hops&dreams
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2011
Gonna go against what others said. My son went at four and five and didn't use a stroller once. He never even asked. But, you know your child better than anyone. It won't hurt to have one...even if you never use it.
I'm gonna side with Lazer on this one. We took DD for her first trip less than a month after her 6th birthday (she was in Kindergarten). We didn't bring a stroller on purpose - didn't want to mess with it. Heck - we didn't even HAVE a stroller anymore! Anyway... DH made a deal with her - if she walked like a big girl all day, he would carry her from the exit of our last ride/attraction all the way back to our room. So, it became a game to her. We weren't walking non-stop all day either. We were stopping and sitting on a ride, in a theater, in an attraction, on a bench, in a restaurant. But it DID all add up - we were averaging 7-12 miles a day! (I wore a pedometer).
Also, keep in mind that on ONE day, DD wore crocs instead of her normal sneakers. At the end of the day, her foot hurt, and was swollen. Next day, she said it hurt, but wasn't too bad when we had her normal, supportive sneakers (asics) on. When we got home she complained with less supportive shoes, so I took her to an ortho. We found out her foot was broken. She had a stress/overuse fracture. But she still walked on it all those days at Disney!!! And for the record, she broke her foot AGAIN on our 2nd trip... same foot, different bone. She now wears orthodics, and we're bringing her walking boot and air cast wraps, just in case, for our next trip.
I don't know if I helped my argument/opinion, or hurt it! Takeaway - make sure your kid has good, supportive shoes, and carry moleskin/bandaids, just in case. It's good advice for all vacationers, really!