Do WDW vacations help with toddler development?

[Dusinberre]

We visited WDW in the Fall of 2015 when our son was 16 months old. It was his first trip. During that vacation his language skills really took off. At the time we assumed it was simply his age and coincidental. We noticed it but we didn't think too much about it. But we returned from our 2nd WDW family vacation this week and again his verbal skills are noticeably accelerated. He is saying new words, new phrases and putting together new ideas. He is not disabled nor does he have any developmental delays. I really can't explain the reason for the marked change. Is it possible that WDW vacations help verbal skills? I appreciate this might sound ridiculous but I was curious if any other families have had this experience or something similar? Thanks.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I'll sound ridiculous with you. My son was 18 months on our trip last month (19 months now). He has been in speech and developmental therapy since March. He is still non-verbal, but has been babbling a TON since the trip. We are also working on pretend play and imitation with him. One night at Disney, he grabbed his comb and started combing his hair. We hadn't ever seen him do that before! And ever since the trip, it's like we have a little shadow copying everything we do! He absolutely loved Disney...all the rides, all the characters, everything. Maybe it's coincidental and he was going to hit a developmental jump then anyway. But I think I'd spent so much time kind of drilling him at home with the therapy stuff. We were a lot more relaxed on vacation. I've tried to remain relaxed at home and I think it's helping.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I don't think you guys are crazy at all. My son didn't say a word until after he turned 2. He is not developmentally delayed in any other aspect - he was just a little slow with speaking - but my husband didn't talk until he was 3, so we were never concerned. We went to Disney when my son was 2 1/2, and my husband and I mark that trip as when his language skills really took off - other family members noticed it too. I don't know if it's a causal relationship bc we also took him when he had just turned 1 and just turned 2, and we didn't notice any developmental jumps after those trips, but those were day trips, and the "speech trip" was a 4 day onsite ordeal.

 

[Shanti]

No, I don't think WDW trips accelerate toddler development. That would be nice for WDW if they could market that theory, though.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I think they do, but only because it's a massive experience full of New Things.

Suddenly your small person is able to observe thousands of people, millions of words overheard, musical numbers pumped into the air, so all the smells and tastes are making new memories in their brain. No, of course it's not going to give your toddler the boost they need to apply to MENSA nor will they probably remember that Dole Whip in ten years, however you can guarantee if you were to "Star Trek scan" your kiddo, those neurons up there are lighting up just like Wishes and HEA!

Our trip was the beginning of the DD's obsession with firefighters and safety equipment. Before then, our child had done the school fire drill thing and that was it. Then we had to get her used to blinking red lights on everything from the smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers every 30 feet. And we had to stop and read every single safety sign. AUGH!!!!! Since then, oh boy... still going strong with the safety stuff... five months later...

 

[Allison]

Not any more than any other new experience.

 

[DLgal]

Brain development in babies and toddlers happens as the result of new experiences, new connections in the synapses are formed after exposure to novel experiences in general, so it is plausible to observe developmental "leaps" after a week in a new environment, or one that is very different from the average daily routine. A lot of sensory bombardment happens at WDW and the brain has to process all of it and categorize it, etc. This is also why little ones get SO exhausted on vacations.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

This is all very interesting to think about. We will be travelling to Disney in August right before DS's 2nd birthday and I will be curious to see if there's a noticeable change in his speech. He has no developmental delays, understands and follows directions fairly well, and babbles constantly, but almost never speaks comprehensible words other than "mama" and occasionally "dada" (and recently has picked up on 2 more words that I will explain below).

I do agree with the idea that new and exciting experiences can promote speech growth in some kids. The very rare times DS has said something other than "mama" and "dada," it has been when he was experiencing something new and exciting. Right before he turned 1, we went to a birthday story time at Toys R Us where he met Geoffrey the giraffe (his first character experience) and they had balloons. He was blown away by the whole experience. An employee looked him in the eye and asked him if he wanted a balloon and he pointed and clearly said, "Balloon, balloon, I want balloon." The employee was even shocked by it. He's never repeated those words again, though. That was also the first time he pointed.

The other experience I can share relates to him being OBSESSED with Paw Patrol. We don't watch a ton of tv, but he has seen a few episodes of Paw Patrol and loves it. For Christmas when he was 1 year and 3 months (so his first Christmas where he could actually open his presents- at his bday, he didn't want anything to do with them), he received several Paw patrol gifts, including a big teepee with the pups on it and a Paw Patrol themed toddler size 4 wheeler. While he was riding around the living room on the 4 wheeler, I set up the teepee. When he saw the pups on it, he pointed and yelled, "Dog, dog, dog! Chase!" And drove the 4 wheeler right into the teepee! He had never said those words before, but now repeats both "dog" and "Chase" any time he sees anything Paw Patrol related, or any random dog somewhere.

Those are the only words he has ever attempted to speak, despite my best efforts to expand his vocabulary. (Although he does howl at his stuffed animal wolf, "Ahh-oooooo!") Obviously, Toys R Us and Christmas are no where near as stimulating and blow your mind kind of experiences as Disney, but I do think they directly contributed to my DS's new use of words. I will be interested to see if he picks up any new ones at Disney. It's fascinating seeing the differences in how every child learns and develops. By her 1 yr dr appt, DD was saying 18 words (still have the paper with them listed), and by 18 months, she was regularly speaking in coherent sentences. DS is my quiet one, although he has drastically better coordination than she did at his age (he actually throws and catches a ball better than she does at 7).

Enjoy the new speech growth and maybe see if any other "new" experiences bring about some new words.

 

[Helene_C]

Combination of new experiences and lots of time with parents who aren't distracted with work, house chores, etc - more direct interaction/conversation time.

 

[littlebittyhouse]

I think they do, but only because it's a massive experience full of New Things.

Suddenly your small person is able to observe thousands of people, millions of words overheard, musical numbers pumped into the air, so all the smells and tastes are making new memories in their brain. No, of course it's not going to give your toddler the boost they need to apply to MENSA nor will they probably remember that Dole Whip in ten years, however you can guarantee if you were to "Star Trek scan" your kiddo, those neurons up there are lighting up just like Wishes and HEA!

Our trip was the beginning of the DD's obsession with firefighters and safety equipment. Before then, our child had done the school fire drill thing and that was it. Then we had to get her used to blinking red lights on everything from the smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers every 30 feet. And we had to stop and read every single safety sign. AUGH!!!!! Since then, oh boy... still going strong with the safety stuff... five months later...

This, exactly! We took DS when he was 18mo and saw a similar leap. We are excited to go again in November when DS will be 5 and DD will be 2. I love seeing their little faces light up from all the newness and magic <3

 

[tourguide81]

We travel a lot w/ kids at varying ages. Without fail, when we have a toddler or young preschooler they always hit some kind of milestone or leap. Language explodes, etc. I think it's a week plus of family time w/ mom & dad that are the key not so much Disney. It's happened in Europe, the beach, national parks, and of course, Disney. They get so much stimulation, one on one time with parents, new experiences, sights & sounds.