Stroller for a 4 year old

My 4.5 year old never rides in a stroller at home anymore. Couple that with sailing with his 5 year old & 3 year old cousins, I'm not sure he will want to ride in one on the cruise. BUT we are sailing Eastern Caribbean to San Juan, Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and St. Thomas. I think for San Juan and Amber Cove, it might be beneficial. We will be sight seeing in San Juan and I know the pier at Amber Cove is long. However, we would have to buy a cheap stroller for him since his little brother (2 yrs) will be using the only one we have. What are your thoughts? I don't want to bring it and it waste more space and be a hassle but I don't know if his little legs will be able to make it far in the heat either. Thanks for the advice.

My 4.5 year old never rides in a stroller at home anymore. Couple that with sailing with his 5 year old & 3 year old cousins, I'm not sure he will want to ride in one on the cruise. BUT we are sailing Eastern Caribbean to San Juan, Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and St. Thomas. I think for San Juan and Amber Cove, it might be beneficial. We will be sight seeing in San Juan and I know the pier at Amber Cove is long. However, we would have to buy a cheap stroller for him since his little brother (2 yrs) will be using the only one we have. What are your thoughts? I don't want to bring it and it waste more space and be a hassle but I don't know if his little legs will be able to make it far in the heat either. Thanks for the advice.

Are you going to be going into port with his cousins? Are they going to be in strollers or are they going to be walking? I doubt you will get a 4.5 year old to stay in a stroller if the other two kids are walking. If you are going into port without the other kids, then I would buy a cheap stroller or borrow one. In a pinch, could the older child sit behind the 2 yr old if you recline the stroller you have?

San Juan is HOT and HUMID...lots of hills, too. Despite drinking water during our walk thru the old city, I nearly passed out from the heat.....and I'm in pretty good shape!....and not 4!

I would bring it! If he won't use it, put your "stuff" in it!

I just got back from a cruise with San Juan being one of the ports. We walked to one of the forts and yes it is a lot of walking. My 9 and 5 year old did fine, but if any doubt that your child would get tired...bring the stroller.

My kids like strollers more than most, but I still bring one most most places to carry stuff even when they don't want to ride.

It might be nice to at least have one stroller for the bigger kids to trade off riding in.

On our cruise we brought two umbrella strollers and stroller links. The stroller links only work with 2 of the same model strollers, but they allow you to link both together to make one double stroller. It does make an extra wide stroller so doesn't work well on the ship. My kids were 4 and pushed their own strollers until we got off the ship and then I linked them up and we used them for walking around ports. It's a nice option if you are thinking you might not always have another adult who wants to push.

I was San Juan with my then 4.5 year old and he did use an umbrella stroller. It was easy to use and fold up. I also used it when retrieving him from the youth program late at night (instead of having to carry a sleepy child).

For ease, I'd vote for an umbrella stroller. We got ours at Target for $15, and it looks like a shark, which is fun for our boys and other families traveling. :)

We recently went to Disney World, and we lugged our large double stroller. The four year old was not thrilled...until he got tired of walking. He could jump on and off as he pleased (with fair warning, of course). It helped not only at destinations (like the parks), but also around the resort and in the airport.

Another thing to consider was what my DH noticed upon reflection...the stroller helped tremendously in crowds. We could see a crowd ahead of us, and we had our 4yo jump into the front and ride it out. It helped with knowing where the kids are at all times: in the stroller.

Also, we used it as a disciplinary tool. Acting up or not listening & obeying? Sit in the stroller for timeout. It keeps the family moving (if you need or want to be moving), but allows for parental guidance when necessary.

I think it's up to you, you know your kids best. No way would my kids have sat in a stroller at 4.5 yrs. Actually we went to Disney last October when my son was 4.5 and he had little interest in using one. If it were me I would bring a baby carrier for the youngest one if the 4 yr old needed little breaks here and there.

I think it's up to you, you know your kids best. No way would my kids have sat in a stroller at 4.5 yrs. Actually we went to Disney last October when my son was 4.5 and he had little interest in using one. If it were me I would bring a baby carrier for the youngest one if the 4 yr old needed little breaks here and there.

I agree. My kids didn't like strollers much when they were younger, but definitely not by 4.5. It's been a long time (my "baby" is now 17) but from what I remember, at that age, they had more energy than I did! :eek:

So in total the kids are 2.5, 3, 4.5 and 5?

I would talk to the other family and see what they plan on doing and how often they think the kids will want strollers? Maybe your 4.5 and their 3 could share one and take turns sitting in it.

Could also consider a wagon. If you found one that would fit 3-4 kids you'd be set for ALL of the kiddos. Sure it might take up 1 whole closet in the cabin, but that might be a worthwhile investment of space vs. 3 fold up strollers.

Either way, have a fantastic time and take lots of pics!

Take an inexpensive umbrella stroller if you're planning on doing lots of walking! ;)

A sit n' stand is also a great choice with an older and younger child.

Maybe bring a cheap fold up umbrella stroller for long distances? We do a ton of walking so its def on our packing list!

I think it's more a matter of what the other kids will be doing (so he's not the only one not in a stroller, etc.).

DD & I walked all over Old San Juan when she was 3 (up the hill to 1 fort, across to the other and then through town back to the ship) without any issue.

One thing to consider - are you flying to board the cruise ship? If so a stroller is so nice to have in a busy airport for each of the kids. You can get a lightweight umbrella stroller for such a reasonable price and then gate check it that it might be very helpful. Then in port, it is nice for navigating getting on and off the ship when there are lots of people. So easy to lose track of a little one among the crowds. Just something to think about.

We had a Maclaren lightweight umbrella stroller (it was about $100) so more costly but we got our money's worth out of it and we used it a lot - liked that it had a carrying strap for when our son wanted to walk. Might look in to adding a strap to a cheaper umbrella stroller from target, Walmart, etc to make carrying it around even easier.

Enjoy your cruise!