Talk my wife down from the ledge...

[notslim99]

Our two-year-old has been more of a turd than usual lately, and my wife is now wanting to cancel our May WDW trip. She doesn't think she can handle a rambunctious little girl, plus crowds, plus fit throwing, etc... Give us some pointers to help keep our trip.

Specs:
May 22-29
POLY
Deluxe DP
7-day Park Hopper

 

[Lucky]

I wouldn't do deluxe DP with a rambunctious 2 year old unless she naps in restaurants. You'll be sitting in them for hours every day.

 

[mouse_luv]

I wouldn't do deluxe DP with a rambunctious 2 year old unless she naps in restaurants. You'll be sitting in them for hours every day.

Or unless they invest in the Disney "babysitting service" and don't have to take their child to Deluxe Dining TS dinners. http://allears.net/pl/childfaq.htm

 

[EmmieSue]

I went last May for the very first time with my sister's family, which included a two year old and an almost four year old.
Biggest mistake made: Not stopping for nap/rest time. Somehow these two small children were going all day and it lead to very cranky children and cranky children led to cranky parents and cranky parents made the other three people in our party cranky.

Tips:
~You want a stroller or one of those child leashes or both. Yes. Forget the judgmental people who don't understand the wonders of those leashes or those people who complain about strollers in the park.
~Stop for naps and breaks.
~Have a plan for a child who misbehaves which will vary depending on what your general course for discipline is at home.
~Have snacks and drinks for your little one on hand at all times. If you get stuck with a late dining reservation then you have something to hold the little one over until you can get food. Hungry child=cranky child. (Note: My two year old niece hardly ate at home, but in Disney World she sure worked up an appetite and was eating her entire meal and more than one helping at buffets. So if you have a light eater at home, don't expect that to stay the same in the park)
~Pay extra attention to fast pass rides and meet and greets. For things you can't get passes for get to the park early that day, but make sure you call it an early night or go back to the hotel for a while to relax before doing any evening shows.

Most importantly don't go into it thinking that everything will go perfectly because it is not going to. Go into it with a very "go with the flow" mindset. Be calm and don't freak out when she throws a fit thinking that everything is ruined. That is what I learned from going with my two nieces and is definitely the mindset I am going in with when we go back this May.

 

[sissa216]

It's still doable!

Good advice so far. Plan for downtime, and just take things at her pace. My 3 year old has been when he was 10 months, 15 months, a few weeks shy of 2, and a few weeks shy of 3.

The best thing we do is to take time and let him explore. We do rent a stroller (from Kingdom Strollers, so it would be comfortable, and we would have use of it the entire time). But we also let him out of it as much as possible. Things go so smoothly when you take time to let them go at their own pace. It's a huge 'world' with a lot to take in and explore- and letting them feel like they have a choice really makes the trip more enjoyable for them!

Of course, do the standards like keep her from getting too hungry, thirsty, or hot- which all contribute to meltdowns.

When we're out and about for normal errands, my son is not a great napper. However, at WDW, he fell asleep in the stroller so easily each day. All the extra activity wears him out, and he passed out early afternoon each day.

If she gets cranky or has a meltdown, there are plenty of quiet areas to sneak away to and let her regroup.

Take advantage of the splash pads and play areas.

If you're getting hot/tired, but don't want to go all the way back to your resort, jump out of the park and head to the nearest resort. You can grab a snack and sit in the air for a bit, and recharge in less time than it may take to get back to whichever one you're staying at.

My son's favorite thing is meeting characters. He loves rides, but ADORES characters. We find ourselves rearranging plans to let him meet as many as possible over and over! It's amazing how the promise of meeting Mickey again at the end of the line can turn a crabby toddler into a little angel (*most* of the time, haha!)

It can be a really great age to visit. Each trip, I think "oh, THIS is the best age". Every visit feels better than the last!

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Age 3 was worse than 2 for our kids and on our last trip we had another family (friends) with us sharing the house rental - each family had a 3 year old and a 6 year old.

Upon arrival "Tinkerbell" left a welcome letter in our rental. It said that if the kids had a good day and went to bed on time, she would leave a present the next morning (a dollar store Disney themed toy). We had our rental in Clermont and there was a 1-2-3 Dollar Store 1 mile away that carried tons of Disney items.

It worked. GOD BLESS TINKERBELL! and naps... Naps in strollers, naps back at the rental. Naps are your friend.

*Funny story - we all met Tinkerbell for real and when the kids mentioned the gifts she was leaving them "Tinkerbell" looked confused, so I had to chime in and Tinkerbell totally "got it" and played along! She was aweome.

 

[stevehousse]

I highly suggest downgrading your dining plan. Having 1 or maybe 2 sit down meals a day is manageable but 3 is a little too much plus all the park time you miss by having to eat all the time.

