Things no-to-miss with a toddler

[Triton]

We are very experienced Disney-goers, but we are getting ready for our first trip with our DS in December. He will turn two right around the time of our trip.

I'd love to hear your suggestions of things that a toddler would really enjoy, but that we might have overlooked in our pre-kiddo travels. I suspect there are tons of hidden gems that we've just never paid attention to when it was just adults running around!

 

[Greenfield1984]

Hedge maze in the UK Pavilion at Epcot.

On one of our earlier trips when we just had our one toddler daughter we came across the hedge maze in the UK. This promptly turned into a game of hide and seek as it ought to with any parent .

We've been doing with all 3 of our daughters every since.

 

[Aurora0427]

Hedge maze in the UK Pavilion at Epcot.

On one of our earlier trips when we just had our one toddler daughter we came across the hedge maze in the UK. This promptly turned into a game of hide and seek as it ought to with any parent .

We've been doing with all 3 of our daughters every since.

Thank you for sharing! Ten trips to Disney and I never knew about the hedge maze. We are doing lunch at R&Con one of our Epcot days. We will make sure to check out the hedge maze with our 3.5 year old!

 

[Twende]

When my DGD was just a toddler we took her to Crystal Palace and she loved the interactions with Pooh and friends. They come to your table and give you plenty of time to warm up to them and get great pictures.

She also enjoyed the jumping fountains in EPCOT above Journey Into Imagination with Figment. When you finish that attraction stop and play in the musical interactive area as you exit. Little ones love running around on the instrument carpet and making musical sounds. The fountains are right outside of that but up a few steps.

In MK the little tree house outside of Winnie the Pooh is always a big hit.

Our DGD loved to dance and she enjoyed dancing to the music that Sonny Eclipse was playing at Cosmic Rays in MK.

Dumbo in MK was a big hit also as was the Triceratops spin at AK. I will warn you that the new playground at Dumbo is so wonderful that it can cause a melt down when it is time to leave it and ride Dumbo. We had a tough time there when our buzzer went off and DGD wanted to stay and play. She would have been happy playing in there for hours. For a few trips after that we had to avoid the play area and just ride Dumbo.

Some of the resorts have wonderful splash areas for little ones. Our favorite is the one at AKL Kidani. There is also a fun one in DTD but be prepared for your little one to get very wet.

DHD has Playhouse Disney show which can be a toddler favorite if your child is familiar with that show.

We found that traveling with a stroller was just too much of a hassle for our family so we invested in a good backpacking carrier. We got a Deuter pack and it serviced us well for many toddler years.

Have fun, take your time, pack small treats and water, pack changes of clothes and layers for warmth or heat depending on the time of year of your trip. It can get cold in the winter months. Good luck!

 

[Mikie]

I've been with preschoolers 4 times. Of course they like the slow rides - spaceship earth was always a favorite, to my surprise, but they loved the unstructured discoveries most I think:

-the hedge maze, as mentioned
- watching the dancing fountain outside Figment in future world
- the Boneyard playground at AK
- long time ago, there was a playground in fantasyland, I'm not sure if new fantasyland has one
- sitting by any fountain - France; I think DHS has one
- Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground at DHS - only if it's not too packed - it gets a bit crazy with big kids if you happen upon a busy time
- riding the monorail (if you're not staying at a monorail resort and using it as transportation) my son thought it was an Epcot ride!
- Allow time for stopping to watch the ducks! You'd think kids had never seen a duck before!
The hotel pool - even though I tend to think "we can swim at home" it's always a highlight for the kids

Be prepared to take it slow and know it will be a very different trip, but magical in its own way!

 

[Griffin226]

Trust me: nap time! As someone who has taken my three kids to WDW for their first birthday nap time was the thing to not miss.

 

[wdwobsessed!]

Playhouse Disney in DHS is a MUST! Our DS who was 2 at the time of the trip, loved it! It was such a hit. Plus it's a cute show

 

[Tinkerbella001]

- Allow time for stopping to watch the ducks! You'd think kids had never seen a duck before!

But those are DISNEY Ducks!!

 

[Ava]

The boat ride in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot was a surprise hit with our 16-month-old. I think that may have been her favorite ride, she laughed and laughed whenever Donald appeared.

Also allow time to stop and watch the various street performers. When my oldest had just turned two, she loved the marching band in MK and the drummers in Epcot.

