How old was the first time you took your child to WDW?

[smk]

Our youngest was 9 when we went with our kids for the first time. They were 9, 11 and 13. For the record, we had a blast, and went every year (or more) after that until our youngest was 19. I have gone many times since then with each of my daughters who happen to love the place as much as I do. Our son (now 23) has not gone in several years BUT recently said he would love to go back!

Our reason for not taking them earlier was we wanted them to remember the vacation in case we never could afford to go back. Plus, I guess I was selfish in that I did not want to deal with crying, crabby little ones who needed naps and daily structure. :shrug:

 

[durangojim]

Our youngest was 9 when we went with our kids for the first time. They were 9, 11 and 13. For the record, we had a blast, and went every year (or more) after that until our youngest was 19. I have gone many times since then with each of my daughters who happen to love the place as much as I do. Our son (now 23) has not gone in several years BUT recently said he would love to go back!

Our reason for not taking them earlier was we wanted them to remember the vacation in case we never could afford to go back. Plus, I guess I was selfish in that I did not want to deal with crying, crabby little ones who needed naps and daily structure. :shrug:

I think that's a great point! For some going to Disney is a once in a lifetime event and I can totally understand why you or anyone else would want to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves, especially considering how much money it costs to go on a vacation like that.
I just take umbridge with people who say that because a child cannot allegedly remember a vacation, or that they will get tired and crabby, it's not worth it to go, which I whole heartedly disagree with. We're fortunate that we can go a number of times a year, and seeing my son change every time we've been down there has been a great experience.

 

[ypcat]

Our son was 19 months when we first took him, and he DOES remember that trip. Yes, we did have to slow down and not do some things. But I think it was well worth it both for us and him.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Our younger daughter rode Space Mountain, sitting on my lap, when she was 3+ yrs. old.
At that time, about 1976, they would let you do that.
She had fun

 

[NadieMasK2]

Mine were 5 and 4. I personally didn't want to mess with diaper changing and bottle feeding, however I really think that the right time to go is when the parent feels comfortable going. If you don't mind dealing with the baby at the parks, then go for it! Everyone is different. My SIL has an 18 month old son and she frets over everything and makes a big deal about the smallest things - she talks about how difficult it is to go out to dinner with a baby. Obviously she is NOT a candidate for taking a baby to WDW. But a parent with a more relaxed go-with-the-flow personality would probably have a fantastic time.

 

[Disneyfanman]

Our kids were 11, 8, and 5 when we first took them. They were so hyped up that they were disappointed by the reality of WDW. The rides weren't fast enough, and they missed the point of the atmosphere because they wanted to run from attraction to attraction. The next year we took them again and they enjoyed it much more. By the third trip they couldn't imagine going anywhere else. They are completely and totally hooked. We have gone 12 times in 10 years. Sometimes for a day, and sometimes for a week.

The mistake that I made the first time was treating the visit like a commando raid. Instead, we should have taken our time and seen less but at a more relaxed pace. My youngest fell asleep in his mac and cheese at 9:00 PM and barely remembered the last few hours. Never again.

Now we take our time, and see what we want. I think 5 is the perfect age for a first visit if you plan it better than I did.

 

[JDM]

I think that's a great point! For some going to Disney is a once in a lifetime event and I can totally understand why you or anyone else would want to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves, especially considering how much money it costs to go on a vacation like that.
I just take umbridge with people who say that because a child cannot allegedly remember a vacation, or that they will get tired and crabby, it's not worth it to go, which I whole heartedly disagree with. We're fortunate that we can go a number of times a year, and seeing my son change every time we've been down there has been a great experience.

I'm sorry you took umbrage.
I made the mmistake of thinking all opinions were welcome.
Sorry about that.

If you recall, I also said that if you want to take an infant, go right ahead.
Not everyone is so fortunate as you to go multiple times in a year.
I'm very glad you had a positive experience.

 

[JDM]

Unfortunately you have done exactly what I didn't want to happen -- speculate about when is the most "appropriate" age to take your child to WDW. I posted this poll to see when most people decide to take their kids down there and right now the majority have done so under the age of two.

Then for your next poll, I suggest you say something like "Please answer the question, but do not provide any reasoning or opinion on the subject"

 

[durangojim]

No problem, I just didn't care for your statement:

"Taking a child under 3 or so makes it virtually impossible for him/her to remember anything. It's still okay to take them if you like, just don't give yourself the illusion that the trip is for them--it's for you. And that's fine, if that's what you want."

I'm not big on people telling other people what they should or should not be doing, especially when it comes to kids and unsubstantiated statements presented as facts. If a child enjoys him/herself at the time even if there were no memories, would it make it any less enjoyable for that child, or less of a valid reason for taking the little one to WDW? I don't think so.

I respect your choice to wait to take your kids until they're older, I was really more interested in seeing what ages most of us take our kids for the first time.

 

[MomofKatie]

DD was 3 1/2 when she went to WDW for the first time. She had fun, but didn't ride many things (we asked, but Dumbo was "too tall", teacups too "spinny", Barnstormer too "fast", etc). She had a great time just exploring and taking in the atmosphere- I think she liked the resort pool and the petting area at FW more than the parks. And we were fine with that- we really tailored the trip to her likes and dislikes (so, lots of character meals, playing in the pool, and just hanging out at the MK, very little actual riding or experiencing attractions).

As for not going to WDW until kids are "old enough to remember"- what about the zoo near home? Or the library? Or the park? They won't remember going those places, either. But we take them, because they are all activities that shape their childhood. Granted, WDW is expensive, but if the "they won't remember" rationale is used, what about other vacations when they are young? Do they get left at home when everyone else goes to the beach or to Washington DC because they won't be able to recall the trip in later life?

 

[dixiegirl]

The first visit for my oldest daughter who is now 7 , was when she was turning 1 and celebrated it in disney and has been every year since then at least 2 or 3 times a year..The little one who is 4, was just over a year old ( unless you count going when I was 7 1/2 months prego with her!} when we took her and has been ever year as well going 2 or 3 times a year...Yes when they are younger some people willl say "oh why spend all the money , they're not going to remember it"....

But to me every year gets better and better , as they get older you need fewer things as much as you do when they are infants..and I'm sure my hubby and I are not the only ones who see New parents or not so new parents at the park or getting ready to go on a bus and have all the baby gear and the giant cadillac stroller. It is nice not to have to take that much stuff as we go now..
I love looking back and so do our girls at pics and video of the all our trips with them....How much the've grown , and such..They , as well as some other children don't realize how lucky they are to go as many times as they've been....They don't know any other way.....I love how much disney is in our every day lives..Its normal for us....In 56 more days our spoiled little princessess will be spoiled once more and going on a Disney Cruise/and then going to Disney World for a few days.......Poor things!!!!!!!

 

[JDM]

As for not going to WDW until kids are "old enough to remember"- what about the zoo near home? Or the library? Or the park? They won't remember going those places, either. But we take them, because they are all activities that shape their childhood. Granted, WDW is expensive, but if the "they won't remember" rationale is used, what about other vacations when they are young? Do they get left at home when everyone else goes to the beach or to Washington DC because they won't be able to recall the trip in later life?

That's a common argument and of course, you pretty much refuted it yourself by pointing out that the Zoo, library, park and beach do not cost thousands of dollars. (Unless you have to fly to the beach, in which case I would wait for that, too)
I mentioned earlier that if you have older children as well as tiny ones, I can understand takingn them in that situation.

Just don't know how much clearer I can be: IT'S AN OPINION!