First visit for 2 year old in 2021

[Raya]

The parents of my favorite godbaby have finally relented, he's allowed to go to Disney before he turns 7! They're letting me plan everything and have asked for "cooler time of year, maybe April or May". He'll turn 3 in May, so we might want to stick with April - I think? They want to see Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and maybe walk around Galaxy's Edge. I've never gotten to plan for a toddler - the only thing I remember is to plan for mid-day nap breaks. What else do I need to know? Is there a resource for planning for kids that young?

Suddenly my favorite resorts (Contemporary and Coronado) and touring plans (all roller coasters all the time) don't seem to make as much sense but I"m so excited and I can't wait to start planning!

 

[sharonabe]

He'll turn 3 in May, so we might want to stick with April - I think?

Just stay away from Easter Sunday. You don't want to go either week surrounding that weekend.

The only other thing is to really NOT plan. Let the toddler set the pace. If there's a way to expose them to masked/costumed characters before you go, that would give you an idea of how they will react to characters in the parks and at meals.

 

[sponica]

Mid day nap breaks may not be necessary depending on the kid. Mine stroller napped like a champ.

I also wouldn't overlook epcot, under normal non-covid circumstances, it has more accessible characters and it's honestly our favorite park to do with a toddler. Mine hated rides...all rides.

 

[happybear025]

One big thing I found taking my daughter, is that be prepared and flexible for them to get completely overwhelmed. Slow it down and only have the goal of doing three or four "big" things per day (parade, a few rides etc) and then be willing to let the little one take the lead. If they want to play at Pooh's House or playground for an hour, let that be okay.

If they want to stop and watch Bubbles, be able to accommodate that. It was hard for me to scale back on the planning, but it made a better day for everyone involved!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

End of March & April is a very busy time of year. Even when we go in first week of March temps mid day are upper 80s. Sometimes 90s And all the spring breaks start and continue till Easter ( not sure when that is)
I would try for at least two days at MK so you can do half on one day half on the other.
We bought a nice umbrella stroller we like McClaren but there are lots, they are easy to carry upstairs etc.. we used ours till our son was 5 by then it mostly a backpack holder.. there Gatorades get heavy and no one person wanted to carry it
But we have rented before its worth looking into

We like to take a day off mid week the kids are really tired and need this day... we drive to the beach but sometimes we do not have a car we take a resort day.. pool, mini golf and Disney Springs for dinner. My sons love T-rex cafe.

About us
We have two Orlando trips a year.
Early March and late fall.
Sometimes we go to universal two days and disney two days. Because we go twice a year everything we do is on a budget.... all stars or pop resort in the spring and off site in the fall..
(Sheraton vistana) we always go to one party.. they are my favorite i would skip a day ticket in a heartbeat not to miss it.

 

[Raya]

End of March & April is a very busy time of year. Even when we go in first week of March temps mid day are upper 80s. Sometimes 90s And all the spring breaks start and continue till Easter ( not sure when that is)

You've got me thinking first week of May would be better. The crowd calendars say it's medium crowds (except for Mother's day, so we'd avoid the park that day). But would the heat be too much for a little guy? How do people handle the high temps and kids?

 

[DisneyAuntie12]

I like TouringPlan's "Appeal By Age" rating. If you go to a particular attraction you'll see it over on the righthand side of the screen. The youngest is preschool but it will still give you a good general idea for a toddler. Mousehacking.com also has a lot of articles on touring with a toddler - I can't remember where they are exactly but if you go to the site and type "toddler" into the search box they'll pop up. Dadsguidetowdw.com is no longer being updated but also has ratings for toddlers.

 

[sponica]

You've got me thinking first week of May would be better. The crowd calendars say it's medium crowds (except for Mother's day, so we'd avoid the park that day). But would the heat be too much for a little guy? How do people handle the high temps and kids?

We went in early May a couple years ago with a 20 month old, it was hot but not humid. Mix in AC locations like carousel of progress, the country bears and the like to help cool the kiddo down. And honestly I'd throw the crowd calendars out the window given the clusterfark 2020 has been.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We went in early May a couple years ago with a 20 month old, it was hot but not humid. Mix in AC locations like carousel of progress, the country bears and the like to help cool the kiddo down. And honestly I'd throw the crowd calendars out the window given the clusterfark 2020 has been.

I agree with that.. but definitely stay away from long weekends/holidays.

 

[HaliLan029]

To get my 2 yo pumped about going I got the Disney Sing Along song dvd Magic Kingdom edition. Old as dirt but still great. It prepared him to see the actual characters in costumes and got him so excited! Also... when you have small kids, try to stay at/near a monorail Resort. Makes it easier to go back and forth for naps. Good Luck!

 

[MrsPete]

Random thoughts remembered from when my own children were that age:

- Familiar snacks and drinks. You might love trying new cuisine, but your 2-year old loves the store-brand Goldfish that she eats every day. With so much "new" at Disney, the tried and true will be welcome.
- We bought a fanny pack with a leash attached. Kids can zip away FAST, and safety matters more than what strangers think of you. With all that was going on around her, my daughter never seemed to realize that she was wearing "a leash", and she loved that she could carry small toys in her pack.
- Take your child to Chuckie Cheese (or similar) a few weeks beforehand and find out whether he can handle characters.
- Similarly, be honest with yourself about whether your child can handle dark rides. I can't remember which ride it was, but our daughter FREAKED OUT in a ride, and we had to exit. We were painfully aware that opening the door let in light /hurt other people's enjoyment of the ride. We didn't like being jerks, and we didn't go into any more dark rides.
- Plan plenty of time in places like Tom Sawyer's island. Your child won't care that you spent $$$$ on tickets; he will just enjoy walking around and playing. Likewise, the hotel pool is likely to be the highlight of the trip.
- When my kids were little, I used to make them homemade coloring books for all sorts of events -- going to the dentist, going camping, whatever. My artwork was awful, but we colored them together, and it was an opportunity for me to explain my expectations for behavior. Your 2-year old is young for this, but I know that every time I took time to do this, my children's behavior was about 1000Xs better. Knowing what to expect helped them.

 

[Rory607]

To get my 2 yo pumped about going I got the Disney Sing Along song dvd Magic Kingdom edition. Old as dirt but still great. It prepared him to see the actual characters in costumes and got him so excited! Also... when you have small kids, try to stay at/near a monorail Resort. Makes it easier to go back and forth for naps. Good Luck!

Yes to the Disney sing-a-long! It used to be available on YouTube, I don’t know if it’s still on there or not. When my DS was about 1.5-2 years old he was obsessed with it. I had to put it on every night while I cooked dinner. I could probably still sing the entire thing from memory But it does get them familiar with the characters.