Disney W/ a 2 year Old

[Leeanng]

Any tips and tricks for Disney with a 2 year old ?

 

[Aimeedyan]

We take ours often (we live about an hour away).

Biggest tip: pack your patience and set your expectations low on how much you'll accomplish.

That, and we found Genie+ to be worth the $$ even though I resent paying it. He doesn't do well with lines (understandably so).

We LOVE going, and it's his favorite place. There is nothing like seeing Disney through the eyes of a toddler.

 

[WedWayPilot]

We found it very enjoyable to take both of our kids when they were under 3. First of all, it’s probably the only time in their life they will get in for free and can eat off of your plate. Having a stroller as a mobile nap space and storage is really useful. I always had a plastic stroller cover to keep it dry during rain storms. We also used the baby care centers (Next to Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom, Odyssey Pavillion in Epcot, and near the front of the park in HS and behind Starbucks in animal kingdom) a lot for diaper changes and breast feeding.

 

[Leeanng]

Thats awesome ! My daughter loves Disneyland but I know Disney world is so much bigger we might have a little struggle

 

[Leeanng]

We found it very enjoyable to take both of our kids when they were under 3. First of all, it’s probably the only time in their life they will get in for free and can eat off of your plate. Having a stroller as a mobile nap space and storage is really useful. I always had a plastic stroller cover to keep it dry during rain storms. We also used the baby care centers (Next to Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom, Odyssey Pavillion in Epcot, and near the front of the park in HS and behind Starbucks in animal kingdom) a lot for diaper changes and breast feeding.

Thank you ! We have been taking her to Disneyland but disney world is such a different ball game

 

[sponica]

Thats awesome ! My daughter loves Disneyland but I know Disney world is so much bigger we might have a little struggle

I can't tell if you have ever been to Disney World or not. If you've never been, keep in mind that IT'S HUGE. I've been a half dozen times, there are still things I haven't done.

Magic Kingdom is more or less a clone of Disneyland, so I would probably focus on things you can't do at DL.

 

[loves to dive]

It's just bigger than DL, probably hotter and wetter, and hotter, and wetter, and hotter and wetter. If you are staying on site, don't hesitate to go back to the resort and rest, no one likes a cranky baby. It's a big spread out place, you aren't going to get everything done so don't even try. I found when my son was a toddler I just went on his schedule. If he wanted to run around the hub grass then plop down and eat something, that was what we did. If he wanted to ride a ride over and over, that was what we did. He was 3 the first time we went and strollers were not his friend, he hated them so we had to take a lot of breaks. On the opposite of the spectrum, we took my 5 month old grand daughter (said son's daughter) last Sept. so she slept a lot in the stroller. We still had to go back to the room at least twice a day, her parents had to call it a night most nights around 7 (except the nights grandma babysat) and even with child swap, they (nor I) rode a lot of rides. It's hot and it rains in Sept., some days all day so even with two fans blowing on her, the plastic cover over the stroller could get way too hot. We rigged it where there was always an opening and we propped an umbrella over that but still hot so breaks inside were a must.

 

[holden]

Take your day at your child's pace. WDW is overstimulating. It's a lot for a little one to handle. Frequent breaks help. There are lots of quiet places and play areas for kids.

For naps, we let our kids fall asleep in the stroller and then find a shady spot to sit.

Bring a change of clothes & shoes, especially if your child will play in the water. There are splash pads in Epcot and Magic Kingdom.

A ride on the monorail is a nice quiet activity to get away from the crowds.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

We haven't been since pre-covid but our last trip was our first time taking our then 2-year old. You don't say if you've booked your dates/resort yet, but if you haven't, I honestly think the single biggest tip I can give you is that if you can swing it financially, stay at a resort that is either on the monorail or one of the Crescent Lake resorts. I know these are deluxe and not everyone can afford the prices (which is why we rent DVC there instead), but with stroller-age kids the convenience of NOT having to get that sleeping kid out of the stroller to board a bus at the end of the night is HUGE. Also getting back to the resort for an afternoon break is a lot easier and less time consuming this way. I don't know how your kiddo will do with bedtime (or lack thereof) but we tried going back to the room at night for a "normal" bedtime and mine absolutely rioted. Would not do it, I think she was just too wound up and excited and thought she would miss something. The only way she slept at night is if we walked her around in the stroller until she passed out... which actually worked out really nicely for us, considering we were staying at the Boardwalk and we could just drink and relax around Epcot while she slept in the stroller, then we were able to walk back to the room without removing her from the stroller. Then we just transferred her to the pack n play at night and that was that.

This is another financially sensitive "tip" but we had a longer trip that time (10 nights I think?) and I felt like that length of time was perfect for a trip with little ones. I think either a longer trip, or being able to truly go into a shorter trip with the mentality that you're absolutely NOT going to do everything, is important. The nature of it with little kids is that you're going to go slow. You're going to have things not go according to plan. The beauty of having an extra day or two built in is that you're not going to stress out over feeling like you're missing something because your child had a melt down or needed a break - because there's always time to get back to it.

We last went when Fastpass+ was in play and that was a godsend with our daughter, so I'm absolutely getting Genie+ when we go back in a few weeks. I have LOTS of doubts but I also can't see standing in tons of long lines with little kids, so we'll be forking over for it.