Taking a toddler to the Magic Kingdom

[Mouser365]

I took my 11 month old daughter to the all the parks in Feb. 2005. She was fine! She loved the characters and all the surroundings. Sure a few nights we retired to our room and the pool at 8:00 but what's wrong with that? We enjoy our resort! Everyone knows their own child and you don't drive them to the point of despair; don't wait for the meltdown. Avert it by taking the trip a little slower. MK isn't going anywhere! We had the most enjoyable trip ever and can't wait to do it again in Feb.

 

[rlaeromech]

I guarantee if you're a real Disney fan you'll be eating your words. When you have kids the kids become a part of your FAMILY. If you feel your kids are worthy of going to Walmart or the gas station with you, then why not Disney? And you do realize that once your child is past the age of 5 your chances to bring them will be limited because of school, right? And what if your older child reaches the magical age of 5, but you still have a 1 year old. You gonna make the big one wait 4 more years because you're so darn stubborn?



What's wrong with just "going to WDW"? I do it about 3 times a year. It sure beats sitting around here.

You also have really warped visions of how kids are at any given age. A kid may be afraid of a rollercoaster or a character, but that doesn't mean they'll be terrified of the entire Disney experience. And I'd say most kids over the age of 2 are just about guaranteed to have a great time and remember the trip. (Under the age of 2 is FREE anyway, so who cares?) You planning to lock your kids in a dark closet until they're old enough to "remember" every detail of their lives? You not gonna give them any Christmas presents or birthday parties because they aren't allowed to have fun until they can remember it?



Um...because they are a part of your family and therefore they go where you go? Just because they may be sleeping at one point doesn't mean they'll be sleeping 24 hours a day. Again - are you never going to take your children on outings because they may fall asleep at some point during the outing, therefore (according to your logic) rendering the outing completely useless?



Well my daughter was walking at 9 months old. Apparently I should have made her walk 12 miles a day at 12 months old when we took her on her first Disney trip, right? I hope that your babies walk early too, and you better not DARE put them in strollers after the day they learn to walk after all the judgement you've passed on other parents. Have fun bending over and holding an infant's hand while walking across the mall and back at baby step speed with your hands full of shopping bags. :wave:



So how is it that Magic Kingdom and Epcot both become a stroller mob the moment the 9:00 fireworks are over if all these children are disappearing by 7?



My kids (4 and 6) have been out of strollers since they were 2 (which according to you is still a year and a half too long in a stroller). But at Disney World, they BOTH get a stroller. They rarely use it, but little legs can only go so far. After a week of walking for 12 hours a day, I'd like to see you motivate a sleepy 4 year old to walk another mile.

Now go ahead and call my family fat and lazy. My husband is a Marine and his entire life is focused on fitness. While he was home he would take my extremely bony, skinny children on about 4-5 mile bike rides EVERY DAY. Now that he's overseas, I've taken over the exercise routine. You'd be hard pressed to find more active children than mine, who have almost no fat on their bodies. But OMG they use strollers at Disney World! I'm such a bad, lazy, fat parent!!!

All I can say is I'm SO glad you are not my father. I can't imagine having parents who refused to take me anywhere fun as a little child because I wouldn't remember it, or who forced me to walk everywhere we went from the moment I took my first steps because they had an obesity phobia. Kids who have parents who are as judgmental about weight as you are are the kids who grow up to have eating disorders.

Wishing you a wonderful stroller-free, Disney-free parenthood. :wave:

Chants... LauRA, LauRA, LauRA, .......

 

[lebeau]

I completely agree on the stroller obesity thing. This is what I did on my most recent trip in December. I put my two year old under one arm (weight 21 lbs) and my four year old under the other (wieght 38 lbs). Throughout the day I alternated sides so that my muscles wouldn't build up in an unsightly assymetric fashion. I then sprinted from attraction to attraction (gotta get some cardio in). My kids also stayed at a healthy weight since they were burning calories thanks to the stress created by my "in-park transportation system." See, we all stayed in great shape, no strollers needed. My wife thinks this behavior had something to do with my collapse and eventual visit to the ER, but I think she's crazy.

