How old do you think kids should be before

[Phonedave]

you take them on their first trip to Disney World?

Another vote fror whatever age you think is right.

If they are very fussy babies then maybe you hold off, if they are just the most easygoing baby, then whenever you want.

Traveling with an infant is of course a bit more work, but if you (and the baby) are up to it, then go for it.

I think my girls were 4 and 2 when they first went, but that long was more because of budget and avoiding the "joy" of dragging around all the infant stuff than for any other reason


-dave

 

[DisneyGigi]

I think it is up to each person too.
My DS was 3 1/2 when we took him and DD was 2 1/2 her first trip. They had a wonderful time and I would not give up those memories for anything. I made my very first trip with my son and it was awesome. You could not tell which one was more excited.
It is also great to look back at pictures and video watching your kids grow up at Disney.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I think if you are just taking one child, any age is fine. But if you are taking siblings, beware the age/height differences!

One child under 44'' inches is fine when you have to avoid a particular attraction, but things change fast when he/she sees older sibling going off to ride without them.

Or, even if younger/smaller child is okay with this, you eat up a lot of precious park time waiting for the other child, even if you do the child swap.

 

[Alexx]

Yeah theres just one child, unless I count as a child (i'm 15 haha) but he's really clingy with me.

 

[pjulie75]

Hi, I have taken my kids aged 2,3,4,5 to Disneyland Paris and they have adored it. You just do things a bit different and my kids love to go on Its A Small World LOTS OF TIMES. My husband HATES those dancing dollies!! The do remember things from their first trip and I will never forget the first time they met Mickey, it was magical and we have some pretty amazing photos. We are going next summer to WDW as the girls will be 6.

 

[mickeyismyhero]

i dont really think there is a certain age because there is something for everyone at every age.Thats the Great thing about DISNEY!!!My first trip my son was 2 and there was alot he could do but he loved pooh and them more then anything.

 

[figmentmom]

The age you first go is the right age for your first trip. :sohappy:

 

[unkadug]

The age you first go is the right age for your first trip. :sohappy:

That's got to be the BEST answer. :wave:

 

[figmentmom]

That's got to be the BEST answer. :wave:

Thanks! :kiss: :wave:

 

[fortheboys]

We took our son when he was about 3 1/2, and left our 7 month old with Grandma becuase he was a fussy baby. My son still talks about his trip to "Playhouse Disney" and asks about the castle and such. Its been about a year and a half, and he still looks at the pictures and books...We are headed back this winter, and bringing both boys this time - they will be 2.5 and 5. I can honestly say it was the most exhausting vacation ever - tons of preparation - but it was absolutely worth it! We took ALL the advice about going slow, taking time for rest, snacks etc and we spent plenty of time doing things that weren't super stimulating (boat rides, playing on the beach, exploring the hotel grounds etc)We managed with no meltdowns (and he's the meltdown king!), but only becuase we stuck to the theory that if he's not having fun, we are leaving for a while. We never let him get to that breaking point, cause that is no fun for anyone... Oh yeah, and we were potty training, and getting a Micky Icecream bar is one heck of a motivator! LOL

 

[Minnietoo]

I agree when you feel is right. We took our son when he was 20 months and our dd was 4. He had a blast! He doesn't remember it but so what we do and while he was there he was in heaven! When we got back he was actualy disappointed when I would take him to the reg Park because he would go expecting to have aWDW at his hand when I said 'Let's go to the park':ROFLOL:

MANY yrs ago when I was little ( thought I was 2 but my mom says I was younger.) We were in FL visiting my grandparents and my parents went to WDW and left me with them. To this day I tease her about leaving me home when she went to WDW! Maybe that is why I now love it so much. LOL

 

[tdonald]

I think 4 is the perfect age. That's how old I was my first time. Usually kids are old enough to distinguish what's "not real", but still think it's a "Magical Place". Though they might not remember most, or any, of the trip, they will remember what a great time they had.

