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What would you think of a 5yr old in a stroller - Page 5

post #81 of 108
6/6/10 at 11:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJB View Post
If I saw a 5yo in a stroller I would assume they had special needs.
Me too. I couldn't keep my kids in a stroller past the age of two... they wanted to walk/run everywhere.

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post #82 of 108
6/7/10 at 12:30am
If I noticed at all, I would think the kid was tired or not in the mood to walk. This happens frequently with my older ds. It really is not a big deal.

OP, I am sorry about your dd's health issues.
post #83 of 108
6/8/10 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoulaVallere View Post
Gotta say I'm kinda shocked at all the respondants who would immediately assume a 5yo kid in a stroller has a special need rather than just assuming it was a LONG walk and they were tired or that mom/dad wanted to actually make it to the destination and back in under 3 hours (which is what it would take us to walk the 1/2 mile to the grocery store if my son walked because he would stop to pick every.single.flower on the way). My completely typical 4.5yo LOVES to ride in the double jogger with his brother. Sometimes he wants to get out and walk and other times he just wants to ride and enjoy the scenery. I guess when I see an "older" kid in a stroller, my first thought isn't "Wonder what's wrong with him/her that he/she has to ride and not walk" but rather "Oh look, another family out enjoying the fresh air!" *shrug*
Both my kids were able to walk several miles a day at 4, and due to my back problems, I can't walk any further than that anyways. I guess I just assume a typical 4 yr. old can walk at least a mile or two at a time and most people don't walk more than that.
post #84 of 108
6/8/10 at 4:47pm
All I know is that when I go to Disney which is pretty often, my 6 1/2 year old sits his behind in the rented double stroller because that way we avoid the whining, 8-10 hours at a park is a lot and anything to make it easier on ourself works for us.

I don't think its a big deal to have older kids in the stroller, it doesn't mean the child can't walk or run around, it probably doesn't mean anything.
post #85 of 108
6/10/10 at 12:01am
Hmmm... well I would consider saying something supportive to the mother because I know other people can be rude. I don't know what exactly... lucky kid? smart mama?

I have a kid who napped daily until she was almost 6. If she had something particularly active, like her swim class, she fell asleep after. If I didn't have the stroller, I would have an asleep 2 year old in a carrier and an asleep 5 year old I had to wake to get off the bus/subway. I have done that, but honestly, I took the stroller until she stopped napping.

I didn't get very many comments, and when I did, they were more along the lines of how lucky I was that she napped for such a long time. Or comments from people we knew teasing her "you're too big for the stroller!" which I felt okay replying that "she's too big for me to carry when she falls asleep!" She walks long distances now, including a 12 mile hike last year, so it has nothing to do with walking ability here.

I don't think my second will nap nearly that long, and hence probably won't have the stroller as long either.
post #86 of 108
6/10/10 at 4:26am
I see every day plenty of kids that size chilling in strollers either they are tired or sleepy or sleeping in them and I just think that their parents just do what works for them and that is entirely their thing.

We also tag along stroller for our almost 5 dd when we are going on outings where there will be lot of walking or carrying some bags and stroller just doubles as our home away from home.. as a camel.. as a bead without breakfast ..

I say, why not? why in Earth would you give up a convenience when you have a need? and who cares what people are thinking.. the thing is that you can think back and they don't really are that concerned what do you think about them anyways right?

I see sometimes much much much older kids in strollers like 7 or 8 years old and the strollers are of special construction and although kids do look normal I sens some special need as there is so many different kinds of deseases that would cause problem with motor skills that do not exhibit any signs while chid is sitting in the stroller so this is nothing to trouble the parent of kids who are sick.

They have enough to worry aobut and to focus on the beloved cargo and I don't think that anyone will even dare to think otherwise and those who do they are not worth of your thought.
post #87 of 108
6/10/10 at 4:38pm
Before I had a child, I would wonder what the heck the mother/caregiver was thinking.

