How young is too young ?

[Shaman]

Seems like a fair observation. But next time, look for kids like mine that are all caught up in the magic. Sometimes Dylan actually starts trembling because he's so overwhelmed with how excited he is. :lol: Maybe these kids that are having fun ARE being overshadowed by the ones that aren't because they don't cause as much of a fuss, but they are still out there.

I think it all goes back to the parents and how they do things. Some seem to want to push their kids way too much...and milk their admission price for everything it is worth (not go back to the resort in the middle of day, ride everything etc)...so the kid really doesn't have fun...I can't blame someone for wanting to see as much as possible, especially if they can't get to the world as much...but.....

 

[Laura]

I think it all goes back to the parents and how they do things. Some seem to want to push their kids way too much...and milk their admission price for everything it is worth (not go back to the resort in the middle of day, ride everything etc)...so the kid really doesn't have fun...I can't blame someone for wanting to see as much as possible, especially if they can't get to the world as much...but.....

I did that the first trip we took all as a family when my kids were 1 and 2. They did fine and had so much fun. Andy and I were absolutely miserable. The kids had it easy riding around in their strollers and not having to do anything except enjoy the sights and sounds. We were losing our minds racing around in mid July trying to hit every attraction. :lol: It was definitely a learning experience that taught us what NOT to do in WDW when you have 2 kids in diapers. But still some good memories anyway.

 

[jvenegas]

*shakes head*

at least you were the one who admitted to being selfish because thats how i took your post...and its your POV and you are entitled to it.

I will say that for every child I've seen having a melt down I've witnessed an adult do the same, and some had no children with them. It happens when you push somebody to their limit and then beyond. No matter what your age, we all get cranky when we are exhausted.

Personally I never minded carrying my child anywhere, thats what a parent does. And I never considered them a hindrance, but a privilege...getting to see the world again thru innocent eyes is something everyone should enjoy.
So I didn't get to see every show or ride every ride, big deal. The look on my child's face at the end of the day meant more to me than anything else...sheer amazement and total enjoyment. We did the late nights too, after taking an afternoon swim and nap so we were all rested and relaxed.
My child never "weighed me down", your life changes when you have a child and you have to refocus your priorities, its called growing up.

Just my POV.

Amen!! Some people just don't get it that WDW was made for the family to have a place they could enjoy, have fun and be safe. Walt said it himself that that was the main reason and objective in the creation of Disneyland and later WDW. A family, imho, includes the children. and that's my POV.
Take your child and have a blast!!!:sohappy:

 

[Erika]

It really depends on your child.

Our friends have taken their son at that age, and he loved it. He came home talking about it for a week, showing me pictures, talking about Mickey, etc. But they took it at his pace, not theirs. That makes a big difference.

It's like anything else. Some kids are ready earlier than others. :shrug:

As far as who remembers what, I take my daughter to places all the time that she won't remember. Disney is not in the budget, but, you know, splash parks or the zoo. :lol: I know she won't remember but she has a good time. :king:

 

[disneydudette]

After taking my BF's 18mo for the first time this past January ...

I wouldn't do it again... ... I know it completely depends on the kids though. It was just "too much" for me and I felt she was too young. I never thought that I would say that as I was always the one that said "as soon as I have kids I'm taking them every year no matter what people say." Anyone could do that, but I want to enjoy it. My mom started taking me on my 3yo birthday.. and said it was so worth it at that age. I would have to agree after noticing families with kids that age.

As others have said, do what YOU feel is best. I think it depends on the kids and parents too! I could tell my boyfriend wasn't in the mood for this trip... and the baby sensed that too. I feel like I didn't even go to Disney in January... and it was by no means a "memorable" trip. I will of course go down with young kids in the future, but now I just know now what to expect and plan for.

 

[3fordisney]

WDW is made for families! You know your child best. If you think yours can handle it, go for it. We took our son at 2, 3 and 4 years of age. It has gotten easier each time. Just remember, when you take a 2 year old, you will have a Disney experience you've never had before. It is very different taking one that young. At 3, my son was 40 inches and was able to ride BTMRR, Splash Mtn, etc... He talked about it for over a year. In April, we took him and he was 44 inches and able to ride more. He remembers stuff from when he was 2 years old.

The thing to remember is at 2, the concept of a line has not formed. By the end of our first trip, our son was able to handle the lines, knowing something fun was awaiting him at the end. We did what he wanted to do and we didn't have too many problems. Our son loved the characters and wasn't scared by them. I would get yours ready for the trip by watching some of the Sing-a-long videos Disney has. There is Beach party and Disneyand Fun. It helped my son get familiar with some of the rides and characters.

