Stroller in European Cities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons the US has an obesity problem. Seriously, kids are carted around in strollers instead of using their legs, they get a general sense that being lazy is the way to go and don't walk enough in their lifetime.

Yup, parents who don't use strollers at home but bring them on Parisian vacations are the reason for childhood obesity. You've nailed it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm American and wouldn't bring a stroller for a 5 year old, though I would for a 4 year old, so it might depend on whether your child is just-turned 5 or almost 6.

It is important to remember, before people get condescending and rude, that OP is asking about a stroller for vacation, not every day use. I live in a city and walk everywhere and so does my kid. But we have normal lives going to work and school and eating at home most nights, with typical bedtimes for a young child, etc.

On vacation, especially to a walkable foreign city, we can spend all day on our feet, sight seeing, exploring museums, etc. We may want to extend the day a bit and go for a walk after dinner, or just spend more time out and about enjoying our surroundings, and not hurry back to our hotel or rental at 6pm for dinner in and normal bedtime. For a young child, that is a lot and they get tired, and having a stroller handy can offer them needed breaks and make it easier on the margins -- walking home after dinner, walking back to the hotel after a few hours at a garden or museum, etc.

Having said that, my almost-6 year old doesn't need a stroller anymore -- we can just take breaks as needed and she doesn't complain too much even when on her feet for long periods of time. But when we were in Montreal when she was just shy of 5, we brought our travel stroller and used it on the two longest days of sightseeing and were glad we had it.

No need to get smug about forcing a very young child to walk all day long instead of giving them a perfectly appropriate break in a stroller now and then.

The point is that you don't force them to walk all day long. You build in breaks. We don't take the exact same vacations that we did pre-kid. They are still awesome, but they are different.

I don't know if you read my post or just have poor reading comprehension, but I have a kid and have traveled extensively with her. We walk a lot on this kind of trip -- the whole point of visiting a foreign city is to walk around, see the sights, experience the culture. I'm not taking my kid to Paris and spending half the time in the hotel. Once she was no longer napping, we started traveling more and she does great. But yes, until age 5 we brought a small travel stroller as a just in case, and it was very useful.

I do not understand why people are so weird about strollers. It's a useful parenting item! If you don't want to use it, that's fine, but people get so weird on this website about "well my child has not used a stroller since 2.5, we believe in walking!" Like, how do you think we are pushing the stroller, on a moped? We used a stroller extensively when our child was younger specifically because we walk so much and sometimes our kid needed a break.

Because it’s a fundamental difference in how people view handling transitional times. With a newly potty trained child, most people would be saying stop and find bathrooms along the way, with more frequency than you need yourself. You would be saying I only need the bathroom infrequently so even though my child is potty trained, I’m going to use a parenting tool designed for younger children (diapers) so I don’t have to stop so often to allow my child to use the toilet. You can do whatever you want. None of it affects anyone but you and your child, and I don’t think there are long-lasting harmful consequences. But people are reacting because you are infantilizing your child for your convenience/travel preferences and others would say why even bring a child on this type of trip if you’re going to run the 5 year old ragged to the point of needing a stroller.

(1) Letting a tired 4/5 yr old take a break in a stroller during a long day of walking all over a foreign city, while jet lagged, is not equal to putting that child back in a diaper because you don't want to stop for them to use the bathroom. FFS.

(2) No one is suggesting pushing a 5 yr old in a stroller for every day of a 6 day vacation. People are suggesting bringing a lightweight travel stroller that you might take with you on your longest days where there will be a lot of walking. Or take it to keep in the hotel in case you want to take an after-dinner walk around the city so your tired kid can cruise and maybe nod off while you walk. That's not "infantilizing", it's realistic.

(3) Strollers are enormously useful for travel in a way that, say, diapers are not. Waiting for a train or plane and all the seats are full? Well your kid has a seat now. Heading to the park for a picnic and stopping for provisions on the way? Well now you can stick the wine and bread and cheese in the stroller instead of lugging it around in a bag.

No one is ordering you to use a stroller. And as I said in my original post, I personally wouldn't use one for a 5 yr old because my kid didn't need one at that age. But she definitely needed one at 4 and if she were just-turned 5, I might have brought our little travel stroller on a trip like this just in case. We may not have used it, but would have been glad to have it if we needed it. But people on this website have this bizarre hang up about strollers, like if a child is seen in a stroller a second past their whatever age they've deemed is "too old," you've failed as a parent. It's weird and I think OP should hear the alternative argument, which is: if it works for your family, yes, it is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons the US has an obesity problem. Seriously, kids are carted around in strollers instead of using their legs, they get a general sense that being lazy is the way to go and don't walk enough in their lifetime.

Yup, parents who don't use strollers at home but bring them on Parisian vacations are the reason for childhood obesity. You've nailed it!

+1000, these people are insane.

The "European City" nature of this query is bringing out extra pearl clutching, too. If someone was like "would it be weird for me to bring a stroller for my 5 yr old to Disney? Might not use it every day but could be useful on the extra long days or if it gets really hot," I think people would be like "sure, why not, it's a specific situation where it makes sense -- you aren't suggesting pushing your 5 yr old to kindergarten in a stroller every day." Which is the rational response.

