taking a 2 year old

[wdwrules]

I know a lot of people say not to waste your time and bring a toddler but we need a vacation and are doing so anyway my question is are there age/height restrictions on rides such as The Haunted Mansion Small World and others like that. My son is almost 2 and I dont think hed be scared so wed like to take him on some rides. We know we cant go on everything but we are bringing my sister along to help watch him.

 

[jordanyosh]

FYI Small World is down for a major rehab...until next year. Most thrill attractions have height requirements,but the ones that you mentioned do not. Pirates, HM, Jungle Cruise....etc..

Have fun...we went with a 1 1/2 yr old and it was fine...still had a great time.

 

[tigsmom]

We took our youngest when she was 18 months & she had a great time. Here is a link to the age/height restrictions page...

http://www.wdwmagic.com/height_restrictions.htm

 

[KUNZEWORLD]

I took my son when he was 2 1/2 and we had alot of fun. The big thing for us was staying in the park. Its really great when you need to run back to the room for a nap or break. He loved haunted mansion and even fell asleep on it once. We went at halloween and had a blast!!! I look at it this way. At 2 it doesn't cost anything for them to stay and the vacation is for you right now and you get to enjoy watching them even though they may not remember it.

 

[Laura]

Ok I'm surprised to see the height restriction for Kali River Rapids is 38". A month ago my son was 37" so I'm sure by the time we get there he'll be able to ride that. I'm so happy!! I thought he'd have to skip that one.

I do have a question though - it says the height required for Barnstormer is 35", but the age required is 3?? My son will be 3 weeks shy of 3 years old when we're at MK. Will they let him ride?

 

[KUNZEWORLD]

My son went on the barnstormer when we went and he was under three. He loved it and still talks about it.

 

[DisneyPhD]

There are a ton of rides and atracations that children of all ages can enjoy at WDW. MK has the most but all of the parks have a few not to be missed things.

We took our DD for her 1st WDW vacation when she was almost 9 months old. The vacation was for us and it was a ton of fun. We even bought DVC that trip, and have been back 3 times since then. One warning, at age 2 they are old enough to ask to go back and our DD does all the time now. (she is 3 currenlty and our next trip isn't until she is almost 4, and her yet to be born little sister will be 6 months old.)

WDW is great for 2 year old, if you do it right and it sounds like you will. Plus they are free. Also all the "all you can get meals" are free at that age too.

Start off slow with rides that might scare him and work your way up. My friend brought her son on HM for the second ride when he was 2 and he refused to ride any others after that. Our friends wanted to try Buzz lightyear right away, it and scared their son (our DD was just fine) and it took him a while to relax. If you get the vacation planning DVD they have some ride atractions previews to get them ready, also an section on pre-schoolers in the parks. Make sure to bring a good stroller that folds up well for the bus.

Make sure to make time just to play and relax, there is a good play ground at MK in Toon Town, and a fun place near Spash Montain. THere also is a good one at MGM (honey I shurnk the kids) The dino Dig place at AK and Epcot has a number of fun places just to hang and play (The boat at Norway, the light up side walk in FL, the gardens at England ect...) Enjoy the down time, 2 year olds need a lot of it and they tend to have the most fun doing little things (but they love the rides too.) Make sure to hit Fansty Land at MK in the morning before it gets too busy and make the most of Fast Pass. Don't wait in any line over 35 min if you can swing it. It is just too hard on the little ones, and bring something to amuse them in line.

Consider a day at BB if it is warm enough, it has a great kiddy section for 2 year olds and the lazy river and wave pool are fun family things too.

Where are you staying? All the on prop resorts have some great things for young kids.

Have a good trip. Our 3 year old DD is now an WDW expert!

 

[wolf29]

We have taken our boys twice. We first visited last October, when they were 40 months & 14 months. We just returned from our second trip. It's great going with them, but you do need to take things a bit leisurely. They both have a great time, but the youngest can be scared at times by the characters. He also dislikes some of the attractions where you get wet unexpectedly. Agree with DisneyPHD completely. Staying on the grounds and going back to the room for naps is key. There is no shortage of things for little ones to do. Just be patient and realistic in what you can do in a day.

 

[wdwrules]

were staying on site at the pop-century resort so that should help weve been to disney many times on our own this is just the first time with our son thanks for the info:wave:

 

[Ringo8n24]

We took our two year old in October 2003. She loved it. Everyone tried to talk us into taking her somewhere else or leaving her with relatives since she would not enjoy it. Boy were they wrong and we were so glad she got to go. She loved Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. Her first encounters with the characters were great. She ran right up to Mickey the first time and told us bye because she was staying with him. She still sees the WDW commercials and asks to go back to see Mickey so I am so glad we took her already and we are taking her again in September.

 

[aimster]

I was 3 when I first visited WDW (way back in 1978). I don't remember too much about it (just a few things here and there), but I know I had fun from the pics my dad took that day. I wasn't scared of the characters. Guess it all depends on the kid as to if they'd enjoy the experience at the parks or not.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Hi, I thought of another hint to prepare your son for the trip. Get the "sing a long" park videos (they are around 6$ each at Toys R Us and Target) Beach Party at WDW, DisneyLand fun, and Camp out at WDW. It is a good way to prepare the child for how large the charters are and they are lots of fun. THere is an AK one that is really good too, but hard to find. We got it while at WDW on our last trip and DD loves them all.

DD still is a bit shy around the charters, but she wants their autograph and picture so she will tollerate them if we are holding her. She however will run right up and give Pooh a hug every time. She talks about it alot after the fact.

I had to take a few with just me at 1st to show her it was ok when she was around 2 years old.

 

[wolf29]

Our boys watched the Disney vacation planning video numerous times prior to our trip. I believe it made the park & characters less imposing having seen everything before. Our 21 month old is still a little shy around some of the characters at first, but by the second or third day he is fine.

 

[Ausdaddy]

Pop Century! Good choice for the boy. I just got back and highly recommend this one over the AS resorts. I took my son to WDW when he was 2 and it was very smooth. Just make it about the characters and MK. Definately, don't forget the babyswap! Saves tons of time for those adult rides that you just have to fit in. He's now 4 and we can't stop going. Have fun! :sohappy: