oasis of our stroller with shaded seating, fresh fruit from the cooler, and drinks. It's not the Bataan death march. It's supposed to be fun.

We adults don't "need" poolside bars with waitresses bringing us tropical drinks in carved out pineapples, decadent dinners, or spa visits either. I can assure anyone who is worried that I'm in no danger of expecting my boss to bring me a tropical drink at my desk or to get a massage in the middle of a meeting when I return from vacation (though both would be nice!). I can tell the difference between vacation luxury and so can they.

You take care of your kid and I'll take care of mine and we'll leave it at that. Our kingdom rental stroller will be waiting for us at our hotel in November, and I couldn't be happier.

 

[tbone00]

This will be our first trip and I too have a 5 & 7 yo. I have the city gt double rented from Orlando Stroller. Both my girls are active, swim, walk, bike, tumbling, but I know they will wear out fast, they have no clue that the parks entail. I originally had a single but upgraded to a double cause I fully anticipate it being a fight over who rides when, this way they can both ride if needed, if not, it's a place to hold our belongings! You have to do what is best for your kids, you know them best. I know our trip will go much smoother without melt downs and my girls don't use strollers at home either. I don't understand why it's such a debate, to each their own!

 

[Gillyrose779]

My kids are 3 and 5 and we are def. bringing a double stroller in November.

Honestly the stroller is not only great for the kids but it is awesome in the airport for holding our two larger suitcases while the kids walk and we also get to go through the wheelchair check area b/c of it which seems faster.

In the parks it is great to hold an extra set of clothes for the kids and ponchos in case it rains along with small snacks, etc... If we are in a hurry to get to a FP or ADR I think it's great to be able to just put the kids in the stroller and go. Also, if we are in a very crowded area I think my kids are safer in the stroller than they are on the ground next to me.

Each kid and family is different. It is nice to get opinions but, in the end, do what you think is right and don't worry about what other people think.

 

[kangamangus]

When we went in 2007 we had a 4 and 6 year old and we rented the double stroller that disney offered. It was great, we didn't always use it but it helped us to be able to have some late nights when the 4 year old would doze off.

 

[RustManFan]

My kids walked....never made it to 3 years old in a stroller! Just don't plan too much and wear them out!!

 

[IBLarsen]

The last year I took a stroller was when DD was 5. She was always one to complain about the walking, she wasn't in it constantly, but later in the day it helped. Just made it more relaxing, as I know by the end of a long day, my legs are tired, imagine theirs! At age 6 we no longer took one, but took more frequent breaks. I understand that we may need to slow down for our kids, and I'm ok with that. HOWEVER, we have paid a lot of money to be in the parks and only have a limited time, so we really want to be able to do as much as possible, while making it easier on the kids...so it was a win-win.
As a side note, this trip at age 5, that we took the stroller for, we went with family and my niece was same age and her parents thought it was absurd that I would take a stroller, they would not even consider it for their 5 year old. But the dad ended up carrying her on his shoulders a bunch and then complained it was too hard to carry her, they were very frustrated with her because she was too tired to keep up and was whining. Her and my daughter ended up taking turns in the stroller, since neither of them needed it constantly, just for a break every little bit.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

On our first trip ours were 4 and 6. We bought disney umbrella strollers for 20 a piece and brought them on the plane with us. We both pushed one and the did not take up too much space in the parks. We avoided any whining about being tired of walking so it was worth it. Plus we used them at the airport. Buying them was way cheaper and easier then renting. My kids are active and go at it all day long but walking in a crowded park is another story. I would definitely recommend strollers.

 

[jsal318]

On my first trip, my daughters were 15 months, 6 years and 8 years. We brought an umbrella stroller from home for the baby(so we could have it to and from the hotel) and rented a double in the parks for the other 2. We get to the park at opening, never go back to the room and stay till closing. If they got tired, they had somewhere to rest. There were 4 adults also, so it worked well as a bag holder when the girls weren't riding.
Do what is best for you and don't worry about what anyone thinks. Have a great trip!

 

[Sydnerella]

We brought our double MacLaren for our kids at that age. It was nice for breaks for either and frankly for our bags My children have always been thin, active, athletes and still got tired feet. Last trip in October 2013 was our first stroller free trip and they were 7 and 9. That went just fine. I did miss the storage though...

Enjoy!
Sydnerella's Mama