 

[Kae]

Flight of wonder at AK. Watch out for "tough to be a bug" kinda scary for little ones.

Kae

 

[HatboxHaint]

Disney Jr Live, Disney Jr Live, and Disney Jr Live....at DHS

 

[ruthies12]

My dd's favorite things at the age of 2 were Mickey's Philharmgic show at MK and dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary.

 

[Greenfield1984]

So many great tips on this thread.

It is interesting to note that it isn't the rides that people are listing but little additions scattered throughout the parks like fountains, play areas etc.

I think the key to a toddler is to just slow down and let them explore and improvise fun on the fly.

They are new to the real world and as such everything for them is a new and exciting experience and so don't require some of the advanced thrills that the Disney world offers.

 

[jrtoastyman]

I've been with preschoolers 4 times. Of course they like the slow rides - spaceship earth was always a favorite, to my surprise, but they loved the unstructured discoveries most I think:

-the hedge maze, as mentioned
- watching the dancing fountain outside Figment in future world
- the Boneyard playground at AK
- long time ago, there was a playground in fantasyland, I'm not sure if new fantasyland has one
- sitting by any fountain - France; I think DHS has one
- Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground at DHS - only if it's not too packed - it gets a bit crazy with big kids if you happen upon a busy time
- riding the monorail (if you're not staying at a monorail resort and using it as transportation) my son thought it was an Epcot ride!
- Allow time for stopping to watch the ducks! You'd think kids had never seen a duck before!
The hotel pool - even though I tend to think "we can swim at home" it's always a highlight for the kids

Be prepared to take it slow and know it will be a very different trip, but magical in its own way!

This is spot on. I know we tend to focus upon the high tech, multi-million dollar attractions at WDW, but young children excel at noticing the little details and getting engrossed in things you might not expect. When my DD was about to turn 3, we could have spent all day at the little Africa spot in Epcot while she played the drums, or watching the little train set by Germany. They'll get wrapped up in things you might not expect -- my best advice is to go with it and not pull them away from something they are loving to put them on a ride you think they should love.

One final tip for touring with little ones -- when trying to decide if your child will like an attraction or not, set aside the subject matter and consider what the ride does on the most basic level. Some rides that are totally non-threatening still involve darkness, loud noises, and unexpected movements. TTA is one of the most easygoing rides in the park, for example, but when it got dark, it scared the beejeezus out of my daughter just the same.

 

[Boo Bear]

I'm getting ready to take my almost 3 year old little boy to WDW. I'm also a very experienced Disney goer, but not with children. I've been planning and planning and then planning some more to make the most out of this special Mommy/Buddy trip. We have 4 park days scheduled.

I'm decided to dedicate our first day fully to DHS.

One of the most helpful things I learned on here in advance is that the FP+ for the Disney Jr. Live show at DHS has bad viewing for toddlers. It's in the front row and the stage is elevated, so it obstructs the view for little ones. We're just planning on doing rope drop for DHS, riding TSMM standby then riding it again with a FP+. Going to meet Woody and Buzz and then hit the Disney Jr. Live show. He loves Frozen so we are going to the Dessert party and are looking forward to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post. We're also going to Hollywood & Vine for lunch to meet Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Jake and Handy Manny. Those are our priorities.

Magic Kingdom, obviously, has our most priorities. Buzz Lightyear, Dumbo, Swiss Family Treehouse, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Barnstormer, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, POTC, Tomorrowland Speedway, pressed pennies (yours might be too little for that. DS just started getting into coins... he calls them "monies"). We are devoting two full days to MK and another morning for 2 hours for Tom Sawyer Island and WDWRR. We are attending EMH one morning and then taking a long afternoon break, and coming back for Crystal Palace and MVMCP.

Epcot gets an afternoon/evening and our priorities are Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Grand Fiesta Tour, the fountain, and Illuminations.

Of course we will be doing other things besides our priorities, but I had to pick priorities because you just never know how things will go with little ones. My son is incredibly well behaved so I'm not anticipating many problems. I've planned 3-4 hour breaks every day because he's a good napper once I finally get him to sleep, that is. He usually sleeps for 2 hours.

Other character dining ADRs are 'Ohana and Chef Mickey's.

We're going to DTD on our arrival night for T-Rex and shopping.