 

[sophie_the_pooh]

Naps and relaxed play time in the hotel room worked for us. Also, lots of stops/rest time in the park, with snacks she likes you can bring from home (I brought tons of those fish crackers!!!). What really helped at TS restaurants was my father's phone, since my son would stop running around for a couple of minutes if we showed him pictures and videos for a while...Than back to running around, which is normal and to be expected with a 2 year old, WDW or not!

 

[jonabyte]

I think you need to rethink the DP and 7 day parks, if she is too much right now, can you imagine 7 days at the parks? I'd suggest 2 or 3 days, then maybe a day at the waterpark and the rest relaxing by the pool, if possible??
My son was probably very similar to yours when we took him at 3, he was about as happy playing at the pool than anywhere.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

First of all....I am quite jealous! We brought my granddaughter in November when she was 20 months old and we had an absolutely magical time. Now that being said....all of the above advise is very good.
You are staying at one of the most convenient resorts for visiting with children...especially toddlers. Even the transportation is an experience.
1. Let your toddler determine the pace. If you push her, she will make you sorry. We spent 2 days in the MK, 2 days at the AK and one day at Epcot. Go slow....especially in the AK. Let her explore and enjoy the park. My granddaughter insisted on walking and only spent about 10% of the time in her stroller. Again....Go slow. Take the train in the AK to Rafiki's Planet Watch. She can pet and groom goats and sheep and meet Rafiki and Chip and Dale.
2. The MK will be much more crowded due to it's size and after all......it is the MK. My granddaughter loved Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, Peter Pan and the Tea Cups. We stayed away from any "theater" type shows like Country Bears since she has never seen television and those kinds of shows would not hold her attention.
3. In Epcot, she loved The Sea and all the fish in the aquariums. Lots to see, lots to explore but it can be a bit overwhelming and it is a large open space so kids tent to run and you an easily lose them. She liked the boat ride through The Land but when she got tired...it was time to go.
4. We did not visit Disney Studio's. Just didn't think there was anything there for an almost 2 year old.

The best advise is to go slow...don't worry about other guests who are trying to "zoom" past you to get to the next fast pass. You will never experience Disney through her eyes again...so enjoy!

She loved breakfast at The Crystal Palace and 1900 Park. We also ate at The Coral Cafe where she was able to watch the fish during dinner.

Have a Magical Trip and relax....go with very few expectations and you will have a ball!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Agreed with the others that the deluxe dining plan is loco-coco with an overactive two year old. I'd either downgrade or cancel it entirely, make only those reservations that are "must dos", and pay cash for the rest of your meals. I think it's more stress than its worth to try and hit 3 TS credits per day and if you end up using even a few on QS meals, there's no chance you get your money's worth.

 

[Mr Toad]

We took 4 kids last year: 16, 10, 2 1/2 & 15 months. We only ate QS except for Chef Mickey's. Dining plan wasn't an option. We took a long break during the day for pool time and naps. We decided to bring our dual stroller instead of renting a dual stroller. We felt that even though ours is large and doesn't fold in half, it was far more comfortable than anything we could rent (it's a jogger/bike stroller from REI).

 

[PoorSkippy]

All of the advice given so far has been spot-on.

Two things I learned from a recent trip with a two-year-old that might be worth noting:

1) The little guy in our traveling party is high-energy and was not used to being in a stroller much at home, but in WDW he got the routine down pretty quickly--he knew if he hopped in and buckled up, he'd be going somewhere fun! I suspect he also came to appreciate how much more quickly he could get around if he behaved and got in the stroller when we needed him to. Plus, once he was buckled-in and we got someplace reasonably quiet, he napped, giving the adults a nice break. Maybe you'll be surprised and "the magic" will have the same effect on your daughter. I would say bring your own or rent one that you can use outside the parks.

2) Fastpass+ is your friend (as long as you recognize that you can abandon the reservations if need be). I found one of the great advantages of using this new system with a toddler was that most of the popular "E" ticket attractions were out of his age group so we had a really easy time getting what we wanted when we wanted, and skipping long lines staved off meltdowns. It made a huge difference.

I think you'll have a great time, and 7 days should let you move at a pretty leisurely pace. I do recommend downgrading your dining plan, but staying at the Poly should be a real advantage!

 

[wdwmomof3]

We are taking our 20 month old grandson in June and after a weekend out of town this past weekend I can see how Dining could be a big issue. We only have 4 ADR's at the moment and I am leaving it at that. If you could get right in without a wait it may work but we all know that rarely happens.

I love the other advice here too. It has been many years since we have gone with young children so I need to be reminded too!!

 

[VTdisneytravel]

I was on the ledge too, just last week, for the SAME reason as your wife.

