Book or guide geared for toddlers/preschool age?

[Melissa and Makenna]

My daughter is 3 and I'd love to find a book or guide that will help me plan what we need to hit that is more geared toward her age and things that she will likely enjoy. I know there are Disney Guides out there, but are there any specifically for preschool age?

 

[latexscooter]

There's a couple things we use with our daughter before each trip. She's now 4 but started "comprehending" the trip when she was 2.

I think the Birnbaum book for kids is good. It's got bright colors in the layout and lots of pictures. We bought her the 2005 copy and she still looks through it. We didn't bother buying another because it's not like she can read and other than the pictures I don't think its a good planning tool.

We also show our daughter the planning CDs. We have them going back a few years and they always have sections dependant on interest. I think the most recent isn't the best but it does do the trick.

Last, YouTube. My daughter picks out the rides from the Birnbaum book or video and then we "test drive" the ride on YouTube. I've never had a problem trying any of the rides. What I found most useful was the rides that will be loud and we'll need earplugs from.

Hope this helps.

 

[TedraL00]

I have 2 DD (1 and 4) and we use the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. They have touring plans for families and lists of not to miss attractions. The touring plans saved us a lot of time in line and we were able to see a lot more. They also have a list of all the attractions and fear factor and what may be scary to small children.

 

[TheDizMom]

We love the Birnbaum's book for kids big time . It has pictures, tells you about each ride and has kids favorites. It also has a 10 day countdown that my kids had fun with. We also love the Disney planning DVD. We watched that all together and had so much fun doing the trivia game on it. The one for kids has pretty easy questions, but it was just as fun when we didn't have a clue what the answer was . My kids like to watch it all the time. The UTube idea is great! It will also show you some of the shows like the one at Cinderella's Castle. The other thing we did a lot for our DD when she was 4 was just to Google Disney images so she could see all kinds of park and character pictures. You could also go to the resorts threads and look for pictures someone has posted of the resort you are staying at, assuming you are on-site, so she knows what it looks like ahead of time. There is also a huge array of pictures in the photos part of the board.

 

[TheDizMom]

Oh yeah and keep your eye on the TV Guide for shows on the travel channel and Food Network. They both have some great shows on WDW and with it getting closer to summer they will probably start to show them again. My kids love the one on the food at Disney on the Food Network. It's called Disney Unwrapped.

 

[tjmw2727]

We love birnbaums for kids by kids - its a great guide:
http://www.amazon.com/Birnbaums-Wal...9238413?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178494849&sr=8-1

You can usually get a copy at the library and even the past years guides will give you a good idea of what to expect at the parks.

For videos to get the kids interested and excited we loved the sing along series
Disneyland fun was our favorite:http://www.amazon.com/Sing-Along-So...3-9238413?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1178495036&sr=8-1

It shows llots of characters and rides, even though it was Disneyland it got them ready for the MK.
They also loved the beach party at disneyland, and flicks adventure as it was about AK and I think there is one more but I can't remember the name.

Here is a great website with info on traveling to WDW with toddlers and preschoolers:
http://allearsnet.com/pl/infant.htm

Have fun!
TJ

 

[SmallWorld71]

Hi, I don't know of any guide books for that young, but usually storybooks can work just as well at that age. My daughter enjoys her book, "Meet Me in the Magic Kingdom" by Kathy Jakobsen.