First Post, Hello! How to Tell 2 1/2 yo we're going to WDW?

[ita1ianmama]

Hello!

 

[smiths02]

I told my twins (they were 2.75 at the time of the trip) many months in advance. I bought them special Disney suitcases for Christmas (our trip was in June!). So it wasn't the most creative way LOL
At least you know that your daughter isn't afraid of furry characters. My daughter was a little timid, but warmed up really fast.
One thing I did a few weeks before we left is YouTube ride videos. My twins just thought Disney was about meeting characters, they didn't know there were rides! They were scared (especially my daughter) of the ride videos...I mean my daughter thought It's a Small World looked scary, but her having seen the videos made her less scared once we were there. Also, if you see the ride videos, you can kind of tell her what to expect.

 

[ita1ianmama]

.

 

[Jess_S]

My son (2 years 8 months) has no concept of time, so we are waiting to tell him until we are on the way. I'm thinking of doing a little gift "from Mickey" that he can open in the car. (I have my eye on the bargain book bin at Barnes and Noble, which has some nice Disney Junior items).

 

[PxyShan]

We told our son in advance for his trip when he was 2.5, but we had previously taken him when he was 19 months, so I don't know if that helps.

We didn't do anything special to announce we were going, but we would talk about what we can do there and we showed him lots of pictures of the castle and the parks. We watched the Disneyland Sing Along on youtube and various other videos that showed the parks and the characters to give him an idea of what to expect.

In the few months leading up to the trips we would have him pick out and buy a couple little toys or clothes to take with to Disney World, then set them aside at home in a special place so he could see them and be reminded we were going. We talked about riding on airplanes, buses, rides, things like that. Then when we started packing I got him involved on picking toys and such from home along with the few special ones to bring on the trip. He was pretty excited, even though he didn't really know what it all meant.

Now he asks about once a week to go to Disney World.

 

[ita1ianmama]

.

 

[hiddenl1fe]

My DGF and I went back and forth on this for a long time. Her DS is 4.5 yrs. We finally decided to tell him about 1.5 - 2 weeks in advance. That way we can help him with a countdown (and understanding days/weeks). It also gives enough time for him to fully understand what is happening, plus it's not too far away where he loses interest. As we are rapidly approaching that time, I'll let you know how it goes soon enough.

 

[TinksMyGirl]

When my oldest daughter was 2 we took her Disney. Not the best trip as the now ex wanted to go on rides that scared her. Wanted her to have a great Disney experience so planned another trip 4 months later - just the two of us. I didn't tell her at all during the planning. Packed the night before, went into her room in the morning with "Do you want to go see Mickey?" She was so excited and had the best time doing exactly what she wanted to do.

She is definitely a "Disney" person (both of my girls are). The family [DD/SIL/DGS/DGD/DD] will be going again this Sept.

 

[ajjoplin1]

We took our DD7, DS 3, and DD2 last Sep. Were going to wait to tell them, but my oldest was praying (literally) to go to WDW..! So we caved and told them several months out. They helped with the planning, watching Youtube, etc. Made it so much fun for them and us! It wasn't elaborate, but they really got into the spirit.

IF you do want a special revealing, what about an enchanted phone call? You can actually have her favorite character (Minnie?) call her and announce the big trip!! It only costs $2.49, and is well worth it. I used it for my wife on our honeymoon...priceless memories. Just a thought.

Here is the link:
https://secure.v-blast.net/uvoxnetworks/disneyenchanted/landing.php?@19=0

 

[ajjoplin1]

Sorry, needed to clarify....there are a select few characters to choose from, mostly princesses, but Mickey is also on there (not Minnie, though). There is also a list of special occasions with pre-recorded messages you can choose. I hope this helps....happy planning!

 

[ita1ianmama]

[

 

[ajjoplin1]

ita1ianmama, glad it helped! And yes, you should definitely record her excitement if at all possible. Enjoy, and good luck with akershus!

 

[crayon3448]

My DD will be just shy of 3 for our trip, and although she's been to WDW before this is the first trip where she is *really* into Disney characters, but honestly she doesn't really get it that we're going. Like PPs have mentioned- youtube vidoes are a big hit, especially the parade videos. She loves to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade on youtube, so hopefully as we get closer she'll understand. She loves rides- we take her to a local amusement park frequently, so I think that is helpful in terms of us learning what rides she likes and how much she can go before she needs to rest, and it's helped her learn practice waiting in lines and not running off (staying with us).

 

[njmom76]

My 2.5 year old has known for a few weeks (we leave next week) & now tells everyone he is going to Disney World to see Mickey, Donald & Goofy. She'll be thrilled!!!!

 

[HeatherL1985]

We went in May and prepped our 2.5 year old by showing lots and lots of youtube videos. Videos of the plane "see how fun it is to fly!?!"...videos of meet and greets "see how tall they are and how much they love hugs?!?"...videos of the ride while leaning left, right, back with the ride car "see how much fun the ride is!! And it's SO MUCH MORE FUN in the DARK!!".

We started around 3 months before our trip and he was pretty comfortable with the flight and characters...and LOVED the rides.

HAVE FUN!!

 

[branv]

I definitely agree with the YouTube videos. Especially if you can find ones on here that parents of similarly aged children have posted. I have two on rotation I got from here that I share with my will-be-2-when-we-go DS. He loves them! He's delayed verbally, so I was worried about how much he would grasp regarding this whole thing, but his response to the videos have been great. It's funny, I've been trying to run down the ABC sounds with him, and whenever we get to R, he always goes ARRR with his finger in the air like the child on the video imitating a pirate. It's amazing how the Disney magic is already working its mojo even before we get there

 

[pigletgirl]

DD has loved Minnie for a while now, so she now talks about going to "Minnie's house"... but obviously she doesn't know much more than that. It'll be interesting how she takes to the characters.

 

[Megan @ Wit & Wander]

Before I ever told my toddler we were going to WDW, we started watching the Disney Parks series on Netflix. That way she could get used to the characters and see a little about the parks before I told her we were going!