What is right for you may not be right for someone else. You know your family and only you can make that decision. It will be different, but so worth it.

 

[Dayma]

We took our daughter when she was 1 and it was really fun. We are taking her again in two weeks and she is 2 1/2. Dont Wait!

 

[JDM]

To answer a few questions...

So when your children are young, families shouldn't do anything (because the children won't remember it) or just shouldn't do anything expensive?
Families SHOULD do things, yes. But, expensive things like Disney? Well, everyone must define "expensive" for themselves and if they have the money and the vacation time, great. But yes, that is what I'm saying. For those of us who have to fly to get there, we must consider expense more carefully than those within short driving distance.


I totally respect your opinion (and its very well stated), THANK YOU but would you not take your child to the circus or zoo because they won't remember it later on? No, I would certainly do those things (and in fact, HAVE done those things and others). But a trip to the Zoo (or even a nearby attraction of a larger scale) doesn't cost me thousands of dollars. For instance, we went to the Princess breakfast with my daughter and she absolutely LOVED it! It was therefore worth the price for us. But at the table next to us, we saw a couple with a baby no more than 6 months old. Pictures with the princesses, the whole 9 yards. I'm glad they enjoyed it, but it does seem a bit expensive for a child who will ultimately get nothing out of it. Why not wait until next trip? Again, just my opinion.


I'm just speculating here, but maybe they mean all the paraphernalia that you have to take when you have a small child in tow...diaper bags, bottles, baby food (if they are at that stage), etc.
Yes, you're correct, that's exactly what I meant by "logistical nightmare". Plus there's the stroller issue. I saw so many folks stressing about where to park their strollers and how much stuff to leave or take with them while they rode something...that was another big reason we decided to wait until my daughter was sufficiently self-propelled.

 

[morgan22]

For me, every trip is as special as the last and I have as good memories from my first trip when I was a child to my last at (nearly) 30!! - I know that this trip will be so different from all previous because we will have someone with us whose needs are by far the most important thing and we won't be able to rush around seeing and doing everything but you know what, i am really looking forward to spending some vacation time with my family - and what better place to do that than at our favourite spot on earth.

WDW is a family vacation resort and they aim to entertain the masses from 0-120 (we are travelling this time with my daughter at 11months and her Great Grannie at 78years!) - there are attractions and provisions to cater to all ages so why not take a toddler?

 

[maggiegrace1]

Morgan22...
She is just the cutest ..

 

[morgan22]

Thank-you ... MaggieGrace looks a sweetie too xx

 

[garyhoov]

Disney World is for kids



. . . right?:shrug: :lookaroun




I've never gone to Disney World without my son (and I've had opportunities when I've been in Orlando on business, and opportunities to go to Disney Land when I was stuck in LA after Sep. 11th).

I think that if I wanted to take an "adult" vacation, there are about 1000 other places I'd rather go.

Will I get stoned for suggesting that on this web-site?:lookaroun

 

[Erika]

Disney World is for kids



. . . right?:shrug: :lookaroun




I've never gone to Disney World without my son (and I've had opportunities when I've been in Orlando on business, and opportunities to go to Disney Land when I was stuck in LA after Sep. 11th).

I think that if I wanted to take an "adult" vacation, there are about 1000 other places I'd rather go.

Will I get stoned for suggesting that on this web-site?:lookaroun

Not from me :ROFLOL:

 

[JDM]

I think that if I wanted to take an "adult" vacation, there are about 1000 other places I'd rather go.

Will I get stoned for suggesting that on this web-site?:lookaroun

Not by me. I agree with you! As much as I enjoyed it, it was really a trip for our daughter--and that's a good thing, too. And we'll definitely do it again, now that she's old enough.

 

[beanbunny]

My daughter was 18 months on our first trip. We also had our 4 year old son, our 6 year son (in a wheelchair with a broken leg), and 2 grandparents. It was fantastic! Not sure quite how we did it... but we've been back every year since - my daughter is now 22. While she can't remember that much, she still cherishes her "Tigger" that we bought her on that trip! Don't listen to the naysayers - if you feel the time is right the, of course, go and have a blast!!!!! Memories last a lifetime - start them before it's too late!!! :sohappy:

 

[SpenceMan01]

For instance, we went to the Princess breakfast with my daughter and she absolutely LOVED it! It was therefore worth the price for us. But at the table next to us, we saw a couple with a baby no more than 6 months old. Pictures with the princesses, the whole 9 yards. I'm glad they enjoyed it, but it does seem a bit expensive for a child who will ultimately get nothing out of it. Why not wait until next trip? Again, just my opinion.

