How old do you think kids should be before

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I'm going to approach numerous responses here by assuming you were attempting to be funny by playing dumb. Either that or there are a lot of WDWmagic members who, as children, could have used the help of a remedial reading teacher more than a trip to Disney World.

Your twisting and misinterpretation of my points, whether intentional or not, are a sad comment on the general ability of the average American to put two and two together and come up with four.

If you have to sink to personal attacks and name calling or making false accusations to make your point you might reconsider whether it is worth making or not.

My experience with this thread goes to prove that first impressions can be wrong. I had joined this board thinking it was populated by those who were dismayed by the general incivilities and muckraking that goes on at other Disney discussion sites.

Thankfully, my trip is past and I have no further reason to visit these boards.

You'll be sorely missed.

 

[nolatron]

The wife and I have a 5-month old daughter now. We decided the earliest to take her would be 2 years old, but more preferably closer to 4, about when she's potty trained and able to visit the neverland club (mommy & daddy would like a nice quiet dinner one night afterall).

On one hand we think it would be so much fun and cute to bring her to Disney now (we've gone every year prior to her birth). But then on the other hand, we worry how much her constant "feeding, diaper changing, take a nap" routine (and the required luggage to carry it all) she does every 3 hours would affect her, us, and our enjoyment for WDW. We know the trips from here on out are gonna be for her enjoyment primarily, but we also don't wanna tear our hair out in the process by taking her too young and leaving us with some not-fun memories. Yes, I know other people do it all time, but that's them and this is us.

So we decided to wait a little while until we (the parents) feel comfortable enough to where we feel all three of us will have a fun and enjoyable trip.

So my advice; While a child is ready to go at any age really, you need to feel ready and comfortable to do so as well since you're going to be doing the grunt work of the trip.

 

[maggiegrace1]

I'm going to approach numerous responses here by assuming you were attempting to be funny by playing dumb. Either that or there are a lot of WDWmagic members who, as children, could have used the help of a remedial reading teacher more than a trip to Disney World.

Your twisting and misinterpretation of my points, whether intentional or not, are a sad comment on the general ability of the average American to put two and two together and come up with four.

If you have to sink to personal attacks andname calling or making false accusations to make your point you might reconsider whether it is worth making or not.

My experience with this thread goes to prove that first impressions can be wrong. I had joined this board thinking it was populated by those who were dismayed by the general incivilities and muckraking that goes on at other Disney discussion sites.

Thankfully, my trip is past and I have no further reason to visit these boards.

I think you are the one who has put people down..you seem to have the attitude that you are better then most..if you do not think that, well you sure come across that way on this forum.

I think maybe you need to reconsider what you say before you post.

Your posts are the ones that come across as rude and harsh..and then others responded to them...and you did not like that.

Maybe if you did not think that you were better then everyone because of your 15 years of whatever you did.. then others would not respond back to you in the manner that they did.:shrug:

Have a Magical Day!..:wave:

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I'm going to approach numerous responses here by assuming you were attempting to be funny by playing dumb. Either that or there are a lot of WDWmagic members who, as children, could have used the help of a remedial reading teacher more than a trip to Disney World.

Your twisting and misinterpretation of my points, whether intentional or not, are a sad comment on the general ability of the average American to put two and two together and come up with four.

If you have to sink to personal attacks and name calling or making false accusations to make your point you might reconsider whether it is worth making or not.

My experience with this thread goes to prove that first impressions can be wrong. I had joined this board thinking it was populated by those who were dismayed by the general incivilities and muckraking that goes on at other Disney discussion sites.

Thankfully, my trip is past and I have no further reason to visit these boards.

...don't let the door hit you on the way out.....

 

[YodaGirl]

Some of my mom's fav pics of me are from our trip in 82 when I was 1 1/2 yrs old. Do I remember that trip, no. But the look on my face while watching the character parade is absolutely priceless. I'm loving every minute of it. Like is previously mentioned, they may not remember it, but kids live in the moment.

We would've taken DD this year (1 1/2), but we didn't have the time or the cash. Next year, she'll be 2 1/2, and I'm sure she'll have a complete blast!

I've been with kids (my niece) and I've been without. I've found it to be much more enjoyable with kids. It does change the trip, but IMHO, for the better.

As for the elderly in disney world, my parents are disney nuts. They've already said that as long as they can breathe they'll go - and we can just push them around in their wheelchairs. Becareful judging a book by it's cover. Some of these "elderly" people may actually be having the time of their lives.

 

[KC82271]

Depends on many things. First and foremost - what type of child do you have - a crier, a happy, etc. For a baby that always cries, it's going to be more of a headache for you when you think your child is "causing a scene" by crying. If your child is laid back, go for it!

