Struggling with anxiety over leaving children and considering cancelling WDW - help?

[HerefortheFood]

You're overthinking- Just go and enjoy yourself.

So glad to hear you aren't doing what I see so many selfish parents doing in the parks. The amount of times I've seen mums taking babies...and I'm talking 2 months old to a year old. Dragging the poor child round in 100 degree heat all day...and they wonder why the child is crying .

Yesterday took the biscuit - in the queue for Haunted Mansion and a mother with her newborn..could not have been older than 2 months old. I thought she wouldn't be going in and just queueing with the family- I was wrong, she held the poor baby all the way round, with the baby clearly (and obviously) being scared to death!!....the baby was screaming its eyes out all the way round absolutely terrified....why are some parents so selfish and instead of thinking of their children, they think "ill have my Disney holiday and stuff the poor child being dragged round all day"

Anyway...just enjoy your break..you deserve it. The children will be fine. I respect you more for leaving them rather than dragging them round against their will.

Sorry by the time you made this post, we went and came back.

 

[Thepuma]

I promise you, no newborn baby was scared to death by Haunted Mansion.

Non-parents giving parenting advice is my favorite genre of content on the Internet. Thank you for your contribution.

Clearly the baby was scared as its a Haunted House for heavens sake..it was a very bizarre place to take a new born baby...It was fine before the ride and was quite content on its mother's shoulder, but as soon as the ride started going round the baby cried its eyes out all the way round...which was kind of obvious really

 

[Walt Disney1955]

My wife and I booked an 8 day WDW vacation for the two of us back in December for this upcoming August, and we have really enjoyed planning it. However, the closer the trip comes, the more we are getting anxious over leaving our two kids (who will be 14 months and 3 years old).

They will be staying with my wife's parents who they see multiple times a week and are comfortable with. I know they will be taken good care of, we are just worried they will become homesick or miss us too much, or impact our attachment. My wife is also doing her best to wean our almost 1 year old onto straw cups as he doesn’t take bottles well. He eats solids well, but doesn’t always like drinking milk from cups.

Are we just overthinking this, or is 8 days too long to be away?

You are overthinking it. That's alright, but I feel I should give you the best advice I can.

We went to California - and did Disneyland - when our first born was a 1 and a half years old. Part of me thought he'd be fun to bring, but my wife and I haven't had another long trip like that alone since (and we've had other kids since then). So I don't regret it. We were gone 9 days and both sets of grandparents looked after him pretty evenly during that time. So it worked out. It was sort of funny because when we got home he was sleeping and then I had to go to work early the next day. So he sees my wife right away when he wakes up and is happy but I am nowhere to be seen until a few hours later. I come home and see him right away but even as a toddler he sort of had the insight to be mad at me and he literally was playing with his toys and ignored me for a minute. He was mad, haha. I guess he was letting me know how he felt. But it was all good. Don't feel guilty. You were husband and wife before you were parents, and you STILL need to be that after you are parents. Or else the whole family suffers. So never feel guilty about getting away together.

Our youngest was 2.5 years old the last time we were in WDW. She doesn't remember a single thing about Florida. Not one. Nothing wrong with that, we had fun with her and she had fun at the time when we were there, but your 3 year old won't remember the trip even if you take him/her. So relax, and as long as they are in good hands go have fun.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Clearly the baby was scared as its a Haunted House for heavens sake..it was a very bizarre place to take a new born baby...It was fine before the ride and was quite content on its mother's shoulder, but as soon as the ride started going round the baby cried its eyes out all the way round...which was kind of obvious really

Babies that age have no idea what a “ghost” is and they typically can’t see very well anyways, so the haunted part wouldn’t have been a problem. In fact taking kids on rides with monsters, pirates, and ghosts tends to be much easier before age two because they’re so happily clueless at that age.

The ride might have been loud, moved in a way that felt unfamiliar, or even full of unfamiliar smells though. That could easily upset a newborn.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Babies that age have no idea what a “ghost” is and they typically can’t see very well anyways, so the haunted part wouldn’t have been a problem. In fact taking kids on rides with monsters, pirates, and ghosts tends to be much easier before age two because they’re so happily clueless at that age.

The ride might have been loud, moved in a way that felt unfamiliar, or even full of unfamiliar smells though. That could easily upset a newborn.

Took my son through a rather tame haunted house walkthrough when he was 1 years old. He was confused, but never scared. Didn't know what he was seeing, really.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Took my son through a rather tame haunted house walkthrough when he was 1 years old. He was confused, but never scared. Didn't know what he was seeing, really.

My son was the same way. Then sometime between 2 and 3 he started talking about ghosts and monsters under the bed. It was weird because he’s not exposed to any scary content - he probably only knew the word “ghost” from cutesy Halloween decorations. But it’s like those types of fears are just programmed to emerge at that age.

 

[Hockey89]

They will be fine..... Jesus