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

[kniquy]

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.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

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.

This. Period.

 

[buseegal]

the one thing in leaving her will be her not know the grandparents. when I worked in daycare,, a family left their 18 month twin daughters with grandparents the girls did not know. the grandparents brought them to daycare each day, when they came to get them each the girls would cling to us and scream as they were taken home. I know the grandparents were counting the days until they came home. it does not always work out the child has a happy time while parents are gone

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

I'm pretty sure the OP already stated that her kiddo already enjoys time with the grandparents.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

We just came home from Disneyworld on Saturday. We went with my daughter, son in law and 20 month old granddaughter. I was not sure about the trip since she has never seen television so the characters would be new and maybe a bit scary. She absolutely loved them!!!!!! She apparently thought that they were just very big stuffed toys. She could not wait for Winnie the Pooh and friends at The Crystal Palace. She loved them again at 1900 Park Fare and when she saw Chip and Dale in The AK, she literally ran after them so she could spend time with them. She even loved Rafiki. She was however a bit apprehensive about the princesses and any other "human" characters. She approached them in the same way she would any other person she had never met.
Now I do agree with others who advised that you let her set the schedule. We stayed offsite and my granddaughter was great in the morning but when she tired after lunch, mom found a quiet place to let her rest and fall asleep with her pacifier and regular bedtime pals. If she did not fall asleep in 1/2 hour, we left the park. This of course, will be easier for you if you stay in the park and can split your travel party in order for your daughter so go back to the hotel and nap. Whatever you do....do not push her. Be proactive and watch for those signs that she is hitting a wall. Leave before she has a meltdown. You will all have a more pleasant vacation. And the characters are very respectful of the children and their reactions. She did not like Alice or the Mad Hatter or any of the princesses. When they noticed that she was not receptive to them, they backed right off.
If you do decide to take her, this will be a trip for you to see her and her response to the magic....she will never remember it but the photos and memories will be priceless. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[ToTBellHop]

here's my advice.

Don't ask for advice here. You will get a group of parents who think they know best for all parents. They will project their feelings on to you, trying to make you feel guilty because they would feel guilty in your position.

Anecdotal evidence from my recent experience....

we just returned from a trip with our 7 month old son. He did not give one single bleep about the trip. Yea he smiled at Pooh, but he always smiles at poo, and we got a couple cute pictures, but he always takes cute pictures. We were there 4 days, hit every park, and only managed 12 attractions total. If I was in your situation, I would take the older kids and leave the youngest with the In-laws.

So...to be clear. You trash every other parent in this thread for providing their own experience with children because you can't really tell another parent what to do, you can only say what you would do. And then you provide your own experience with children as advice. Got it. So you, then, are one of those parents who "thinks they know best for all parents and project their feelings on you." If she takes your advice, she won't read your response anyway, so why bother. People who judge judgmental people are also judgmental.

How can you honestly compare a 7-month old infant to an 18-month old toddler? In what universe is there any similarity? Certainly not in the universe of anyone who actually has an 18-month old.

 

[xdan0920]

So...to be clear. You trash every other parent in this thread for providing their own experience with children because you can't really tell another parent what to do, you can only say what you would do. And then you provide your own experience with children as advice. Got it. So you, then, are one of those parents who "thinks they know best for all parents and project their feelings on you." If she takes your advice, she won't read your response anyway, so why bother. People who judge judgmental people are also judgmental.

How can you honestly compare a 7-month old infant to an 18-month old toddler? In what universe is there any similarity? Certainly not in the universe of anyone who actually has an 18-month old.

Erm...

Who did I "trash"?

Ideally, she wouldn't read past my initial comment, correct.

You're right, a 7 month old doesn't = an 18 month old. good observation.

 

[Swissmiss]

Although I could give you advice from a parent's perspective, I'll give you experience from a child's perspective: when I was not much older than your daughter my parents went away with some of my older siblings and I was left with my grandparents along with two of my other siblings. We thought it was great and loved being with our grandparents. This will be a great opportunity for your daughter who, being younger, has had less time with her grandparents than your sons.

And It is clear from your posts that you are thinking of the wellbeing of all three of your children - kudos to you!

