Disney with 22-month-old October 2015

[Jing]

Yeah, just a little excited! Hubs and I have always had a blast doing Disney the adult way. Now that Mr. Littles is here, we are taking him a little younger than planned because I have a conference at Coronado Springs Halloween week 2015. I did Disney the first time at 8 years old so I never did the real "kid stuff," and am so excited to ride Dumbo and hit a character breakfast or two. Of course we are doing the Not So Scary Halloween Party, otherwise we figure animal kingdom and magic kingdom will be the big draw. We are also taking a day to go to the beach and another to hang out with family in Orlando. Oh yeah, and 2 days of conference . We are planning on 7 days minimum. So, given this is really more about our memories than his at this age, hit me with your top experiences (rides, eats, excursions, shows). I only have 15 months o plan so I need to get cracking!

 

[ashleymrush]

Dumbo was a BIG hit for us! We just got back not long ago with our two boys, one of which was 23 months. He loved it! There were definitely a few breakdowns but that's to be expected. I would suggest always having snacks on hand. Don't expect him to eat on a normal routine, everything else is off schedule so eating was too. Also be prepared to take breaks when he needs it. The best advice I received before we went was to follow the kids' lead. If they are happy so are you. If you try to push them into something it just ruins it.

It sounds like you already know enough about Disney from previous trips. Stick to the kid stuff you are familiar with and you'll be fine.

Oh! Go to the boneyard at AK! The fossil digging area was so much fun for my little guy and it allowed me to relax in the shade on a very hot day.

My current TR is linked in my signature below if you want to follow along and see what he liked and what worked (and didn't) for us.

Good luck! Happy planning! I'm jealous! You'll have so much fun!

 

[MSSANDRA]

So fun. As your little guys grows and gets older, you will see his personality develop and you can plan more of what will work for you. You will see if he is a kid that you can go at your pace and you can just plop him in the stroller for naps and bedtime, or will be be a kid that must have his 2 hour nap in his bed, or be in bed at a certain time every night or melt down. This will certainly be a factor in MNSSHP. You will have more of an idea of whether he will love or hate characters, and if he in general is a good travel baby or not.

We LOVE CRS. They have a great pool and a super fun huge sand play area that will be great if one parent does not want to do parks while you are in meetings. The bus service there is top notch; better than deluxe we have stayed at.

MK is going to be the funnest park to enjoy with your little guy, but he will enjoy any of the parks and just be happy to hang out with his parents. We do love AK, but if choosing one more park beside MK for a toddlers, I would choose Epcot. My boys preferred it to AK, and there is so much for little ones that you don't think about. The living sea with Nemo, Living with the Land boat ride, Ellen's energy ride, Space Ship Earth, the performers in WS, and my little guys true delight, the light up side walks.

22 months in in general, a really fun age. Walking and starting to talk a bit more, but mostly not to that negative 2 year old behavior quite yet. He's FREE in the parks and Buffets are FREE and basically he can eat off your plate for other meals so that mean it cost nothing to take him, yet he will have a blast.

As you head toward 22 months, think about the trip as you might make transitions in his life....that is often an age of not a lot of change but as all parents do things different, consider the trip when you take the passie, the bottle, transition to a bed, toilet train etc, and if you are close to the trip, postpone til after. We took bottle about 22 months (right after a trip) and passie about two. Same goes for weaning if you nurse. Those comfort items can be a huge help when traveling.

Consider waiting for his first haircut at main street barber shop too. Have fun planning and watch for cut Mickey outfit at the end of summer sales going on now. October is still very much shorts weather for the most part!

 

[Jing]

Thanks for the great advice! The transition issues were the back of my mind, particularly with potty training, so I will pay much closer attention as the time rolls around. Taking the kid's lead seems to be the advice I get on most everything, and I think doing so has kept a lot of stress off of parenting for the whole 6-months I have been one. I am always an excited traveler, but having a child brings it to a whole new level!

 

[mcjaco]

We took my boys when they were 16 months last summer. Their second trip will be this November when they're 2 1/2.

