"But they won't remember it..."

[mrsr2ro]

Ok - I know many of you bring toddlers to WDW. Did you get a lot of people giving you the buzzkill line of "Why? They won't remember it?".

I was just told that yesterday - of course by someone who has never been. I responded that *We* will remember it, and that they will really enjoy themselves, and we will enjoy watching them enjoy themselves.

Since when is WDW just about the kids anyway -- I'm sure some of you can relate that WE adults enjoy it ourselves, right??

Backstory -- last Dec our WDW trip included DH, me (pregnant), DS5, DS3, and DD1, and my parents. After the trip we all decided that DD1 had the most fun! While she did slow us down, we loved seeing her experience everything. This year, since we wanted to focus on doing rides all day, I just took my DSs, now 6 and 4, and my mom for a 4 day trip. Fantastic time and there is no way we could have accomplished as much with a toddler and or baby along (or my Dad & DH ). But I can't forget how much my DD enjoyed last year. So now I want to take just the girls for short, but slow paced trip with both of my parents.

When I've told people this, a couple have already started in with the "What? Why? They won't remember it! That's nuts!", etc. So I'm turing to you, the DIS, my fellow WDW addicts to vent. Surely there are some of you that can agree that even though a toddler may not remember the trip when they grow up, it's still worth doing? My parents are not going to be around forever, and giving them the joy of seeing their grandchildren enjoy Disney, to me, makes it worth it. It's not just about the kids memories.

 

[ValpoCory]

Why do anything with kids until they are 5. Just lock them in the attic. They won't remember it.

When it comes down to it, even for most of us DISers, anyone who goes to Disney World less than you just doesn't get it, and anyone who goes to Disney World more than you is "crazy Disney person".

And most of the time, anyone who calls someone else the "crazy Disney person" is just jealous of that person. Chalk it up to jealousy, and move on.

 

[GoofyGirl1717]

On our first trip my DD was only 3. She may not remember a lot of the trip but we took tons of pictures. It is wonderful to sit with her now and look at the pictures of herself. She always comes out with some memory I had forgotten. I think it is a wonderful idea! Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[lovethattink]

There's something at Disney for everyone! Whether it's the lights and glitter catching the attention of an infant, a show, a character, the mechanics of a ride...

We have so many memories of my parents with my children at Disney, Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, Sea World, etc. My dad had a series of strokes this summer. I am not sure if we will ever get back there with him again or not. But he shows off his slide show to anyone who will watch them with him. And now I've been sending pics of the kids and us at Disney and it's just not the same without them.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

We have 5 kids and never felt the desire to take them when they were very young because of the logistics of moving small kids and/or babies around on a vacation like WDW. It's tough. I see parents doing it all the time and I am so happy it isn't me!

We did the first family trip when they were 10, 7,6,5 and 3. It was perfect for us.

 

[ValpoCory]

Also, there is a large part of Disney that a family will miss out on if they wait until their kids are 7 years old. The whole "magic of the characters" for instance. My daughter is five, and already we are worried that some of the magic is gone, like thinking that girl dressed up in blue is not the real Cinderella. By 7, getting these people's autographs will lose its luster.

 

[newdeal]

We took our baby at 4 months. It wasn't easy but the trip was awesome. Also stimulation helps the development of a Childs brain and Disney is full of stimulation, whether they remember it or not it will affect them

 

[Tltorrez]

Why do anything with kids until they are 5. Just lock them in the attic. They won't remember it.

I was just thinking the same thing. The same logic applies to first birthdays, first Christmas, trips to the park. For that matter my son barely remembers anything from his first year of preschool - clearly I shouldn't have bothered.

The joy is in us remembering that they enjoyed it. Go for it!

 

[DZNEE4US]

I have gotten so much more out of Disney since I have had children. I do not think I'd even go more than once every 5 years if I didn't have kids. That's saying a lot since I am a life long Disney fan. I just don't get as much out of the parks as they do. The reason we go back year after year is to see them experience the parks. You are looking at things through their eyes. It's all new to them. I took my daughter when she was about 16 months. I took my twin boys when they were only 14 months old. I know that they won't remember those first trips, but I do. That's why you take photos. If my son didn't get a chance to get a photo with Mickey at 14 months, I'd never have one of him at all- since he won't get close to the characters any more (parades, etc. fine- just don't touch me!!). The kids also love looking at the pictures of themselves when they were babies. I couldn't wait to take my kids, from the time I found out I was pregnant! It's a family tradition that I think they will continue with their own kids.
Some people just can't grasp the idea that just because their kids aren't "old enough to remember it" it doesn't mean that it's not a good time. You are creating memories!

 

[Heidi Loves Disney]

I responded that *We* will remember it, and that they will really enjoy themselves, and we will enjoy watching them enjoy themselves.

That's exactly the way I would have responded. The memories I'd have of my child would be priceless. I wouldn't care what anyone else said.

 

[scot@dvcstore]

While it is true that a toddler may or may not remember a trip to Disney, you will always remember the time you spend with your kids at Disney. That is also part of the experience. Have a magical trip.

