3 year old in the Nursery?

[TARAMEOW]

Have any of you put your 3 year old in the Nursery? How did it go? I'm so worried my Daughter will be bored but she is having a lot of trouble with potty training and even though it is 8 months away I'm pretty sure she will not master the skills completely by then.

 

[5Texans]

I do not think that your 3 year old will be bored b/c the Nursery staff is so great and they would help her find age appropriate things. You know your child the best though. Maybe she would be intimidated by the big kids club, and unless you tell her she won't know the difference.

Also consider how long of a stretch she will actually be in kids club. If its just through the end of dinner or Palo, she may not need to use the restroom at all.

 

[myrtleturtle]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe once they are over 3 they are allowed in the club/lab even in a pull up. The cast members will not change her or help her in going to the bathroom, though. You are able to go in and help her if you want.

 

[bbel]

The nursery is for children 0-3, so they have a lot of things to entertain three year olds so she shouldn't get bored, yes theres lots of baby things, but there's also toys and activities for older children: dolls, little trike things, balls and nets, a mini side, painting, colouring, play doh, movies, books...and characters often come and visit too.
Occasionally, if the nursery is quiet, I have seen nursery children go into the club with a nursery counsellor if that option is available.

However, as long as she's not in a pull-up/ diaper, she can go into the club lab. Any adult authorised to pick her up can come in and check on her and take her to the family bathroom together. Counsellors cannot help children in the bathroom, and if she does have an accident, then the kids club will call you.

(I think) all ships now offer something called pre-school fun which is just for 3-5 year olds. Its quieter and calmer and aimed at the younger children, just for an hour or so. As counsellors we're well trained in spotting the 'Potty Dance', and its a lot more noticeable in this environment.

 

[bbel]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe once they are over 3 they are allowed in the club/lab even in a pull up. The cast members will not change her or help her in going to the bathroom, though. You are able to go in and help her if you want.

NO! No pull ups are NOT allowed (unless for medical purposes), which is why you have to say that your child is potty trained on the registration form. You can come and check as much as you like and use the family bathroom together.

 

[godde8ss]

My 3 year old loved it on last cruise. She wasn't QUITE potty trained, which was a bummer, but oh well. She called the nusery "her kids club" and the big kids club was her "brother's kids club".

 

[Trera]

our DD had just turned 3 last year when we went on a Dream cruise and she was fine in the Nusery. they have

 

[Mommb]

My daughter turned 3 on her first cruise. After spending several months strongly encouraging her to become fully potty trained so she could go to the Oceaneer's Club, I took her preschool teacher's advice and eased back because my daughter was getting stressed out. My husband and I put her in the nursery during our night at Palo, and had no problems (after some token whimpering that ended as soon as we were out of eyeshot). The counselors seemed to enjoy having an older child to play with. They even gave her a puzzle as a birthday gift. The nurseries look even more appealing now than they did 10 years ago, so your daughter should be just fine.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

Have any of you put your 3 year old in the Nursery? How did it go? I'm so worried my Daughter will be bored but she is having a lot of trouble with potty training and even though it is 8 months away I'm pretty sure she will not master the skills completely by then.

I'm really not sure why you would think your daughter would not be potty trained in 8 months, but I guess all kids are different. But, she doesn't need to have mastered it IF you are diligent about knowing what she can and can't do.

For example, we went on a cruise with our son who was not quite 3 and his cousin who had just turned 3 (Note, while not relevant to my point, this was on RCCL and they allowed him in the nursery under 3 because he was potty trained, and 1 of maybe 20 kids on the ship, with 9 of the others being his sibling/cousins-- Disney does not make exceptions to the 3 year old policy anymore, from what I've read). Neither had "mastered" potty training. But we took our son to the potty every time right before drop off and never left him in longer than we were 100% sure he could handle. Not a single accident. His cousin's parents were not as diligent, and she had several accidents and ultimately was not allowed to return, but they left her in for extended periods, dropped her off after lunch without going potty first, and did things that created a larger potential for accidents.

So, while I think the nursery will be fine for a three year old (and there is room for debate which is better for a child that age, even), I think you can certainly try the kids club -- just be diligent about knowing your child's limits.