What would you do -- travel with an 18 month old??

kniquy

kniquy

Active Member
I am really torn on what to do. This is my boys first trip to Disney -- They are twin boys who are 9. We have a little lady who is 18 months old. She is, for the most part, a great baby and has the usual melt downs that a toddler has. She is not going to cost us anything money wise, but i know we will not be able to tour the parks at a good pace with her in tow. We will be there for 6 days. My in laws have offered to watch her for us. She always has a great time with them and they don't get to see her very often so i know they would be thrilled to have her. I know she would not remember a thing from this trip and we do plan on taking her when she is 8 or 9 and will be able to enjoy everything Disney has to offer.

Do we leave her with the in laws? I feel guilty not taking her and will miss her immensely, but on the same token is it fair to the boys to not get to experience Disney to the fullest extent? It is expensive so this will likely be there only trip as kids.
 
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JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Since the offer is there and she does well with the in laws... I'd take advantage of leaving her and make the trip an enjoyable one for the boys. Why put yourself under pressure knowing you'll have to deal with a fussy younger one. Disney can be long drawn out days and its tough even with 9yos. Theres not a lot you can do with an 18 mo anyway. So plan on making it a fun, memorable time for you with the boys. Her time will come when she can handle the trip better. No guilt necessary... enjoy the trip in the best circumstances.
 
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Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
This is going to sound kind of harsh, but I know of no good way to dance around this subject and effectively give you sound advice.

If you are not willing to operate on your child's schedule, do not take them to WDW.

Make no mistake, the 18 month old will dictate what you can and can't do. If you attempt to circumvent their will the chances of her snapping and taking everyone with her is quite high.
 
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HRHPrincessAriel

HRHPrincessAriel

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
This is going to sound kind of harsh, but I know of no good way to dance around this subject and effectively give you sound advice.

If you are not willing to operate on your child's schedule, do not take them to WDW.

Make no mistake, the 18 month old will dictate what you can and can't do. If you attempt to circumvent their will the chances of her snapping and taking everyone with her is quite high.
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pretty much this.
 
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Disneygrl

Disneygrl

Well-Known Member
Taking a little one is a great experience, but it does limit the schedule. Since she's not old enough to know what she's missing, I'd let the in laws keep her. You'll all be able to ride the rides at the same time and you can make the most out of your time. We went with little ones earlier this year and they definitely ruled the schedule haha. It was fun, but definitely a different kind of trip than we're used to taking.
 
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Disneygrl

Disneygrl

Well-Known Member
dadddio said:
Just because there are rides that the baby won't be able to ride, doesn't mean that the other kids can't go on them, right?
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Not at all. but most rides are 2 to a row, so with one of the parents staying off of the ride, that leaves one of the twins riding by themselves. Not a huge deal, but with an even 4 people, they could all ride at the same time instead of utilizing rider swap.
 
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D

dadddio

Well-Known Member
Disneygrl said:
Not at all. but most rides are 2 to a row, so with one of the parents staying off of the ride, that leaves one of the twins riding by themselves. Not a huge deal, but with an even 4 people, they could all ride at the same time instead of utilizing rider swap.
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Or the two 9yos riding together and an adult riding alone.
Or take advantage of 'baby swap'.

Either way, no one can answer the OP's question except the OP because it really comes down to whether she is willing to make the small adjustments that traveling with a toddler requires.
 
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wannabeBelle

wannabeBelle

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
This is going to sound kind of harsh, but I know of no good way to dance around this subject and effectively give you sound advice.

If you are not willing to operate on your child's schedule, do not take them to WDW.

