WDW with a 20.5 month old

[Chars0704]

Mine was 23 months when we took her. She was awesome. So good and so happy to be there. We had so much fun that we are going back next year!

 

[yaksplat]

Our three were there at 25 months, 21 months and 22 months. Separate vacations of course as they're now 7, 10 and 12. We didn't have any issues. Naps were taken in the stroller, although we did get into a morning/evening groove in the parks after the second child. Rope drop to lunch, take a nap/swim and go back after dinner. The back and forth travel was made much easier by staying on the monorail.

 

[Andrew M]

We took a 14 month old twice, once with her 2 year old brother, and then once again when her little sister was 14 months with 3 & 4 yr olds.

They both had a blast, especially with the characters, and the youngest one fell inlove with the Finding Nemo ride. As far as being in the parks most of the day, as long as they'll be fine in a stroller, it'll be okay. And it'll definitely be okay if they are fine napping in the stroller! Mid-day breaks back to the pool are great too if it's not that far (I love you,Polynesian & Boardwalk Resorts)

I honestly don't get the parents that force their younger kids to walk everywhere at Disney without a stroller. Why make them, and yourselves, miserable when you're paying thousands of dollars to be there in the first place?

 

[jaklgreen]

We took a 14 month old twice, once with her 2 year old brother, and then once again when her little sister was 14 months with 3 & 4 yr olds.

They both had a blast, especially with the characters, and the youngest one fell inlove with the Finding Nemo ride. As far as being in the parks most of the day, as long as they'll be fine in a stroller, it'll be okay. And it'll definitely be okay if they are fine napping in the stroller! Mid-day breaks back to the pool are great too if it's not that far (I love you,Polynesian & Boardwalk Resorts)

I honestly don't get the parents that force their younger kids to walk everywhere at Disney without a stroller. Why make them, and yourselves, miserable when you're paying thousands of dollars to be there in the first place?

I have never really noticed people forcing young kids(under 6) to walk all day. I am sure some will park the stroller for a while and walk for a bit. In fact the problem is more the opposite, where people have kids that are much too old for a stroller in them. When we were young, we played outside running around all day, every day. That is no different then walking around WDW. In fact WDW is more of a break because you walk to a ride, stand around in line, sit on the ride, do that a couple of times, go sit down and eat/break, rinse repeat. There are plenty of opportunities to take a break and rest at the parks. It's not like most people power walk for 14 hours a day without stopping.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So we just had our last trip in April of this year. It was the first with DS at 10 months old, and our older son who was 7 years old. Originally we were thinking our next trip would be a few years out, but this past trip we got bitten by the Disney bug and are now thinking about a trip in Feb, when our younger DS will be 20.5 months. Now, currently he is 16 months and we can't imagine taking him to WDW - he is running everywhere, and a handful. We have heard from friends that after 18 months it gets easier. Was wondering if anyone had any experience of taking a child at that age and if it's doable, or if we are crazy for even considering it. Our 8 year old has been talking about nothing but Disney since we got back, so we'd really like to go for him. Any advice here would be appreciated.

Every age from 3 months to 9 years and up with kids spaces 20 months apart in 3-4 month intervals...

What do you want to know?

But the only sound advice is this: plan on doing nothing and go from there. After all - what exactly haven’t you seen an million times over?

 

[Andrew M]

I have never really noticed people forcing young kids(under 6) to walk all day. I am sure some will park the stroller for a while and walk for a bit. In fact the problem is more the opposite, where people have kids that are much too old for a stroller in them. When we were young, we played outside running around all day, every day. That is no different then walking around WDW. In fact WDW is more of a break because you walk to a ride, stand around in line, sit on the ride, do that a couple of times, go sit down and eat/break, rinse repeat. There are plenty of opportunities to take a break and rest at the parks. It's not like most people power walk for 14 hours a day without stopping.

Right, I completely agree. I've never actually seen it myself, just the same types of posts over and over from various parents on these boards. How their 3 year old can walk all day and there's no reason to ever bring strollers.

 

[jaklgreen]

Right, I completely agree. I've never actually seen it myself, just the same types of posts over and over from various parents on these boards. How their 3 year old can walk all day and there's no reason to ever bring strollers.

Those people probably started their days later and took more breaks. I took my then 4 yo to San Diego for a vacation. We spent a day each at the zoo, wild animal park, sea world, and drove up to DL. First stop was the zoo. I took the stroller but she did not want to use it so we took it slow and sat down more. We abandoned the stroller for the rest of the trip and she did great. Slept well those night too. LOL So I know it is possible to go without a stroller but you do have to go at their pace, which is what some parents do not want to do. We stopped with the stroller once they turned 5 and never had any issues. In fact daddy got tired before the kids did.

