Disney Tips for a 2 1/2 year old!

[mandi149]

Help!

I am going to Disney in 5 days with my DH and DD2. I am not sure how things will go with a 2 year old and I am very nervous. Does anyone have any tips about how to make this a wonderful experience for my family? Should we bring or rent a stroller? Where should she sleep/our bed or in the crib? How do I get her to eat? What can or can't she ride? Any airplane tips? I am looking for any information to help me. Thank you so much and Disney here we come!!!!!!!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

My biggest piece of advice when doing wdw with a 2 year old is to take it easy and don't go commando!!! Take your own stroller if you have one that is of decent size. They are far more comfy than the rentals. We took a ton of snacks with us so we could give them to the kids while in the parks. We always get to the parks for rope drop, tour for a while then go back to the hotel for naps.

Your little one can ride all rides with no height restriction. That really is most of the rides at WDW.

Have a great time!

 

[kiddisney]

i agree - don't go commando - and bring your own stroller -

work at your child's pace because you'll see things that you may not get back to as your child gets older - they enjoy the shows - the music - strolling musicians - etc. - let them dance and watch their pure enjoyment -

and for the stroller - you wouldn't believe how heavy a baby gets when they are asleep - we never went back to the room for naps - just took a break when the kids slept (there's always a nice hideaway - by the side of the castle in mk, in canadian gardens in epcot - etc) - because wdw is more tiring than a regular day regular nap time is unpredictable and if we kept trying to figure out nap time we would never get more than an hour of so of park time w/the travel time back to the room - also - it's helpful going and coming from the park -

 

[Disneylush]

This January will be our 3 year olds 3rd trip. Here are my answers to your questions. bring your own stroller! The WDW strollers are hard molded plastic and do not recline, plus little kids legs have to stick straight out. Plus rentals have to be left at left at the park gate and it so n ice to be able to push your child to the bus stops. We reserved a pack and play as well as bed rails for one of our beds because we were unsure of where our son would be most comfortable. The truth is he was so tied it didn't matter. some nights were in the pack and play and so were in the bed with the rails and with daddy. My son ate horribly the last time we were there. He was good the first few days but then he wanted nothing to do with chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. He then ate bananas, grapes, tomatoes, and banana bread from our hotel. (not fun diapers! ) For the airplane we bring a laptop with us to watch DVD's on the plane and then download our pictures wile we are at WDW. We always make sure he has a sippy cup of juice for take off and landings. As for what rides we spend a lot of time at MK because he can do pretty much everything but the mountains, at MGM we spend a lot of time at playhouse disney (because we watch these shows every morning.) We also do the hollywood and vine play house Disney lunch. At AK we love the lion king, nemo and the safari. Remember to listen to your child. If your daughter needs a nap let her nap. If she doesn't want to go by Mickey it is okay! We taught our son to just give five to those he didn't like. The most important thing is to stop and watch it thru your daughters eyes. The best memories are ones you don't plan.

 

[disneyfansx5]

Help!

I am going to Disney in 5 days with my DH and DD2. I am not sure how things will go with a 2 year old and I am very nervous. Does anyone have any tips about how to make this a wonderful experience for my family? Should we bring or rent a stroller? Where should she sleep/our bed or in the crib? How do I get her to eat? What can or can't she ride? Any airplane tips? I am looking for any information to help me. Thank you so much and Disney here we come!!!!!!!!

I have rented and brought my own stroller. I liked renting the double stoller because there was no hastle with taking the stroller on & off the monorail or bus. If you do rent, take a blanket in case your child falls asleep. You can then put the blanket under her head because the strollers are hard plastic. Your own stroller will probably be more comfortable.

We also used a "child leash". This was wonderful because our 2 1/2 y/o wanted to walk at times and this allowed him to walk without getting to far away from us.

As far as sleeping arrangements, do what you normally do at home.

