Rides too intense for two year olds?

[Dayma]

We took my daughter when she was 1 and had a magical time. We rode all the rides you are refering to without issue. Just because you can't ride every ride when you could when you did not have a kid does not mean you cant make it a fun trip. Its what you make of it and for us it was great!

 

[marni1971]

Please remember other guests too - a crying child (not saying yours is) is one of the worst things to distract you from a ride. For this I`d agree with not doing Ellens Energy & SSE, or any other attraction you have to stay on until the end.

 

[sophiesmom]

I'm not trying to be rude or mean in any way, honest. I just am having problems understanding bringing a two year old to WDW. Especially if you have never gotten to experience it yourself? At two, they're really, honestly and truly, far too young to ride anything, let alone recall the experience. At three I went to Busch Gardens WV and you know the only thing I recall? Feeding ducks on a bridge. Ducks.

If you've never gone, then why not consider a babysit/daycare? Disney offers wonderful on-property services for just such a thing. This way you can get a chance to really see and do the park. In a few years, when your son is older, you'll already have a better idea of the park and the rides and he will be able to better enjoy them. With a two year old in tow, it's not going to be much fun for you and not much fun for him really either.

I don't know. I'm not a parent, though a friend took her 2 1/2 y.o. to WDW this summer and they were both miserable. Heat, crowds, inability to actually ride rides - it was just a long day for her and her son. On the other hand, my goddaughter first went when she was about 6 and had a blast. She couldn't wait to go back. I know that doing things is important with your child and I commend you for that, but I just don't see the point in a vacation to Florida and Disney World when it won't get to be as much as it could be.

Maybe even just take one day for you and your wife together. You owe it to yourself to have some fun too you know!
-m

You are rude and many are not interested in dropping their child off at daycare while they go on vacation especially when it is to Disney World. I took my 2 year old and she had a great time and rode everything she met the height requirements for. You start so many of your post with "I don't mean to be rude" but they are rude. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

[RedBaron]

Well MissM I guess I am the only parent of a almost 2 year old who agrees with you. I am a stay at home mom and love every minute if it (actually expecting my second child in September), but I cant imagine taking her to WDW at this point. Having been there more than a dozen times as an adult I always get annoyed when there is a screaming kid on a ride. I would hate to be that parent getting all the evil eyes. I also cant imagine dragging strollers, diapers and everything else to the parks every day, and can not see how this could be fun. I also would imagine food would be a real challange as well. I dont have a hot dog eating kid at the moment, and have no idea if I could even get the kind of foods she eats at the park. As for the remembering aspect, I went for the first time when I was 7 and did not remember a single thing when I went back again at 18? My husband and I are planning to take our daughter when she is 4/5 and plan on leaving our soon to be second child with grandma. Hopefully by then she will be old enough not to be scared on PotC and will certainly require a lot less luggage. Maybe I am making a huge mistake by not taking her now, but have a feeling that taking her now would be a very expensive mistake.

 

[Since1976]

Whoever suggested that parents leave their two-year old at home deserves a smack on the head.

We brought our daughter when she was a year-and-a-half old, and she loved every minute of it. Sure, we didn't get to do everything we wanted, but that's not the point!

It's been six months since our trip, and whenever our daughter hears me play a song that she heard at the parks (Spectromagic, Yo Ho, It's a Small World), she goes NUTS!! (She doesn't respond nearly as excitedly to music from rides she missed or slept through).

As far as scary and intense goes, age two is too young to be truly frightened by certain things, like skeletons and ghosts and pirates. I don't think that kicks in until age four or five, when kids' imaginations really develop.

There is PLENTY for a two-year-old to get excited about at Disney. That's why it's called a family fun park...

 

[coltow]

Here are my question rides:

1) Universe of Energy at Epcot
2) Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment at Epcot
3) Spaceship Earth at Epcot
4) Maelstrom at Epcot
5) Haunted Mansion at MK
6) Pirates of the Carribean at MK

Thanks in advance for your help.

We didn't do Maelstrom.

We skipped Energy. There is no escape. once you're in you're in. I was afraid my son would not sit for the length of the show.

At 22 months he didn't like Imagination very much. Especially the part where the wind blows and I think they take your picture.

He did very well on Spaceship Earth and Pirates was one of his favorites. He just didn't care for the picture room at HM but enjoyed the ride.

 

[RedGear]

I went to Disney for the first time when I was 6 years old, and i know that i freaked out on a couple of the rides, and I guess i was just a big baby when it came to being in the dark.
I was scared of Mr.Toad (don't have it anymore), Spaceship earth (scared of the dark), Malestrom (the trolls), Haunted Mansion (I closed my eyes the whole time) I was also freaked out by the Hall of Presidents and the tiki birds when I was little, why I don't know.
You'll just have to see how your kid reacts and take it from there! Good luck!

 

[MissM]

PEOPLE? THIS IS A TWO YEAR OLD THREAD. GET OVER IT ALREADY.

You have your opinion, I have mine. Deal with it.
-m

 

[JEDIsney]

PEOPLE? THIS IS A TWO YEAR OLD THREAD. GET OVER IT ALREADY.

Wow, not the respectable response I was expecting.

 

[RedGear]

PEOPLE? THIS IS A TWO YEAR OLD THREAD. GET OVER IT ALREADY.

You have your opinion, I have mine. Deal with it.
-m

sorry DB didnt mean to upset the thread god! :hammer:

 

[dumboflyer]

MissM, I AGREE WITH YOU!

