Toddler planning tips

[oommggitskait]

So my friend @lizlovesdisney87 and I are heading to WDW in November this year. We’re both seasoned veterans and have traveled together before. This time though our families have two new tagalongs. We’ll have two toddlers in tow about 20months old.

Im looking for suggestions on hits and misses with young toddlers. What did you think they’d enjoy but maybe didn’t? Or what did you skip and wish you hadn’t? What did your kid this age LOVE?

Already know a lot about park touring (e.g., mid day break, don’t expect to tour like we did pre kids) but just looking for experiential advice with kids this age!

ETA: also specifically looking for attractions your toddlers did and didn’t enjoy!

 

[Hakunamatata]

Make sure and take plenty of rest breaks. Kid friendly sun screen. Something to keep them occupied while in lines.

 

[JoeT63]

Toddler planning tips? Well, when a Mommy and a Daddy love each other VERY much....................

Sensory overload...be ready to calm them down then get outta Dodge as soon as they start getting tired. Those midday breaks are everything with little ones. That, and as Hakunamatata (Whataburger...mmmmmm) says, have distractions preplanned for when waiting in line.

 

[oommggitskait]

Make sure and take plenty of rest breaks. Kid friendly sun screen. Something to keep them occupied while in lines.

Toddler planning tips? Well, when a Mommy and a Daddy love each other VERY much....................

Sensory overload...be ready to calm them down then get outta Dodge as soon as they start getting tired. Those midday breaks are everything with little ones. That, and as Hakunamatata (Whataburger...mmmmmm) says, have distractions preplanned for when waiting in line.

Thanks! Definitely have a slower pace in mind and plan on keeping nap times and bed times as normal as possible to reduce the shock of being in the most over stimulating place possible.

Looking for suggestions on attractions that everyone’s kids either liked or didn’t like at that age too, if anyone has them!

 

[oommggitskait]

Have NO idea how I wound up posting this in the dining section and not the trip planning section. Sleep deprived mom fail!

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Buy a couple of stroller fans and/or sprayers. Even though your going in November, Orlando will most likely have some hot days (check the weather forecast). Nothing quite like a tired, sweaty, aggravated toddler. And pack a few water bottles and snacks in the diaper bag to keep them happy and hydrated.

MK - Small World, Country Bear, Tiki Room should be good (although my daughter when 2 - was terrified of the "dollies" at Small World. When you look at them closely, I could see a 2 year old getting a "Chucky" vibe). The biggest win here is the water activities at Storybook.

AK - Hit "The Goats" (Rafiki's Planet Watch). That's usually a big win for kids that age.

EPCOT - The trains in Germany.

Beware the meet and greets. Kids at that age have funny reactions to the characters. I say this because the lines can be long. I remember a few years back when my son was about 2 and we waited about 45 minutes in line to meet Santa at DS.

Turned into a Randy moment from A Christmas Story. He did the same with several other characters, and at a character meal.

If you have some time - hit the petting zoo over at FW (take the boat from MK or Contemporary). Another big win.

If you plan on hitting DS - The train, the fountains, and the dig site at T-Rex.

 

[DisAl]

Have NO idea how I wound up posting this in the dining section and not the trip planning section. Sleep deprived mom fail!

If you think it is bad now just wait until you get there!
It can be a wonderful trip though. We took our granddaughter her first time at age 3 1/2, our grandson at age 1 1/2. Both had a wonderful time. It surprised us just how much the 1 1/2 year old liked it, and we are going back in just two weeks for his second trip at age 3 1/2.
The key thing is understanding your toddler's moods and needs and acting accordingly. And an extra dose of patience for you as you wait in those long lines.....
Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Pinoke76]

We took our 22 month old in 2016 and we have magical memories and photos of the trip - she seemed to enjoy nearly everything we did. We still talk about her asking to go on Dumbo and Magic Carpets all the time. I don't know if she really enjoyed them, or if she just liked our reaction when she said that was what she wanted to do
She also loved meeting characters, particularly when it was cool at the indoors ones.

We took her in a Belle dress on the day we did Enchanted Tales with Belle, the cast were amazing and made all of the toddlers in Belle outfits feel extra special. The first show of the day was packed with toddlers in Belle's yellow gown and every one of them left with a huge smile on their face ... I even got to take part in the story which enhanced our memory.