Now that I have a child (a special needs child that doesn't look like he has special needs), I would think the mom/caregiver was smart. Honestly, there are many times I wish I had a stroller that ds (7) would fit in.
post #88 of 108
6/10/10 at 11:54pm
The only time I see kids over around 3yrs old in strollers is at theme parks. Where, I understand why they would be in a stroller (I do think its a little silly when people rent one for their 7-10yr old though)

So if I did see a 4+yr old kid in a stroller someplace other than a 'lot of walking' place, I would probably think there was some kind of special needs involved.

The ONLY reason we own a stroller is for theme parks, otherwise I would have never bought one. I wore ds until he could walk, and then only wore him for longer walks, and by the time he was 2, he walks everywhere - including a day at the zoo, the mall, walks around our block (which is a full mile around) etc.

Even at disney, he only sits in the stroller at the end of the day, or uses it as a chair while waiting for something, he walks the majority of the day. Its a good 'stuff' holder though!
post #89 of 108
6/11/10 at 12:07am
Unless the child was screaming to get out or otherwise obviously didn't want to be there or totally didn't fit, I would probably not even notice.
post #90 of 108
6/11/10 at 12:22am
There was one time where I thought it was pretty ridiculous that an older child was in a stroller, but I don't remember the age or WHY I thought that... I can only remember that the stroller was much to small. I know there were other details though because normally I try very hard to abstain from judgments like that. Of course, I could have been totally off base and was still missing something. Obviously it didn't really matter though because I had completely forgotten til I saw this and I still can't really remember!

Normally, I don't care about who is in a stroller though. Like PP, I wish I could be in a stroller! slightly different, but I was just telling my daughter today how much I'd love to be carried around the way I was carrying her at the mall when she decided she was done with the stroller. Man... it would be nice... Either way, other than that one instance that I can't really remember anyway, I don't even notice the age of kids in strollers... I just see cute kids that I can't help but smile at
post #91 of 108
6/11/10 at 12:38am
I wouldn't think anything of it My ds will be 7 in October and still rides in a stroller. Most of the time now it's right before bedtime, after he's had his bath and dp and myself want to go for a walk before we put ds to bed. He rides in the stroller then, otherwise he gets all dirty and needs another shower before bed. Sometimes we also take the stroller when we walk to the store because then I can use it to store our groceries for the walk home (ds hitches a ride if he wants).
post #92 of 108
6/11/10 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali View Post
Before I had a child, I would wonder what the heck the mother/caregiver was thinking.

Now that I have a child (a special needs child that doesn't look like he has special needs), I would think the mom/caregiver was smart. Honestly, there are many times I wish I had a stroller that ds (7) would fit in.
Quote:
I agree with this. I often see older kids in small umbrella strollers that aren't meant to hold a child their size. I will admit that my initial thoughts are not always the best, but I do make a conscious effort to understand that those parents are probably just doing the best they can with a difficult situation. Obviously I don't know their whole story. Then I feel bad. I recognize that this is a fault of mine, and I would never let it affect the way I deal with those parents or children. It's something I'm working on.

Hope I don't get flamed. I wanted to be honest.

I agree with the pp that said a properly fitted stroller would make all the difference in the world. Something about a too-small umbrella stroller that the kid is knees-to-chin in just puts me off.
You know even now, I'm guilty of wondering about older-looking children in strollers. Usually this is when I'm in a mall and the child looks waaay too big for the stroller they're in--like unsafe, even though it probably is fine. Honestly I don't think i would even notice if the stroller fit the child. I will let DD stroll as long as it works for us. And if anyone has a problem with that, they can S@!%* it. I hope you feel the same way.

to you and your daughter.
post #93 of 108
6/11/10 at 3:41pm
Haven't read other replies to this, will be interesting.

