How young is too young ?

[Douglas Bray]

My wife & I took our son from Vancouver BC to Orlando for his first trip to Walt Disney World when he was 10 months old. His second when he was 18 months. His third trid will be this September and he will be just under 3 years old. You do need to plan things old a little more than you might have done without an infant or toddler, but being a parent you do things like that every day. On our previous two trips we had a blast with him even though we didn't get to go on all the rides togetherdue to our sons size. You are able to use baby swap on most of the larger rides but then you ride by yourself while your spouse whats with your child. I would recommend that you bring your own stroller so that you child will be comfortable and you will have room for sum storage as the rental ones have almost none and are very hard. Our son remembers almost all of his last trip, and asks when we are going back to see Mickey and Goofy again. Just remember when you are there to go at the pace that suits your child and make sure to go back to the hotel for their afternoon naps and to let them have some time in the pool. Have a great trip and take some pictures that you will treasure forever.

 

[JimboJones123]

It all depends on your goals. If you want to hit SM BTM R&R 6x in a row, then no. If you are going an just want to spend quality familt time together, then yes. Make sure it is their trip, not yours.

 

[JDM]

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

It is only my opinion, which I believe I stated clearly enough.
And opinions are what the original poster sought.

Other opinions may vary.

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

I can respect that people have their own very strong opinions on this topic, but it disturbs me to see how some people characterize others as less-than-perfect-Disney-people/parents if they choose not to take their infants and/or toddlers with them. Every family, child and parent is different. How about some respect for people's individual situations?

On my first Disney trip, I left my son at home with his grandparents (my parents), capable people who already had raised two children. I figured they could handle it.

Why did I do this?

I'm a single mom and taking a vacation like this requires careful planning and saving. I love my son more than anything in this world and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. BUT ... I did not want our first family experience to be ruined because I walked into it wearing rose-colored glasses, all dreamy about going to Disney with my son and then having a horrible time because the planning wasn't right.

Once I had experienced Disney firsthand, it was so easy and so exciting to plan a trip together. We had a blast planning the trip and it's something we still love to do together. (Last weekend, we spent an hour going over menus for our upcoming trip. :slurp: ) We've been back every summer since (and I've been back a few times without him).

This is what works for me. Other stuff will work for other people. And still other things will work for other people. It would be nice if people would recognize that.

I wish the OP all the luck in the world, no matter what she decides to do. May all your trips be magical.

Now can we go back to discussing strollers?

 

[SpenceMan01]

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 were using that example to illustrate your point of "the kids won't remember anything, so why spend the money?", which is a moot point, IMO. They were probably there for THEIR enjoyment of watching the characters interact with their baby and getting pictures. THEY probably thought the [$75] was worth it for the enjoyment THEY had, and the memories THEY will remember. There are many adults without kids that love character breakfasts. You don't have to have a kid to enjoy them (it's not something that interests me, BTW). Different people enjoy different things, and you can't project your likes/dislikes onto others and say they should've been doing something else.

This is getting a little OT, so I will let it die here.

 

[SpenceMan01]

I can respect that people have their own very strong opinions on this topic, but it disturbs me to see how some people characterize others as less-than-perfect-Disney-people/parents if they choose not to take their infants and/or toddlers with them. Every family, child and parent is different. How about some respect for people's individual situations?

I agree with you... but it goes BOTH ways.

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

Yes, it does.

 

[maggiegrace1]

I can respect that people have their own very strong opinions on this topic, but it disturbs me to see how some people characterize others as less-than-perfect-Disney-people/parents if they choose not to take their infants and/or toddlers with them. Every family, child and parent is different. How about some respect for people's individual situations?

On my first Disney trip, I left my son at home with his grandparents (my parents), capable people who already had raised two children. I figured they could handle it.

Why did I do this?

