How early did you prep your kids for a love of WDW?

[One Lil Spark]

As I sit here watching my 6 week old nap while we listen to The Living Seas BGM, I was wondering how many of you encourage your kids to also build a love for WDW? Not necessarily prepping them to enjoy the Disney movies, but to actually love the parks themselves.

If you went out of your way to make sure your child would love YOUR home away from home too, what age did you start and what methods did you employ?

:wave:

 

[rsoxguy]

We had planned on waiting until my daughter was five. When she was two, we received free AP's to EPCOT through a promotion that Disney held for people involved in education. Being Floridians, we used those AP's about 40 days that year. My daughter has been fanatical about WDW since. So two, with EPCOT being the initial pixie dust that cast a spell on her.

 

[LiveyMouse22]

Well my mom had a stuffed elephant when my brother and I were babies and when she was pregnant with my brother and then me she or my dad would hold the elephant to her stomach and it played "When You Wish Upon a Star" so I'm pretty sure that was a start. As soon as we were born we were taken on trips to WDW as babies and it all evolved from there. My parents weren't even Disney fanatics like they are now when they were young but now that my brother and I are older all of us are complete Disney freaks. So my parents decided to prep us for the WDW obsession extremely early. :lol:

 

[Princess8813]

Since before birth - their nursery was the original Disney babies! My local fabric store used to get the mill ends of fabric in so EVERYTHING was Disney!

 

[matt_taylor1985]

We started last year when she was 14 months.

 

[BigRedDad]

We started her watching Disney Channel at a very young age. Thank God I did not wait until she was 5 or 6. We took her when she was two with my mother and father. Little did we know that it was the last trip my dad would spend with her. He passed away on 12/31/08. If we waited for her to be older than 2, he would have never had that memory and my DD would have missed her only real vacation with her grandfather.

That lesson taught me never to put off happiness because you never know what will happen in the future. One of the best decisions I made and I am glad I never have to regret it for the rest of mine.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

My first Birthday Party was Mickey Mouse, if it's any indication. Went to EPCOT at age 3- Loved it, remember it, now, I live it! :lol:

 

[LoriMistress]

I don't have any kids, but I was raised on Disney before I was born. I remember going to DLR when I was one and younger. I remember seeing my first movie in the movie theater, which was Snow White. When DH and I have kids, we'll be getting our kids addicted to Disney and the Disney Parks very early.

 

[maggiegrace1]

She first went when she was 7 months old...technically 4 months since being premature..and every year since!..I used to play Disney music for her when on bed rest with her and while in the NICU we attached a cd player to her isoletter and played the Princess instrumentals....The nurses and Doctors said she would calm down every tine they played it for her..

She watches the DVD's of theparks I have of all the attractions..and we watch youtube videos of the attractions at least 3-4 times a week!

She always wants to go to Disney World every time I ask her where she wants to go..

Oh and you saw her Figment cake she had for her birthday!..

 

[MissingDisney]

The kids go to sleep everynight to Illuminations, Wishes and Spectromagic with a giant Mickey at their sides and a mini castle at their bedsides. "And Jesus please let us go back to Disney soon" is part of every nightly prayer, and I didn't even tell them to say that! :animwink:

 

[BrerFrog]

I plan on naming my daughters after some Disney Princesses, or female characters. Alice and Ariel sound like pretty nice names.

So I think that will be a good start. Hopefully my future DW will accept that. :lol:

 

[wm49rs]

Mine were indoctrinated while still in the womb.....

 

[stitch & lilo]

As I sit here watching my 6 week old nap while we listen to The Living Seas BGM, I was wondering how many of you encourage your kids to also build a love for WDW? Not necessarily prepping them to enjoy the Disney movies, but to actually love the parks themselves.

If you went out of your way to make sure your child would love YOUR home away from home too, what age did you start and what methods did you employ?

:wave:

For both of my boys, now 9 and 11, i broke the news to my mom that i was preggers when we were in wdw! my oldest learned to walk during a 2 week vacation and we spent almost everyday at epcot - he loved it there. my 'baby' had his first trip at 4 months and loved the fireworks, i think he did, cuz there were no tears only huge baby eyes and the 'O' mouth! they have been back every year since, some times twice. never too early and dont let anyone tell you to not bring a baby to wdw. it is so fun to watch them light up at everything!

 

[yankspy]

We took Thomas in October and he was about seven months old. He loved it. I took him on most of the rides and at that age he was just amazed at everything that was going on around him. Pirates was definately his favorite.

I was worried that the characters would freak him out but he loved them as well. He also likes to watch all the ride-thru vids online.

 

[cowanfamily]

I took my first son at 4months and 8 months. My second at 6 months. And twice a year ever since.They are now 4 and 3 a are constantly asking when they are going back.

 

[need2go2wdw]

I totally agree that you should never, EVER listen to people who say don't bring a baby to WDW...it really is priceless! Even though they won't remember it, you will and you will have great pics and memories to share with them someday.

I was 4 months pregnant with my DD the first time she was there. We went again when she was 6 months and she actually sat up by herself for the first time while there, I have the cutest pics of her with her first set of pink mouse ears! Then, we went again when she was 15 months old, then when she was 18 months old and since that trip we moved from MI for Fort Myers, FL, so needless to say, we will be visiting the world as often as humanly possible with our first trip coming up in 2 weeks! And she will only be 2 next month!

She RUNS to the characters and hugs and kisses them, she points to the tv when commencials for WDW come on saying "That? That?" and then points or walks to the door to go. She has been watching Playhouse Disney pretty much since she was able to focus on the tv. All the movies she watches are Disney. Her room in our old house had all the princesses hand painted on the walls (by her wonderful mother ) in addition to all the Disney stuffed animals, framed art and toys. I scrapbook, and usually only vacation ones, which have been all Disney for some time now, so theres always fun Disney stickers and books and paper around for her to look at...boy I could go on all day...

BUT, do you know when I really, really knew I had her sufficiantly brainwashed?? The day she went into the video cabinet and brought the Disney Planning DVD to me to put on! That makes a mother proud I think I shed a tear...

 

[Master Yoda]

I would go with the "from birth" theory. As you know my youngest rug rat was in the parks at ten days old and she has always been surrounded by the parks and the music. She is almost 9 now and you will not meet a bigger Disney nut.

 

[matt_taylor1985]

As I say, we took Mollie at 14 months and are taking her back next month when she'll be 18 months. She seems to have so much of a better grasp of who the characters are now:

 

[Matt and Kelly]

We are already preparing! We've been buying as many Disney movies as we can find to make sure that once we do have kids, they'll be big Disney fans like we are.

I'm sure once we do have a baby, there will be plenty of Disney clothes and toys that will adourn the nursery.

 

[lebeau]

Both of my children were conceived on It's a Small World... :lookaroun