at what age??

[Jrabbit910]

Hi All,
I need your opinions.....
I am pregnant and our first baby is due in 8 weeks... My husband and I are having a debate over what age we should be taking the baby to DW. I would like to take the baby next year and he wants to wait until the baby is older...(walking/ talking age). I am looking for opinions on the ages that you brought your kids and what your experience's were...

Thanks so much all!
Happy Holidays!!

 

[djkeenan]

We brought our girls when they turned 5. They had to be able to walk some distance and not be asking to be picked up every few minutes. That worked out well for us and they enjoyed and remembered the trip.

 

[IndyPirate]

We brought our girls when they turned 5. They had to be able to walk some distance and not be asking to be picked up every few minutes. That worked out well for us and they enjoyed and remembered the trip.

My parents had this rule for us, and they still talk about how great it was for them. I was 7, and my sister was 5 for our first trip. Shortly after we got there my sister was putting her arms up for Dad to carry her, so he told her, "I guess it's going to be an early day." She put her arms back down and walked all week long.

If we have kids, we'll probably do the same thing. That's a lot of money to spend to lug a diaper bag and baby all around, and the baby won't even be able to remember the trip.

 

[Skylarr29]

I think taking children to Disney at a young age is great. At that point they may not remember any of the trip but you always will and you will see the magic through their eyes at different ages. I wouldn't bring a new born to Disney though... just too many germs, heat, etc. etc.

 

[Chester's Mum]

Both our kids were 2 when we first took them to WDW. We had a blast. It's when I first realized that disney really is a family experience. There was no shortage of things for us to do even though we were with a toddler. Of course the kids don't have independent memories of those trips but we have some great movies and photos, and we have the memories. We found that with our own stroller from home, we drove down in those days, the kids were very comfortable and sometimes napped while we watched shows or parades. Since it was in May and quite hot and sunny most days, we brought along a receiving blanket to shade the front of the stroller while they were napping.

We had a great time on the little splash pad between future world and world showcase when ds was 2, and dd 8 (we have a wonderful video of that). I don't remember if it was there when we first went with dd.

What I really love about disney is that the parents can ride with the child (except for the barnstormer, I think). We went on peter pan, delta dream flight, small world, dumbo, and many others with the kids. We even took them on spaceship earth, Horizons (now gone), living with the land, and universe of energy. The loved the interactive playground at Imagination, and figment was always a favourite.

We did make a rule that when we had used the last diaper, we started to make our way back to the hotel.

Only you can decide if you and your little one are ready for WDW. Remember that it's not going to be a commando trip, it's quite different from going as a couple, so decide what's important to you.

It's great planning and looking forward to your next disney vacation, whenever it will be. It really gets me through the year. Good luck!

 

[Ellielovesdisney]

We first took DD when she was just over 2yo. She had a wonderful time at the character meals and everything princess. I think this was a good age because she was down to 1 nap a day that we could take after lunch. I think it would be hard for some kids that age if they are easily overwhelmed or frightened,

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We took DS at 5 months and it was one of my favorite vacations. We always said we'd wait until he was 5 years old, but then we went as a spur-of-the-moment trip.

So many people say wait because the child won't remember the trip, but what about YOUR memories? The look on my baby's face when he got up close to Mickey Mouse will be with me forever (as will the 20 pictures of that 5 minutes).

I guess if the parents are not big Disney fans, then it makes sense to wait, but if you love WDW as much as we do, you might really love a trip with your baby.

 

[M 'n C]

bf and I discussed this during our trip in Sept. We decided that once they (potential kids) were of walking age, out of diapers, and around 40-44 inches we would then take them. I think avoiding the diapers would be the most impt thing. I couldn't imagine having to deal with diapers in the parks.

 

[Skroops]

Because I am a huge WDW fan, I won this debate in our household. We went with our 2 yr old for the first time. What an awesome experience! He was so stimulated by all of the music, the colors, the characters and the attractions. It was magical to see him meet Pooh for the first time (while he doesn't know it is a costume!) and it was unpredictable on which characters were scary to him.
The advantage of bringing them before 3 is that they are admitted free.
You really have to take the vacation at a slow pace though, and nap time really eats up a lot of the vacation time. Also, with the under 3 kiddo, the unpredictablilty can add extra stress and cause meltdowns that even nap time cannot prevent. Breakdowns with a toddler will most likely occur.
I vote for 2. It was super fun for us. Now, though, I've got a three year old who remembers WDW well (because my sickness has brought us there 3 times so far in his little life) and wants to go back. Only now, I'm not sure I want to pay for his admittance until he's a little older and easier to reason with!
Enjoy!!

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

It depends how often you plan on returning. If you will go again at ages 2, 4, etc., then definitely go next year. If you don't plan on returning that often, then waiting until age 2 is probably perfect. For one thing, park admission and buffets are free when they are under 3. And they do enjoy it more. That being said, we took our oldest son at 6 months and our youngest at 1 year. Both were wonderful trips. It helps if you are going with other people though. That way you and your husband don't have to go on the "older kid" rides alone.

If you have a stroller (bring your own), you don't have to worry about a little one walking so far and you have a place to store all the baby stuff. I actually would rather deal with diaper changes then having to take a 5 year old to the bathroom at inconvenient times.

 

[TinaLala]

I think you have to think about how much you want to do with the child.

yes there are places to change diapers, nurse, feed and rest. However a one year old may be afraid of the characters, might not want to ride on any rides. You have to lug around a diaper bag for an entire day full of stuff 'just in case' with food, change of clothes, diapers, toys.