16 months was more fun than I expected. They loved the Peoplemover, the train (they love trains), Dumbo, The Little Mermaid, Small World....basically anything in Fantasyland! The biggest hit was the Casy Jone splash area. We couldn't get them out of there.

At Epcot, the Land and the Living Seas were the hits. Living with the Land was fun, and just running around on the upper level was a hit. The Living Seas, again was great fun because they could RUN! And see Nemo.

DHS was a surprise hit because of the shows. They loved the Little Mermaid, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The Animation Studio portion was fun too because.......they had space to RUN! See the trend? LOL.

Most of all, we had to just learn to go at their pace, and when a nap occurred, we could jump into line for the E Ticket stuff they couldn't get on. Or we could rest ourselves.

It's a fun trip watching all the magic through their eyes!

 

[Jing]

Judging from his current activity level just with trying to crawl, I will be doing a lot of running in Disney to keep up too!

 

[starsweeper]

Our YDD was 22-months on our trip last October. It's an age with mixed blessings. YDD was so enthralled with everything but didn't like waiting in lines, so that was a struggle. We ended up returning to the hotel for a swim and short nap from about 1-4:30pm each day when the ride lines were longest. We would return to the parks by 5:00pm, have a quick dinner and ride a few more things before DH took YDD & YDS (34 months) back for the night around 7-7:30pm. I would stay until park close with our two 7yos. If your toddler will nap in a stroller, this may not be necessary for you.

Our YDD is a dare devil, so she wanted to ride everything at MK. Our toddlers have typically loved MK (usually plan 2-2.5 days there) and AK. HS has always been a bust with toddlers for us and Epcot is only good for a half day. I know other will disagree, but this is our family's experience with 4 toddlers so far.

With a toddler you need to be prepared to have lots of things to distract and entertain in line queues, be prepared for meltdowns if they over tire, be ready for them to dart away when something catches their attention, etc. Your toddler will set the tone and pace for the day, so be ready to go with the flow.

I only took our 7yos to MNSSHP, but my advice would be to watch the first parade in Frontierland where it is much less crowded, double back as soon as it passes you to the walkway in front of Casey's Corner tables for a slightly off-center, but great and uncrowded view of fireworks. You will have a 30-40 minute wait there but will get a great spot if you go there directly. Even if you want to leave after fireworks, I suggest riding, shopping away from Main Street USA or visiting characters while the massive group on Main Street USA exits for the next 30 minutes.

 

[daisy 'n donald]

thanks for posting this! we'll be taking our 21 month old in sept/oct (well, she's 18 months now, will be 21 months then)
we're so beyond excited to take her! we've been a few times just the 2 of us, so it'll be fun watching it through her eyes
she's obsessed with minnie and mickey and mmch, and doc and sofia etc...but i'm worried how she might do with meeting them since she freaked out with the easter bunny...so we'll see

we'll follow her lead...that's good advice...we've been there plenty of times and have done pretty much everything, so really, this trip is just to take her and see her see everything for the first time...

it's 73 days away! but i'll try and post if i remember when we get back how it all went...

 

[Jing]

thanks for posting this! we'll be taking our 21 month old in sept/oct (well, she's 18 months now, will be 21 months then) we're so beyond excited to take her! we've been a few times just the 2 of us, so it'll be fun watching it through her eyes she's obsessed with minnie and mickey and mmch, and doc and sofia etc...but i'm worried how she might do with meeting them since she freaked out with the easter bunny...so we'll see we'll follow her lead...that's good advice...we've been there plenty of times and have done pretty much everything, so really, this trip is just to take her and see her see everything for the first time... it's 73 days away! but i'll try and post if i remember when we get back how it all went...

Please do!

 

[Lupeix]

We went last year with a 2 1/2 year old and never made it to the fireworks. So if you want to do MNSSHP do it for you, because it is likely he will fall asleep in the stroller
Bring your own stroller, one he is used to napping on. Do not do any big transitions within 2 months of the trip. It is better if he still sleeps on a crib, so the pack and play they give you is not as big of a change. 22 months is a little early for potty training anyway
DS loved character meals, specially the crystal palace. It is a better setting for little ones to meet the characters anyway. Get the free DVD from Disney and watch it together several times, it builds excitement and helps them see how big characters really are, it can be a major shock!
We had a 5 day ticket and only did MK and AK. Everything he liked was at MK anyway, we did Dumbo 5 times and he loved the wait as much as the ride.
Little ones don't have patience for lines, since they usually wake up early plan on doing rope drop and get fast pass + for 10:30-11. And take an afternoon break. Have snacks, diapers, wipes shipped to your room beforehand. Use the baby care centers
Most of all, slow down, follow their lead and enjoy!

