Disney with toddlers- give it to me straight

[Dallas_Lady]

Our kids will be 2 and 4 on our next trip. I am trying hard to wrap my head around what our days will be like. I'm a planner (like most of us here) and I am trying to get an idea of how much I can actually expect to get done. Any of you care to share how you structure your days at Disney with toddlers in tow? Any good tips? Things I should do and things I definitely shouldn't?

 

[Lstar311]

We just got back from a trip with DS who is 16 months. My advice to you is to take it slow and expect the unexpected. Our only "unexpected" was that my son would not sleep in the PNP. We had to sleep in bed with him the whole trip. That was not fun, but much better than listening to him cry in the middle of the night. I hope everyone at All Star Sports appreciated it too!

But seriously for us the point of our trip was DS. So we just took it slow and went at his pace. We didn't get to go on every ride (although we came close) But we went with the expecatation of doing what he could do. And I was surprised at just how much he really could do.

Have a great trip!

 

[mrstomrice]

Funny...our ds 20 months also hated the Pack and Play! Welcome to our bed or no sleep! We were there for 7 days originally, so we planned to do early emh as often as possible, as long as we weren't too tired. Early emh is soooo valuable! The parks are so light and a lot can be accomplished in this time!
I planned my ADR's around them but changed some as needed.
We did MK 2 days, DHS 2 days, EPCOT 1 day an DAK 2 days. We went back a few days for naps then returned to the parks. We did not hop at all (saved the $). Other days we stayed until dinner time then headed back to swim or rest. We ended up being stranded with TS Fay, so we did 2 more days in MK.
Baby swap was great for us in conjunction with fast pass, as long as your 4 year old is 40 inches, otherwise, you won't need it.
Use Fastpass as much as possible...no need to wait in long lines!
Consider a haircut at the barbershop...great pics! I love the hidden mickey head on DS's! Get there early though!
Bring glow sticks (Michaels, 15 for $1.00) to pass out and enjoy in the evenings.
Take the 4 year old out at night if he/she is up to it while the 2 year old rests as needed..fun memories at Fastasmic with DS 4 and I.
Follow the kids pace an don't overdo it too early! Enjoy all of the magic!
I'll think of more after the Phils game...go Phillies

 

[mdurette]

We have gone with our DD when she was 16mo, 22 mo and 24 months and just had an awsome time. I will remember the expressions on her face forever.

Now to answer your question:
At the time my DD was still taking a late morning nap. Because of her excitment she ended up not taking it until early afternoon. I simply planned for what park, what day and made a dinner ressie. That's it.

What goes on in the park that day I simply went with the flow.

The best thing was having a comfy stroller from home. It was familiar to her so she had no problem crawling in there when she was tired for her nap. My DH took that time to ride the thrill rides (which I don't do) and I loved just staying outside on a park bench with her waiting for him, people watching, looking for hidden Mickeys and sneaking an ice cream cone in!

 

[billwendy]

Our experience with toddlers has been wonderful!! Its very different when you go with older kids!! I agree on the stroller from home if you can - our neices and nephew slept really well in them!!

I would advise bringing lots of snacks and drinks for them as well...oh and some bubbles!! They kept us occupied in lines, waiting, and just for fun when we took a break!!! A few of the toddlers loved the characters from afar, the others wanted to run up and hug them - so I guess expect anything when it comes to characters!!! If your kids are allowed to have lollipops, maybe bring them from home too - its much cheaper, and they just cant finish those huge disney ones!! They also loved anything with the music!! shows, rides etc!! In dark rides i usually brought their light up spinny thing in with us so if it got a little "iffy" for them, we'd whip that out and it totally distracted them!!

I'd suggest an extra set of clothes in case they play in the water play areas or just in case the ice cream ends up on their shirt - when its hot at disney that is just soooo sticky!!

Also, I've seen many strollers get wet while people were in attractions, so bring along a stroller cover (or even an extra poncho) to cover up the stroller when you are on rides and it looks like a florida thunderstorm sky!!

I also think they loved time at the pool too!!! THey would have thought that was disney world if they didnt know about the parks

We always felt that kids under 3 free at disney was an extra treat!!! They enjoyed it so much, and even though they wont really remember it, it was a very very special time for us and made great memories!!!

Enjoy!!! Wendy

 

[1hero2princesses]

Just went with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 17 month old. Had a great time. Biggest issue was DD3 turned out to be terrified of characters. Loved the princesses though. DD 17 months loved it's a small world, and just loved loved loved Spectromagic. They enjoyed all the rides. 17 month old slept fine in the pack and play (which was a shock). Actually she had a great time and was the easiest of the three kids. The 3 year old had the most challenges but they all had a great time. People kept telling us it would be so hard. It really wasn't. Hardest thing was standing room only busses, three tired kids and a stroller. We are already planning next year and this was the first time we had been in 10 years. My DH had only been once, not that into rides, heat, lines. Seeing his kids enjoy it so much has turned him into a Disney Dad. Have a great time. It is well worth it!