You know, my wife and I had to do something like this with our 2 year old last year. She hates strollers and would not ride in one. She would walk sometimes, but most of the time we had to carry her. At the end of the day, we were both in agony!

 

[maggiegrace1]

I guarantee if you're a real Disney fan you'll be eating your words. When you have kids the kids become a part of your FAMILY. If you feel your kids are worthy of going to Walmart or the gas station with you, then why not Disney? And you do realize that once your child is past the age of 5 your chances to bring them will be limited because of school, right? And what if your older child reaches the magical age of 5, but you still have a 1 year old. You gonna make the big one wait 4 more years because you're so darn stubborn?



What's wrong with just "going to WDW"? I do it about 3 times a year. It sure beats sitting around here.

You also have really warped visions of how kids are at any given age. A kid may be afraid of a rollercoaster or a character, but that doesn't mean they'll be terrified of the entire Disney experience. And I'd say most kids over the age of 2 are just about guaranteed to have a great time and remember the trip. (Under the age of 2 is FREE anyway, so who cares?) You planning to lock your kids in a dark closet until they're old enough to "remember" every detail of their lives? You not gonna give them any Christmas presents or birthday parties because they aren't allowed to have fun until they can remember it?



Um...because they are a part of your family and therefore they go where you go? Just because they may be sleeping at one point doesn't mean they'll be sleeping 24 hours a day. Again - are you never going to take your children on outings because they may fall asleep at some point during the outing, therefore (according to your logic) rendering the outing completely useless?



Well my daughter was walking at 9 months old. Apparently I should have made her walk 12 miles a day at 12 months old when we took her on her first Disney trip, right? I hope that your babies walk early too, and you better not DARE put them in strollers after the day they learn to walk after all the judgement you've passed on other parents. Have fun bending over and holding an infant's hand while walking across the mall and back at baby step speed with your hands full of shopping bags. :wave:



So how is it that Magic Kingdom and Epcot both become a stroller mob the moment the 9:00 fireworks are over if all these children are disappearing by 7?



My kids (4 and 6) have been out of strollers since they were 2 (which according to you is still a year and a half too long in a stroller). But at Disney World, they BOTH get a stroller. They rarely use it, but little legs can only go so far. After a week of walking for 12 hours a day, I'd like to see you motivate a sleepy 4 year old to walk another mile.

Now go ahead and call my family fat and lazy. My husband is a Marine and his entire life is focused on fitness. While he was home he would take my extremely bony, skinny children on about 4-5 mile bike rides EVERY DAY. Now that he's overseas, I've taken over the exercise routine. You'd be hard pressed to find more active children than mine, who have almost no fat on their bodies. But OMG they use strollers at Disney World! I'm such a bad, lazy, fat parent!!!

All I can say is I'm SO glad you are not my father. I can't imagine having parents who refused to take me anywhere fun as a little child because I wouldn't remember it, or who forced me to walk everywhere we went from the moment I took my first steps because they had an obesity phobia. Kids who have parents who are as judgmental about weight as you are are the kids who grow up to have eating disorders.

Wishing you a wonderful stroller-free, Disney-free parenthood. :wave:

:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
AMEN Sista!..

 

[maggiegrace1]

Here's the DW and my 2 cents: We decided we would never take a child less than 5 and even then it would depend on their maturity level. It's pointless if the kid is too scared to do anything as they won't enjoy it or won't remember it...you would be going just for the sake of "going to WDW". God forbid you just go to WDW just to go..Also, keep in mind the intensity of alot of the rides not at MK or AK. If you feel the child can enjoy most of the rides and would remember it go for it. We made our decision on seeing so many parents hauling around sleeping babies in strollers. What is the point of hauling around a child who is sleeping.Well sometimes kids take naps.and just fall asleep..Maggie fell asleep at the table at the hotel at 5 in the evening..Should we have just left her sleeping with her head on the table? But keep in mind that my wife is a child development specialist and insists that research shows that as soon as kids can walk the stroller should go bye bye - even if it means your going really slow all day - Not just slow..sometimes you will need to run through crowds of people and sometimes you will have a child fighting you to get down and sometimes that child will fall asleep and then you will have to carry them everywhere you go.so that's how I'll be rolling. Also these parents looked exhausted and not having any fun...We had a blast...when she was sleeping in the stroller or awake...and most people with really small children (under 3 or 4) are back in their rooms around 7 or 8 as is evidenced by the way the children in the park and crowds in general thin out at night.