The best meals we had in the two weeks were character breakfasts or lunches, as a toddler doesn't have to have a plate of their own the buffet style of Crystal Palace worked perfectly. We also loved Garden Grill at Epcot.

The only things from memory that she didn't like were loud fireworks (even with noise cancelling headphones on!), long queues when we couldn't get a fastpass and waiting for parades in the heat.
Frozen Ever After was expected to be a hit, but for some reason didn't hit the spot with my little one.

 

[JourneyOfAThousandMiles]

We recently did the same thing. We were experienced Disney travelers and brought our 20 month old son to Disney last October. We were really surprised at how well he did. Outside of keeping a consistent schedule (mid day nap and a somewhat normal bed time) as you mention, things he really loved were:

Fantasyland - every ride. There's just so much to look at that he was always entertained.
Anything with animatronics, including SSE and CoP.
The TTA - this was great for all of us
The Living Seas - we spent an hour here. Having a lot of area for him to walk around was great.

We thought Living with the Land would be good for him because he likes boats but he seemed a little bit scared by the first thunderstorm scene. He did however, love the escalators in the Land!

We didn't have much success at HS. There was just too much construction and not enough to do for him. This was late in our trip and getting him to sit for a show wasn't happening.

The other challenging item was just getting to the park between driving, parking, walking, security, etc. We knew it would add time, but it was even more than expected. We had a breakfast scheduled at the Crystal Palace which worked out great since we got into the park before it was even open.

Our biggest tip is continue to utilize fast pass and ride swap to the fullest. Knowing lines can get really long for rides like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh, we made sure to get fast pass for these so that he didn't have to wait in line. We then got one final pass for a ride we wanted to do, and then utilized ride swap for each other.

We just started posting a trip report focused on the toddler experience if you're looking for other highlights.
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/a-toddler-and-his-familys-journey-around-disney-world.942289/

 

[oommggitskait]

Wow thanks everyone! These are great suggestions!

 

[slappy magoo]

IMHO, you shouldn't let the toddlers plan the trip.

 

[George]

So my friend @lizlovesdisney87 and I are heading to WDW in November this year. We’re both seasoned veterans and have traveled together before. This time though our families have two new tagalongs. We’ll have two toddlers in tow about 20months old.

Im looking for suggestions on hits and misses with young toddlers. What did you think they’d enjoy but maybe didn’t? Or what did you skip and wish you hadn’t? What did your kid this age LOVE?

Already know a lot about park touring (e.g., mid day break, don’t expect to tour like we did pre kids) but just looking for experiential advice with kids this age!

ETA: also specifically looking for attractions your toddlers did and didn’t enjoy!

I'm guessing you'll have a stroller(s)? Print out an 8 x 11 picture of the kid(s) using the stroller, put it in a plastic report sleeve to protect from the elements and cable tie it to the handle of the stroller. Stands out way more than just a name or even balloons, both of which are overly prevalent.

 

[winstongator]

Buy a couple of stroller fans and/or sprayers. Even though your going in November, Orlando will most likely have some hot days (check the weather forecast). Nothing quite like a tired, sweaty, aggravated toddler. And pack a few water bottles and snacks in the diaper bag to keep them happy and hydrated.

MK - Small World, Country Bear, Tiki Room should be good (although my daughter when 2 - was terrified of the "dollies" at Small World. When you look at them closely, I could see a 2 year old getting a "Chucky" vibe). The biggest win here is the water activities at Storybook.

AK - Hit "The Goats" (Rafiki's Planet Watch). That's usually a big win for kids that age.

EPCOT - The trains in Germany.

Beware the meet and greets. Kids at that age have funny reactions to the characters. I say this because the lines can be long. I remember a few years back when my son was about 2 and we waited about 45 minutes in line to meet Santa at DS.

Turned into a Randy moment from A Christmas Story. He did the same with several other characters, and at a character meal.

If you have some time - hit the petting zoo over at FW (take the boat from MK or Contemporary). Another big win.

If you plan on hitting DS - The train, the fountains, and the dig site at T-Rex.

The trains in Germany is my 65 year old dad’s favorite part of Epcot.

 

[oommggitskait]

We recently did the same thing. We were experienced Disney travelers and brought our 20 month old son to Disney last October. We were really surprised at how well he did. Outside of keeping a consistent schedule (mid day nap and a somewhat normal bed time) as you mention, things he really loved were:

Fantasyland - every ride. There's just so much to look at that he was always entertained.
Anything with animatronics, including SSE and CoP.
The TTA - this was great for all of us
The Living Seas - we spent an hour here. Having a lot of area for him to walk around was great.

