Bringing 2 Year Olds to WDW!! (Long)

[Momto8]

I'm so excited!! My kids & grandkids are all going to WDW this June! : We usually go a couple of times a year, but it's usually just me, DH & 2 DDs 17 & 15. This June we have 14 going so far & maybe more. In addition to us, it will be DD, her DH & their DD, almost 2, DS, his DW & their DD, 2, my other 2 DS & 2 friends of my DDs. There is also a possibility that my other DD & her baby 1, my DN & her 2 DDs 15 & 14 will be going as well. We are staying at Pop for 5 nights & 5 nights at POR (just my family).

Anyways it's been so long since I've gone with little ones that I have some questions. We're experienced WDW travelers but not with small children at least not in many years. If I should post some of these questions on another board, let me know.

1. Is 2 too young to go? Are there enough rides they can ride on? I know about all the rides in Fantasyland & Toontown, but how about the other rides that don't have minimum height requirements. How do 2 year olds do on these type of rides, like POC, JC & Buzz? How does the baby swap work now?

2. I've heard about the baby care centers, but have never been in one. I think I know where the one is in the MK but do the other parks have them as well?

3. My DD is wondering how it will work for naps. She's afraid that when she goes back to the resort for an afternoon nap, her DD will fall asleep on the bus & then wake up when they get to the room & not go back to sleep. Plus with them being in the room, she's afraid her daughter won't go to sleep at night. Do any of you with small children have problems with naps during their trips? How do you handle it? Do you just let them sleep in the strollers in the parks? She absolutely has to have her naps.

4. We're a little afraid of doing character meals with them as we think they might be scared of the characters. We thought we might plan a character meal a little later in the trip & see how they react to them in the parks first when they see them. If they are scared, then we'll cancel the PS. Are 2 year olds generally too frightened or maybe it just depends on the child? Are there any restaurants in the parks we should stay away from with two 2 year olds? We like some of the Epcot restaurants, & I can't remember seeing little ones in them but maybe I wasn't paying too much attention to them.

5. How are the pack & plays you get at the resorts? Is it better to bring your own?

6. Do you bring your own stroller or is it better to rent? I think they are leaning towards bringing a smaller umbrella-type stroller, so it won't take up too much room on the bus. Or maybe it is better to bring the bigger strollers so they can fall asleep in them.

Sorry this is so long & for so many questions, but it's been so long since I've taken a little one to WDW that I'm kind of out of practice. I know I'll have more as I plan this trip!

Thanks for any help!!

 

[off to neverland]

Oh, you are going to have fun!

I was just at WDW with my one week away from being two daughter, and we definitely had our highs and lows!

-She loved the Pooh characters at Crystal Palace, which surprised me.

-She loved Pooh, Peter Pan, and Mickey's Toontown. We had her face painted at the Paintpot in Toontown ($11, I think) and I have never seen her so happy or proud!

-She enjoyed swimming.

-I highly recommend napping during the day. I have issues with transferring her as well, because if she wakes, she doesn't go back to sleep. The last installment of my latest trip report addressed this, but you may not want to read it because it was a bit of a nightmare and I'd hate to scare you!!! LOL....

The babychange area in Magic Kingdom is right next to Crystal Palace and is a nice place to stop if you just need to give them a break for a bit.

Let's see... what else? Suckers are a great way to keep them busy in lines, as well as bubbles...

It is a bit hard to travel with the age two child, I admit, but we did it and would do it again in a minute!

Hope this helps a bit...

 

[lclark0621]

1. Is 2 too young to go? Are there enough rides they can ride on? I know about all the rides in Fantasyland & Toontown, but how about the other rides that don't have minimum height requirements. How do 2 year olds do on these type of rides, like POC, JC & Buzz? How does the baby swap work now?

2 Years old is a GREAT time to go. We took DS at 9 months old & his next trip will be at 21 months old. There are SO many rides they can go on. The only ones they can't go on is the thrill rides (rides with height restrictions). The baby swap is easy to do. Mom, Dad & Baby wait on line. Dad goes on ride while Mom holds Baby off to the side. Dad comes back & takes baby. Mom goes on ride (no line again).

My DS at 9 months old LOVED every ride we went on. I can't wait to take him at 21 months since he will enjoy it more.

2. I've heard about the baby care centers, but have never been in one. I think I know where the one is in the MK but do the other parks have them as well?

All the parks have one, though the MK is the biggest & nicest. They are great to use though. They have nice quiet areas for changing diapers, a mini kitchen for heating up food & stuff. The MK one has a little are with high chairs & a tv to feed the kids. They are really nice & CLEAN!

3. My DD is wondering how it will work for naps. She's afraid that when she goes back to the resort for an afternoon nap, her DD will fall asleep on the bus & then wake up when they get to the room & not go back to sleep. Plus with them being in the room, she's afraid her daughter won't go to sleep at night. Do any of you with small children have problems with naps during their trips? How do you handle it? Do you just let them sleep in the strollers in the parks? She absolutely has to have her naps.

For us last time & this time, DS napped wherever we were (in his stroller on my shoulder in his hip carrier, etc). My DS napped more during the day then normal, but that is because he was doing so much more then normal. We do not do schedules at all in our house. DS sleeps when he is tired. So if he was tired he would fall asleep. We do a mid-day break every day back at the resort, but for us, DS was having fun in the pool & stuff so he did not want to nap. I found he actually napped easier & better when he would just conk out on my shoulder when he was tired. Then I would move him to his stroller.

As for night times, well our DS is used to a little noise in the room since we co-sleep. However at Disney we would turn off most of the lights & have the TV on low. DH & I would just veg to the TV while DS slept until we fell asleep. If you get connecting rooms, at night maybe your DD can leave her 2 year old in one room sleeping, while she goes in the next (doors OPEN of course & maybe bring a baby monitor to help).

4. We're a little afraid of doing character meals with them as we think they might be scared of the characters. We thought we might plan a character meal a little later in the trip & see how they react to them in the parks first when they see them. If they are scared, then we'll cancel the PS. Are 2 year olds generally too frightened or maybe it just depends on the child? Are there any restaurants in the parks we should stay away from with two 2 year olds? We like some of the Epcot restaurants, & I can't remember seeing little ones in them but maybe I wasn't paying too much attention to them.

My DS loved characters, but he is not really afraid of anything. When he sees any type of "character" even in the mall or something he goes nuts & loves them. On our last trip he could not get enough of them. And my favorite memory was Dale holding him & rocking him. DS just snuggled up on Dale's shoulder & fell right to sleep. It was so sweet.

I think it totally depends on the child though. As the 2 year old ever seen any type of "character" before?

The charaters at Disney are GREAT with the little ones. Everyone we saw approached DS very slowly & gaged his reaction before coming closer. The only time he got upset was when they were interupting his food because he was hungry.

All the resturants in Disney World are used to & welcome young children, so I dont think you would have any problems (except maybe in Victoria & Alberts...LOL)

5. How are the pack & plays you get at the resorts? Is it better to bring your own?

Don't know about the resorts since we did not use one. I however became a germ-a-phobe when DS was born (as most first time Moms do) & I personally would never use a hotel crib or pack n' play. I would always bring my own.

6. Do you bring your own stroller or is it better to rent? I think they are leaning towards bringing a smaller umbrella-type stroller, so it won't take up too much room on the bus. Or maybe it is better to bring the bigger strollers so they can fall asleep in them.

We have an umbrella type stroller that reclines & has a hood for the sun. I love bringing ours. It is great to use it in the airports, DS knows his stroller & is comfortable with it, and it reclines & stuff with the hood so he can sleep & get some shade to. Also our's has a basket underneath which is a MUST with the things I need to carry in the parks.

I have heard the Disney strollers are great though. But I personally like having our own (the germ-a-phobe thing again...LOL!)