Another factor to consider is it just the two of you going? It's not the easiest with only two sets of hands. You have the baby, the other person has the stroller, the diaper bag, the souveniers, etc. I have done it with 3 adults and the 10 month old, as well as with an almost 2 year old with only 2 of us and a 2.5 year old with 10 of us. It was easy for the larger group. Not everyone wants to ride all rides, so whoever wasn't going on got the kid. Worked well.

One thing I will add is I would never give back any of the trips (or pass up any for that matter) - you make do with the situation as it is. It's fun no matter what!

 

[slappy magoo]

Ah, memories...

A few years ago, there was a similar thread, a "should I take my infant to WDW" kinda thing. Most of the responses were extremely positive: "Yes! Go! Your baby will have a great time!" I took a more cautious approach, feeling, like many of you do, that if you're going to bring a toddler or infant to WDW, go because YOU want to go. Your baby will be happy just being with you, wherever you are, as long as you're happy and engaging them and showing them love. To spend thousands of dollars on a trip, ostensibly for THEIR benefit, when you can get the same effect making funny faces, seems absurd. But if YOU want to go, if YOU want those memories, if you want the picture or video of your baby with Mickey Mouse, go for it. I can't blame anyone for wanting that, only for pretending it's for that baby's benefit and not their own.

At the time I was essentially called a Nazi. How dare I tell people what to do with their babies? Why, if Slappy were a parent, he'd probably raise them like veal, never let them see daylight! Kids understand their surroundings! And if I want to bring MY baby to WDW, who are YOU to tell me I shouldn't? Point missed entirely from some of our, shall-we-say, more willfully ignorant forum members. Never said don't take kids, never said it wouldn't be worth it, just said don't go for their benefit, go for yours, and understand that you'll be on their schedule, not yours. You won't do everything you might want to do, and what you do manage to do, might not be when you want to do it.

So it's nice to see so many people feel the same way I do.

Aaaaaand for the kicker, my little Slapperina is 1 month old today, and the reason I've been back on this forum more often lately is because, naturally, I'm planning a trip to WDW. We're planning on going in December, before the holidays. Mrs. Slappy is a teacher taking a year off, so this will probably be the only time we get to go in early-mid December until retirement, and we've always wanted to see the parks and resorts decked out for Christmas. We're totally aware of our limitations - we're worried about the germ factories that are airplanes, not to mention how oten babies are prone to ear infections, so we'll either drive or take the train. We won't be in the parks that often, mostly resort hopping to check out the decorations. Friends will be there at the same time, so they'll be able to help us out a bit, plus maybe give us some Rider Switch options so we can ride at least a few rides together (one more time on Space Mountain before the planned refurb! First time on the refurbbed HM, though I suppose the baby might be able to handle that, but I won't count on it). We are NOT driving 20 hours over the course of 2 days, lugging ginormous diaper bags, surreptitiously breast feeding in Cracker Barrel or pumping in the car just so HER eyes might or might not light up at the sight of the castle :lol: We're going because WE want to go, and everything we need to do so that we can all go as a family is worth it. It's not about HER having a great time. It's about ALL OF US, hopefully, having a great time.

Well, honey, if you want to pull out degrees, I have early childhood certification and a specializion in reading, which focuses largely on cognitive development. Oh, and I'll see your 10 years of teaching and raise you 15....

I would love for you to share the research on how Disney is the most appropriate place for toddlers. All of the research on early childhood I've ever seen says that babies and toddlers learn best when they can interact...touch, taste, smell, and manipulate their environment. Sorry, but Disney is largely a passive experience. The experiences that are interactive are designed for older children and adults. Babies aren't going to get a whole lot out of Innoventions.

It saddens me to see that you would allow your devotion to Disney to cloud your professional judgement. If you truly believe that sitting on rides is developmentally appropriate, you might want to find some PD to do further study on brain development in infants and toddlers.

I know this is probably a moot point, since this particular member decided to throw a tantrum and am-scray. I'd just like to point out that, even if you consider WDW to be a passive enviornment, there's no law that says a parent can't still interact with their baby while there. You can give babies things to touch, whether it's a new toy or one brought from home. You can talk to them, point out what you're looking at, stimulate them by trying to get them to focus...and even if they're too little to eat any of the WDW food, it's not as if they're not allowed to smell anything. :veryconfu Any enviornment can be "interactive" if the parent intereacts with the baby. WDW doesn't have to be just sitting on rides. It saddens me that someone professionally trained to deal with children would stupidly overlook such a simple fact that parents whould try to interact with babies as often as possible. I guess, when you've done the same thing for 25 years, you get a little set in your ways, and overlook some simple answers.