Can you believe my "friends" felt it was their business...

[lindaso]

I will add my agreement to everyone elses. We were there last year when my DD was 2 1/2 and she had a blast. The look on her face when she saw Mickey at the character breakfast our first morning will be in my memory forever...it was amazing!!

She did lots of things I didn't think she would want to(Goofy Barnstormer, Honey I shrunk the audience, Haunted Mansion) and was able to understand that certain things were pretend.

She remembers a lot of it, loves looking at the pictures and asks almost daily when we are going back.

Plus it's nice to take mid-day breaks and slow down and enjoy some of the quieter things Disney has to offer. But hey, you know all this!! Enjoy!!

Linda

 

[momejay]

I took my dd at 15 months (for a only a day the first time) We were staying with friends that lived close. We didn't do much, but we did use the baby pass a few times.
The next time we went, she was 3 & her brother was 14 months. She talked for the first time on that trip. She still remembers where we went & things we did. My ds learned to say "ickey" & "Pooh" on this trip. Now these are some of the few words he still uses. (He is autistic. She has hearing loss)
I'm glad I took them when they were little. They still go every year. Friends think I'm crazy, but we don't feel "handicapped" in Disney. We go at our pace & use fastpass.
Disney is for the "kid" in all of us. Those that say "leave them home" have "grown up" & are unable to find the "kid" inside themselves. They wouldn't understand why you'd want to go in the first place. (or they are just jealous)
I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw Cinderella's Castle the 1st time. (My one regret was forgetting my camera.)

 

[bashful4]

When you think of your child and work with their age, it makes the trip easier and fun. Who cares whether or not they will remember the trip. We went to a lot of different places, when my DD was an infant/toddler, that she doesn't remember. Sometimes you have to live in the moment.

We are planning our July trip around our six year old. We ask ourselves- What would she like? Will she need breaks? etc. We are not thinking- We won't be able to do this or that because of her or how inconvenienced we will be by taking her with us.

You know the limitations of your family. Work with that and you can will have a wonderful time and some awesome memories.

 

[wheeler1]

just to put in my two cents...

its been my experience that its not always a good idea to wait for the "right time" to do the important things in life! and spending quality time with your family, at any age is most important. sometimes, for different reasons, the right time never comes and the opportunity could slip away. so i say, spend your valuable time together having fun and making great memories !!! it truly is all that matters!!

 

[Michigan]

Tell your friend you can call me crazy all you want but going before your child is 3 and having to pay for admission is SMART. My 3 year old went just after her 2nd birthday and again just before her 3rd and she loved it. We are going again in the fall and she can't wait.

 

[DisneyFix]

Our oldest dd was 2 years old for her first trip to WDW, and I highly recommend this age!!! It was absolutely priceless. She's been there 3 times since then.

 

[worm761]

i just had to add my opinion. GO! i have only ever been once and i wasnt quite 2yrs old yet. i have never seen pictures of this trip. and the only story i have ever heard was that i was afraid of the bears. this was in 1978. i am now 25yrs old. i still remember some things and i cant wait to go!!! i am taking my DS who is now 5yrs old. we leave in less than 3 weeks!

 

[athurstance]

I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time. Don't let other people put you off taking your children to WDW. Who cares if they don't remember it anyway - they enjoy it at the time. I don't think I can remember every fun thing I've done on holiday but it doesn't mean I shouldn't have done it.
I think a lot of people do take the attitude that WDW is a once in a lifetime experience and they would want to take their children when they're older. That's fine for them of course but it doesn't give them the right to try to make you see it their way. IMO you've got it just right - watching a young child transfixed by the music and colours of WDW is a holiday in itself.
My two sons have been disneying since birth. They have surprising memories really of things that happened when they were 3 or 4. One thing they do know is that given a choice of where we go on holiday Disney is always top of the list. They're only 9 and 6 now and they LOVE it.
Start them young I say - then they can become as addicted as me!!!!!!!

Have a fantastic holiday.