Bottom line is, kids LOVE Disney World & the parents (usually) love seeing their kids in Disney World.

 

[Momto8]

Thanks so much for the responses and advice. This is good information and I shared it with my DD and my DIL.

My DD is going to be bringing some antiseptic and antiseptic wipes to clean the pack and play before they use it. Her DH is a chemist for a large company that specializes in commercial cleaning products, so he has a lot of this kind of stuff. The less stuff they have to bring, the better.

As far as the stroller, both have decided to bring their umbrella stroller as they do recline and have a hood for shade. It will be easier to cart these around than a large stroller.

Rae, I'm going to read your trip report, even if it was a nightmare! LOL!! Do you have a link? My DD thought it was a good idea with the bubbles.

Lynn, That's good to know that they have a mini-kitchen at the baby centers in case they want to heat up food.

We've requested connecting rooms so we can put them down for naps and then sit in the other room while they sleep, but I also like the idea of the monitors. One of the babies might fall asleep in the stroller, but my DIL says that there is no way her Abby will sleep in a stroller, so we'll probably go back to the resort for naps. They are both on schedules, which is great when you're at home, but when you go somewhere it does make it more difficult when you're away to do naps.

We've decided to try to get PS for CRT because they look more like *people*. Plus we're going to an Easter Egg Hunt on 3/19, so we'll see how they do with the Easter Bunny. That should give us a good clue!

We're so excited to be bringing them. They have watched the vacation planning DVD and everytime they show the fireworks they get so excited! The other night the one that just turned 2 last week (Abby) told me on the phone that "I'm goin to Didney Worl wid Gamma, Papa, Mickey!

Thanks and any other tips are welcome!

 

[caribear]

We took dd to Disney for the 1st time on her 2nd birthday and it was wonderful!! Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends was a big hit!! Of course, she didn't eat anything because she was too excited about seeing all the characters. She seems to do alot better with fully costumed characters rather than face characters.

Her favorite rides were Pooh, the Carousel and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. She went on POC and clung on to DH when we went down the little fall, but was fine after that. She enjoyed the Jungle Cruise too. Dumbo and Aladdin (carpets) were fun, but the lines are so slow moving. She was fine on HM, but didn't really seem too interested. She does not sit still for very long, so we avoided most of the shows. She actually loved Wishes though!

We went to Toontown, but to be honest...it's always so crowded and I always feel like I am going to lose sight of DD, so I try to stay away from this area. We go to visit Pooh and Friends and that is about all I care to do. At 2 years old she can run super fast and get away from us in the blink of any eye. She rarely wants to sit in her stroller and there are so many people walking around...it's scary to think she can get lost in the crowd. To me, the hardest part about going to Disney is keeping DD in the stroller... all I hear is "walk mommy...walk mommy..."

Sleeping anywhere except her bed at home is also a slight problem. I usually get a bedrail from the front desk at the resort and share a bed with dd, while dh gets a bed all too himself Once she finally falls asleep everything is okay, but when she is overstimulated and overtired things get a little out of hand. She will not nap at the hotel either. Sometimes she falls asleep in her stoller, but only for short amounts of time. We do go back to the room as dh and I would love a nap, but all dd wants to do is jump on the bed or run around the room like one of the wild animals at AK

Recently dd and I have been visiting the Disney World website and she really enjoys looking at the castle, Mickey Mouse, the pools at the resorts....so we have fun getting ready for our next vacation.

I know you will have a great time!!

 

[Momto8]

Thanks, Cari. We are worried about them not wanting to stay in a stroller all of the time also, especially Abby. She always wants to walk. My DIL was thinking about getting a harness as we don't want her to get away from us. Don't know if that is necessary but she is so fast!

They are both still in cribs, so they're not used to sleeping in regular beds yet, so hopefully this will help with sleeping. They still don't know how to get out of their cribs yet. Abby, 2 will sleep anywhere but not sure if Iris (she'll be 22 mos. when we go) will do as well. But if they do fall asleep on the bus, I know they won't take a nap once we get back to the resort. We'll just have to play it by ear (no pun intended!).