Check out the menus on allearsnet.com. Chose restaurants that have food items she will eat. If there are none, take your own snacks with you into the parks to satisfy her. Keep items in the room that she will eat as well.

Allears will also list all of the rides and the height restrictions.

Be prepared to stand in line. Have things to keep your daughter entertained. We took washable markers and coloring books. Snacks also come in handy to keep children occupied while waiting.

I agree with the other posters. Take you time. Have a mid-day nap.

 

[Elmo888]

Bring snacks so you have something ready for her. Goldfish, raisins, etc. travel well. I would bring whatever she is used to at home.

Disposable sippy cups are great! We kept them filled with water and used them for milk at restaurants. After she was done, instead of letting the milk leak into the backpack, we just threw it away.

Definitely bring your own stroller. There is a lot of walking outside the parks, and, when she is tired, it would be difficult to carry her.

Don't worry about the food. I just shared with DD2, and it was fine. And you can always buy a kid meal if you need to.

If she sleeps in a crib at home, ask the resort for a crib. We stayed at WL, and DD2 slept in a pack n play. If your DD isn't tired, you might have to put her in a corner and sit outside until she falls asleep. This is easy at a deluxe resort with balconies. Moderates have a curtain in the bathroom/closet (it is all open) area, and you can put her in there and pull the curtain until she falls asleep. If you are staying at a value, you can pull the chairs outside the room if you need to.

And take the nap. It takes a good chunk of time, but it makes everyone happy.

Have a great trip!

 

[disneyohana]

My DD was 2 1/2 when we went this past May. I agree to bring your own stroller. I bought the new Chicco ,$60 at Babies R Us, just for our trip. It reclines a little which was just perfect for my daughter's naps. She always fell asleep in it at the parks. It even has a little padding which I think is why she was so comfortable. It moves around so easily, is very lightweight and the umbrella works great. It was a life saver for this trip.
We found something for her to eat at almost every restaurant but if you are at the parks late at night or early in the morning there aren't a lot of CS open that have a wide variety. We ate at the food court at the resort a lot and bought donuts for the mornings.
On the airplane ride there my DD did great looking at the magazines they offer and eating and drinking. It was only a 2 1/2 hr flight though.
My dd loved the outside rides the best. Aladdin's carpet ride, Dumbo, the Carousel, and the tea cups. It's a Small World was great too. She liked Peter Pan but was a little scared. I would try the outside rides first thing in the morning when it opens, Fantasyland. That was the best time we had at the World. Also, if you want to go on the big rides, do the rider switch with your DH. It works great. Just ask a cast member for a rider switch ticket at the ride you want to go on. If your DH is going on first you don't have to wait in line w/him so you can do something w/your DD so she won't be bored. Then, he gives you the ticket and you wait in a short line.
If you have any more questions feel free to PM me. Our vacation was so great. Try not to worry too much.

 

[everylastbreath]

You are about to have the most wonderful, magical vacation ever . If you want a preview read: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1565254
I guarantee you will be smiling after you read it .

 

[susykt4]

We took DS for the first time at age 2 1/2. The trip was all about princess-loving DD who was almost 5 at the time. DH and I were terrified that DS would "ruin" the trip for us because he hated crowds, hated Santa and other costumed characters, hated not being on his perfect schedule, etc, etc. We agreed before the trip to take turns taking him back to the resort when he got cranky or just staying at the resort if necessary. The kid SHOCKED us! He absolutely LOVED everything about Disney World.

We did take our own stroller, but it was just an umbrella. We needed it for the resort (POR) as well as the parks (we had an insanely long walk to the food court.) We returned to the resort for naps every day except one when he took a long stroller nap through World Showcase. We got him a pack and play to sleep in, but he ended up sleeping in bed with dad while I slept with DD (ugh.) He loved all the rides, was bored through most of the shows and wasn't crazy about the 3D movies because he refused to wear the glasses. The only ride I can think of he was scared by was The Great Movie Ride. Not because of the scary scenes but because of our very loud guide and the loud gunshots. Because of that we skipped Indiana Jones and anything else we knew was extremely loud. Oh, we also never saw fireworks that trip because keeping him on his regular bedtime schedule was too important. (But he was, and still is, VERY schedule dependant.) Oh, I forgot to mention that after the first day he was running up to every character he saw, hugging them and smiling for pictures. Shocking!