As a Mom of 3 little girls, My suggestion is this: remind your wife what an amazing time your child will be missing out on (the magic of Disney) and let it stew... Once I thought about how much my kids were going to miss out and what a life changing opportunity (and dream come true) this was going to be for them being able to meet the princesses & seeing the castle, I completely changed my mind. I just couldn't take away the BEST day of their little lives.

I understand that my kids will act up and cause a scene (most likely) at least once a day each. BUT as their Mom, I will handle it & put them in time out if need be. Its okay if she gets frustrated and upset, she won't be alone (as about 1000 other moms will be doing the same thing that day too).

I started a behavior chart for my kids, until we head to Disney. For each day that they behave they get a "Disney Dollar" that they could use while at Disney. These fictitious dollars would be spent on extra snacks, items at the Disney Store, games or they could save up their Disney Dollars to buy a breakfast with a character of their choice (they chose Cinderella's Table). *This may be tough for a 2 year old, but you could show her one of the characters that she loves, such as Mickey, and explain that if she get's X amount of stickers on her chart, then she could meet him when we go to Disney World!

 

[MissingDisney]

1. Relax. Save your panic for when she's asking for keys to the car or bringing home a guy she met on the Internet.
2. At a minimum, downgrade dining plan. Some table service places like character interaction can be fun if planned around her schedule but 2 or 3 a day, no way. I don't even want to do that!
3. Naps are your friend. I have no idea why we were so mean to them as youngsters.
4. Take a stroller she likes. Expecting a kid to spend hours a day in a strange, new or uncomfortable stroller is just begging for issues.
5. Take your time. from the beginning, we understood completely our trip revolved around our littles and their schedules. Don't worry or be affected by those racing around you, enjoy your moments. You paid for them.
6. Always have snacks and drink available! Lines for food and drink can be long. If nothing else, it can provide a distraction as necessary.
7. Expect meltdowns and tantrums. It's ok. You will see grown a$$ adults having them, too so there is nothing to be ashamed of. Just roll with it. Better yet, take some pics of the meltdown while at WDW. Awesome pics for the hIgh school graduation picture board some day. Crying at Disney?!?! She'll love you for it....ok, maybe not until she becomes a mom someday.
8. Enjoy. 2 is a cake walk compared to what's to come.

 

[docdebbi]

best advice my daughter and son-in-law have come up with in our many many trips to amazing places for the kids (including five trips to WDW since the five year old was born).............LOWERED EXPECTATIONS.

don't expect the trip you expect. every time something goes wrong (diaper leak stops, cranky kids, lost items, necessary change in plans), we all look at each other, someone says LOWERED EXPECTATIONS, and we all laugh. it's still worth it. go and enjoy

 

[Swissmiss]

I disagree with dropping the deluxe dining plan. We have always found it extremely important for recharging the adults as much as (if not more than) for recharging my daughter. Counter service doesn't have the same effect on us - having to stand in line and then having to search for a table while juggling food just isn't very relaxing for me. Only you know what works best for your family - I won't travel with certain people anymore (at Disney or elsewhere) because compatible traveling style is so important to the overall "success" of a trip.

My advice is be consistent in your parenting/disciplining. What you and your wife have told your daughter is unacceptable at home should hold for outside the home.

And don't forget that the little one may be more interested in the packaging than what's inside (as in we've all seen small children more interested sometimes with the box than the toy that came inside) and keep things at her pace for the most enjoyable experience. Despite living far away and not able to go very frequently, we leave the park and go back to the hotel when we start feeling overloaded by the experience - it keeps all age groups happier and we always end up with good memories of our vacations. It helps that we try to discuss beforehand each person's must see/do list and we try to hit those things first, so usually by the time we do decide to go back to the hotel everyone has at least experienced the things they really wanted to experience so we never leave feeling disappointed.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

If you were able to extend your vacation, you could downgrade to some place like Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge, stay longer for less or the same money, and have more time for naps, playing in splash pads, etc.

Personally, my kids didn't do well in TS restaurants. If you want to keep the dining plan, though, I would suggest a lot of buffet restaurants. They're louder, so people won't notice a crazy kid. You also eliminate the worst part of the meal: the time between when you order and the food arrives.

 

[WDW_Firefighter]

There's a lot of good recommendations here. However, you know your kids best.

I have 3 kids 6, 4, and 2. We've been every year for the last 4 years and even though my kids nap at home, we've never gone back to the hotel for naps. We've always been at the parks from morning to night except for those few unforeseen circumstances that happen with kids like a previous poster mentioned, where we went back to the hotel, got it taken care of, and went back to the park. My kids do nap well in strollers though and we take reclining umbrella strollers from home they are familiar with.

Also take advantage of the baby care centers.

I'll add another vote for good snacks.