That's great that your DD wasn't frightened on HM. I've been debating on whether to try to bring them on this ride but I guess that will be up to their parents.

What parks do you think would be best for them? I know their parents want to go to all 4 but what parks did all of you go to and did your babies like them?

 

[Emily and Jack's Dad]

For 2 year olds, do you need to bring proof of age, since I see the admission prices start at 3?

 

[Sheaboys]

I would let my kids sleep in the stroller. They would nap while moving along, pulled over to the side to sit and rest, or while we were eating. The transferring would have been an issue for us as well. This year our youngest will be 2.5 yrs, and it is the plan to have him nap in the stroller if that is what happens. I am not about to wake him up to get on the bus, to get off the bus, to get to the room etc. If our older ones 5 & 7 want to head back to the hotel and a nap works at that time then fine if not, and he sleeps in the stroller then that will be the plan.

 

[Pamlur]

We took our entire crew in September, 2003, when the youngest dgd was 20 months. She took naps in her stroller, loved all the characters, and slept well in the pack-n-play (we took our own sheets and blankets for that). I did a ton of research and somewhere I found a little fannypack for her that had a leash attachment on the back. My daughter put the fannypack on her as a part of getting dressed every morning, and we only attached the leash part when there weren't enough of us to keep her close (I used it when she and I walked around while the rest of them rode Mission Space). We put her a supply of trading pins on there, although she never traded, of course.

We are going back in December, because one week simply wasn't enough; we'll stay 9 days this time, and it will be cooler.

 

[caribear]

Hi again!

I think my dd does well on dark rides because she rarely sleeps with a nightlight in her room. She is used to the dark...I think I am more afraid of the dark than her!

As far as the parks go....dd really enjoys Epcot! She absolutely loves Spaceship Earth. We usually go on about 2-3 times. She likes all of the sparkling lights in the beginning and end of the ride, plus the large image of earth when you are all the way up in the top of the ride. Living Seas is a hit too. She can watch the sea life forever! She also enjoyed Living with the Land boatride and El Rio del Tiemp in the Mexico Pavillion (we ride this one numerous times too!).

She loves animals, so AK is always fun. The Kilamanjaro Safaris is her favorite, but she also enjoys the walking trails to see the lions and gorillas. The petting zoo area at Rafiki's Planet Watch keeps her entertained too. The bonyard area is nice, but the slides are a little too big for her...too many levels, so it's hard to keep track of the little ones. We just go to the dig site area and she plays there.

I am sure it will be a vacation to remember!

 

[Mom to Will and Finn]

I highly recommend getting a harness. Walmart has an Elmo one that my ds loves to wear. We've only used it once, on a hiking trip, but will be using it when we take him to WDW in May. He's 27 months.

We took him when he was 11 months and he was able to ride on a lot! A word of caution, though...on Haunted Mansion, make sure not to hold the little ones on your lap. The bar that comes down squished our little guy's legs when we held him in our lap on it.

 

[HappyLawyer]

i remember thinking a child should not go to disney until they were at least 5 or 6 i felt they could not appreciate it,
on my last trip i saw so many babies (planning a pregnancy now so i am on baby watch). The little darlings are so alert and aware i was all smiles, not to mention i just would not feel right taking a trip without having the baby near. as long as you have people to break each other and it sounds like you do it should be fine. I still have not decided if i would take a young one or not i am very torn, but i can tell you from my visit and what i saw, everyting was great. I remember before being a parent i would get so annoyed by kids out crying and running around and wondering why their parents won't make them shut up... well after becomming a parent i see that it is easier said then done. Now the sounds and noises don't bother me because i am exposed to that type of environment,

it is a matter of choice some do and some don't from reading your post it seems like you are very excited about having the whole family there, and as my mother tells me, she is not the parent so the the parents deals with the kdis, then i must remind her how much her grand kids love her and they tend to flock to her before going to their parents, she just smiles.

good luck and have fun on your family vacatiion

 

[Momto8]

I haven't had a chance to be on the boards since Friday. Wow! You guys are great!! Thanks for all this information!