We were in the parks till 11 most nights..and as my 2 year old slept soundly in her stroller we got to do the mountains and just walk around the parks.

I would love to bet you that when the time comes you will not have your 1 year old child walk everywhere..

Are you going to strap a backpack on the child with all the diapers and wipes, change of clothes, snacks, medicines and what not also?

 

[George]

Are you going to strap a backpack on the child with all the diapers and wipes, change of clothes, snacks, medicines and what not also?

The solution to this is blindingly obvious. First, you get park hoppers. Then, each evening you enter the park you are visiting the next day. You hide/stash little packets that contain diapers, wipes, etc. around the park in key locations based on your minute by minute itinerary that you've been working on for months. Of course, the first day you enter a park is challenging. That is where these boards come in handy. You find a person who is going to be in the park you plan to enter first the day BEFORE your family enters. Then, you mail them a box containing all your "toddler survival packets (TSP's)" and have them hide/stash them around the park in locations that you have pre-determined and marked on a map for them. One final note, I have found that it is bad for CM's to seeing you stashing these little TSP's in unobtrusive locations, so I reccomend being secretive about it.

 

[maggiegrace1]

The solution to this is blindingly obvious. First, you get park hoppers. Then, each evening you enter the park you are visiting the next day. You hide/stash little packets that contain diapers, wipes, etc. around the park in key locations based on your minute by minute itinerary that you've been working on for months. Of course, the first day you enter a park is challenging. That is where these boards come in handy. You find a person who is going to be in the park you plan to enter first the day BEFORE your family enters. Then, you mail them a box containing all your "toddler survival packets (TSP's)" and have them hide/stash them around the park in locations that you have pre-determined and marked on a map for them. One final note, I have found that it is bad for CM's to seeing you stashing these little TSP's in unobtrusive locations, so I reccomend being secretive about it.

Ohhhh..Okay well I will send you some stuff to leave for Maggie in December..

*hopes she wears the same size diapers and clothes by then*:shrug:

You George..are a GENIUS!:kiss::kiss::kiss:

 

[kangaand2roos]

I took my son, who turned 4 while we were there, and my daughter who was a month shy of 2 in December. I was a bit weary of taking them but I would do it again in a heartbeat. We had the mentality of what we see, we see, what we don't, we'll catch another time since we didn't want to overwhelm the kids and ourselves trying to fit everything in in a week. Both my kids still talk about it and we are thinking of going back this year. My daughter was actually more adventerous on the rides than my son and she loved being at WDW. The only thing she hated were the characters, she was petrified that the Mickey on TV that is 10" high and animated was walking around and 6 feet tall and able to touch her. However, by the end of the week she literally was tackling Minnie saying "Love you", "Hug", it's a hard concept to explain to a 2 year old before hand but other than that I'd say go for it. Maybe it's selfish too but there are certain things in my children's lives that I do not need a picture to remember because they are etched permanently in my brain and the expression on their faces when we first walked down Main St will be forever in my mind.

 

[figmentmom]

I have a two year old son and wanted to know if it is worth taking him to MK? Is that too young?

Go, bring your camera, and have a great time! Expect to see everything at your little guy's pace, but you'll still have a blast.

I would give anything to be able to take a toddler to WDW again. Some of my all time favorite memories!

And I would carry them/hold their hand almost the entire time and love every minute of it and not give a darn if I got to ride Splash Mountain or if I thought we all "got our money's worth" out of it.

