Stroller or not?

I agree. My dd used a stroller until she was 6 simply because we had ds who was 2 years younger and a double was pretty much all we had at that point. She loved being able to sit in the stroller. Honestly, what kid doesn’t want to sit and have someone push them around? :slight_smile: 2 years later when she was almost 8 and ds had just turned 5 we went without. Being without a stroller is so freeing. I highly recommend going without. We were prepared to rent for ds if he needed it but he was a rock star and we have never looked back. Just my opinion, of course, but I do not believe the average 7 year old needs a stroller.

Thank you all so much! It really sounds like it boils down to individual kids and the combination of their energy and fitness level. For those of you who mentioned starting a daily walking regimen, how long/hard/fast did you walk with your kids? Thanks again!

We didn’t do aerobic walking or anything. 2 of my kids played soccer in the fall, so that helped. During practice, we would walk with my youngest. We also would go to a large local park and walk around at a decent pace. The closer we got to our trip, the more frequently we walked. Some people keep track of how far they walk, but we did not. So perhaps someone else can give u more information on their specifics.

I would play it by ear, i would see how she goes in the first park, if she’s struggling, rent a stroller. Though sometimes just a break may work wonders. I wouldn’t buy/take one of your own.

Following this discussion— we will go this Spring for the first time without a stroller (kids 15, 12, almost 8, and 6). Last time we went kids were 2 years younger and they rode quite a bit. The 8 yo is a dawdler, in her own little happy slow-walking world while the 6 yo is a runner/bolter/mover/shaker. He goes at 110% until he cannot go one more step. We have 8 park days with only 2 full days (RD to late dinner and RD to fireworks) otherwise we take a break or leave mid-afternoon after RD and 1 day we are doing WS starting after lunch. I am prepared to rent a stroller for the two long days and they can take turns. My husband is against strollers as he is usually the parker and retriever. Good to hear pros and cons.

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We didn’t do anything formal either. Just often took longer and longer walks as a family and motivated our kids by saying we were getting “Disney ready”. Both our sons play sports too and are in general very active so that helps.