I printed this thread and showed it to my DD and DDIL yesterday as I had everyone over for dinner for our March birthdays (we have 4 this month plus my DGD's 1st birthday party is this Sunday). All of your responses were very helpful to them in planning this trip.

Sheaboys, That would be great if we could get the DGDs to sleep in their strollers but I'm afraid they won't do it. You were lucky that your kids would do this. However, I can just see them falling asleep on the bus back to the resort and then be wide awake once they're put in their cribs to sleep. That would be our luck!! But maybe they will be so exhausted they might sleep in their strollers. We'll see how it goes!

Pamlur, Where did you find the fanny pack with the leash? I think that would be a great idea to use one of these, maybe not all of the time but for when only one parent or grandparent has one of the babies.

Mom to Will and FInn, I think the Elmo harness will be good also. Thanks for the suggestion. Where in Wal-Mart did you find these? We will look at both of these options.

Caribear, that's good to hear that there is something for the kids in all of the parks besides MK. I know their parents want to go to all 4 parks, I was just afraid that once they got to the MK that that's where they'll want to stay. I didn't realize there was a lot for them to see in Epcot and AK as well. I was surprised that your baby loved Spaceship Earth. We'll have to go on that one with them also.

Emily and Jack's Dad, Nothing was said about bringing proof of age when I made the reservation. I don't think Disney requires it. Both of my DGDs are not even close to 3 as one just turned 2 and the other won't be 2 until August and they are both on the small side. I guess if your child was almost 3 and on the tall side, then I might consider bringing along a copy of their birth certificate.

Thanks, Happy Lawyer. I kept thinking about this for months before we made the reservations if they would be old enough to enjoy this. I know it will be a challenge to handle the both of them, but we do have enough people going along to help take care of them, so their parents can get a break as well.

Thanks to all!

 

[moinab]

We took DD, 2, and DS, 4, to WDW 17 times last year. I highly recommend a sling or hip-carrier for toddlers, because you can't bring the stroller in line with you. DD would often fall asleep in the sling, which was great because then we could still go on attractions (can't bring the stroller into shows or pavilions.)

My kids tended to be fearful of the characters, so we never did a character meal. Maybe when they are older...

You do not need proof of age. At most, you will be asked how old the child is, or what the birthday is, but I assure you it will not be a problem.

My kids' favorite park is Epcot. Least favorite is Studios - lots of shows, not much for toddlers who don't like sitting for more than a few minutes. They love AK, too.

Love the baby care centers. I've used them all, many times.

You can check out the link in my signature for some photos of the kids on our various trips.

 

[Momto8]

Thanks, Moinab. I will suggest the sling or hip carrier.

That's unusual that your kids would like Epcot more than MK. That's a good point on MGM. I think we'll spend less time there since there doesn't seem to be too much for little kids.

Did any of you take your 2yo to Fantasmic? My DD read that little kids might be frightened of the villians. We're still trying to decide if we should take them to this show. They get all excited over the fireworks when they see them on the vacation planning DVD, so we're hoping they don't get scared when they're actually watching them at the parks.

My DD (who stays home with her DD and my other DGD) says she has to play the DVD over and over for them....that and Dumbo, her DD's favorite movie - I can't wait to take her on the ride!

 

[moinab]

For my kids, and younger children in general, I think the greatest appeal of WDW is not the rides, but all of the sensory stimulation. They love the dancing fountain, and the twinkling sidewalks at Epcot. Innoventions, Ice Station Cool, and of course, Thomas the Tank Engine in the England pavilion toy store are all favorites. DS is a train fanatic, so he could also spend hours watching the train in Germany.

