appropriate age for little ones first Disney trip

[YCFAN]

My oldest child was 3 when he first went. He's been 9 times now and he is 16. My youngest child went to Disneyland when he was 1, WDW when he was 2 and is returning to WDW now that he's 3. He won't remember these trips but boy will I and the memories are precious!

 

[Misty89]

i am also the minority

we were at MK last year for 1 day...DD's were 11 and 3 when we were there.....i am waiting until nov 2005 shortly after dd's b-day. they will be 6 and 14 when we go.my reasoning is the same....little one could not go on to many rides, this time she will be able to! she also does not remenber very much....some stuff like breakfast at cindys, and the POC but not too much else....

i also chose to wait till she was 6 becasue the plane ride, and the heat and the strangeness of a new area hopefually wont tkae alot out of the " magic" for her ( last year we flew into FT laduerdale for a wedding , then drove the 4 hrs up to orlando...it was too much even for us grownups
the next trip to the sunshine state will be MORE relaxed LOL



Tina

 

[clkelley]

We didn't take our boys to WDW till they were 10 and 11. It was the "perfect" time for us. However, we had been going to places like Six Flags and Opryland with them since they were about 2. While we did enjoy those trips, they were only 1-2 day affairs.

However, I believe WDW is appropriate for any age child.

The adults however must ask themselves will they enjoy it. I don't think I would have enjoyed WDW near as much if I had to worry about all the "stuff" that comes with toddlers and since I was not enjoying myself, they would have picked up on it.

I was NOT a baby/toddler mom. I didn't really truly enjoy my children until they were 5 or 6. Then they started doing "stuff" like baseball, scouts, etc. and we have had a ball together ever since.

Now I have one about to be a Junior in High School and the other one graduates Thursday. It's going to kill me in September when he leaves for school!! We're leaving for WDW on Friday, and this will be our best trip yet!!!

Carol

 

[momxx5]

I didn't read all the replies yet.

You can go to WDW as a family vacation now. One that they whole family will enjoy. Although your child will not remeber being there, you will have lots of pictures and memories.

I remeber my DS, 11 months old, walking through AdventureLand looking for "Mouse?". We have taken our children at all ages and we enjoy the vacation just like it was our first time going. From our vacation last yr, I will always remember my 18mon old being picked up and dancing with PoohBear.

Memories and fun for everyone is what I call a vacation. I say go for it now!

 

[Annette_VA]

We went to Disneyland when 1st ds was 11 months old. Does he remember it? Heck no! Did he have a good time? Yep! Did I have a good time? Heck yeah!

We're going to WDW this Sept and our 1st ds will be 3 and our 2nd ds will have just turned one. Yes, it will be hectic. Yes, it may be a bit of a challenge w/ naps, etc. But, you get out of a trip what you put into it. Keep your expectations reasonable & you're sure to have a great time, no matter what the kid's age!

 

[HappyMommy2]

I think if it's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you might want to wait till the kids are all at least 4 or 5 so they can participate in most everything. However, it looks like you're hoping to do multiple trips, so I say go as soon as you want to! There are truly wonderful things for people of all ages to enjoy. We went last summer with our 1-year-old and 3-year-old and it was probably the best and happiest week of our lives so far.

Unless it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that is being taken strictly for the kids' benefit, I just don't see how the "they won't remember it" comment is even relevant. The parents will remember it! I must admit that we don't go to WDW just for our kids' sake; it's OUR trip too! Baby swap and fastpass allowed DH and me to easily ride all the "big rides" we wanted to; we didn't feel it was a Kids Only trip at all. And seeing the kids' reaction to everything around them was absolutely priceless. We will never forget the joy and amazement on our kids' faces as our family boarded the monorail, met Mickey Mouse, etc. There aren't many places in the "real" world where small kids feel as welcome and appreciated as they do at WDW!

Just my 3 cents!

 

[kaekae]

Wow thanks everyone. I have a better understanding of how the different ages under 5 will react to Disney World. I especially liked the post about " magic" and how it will all seem so real to Ds at such a young age. Not to mention I am a scrapbook fanatic and it will be awesome to capture all of this! I am leaning more towards 2006 not too far away. Ds will be just shy of 3 (he will still meet the under 3 free requirements thats a plus) I showed Dh these posts and he said okay I can start my planning for 2006. I'm getting excited all over again. Thanks

 

[DisFam95]

I just hate the "they won't remember it" arguement. Well it's our vacation too.