 

[Missytara]

My friend had the opportunity to take her 18 month old, along with her husband paid for by his parents. The parents went along as well.

Her husband had just finished basic training and already got his orders to be shipped overseas for Afghanistan.

They did it so their son could remember being together as a family, in case something happened to him - and that hopefully their son/grandson could have a carefree week before his dad shipped off to war - even though he probably won't remember it forever, he knew it at the time.

Don't ever hesitate to take younger children - there will always be some sort-of memory you take away from the trip no matter what.

 

[mickeyboat]

I think it makes a big difference if your Disney trip is a once a year event or a once in a lifetime event.

We knew our trip would probably be the only one we took our kids on, so we waited until they were 10 & 11 to go - big enough so they could ride and enjoy everything, but little enough that they could still experience some of the magic, too.

 

[lovealatte]

When I was younger, the first time I went I was 4 yrs old, and I remember plenty of that trip. We could not afford a very long trip or trips every year, so my mom wanted to make sure the money was spent when I could take in all the magic, remember it for years to come and have a great time.

I'd like to add in response to the PP said whoever disagreed with you was just jealous. People have different opinions, some may think a child should remember their first trip or don't want to deal with the stress of taking a baby to Disney.

 

[mrsr2ro]

There's something at Disney for everyone! Whether it's the lights and glitter catching the attention of an infant, a show, a character, the mechanics of a ride...

We have so many memories of my parents with my children at Disney, Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, Sea World, etc. My dad had a series of strokes this summer. I am not sure if we will ever get back there with him again or not. But he shows off his slide show to anyone who will watch them with him. And now I've been sending pics of the kids and us at Disney and it's just not the same without them.

Thanks to all who replied - I knew I could count on DIS to understand. This story especially has me getting watery eyes.

And as another posted - yep - the logistics of taking 4 kids at once at the young ages they are is exactly why I'm splitting up the trips until my youngest is 4 or 5. Too hard to go at a pace everyone would enjoy. But I don't want to wait until my youngest is 4 before going at all so this is my compromise. Since DH isn't really that into WDW (yet! I'm hoping there is still time to convert him), but my parents are - this set up works for us.

 

[khertz]

So far, I haven't gotten that response, but I'm sure it'll pop up at least once before next November when we take DS, who will have just turned 1 before our trip. I won't let it bother me. I know DH & I are taking him because we are just so excited to have him experience a place we both love so much, and we can't wait to see his reactions the first time he rides Dumbo or meets Mickey Mouse. He won't remember, but we'll have a ton of pictures, videos, and memories of that special trip to show him when he gets older. And we'll make new memories with him every time we take him. Like someone else said, if it was a once in a lifetime trip, yeah, I can see how taking a toddler or very young child wouldn't be the best idea. But for Disney freaks like us who plan on going as much as possible (especially while he's free! ), what's the big deal if he doesn't remember the trip? The memories DH & I make with him will be more than worth it!

 

[exwdwcm]

we took our 2yo last December and again just 2 weeks ago at 3yo. He loved it and is already asking when he can go back (Thankfully we are DVC!). So he remembers now for the short term at least, might not remember in the grand scheme of things, but I do. Plus he loves looking through all the pics of last year's trip too.

YOU remember. That is what counts. Plus in the moment, the child is experiencing the magic of disney! Photos can help them remember.

 

[mrsr2ro]

also wanted to add -- that while I usually do think jealousy plays a role, in these cases I'm pretty sure it does not. These are people who could very well afford it but chose not to. We live about an hour from the Sea World here in Texas, and they don't even want to take their toddlers there because "it's too much hassle" for them. Some people just don't like to go places with babies or toddlers. While I'm the first to admit that it is a lot of work to go on trips - day ones or overnight ones, my DH and I think the fun outways the work. Overtime we usually just remember the good stuff anyway. These are friends who much prefer to leave the kids with grandparents and take trips themselves. To each their own. I'm just glad I found you folks -- who think like me

 

[JDietz40]

We will be at WDW in January with DS(18) he still has the autograph book from his first trip at age 3. He had a great time and as other posters have said we as parents enjoy watching our children have fun.

 

[quagmire0]

When your kids are young, the bottom line is the experience that YOU have - not whether they will remember. Our DD was 20mo when we went to Disneyland. She had fun, we had fun. She probably doesn't remember things exactly, since she's 3 going on 4 now, but when we go to DW in June, things will probably come back to her. Best thing was that at 20mo she was fairly fearless. We took her on every ride we could. Most of the reaction during the rides was slightly nervous to cautious, but when we got off she was ready to go to the next one.

Bottom line is that it is about what YOU want to do. Any kid that is old enough to go on the ride will most likely enjoy themselves - even if they don't remember it a year or two down the line. If not, hey, you tried. I think you are much better off living in the 'now' and enjoying a Disney vacation now than planning for YEARS and possibly being disappointed because you hyped it up too much. Get the kids used to going to theme parks and carnivals so that when they do get older it won't be a scary/foreign thing to them.