Expectations for a 1yo & 5yo?

[L&Es Mom]

May 2008 will be our first trip with kids and I'm trying to get a handle on what are reasonable expectations. Our ds will just have turned 1 and dd will be a month shy of 5. I know...go slow, rest, plan on not seeing everything, have a plan but don't be too rigid, enjoy. Any special advice particularly for a 1yo?
We are staying at the Polynesian so we can monorail back to the room for afternoon breaks. I think I'm doing pretty good picking up a lot of tips from the boards...but what about the little guy. Will ds be able to ride anything? Like what? I'm taking my own stroller so he will be comfy to nap and because he's so small (he was a 2lb preemie...now only 16lbs). Planning on taking a cheap umbrella for dd...she's very active and likes to move around. I figure we can bunjee it to the larger stroller when not in use. We are doing the deluxe dinning plan...will I be able to get a little side dish for ds?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

sounds like you have a very good touring plan. All of the kids will be able to ride all of the rides in Fantasyland and anything that doesn't have a height requirement. Plan on taking them to Donald's boat to let them play in the water. That would be an activity for your 1 yo to do that will be alot of fun for him. My kids loved it when the were 3 and 5. When we are there in May we plan in letting DD2 play there.

 

[karajeboo]

The only thing we didn't "plan" for with DD who had just turned 5 the first time we took her, was all the autographs! It didn't matter who it was or if she even knew them - she had to stand in line for autograph and picture! It got to the point that one of us would distract her while we hurried by the more obscure characters!

 

[Not so Dumbo]

The only thing we didn't "plan" for with DD who had just turned 5 the first time we took her, was all the autographs! It didn't matter who it was or if she even knew them - she had to stand in line for autograph and picture! It got to the point that one of us would distract her while we hurried by the more obscure characters!

OH YEAH. I forgot about those. My DS too was really into the autographs. In fact when we went back we didn't do autographs and he was REALLY upset with us.

 

[Beehn]

You sound just like me...I'll have a 1 year old and a 5 year old and we plan to vist the Poly this Fall. We've stayed at the Poly 2 times before(with just 1 child), This time I told my husband we may do lots of splitting up. He'll stay with the 5 year old in the parks, while I head back for a nap with the baby. That's the great thing about the monorail resorts! My 5 year old loves to swim so she may want to come back and hit the pool while the baby naps in the room. Either way, just take it slow and they'll love it!

 

[thf913]

I am here now with 2 DS, ages 13 months and just turned 4. They both get pretty tired. I didn't think DS4 would need a stroller but he does. We don't try to do everything--just the things they like. With DS1, he does not do well at shows. He doesn't want to sit still. He wants to move around. Both of them need naps daily. Definitely do character dining. It keeps them occupied and you can enjoy your meal. It is also a good way to get pictures and autographs with the characters. The monorail should be a big help. I will definitely stay at a monorail resort next time. We are at the WL and love it but the bus service is a pain! Good luck and have fun!

 

[SplashMountainMama]

Definitely do character meals. It's a great way to avoid standing in lines for the characters at the parks. As for the kids in the parks, I know if I look back on what attractions we actually did with our little ones on their first trip it wasn't too much, but we still had an amazing trip! Fantasyland is where you'll get the most mileage at that age, but there's so much to take in at each of the parks. My DS (who was 3 at the time), DS (8months) and I seperated from the rest of the family at MGM and literally spent the day doing nothing but wandering around and meeting characters, having a snack or 2 and we still had a great time. Have fun at the Poly. It's my dream to stay there one day. I would love to stay on the monorail line just once! I would imagine there's lots for them to do at the resort as well. I seem to remember my kids were just as excited to swim at POP as they were to go to the parks most days.

 

[disneywith4boys]

One of the times we went, we had a 5 and a 13 mo old. I do remember that the 13 mo old was eating table food by that time, and usually we didn't have any problems finding balanced foods for him to eat, but we did stop at the supermarket on our way to the resort and picked up some gerber graduates in fruit and vegetable varieties. I can still remember him sticking his chubby fingers in a vege jar to pick up some chunks during the MNSSHP parade. He did experience constipation on this trip- new for him, I guess because his diet was different. Just keep an eye out for this. Also, he fell asleep in his stroller every afternoon, and I went shopping for souviners while DH and older DS went on some bigger rides. Otherwise, we went on almost everything else together.

 

[tinkeramy]

I took my oldest when he was 11 mos old -my husband was at a conference all day and I was going crazy at the hotel! My son did great - mostly just fascinated by all the sights and sounds. It was hard for him to nap in a stroller with so much going on, so I took him on the Jungle Cruise. We went through a tunnel and he was out! I have also heard the Tomorrowland Transit Authority is good for that as well. And snacks out the wazoo for the little one, to keep entertained, if nothing else.

 

[alicenwonder99]

Definitely do character meals. It's a great way to avoid standing in lines for the characters at the parks. As for the kids in the parks, I know if I look back on what attractions we actually did with our little ones on their first trip it wasn't too much, but we still had an amazing trip! Fantasyland is where you'll get the most mileage at that age, but there's so much to take in at each of the parks. My DS (who was 3 at the time), DS (8months) and I seperated from the rest of the family at MGM and literally spent the day doing nothing but wandering around and meeting characters, having a snack or 2 and we still had a great time. Have fun at the Poly. It's my dream to stay there one day. I would love to stay on the monorail line just once! I would imagine there's lots for them to do at the resort as well. I seem to remember my kids were just as excited to swim at POP as they were to go to the parks most days.

Yes! Definitely do many character meals. Chef Mickeys, Norway, Crystal Palace, there's a new one in AK that escapes me right now. You will be able to get food for the baby for free at the buffets. Oh, another character meal we LOVED was Liberty Tree Tavern.

Have a fun trip. I bet your baby will LOVE looking at all the sights on It's A Small World. Everytime we bring a baby to a Disney park, we always go on that ride many times because the babies love it so much.

Staying at a monorail resort with a baby in a stroller is the BEST.