 

[kniquy]

Just thought that i would update how our tip went-- We went to WDW 12/31 through 1/6/15 -- We only took the two older boys - both 9. The baby stayed home with the grandparents. With as crazy as it was and with such a hectic schedule it was a blessing that we did not have the baby with us. Our goal was to accomplish a lot and to see everything that the boys wanted to see or do. With the little one it would have just never happened. She had a wonderful time with the grandparents and she was so excited to see us when we got back -- no hard feelings from her either --just happy to see us. We are planning a trip centered around her in 2017 when she turns 5 -- I figure at that age she will still be in awe of seeing the princess's and will be able to walk around a good part of the day to see the sights. Overall I do not regret that the baby wasn't with us -she was in good hands-- I am happy with the memories that we created and the experiences that we had with the boys. They deserved that one on one time.

 

[awoogala]

As everyone said, only you know what your child can or cannot do.
I would take her, if she's a decent napper, I'd be sure to have a great, comfortable stroller.
My older, sleepy, 3 year old napped every day in Disney, in her reclined stroller (no umbrella strollers!), and we kept touring, with baby swap, we got on more rides with our older child during her naps then we did while she was awake- we could even stay at the parks until after her bedtime because she'd climb in the stroller, and go right to bed.
Other kids need absolute silence and the right bed, etc. You are the expert.

Edit: just noticed this is an old thread.. ignore me. lol

 

[abeachchick]

Just thought that i would update how our tip went-- We went to WDW 12/31 through 1/6/15 -- We only took the two older boys - both 9. The baby stayed home with the grandparents. With as crazy as it was and with such a hectic schedule it was a blessing that we did not have the baby with us. Our goal was to accomplish a lot and to see everything that the boys wanted to see or do. With the little one it would have just never happened. She had a wonderful time with the grandparents and she was so excited to see us when we got back -- no hard feelings from her either --just happy to see us. We are planning a trip centered around her in 2017 when she turns 5 -- I figure at that age she will still be in awe of seeing the princess's and will be able to walk around a good part of the day to see the sights. Overall I do not regret that the baby wasn't with us -she was in good hands-- I am happy with the memories that we created and the experiences that we had with the boys. They deserved that one on one time.

So glad to hear you had a great time!

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Not really answering your question, but I just thought I'd share that we brought our 6 month old with our older kids who were 15 and 12 at the time of travel (last August). They were fine with going back to the resort and swimming or getting ice cream or whatever. They did not care that we had to return to the hotel. We were there for nine whole Disney days and that made a difference because we were able to still ALL the things we wanted to do (somethings twice or three times). After reading all of your responses to people, it really sounds like you would rather leave the 18 m/o at home. Personally, I would not be able to do that, but I do see your side of things. Just because you're moving at a slower pace (with possible a break in the day) doesn't mean you can't do all the things you want to do.... Good luck!

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Just thought that i would update how our tip went-- We went to WDW 12/31 through 1/6/15 -- We only took the two older boys - both 9. The baby stayed home with the grandparents. With as crazy as it was and with such a hectic schedule it was a blessing that we did not have the baby with us. Our goal was to accomplish a lot and to see everything that the boys wanted to see or do. With the little one it would have just never happened. She had a wonderful time with the grandparents and she was so excited to see us when we got back -- no hard feelings from her either --just happy to see us. We are planning a trip centered around her in 2017 when she turns 5 -- I figure at that age she will still be in awe of seeing the princess's and will be able to walk around a good part of the day to see the sights. Overall I do not regret that the baby wasn't with us -she was in good hands-- I am happy with the memories that we created and the experiences that we had with the boys. They deserved that one on one time.

Please ignore my post that I just posted two seconds ago... lol.. You did the right thing for you and your family! I'm so glad to hear you all had a lovely time!!

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Just thought that i would update how our tip went-- We went to WDW 12/31 through 1/6/15 -- We only took the two older boys - both 9. The baby stayed home with the grandparents. With as crazy as it was and with such a hectic schedule it was a blessing that we did not have the baby with us. Our goal was to accomplish a lot and to see everything that the boys wanted to see or do. With the little one it would have just never happened. She had a wonderful time with the grandparents and she was so excited to see us when we got back -- no hard feelings from her either --just happy to see us. We are planning a trip centered around her in 2017 when she turns 5 -- I figure at that age she will still be in awe of seeing the princess's and will be able to walk around a good part of the day to see the sights. Overall I do not regret that the baby wasn't with us -she was in good hands-- I am happy with the memories that we created and the experiences that we had with the boys. They deserved that one on one time.

awesome! Glad it all worked out.

 

[jlsHouston]

This. Period.

Which is why I am kind of dreading this summer with a 8 month old....He's adorable but....my regular travel partners are now 8 and 10 and the three of us have been discussing how this is really going to cramp our style. The bright side is oh well we will be at WDW....