We thought Living with the Land would be good for him because he likes boats but he seemed a little bit scared by the first thunderstorm scene. He did however, love the escalators in the Land!

We didn't have much success at HS. There was just too much construction and not enough to do for him. This was late in our trip and getting him to sit for a show wasn't happening.

The other challenging item was just getting to the park between driving, parking, walking, security, etc. We knew it would add time, but it was even more than expected. We had a breakfast scheduled at the Crystal Palace which worked out great since we got into the park before it was even open.

Our biggest tip is continue to utilize fast pass and ride swap to the fullest. Knowing lines can get really long for rides like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh, we made sure to get fast pass for these so that he didn't have to wait in line. We then got one final pass for a ride we wanted to do, and then utilized ride swap for each other.

We just started posting a trip report focused on the toddler experience if you're looking for other highlights.
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/a-toddler-and-his-familys-journey-around-disney-world.942289/

Awesome! Definitely going to read your report!! Thanks for all then suggestions

IMHO, you shouldn't let the toddlers plan the trip.

touché

I'm guessing you'll have a stroller(s)? Print out an 8 x 11 picture of the kid(s) using the stroller, put it in a plastic report sleeve to protect from the elements and cable tie it to the handle of the stroller. Stands out way more than just a name or even balloons, both of which are overly prevalent.

That’s a great idea thank you!

 

[wdwfamilynh]

Be ready to throw out your plans...at any time! And I say this as a true plan-every-Disney-minute person!

Our son’s first trip was at age 2 and we were able to do everything we had planned and he napped in the stroller without issue. His second trip was at age 4...Day 1 was good; Day 2 we thought he would just keep going, so we did; Day 3 was a major meltdown from the overload (the kid is used to being in the woods) and we learned our lesson. The rest of the trip was part Park-time, part pool-time and everyone was much happier.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Dreaming of Disney World]

We just went to Disney World with our 20 month old. He hated Hollywood Studios because there is no play area, and he had difficult behavior. He did the best at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom because they have play areas, which we used a few times a day. He pretty much liked all the rides.

 

[SAV]

Avoid It's a Bug's life at AK. I've seen many kids(including one of mine) taken out screaming.

Mine both liked the typical little kid stuff. Playing in the fountains, Disney Jr. show, etc.

We had our kids fall asleep in the stroller and never went back for a break. You know your child best, so you will need to determine if the "mid-day break" is something your family really needs.

For mom's sake, we didn't do Rope Drop one day, so she could sleep in a bit. Otherwise, we did our normal thing...just sprinkled in the kids stuff. What you don't want to do is tailor everything around the little ones. You are allowed to have fun and enjoy yourself too.

 

[Spash007]

Our daughter was slightly older when we went (just under 3), but i think a few ideas are still relevant to you -

First off, plan for the unplanned. You never know what a kid will like or not like, and you really have to be mentally ready to go with it. Our daughter loves the Little Mermaid, but mildly freaked out when meeting her. Other characters were a miss for 3 days, and then all of a sudden something flipped, and she started running up to them. Also, we discovered our daughter has a weird fear of water. Not pools, she loves pools. But water play areas, or rides with water on them. Even the Finding Nemo ride where you're technically under water she freaked out. Pirates, even Frozen for the one little drop, I had to jump in front of her to make sure she didn't get wet.

Be careful of loud noises. Bring ear plugs if you're going to be watching fireworks. Mickey's Philharmagic was also a major fail on this end - I thought it would be great because she loves music, but to her it was loud, dark and the 3D didn't make sense.

Be prepared for the dark. Whenever we went on a ride that even had a little dark section, whoever was riding with her made sure they had a phone in our hand. This way if she started getting agitated when it got dark, we just turned the screen on and had her look at it. Keep it low so it doesn't distract other guests, but this worked.

I'm not sure if they'll be potty trained, but it seems like a lot of kids get scared by the auto-flushing toilets. Bring some sticky notes to cover the sensor so they don't automatically go off. Even if they are, probably having them in pull-ups or diapers in the parks just in case is a good idea. We didn't have to use it, but the last thing you want is to be getting on a ride and have to step out to find a bathroom.

Mid-day breaks are awesome. We went back to the pool most days because of the heat, but the combination of the nap on the bus and break from stimulation really helped. We also really embraced the stroller nap (World Showcase was the best).