 

[tzolkin]

We had our first trip in May with our 2, 4, and 9yo. We were not concerned with "doing it all" and really wanted to relax and enjoy our time. We did not do the dining plan and didn't make any ADRs because we didn't want to worry about being in a certain park at a certain time. If the kids got cranky or sick I didn't want to feel obligated to stay in a park until our dinner time rolled around. I had a schedule of park/EMH hours and we had some idea of which parks we wanted to do which days and tried to alternate sleeping in and getting to EMHs, but we left it flexible enough that we could change our mind the night before (or when DS threw up at the bus stop heading to Epcot )

The schedule that we wound up doing most days was: go to a park in the morning until about 11-12, head back to the room and nap, go back to another park from about 5-8:30. I was a little wary of the napping. My two older kids do not take naps and I didn't know if the youngest would with everyone there. We closed the curtains and all layed down. Almost every time we ALL fell asleep for up to 4 hours. (Once DD9 and I walked around the resort and got ice cream because we didnt fall asleep with everyone else.) It kept us from getting over-tired in the parks and also got us out of the heat in the afternoon. Also leaving the parks by about 8:30 got us out before the crowd and we were able to get back to the room, snack, bathe, and be in bed before 10. We were usually only in a park for 3-4 hours at a time, so the kids never got overstimulated or exhausted which amazingly meant no meltdowns for us.

One thing I would not miss with little ones is am EMH at MK. We did this 3 times during our trip and were able to do everything in Fantasyland basically walk-on. We then did a few other areas of the park until the lines started to form (usually around 11:00). We got more done in those 3 hours than I think we would have if we stayed the whole rest of the day. A few times we were in MK in the afternoon/evening some of the wait times for things like Peter Pan were 70-90 minutes.

We had food in our room and brought alot of snacks into the parks. We also used hydration backpacks, so we always had water to drink. This made it very nice when the kids got hungry or thirsty standing in line or moving through the parks.

If your 4 year old is tall enough for the height restricted rides, make sure you use the rider switch passes and/or fastpass so one parent won't be stuck waiting with the little one forever.

Make sure you have two strollers or rent a double. My kids have never used strollers (we bought them just for Disney), but they stayed in them whenever we were walking around the parks. They didn't get tired/hot and it was really nice to not have to worry about them getting run over/lost in the crowds. I met several people who thought they would just need a stroller for their baby, but wound up carrying the baby while the older child needed to sit.

You will have a great trip.

 

[Disneychix]

I just took my DS (20months) for the first time. It was more difficult than I was used to but I had to learn to just go with the flow. We didn't do nearly as much as I wanted but what we did do was great!

MK: Got there early and went in the evening. We did Dumbo first thing, then Pooh, then Philharmagic. We learned DS does not do well with the 3D shows so we ran out of that one and stuck with the Carrousel and Small World. I learned DS likes to fall asleep on boat-type rides! We put DS in his stroller for napping while we did some adult rides. It worked out great.

We also got a lot done while the fireworks were going on. DS did not like the big booms so we went on rides while everyone was over at the castle watching Wishes!

We spent a lot of time in the Pooh play area just letting DS run around!

EPCOT: DS really liked the Seas. He waved at all the fishes. Living with the Land was a good boat ride as well as Mexico. The play area in Figment was good for DS to run around and work off some energy.

AK: DS fell right to sleep on the Safari! He loved Triceratops Spin (just like Dumbo!) He met a lot of characters here. Again, we spent a lot of time in the Boneyard just letting him run around.

DHS: Not too much for DS here. We let him run around Honey I Shrunk the Kids area and that's about it. Not my favorite park so we got out of there after doing TOT and RR.

Basically, we had fun just watching DS run around. He did do many rides but mostly he wanted to explore. Oh, and don't forget the sunscreen!

 

[MJAJmom]

We went in april when my boys were 3 and 5yo. Here are some thoughts about that trip (we leave again in 3 days!!!)....