We took our DS at 17mo and I absolutely loved that age. We rode everything but the obvious roller coasters, even Haunted Mansion and the Safari ride. I think now at almost 2 he would be scared of Haunted Mansion but then everything was just amazing to him...the magic! At that age we did not have to go back to the hotel for naps, he slept fine in his stroller. He did not have such a strong opinion about things..like he does now at 22months.

At the 2-4 age the 'fears' can start to come out and even simple ride like Peter Pan can be frightening. They also are more likely to be nervous around the characters.

I'm a huge scrapbooker too and just finished our trip album. DS loves looking at the pictures and tells me all about them. We watched the planning video daily before the trip and it was his favorite. We walked onto Main Street and he pointed and said 'Disney Castle'......yes, I became very teary eyed!!

So don't tell me they don't remember anything!!!!!!!!!! I say go as soon as you want but that 1yr to 18mo age is great. They are easier to manage too!!

 

[rmae624]

I definitely vote for taking your child to Disney whenever YOU are ready to go to Disney.

We took our oldest daughter to WDW when she was almost 2.5. It truly was magical. I was pregnant and she was still in diapers, but it truly was no big deal.

We just took another trip to WDW with our first daughter (now a few months shy of being 4) and our second daughter (12.5 months). Our second daughter was so excited about everything. It was so great to watch her face light up! Our first daughter, on the other hand, was afraid of lots of things (atmospheric rides, including the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan's Flightand Pooh's Adventure) and we had to take that into consideration.

We are planning another trip in October 2005 when the children will be 5 and 2.5.

Also, I never felt like it was a big deal to carry all of the "gear". In fact, it was nice to have the strollers to carry the camera, etc. We moved around quickly, changing diapers was a breeze, etc. We carried the baby in a Baby Bjorn a lot of the time and she LOVED that. If I have another baby, I'll have no hesitation about taking a baby again.

 

[tinatark]

I'm also with the minority here. I think there's a very small window - probably 6-7-ish where everyone will enjoy (and remember) the trip.

We have annual passes to Dollywood - this weekend we were there, this couple had their 5 WEEK old. Geesh. I just look at parents like that and think, what're you thinking?

 

[cinjam]

We've taken DS1 when he was 14 months and 2 yo. For the very 1st trip I waited to see what DS's temperment was like before I decided on going (turns out he's VERY laid back LOL!).

We had utterly wonderful, magical vacations both times.

The memories I have of the expression on DS's face when he saw Mickey & Pooh for the 1st time will live with me forever.

I have a picture of DS (then 14 mnths) staring at the electric light parade, mesmerized, with DH in the background w/tears in his eyes. DS had just turned to DH and said "see dat daddy!!!, see dat!!!!!" I have it framed and sitting in the most prominent place in my living room.

On a bus ride home after Epcot's Illuminations one night, DS (then 2 yo) was sleepily nestled in my arms and whispered in my ear, "I am happy. Thank you Mommy". I'll never forget that.

No, I don't think DS will remember specifics from these trips. I never expected him to. But, IMO, they will shape who he is becoming; they promote family togetherness and love; they give us history as a family; and they give ME memories that make me cry (happy tears).

We do tons of things with our toddlers on a regular basis that they aren't going to remember, but it doesn't stop us from doing them. For me, why should Disney be any different than a trip to Six Flags (well, more expensive! )

DS looks at his Dinsey photo albums at least weekly. He knows where Mickey lives and he knows when we are going back. He tells his 3 month old brother all about WDW and what we are going to do when we get there (according to him we will live at MGM's Dsiney Playhouse with Rollie Pollie Ollie), the plane ride, the pools.

We are heading back in feb '05 when DS1 is 4 yo and DS2 is 1 yo.

I cannot wait

 

[beattyfamily]

I've taken DDs between ages 1 thru 8!

I thought 2 was the best as they were still FREE and everything was still so magical to them! The lights, the characters the rides!

My favorite ages have been 2, 3, 4 and maybe 5 because it's all still so magical to them (they still 'believe').

I encountered NO problems at these ages.