I'm a single mom and taking a vacation like this requires careful planning and saving. I love my son more than anything in this world and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. BUT ... I did not want our first family experience to be ruined because I walked into it wearing rose-colored glasses, all dreamy about going to Disney with my son and then having a horrible time because the planning wasn't right.

Once I had experienced Disney firsthand, it was so easy and so exciting to plan a trip together. We had a blast planning the trip and it's something we still love to do together. (Last weekend, we spent an hour going over menus for our upcoming trip. :slurp: ) We've been back every summer since (and I've been back a few times without him).

This is what works for me. Other stuff will work for other people. And still other things will work for other people. It would be nice if people would recognize that.

I wish the OP all the luck in the world, no matter what she decides to do. May all your trips be magical.

Now can we go back to discussing strollers?

I respect everyones choice to bring their child or not...my problem was when one poster made it seem like their child was an inconvenience and a burden and referred to them as a sack of potatos...:brick:


I think its great that you are doing it the way you want to do it and I hope you all have the time of your lives..I am sure you will and cannot wait to hear about it..

I choose to take Maggie at a young age and have had no problems with doing it at all..

 

[Cole'sMom]

I took Cole at 10 weeks old, and we ar going again May 21. He'll be 10 1/2 months old. He loved his first trip and he has changed so much that I am sure he will love it for different reasons this time around. I haven't read the whole thread, so I'm sorry if I sound odd just jumping in! Two years is a good age. Maybe she will be potty trained and that will be one less thing to tote around. I, too, had different thoughts until I had children. My doctors never thought I could have kids, so imagine that! We were going to take my nephew at 5, but we changed our tune and decided to take our son MUCH earlier. Part of going to WDW is sharing the joy you have felt with your children. Go and have fun-5 years is much too long to wait to return! Go at her pace and she will be fine-no more being park commandos, if that was your style!

 

[JimboJones123]

I dress the kids and take them to G-ma's house at 7am every morning M-F. My wife picks them up and we finally meet all at home around 7pm every night M-F. This happens 51 weeks a year. I also work Saturdays 1-2x every month.

The one week we do have time together is at WDW every year.

Trip one, oldest 22 months
Trip two, oldest 3 yrs old, youngest 10 months
Trip three, oldest almost 4, youngest 19 months
Trip four, oldest 4, youngest 22 months
Trip five, oldest almost 5, youngest 2 1/2
Trip six coming up, oldest almost 6, youngest 3 1/2.

I can't imagine what our family would be like if we hadn't gone on any of those trips because the kids were too young. That 1 week a year is the most important family building week out of our entire year. Sure we keep very busy doing other fun things every week, but these weeks are the "family weeks". There is no more important times in our lives that actually being able to spend more than 3-4 days together and having fun TOGETHER.

Both kids before even turning 2 would ask us weekly when we were going back to WDW. It is because not only the parents but the children too enjoy it. And no, there were no logistical nightmares. We had to take a backpack of snacks/diapers when we went to the park at home too. It wasn't any different there. It actually helped knowing that you didn't have to do the NORMAL things. Washing Dishes/Clothes, Making Beds, Cooking, Picking up Toys. All these things we did without every week and that is an additional blessing upon itself.

So it's up to you. If a "family trip" is what you want -- by all means have it.

If not -- don't. Only you can decide if you are wanting to enjoy a family trip or make it a "logistical nightmare". Strollers do come with a pouch you know.

I know my family is enriched because of those weeks we spend together. They make us the strong family that we are.

 

[Fire1831]

My wife and I have taken our 3 yr old daughter to WDW 3 times including a trip where we celebrated her 1st Birthday. No matter how old a child is you can have time a great time, you just need to be prepared for the limitations you have and plan according. My daughters reaction to the characters on all 3 trips were priceless and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.:sohappy:

 

[happymom52003]

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).