Angela

 

[Tawnya]

...I would take them. We could not afford WDW until the girls were 6 and 9. The first time we went it really wore the 6 year old out...too much rich food, too long in the parks. Then I discovered this board and learned so much. I will admit that sometimes I feel so sorry for little ones who are being fussed at and the parents are so stressed! But last December we were watching the parade at the MVMCP and a woman was there with her three small kids. We were behind the rope but the CM dropped it before Santa came by. The woman couldn't hold all of her kids so I offered to hold the youngest (who I had been starring at because she looked EXACTLY like my now 13 year old when she was two!). The sweetie came right to me and I held her while she watched Santa. I get tears in my eyes thinking about it! It gave me a chance that I missed with mine!

 

[stacie_d]

We are going again when our DS is 2 yrs and 8 months old. We took him before for his 1st birthday. I won't say he remembers anything, but we sure do! And he is a complete Disney NUT now! So all it must be lying around in his subconscience somewhere.

I get so aggravated when people tell us "Why are you "doing whatever", he won't remember it." If I used that philosophy, I would have never taken him out of the house to the park, or bought him a toy, or anything. It is not like he will remember swinging in a baby swing, or looking at picture books, or playing with the cat. So why do I bother??? Because at the time, he is happy. And I will have those memories forever. And when he gets older, I can tell him stories about what he liked and did as a baby. I guess I could just make up the stories, but then again, I am not a novelist.

 

[Poly Pal]

We do not go to Disney for our children. We go for our own enjoyment! If the kids have a great time, so much the better! As parents, we just do not live for our children's happiness. Seen too many friends and relatives turn out spoiled brats that way.

So, who cares if your small child remembers Disney. You will! And unless this is the trip of a lifetime, there will certainly be many more happy trips to WDW in the future when the kids ARE old enough to remember.

Have a great time!

 

[EZ Ed]

When I took a 3 year for the first time we spent time at Mickey's Toontown, totally blew off Tommorrowland. got there by using the train.

Next week we return and the all the rides that got skipped are high on the to-do list.

As long as you don't over do it and be the one with a cranky kid.

stay true to your plan and work at the kids pace, it will be fun for all.

 

[Mamatipo]

I agree with Poly Pal -- I went to WDW for a weekend in May w/ my 20 month old. I went basically for myself -- I had a Disney itch. Well...my son couldn't get enough of the sights and sounds. He loved the trip. He names every character we took pictures with. I don't know how much he actually remembers, but I will remember how much he enjoyed it.

For the first time, I did not do the commando thing. We took our time, enjoyed the little things that I often overlooked because I was running from attraction to attraction.

I also took everyone's advice here which made the trip very easy.

We're going back in September for a "real" vacation. I plan to enjoy the resorts more this trip. He'll be 24 months old, and I can't wait to see his reactions again!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[ilisa]

We took our daughter when she was 19 months old, and will be taking her again in May, 2002 when she is 3 years old (we'll have a 3 month old at the time, but my mother in law will watch him/her). It was an amazing trip!! There is nothing like seeing Disney through a child's eyes. Someone on this board once said that a toddler still thinks Cinderella is Cinderella and I wholeheartedly agree. I do believe our daughter does remember parts of the trip. We put on our videos we took and she goes nuts. Every day when we get home, she asks to see "Mickeys". So, you enjoy your trip and don't think twice about your friend's comments. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

[LMHB]

OOOOOoooooo.....I just hate when people give you that bull. I have found, in general, that a surprising amount of people consider a Disney Vacation to be an "ordeal" to be suffered through only when your children are old enough for them to remember every single thing. That is such nonsense! We have one particularly opinionated friend who flat out told me a couple of weeks ago that someone she knew took her children and "there just wasn't anything THERE for them." Now, how ludicrous is that? Nothing for children at WDW? She really looks down at our interest in Disney. I wonder if it is the fact that Disney is such a huge corporate success, and some people just can't stand to see a company who is successful actually have an excellent product. We took our son at 1 1/2, and will take them this year at 3 1/2 and 1 1/2. The memories are for the parents, and besides, what about just living it up at the MOMENT and just plain having fun? The kids have a ball! Not everything has to have a concrete memory to be tangibly valuable. I have also come across the opinion that going on a Disney vacation is irresponsibly un-cultured. Has anyone else ever encountered that? Granted, you need to make trips to places other than WDW in your life to be well-rounded, but I actually think Epcot does a pretty good job at sampling the personalities of different countries. Next time your friends pipe up, put the spotlight on THEM and tell them you think they are benig very negative. They should find ways to enjoy life more! LOL! Have a GREAT time!!!!