Kids are WONDERFUL, but Disney is made for EVERYONE! Although some people can handle their infants and toddlers at Disney with grace and dignity, I have seen a GREAT MANY families who cannot handle their infants and toddlers AND thus other people's enjoyment of park is hindered.

IS THAT FAIR? Of course not. If a child is crying excessively and throwing a tantrum, they need a break. If they are doing that too much, then they are not having a good time. Is it fair for parents to drag unhappy children through the parks if they aren't enjoying it? No.

It seems like MissM's point of view is looking out for the interests of some unhappy children much more than some of the well-intentioned parent.

If you choose to take your kids, make sure you are doing it for THEIR enjoyment, not YOURS. Anything other than that is selfish.

 

[Dwarful]

We never know how much time we have on earth. As a mother of two girls, I personally don't think I could go 5 or 6 years without a vacation. Not an escape from my kids mind you, just a vacation. I have seen children have melt downs at the mall, nice restaurants, the grocery store, six flags, Branson, the Grand Canyon, hockey games and baseball games. If a parent ignores their childs tolerance level, then no one will be happy. As a parent it is our job to raise our kids...that means leaving fun things when our kids need a break..meals, parks, church etc. thats just life. If we put our entire lives on hold until they were old enough to handle these events we'd never go anywhere. Example: it totally amazes me when people at our church say "well, kids should be in the nursery until they are old enough to behave in church" if they stay in the nursery until they are in 1st or 2nd grade and then brought into church, how will they know how to behave???/It is a parents job and duty to teach our children how to behave in society...theme parks, theaters, restaurants etc.!

 

[joelleharbert]

We took our then 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and 8-month-old two years ago and all three of them did fantastic. I would DEFINITELY recommend taking your two-year-old! If you wanted to take an adult vacation, go to Vegas instead. Disney is for kids and those "young-at-heart!" And, the only ride my two-year-old was petrified of was Haunted Mansion. He loved Goofy's Barnstormer and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The only other thing that scared him was some of the characters. He loved Buzz, but Mickey freaked him out the first part of the trip until he got used to seeing him. Again, enjoy your trip with your child and don't listen to those who criticize you (as we heard from MANY others) for taking them before they are able to remember it. YOU will remember their face when they see the castle for the first time or meet their favorite character. They can always go back in another couple of years.

 

[joelleharbert]

Geez, I hope you don't have kids yet! I'm pretty sure kids would not want to know is! Maybe some didn't realize this thread was old. As you said, we're entitled to our opinion as well. My opinion is you need to chill out!

 

[dixiegirl]

We are actually taking our son to WDW in November for his 3rd birthday. I have borrowed a commemorative WDW DVD, and I showed it to my son. He now watches it EVERYDAY! He gets so excited when he sees Main Street and hears the music playing. He's already waving to Mickey and it's just a DVD. The look on his face when we arrive will be worth a million dollars! I suggest that you try to get your hands on this DVD set and show them to your child. They have the inside of the Pirstes ride and others as well. I also have bought the Disneyland 5o years CD and we play the music from haunted mansion and pirates as well as pooh and country bear jamboree. Everytime we hear or see Haunted Mansion we say "SPOOOOOOOKKEEEEE!" and wiggle our fingers, and we always tell him Mickey will never let anything bad happen to him. As you can tell, I have read alot of material on taking a toddler to WDW. The internet is loaded with info, but you are your child's parent...YOU know what frightens him.

Krizz ,
also a great video is the disney sing along called disneyland fun...lots of singing with the characters and great music too!!
But get ready for the expereince too see it through your child's eyes, get ready to tear up a bit too....Our girl's have been every year since they were 1 sometimes twice in a year one is 5 the other 2 1/2 I would never go without them..every visit it get better and better..

 

[Figment111184]

I'm not trying to be rude or mean in any way, honest. I just am having problems understanding bringing a two year old to WDW. Especially if you have never gotten to experience it yourself? At two, they're really, honestly and truly, far too young to ride anything, let alone recall the experience. At three I went to Busch Gardens WV and you know the only thing I recall? Feeding ducks on a bridge. Ducks.

If you've never gone, then why not consider a babysit/daycare? Disney offers wonderful on-property services for just such a thing. This way you can get a chance to really see and do the park. In a few years, when your son is older, you'll already have a better idea of the park and the rides and he will be able to better enjoy them. With a two year old in tow, it's not going to be much fun for you and not much fun for him really either.

I don't know. I'm not a parent, though a friend took her 2 1/2 y.o. to WDW this summer and they were both miserable. Heat, crowds, inability to actually ride rides - it was just a long day for her and her son. On the other hand, my goddaughter first went when she was about 6 and had a blast. She couldn't wait to go back. I know that doing things is important with your child and I commend you for that, but I just don't see the point in a vacation to Florida and Disney World when it won't get to be as much as it could be.

Maybe even just take one day for you and your wife together. You owe it to yourself to have some fun too you know!
-m

The first time my mom took us I was 2 and a half and my brother was amlost 1. We had an amazing time and have the videos to prove it. We even stayed in the parks until midnight and 1 am. ( I guess my parents had the energy when they were younger). I remember many parts of my first trip (but I just have an insane memory) ..as for my brother he obviously dosen;t but my mom said that dosne't matter. It was seeing his face then and my parents being able to remember that. PLus we have it all on video. EVen at 1 years old he was in awe of the characters and enjoyed such rides as peter pan or snow white..mostly rides with music and visuals that would appeal to a 1 year old. So despite what many people say there is nothing wrong with bringing your very young child to Disney...but it is of course work...but well worth it.