First Trip With Toddler

[DISNUT21]

As we inch closer to our first trip with our three year old toddler... wanted to ask all of you which websites, books etc. you recommend to help with planning.

Our trip is 10 days long, mid-July arrival and staying at the Poly... Any help you could give would be great!!

 

[tinkerbesh]

Disboards (lots of great tips on this topic already - do a search)
Easywdw.com (crowd calendar & touring advice)
allears.net (menus with prices)

Take it slow. Stroller a must. Fans and cooling towels. Get out of the heat midday (hotel break/swim, cool rides, or long restaurant meal). Do rope drop if you can. But most of all have an amazing, magical time!

 

[danny1649]

The members on this site will give you as much information as you request and want.I would advise buying the Unofficial Disney World Guide book.Along with this site and book I mentioned,we had a great visit and many magical memories.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I found withe unofficial disney world guide to be less helpful than Disboards and easy wdw, which are both free. I use Touring Plans as well.

Our first 2 family trips were with a 2 year old, next trip will be right at her 3rd birthday.

Be prepared to ride Dumbo and the magic carpets of Aladdin and Triceratop Spin about 100 times. They are all essentially the same ride, and all are bug hits with that age group.

Bring stickers and glow Sticks you can get from the dollar tree. Occupies them and distracts from wanting all the crazy priced souvenir stuff.

Characters can be iffy at that age. Some kids love 'em, some kids want nothing to do with them. our daughter enjoyed the ones that don't wear masks, but was shy around the masked characters.

Our daughter napped in her stroller fine. I've seen parent say that their children had trouble napping in the stroller, so it's a mixed bag. being on the monorail line will make things easy for getting back to your room.

 

[Aurora0427]

As we inch closer to our first trip with our three year old toddler... wanted to ask all of you which websites, books etc. you recommend to help with planning.

Our trip is 10 days long, mid-July arrival and staying at the Poly... Any help you could give would be great!!

We've taken our now 4 year old 3 times- at age 2, 2.5, and 3.5. The first two trips she was still napping, so we got up early, made rope drop, park time, lunch, then back at the hotel for nap. I made "later" dining reservations- 7:30ish, because she'd nap for 3 hours! Then we'd usually put her to bed around 10. Later than at home, but with that long nap it worked. This past trip was different because she had given up nap- we'd rope drop and just go at the parks until we were ready to go, then back to the hotel for a break, and earlier dinner. We definitely couldn't do the late nights this trip.

I like renting a city mini stroller from kingdom strollers- unless you need the stroller at the airport. We also had groceries delivered from garden grocery. We'd eat breakfast in the room, and it was nice having our own snacks.


You will LOVE staying at the Poly. It is so convenient. When you go to Epcot, make sure to walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center- 5 minute walk from the Poly and you hop right onto the Epcot monorail. With a ten day trip, you won't have to go gangbusters everyday. I'd definitely work in pool days, resort days, special character dining, downtown Disney, maybe even the water parks.

Have so much fun! My favorite planning site is www.easywdw.com

 

[luvpooh]

I bought the Birnbaum's guide for kids not really for informational purposes, but for DS to look at the pictures and familiarize himself with the rides, etc. I also put on the planning video and show him different things on YouTube. Hopefully this will make it less overwhelming for him.

I'm also debating buying a cooling pad that goes on the stroller seat. I found it on Amazon. I'm also getting a fan, but I can see him wanting to play with it and not letting it operate properly.

I have also been stocking up on little things like sticker books, glow sticks, books, etc to dole out when necessary on the plane and at the parks.

 

[hoosll]

1. Before you leave the room put everything child related into the pack n play. You do not want to lose things to housekeeping and spend your trip trying to get back lovey or blankie!
2. Request a stepstool from housekeeping. It will come in handy at the sink and also climbing on and off the bed which can be higher than at home; also, housekeeping can provide a bed rail if you choose not to do pack n play.
3. Unless you have a suite, bring a small flashlight so that you can have a way to get around the room or read without turning on a lamp while toddler is falling asleep. Expect to spend your evening on your balcony while child sleeps in the room.
4. Expect that your toddler will enjoy playing at the pool more than being in a stroller or walking in the parks. Your hotel should have a playground, use it so he/she has a chance to run around; also the beach is a fun place to play.
5. Your toddler will quickly get tired of all the new rules - keep you voice down, don't run, don't hang off the side of the boat, don't get lost, keep your hands inside the train, don't run at the pool. I could tell our toddler GS was getting very frustrated by ALL the "no's"
6. Set a limit on souvenir purchases. They will want everything they see. Pick up a cheap mister fan before you go because the child WILL want one and it costs like $15.00.
7. Consider leaving MK for your last park, because it is so child oriented that you will only disappoint at the other parks.
8. My favorite new book is ... The Easy Guide to Your First WDW Visit" get it from Amazon ... it's the best!

 

[AshleeH]

We took our daughter at 18 months and just got home from a cruise (she's 2 now). Characters are definitely iffy - we didn't push her to interact with any. She loved the Face Characters (Belle, especially), but was scared of the others at 18 months. At 2 she wasn't scared, but she was definitely guarded and didn't want to get too close (she did fine if we held her away from them on family pictures).

Breaks during the midday heat was the best thing we did at WDW - my husband took our boys swimming and she would nap in the room while I read. Definitely bring a stroller, pay attention to mood changes and push lots of water - I was constantly refilling her sippy.

The one thing I wish I'd done was remember to always have snacks with me. She got used to the instant gratification of buffets and QS and expected to eat as soon as we put her in the high chair. So at the end of the week when we ate at places like Kona, she started getting fussy with the wait. The staff was great and brought her some goldfish and the bread they put out on every table, but I wish I'd carried some other small snacks with me to stave off any whining at all.