 

[Wishydoo]

Poly Pal, I get your point. I have stated many times on these boards that my trip to WDW in Aug. will be "all about the kids", and that I will do whatever, for them to have a pleasant and carefree time while on vacation.

But...I'm not doing it because they are spoiled-rotten brats. On the contrary, they are excellent students, who work very hard all year. They are very well-behaved, kind and considerate kids and give me no troubles.

As a mom, I am always in the position of saying "do this, don't do that". My children oblige me...they follow the rules.

I see our trip to WDW as a gift and reward to them.

The gift I would like to offer them is not so much a Disney vacation, but an opportunity to make "the rules" and to have as much as possible be "their way" while there.

24/7 at home, It's Mom's way. To hear me say..."whatever YOU want to do!" while at WDW, will be the "magic" for my kids. They've earned & deserve it

Lisa

 

[LKS]

The kids will have fun at 2.5, at 8, at 10....whatever age their parents choose to take them. We went with a 3 month old, 3 year old and 5 year old, and although the baby just slept and ate, the rest of us still had a great time. Infants, especially nursing, are very easy there.

If I could only go once in a lifetime, I guess I'd wait until they were old enough to ride more rides, but we are taking ours at various ages to experience the magic in different ways each time. We have really encouraged friends to take their kids just before they turn 3, while they are free - even at the buffets - and we think it's a great strategy.

We always do a resort break in the middle of the day. My little ones enjoy the swimming as much as the parks. Staying on the monorail makes this strategy especially easy. We favor the contemporary. No one is happy if the little one isn't happy.

 

[Fargoman2]

Let me just say "ditto" to every other post on this subject!

We are making our first trip to WDW in August with our children ages 2, 9 and 12. Last year, we took the kids to San Diego.

Gee, what a waste of time (tongue firmly in cheek)! Our youngest didn't get anything out of that! All he does is talk incessantly about "Shamu."

Using the logic of "don't take him, he's too young to remember anything" is absolutely ludicrous! What should we do? Keep our kids locked up in their rooms and exclude them from family outings until they can pass some sort of memory test?

I'm afraid too many parents view traveling with their young children as a burdensome inconvenience rather than as a great family-bonding experience.

Yes, traveling with kids can be exhausting, mentally-draining work. It also provides family highlights to treasure for a lifetime! Something tells me that a few years from now when my kids are off having their own lives, I will long for these exhausting, mentally-draining vacations!

Go and have a GREAT TIME--I KNOW WE WILL!!

 

[nanalisa]

Ignore your friends, although it does sound like my friends AND non immediate family. We took our granddaughter when she was 21 months and it was all we could do to wait that long! Everyone was right, she doesn't remember it but DH and I will for the rest of our lives. I can't tell you how cute a 2 yo is with Winnie the Pooh. We had the BEST time. We took her again at 2.5 and again this summer at 4.5. Go, take lots of pictures and have a great time.

 

[Tiggerrrr]

2 1/2 is a great age for your first trip ! That was the age of all 3 of our DD's first trip, it was also a little incentive to get them completely potty trained. "We can't go to see Mickey until your a big girl, and go in the big potty". It worked like a charm!!! So you go to the hotel for an afternoon nap, big deal !! 2 1/2 is a great age, they're so excited, (and so was I )!! Have a great trip, and don't stress..... just go with the flow.. You'll have a wonderful time!
Jen