At what age to start bringing the kids?

[Disneykidder]

I have three boys and they have each been to WDW multiple times.
Oldest dude is 9--he has been 5 times at ages 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9.
Middle dude is 4--has been twice at ages 3 and 4.
Little dude is 2--has been twice at ages1 and 2.
I just flew home last night from a 2 week trip to Florida. 9 days in WDW(we always stay on property---easier for us) and 5 days visiting family.

It depends on your family, your needs and how the kids are.

 

[LaunchPadMcQuack]

We brought our first son when he was just 14 months old and we had a blast. The family care centers are great when you need a break to change a diaper or prepare a snack.

What's nice about going when they are really young is that you can go any time of year without pulling them out of school. So we are going to take advantage of that to bring our children during slower seasons.

It also depends on your expectations. When you are just with adults and/or older children, you can pretty much stay at the park from opening until closing. With younger children, I recommend going for opening (you're probably up anyway). You can get a lot done in the early hours. Then go back to your resort around lunchtime or early afternoon. Give your kids a nap. If you feel up for it you can return to the park for a few more attractions in the evening.

We are going this year with both our children (2-1/2 years old and 5 months old).

 

[woody98]

My girls were 2 and 9 months on their first trip. And it went great. They have both been 13 times and their 14th will be in a month. My son who is a lot younger started at 4 months and has been 4 times his 5th in a month. I'm glad we started young never had any big issues with our kids while there. We can be in the parks all day and they're the ones dragging us around lol.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

My only comment to the folks who say not to take a child until they are older because "they won't remember it" is why do anything other than feed and care for a young child then? Why celebrate birthdays and holidays they won't remember? Why take them to the zoo or something along those lines? It's about creating memories for you... Memories of taking them and seeing them react and take it all in... The wonder of it all at that age. If it was about their memories we parents wouldn't bother doing anything the first few years of our kiddos lives. LOL

 

[LondonGopher]

Sorry I'm late to the discussion! We live in London and first took our wee one to DLP when he was 2.5 (I would never have gone during the "nappy years", mostly because my kid had a paralyzing fear of public conveniences). This (age 2.5) was great. It was May - warm but not hot - and we stayed on property at Newport Bay Club so we could walk/push the stroller to the parks. We would go out first thing (easy with most toddlers as they are up EARLY), walk back to the room, take a nap and then go back out in the late afternoon.

I have some wonderful pictures of his BIG EYES on rides as he just took in everything around him. We also have a couple of cute character photos but these are much harder to get at DLP (in the parks) because it is a free-for-all to get to the characters (correct me if that has changed!). A character photo with a tiny one is ADORABLE!

We went back to DLP 2 years later - brought the stroller but never used it. And while we loved the big eyes of our 2-year-old on our previous visit, taking a walker was SO MUCH BETTER. The only thing I missed about the stroller was its second function as a jacket/poncho/drinks holder. For what it's worth, my kid has always been a good little tromper (when you live in London you want your kid out of the buggy and walking ASAP as buses and the tube are a BEAR with a pushchair) and DLP is pretty small.

WDW, on the other hand, is both huge and HOT (like walking around in somebody's mouth hot). My hubby and I decided we would wait until our guy was six to make the trip to Florida. In my opinion (and it's just that!), this was THE PERFECT AGE. He was young enough for real wonder (I stopped photographing the Electrical Parade to take pictures of him WATCHING the parade) but old enough to walk, everywhere. The other thing that made a huge difference was at six...he could read, really read. Kids who can read can be so much more involved in the trip (can you tell I am a bookworm?). Our wee man LOVED reading the signs, maps (!), menus and...autographs! He read them (and still does) over and over and over and over...

Just my two pence worth - hope it helps (a tiny bit?)

 

[Master Yoda]

I am late to this party but here are my 2 cents....

There is no perfect age. The question really is "Are you willing to do what it takes to make sure that you child has a good time." Every age from 3 days old to 18 has different challenges. If you are willing to make the sacrifices and meet the challenges presented by your child, no matter what the age, it will be a good trip. If you try to treat a 5 year old like a 20 year old and vice versa, it will be a disaster.

 

[mweier]

I think it really depends on the kids, your touring plan expectations and your parenting style. For us, we had collicky babies who couldn't sleep through a night until age 14mos and 3yrs respectively. I wouldn't have enjoyed a trip during those years since we were too sleep-deprived. We ultimately went with the "wait til they'll remember it" rule but found that with our two boys, it was really mostly about "wait until they can survive it physically". Our boys were 6 + 8 when we first took them (6-days in-park). Even at this ripe old age, well past when they've stopped taking naps, we found that they were exhausted, melting down and crabby by mid-day due to all the walking and exertion and early morning touring plans. Once we found our daily rhythm to give them a nice out-of-park break at lunch time, we were able to keep things magical and have some of our favorite family memories.
Make sure you're taking into account your kids' stamina as it relates to your own touring plan. In particular, don't try for an early day in the parks post-late night Wishes!

 

[Tigger19]

My parents took my younger brother when he was just 15 months old, although he obviously doesn't remember it he got on great. He recognised most of the characters from TV and there was plenty for him to do!

 

[doctornick]

Personally, I think between ages 2 and 3 is the sweet spot to bring a child for the first time. First of of all, they are free -- not just for the parks but also for buffet meals. So, it's a great chance to have them go to character meals for much cheaper and those are always great for the youngsters to meet characters.

At age 2-3, they can go on a bunch of rides and they will love M&G's with characters they recognize. Parades and fireworks can be great if they are into them. If they like water, the pools and water parks can be fun. And they are old enough to hopefully be well potty trained and mobile. We had awesome experiences taking both my oldest at 2.5 and my younger (now middle child) at 2 years and 9 months.

I personally wouldn't take an infant unless it was a situation of "we are going for the older siblings and the baby is just along for the ride". I would agree that an infant can have a great experience being exposed to different sights and sounds, but I would think the hassles associated with that age would be very disruptive for a WDW vacation.

Oh, as an aside, I would argue that DL is a better place for young children than WDW. More compact and stroller/walking friendly, a greater number of kid friendly rides and if you stay on property or next to DLR, it is a breeze going back to the hotel for a nap or break. They also have more single rider options, which is great for parents who are going on solo.

 

[Wikkler]

Wait until your eldest is 5 and your youngest is 3, they might not handle it before that age.

 

[BobConnor]

Say what?!?! That's a joke right?

I doubt it. It seems almost every week on the news there is some woman who gave birth anywhere but in a hospital maternity ward.