Have any of you done the Christmas party with your 2 year old? Could they handle the excitement? I'm afraid my son will want out of the stroller and subsequently run around the park, throw tantrums, and when we try to redirect him lie on the floor and scream bloody murder. I'm SO tempted to just book this trip but at the same time.... I'm afraid of how it will all turn out. Does anyone else have a strong willed 2 year old that throws epic tantrums for as long as an hour straight? Did you take them to Disney? How was it?
I had one of those 2 year olds. "Spirited" would be an understatement. My in-laws couldn't even babysit her because they couldn't handle her or keep up with her. On the bright side, we just kept telling ourselves that it would serve her well later in life and she is 10 now and we are already seeing that- she is a real outgoing creative go getter who excels at a whole lot of things (her goal in life is to become a Disney Imagineer, and then to work her way up to CEO-- watch out Bob Iger). So, just keep telling yourself it is a good thing that he is strong willed!
We took DD on her first trip to WDW when she was 2, and she was better behaved at WDW than she was at home because she was so thrilled with the place and so happy to be there. The only melt down she had the entire week was when we made her take an afternoon break the first park day-- we had an extremely mad child who stood behind a curtain in the room and refused to nap for 2 to 3 hours- until we took her back to MK where she promptly climbed into her stroller with a big smile and took a nap. After that it was stroller naps and parks open to close and a tantrum free week for us (which pretty much never happened at home). I do remember her crying once in the park when she rode Small World for the first time and it ended- she did not want to get off because she loved it. So, we just got in line and rode it again. It is probably my favorite trip and we have had a bunch- she is 10 now and we have been to WDW every year since (twice when she was 3) and had some DL trips too.
Everything was real and magical to her at age 2 and she loved all the characters. Her favorite parks were MK and EPCOT (and still are today). AK was her least favorite (and still is today although she does like it better now)- we have a zoo at home and she basically thought of it as seeing the same animals--- at 2, she wanted Princesses and rides (preferably Small World or the Boat ride in Mexico 5 times in a row). Hollywood Studios, she liked the shows and characters, but it was not really an all day park for her at age 2.
We went to
MVMCP and had a great time. I was very glad we went, so much so that when she was 3, we went to more than one MVMCP. Her age 2 first MVMCP was a sold out night and we tried to find a spot for the first parade an hour ahead of time (this was back in the Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas show days, so we had done that first) and found no where along the parade route, so we even did the late parade with a 2 year old. She fell asleep waiting for the late parade (did great and stayed awake before that), then woke up for the start of the parade and loved it, and then was back asleep in her stroller before we got from our spot on Main Street close to the town square area out the park gate.
The 2 year old trip was a great trip. DD has always been a high energy night owl though. My DD hated her stroller from the time she could walk and never rode in it at home no matter how much walking was involved, but at WDW once she saw how big the place was and how fast her stroller got her from fun point A to fun point B, she jumped in and gave us no trouble about being in it. Every kid is different, but 2 can be a great trip. I think the key is to follow their cues somewhat. We did not remotely follow her regular schedule from home or worry about it, but she did fine as long as we recognized when she might be getting hungry or thirsty and made sure she had snacks and drinks if it wasn't ADR time. Keeping a kid hydrated and fed can go a long way in keeping them less cranky. We were surprised how well DD did in lines (she quickly figured out they led to something good), but we had little boxes of raisins to give her in long lines and she ate them one by one and then played with the box a while which helped pass the time- so if you can come up with something to pass the time a bit in lines, that will help. Also, when they want to stop to smell the roses, let them. Something that you have never paid attention to and that seems totally insignificant- can suddenly become the most interesting thing to them. They will not be happy if they are not given the chance to stand there a few minutes to inspect whatever decoration, or hidden Mickey, or whatever else it is that has suddenly become the most important thing to them at that moment. Let them stop and look. If he wants to ride the boat ride in Mexico 5 times in a row and there is hardly any line why not (we did institute a 5 time limit thought). Also, just because you think the souvenir they have picked out is ridiculous, does not make it ridiculous to them. At age 2, my DD picked out a back scratcher with Mickey, Goofy, and I think Donald standing on each other's shoulders. Nothing else would do- we tried to divert to dolls or toys, but she wasn't having it. We finally gave in and bought it, and she carried that thing in the air like a scepter the rest of the week. 8 years later and I think it is still up in her playroom! So, just follow his cues and hopefully he will do fine. Is he a high energy kid? Sounds like it if he can throw an epic tantrum! If he is high energy and likes hustle and bustle somewhat, he might do great!
I will say that DD was a whole lot easier at WDW at ages 2-5, than she was at ages 6 and 7. I think 6 and 7 were the hardest Disney years, with age 6 being probably the worst. She was more opinionated (which when she was 2, I would not have thought "more" was possible), developed a fear of things she had ridden and liked before, and because she was walking more she got tired and cranky a whole lot easier. I would take ages 2-4 at WDW over ages 5-7 any day based on our trips. I would also take age 5, over age 6 or 7. By age 8, her stamina was up to walk the parks from open to close without complaint, so from that point on we have been good. The only issue there is that by about first grade, they have been enlightened by their friends with older siblings that things aren't "real", so you don't have that same magical experience you have in the toddler years. I wouldn't give up those 2 and 3 year old trips for anything! Have a great trip!!!!!
