You prob get this age question a lot...

[vanhot]

But, every family is different, so let me explain my situation. I've been living in CA for about 2 years now. The first year was my wife being pregnant, and the second is now my son being one year old.

The problem is I have now waited two whole years for my first trip to DL, when I'm only 3 hours away, crazy right?!? I can't stand it anymore and I need some more Disney in my life.

As you can tell, I'm the Disney fanatic in our family, so my wife has been trying to calm me down and tell me we need to wait until our son is older

It would just be my wife myself and our son, so I guess I can see how it would be difficult to enjoy ourselves. Has anyone here gone with a small child? What were your experiences and would you do it again?

 

[ladylyons]

Going with kids is a whole new experience. We brought our oldest DS to Disneyland when he was 5 weeks old and had a great trip. We took things a little slower than we normally would. We also brought him on anything that didn't have a height restriction. I think his favorite at the time was IASW. We also took the time to see the characters. We ended up visitng with Mickey for a good 10 mins in his house with no one else there but the photopass person and the person who helps the line in the room move smoothly.

Our next trip with our DS was when he was 11 months old. Again we took things a little slower and again had a great trip. Our DS is now 5 and we now have a 3 year old DD and a 17 month old DS who all love Disney. They enjoy all the rides that they can get on. Rider Swap and Fast pass has become a life saver for us so we are able to ride with our oldest DS on all the rides with a height requirement that our DD and youngest DS do not meet. We now spend time seeing the Princesses, Mickey, Minnie and their friends and riding all the rides that our kids can't get enough of.

Go have a great time and enjoy being in Disney as a family!! The biggest tip I can give is take afternoon naps. Our kids nap in the afternoon and then they are able to make it into the evening hours to see all the night time shows, fireworks, WOC, Fantasmic!, etc.

 

[blessedby3]

I never understand people saying they should wait till the kids are older. Our oldest was 2 when we first took her to WDW. We just didnt have the funds till then, and would have definately taken her sooner if possible (that was 20 years ago). Since then we have had 3 more kids and have taken them at all ages. The youngest was our last child and she went for the first time at 3 mos. She has been 4 times now and is 4 years old
If your first child was your second or third, and the other child was 5 then I dont think your DW would say that you should wait. You still have the older child, and if you keep waiting till all the kids are "old enough" the oldest may not want to go
WDW is a vacation and you just dont stop having vacations when you have kids. People still go to the beach, camping, and other vacation spots with kids....so why not to one of the most kid friendly places on earth?
If it were going to be a one and only trip ever, then I could see waiting, but if money isnt the issue and you will go again, then I dont see the need to wait.

 

[NLD]

Three hours away? ? ? ?

You're right, she's wrong. End of story.

OP, I grew up 20 minutes from DL. I don't remember my first trip because I was in diapers. My parents took me (and little sis when she came along) once a year every year for as long as we lived in So Cal.

They have the memories, even though I don't. They STILL have stories about being forced onto Small World over and over and over... there's a picture somwhere of me literally dragging my mother by the arm to walk through Sleeping Beauty castle....

Go, go, go, go. You're three hours away, go every single year, and develop memories of your son growing up there. You're fortunate, you'll get to see it through his eyes at every stage of his life.

We live in PA now. My daughter's been to Disney (World) twice--age 5 and just-turned-8 --and it was amazing how different the two trips were, with just 2.5 years inbetween. Kids change SO fast. And different things enchant them depending on what age they are. You have an opportunity to see it all through his eyes at ALL the various ages.

 

[vanhot]

Thanks guy, looks like I have some smooching and convincing to do, but I have a feeling I'll be posting in the DL forum for some tips here soon. I appreciate your stories and insights.

 

[melodyka]

Is your son just 1, like just walking? If so, I do think you should wait about a year or at least until he is about 18 months. Trying to move around with an early walker, could be a nightmare in my opinion. Unless he is happy to ride in the stroller.

We just went with my daughter for her 2nd birthday, and that was a great age. She is a confident walker/runner, and the novelty of walking has worn off, so she was happy to take a break in the stroller, so we could get places.

On the other hand, if there is any chance of leaving him with someone, maybe you and your wife can go alone for a long weekend. I really look forward to doing just that this Fall with my husband.

good luck

 

[Kattabba]

We brought my son to WDW when he was 1. He had just started to learn to walk - what a hoot!! I remember him testing out his "new legs" right along the windows on main street. We brought a backack carrier that folded so we could carry him in it on long lines then just put it by our feet during the ride. (i.e. Small World, Jungle Cruise) No one ever gave us a hassle about it! We always allowed down time for naps. He did fall asleep in the stroller once - but don't count on it - allow for time to go back to the hotel.

We took him again at 18 months (My dad lives in FL - I love relatives!!) And in just 6 months it was a different experience. He was running by then - so we had to get a "leash" for him. (Walmart had these cute animal backpacks with a tail, aka leash) He didn't want to hold hands with us and was very independent. We spent time walking (or running) at his pace and also time just pushing him in the stroller.

The baby care stations were always a must do - A TV with cartoons, air conditioning, high chairs, everything to take a break.

Bottom line - this will NOT be your thrill ride vacation - but rather a real family bonding time, seeing things through the kids eyes, and at their pace. Don't try and cram everything in

 

[Chubbylita]

Disney is for the children right? We don't bother bringing our 3 kids along, eldest is 9, second is 6 and youngest is 1 year old. It's true that there are some hassles with all the kids and stuff but we really enjoy WDW. WE just make sure that the little has his strollers. =)

 

[Kies99]

I'm 1000+ miles from WDW (not to mention how far I am from WDL). I am in the camp that waited until the kids were older to take to WDW. It's an expensive trip so we wanted them to have some memories as we wouldn't be back anytime soon.

That being said, if I lived only 3 hours away then I definitely would have done it when they were much younger. That close would be an every year or every other year trip for us!