I do not feel this is an accurate test, because most people with babies/toddlers do not spend more than a few hours at a park at Disney. We would go to a park for a few hours in the morning, go back to the hotel for an afternoon rest, then go back out in the evening (as many other posters have suggested doing). I would never take my two year old anywhere for more than a few hours! Especially the zoo. In fact, she does much better at Disney than when we do things at home (like the zoo). I think it comes down to not only the personality of your child, but also the personality of the parent. Everyone has different levels of patience. If you know being at Disney with a little one would frustrate you, then you are probably right and it is best for you to wait so that you are not one of those parents that we all see fighting with their kids and spouse. But it sounds to me like the original poster really, really wants to go...so I think she should and I bet she has a great time, just as we did when we first took our kids (age 12 months and 4 years)....because we REALLY wanted to go, we did our homework, and we knew what we were getting into.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

My nephew is a little over 2, and he LOVES disneyworld! He knows the rides, he asks for Mickey Mouse and he is a delight to watch there.

However, I too have seen children that seem like they are nightmares for their parents at disneyworld.

My advice is to base it on your child. Does it seem like she would have fun now or does it seem like she would be unhappy spending all day there? All little kids are different with things like this and nobody knows your daughter like you do =)

 

[JDM]

You were using that example to illustrate your point of "the kids won't remember anything, so why spend the money?", which is a moot point, IMO. They were probably there for THEIR enjoyment of watching the characters interact with their baby and getting pictures. THEY probably thought the [$75] was worth it for the enjoyment THEY had, and the memories THEY will remember. There are many adults without kids that love character breakfasts. You don't have to have a kid to enjoy them (it's not something that interests me, BTW). Different people enjoy different things, and you can't project your likes/dislikes onto others and say they should've been doing something else.

This is getting a little OT, so I will let it die here.

as posted above, in case you missed it:

It is only my opinion, which I believe I stated clearly enough.
And opinions are what the original poster sought.

Other opinions may vary.


And bayoutinkerbelle: I agree 100%

 

[happymom52003]

My 5 year old (who was 4 last time we went) is an absolute Disney fanatic. He obsessively watches Disney vacation planning videos. He's been singing "yo-ho" since he was 2. He talks about Disney World more than I do.

That sounds just like my five year old! He is JUST like me, and my husband just rolls his eyes and shakes his head at the both of us (my husband loves Disney, but is not a Disney freak like me!). There is not a day that goes by where my son does not talk about Disney, and everynight he asks me to tell him what to dream about...and he insists that it has to be something about Disney. On our last trip I knew I had created a little fanatic when my normally shy son asked a couple in line for the HM if this was their first time at Disney, and when they said yes, he proceeded to tell them everything they should do!

 

[SpenceMan01]

Yep. You posted as I was writing my post out.

Glad we're all in agreement.

 

[nicnic]

Go,go,go. We took our daughter when she was almost 3. She had a fab time, she knew everything that was going on, we took video of everything and she still loves to watch it and remembers being there. People said to us 'oh she's too young, she'll not remember it' well she does, and so what if she has just a little memory of it, the best thing for us was seeing her face when she saw cinderellas castle, that is something I will never forget. Everytime she met a character, got her photo taken, we were there and it brings me such happiness everytime i think about it and watch our video footage.
It is the best thing we ever did and are going again this year when she will be almost 4 and she is so exited. Yes it was hard going but if you get a routine going, its a breeze. We went to parks in morning, got her asleep about noon (in the park or not, we made sure she had a good hour), this gave us time, especially in the park, to have a quiet hour to ourselves on a bench or riding rides. After her nap she was ready to go until bed time and fell asleep going home. perfect. It is totally diffrent seeing disney through a childs eyes, you do need more time and to take your time but its worth it. ENJOY EVERY SECCOND.