 

[jeffk410]

earlyy

they should go once every year of their life

 

[PolynesianMedic]

I am sure that this has been well covered already, but I can tell you that my parents brought my youngest brother there when he was 6 months old. My wife and I brought our DS there for his first trip at 18 months. My son LOVED the trip even at 18 months. He cam back and there seemed to be a realization that there was a whole big world out there to be explored and he couldn't wait to go get more! I say take them early and often!

 

[WDWmom64055]

After my most recent trip, I have a much stronger opinion on this...

If someone wants to go to Disney and haul a baby along, while I think they are completely nuts, it's their choice to make.

I think the real question is, "When is a child old enough to enjoy a uniquely Disney experience?" Let's face it...for babies who don't have enough information to process most of what they are seeing anyway, it wouldn't make much difference whether you walk them through the frozen food section at your local market or take them to the Market at AK. I don't buy the "oh, but he LOVES the colored lights and character" excuse. This is a parent trying to justify completely destroying the baby's routine.

Toddlers? I am not sure how developmentally appropriate Disney is for a toddler. They are old enough to enjoy...or be scared to death...by the costumed characters. They'll probably be entertained by parades and shows, but most of the rides aren't designed for such young children, and at this age they need to touch and taste to really understand. There are a lot of hazards for toddlers...they don't know enough to know what's dangerous or not, so all it takes is five seconds of inattention and your kiddo could be in for big trouble.

Personally, I think preschool is the earliest you can take a child to Disney and have them own the experience. Kids ages 3 or 4 and up can make sense of what they are seeing and hearing. You still have to tailor the trip around their interests if you want them to really have a great time, but it is do-able.

Which brings me to my next point: there is an age at which you aren't doing grandma any favors by hauling her to Disney with you. On our trip I saw a number of frail older people being hauled in and out of rides. You could tell they were weary beyond the point of enjoying the experience, and the fact that the temperatures in late May and early June topped out in the mid to high 90's, plus the humidity, didn't help.

I don't want flamed on this unless, like me, you have cared for an elderly, infirm relative in your home for at least 15 years.

So, my answer for all questions about when to go to Disney is what you'd find in the Bible...there is a time for every purpose under heaven. It is up to you to be wise enough to know whether this is that time or not.

 

[hansel1]

My nephew isnt a newborn, he's 23 months (2 years old on June 26th). By our next trip(we're moving house) he should be about 3 or just about to turn 3.

My son was 8 months when we went in January. He had a blast.

I think the hardest part of your situation would be getting him a passport and visa for the trip.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Man, this could become the debate of the year on here!! It really depends on the parents and the kids. We've gone with small kids only, then again when our oldest was old enough to ride everything (but we also had 2 small ones also by then). It is harder with small kids. But that doesn't mean it won't be fun!! It will, it just takes extra work, quite a bit of extra work.

You know your child, but every child reacts differently, and their unique reaction could change from year to year. The characters are huge to any kids under 6, most are scared to death of them. There's a lot of loud noises and if you don't have another helper, get ready to ride a lot of cool stuff by yourself. Then again, you can use the baby swap thingy which people without young kids can't. Also, kids under 3 are free, so that's a bonus.

When we went last year it was so awesome that our 8 year old was the one wanting to ride Splash Moutain for the 6th time and going nuts about how cool everything was. In the meantime, we were stuck trying to entertain our littler kids who couldn't go on most of the rides. We did get our youngest's first haircut at Disney which is priceless.

So...it's your decision. Honestly, it depends on how bad you want to go. I would have done it again, because I really wanted to go. We'll probably go again when small kids next year or the year after, we love it that much.

 

[maggiegrace1]

If someone wants to go to Disney and haul a baby along, while I think they are completely nuts, it's their choice to make.

I think the real question is, "When is a child old enough to enjoy a uniquely Disney experience?" Let's face it...for babies who don't have enough information to process most of what they are seeing anyway, it wouldn't make much difference whether you walk them through the frozen food section at your local market or take them to the Market at AK. I don't buy the "oh, but he LOVES the colored lights and character" excuse. This is a parent trying to justify completely destroying the baby's routine.