Go and have a WONDERFUL time and know that I'll be sitting here feeling extremely jealous of you :lol:

*whistles* :ROFLOL:

Here's the thing about the stroller it's not a matter of what research shows, or that someone who doesn't have kids just wouldn't understand. It's not about living in the real world vs. the ideal world, it's about the fact that parents want to use the stroller because they want to make it easier on themselves. It's not about it being easier on you it's about look how fat and lazy this country is. A child should not be in a stroller at the age of 6 for God's sake! We should be ingraining exercise and fitness into them at an early age when they are developing bone and muscle. Once you get fat or flabby you will always have those cells in your body. You can shrink them down but you don't truly "burn off" fat. So a chubby kid is probably always going to have weight issues. There is really no such thing as "baby fat" past the age of being a baby or a very small toddler...we just made that up as a society to accept the fatness and we say "he'll burn it off". Look how many adults ride scooters now cause they are fat. This wasn't the case even 15 years ago. America is OUT OF SHAPE AND LAZY!!!
Being fat is not a disease for the most part it is that people eat too much and do too little. before you tear into me and say "well, I come from a fat family, it's in our genes, or my metabolism is slow." That's only true in a very small % of cases..... Here's proof: America is about the only fat country there is. Why does the rest of the world not look like us? Here's more proof: American's weren't getting fat either until recently, so if we look at our own family trees we'll see our very own family was not always fat. Think back to the 50's, 60's and 70's and even 80's the fat kid in class (and there was most likely only 1 or 2 per 35 kids) was only "chubby"" by today's standards. As a nation we are just more accepting of laziness and fatness.


Now, I am very very sorry I turned this into a weight issue but it's a hot subject with me because the state this country is in....look at us as! It's sad really and look at our children having heart disease, diabetes, etc. as children!!!


I know an occassional use of a stroler won't make a fat child, or maybe just using it at Disney won't make a fat child cause Yes that is a lot of walking but chronic use of a stroller is not good.

You're kidding, right? It's a VACATION, not boot camp! I can imagine nothing worse than trying to drag an overtired (and over-heated! ) child through the parks! Lighten up. :lol:

 

[NewfieFan]

I completely agree on the stroller obesity thing. This is what I did on my most recent trip in December. I put my two year old under one arm (weight 21 lbs) and my four year old under the other (wieght 38 lbs). Throughout the day I alternated sides so that my muscles wouldn't build up in an unsightly assymetric fashion. I then sprinted from attraction to attraction (gotta get some cardio in). My kids also stayed at a healthy weight since they were burning calories thanks to the stress created by my "in-park transportation system." See, we all stayed in great shape, no strollers needed. My wife thinks this behavior had something to do with my collapse and eventual visit to the ER, but I think she's crazy.

I can't stop laughing!:ROFLOL:

 

[stitchsMom]

All this said

I have been following this all day - what a hoot! My sister, her husband and their two year old are accompanying my family of 3 (I have a 14yr old) and our parents, on their first trip to WDW, right over the July 4th Celebration. I had to battle through the mentality about age-appropriateness, and am thrilled that they agreed to make this trip with us! I listened to all those people who swore that I shouldn't take my son until he was older. I had believed it was all important that we take him when he would "remember it". Boy do I ever regret it! My son was 10 the first time he visited WDW and though we have had a wonderful time, every time since (he has visited WDW '05, '07 and DLR '06) deep in my heart I know we missed out on some really great memories. I am sad that I couldn't convince my MIL and SIL to bring their little ones ages 4 & 2 on this trip with us. But their "expert" friends have them convinced that they are not old enough to enjoy or remember such a trip I think sometimes we as adults - especially those who find themselves and their children worn out without the stimulus of themeparks - talk our selves into these "logical" choices. I wish I had let go, and realized what magical memories we as a family could have been creating instead! So, to the original author of this thread - go!! Listen to all the POSITIVE feedback in this thread and don't look back! Mickey is waiting :wave:

 

[icoobaby2]

Hello friends.I like the way you all discuss about your trip to magic kingdom with your kids.Even I also been to Magic kingdom with my two kids and my hubby.At that time my second child was very young so we took our Targo city Pushchair.Our trip was very memorable since it was convenient to carry my child.If any of you are planning to make a trip to magic kingdom along with their new babies then I suggest them to carry a pushchair/stroller along with you. :wave:

 

[Dollysmama]

No One is ever tooo young to experience the magic, Dont let others "he wont remember it" fool you. Taking my Daughter at 16 months for the first time was the best vacation I have ever had. I take her back every year. This Year will be my son's first trip at 16 months as well. I can't wait.