 

[Jing]

Awesome! I know so many things will be different a year from now (hopefully in a crib by then!), it is good to keep all of this in mind.

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

Our DS was 23 months last August when we went. (Free was the reason we went then! Let's be honest here. )
I would say anything colorful - but Disney is such an amazing place I think the only black & white is the Haunted Mansion!

We found he really like the continuous rides (Ariel, Nemo, Peoplemover, Trains, etc) but he just loved SEEING everything.

In full disclosure, he's a super easy kid - still is! - and was quite content to cruise in the stroller and just look at everything. He was able to ride a lot more than I thought he would be able to.

My biggest tip is that I hit up dollar stores and supermarkets/pharmacies and party stores after holidays and such the year before going and stocked up on goodies for cheap! (Anything Disney I grabbed if it was a dollar or two - like glasses, glow sticks, stickers, little cars, etc) and was able to pull out a new item twice or even three times a day to give him if we were in a particularly long line - especially while waiting for DD to meet characters etc.
It was a cheap way to give him something new and fun to keep him happy.

Best of luck and happy planning!!

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

Get the free DVD from Disney and watch it together several times, it builds excitement and helps them see how big characters really are, it can be a major shock!

We did this and it helped! We also searched and found four or five shows on Travel Channel that we recorded that were about the different parks and such and the kids loved those! (They are still on the DVR and DD will request that once in a while! lol)

Also, if there are any parades or anything near you they tend to have characters at stuff like that (Elmo or something) that will show him that characters can be larger than life!

 

[Pookasaurus]

My youngest was 21 months our last trip and it was so, so awesome. Just go with it I am so very glad I have those memories of him at that age just loving and enjoying everything. He enjoyed character meals, loved rides, but the video I have of him splashing in puddles in MK and running through the water play fountains at the poly are my favorite

We did MNSSHP with him at that age and it was a lot of fun, too. He was Jiminy Cricket, my 4yo Pinocchio, and the I was the Blue Fairy and DH was Geppetto. Since we had a 4yo, we didn't "tone down" anything or assume he wouldn't handle things well and in the end it paid off because he really did enjoy all of it. We did rider swap a lot and he had fun running around various activities such as the play area under the bridge by splash mountain.

We did plan a lot of midday breaks for both kids and I think that helped, too, especially with the September heat. He would be a typical toddler at some points (ie running behind the set cut outs for the epcot meet and greet) but the characters were all really great with him and the pics and videos we have of pluto covering his eyes or mickey retrieving him are a lot of fun to remember

Have fun!!! Like I said having those memories of him at such a fun sweet age are incredibly special to me. We had also taken him at 8mo prior and he'll have just turned 5 on our upcoming trip!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Our youngest was 22 months on our first trip, and 2 months shy of 3 on our second trip. The first trip was sooooo much easier. He was so into everything, so open to everything, and wasn't scared of a thing! On our second trip...he was acting like a 3 year old...LOL! But that first trip? Perfection.

Our son has never been a great napper and has only slept in the stroller on all of our trips. But I still recommend going back to your room for a break. October can still be really hot (we've been to Disney during the past 3 Octobers) and the parks are a lot of sensory overload for kids that age. Even though he didn't fall asleep, I think just being out of the heat, and in a cool, dark room for awhile helped recharge his batteries. And of course we HAD to swim every day.

I would not expect to take in night time entertainment more than once, but do expect to be at every RD. With young kids, I find that character meals are best spent on lunch. I don't like to waste the time at breakfast (unless it's a late breakfast, more like a brunch) and by the time dinner rolls around, they tend to be more cranky. Sitting down at lunch works best for us, plus you get out of the biggest crowds and heat of the day.

