2 year old tips for an adult pro

[Valentine]

Hi all! As one of my tags say.. I am addicted to solo travel to Disney.. HOWEVER, I have been given the greatest gift.. my sister is letting me take my 2 (will be almost 3 at the time) year old nephew with me to Disney at the end of August!!! Now.. I consider myself pretty well versed when it comes to travelling with adults only.. or even older kids.. but the under 3 set... I am not a pro. Now.. I know that there are those of you out there who have this age bracket pegged... so, fill me in please!! What are some of the things that are not so "known" to do with a 2-3 year old? What tips can you give me? I already know the follow his lead... afternoon breaks... that is a given..and since I go at least 2x a year.. this trip will be all about him... So.. bring it on.. show me your stuff!! Thanks in advance for helping me make this a fun time for him!

Kathy

 

[SnowWhite]

You truly are brave!!! We just took our 2 year old in November and it was great but you really just gotta follow their lead. We were commando touring and sometimes that just caught up with him and he had his cranky times

But most of the time he was just taking it all in....MK was by far the BEST park, with the exception of Playhouse Disney at MGM for him...so much he could ride and see. I don't know if your nephew has any favourites but Crystal Palace with and was the highlight of his trip!! He couldn't get enough of hugging the characters! He also loved Chef Mickeys and the napkin dance!! The only thing we found was that if we intended on doing EMH in the AM and again at night we needed to go back to the hotel and swim or just chill for a couple hours in order for him to be a happy 2 year old! Squeeze in some swimming and a little time for naps now and again and he will have the time of his life!!! Good luck!!!

P.S. We are taking him again in May before he is 3 ( and is still free) just because we can't wait to see that "look" on his face again!!!!

Carol

 

[Ellester]

You are in for a treat! We took each of my daughters when they were toddlers, my oldest when she was 2 and then at 2 1/2 and my younger at 20 months and 2 1/2. They were not crazy about non-face characters. My oldest screamed all through her meeting with Mickey at 2. They were OK with face characters. They loved the parades. Going in August, make sure you keep him plied with water and juice. Little ones don't always know when they are thirsty until it's too late. The girls favorite ride was the monorail. I think we could have skipped the parks and ridden that over and over. They also love the playground area at the LEGO store in DTD. We spent a good hour there last fall, my ds was 18 months at the time and loved the play house they had there. You are sure to have a great time, just remember that the pace with a toddler is MUCH slower. The babycare centers in each park are a great place to change diapers and just cool off. You and your DN will have an awesome time! He is a lucky boy!

 

[skuttle]

We brought our DS, 2 1/2, for the first time in December. DH and I had been to WDW 4 times before, and going with a child is definitely a different experience! Fun, but different.

We managed to never have to return to our room for breaks. DS slept in his stroller for naps. We rented a nice stroller from www.abbf.com . It was wonderful and I highly recommend them!

We followed DS's lead most of the time, but we did "push" him for some things. For example, he wasn't too excited about going on his first indoor ride (Pooh), but after it was over he couldn't get enough! One thing we weren't prepared for was that he CRIED at the end of the parades, fireworks, shows, rides, etc because he didn't want them to end! We rode a few rides twice in a row.

DS just LOVED the characters and really enjoyed having his autograph book. Before the trip we made sure to expose DS to as many disney movies as we could so that he would be familiar with them when we saw them at WDW. He was only afraid of Buzz (he's kinda big) and Captain Hook.

He ate a lot of french fries during the trip. Normally, I would have pushed the food issue more, but it was WDW...vacation...I let him get away with eating a tiny bit of chicken and lots of french fries. He actually managed to usually eat one good meal a day...usually dinner.

DS spent about an hour playing at the Lego Land playground. We had to drag him away! He also loved the water area at Pooh's Playful Spot. Make sure you bring extra clothes! DS was a little hesitant of the shooting water at first, but before we knew it he tried to stomp the water when it came out and soaked his pants! lol!

 

[Valentine]

Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful experiences!! I can only hope we have as great a time as all of you! I just called today and got my Beach Club Villas for all 5 of my nights! Yahoo!! My favorite DVC resort! I had considered Wilderness Lodge for it's proximity to the Magic Kingdom... but I just truly love the feel of the Beach club.. and I know he will LOVE the pool! Which I truly do plan to spend quite a bit of time in! Keep the stories coming... it is getting me excited to plan!!

thanks!

Kathy

 

[lovethattink]

Beach club villas will be so nice. When my oldest was 18 months old, his first trip was to the Beach club. He loved the sand at the pool. He played with a shovel and bucket for the longest time. That was 11 years ago! Now I have 21 month old. He loves Disney. He loves the characters. And the characters just melt over these little men. I have umteen pics of him interacting with them. His favorites are Pooh and the gang. He'll go up to them and talk to them. They get a kick out of it. Because they can only answer back in body languange. The more hand movements and nodding they do, the more hand movements and body movements our little one does. It's adorable.