I have 3 and 5 year old boys. I would think nothing of it. I don't generally try to guess random people's kids' ages as we walk by! But mostly - we do it without a second thought, for no other reason than my 5 year old doesn't feel like walking, or I want to go faster than his pace. It's just a fuel-efficient mode of transportation! I don't use the stroller all the time anymore (used to when we lived in an urban area), but we've walked to the store or the nearby school for a concert, or from parking garage to museum when we're in town, and we use the stroller - we have a single stroller with a little bar on the back that the second kid can stand on to ride. Sometimes the 5 year old sits, sometimes the 3 year old sits. I'm sure nobody would bat an eye if I load up the kids in a car and drive them for a few blocks to the store.... so why not load them up and walk them instead??
post #94 of 108
6/11/10 at 3:51pm
I try not to assume too much. I do sometimes see older children in strollers and many of them do look healthy, but quite a few of them are very overweight. I know enough about special needs and illnesses to know that you can't always tell. Some probably are in strollers because they are too chubby to walk very far. Maybe some are just plain lazy. Maybe the mom would rather keep her "runner" in the stroller than get a kid leash and get even MORE stares and comments. And of course, there are plenty of kids that NEED their stroller.

Lots of people will automatically judge you or your daughter, but you should not let that get to you. You just have to do what works for you and her!

My DD has ridden in a stroller a lot since she came home from the hospital. I know some people were probably annoyed when I'd take her into restaurants in it, or push her through little aisles at the store. What they couldn't automatically tell just by looking at her is that she had several pieces of medical equipment in the back of her stroller and she had no head or torso control. I couldn't just sit her in the high chair at the restaurant, or hold her on my hip in small shops. I carried her in a sling a couple of times, but it just didn't work for us. I'm used to the staring for the most part now. Of course, now that she's older people can tell she has special needs and medical conditions.

As she gets older and bigger though, you may want to look into a medical stroller. Not to curb others' judgment (they will still do that), but because it will be a better fit for her.
post #95 of 108
6/11/10 at 6:06pm
If the child was obviously too big for the stroller my first reaction would be that the kid asked if he could ride in the baby's stroller and mom obliged. Strollers are fun! My kids are 11 and 7, and if they asked me to ride in the stroller I'd push them around just for fun.

Honestly I don't think 5 is too young for a stroller. I wouldn't even look twice or notice in that case. There have been times when my dh and I are at the mall, and I've noticed a really nice, comfy looking stroller and wished that I could climb in to ride for awhile.
post #96 of 108
6/11/10 at 6:12pm
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't really notice or care.

I've never thought 5 yrs was "too old for a stroller".

post #97 of 108
6/12/10 at 2:35am
We went to Sea World tonight and I rented a stroller for my 4.75 year old (who looks like a 3yo! So no one would judge!). But he decided he'd prefer to run around. My almost 7 year old who is the size of a nine year old was having shoe issues (apparently, her feet grew since yesterday, because her shoes are suddenly too small!), so she rode most of the night. She has ridiculously long legs, and she really did look pretty silly, even though it was a big jogging stroller. She was comfy, though, and not hurting, which was all that was important to me. The only thing I could think about, though, for most of the trip was this thread .
post #98 of 108
6/12/10 at 5:28am
For me it would totally depend. If I saw a child crying in a stroller or obviously wanting out I would feel bad for them and maybe a tiny judgemental (I know Im horrible), mostly because the child is obviously unhappy.

If I saw a child that was obviously happy and talking away I would figure the child was tired or out for a longish walk and needs a lift. Heck, Ive asked DH if I could just jump in the stroller at times when I get tired (its a joke, I never have but it would be nice!)
My 3 year old gets mistaken for a 6 year old all the time and she still rides in the stroller a lot. Its not that she can't walk (she walked a mile to the library the other day and a mile home with no problem) its just that usually we take long walks at night and shes tired. No big deal in my book.
post #99 of 108
6/12/10 at 11:06am
I just read the title, I'm assuming it's your kid you are asking about... I have to say, I wouldn't think anything about seeing a kid in a stroller Little legs get tired quickly... Which is why I think maybe you are a little self-conscious of having a 5yo in a stroller... cause it doesn't hit my radar at all.

*off to read the thread*

"invisible" illnesses make it hard to deal with strangers (heck, even the people who know the situation sometimes)...
post #100 of 108
6/12/10 at 11:39am
I wouldn't even think about it. Not my kid and I have no way of knowing what another person's child needs.
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