What do you think the added cost for a 6 month old is? I'd be willing to bet that it's very small if not non-existant. I'm sure they didn't get charged for the baby to be at the breakfast. They only had to pay for themselves and they got their enjoyment out of it without any added expense for having the baby with them. They didn't have to pay park admission, lodging, and probably not even a plane ticket for the baby. The only "cost" for having the baby is the stuff that comes along with having the baby (diapers, naps and all of the other stuff that has been mentioned), which you'd have to deal with ANYWHERE you go, be it zoo, waterpark or otherwise.

I've got memories of trips when I was younger (not 6 months old, mind you) and I look at pictures and can remember bits and pieces. If I got back to those places, I'd be saying "Hey, I remember this..." a lot.

 

[RedBaron]

My husband and I have been to WDW 5 times..on this last trip we created our own little souvenier :sohappy: ..We originally said that we were not going to take her for her first trip til she was 5 years old..we spent 5 years watching parents with small children and nobody seemed to be having any fun :shrug: ..the parents were fighting about different things :brick: the children didn't seem to realize what was going on..almost as if they didn't really understand..they knew that something fuzzy and fun was talking to them, but not what it was :veryconfu ..But now I WANT TO TAKE HER !!! I told my husband I can't wait anymore..I want to plan on taking her next September (2008)..so I wanted opinions from people that have traveled with little kids there..pros and cons..she will be 27 months at that time and want to know if it would be worth it..I think OF COURSE..but a couple of people have told me that I am being selfish and want to go for me not for her ...so any opinions..

I know where you are coming from as I am in a similar situation. We have a daughter who will be 3 in July and a 7 month old son. We said we would wait to take her till she was 4-5 depending on her and what we feel she can handle. I too have seen too many parents with young kids having a miserable time too and I dont want to be one of them. I so badly wanted to take our daughter this year (leaving our son with grandparents) and my husband said the same thing to me (that I wanted to go for me and not for her and he is absolutely right, I had not been to WDW in 10 years and just wanted to go no matter what). After some debate we decided to wait another year to see if we think she can handle it better then. I also seriously wanted her to be potty trained before we go as the thought of hauling all the diaper changing equipment around all day did not appeal. If you have not done so already try a little experiment by taking your daughter to the zoo ALL DAY and see how it goes. That was the big test for me. The first time we went it was dreadful, crying, fussing and no one was having any fun and it ended up being a short 2 hour stay (she was almost 2 this first time). We went agian about a month ago and it went much better, but still felt waiting another year for WDW would be the best answer for our family. There are loads of people here who take infants and tiny tots and think it is great and so much fun, but it is just not for us right now. You really need to decide what is best for your family since a trip to Disney is not cheap. As an ending note I decided to go with my mom for a few short days in September to help ease my 10 years absence and try to look at WDW in a different way since I now have kids.

 

[JDM]

What do you think the added cost for a 6 month old is? I'd be willing to bet that it's very small if not non-existant. I'm sure they didn't get charged for the baby to be at the breakfast. They only had to pay for themselves and they got their enjoyment out of it without any added expense for having the baby with them. They didn't have to pay park admission, lodging, and probably not even a plane ticket for the baby. The only "cost" for having the baby is the stuff that comes along with having the baby (diapers, naps and all of the other stuff that has been mentioned), which you'd have to deal with ANYWHERE you go, be it zoo, waterpark or otherwise.

No, they didn't have to pay anything for the baby's breakfast (which makes sense because this baby was probably not eating solid food anyway). But they did have to drop about 75 bucks for themselves. Money better spent elsewhere (in their case), I believe.

 

[Gagesmom314]

We took my oldest son when he was 3. He had the time of his life and still 3 years later tells us all about it. We leave in 2 weeks and this time we will be taking our 8 month old with us as well. I can't wait to go! He responds to lights and sounds and people so much that it will be great to see the world through him.

 

[Gagesmom314]

No, they didn't have to pay anything for the baby's breakfast (which makes sense because this baby was probably not eating solid food anyway). But they did have to drop about 75 bucks for themselves. Money better spent elsewhere (in their case), I believe.

You are qualified to make judgement on how they spend there money because?