 

[mandi149]

Thank you everyone for the positive support! You have really given me encouragement. I know it will be wonderful!

 

[MeLaNie9]

I wholeheartedly agree that bringing your own stroller is a good idea! We took our older son when he was almost 2 and 2 1/2 and we are going back in 7 days (yea!) with him (3) and our 1-year old son. We will have 2 strollers this time. Our older son was very good about resting/napping in the stroller, we just "pull over" somewhere and relax, have a snack, or split up and ride something when he was napping. You can use the stroller in the airports, on and off the monorail or ferry, and when walking to and from the bus stops.

We also found having a balcony room to be wonderful - we could put him in the crib and sit out on the balcony while he fell asleep. Unfortunately, because of finances (we are treating my MIL and SIL this trip) we won't be at a deluxe so no balcony this time. But is was really nice to have!

Beware of the loud attractions - I guess our son had never really been exposed to things so loud, and I had no idea he would be so affected. He was really scared by things that were super loud - the worst was Ellen's Energy Adventure. He also didn't like the gunshots, explosions at the Indiana Jones Stunt show. Otherwise he pretty much loved everything!

 

[Nanu57v]

I second the Loud attractions thing. DD, who will ride anything she is tall enough for, was afraid of the NEMO ride, and afraid of the Jeopardy portion (in addition to everything else) of the Universe of Energy ride. She still tells me that Peter Pan was scary.

 

[wrighter]

One of the best bits of advice I can give (other than taking it easy and following your child's lead) is this:

Ringpops.

Yes, Ringpops. You know, the little plastic rings with the huge lollipop on top shaped like a ring? We found them to be the absolute best way to suppress meltdowns. And there will be a meltdown of some degree. No matter how well you plan or how easy you take it, it can just be overwhelmingly tiring for the little ones on occasion. We found them to be especially helpful on the busrides home after a long day when they are feeling fairly pooped and cooped up. Those things take forever to get through and they are close to impossible to bite. Plus there's no stick to worry about them chewing through. Silence will never sound so good!

Be warned that they can be messy - make sure you have some wipes handy. But we'll choose a messy child over a child who's a mess any day.

Good luck - you'll have a wonderful time!

 

[Perditamarie]

I just have to add....hit the playgrounds! The parks and your resort will have a playground where your little one can run around and not be confined in a line/stroller/show/attraction. You can also bring a cooler bag in the park, which is especially handy for having your own drinks and familiar snacks on hand---you don't want to have to find the right place that sells the right snack and then wait in line when the need arises! Have a great trip!

 

[kelliebelly]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one raising a child who can be talked out of any meltdown by the idea of a lollipop!

 

[llmurphy17]

When my ds was 2 1/2 she loved the parades, and the fantasy rides in mk. Bring a stroller, and snacks. Make sure your stroller is comfortable for her to nap in.

 

[ajcolorado]

Here's an article on visiting Epcot w/ little ones that might be helpful:
http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/article-epcot-with-young-children.html

 

[jewelmicky]

YOU will need it as much as the kids.

Start early and take an afternoon Siesta...don't stress if you "miss" something. Most of the memories come from the unexpected places, not the "big" ticket stuff. My daughters favorite memory is about a duck at Port Orleans that she got to eat out of her hand...the heavily stressed over character lunch was a distant 2nd.

 

[everylastbreath]

Don't forget to post when you get back and tell us how MAGICAL this trip was (because I'm sure it WAS!) Can't wait to hear.

 

[seashell724]

where do you leave your own stroller when you go on rides? Does a CM watch it so no one else takes it and all your baby stuff?