Toddlers? I am not sure how developmentally appropriate Disney is for a toddler. They are old enough to enjoy...or be scared to death...by the costumed characters. They'll probably be entertained by parades and shows, but most of the rides aren't designed for such young children, and at this age they need to touch and taste to really understand. There are a lot of hazards for toddlers...they don't know enough to know what's dangerous or not, so all it takes is five seconds of inattention and your kiddo could be in for big trouble.

Personally, I think preschool is the earliest you can take a child to Disney and have them own the experience. Kids ages 3 or 4 and up can make sense of what they are seeing and hearing. You still have to tailor the trip around their interests if you want them to really have a great time, but it is do-able.

Which brings me to my next point: there is an age at which you aren't doing grandma any favors by hauling her to Disney with you. On our trip I saw a number of frail older people being hauled in and out of rides. You could tell they were weary beyond the point of enjoying the experience, and the fact that the temperatures in late May and early June topped out in the mid to high 90's, plus the humidity, didn't help.

I don't want flamed on this unless, like me, you have cared for an elderly, infirm relative in your home for at least 15 years.

So, my answer for all questions about when to go to Disney is what you'd find in the Bible...there is a time for every purpose under heaven. It is up to you to be wise enough to know whether this is that time or not.

I can respond because I have been to WDW with my daughter as an infant and twice as a toddler..I have not cared for the elderly.

I do not bring her because she loves the pretty lights and the parade..which she does...it is not one of the reasons we go though.

We go to WDW every year..and chose to continue to go once we had a child.

We knew that our trips would be very different with a baby/toddler with us then when we used to go alone.

We knew that we would have to take extra stuff and especially with my daughter who the first year had a breathing machine, a suction machine and was tube fed on a special formula that only came in glass bottles that had to be lugged around.

We knew that we would have to take breaks often and skip some shows and rides because of loud noises or dark areas or just because she was not wanting to sit down in one place for a certain time.

That still never changed our minds about waiting till she was "old enough" to go.

While she will not remember her first or second trip, we have pictures and video and so many memories.

Will she remember this last trip..well she still talks about it now and she may forget it as she gets older..but we will continue to bring her every year and she will remember more and more and we will have many more wonderful memories.

So..to each his own..if you want to bring babies or toddlers..then go ahead...if you do not want too and prefer to wait then fine.

What people do is their buisness and not my own..I choose not to judge..Only God should do the judging.

We are wise enought to know that our time was when we chose it to be and we are happy with that decision.:wave:

 

[MKCP 1985]

exactly, Dana. people don't have to confine themselves to their homes until their children are "old enough." We lived near to Orlando when our kids were really young so we took them to Disney parks because we were going to go somewhere to blow off steam, and we enjoyed going to WDW at that point in our lives.

The kids are now older and they don't have specific recollection of those early trips, but they enjoy looking at the scrapbook pictures or the home videos and it all reinforces a message that we have always spent time doing fun things together and the kids enjoy going and doing things now.

Whether the early trips to fanciful places with castles and giant golf balls and parades had anything to do with that - who knows? it sure didn't hurt.

There was a time when our daughter was afraid of the characters, so we didn't force the issue. There are plenty of other things to do besides take pictures with characters. :shrug: Today, she watches the video of her encounter with Goofy when she was withdrawn and scared and laughs.

 

[FutureBelle93]

I went for the first time when i was 6, the reason was money problems and thats when we could afford it. That being said my brother has gone since before birth and on. While most would go thats crazy, we got the cutest pictures of him with princess kisses when he was an infant. To this day, he brags he got kissed by the princess haha. Really its whenever you think they will be able to handle it. I can say since we started him very young he is more tolerant of going for long days and what-not. Now he is finally big enough to go on the big boy rides and has been looking forward to it!