[Anonymous]

If your Child can’t handle a European vacation without being in a stroller, you really should stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your Child can’t handle a European vacation without being in a stroller, you really should stay home.

I know this is not OP's situation, but would you say that to someone whose kid has special needs? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your Child can’t handle a European vacation without being in a stroller, you really should stay home.

I know this is not OP's situation, but would you say that to someone whose kid has special needs? Just curious.

Why does it matter, it has nothing to do with this post. Stop throwing your hyperbole.

[Anonymous]

Bring a stroller!!! Ignore the crazies and keep your sanity. A 5 year old will be exhausted walking around a city all day.

[Anonymous]

I live in NYC and would not bring a stroller for my 5-almost 6 year old. We don't have a car and walk and take trains everywhere and he does fine. I would not want to be lugging around a stroller all day "just in case". If you have a specific activity planned that might require it, then maybe.

Instead I would just plan on doing things at a slower pace and building in breaks and fun activities. Doesn't mean spending all your time at a playground but maybe save the Vatican and macchu picchu for when the kids aren't there or a little older. Worse comes to worse and they don't want to walk anymore just take an Uber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in NYC and would not bring a stroller for my 5-almost 6 year old. We don't have a car and walk and take trains everywhere and he does fine. I would not want to be lugging around a stroller all day "just in case". If you have a specific activity planned that might require it, then maybe.

Instead I would just plan on doing things at a slower pace and building in breaks and fun activities. Doesn't mean spending all your time at a playground but maybe save the Vatican and macchu picchu for when the kids aren't there or a little older. Worse comes to worse and they don't want to walk anymore just take an Uber.

Since this is DCUM I should clarify that I realize macchu picchu is not in Europe, it was sarcasm/tongue in cheek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would prepare your kid for no stroller by doing daily long walks - maybe a few a day. Be prepared to take breaks and factor in that timing. My 6 year old would never be able to do what we did in Paris.

We did this for a trip to Paris when our youngest was 4. Took the kids on longer and longer walks to build up their endurance. And it worked - we walked a lot on that trip and the kids, including the four year old, were fine.

[Anonymous]

Depends on your kid’s endurance and how you like to travel. Have your kids travelled much to other cities? We’ve been to all those places with kids and brought strollers for them when they were under 5. Just took our first trip without a stroller for our newly 5yo and it was fine, so I think you can go either way. We have traveled a lot and are very much on the go - out of the hotel by 9 and sometimes not back until after a late dinner. Our kids are used to it and do great, but we definitely needed the stroller for ages 4 and under. Our most recent trip was with friends and their older kids were totally wiped out by the schedule. Their youngest was 7 and he got a lot of piggy back rides, while my 5yo complained some but was generally fine.

If you’re not sure, just bring a cheap stroller and if you never need it, leave it with the first hotel to donate or something. It’s always nice to have a place to put water bottles, and especially for walking home from a late dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your Child can’t handle a European vacation without being in a stroller, you really should stay home.

I’m glad I didn’t have you giving me advice when my kids were little. Thanks to my umbrella stroller we went all over Europe, Asia and Latin America without any issues!

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the comments from people about regretting having a stroller they didn't wind up using. Just leave it in the hotel then? We traveled a lot when our DC was an infant and usually brought a stroller even though DC was in a carrier about 90% of the time until age 1 -- she was just much happier there. But I was never mad that I had the stroller even if I just used it once or twice. A stroller is one of those items that is so incredibly helpful when you really need it, and travel strollers are so small and light these days, I just don't get what the issue is.

Now that our stroller days are behind us, my DH still complains about missing it ever time we travel because it was such a useful place to through carryon items and other random crap you wind up with in the airport, or to help ferry things from the hotel room down to a cab. I don't get the anti-stroller attitude on this thread because strollers are great, especially for travel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons the US has an obesity problem. Seriously, kids are carted around in strollers instead of using their legs, they get a general sense that being lazy is the way to go and don't walk enough in their lifetime.

Such an idiotic response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the comments from people about regretting having a stroller they didn't wind up using. Just leave it in the hotel then? We traveled a lot when our DC was an infant and usually brought a stroller even though DC was in a carrier about 90% of the time until age 1 -- she was just much happier there. But I was never mad that I had the stroller even if I just used it once or twice. A stroller is one of those items that is so incredibly helpful when you really need it, and travel strollers are so small and light these days, I just don't get what the issue is.

Now that our stroller days are behind us, my DH still complains about missing it ever time we travel because it was such a useful place to through carryon items and other random crap you wind up with in the airport, or to help ferry things from the hotel room down to a cab. I don't get the anti-stroller attitude on this thread because strollers are great, especially for travel?

Because a stroller is an extra thing to carry and deal with at airports, regardless how lightweight. I think folks are “anti stroller” because we’re talking about a 5 year old, not a baby/toddler.