 

[mikejs78]

Try it out. Get your DS used to being in a stroller or carrier for long periods of time. My DD is now 18.5 months. She will be 20.5 months when we go. Aside from the attractions and dining, her time outside a stroller/carrier will be limited. She is definitely testing the limits of her independence. We first took our DS when he turned 2 in the middle of June, and he was a breeze.

How did your trip go? Any tips?

 

[Gitson Shiggles]

How did your trip go? Any tips?

Our experience with our DD was much different than our DS when he was this young. DD tolerated the stroller as long as it was moving. She wanted/needed times to move about. We found MK to be particularly difficult in this regard, with Epcot being the best. While our son could easily take naps in the park, our DD had difficulty napping. We learned if one of us took her back to our room for a nap during the day, it cut down on her frustration and ours. Epcot was a notable exception in that I believe the time she could move independently tired her out sufficiently.

I’d definitely do it again. We are going back in March! Be willing to go back to your room (if Disney hotel) during the day for some R&R. With the exception of Epcot, the other parks do not have lots of places for toddlers to stretch their legs.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Right, I completely agree. I've never actually seen it myself, just the same types of posts over and over from various parents on these boards. How their 3 year old can walk all day and there's no reason to ever bring strollers.

LOL - I'm one of those people (although mine were the ripe old age of 4 when we went strollerless), and I'd be the first one to admit that it totally depends on the individual child, and that there is no "one size fits all" rule that will work for every family or every touring style. I just happen to have had two very tall, hyperactive, physically fit kids who spurned strollers early on.

Addressing the subject at hand, however, when they were ~20 months old -- the age the OP is talking about -- a stroller would have been a must, and our touring pace and focus would have been completely different. As such, my advice to the OP would be, by all means, don't let a child's age keep you from going to WDW if you want to: you'll just have to adjust your expectations and the trip itinerary, as you no doubt have adjusted everything else in your life at the moment, to accommodate your child's particular schedule and abilities.

 

[Andrew M]

LOL - I'm one of those people (although mine were the ripe old age of 4 when we went strollerless), and I'd be the first one to admit that it totally depends on the individual child, and that there is no "one size fits all" rule that will work for every family or every touring style. I just happen to have had two very tall, hyperactive, physically fit kids who spurned strollers early on.

Addressing the subject at hand, however, when they were ~20 months old -- the age the OP is talking about -- a stroller would have been a must, and our touring pace and focus would have been completely different. As such, my advice to the OP would be, by all means, don't let a child's age keep you from going to WDW if you want to: you'll just have to adjust your expectations and the trip itinerary, as you no doubt have adjusted everything else in your life at the moment, to accommodate your child's particular schedule and abilities.

Ha, that's great. We're going in March with a 5, 4 & 2 yr old. Between being outnumbered and the 2yr old loving to play 'lets run off in a random direction!', we need a stroller to ensure atleast 2 are strapped down at all times. I do remember when my parents joined us on our last trip, being able to walk in the park without pushing a double stroller felt so liberating!

 

[Weather_Lady]

Ha, that's great. We're going in March with a 5, 4 & 2 yr old. Between being outnumbered and the 2yr old loving to play 'lets run off in a random direction!', we need a stroller to ensure atleast 2 are strapped down at all times. I do remember when my parents joined us on our last trip, being able to walk in the park without pushing a double stroller felt so liberating!

Yikes - three at once! I recommend strollers, leashes and GPS implants for the kids -- and strong adult beverages for you!

 

[Andrew M]

Yikes - three at once! I recommend strollers, leashes and GPS implants for the kids -- and strong adult beverages for you!

Oh yeah, our approach is a double stroller and an umbrella stroller that can be tucked into it. And definitely, we learned last time that the cups from the Margarita Stand in Epcot fit perfectly into the stoller's cupholders!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

While I am not a fan of very young children at WDW--I am just selfish enough not to want to hassle with carrying them whilst in a queue, folding/unfolding a stroller, and dealing with meltdowns, I acknowledge that it's your vacation.

I just got back and was regularly appalled with the opposite: children who are old enough to read and to ride a bus (alone) to school in strollers. I'm talking children who looked to be 7-8 years old. These kids had their knees in their ears. Easy rule of thumb: if the kid can cross his/her legs, they are too big for a stroller.

It seems like once a month we read a pearl-clutching story about how fat and out of shape our kids are, then you see this....

And not only that, but a child in a stroller is not engaging all their senses. They are seeing only what is directly in front of them and do not have the advantages of a 360 field of vision. They cannot look up or in any way have the panorama of sensory experiences that engage their brains and stave off boredom (and bad behavior)

*climbs off soapbox and prepares for vicious backlash*