-bring a stroller. a must have for walking to/from the parks, especially towards the end of the day. I brought a single stroller in April, bringing a double stroller for the Oct trip. Otherwise be prepared to carry them a lot.
- start early at rope drop. My kids get up at 6:30-7am, we did EMH at AK and MK (MK is a must-do). Do fantasyland first
- plan for naps of probably 2 hours each day. We went from rope drop until after lunch, then home for nap. Back out about 5:30 for dinner and touring until 8pm.
- Plan time to swim in pool and just play in the room. By the 4th day, the boys just wanted to go back to the hotel to play with their toys. We left the park at 11am that day. My 5yo wanted more time to swim.
- Plan for a slow pace. My 3yo wanted to pick up rocks/leaves, jump off the curbs, play on the grass, watch bugs. We'll go much slower this second trip knowing that. Be flexible, my boys wanted to ride Barnstormer over and over, so we did it 6 times in a row
- Eat all the character meals you can, you gotta eat so why not with the characters. You'll spend less time than standing in lines waiting for pictures in the parks. My boys loved them
- Time your trip for lower crowded times. Just my opinion, but I can't imagine taking my 2 boys during the summer when it's very hot and very crowded. Maybe when they are older, but not at preschool age - we'd be miserable.
- rembember that mom needs to stay calm and be positive. That can help set the tone for the trip. Take deep breaths, pray for more patience.

Have a great trip. We had a wonderful time, the boys had a blast. Can't wait to go again next week.

 

[turtleclanscott]

We have 3 daughters (1, 3, and 5).

Definately, bring your own stroller. We bring the big stroller. I know it's a pain to get onto and off of the buses, but the kids would fall asleep in it. It also had lots of room to keep the our stuff.

I also agree with going to all the character meals you can (if your kids like characters.) It made it really easy to pass the long lines to meet them when you could tell them we were going to eat breakfast with them later!)

Don't miss the Playhouse Disney show at Studios, if your kids know Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh! It was an unexpected highlight of the trip for my kids.

Also, going during the busy times wasn't that bad (we've taken kids over New Years and in June.) You just have to be patient and skip some of the longer lines. Also, use Fast Pass for a few more popular attractions (like Winnie the Pooh or the Safari). We also did a lot of rides later in the evening (and then slept in in the mornings). Fantasyland becomes quieter as the evening goes on.

It's loads of fun with little kids, and I enjoy it everytime!

 

[Cruz91]

Our first trip was with DD 4 and DS 22 months at the time of the trip. As others have said - it went PERFECT. I can never imagine any vacation ever being as perfect as that trip. The one key for us was NAPS. I HIGHLY recommend taking a break mid-day every day. Other than that - get ready for tons of fun!

 

[mrstomrice]

Here's a few more things I remembered!

• bring a disposable table cloth with clips to cover the stroller
• ask for free ice water in the parks and bring mixins to cut down the cost of drinks and have less things to carry all day
• strollers fit nicely under many seats on the bus...so convenient!
• when buses are packed full, we wait for the next bus to avoid the standing situation
• we ordered breakfast food, such as yogurt and grapes from garden grocer
• hit toontown at it's rope drop to avoid long character lines
• ride the railroad to get from one side of the park to another or for a nice break
• have a dole whip...okay nothing to do with a child, but still great advice
• HAve a magical time!
• null

 

[bertegirl]

We are taking our 2 toddlers, too. Thanks for all the great advice. We are renting a double stroller from Orlando Stroller Rental! Anyone have a ride or character meal you must do? This is our 1st trip!

 

[gsmbaby19]

My son has gone at 19 months and 2 1/2. He had a blast both times. We are going back again soon (3 1/2).

 

[billwendy]

Hi!

Our family LOVES the Liberty tree tavern, Crystal Palace, the one at the Land and Chef MIckey's!!! We had a BLAST at them!!!

Have fun!!! Just remember try to check out if your kiddo's like the characters or not early in the trip that way, if it just wont work out, you can Cx your ressies!!!

Have FUN!!!

 

[bertegirl]

Where did you get the adorable tshirts?

 

[billwendy]

Hi - If you are talking about our shirts - we made them!!! We got the designs from the Disigns thread right here on the Dis (scroll down, its near the bottom)!!!! Our whole family wore them!!! Wearing matching shirts gets you so much fun attention!!!

 

[bertegirl]

What a great idea. Did you make the ones with the names and ages on them, too?

 

[billwendy]

Yes, also from the Disigns boards!! Its sooooo easy to do!! A few prewashed tshirts, some iron on paper from Walmart, print them out on your inkjet printer and walla - custom shirts!! We usually have custom shirts for our trip, it makes the pictures look great, easy to keep us together, and the positive attention is so fun!!! Here are a few more!!
Tie Die Mickeys

Stick family Mickeys

Birthday/New Years Eve Castles

Happy Anniversary

Mickey Head Philadelphia Eagles Fans

And DH's 40 "ears" of Disney customized 40 mickey head shirt (for his 40th birthday) and my coordinating celebrating Bills birthday shirt!

You can have so much fun!!!! Are you going to try it?

 

[bertegirl]

I had no idea it could be that easy. I need to make the 50 mile hike to a Walmart or any store for that matter. The joys of small towns. Can't wait! Do you just copy the designs into your Word document?