 

[TwoTigersMom]

I only read the 1st page of posts, so I'm sure many others have already said basically what I'm about to say, but here goes anyway :lol:

We just got back from an 11 day adventure at WDW with our 5 year old and 27 month old. We had an absolute BLAST! I'm working on my trip report, I should be posting it in a few days. Both my kids enjoyed everything we did. We were up at 6am every morning and never got in bed before 11pm at night. We went to the resort most days to swim or nap for an hour or 2 each day. The kids out lasted my husband by a long shot. The 27 month old was able to do tons of stuff and loved every bit of it. The older one will probably retain lots of memories from this trip. My younger one may remember 1 or 2 things about it, but I will remember every bit of it forever! Both of the kids LOVED pin trading. I got them each one of those pin pouches and kept them stocked with pins they could trade. Then each night we went through the ones they got that day and they decided where they wanted to put them in their large book of pins. I had several CMs ask me if the trade they were making was ok. I told them it was was their pins and they trade whatever they wanted. The 27 month old would hold his bag up and go up to CMs by himself and ask to trade. You'd be very surprised at what the kids can handle if given the chance.

 

[JimboJones123]

I only read the 1st page of posts, so I'm sure many others have already said basically what I'm about to say, but here goes anyway :lol:

We just got back from an 11 day adventure at WDW with our 5 year old and 27 month old. We had an absolute BLAST! I'm working on my trip report, I should be posting it in a few days. Both my kids enjoyed everything we did. We were up at 6am every morning and never got in bed before 11pm at night. We went to the resort most days to swim or nap for an hour or 2 each day. The kids out lasted my husband by a long shot. The 27 month old was able to do tons of stuff and loved every bit of it. The older one will probably retain lots of memories from this trip. My younger one may remember 1 or 2 things about it, but I will remember every bit of it forever! Both of the kids LOVED pin trading. I got them each one of those pin pouches and kept them stocked with pins they could trade. Then each night we went through the ones they got that day and they decided where they wanted to put them in their large book of pins. I had several CMs ask me if the trade they were making was ok. I told them it was was their pins and they trade whatever they wanted. The 27 month old would hold his bag up and go up to CMs by himself and ask to trade. You'd be very surprised at what the kids can handle if given the chance.

Ditto. I can't imagine *not* giving this gift of WDW to my kids each year. By the time 7-8 come around -- are they "really" going to be anywhere near as interested? I remember growing tired of some of the Disney stuff as a kid around that age. That's why it's important to get it in early.

 

[JimboJones123]

I dress the kids and take them to G-ma's house at 7am every morning M-F. My wife picks them up and we finally meet all at home around 7pm every night M-F. This happens 51 weeks a year. I also work Saturdays 1-2x every month.

The one week we do have time together is at WDW every year.

Trip one, oldest 22 months
Trip two, oldest 3 yrs old, youngest 10 months
Trip three, oldest almost 4, youngest 19 months
Trip four, oldest 4, youngest 22 months
Trip five, oldest almost 5, youngest 2 1/2
Trip six coming up, oldest almost 6, youngest 3 1/2.

I can't imagine what our family would be like if we hadn't gone on any of those trips because the kids were too young. That 1 week a year is the most important family building week out of our entire year. Sure we keep very busy doing other fun things every week, but these weeks are the "family weeks". There is no more important times in our lives that actually being able to spend more than 3-4 days together and having fun TOGETHER.

Both kids before even turning 2 would ask us weekly when we were going back to WDW. It is because not only the parents but the children too enjoy it. And no, there were no logistical nightmares. We had to take a backpack of snacks/diapers when we went to the park at home too. It wasn't any different there. It actually helped knowing that you didn't have to do the NORMAL things. Washing Dishes/Clothes, Making Beds, Cooking, Picking up Toys. All these things we did without every week and that is an additional blessing upon itself.

So it's up to you. If a "family trip" is what you want -- by all means have it.

If not -- don't. Only you can decide if you are wanting to enjoy a family trip or make it a "logistical nightmare". Strollers do come with a pouch you know.

I know my family is enriched because of those weeks we spend together. They make us the strong family that we are.

Oh, and the wife went while pregnant both times. Once at 4 months and another just before 6. So the kiddos were already getting into the swing of things.