Stroller in European Cities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is filled with parents of onlies or who have two kids close together, or people who don't travel a lot with kids in the 4/5/6 range. Just weird lack of understanding about what is even being asked.

Bring the stroller.

this is a 5 year old - too damn old to be in a stroller. I think you have forgotten what 5 looks like! They aren't two.

Agreed. None of my kids would ever need a stroller at age 5. Five year olds can walk a lot. My kids have walked at least a mile each way to/from school since age 3.
You aren’t walking a 10k, it’s walk a bit, stop for an activity or food, walk some more. My family with 3 kids who are spread across 5 years. When my youngest was 4 we spent a month in Europe without a stroller and he was totally fine. We averaged about 10,000 steps a day in cities and just made our itinerary appropriate including using public transportation and lots and lots of snacks. This past summer when youngest was 7 we spent 2.5 weeks in Italy and walked a lot more. When he was 6 we hiked all over several of the national parks in Utah including a 13-mile hike in the Needles of Canyonlands and guess what, he loved it!
Just get your kids walking a bit every day and they will be fine. Leave the car and walk places in your neighborhood.

I suggested OP take a stroller.

May be You don’t walk. But We easily do 20k-30k steps when sightseeing. And this is the difference between people who suggest strollers and those who say a 5 year old is too old.

On our last trip our youngest was 7 and managed to do this. But at 5 it would be harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of you are missing that OP has older kids. Thus they cannot tailor the entire vacation just around the 5 yr old's needs -- they also want their older kids to do things that are ages appropriate for them.

To everyone saying it's terrible to put the 5 yr old in a stroller so they can do a long day of sightseeing, would you be fine with cutting short excursions that were interesting and engaging for a 10 yr old because the 5 yr old is complaining about walking? Earlier in the thread someone suggested just staying near some playgrounds and not sightseeing. So I guess your older elementary kids don't get to take advantage of this rare opportunity to wander around Paris or Rome because you think it's sacrilege to let a 5 yr old spend an hour in a stroller so that you can go walk the check out the Louvre or the Tuileries on your last day in the city.

This was exactly our situation....four kids ages 5-12. Our big kids had stuff they wanted to see--and heck, there was stuff I wanted to see. We likely wouldn't make it back to these cities again. The solution: our 5 year old in a stroller. And, just so you can all super judge me, we did hand him a tablet a few times so that I could actually enjoy a museum or a walk.

And, those of you saying why don't you tailor the trip to the 5 year old's needs: If someone came on here and said they did that, you'd probably all say, "Don't cater to a 5-year old or they'll never learn that the world doesn't revolve around them" or some other nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Because Americans believe it is all about them and have no care how they are seen in other countries.

Also, what if it were a child with special needs that were not visible to others? Would you fret about how it looks to Europeans? Hopefully not. So it shouldn't matter either way.

Yet the OP has not mentioned “special needs” at all. So why do you and others. I swear some people use statements to justify their position.

Why not just move slower and not see as much and live like a local instead of a tourist. What is the hurry? It is not like Europe won’t be there in the future.

Yes having a stroller is truly me centric instead of being cognizant of how others in the visited area act and treat their five year old able bodied child!

Not everyone has the extra money to travel to Europe frequently. For some people it’s a once in a lifetime trip because of the cost, so they want to see a lot of stuff and not live like a local.

Ppl who are going with young kids are not usually making a once in a lifetime trip. These are just ppl who enjoy travel and travel a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate cheap umbrella strollers .
I wouldn’t take a stroller for a 5yo. Just set reasonable expectations for all of you.

This! Unless a kid has a disability a 5 yr old does not need a stroller. My kids were out of a stroller by 3 including a trip to Asia when my youngest was 4.5 where we did a TON of walking around a major city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a typical American way of see 80 cities in 3 days! GO GO GO! And pushing to walk 50 miles to see ALL THE THINGS.

Try the European way. Slow down, see 1 or 2 things and spend time slowly walking around with your kid. When they are tired, stop and get a drink or a meal.

Americans make me tired.

Americans have far less vacation time than Europeans. If everyone here had six weeks, we’d probably slow down as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a typical American way of see 80 cities in 3 days! GO GO GO! And pushing to walk 50 miles to see ALL THE THINGS.

Try the European way. Slow down, see 1 or 2 things and spend time slowly walking around with your kid. When they are tired, stop and get a drink or a meal.

Americans make me tired.

Americans have far less vacation time than Europeans. If everyone here had six weeks, we’d probably slow down as well.

Or maybe you can wrap your head around not going to see the entire world in a week. You don't really see or enjoy anything. And stuffing your 5 year old in a stroller so you can push through a marathon of events doesn't seem to be the way to go.

[Anonymous]

I pushed a 5 year old child in a stroller all around Disney World. It was excellent.

[Anonymous]

Disney would make money if they banned strollers!

[Anonymous]

I’m bringing a stroller to Europe for my 5 year old. My older kids are 10 and 12, so we want to have the stroller for days where we see out and about all day. My 5 year old is quite a good walker but I think having a stroller as backup will be useful. I don’t care if people judge me.