First visit with a "kid" vs a toddler

[EllNat11]

We just booked a trip for May. I've been to WDW numerous times, but the most recent was when my daughter was 1 - still stroller sized and didn't have much of an opinion outside of riding the carousel 900 times and meeting Cinderella.

She will be 7 for this upcoming trip, and is an only. Not terribly consistent when it comes to whether she's being "brave" or timid when it comes to rides, so I want to plan in such a way that no opportunities are missed, but also so we still have lots of fun if she bows out (she's 47.5 inches already, so there are only a couple things she won't be big enough to ride).

I've only booked 2 ADRs so far - a pre-MK opening breakfast at CRT and an early dinner at 'Ohana

We will be staying in a 1 BR villa @ Kidani and will have a rental car - as we tend to prefer driving to buses (but are open to anything).

Any pro-tips or recommendations? I used to feel like a WDW pro and now I feel like a newbie again with this age set! Thanks in advance!

 

[courtney1188]

My oldest was 5 on our last trip, and flexibility was key for us! He was also super inconsistent with when he was being brave - for example, he refused to go on any of the 'mountains' at MK (although he loved the Snow White mine train!) but went on Tower of Terror and Test Track. We ended up opting to only get Fastpasses for things we were fairly sure he would want to do, and that worked well for the most part. There were still a couple of FPs that I had to let go after working hard to get them, which was a bummer, but letting that just roll off your back and moving on to something positive has a big impact on how your trip goes. Otherwise you end up being that frustrated parent arguing with your child over something that really just doesn't matter that much. I had to learn to say, "It's just a ride - let it go! Maybe next time!"

One thing I wish I'd done was let him watch more ride youtube videos. I was afraid of spoiling the surprise, but I think he would have had less anxiety if he'd seen those and knew what to expect. However my son is on the autism spectrum, so your mileage on that tip might vary!

Oh, and make sure to take enough breaks! Some kids will just push themselves forward insisting that they're fine until all of the sudden they're melting down over something minor, and the underlying issue is that they're hot/tired/hungry/whatever. So I often insisted on AC/water/sitting breaks to avoid that.

 

[EllNat11]

My oldest was 5 on our last trip, and flexibility was key for us! He was also super inconsistent with when he was being brave - for example, he refused to go on any of the 'mountains' at MK (although he loved the Snow White mine train!) but went on Tower of Terror and Test Track. We ended up opting to only get Fastpasses for things we were fairly sure he would want to do, and that worked well for the most part. There were still a couple of FPs that I had to let go after working hard to get them, which was a bummer, but letting that just roll off your back and moving on to something positive has a big impact on how your trip goes. Otherwise you end up being that frustrated parent arguing with your child over something that really just doesn't matter that much. I had to learn to say, "It's just a ride - let it go! Maybe next time!"

One thing I wish I'd done was let him watch more ride youtube videos. I was afraid of spoiling the surprise, but I think he would have had less anxiety if he'd seen those and knew what to expect. However my son is on the autism spectrum, so your mileage on that tip might vary!

Oh, and make sure to take enough breaks! Some kids will just push themselves forward insisting that they're fine until all of the sudden they're melting down over something minor, and the underlying issue is that they're hot/tired/hungry/whatever. So I often insisted on AC/water/sitting breaks to avoid that.

Thanks!!