Make no mistake, the 18 month old will dictate what you can and can't do. If you attempt to circumvent their will the chances of her snapping and taking everyone with her is quite high.
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Brilliant Man!!!! Marie
 
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kniquy

kniquy

Active Member
Original Poster
I appreciate all your responses -- I fully planned the trip with the intention of working with her schedule where one of us has to take her back for a nap while the other one stays with the boys at the park. I already scheduled out fastpass selections with that in mind. But now that the offer is there to have someone watch her it does help ease our travel plans. My in laws even considered coming down with us, but then they though of the possibility of the weather being chilly and having to entertain her while we go on rides and at New years time the parks are going to be packed. Chasing a toddler though out a crowd of people isn't what they want to do either. So they are going to stay in chilly MA.

I think the boys deserve some one on one time considering that this will be their trip and not hers when in reality she would dictate a lot of what and how we do the parks. I should take the time and enjoy this with the boys, because frankly they are growing up so quick.

I think i am just trying to not feel guilty for leaving her, but i do know that at that age they are so in the moment and she probably won't even realize that we are gone.
 
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kniquy

kniquy

Active Member
Original Poster
Master Yoda said:
This is going to sound kind of harsh, but I know of no good way to dance around this subject and effectively give you sound advice.

If you are not willing to operate on your child's schedule, do not take them to WDW.

Make no mistake, the 18 month old will dictate what you can and can't do. If you attempt to circumvent their will the chances of her snapping and taking everyone with her is quite high.
Click to expand...


I have been fully planning the trip to coordinate it around her needs --that is just the way life is with a little one. We usually manager very well with her and we usually avoid the typical middle of a restaurant melt down because we arrange things around her. I was just assuming it would be a family trip until the in laws came up with the offer to watch her.
 
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HRHPrincessAriel

HRHPrincessAriel

Well-Known Member
dadddio said:
She's definitely going to notice that you are gone.
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That wasn't a very nice thing to say to a parent that's dwelling on their decision.

OP she "may" notice but quite possibly won't care.

My kiddo usually wants nothing to do with us once her grandparents are around. She actually waved me off this past week in WDW when we crossed paths! Alice and Gigi/GP were much more important in her 4 year old mind!

I say send her there and let the boys share that time with y'all.
 
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Susan Savia

Well-Known Member
My daughter was about that age the first time we took her and she had so much fun. Got pictures of Chip and Dale interacting with her. If she was tired, she'd sleep in her stroller, have a snack etc. We didn't slow our pace because of her. Nothing frightened her (characters, loud noises...) and we had some great times those early years.
 
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CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Our youngest was just under two on her first trip - she freaked out at the characters and wouldn't go near them. This was everyone's first trip and we took in everything that we could at a pace that suited everyone, our eldest was five. We went, believing it would be our one and only chance to experience WDW.

Only you know what is right for you and your family. You have two nine year olds visiting for the first time - full of energy and will probably out pace you. Why would you want to hamper their enjoyment, slowing them down by bringing their baby sister ? On the other hand, why would you want to visit WDW without your young daughter ? She won't remember the trip, but she will enjoy the sights and sounds that she experiences within the parks. Is it fair to leave her behind ?

Tough one - good luck with your decision making
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Only you can decide this. I couldn't go to WDW without one of my children because of what WDW is. A cruise would be a different issue for us, but as folks who have taken our twins at 7 months, a year, 14 months, 18 months, and soon 2 years, I couldn't imagine NOT seeing their little expressions at all of those ages. But, both of my kids are the same age. You can certainly manage with an 18 m.o. Whether or not you want to is your choice.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
We left our year-old son with his beloved aunt and uncle while we took a week's vacation. He had an absolute ball and clearly believed that it was HE who was getting a well-needed break from the norm, rather than us. :)

If your daughter trusts, enjoys and is familiar with her grandparents, and if you are confident that she'll be well cared-for, I think letting her stay with them is a win-win. They can keep her on her usual routine and your older children can enjoy a week of extra attention from you. Everybody will be happier for it.
 
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kniquy

kniquy

Active Member
Original Poster
Thank you all! I really just didn't want to feel like the worst mother in the world for not bringing her along. It is really my first time hitting all the parks. I went to Epcot many years ago so I too have yet to experience it all.
 
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