And finally, mentally prepare yourself to break from as many "rules" as you're comfortable with and just enjoy the moment.. My biggest regret is that I got stressed out about our daughter not eating enough at restaurants. We had snacks she could and would eat and she ate some at the restaurants, but was pretty distracted. I focused too much on getting her to eat like normal and wish I hadn't. Just figure ahead of time how different from normal you are comfortable with (with eating, sleeping, etc) so you can just enjoy yourselves!

 

[JD80]

So my friend @lizlovesdisney87 and I are heading to WDW in November this year. We’re both seasoned veterans and have traveled together before. This time though our families have two new tagalongs. We’ll have two toddlers in tow about 20months old.

Im looking for suggestions on hits and misses with young toddlers. What did you think they’d enjoy but maybe didn’t? Or what did you skip and wish you hadn’t? What did your kid this age LOVE?

Already know a lot about park touring (e.g., mid day break, don’t expect to tour like we did pre kids) but just looking for experiential advice with kids this age!

ETA: also specifically looking for attractions your toddlers did and didn’t enjoy!

Over the last three years I've been down twice:
In 2015 I took a 2.5 year old and a 8 month old.
In 2017 I took a 4 year old and a 2.5 year old and a pregnant wife.

I think I've gained some wisdom! I love planning these trips and here is some advice I have for you:

The Disney Dining Plan is extremely worth it and it's all about planning on breaks. The trick to planning a good WDW trip is planning around breaks and rest periods. DO NOT attempt to create a rigid schedule of RideA at 1pm, RideB at 1:30 etc. Plan when you're going to sit down.

If you have the Disney Dining Plan, or don't mind dropping cash, schedule a character meal for every day. For example, my first MK day had us rope dropping, then Chef Mickey's at 11. Then ride the train around the park in the mid-afternoon. I filled in FP around those times and stayed flexible with the additional fast passes through out the day.

Schedule all Fastpasses early, as most people do, so you can then just bounce FP to FP as the day goes on. This way your wait times are crazy low compared to everything else.

Figure out what parades and fireworks you want to see and get there 30-60 mins early. It gives you a chance to stop and just take in the park as you wait. For example at Hollywood Studios we sat down with a Cast Member (who was directing traffic) waiting for the Star Wars show. He entertained us and the 20-30 other people sitting in the middle of the open space waiting for the show. At the end of the day this was amazing. It was also about an hour after our character meal at Hollywood and Vine (awful food, but great character experience).

Take it slow, take what comes to you and plan your down time. Some people like going back to the hotel for swimming/lunch. I personally don't like wasting park days by riding buses back and forth (unless you're staying on the monorail!), which is why I schedule character lunches or something like BOG if you can grab it.

Which leaves me to my last bit of advice, schedule off days. If I'm down for a full 5 days (not counting travel days) I'm only going to parks for 3 days and in between I'm doing pools/shopping etc.

As far as rides and attractions, I think it's easy to say that almost anything in MK is good for them that they can physically go on. My 4 yo loved the Barnstormer and they all liked the character meets. Dumbo is a favorite as well as the teacups. Small World, Poo, Peter Pan etc.

There wasn't a ride that they were able to go on they didn't like.

Hollywood Studios we did all the shows and they liked them. Little Mermaid and Disney Jr shows were kind of meh, but they were air conditioned and that's good for me.

We didn't do Epcot but next time we will just for the Frozen stuff for my daughter.

Animal Kingdom was fun, but they kids liked it just as any other Zoo. This was before Pandora opened though.

 

[dreamfinder]

I've found it really to be hit or miss. Reactions can change over the course of an hour. Start of a character meal, DS didn't want to even look at them, but by the end he was toddling around behind them trying to grab Tiggers tail. On a later trip being all excited to see Pooh in line, but as soon as we get to the front, he hides and refuses to get near him.
A stroller/baby carrier they can sleep in is key. If they can konk out, even for a short nap a few times, it can save you a trip back to the hotel.
Prepare to spend lots of time on the rides you never enjoyed before. Think I rode the carousel 5-6 times in a single day last trip. Along with a turn on Aladdin spinner, and 2 rides on Dumbo. And then a solid 30 minutes of playing in the Dumbo splash zone.
If the weather is right, an extra set of clothes to let them play in the water features (the ones where it is allowed) can be helpful to avoiding a meltdown.