We have yet to see Fantasmic, not so much because of the villains, but more because you have to get there early to get a seat. We know our kids well enough to know that sitting for 45 minutes or longer, waiting for the show to begin, just isn't worth the effort. They were so-so with Wishes, but they liked Illuminations. We just have to keep their ears covered.

 

[minmate]

1. I don't think 2 is too young to go at all. First of all, for them just about everything is free... namely admission and buffet meals. So if you think about it in terms of value, it's a pretty good deal! lol... You will find PLENTY to do with them. I think POC, JC and Buzz will be fine for them. When you need a little break you can also try the TTC. It can be relaxing and take you away from the overstimulation a bit. Some other rides we did with our young ones (they were dd22months... ds2(almost 3), dd4 and dd5) were Carousel of Progress, all of FL and Toon Town as you said, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Philharmagic (can be a bit tricky with the glasses tho, but worked out okay), Woody's Jamboree (forget what it was called -- closed right now but may repoen by June). MGM- we did Playhouse Disney and the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground, B&B Show and Little Mermaid... EPCOT -- Spaceship Earth... AK -- Kilamanjaro Safaris, Tarzan Rocks and Fest. of Lion King, Tough to be a Bug. I think the baby swap has been addressed for you already. We never had a problem with it. ONE MORE WORD of advice... kids this age often mimic others, especially other kids, so if one of the kids is starting to get scared, you may find the other one will react accordinly if tho she/he may otherwise have been feeling fine. It's such a new experience, sometimes they aren't sure how to process it so they take their cues from others. If you find this happening, of course, you may have to adjust accordingly and skip certain thing altogether... or at the very least try to seat the 2 of them a bit away from each other, when that's an option. Just a thought....

3. My DD is wondering how it will work for naps. She's afraid that when she goes back to the resort for an afternoon nap, her DD will fall asleep on the bus & then wake up when they get to the room & not go back to sleep. Plus with them being in the room, she's afraid her daughter won't go to sleep at night. Do any of you with small children have problems with naps during their trips? How do you handle it? Do you just let them sleep in the strollers in the parks? She absolutely has to have her naps.

3. As for naps... they might surprise you. You can always suggest that their parents get them "used to" the transferring thing now. As soon as the weather gets nice, maybe the moms/dads, can take them for walks at the start of nap time/bed time, in their strollers and then "practice" transferring them to their beds. I have four kids, some did well with this kind of thing, some... not so much. It depends on how set they are on sleeping at that time. Another idea is to watch them closely the first day or two to see when they start getting tired and then for the rest of the trip you can try to get them back to the hotel BEFORE they hit that wall, so they don't fall asleep on the bus. Plus... I know they're not used to a bed, but if they fall asleep in someone's arms, ideally, that person could just carry them to the room (I know it would be easier to put them back into the stroller to go to the room but that's one more chance for them to wake up)... and then lay down WITH them on the bed for a few minutes until they settle. Then put up bedrails (someone here says they got them from the front desk).

4. I think you have a good plan for the characters. Your grandkids may surprise you and LOVE them too... I have friends whose kids hate characters outside of WDW but love them there! It's part of the magic! Also, if you don't get CRT, you can try the Storybook Akershus in Epcot and/or the breakfast (Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins) or dinner (Cindy and gang) at 1900 Park Fare.

5. & 6. If you're trying to save on room, I'd leave my pack and play and home and bring my own stroller (b/c you can use them anywhere...at hotel, dtd, etc. and skip the renting step). If you find that the umbrella stroller isn't big enough, you can always leave it at the room and opt to rent the park ones. We rented the park ones though. My dd2 is NOT a stroller person. None of my kids are really, but they stayed in the strollers much more than I expected at the parks... probably b/c they were a bit tired and b/c they saw the crowds and didn't want to bother maneuvering around them! If you rent park strollers, bring bandanas to tie on them... or buy a balloon to tie on them, so you can quickly spot yours amonst the sea of blue strollers.

