It’s definitely all about your kids and what you think… My daughter is 5 and we used a stroller, and I am glad we did. She is high energy for periods of time, and then needs some down time. She never would have made the day without it. I would also factor in the weather - on really hot days she got tired earlier and needed the stroller.
It’s a bit of a hassle on the bus, but other than that - why not?
We didn’t use a stroller for our DD 5.5 at the time. I think it would have been more of a hindrance. But we did take breaks most days and our DD has a lot of energy and stamina and was never a huge fan of being in a stroller. We did leave some money in our budget in case we needed an in the park rental.
This will be my plan when my girls are that age. Will spare us lugging it on buses (though that was much easier than I’d expected!) but still allow us the option if needed.
I love to use a stroller. We carry about five bottles of water plus snacks, camera, ponchos, popcorn bucket, etc in a backback. It saves me from having to carry it and, not to gross anyone out, have a sweaty back.
I miss the stroller for this reason. In the summer, I stuck a small, soft-sided cooler in the bottom with a bunch of bottled waters and the rest of the stuff that no one would be crushed if it developed legs and walked away. I’m taking my son and my nephew in June and I’ve already warned them that they will be taking their own backpacks with supplies (Mom has always been the pack mule - I’m stopping that this trip!). But I really miss the convenience of the stroller for storage.
It was also a great place when DS was little to tuck away from the crowds when it got overwhelming and I never worried about him being trampled or stepped on in high traffic areas/times. We used one until he was 8.