Oh, and PTing wasn't even on the horizon for us at that age (even though our older daughter fully PTd herself in a weekend at 26 months!).

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

I am so very glad I have those memories of him at that age just loving and enjoying everything. He enjoyed character meals, loved rides, but the video I have of him splashing in puddles in MK and running through the water play fountains at the poly are my favorite

I have one of those of my then 23 month old son and 3 year old daughter getting head-to-toe soaked one night at Downtown Disney! I am usually not too into them getting wet or dirty when we are out like that - but it was such an amazing time - and a HOT night! - that a post dinner soaking was just what they needed before heading back to our hotel!

 

[JoAnna525]

Our youngest was 22 months on our first trip, and 2 months shy of 3 on our second trip. The first trip was sooooo much easier. He was so into everything, so open to everything, and wasn't scared of a thing! On our second trip...he was acting like a 3 year old...LOL! But that first trip? Perfection.

Our son has never been a great napper and has only slept in the stroller on all of our trips. But I still recommend going back to your room for a break. October can still be really hot (we've been to Disney during the past 3 Octobers) and the parks are a lot of sensory overload for kids that age. Even though he didn't fall asleep, I think just being out of the heat, and in a cool, dark room for awhile helped recharge his batteries. And of course we HAD to swim every day.

I would not expect to take in night time entertainment more than once, but do expect to be at every RD. With young kids, I find that character meals are best spent on lunch. I don't like to waste the time at breakfast (unless it's a late breakfast, more like a brunch) and by the time dinner rolls around, they tend to be more cranky. Sitting down at lunch works best for us, plus you get out of the biggest crowds and heat of the day.

Oh, and PTing wasn't even on the horizon for us at that age (even though our older daughter fully PTd herself in a weekend at 26 months!).

I agree with a lot of this, as we took our son last year at 22 months in October, and are heading back at 34 months this October. The only qualifier I would put here is to do what works for your family, and stay true to that. For example, we are NOT rope drop people. We (including our son) are night owls. We attempted rope drop once last year and an early character breakfast - HUGE mistake for us. We were exhausted and miserable. We work the back end of the day - take our time in the morning, enjoy our resort, and hit the parks when everyone else is heading back to their resort for the afternoon. Our son, the party animal, stayed up to midnight every single night on that trip once we figured out and became one with the fact that we weren't going to be rope drop people. The remainder of our trip was amazing for that reason.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

we ordered a foam mattress for the play yard and had it mailed to our resort. It made sleeping for DD2 much easier than on a hard as a rock pad the play yard comes with. We also bought luggage and fit our own play yard in, minus the rock hard pad. we used the pad that the resort had with their graco play yard. i figure it likely doesn't get cleaned unless there is an obvious situation on it. our way worked for us. DD2 recognized it as hers and slept well in it. It fit between the two beds in AoA Little Mermaid room..just barely. Bring familiar sheets and blankets.

As for the potty, we have a Bjorn 'travel' potty, which just means the size is more compact than the standard Bjorn potty. we use it at home as her regular potty. i got a jansport big backpack. it is super lightweight and thin, and has a huge back compartment that the potty fit roomly inside! Then the other compartments we used one for her foods, wipes, and all her other things in ziplocks, like gloves for diaper duty (she had a couple accidents), table toppers, etc. it was super easy for when she said, ' i have to go potty,' to grab the backpack, pop out the potty and place it in the stall and she'd use it! -dump it out in the potty, wipe with toilet paper, wipe with sanitizing wipe, put back in backpack. same with at the resort we set it up in the bathroom and brought her stack of books. we used pull-ups also, which she did go through enough. by the end of the trip she was using them a lot since the bathrooms are so loud, it was scary for her. the pull ups are great b/c you can change them while they stand up. -for number 1's that is. For number 2's that happened by accident twice while out, the changing tables were so hard and she just cried the whole time. The one at the grand floridian for the restaurant people to use was RIGHT at the door entrance, so all these people were walking by and she was crying. i felt so bad for her. in MK the changing table was marble. super hard obviously. there was also only one changing station! thankfully we didnt have to wait long. be sure to bring disposable changing pads to lay on the changing stations.