The attractions are becoming a different story. Ones he loves a few months ago, he abhores now. The scare factor is just starting to hit. There is NO WAY we can even get in line for Snow White's Scary Adventure anymore. He is way too afraid of the witch. He hated the Bug show under the Tree of Life. What scared him were the puffs of air. He didn't mind the water, or the loudness, or darkness, but those puffs of air were killer. On the other hand, he loves the adventure of the Little Mermaid show at MGM. When Ursula comes out, he is dancing in his seat. Oh and another thing he really likes is the live entertainment at Epcot. He just loves those shows. He dances and be-bops to the beat. He also likes to color on the masks.

At home he likes to play with the little PVC characters. So he is familiar with them. He also watches the new DVD sing-a-long songs with the characters in it. He loves them. And it shows many scenes from the parks and resorts.

 

[nliedel]

She's FREE! Till three. that's great.

Take a stoller and use it.

Character fear. My then three year old was terrified of Mickey but fell in love with the face characters opening the door for Mickey. Don't push it.

Naps are your friends.

Have fun. You cannot restrict a small child to a schedule (you probably know this already) go with the flow and try what they try. Your view will change forever, for the good!

 

[nickelsfamily]

Be prepared for the unexpected...you never know when there is going to be a sleepless night or an illness !

Keep the little one (and yourself) hydrated!

Bring some little snacks in your backpack for when he gets hungry when you are in a line or the food lines are too long!

Get some of those table toppers. I swear by them. They have an adhesive that makes them very easy to use and remove.

I like to make sure that I have extra hand sanitiser...this is a no brainer!!

Bring a change of clothes to the parks for after the water areas.

Make sure that he has comfortable shoes!

Thats all I can think of...hope that it helps.
You are going to have a wonderful time seeing the "world" through a childs eyes! There's nothing like it!

 

[nickelsfamily]

Your Tough Guy is adorable! Is that your travel buddy?

 

[Hannathy]

Things you as an adult just glanced at and kept walking will enthrall him.! Don't underestimate how happy he will be digging in the sand at the boneyard in AK.
My little one played there the whole time his older sister went on all the rides in that section of AK with her Dad and still didn't want to leave.

I agree on the food don't harp they will eat when hungry and who cares what it is it is only a vacation, no permanent harm will be done! When I took my nephew as a child he ate popcorn for lunch for a week and he turned out fine-in fact did Disney College program.

Have fun it is great you have been there so you don't have an agenda you are trying to see.

 

[skuttle]

Things you as an adult just glanced at and kept walking will enthrall him.! Don't underestimate how happy he will be digging in the sand at the boneyard in AK.
My little one played there the whole time his older sister went on all the rides in that section of AK with her Dad and still didn't want to leave.
.

ITA! Our DS could have watched the water in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge all day long! We had to drag him away from it every day! lol! Same for all the fountains in the parks, too!

 

[mjmcca]

Keep him cool and hydrated. I let my kids now 5 and almost 4 play in the water areas whenever they want. I pack extra clothes for them. Bring a stroller but make sure it is lightweight and easy for you to carry and fold. The table toppers are great I still use them. Is he potty trained? If not make sure that you change his diapers frequently to cut down on the possibility of diaper rash. Use swim diapers in the water play areas and pools and bring them from home cause they are very expensive at the hotel. Bring small snacks in with you like fruit snacks and cheerios. Since you are in the villas you can stock things that toddlers like such as yogurts and milk.


Since he isn't your child have a slip signed by his parents giving you legal authority to make medical decisions for him in case he gets sick.

 

[Valentine]

Your Tough Guy is adorable! Is that your travel buddy?

Yep.. that's him! Well.. about a year ago! LOL!! I just love that picture!!

Thanks for the continued advice.. I was concerned about the medical thing also... Should the note be notarized?? Any experience with that anyone?

Kathy

 

[KimberlyC]

My tip for anywhere with a toddler is travel wipes, travel wipes, travel wipes for spills, dirty faces, before meals to sanitize or for general sticky situations. Also plastic (wipe clean) or disposible bibs anytime ice cream is on the menu because a bib takes up less space to pack than an extra shirt and one or the other is needed with independent minded ice cream eating toddlers. A light stroller with a canapy and basket. Snacks. My DS uses a snack trap - best $4 i ever spent. He can remove the lid or dump the snacks if he really wants to, but he knows that I won't refill it if he does so more often than not his snacks stay in his snack trap bowl and he feeds himself as we stroll along. Before that I was like a vending machine dolling out one goldfish at a time. Diaper trash bags...as a courtesy to others for smelly situations. Waterproof sunscreen...for just face and arms I use the kind in the stick - easy application, less mess.

Notarize and have all insurance info.