Look don't get me wrong we went to disney to conceive and brought the girls every year since - my 7 year old has been 8 times and pretty much knows all of the parks by heart - if she sees you with a map out because you're lost she can help you find where you need to go. Am I proud of that, well sometimes yes , but I wish we had saved some of those vacations for now when the girls are really into disney. would they have been really into disney if we hadn't taken them I don't know.

But the biggest thing to remember and the thing that I took full advantage of is IF THEY ARE UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE THEY ARE FREE. So no matter what everyone is saying about whether or not they will remember it, these first few trips are for you because hey the child is free!

I'd say go for it. Those pictures and movies when the girls were 18mo are the cutest ones we have.

 

[dixiedizfan]

We waited til our babies were 6 and 8 years old before taking them. It was a perfect age for them ... they were young enough to still "believe", and old enough to last the day without naps. DH and I waited those years to go back too, but it was worth it. We've gone every couple years since then, and we all still love it.

 

[LOLA2]

My daughter was 3 when we first took her,stopped and took a break when son was born and then took my son when he was 2. We were sort of nervous at 2, but it worked out great. At this age both were in pull ups and thwy could tell me when they had to go potty, I would not like having to change poopy diapers in the parks all the time. Also no bottles at this age that was great. And if they have a nook get them weaned off of it before you go. So many germs and I can asure you it will be dropping. Both would watch the home videos when we would get home and would stay in their memory and they were excited to go next time. For people that say they won't remember it, I don't belive that for a second. When we went back down when son was 3 he said he wanted to go by the big ball (EPCOT) and see the pretty light parade (Spectro) They remeber, and I remember the priceless looks on their faces for every new thing they experienced. I would never let my kid walk though unless they are over 5. Heck my feet are hurting by midday, how can you expect them to walk all day. Maybe back home when they have 20 minutes of walking but not for 8-10 hours. Much happier kids in strollers, plus you know where they are, they don't have to keep up with your pace, they can nap, and of course you have somewhere to keep all your bags. And also getting out of parks at night your kid is much safer in those huge crouds. Just don't hit heels of other people So to sum it up I would wait until done with bottles and are in oull ups.

 

[mickey mouse lover]

Two of our g-kids have gone to Disney since they were 6 mos. They have loved it. By the way, one of their first words was disney and mickey mouse.

Also, you can get on the barnstormer with them.

 

[kaw1218]

Our first family trip, my oldest was 3 and the youngest was 9 months. I would do it again in a hearbeat. We took our time, didn't rush anywhere, napped when they did. It was truly a vacation.
It also depends on the time of year that you go....we went during a low crowd time. Our second trip the next year...was in July... nope never again.

 

[mom*to*2*princesses]

Our youngest will be 3 months shy of 4 when we go (and our oldest will be 3 months shy of 7). Although we love WDW, it's a BIG trip for us, and we aren't a family who will go every year, or even every other year probably. We just felt that for how much this is costing us, we needed to wait until our youngest was a little older.

If we lived closer, and were more likely to drive than fly, we probably would've gone sooner. But I think we made the best choice for our kids and our situation, and I'm glad we aren't waiting longer. The girls both still believe in the magic and my older one will love some of the big thrill rides. The younger one is too little ride many of them, and that's okay because she's not a thrill seeker. When we go again, hopefully in another 3-4 years, it will be a whole different experience.

Good luck deciding, and best wishes for a great delivery!

 

[kakiegirl]

We took our dd for the first time when she was three. She turned three on March 29th and we went to Disney in July. For her it was the perfect age. She interacted with the characters and participated in the pin trading and had a great time. She would wake up every morning and say we don't ahve to go home today do we? We did all the parks and then for the rest of teh week let her plan our days as to what park she wanted to go to and what she wanted to ride. She is 7 now and still remembers some things from her first trip.

 

[cdrn1]

I was not able to take my kids when they were small. Youngest DD was about 9 the first time we went. So, making up for lost time with DGD. We have taken her at 11 months, 15 months, and 28 months. Each time has been wonderful. It's a decidedly different pace, but no big deal to take a stroller and a diaper bag. The baby care centers are very nice. At 11 months she LOVED the little fountains to play in, and every ride she went on. Each trip is different as she discovers new things that interest her. Our next trip (if we can wait that long) is planned for September when her new little brother turns a year old!

 

[VAN]

I think it depends upon how often you plan to visit WDW; i.e. what you can afford.

If you can only afford a visit once every few years, I would definitely wait until your child is at least 3. If you are one of the lucky ones that can go pretty much every year or every-other year, then I think age doesn't matter.

Don't fight - be happy.

 

[macmahony]

we have gone with a baby as young as 9 weeks, and three times since (she is 2 1/2 now), her sisters were between 2 and 5 years the three trips. Loved all the ages, babys and diapers don't bother me, they are just as messy in my house as in disneyworld! I would rather change a diaper any day in disney than in my house! We only used the baby center once, and this was our last trip (with a 2, 4 and 5 year old). I loved having a little one, to them it is true magic, there was some fear of characters (only some, and who knew who it would be),but I had the same problem with my 5 year old, who truly believes they are the characters, and would not interact with anyone scary, or mean (because in her mind they truly are that person!!)
My advice is that you know as a parent what you can handle, and what your comfort level is, go with your gut and follow that.
good luck, babies and disney are a blast!