Allow yourself enough time for transportation. Have a magical time!

 

[Kathryn777]

If my 21 month old could have spent the whole trip on small world he would have. We did it at least 4 times. He loved under the sea, people mover, philharmagic and dumbo too. Meeting Mickey was my favorite moment with him, he went crazy.
Epcot there is the "mine , mine . Mine" seagulls outside of the nemo ride. He watches them for aaaages.
Dhs the fake snow in the wandering oaken trading post was probably his favorite thing.

 

[CLR4321]

Trust me: nap time! As someone who has taken my three kids to WDW for their first birthday nap time was the thing to not miss.

LOL!!!!!!!! Yes! This! I never knew about the hedge maze either! I guess I am not alone in missing that though. We will have to check it out for sure.

This will be my almost 2 and almost 3 year old's first trip also. I am thinking that pretty much all of Fantasyland is going to be a hit.

 

[famy27]

My DDs loved every single park, and they were both ride junkies from day one.

EP:
Journey into Imagination: younger DD loved it; older one hated it (too loud and dark)
Living with the Land: A favorite of both DDs
Spaceship Earth: Both loved it (especially where you take your picture and end up on the screen)
Nemo: Younger DD rode this at least 10 times on our last trip.
Turtle Talk: Huge hit with both girls
Seas pavilion in general was a highlight
Trains in Germany
Donald's boat ride in Mexico
Getting stamps at Kidcot stops

HS:
TSMM: Another big hit
Disney Junior Live: They both love this show, especially the interactive parts
Honey I Shrunk the Kids: Our favorite playground in WDW
Fantasmic: Younger DD loved it; older DD was a bit freaked out as a toddler
Muppets: They like it, but it isn't a favorite

AK:
Boneyard: Another awesome playground
KS: They both loved it
Triceratops Spin: Fun for toddlers
Dance A highlight of our Sept trip
FOTLK: They like it, but it was a little long for them to keep still

MK:
Pretty much everything. We definitely spend a lot of time in MK each trip.

Both girls loved character greetings, but they were opposites on which characters they wanted to see. Older DD loved the cuddlier characters, but little DD wanted to see face characters (especially the princesses).

Meals:
Garden Grill, Ohana, Cinderella's Royal Table, and Crystal Palace are our favorite character meals.

For non-character meals, the restaurant inside of Mexico is fun because of the boat ride and atmosphere. Coral Reef also keeps their attention. Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Kidani is great because of the animal views.

 

[nanceliz]

I agree with previous posters.

Also, don't forget the parades and stage shows. My son at 1 year and 2 years LOVED this. They are both in college now and still love Disney. Not the parades so much anymore.

They also loved hugging the characters.

Some of our favs..
Tomorrowland transit authority, peter pan, small world (my son called it "dolls singing ride".) aladin, jungle cruise
Spaceship earth, imagination, living with land, mexico boat ride
Honey shrunk the kids
Safari, legend of the Lion King Show

Enjoy your time. It was magical for us at that age!!

 

[jeni16]

We just got back from taking our DS2 for the first time. DH & I had been several times before. This trip was alot different than the others.

A few things we discovered:

DS isn't afraid of the dark but didn't care for the dark rides. I think they were too dark & there was the fear of the unknown which made every little bump scary. I would avoid dark rides.

DS didn't like the Jungle Cruise either because the boat was soo noisy. And I have to agree with him this time around. Between the noisy boat & the very loud skipper I could see where this could be hard on the ears.

Shows also didn't work out well for us. They were just to long for him to hold his attention the entire time.

He loved Dumbo/Magic Carpets/Tricaratops Spin. I think he could have ridden these non-stop all day.

He also liked the Tomorrowland Speedway & Toy Story Mania.

Like a previous poster mentioned, the Splash Area at the pool was a big hit. We stayed at BLT.

He did love the Festival of Fantasy parade. He was blowing all of the characters kisses. A few even blew him kisses back. It was so cute!

It really is about enjoying the little things with them. They pay more attention to things at their level (like the ducks). And any place they can run around like a crazy person . Tomorrowland Terrace was closed but the ramp was still open. He loved running up & down that while we were waiting for our Plaza reservation.

He napped in his stroller so DH & I took this time to browse the shops & trade off and on riding our favorites. This worked really well.