My kids liked all the parks, but of course LOVED MK the best! But they also enjoyed MGM and Epcot b/c they were less crowded and had more freedom to get out and walk around.

A Few More Ideas:
Pack ziploc baggies and some snacks (either from a grocery stop, grocery delivery or a box you've pre-sent down)... pretzels, goldfish, cheerios, gummy snacks, whatever they usually snack on. ALWAYS, bring your own snacks and juice boxes into the park. You never know when a 2yo will simply HAVE to have a snack!

Bring stickers and a baggie full of crayons and small notebooks for doodling (works great at restaurants when you're waiting for food).

The mini party favor size playdohs can keep small hands busy on the go, while in stroller or line... Just watch so they don't drop it and leave it on the ground.

We gave our kids disposable cameras (the cheapest we could find) and let them play "Safari photographer" on Kilamanjaro Safaris and let them use them until they were used up. They had a blast... regardless of whether you pay to get them developed later or not!

If you're concerned the fireworks NOISE will scare them, maybe try catching wishes from the GF marina or Poly beach the first night -- or even Illuminations from the Boardwalk area. At GF they pipe in the music and you can see them atop the castle... never done it at Poly, but here its quite nice. If they do well with that, plan to include the fireworks later in your trip, from inside the parks.

I'm sure you will have a GRAND time! I am looking forward to hearing how it turns out and would be happy to answer any more questions that arise!

 

[kimwim8]

I agree with pretty much everything I read here. I did use the pack n' play that the resort provided, I just brought my own crib sheet to put on it, and some of the things DS was used to sleeping with at the time to make it feel more comfy for him.

I've never had any problems with my kids not falling asleep in the strollers in the park. There is just so much to see & do that they konk out (even my DD5 on this past trip). And as far as going to sleep for the night, the same thing goes. We usually turned the tv on for them & within minutes they were down for the count. You are gonna have a GREAT time with so much of your family going. I would definitely set up a few PS's for meals, though b/c just walking up to any restaurant will be tough to get tables for that many people. My kids have always loved the characters too, so I would definitely do at least one character meal at some point during your 10 day trip.

Have a great time, and please post a trip report - I'd love to hear how it goes!

 

[Mellie0119]

My kids are big schedule kids, my in-laws think I'm a bit freakish about it And it just totally goes out the window on vacation. The kids will just get so tired that they conk out where ever they happen to be (even at age 4 DS does this), I found trying to take them back to the hotel for a nap was too much, I'd let them sleep in the stroller while we found a shady spot for a small snack or drink. As for bedtime, my kids were so wiped out that they fell asleep pretty fast, we turned out all the lights, put the TV on low and they were never awake for more than a few minutes. I used the pack-n-play at the hotel, but brought my own sheets for it (I have the same one at home). My kids went right back to their regular schedules as soon as we got home.

 

[TDS373X]

I took my dd for her first trip at age 1 planned to take her for her 2nd birthday but 9/11 happened right before and we didn't go. she is getting ready for trip number 5 in JUne and she is 5 years old..We have used the resort pack and play but brought our own sheets. The ones they delivered with the pack and play were just standard double bed sized sheets WAY too big thank goodness I'd read the DIS for that suggestion...something not to miss at MGM with the little ones is the Playhouse Disney show-perfect for the toddler/preschool set especially if they watch the Disney Channel at all.lots of fun...As for the sleeping we had no trouble she slept in the room she slept in the stroller. at nap time she usually went to the pool for a bit and then it was easy to get her to sleep for nap- she wasn't the only one. Erin has never been afraid of any of the characters we did a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's for her first birthday. You may want to get some of the sing-along videos (Beach Party at WDW; Disneyland FUn ) and have them watch them prior to the trip so they can see what they are in for. They show some of the rides and characters singing and dancing with kids. You all will have so much fun. Wish my family could get together and do something like this but somehow I come from a family that either hates crowds or is anti Disney..a least my mom has gone with us and has had a ball both times watching and sharing with her grandaughter