Best Age to take toddler?

[bweagle]

Can't wait to take my little one on his first trip to WDW!! From those of you with experience with taking toddlers what would be the best age? A year and a half or two and a half? Of course, I'd ultimately like to go both times, but don't think finances will allow it.

 

[GIOny]

when my 2 oldest (twins) were 18 months old we went to WDW in May. We were only there for about 10 minutes before they started getting antsy and crying and overheated. At that time the characters walked around the park freely and lo and behold along comes Minnie Mouse headed right for my twin girls. I thought this will make them smile. She stuck her head in their stroller and forget about it. They screamed more, they were terrifed of all the characters. My husband and his father and my sister in law went on one ride and that was it, we had to leave. We didn't go back until they were 4 years old and that was very enjoyable. Of course, all kids are different and will respond differently and it also depends on the time of year you go. If that is your only child you may have the option of going during cooler months and with less crowds. It may be easier. Whenever you decide to go I'm sure you'll have a good time!! Good luck!

 

[Mom2Ben02]

My DS was 15mos (last month!) for his first trip, and he had a ball! I guess it all depends on the child's temperment. He LOVED LOVED LOVED Pooh and Mickey & the gang! If he sees a "real" Mickey now - there is one on the back of a cereal box - his face lights up and he says "Hi!". The only thing he really didn't like were the Aladdin Magic Carpets. He got a little freaked. But we took him on everything else (within reason, of course) including Haunted Mansion. Maybe he won't remember, but I have pictures in my head that will be there forever!

Karen

 

[Ellester]

My first dd's trip was at 2 and she had a wonderful time. Meeting Cinderella was like a dream come true for her. She was 2 1/2 at the next trip and also had a great time, she was willing to go on all the dark rides and loved them (Pirated, HM, etc). Her next trip, she was 5 and still had a great time but her imagination had kicked in and she really didn't like HM or Pirates and the theming on Thunder Mountain freaked her out even though she loves roller coasters. Her sister was 21 months on that trip and had a wonderful time. She enjoyed everything, even the characters. Our last trip, dd's were 5 1/2 and 28 months and again both had a great time. Our 2 year old loved the characters and all the rides, our 5 year old loved the characters even though she now knows that "there are really people in there". I think she still believes the face characters (ie: princesses) are real.

I do think it depends on your child. Our kids were good stroller nappers, which is a big help. I wouldn't trade the memories of the first trip for anything, even if my kids don't really remember. Although, my 2 1/2 year old still pretends we are going to Dizzy Worl every day and our trip was almost 2 months ago. Everytime we hear "Small World" in the car she says "we ride on that!", so obviously she remembers something! I don't think you can go wrong either way.

~Ellen

 

[EpcotLover]

Our DD's first trip to WDW was at 6 months! I'm attempting to attach a photo in my signature.

We stayed on property and "took our time" doing things. We always took advantage of the wonderful transportation system and went back to our room every afternoon for a "nappy nap", then started on a new adventure in the afternoon/evening.

We had a wonderful experience at a character breakfast where Goofy saw our little one, stopped, came down to her level, and then slowly moved in so as not to scare her. We have a great photo of her grabbing his nose. The characters were very well "trained".

Enjoy and just remember to follow your child's pace, the best moments are just watching their reactions.

 

[beattyfamily]

We've experienced bringing our DDs at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

We believe our DD's had a great time at every age but in different ways.

If I had to choose, though, which age was better, 1 or 2, I'd pick 2. She was more aware and could do more. But I certainly do not regret going when she was 1. I'm only saying if I had to choose between age 1 and 2, I'd pick 2.

Enjoy your planning!

 

[megan2346]

My DS was 1 1/2 the first time we took him and he had a hard time. He would not sit in the stroller and got tried walking. If you child would sit in the stroller and nap in the stroller it would not be to bad. My DS would not nap in the stroller so it would get very grouchy (not fun). My DS also didn't watch movies so he didn't know any of the characters. We are going in 2 weeks and my children will be 3 1/2 and 6 months I think he will have a blast this time.
Megan

 

[BobbiG]

My dd was 2 1/2...loved every minute, and can't wait to go again...17 days! The characters, carousel and dumbo were the winners...over and over again! She even loved the ferry rides and boat rides to the parks...she made it so easy!

 

[mum4jenn]

My dd was 18 months on her first trip and it was WONDERFUL!! She fell in love with Eeyore right then and there and has loved him the best ever since. Eeyore is her very best friend.

She is now 6 1/2 and has now been over a dozen times.

I guess it depends on your child to sum it all up. If you think your child can handle it then go!!!

 

[bubbasmom99]

We've taken our kids at several different toddlerhood ages, but I can tell you the *worst* age to take a child is when he/she is too young to walk freely or well, and too old or fussy to stay sitting in a stroller. For our daughter, that was our trip when she was just almost 1. She was bored sitting in the stroller and kept trying to either escape or stand up and surf the stroller. She was too new at walking to actually toddle along, and it was of course too dirty for her to crawl. That was probably the worst trip for us in terms of managing the baby. That being said, much of it depends on the child's temperament, as there are many babies who will sit still in their stroller even though they can walk (like my son!).

 

[Lollipop Mom]

It all depends on the child. My boys had their first trip at the end of December. My oldest was 3½ and my youngest 21 months. They both had an absolute ball!!! They may not remember much of the trip once they are adults but they do remember it now (my 3 year old sounds like a tour guide when he starts talking about WDW! He can't wait till spring when we go again). Even if they didn't remember it even a second after we left the park, *I* (as well as DH and my parents) will remember the magin of that trip. Seeing my 21 month old RUN into Pooh's arms, collapse into a hug hug and saying "my Pooh!" over and over was worth every penny we spent and then some. Even my father had tears in his eyes seeing that.

I guess different kids react differently to the strollers too. My youngest isn't big on strollers for things like a walk through our neighborhood but there was so much to see at WDW that he was happy to ride along and take in all the sights!

 

[sprtnfan]

The common theme here is that each child is different. That being said, I have taken my DD's at 6 mos, 18 mos, 2 1/2 and we're going on Saturday with our 3 1/2, 20 mos and 2 mos old DDs. I think the toughest age was and is 18 mos. This is also my favorite age, but the meltdowns can come for no reason and this is what frustrated me. She was terrified of the characters and unless she was walking, wasn't happy. I think it was just frustrating for us because we had other expectations. I know that our trip next week will be lots of fun for my oldest, but the 20 mos old will be the difficult one. At least my expectations are lower now! So, my recommendation is wait until your DS is over 2.

 

[HappyMommy2]

On our kids' first trip they were 3 1/2 and 17 months and they had the time of their lives (and so did we!). For us, these ages were perfect. It was July, so the heat and crowds were oppressive, but we just hit the parks early each day and stayed flexible. Our then-17-month-old wouldn't stay in the stroller for too long at home (at the mall or whatever), and our 3-year-old NEVER rode in the stroller at home, but both of them were content in our double stroller at the parks for long periods of time--there was just so much for them to see! Neither was scared of any of the rides; we took them on just about everything that didn't have a height restriction. I have never seen their little faces light up like they did on nearly every ride! We did pass up all the shows, however, as neither one of our boys would have sat nicely for the pre-show waiting period plus the length of the show. We're looking forward to seeing the shows when they're a bit older!

As everyone else has said, every child (and parent) is different!