 

[marcriss]

Both of my children visited WDW for the fist time when they were nine months old. What an experience! The character interaction is amazing, my son sharing his peaches with pluto at Chef Mickey's is something I'll never forget. The smile on my daughter's face when we sat down at the American Adventure CS place was amazing. We had been in the parks 10 minutes? (This was a "we need to feed the kids stop.") It was obvious that she was happy being there, I took 10 pictures of her sitting in her stroller:lookaroun with her feet up just soaking it in. She also took her first steps that strip.

Whether or not the kids remember the trip doesn't matter, you will remember those moments forever. And if you're happy being there your kids are happy.

Enjoy! and bring a stroller!

 

[Lamping3]

My DD will be 2 in December and we have already booked our trip for December 3 to 10th. I have not went to WDW with a child this young before but I felt that we will be able to handle it. Don't listen to people that tell you that 2 is too young for disney. I was 5 (the age when most say is perfect) when I first went and I don't remember a darn thing! On my next trip I was 9 and I don't remember much of that either! (PS I'm 28 now). The things I remember is that my family and I had such a good time on our yearly summer vacations and how we got to spend time as a family.

I know there will be meltdowns....we have those everyday...but I know what makes them happen and how to resolve them and We plan to see WDW at her pace and if we have to go back for a nap and some down time then we will! There is so much to do WDW for anyone of any age and each time you go back you find new favorites and seem to grow out of things you liked prior. I am excited to go and I hope you take the positive advice on this post and make your reservations now!

Happy Planning!!

 

[kerrie]

my 2 yr old LOVED it

All the parks really he realy had fun and his face when he saw thing he saw on tv was well worth it. the ear to ear smile almost made me cry.

 

[Saoirse1916]

My folks took me when I was just over 2 years old for the first time. I wasn't exactly shy but I always tended to stick close to my parents and never had any desire to meet strangers or take off running or anything like that -- until I got to WDW and saw Mickey for the first time. After this show I took off running down the aisle and gave Mickey a big hug as he was greeting guests. I don't have any memory of that trip but my folks bring up that story everytime I mention going to WDW now, so it was a great memory for them.

I've got a daughter who's coming up on 2 years old now and I've been planning a trip since I found out we were having a baby. I haven't decided exactly when to go but I'm hoping to go before she's 3. Currently she rides in the stroller for about 5 minutes when we go to the zoo, then she's clamoring to get out and does a great job walking around. There's a big difference between 4 hours at the zoo and 12 hours at WDW, but I'm confident that she'll have a good time whenever we're ready to go.

 

[disneygirl1]

I have to agree, I do not think your son is too young at all! I have been taking my son to Disney since he has been 16 months old and I tell you seeing this face when he met the characters was priceless at that age. Now he is 7 and the joy on his face when we are in disney still brings a tear to my eye.

 

[forevermickey]

I think it totally depends on your child and how they handle situations and schedule changes. My daughter was 2 when we took her last year. She is one of those "easy peasy" kids and we all had a great time! You have the Parent swap so you can still do on the attractions you can't take them on - we just didn't have the night life, but you have to forego something. We are going again end of August and our daughter can't wait- she remember all of her 2year old Disney Trip, I can't believe it!

 

[mpeters]

I have twin 4yr old sons and they have been to the world every year of their life. We first took them when they were 15 mos old. Everyone told us we were crazy and that they would not remember it.......B.S!!!! They were fantastic down there and they had a blast!! I don't know if they remember it but they do remember last year's trip and the year before and they are asking everyday how many more days till we go again (thanks to the countdown clock so I actually know). 2 yrs old is a great age to go!!!