Grandma says don't take 2 y/o to Disney, he'll get sick..???

[cokegal19]

We are planning on taking my 2 y/o son to Disney in May for 5 days. My grandma had a fit about it because she said he will get sick and he needs his rest, and you should NEVER take a kid under 3 to a crowded place like that and keep him going all day. Is there any truth to this, or is this just an old "grandma" wives tale???

I think it's crazy, but I wanted some other opinions on this. Thanks!

 

[ValerieK]

We took our 7 month old and she didn't get sick. There are tons of kids under 3 taken Disney every year. Don't worry about it.

 

[cokegal19]

That's what I thought. Probably 1/4 - 1/2 of all the kids in Disney World are under 5!!!

I think my grandma is still living in the 30's or something!

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

On both of our latest trips to Disney, we took children under 3, and had absolutely no problems. Kids are exposed to germs everywhere....malls, daycare, etc. I just made sure that we brought along those antibacterial wipes and gel to try to eliminate some of the germs we came in contact with.

My 79-year-old mil is the same way. I know she has the kid's best interest in mind, but we can't keep them sheltered forever!

Go, and have a blast!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cokegal19]

Thanks. I feel better. What about naps? Is it hard to get the kids to take naps? I've heard to go back to the hotel and wind down for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but with my son, I think that would be impossible! He'd be to excited to take a nap! Are the strollers that Disney provides big, and comfortable enough for him to sleep in them?

 

[lindaso]

Two of my kids got sick our last trip to Disney, but tell your grandmother that it was the 6 and 3 1/2 year old. The baby at 15 months was the only healthy one!! They caught some kind of stomach virus...my DS threw up all over Japan!! But in pure Disney fashion, they were out of shirts at the first aid station so the nurse wrote me a voucher and we picked out a shirt for him in the gift shop!!

 

[cokegal19]

Well, my grandma's theroy is that if they don't get enough sleep, they will get sick. She says that for him to be running around all day and not getting at least a 2 hour nap every day, he'll get sick. She says that kids grow when they are sleeping (which is true), and that he needs his sleep in order to not get sick. I agree that a nap is always good, but will he get sick if he doesn't take one? I really find that hard to beleive. He usually takes 1 2 hr nap every day, but I figure that even if he doesn't take a nap, he'll be so tired that he'll clunk out at 7:00 at night! But I don't plan on rushing around either. We can take our time and go back to the hotel for a few hours too. I think she's just a typical old grandma!

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

I've heard that the Disney strollers are large enough for naps, but I've always brought my own. That might be a better bet...if your son is used to his own stroller, maybe he would nap better.

On vacations, I've always found that I have to lie down with my kids until they fall asleep. That was the only way I could get them to tame their excitement.

We went in March, and made it a point to return to the resort each day for lunch and an afternoon break. My dd is 3 1/2, so she did fine with a nap every other day. My baby slept whenever/wherever he needed to! When we returned to the parks in the evening, we were all refreshed.

As long as you go at his pace and understand you may not get to see it all, you (and he) should be fine. Just try to keep him as much on his schedule as you can!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We took my dd (now 4 and looking forward to her third trip!) for the first time when she was 1.5, and didn't have any trouble at all. She slept in the stroller when she was tired, we brought our own because the Disney ones don't recline. If you are going during the summer, here's a tip: We bought one of those fans that you can hang around your neck. It has a cap on it, and it's a little larger than a cigarette lighter. We used one of our trading pins to secure it to the hood of her stroller, and let it dangle over her. It kept her cool while she was sleeping, and it was small enough that it didn't hang too far and get in the way.

 

[HopperFan]

My DS started going annually at age one. The other at age 3.

My DD went at 4 mo, 11 mos, 16 mos, and once/twice a year after that (she's 11 now). NEVER GOT SICK !

If you can take your own stroller do, if not......

Take a lightweight blanket that he likes, to lay under him in stroller. This will protect him from "leftover germs" and help him not sweat too bad. My kids always napped in the parks no problem. Plenty of seating in shade if he needs a quiet breather.

Some days we went back to hotel for a nap for her & dad, swim for Mom & boys.........but not everyday. We took our cues from the kids.

KEY IN FLORIDA for little people is sun tan lotion and lots of fluids. If he drinks with sippy - take it in the park with you. The more you get in him the better. (and the germ wipes)

GO FOR IT - there is nothing like the awe in the eyes of the little people !

 

[cokegal19]

Thanks for all the great tips!!! We will definately be using them, and I think we will bring our own stroller. Thanks so much!

 

[chrisn]

and he has never been sick at WDW once. I get sick almost every time and I am never sick at home. He gets sick more at home. I would NOT worry about this.

 

[all4fun]

We're taking our ds, who will be 13 months, for his first trip in May. We're stocking up on Purell and plan on using good hand-washing practices. Our ds is a preemie and his pediatrician gave us her blessings for the trip. She just advised us to wash our hands and use good general hygeine. I don't think WDW is any more or less safe to take your kids to than the mall, anyway.

Our ds will nap in his stroller if he's tired enough, so I'm not anticipating too many problems (we're also bringing our own). I also bought a canopy cover that has mesh sides (for the bugs) and has removable sun panels to block the sun. It can be fully "open" with just the see-thru mesh, partially, or fully enclosed with the sanp-on sun panels. (I think it's made by Kiddopotomas) DS naps well in there! We're also planning on taking it slower and taking some mid-day breaks as well. (although we're off site this trip so it won't be as easy .

Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[zurgswife]

my youngest started at 3months and has been going every six months or so since then and she is now 6.5 and we've never had a problem....

 

[WhenUwishUponAstar]

My son was just barely a year old and he didn't get sick nor has he every year since.

It's not like a daycare where they are in a lot of close contact with the other kids.

If your kid zonks out at the mall when they are tired they will have no trouble at the parks.

We always planned a nap time in the afternoon, still do...I need my beauty rest!


*star*

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Kids are so flexable. They are not like adults that think they need to do everything to the letter. If they are tired, they will go to sleep. If they miss a nap, they will make it up later. Know your oun child. If he will be a crank without his nap, then make sure he gets it. If he is a happy camper, just let him be happy. Try to get something nutricious into him each day, but don't worry over too much ice cream. Try to wash those hands often but don't fret over every germ. He will be fine and you will all have a blast.

PS We have never gotten sick at WDW except Ds's migrages he gets everywhere!!


Jordans' mom

 

[my3princes]

My 3 boys all went before the age of 3, the youngest 2 were infants. No sickness for us. We took our own stroller and they took naps when they wanted. They actually napped more in their stroller than they would have at home. We take a light sheet (twin size cut in 1/2 works well) They could either use it as a blanket or we covered the stroller with it to block the sun. We also purchased 3 stroller fans (battery operated, clip on, safe for infants) that we used a lot. People went out of their way to thank us for taking such good care of our baby in the heat.

 

[cokegal19]

Your leaving in 35 days? I'm leaving in 37 days! Maybe we'll bump into eachother! LOL! Where are you staying?

 

[DisneyMomx7]

When we went last summer our kids were 2, 4 and 5. We returned to the hotel every afternoon for some swimming/naps. They all took naps even though at home it was only the two year old who regularly napped. We always made sure we got to the parks early, so even though they didn't know it they really were tired in the afternoon. It worked out well because then they were able to go at night to dinner and fireworks and parades. By the way we never said we were going back to the hotel to nap. We just said swim and rest and then we'll be back. That way no one got upset. Most importantly, no one got sick.

 

[HappyMommy2]

Originally posted by cokegal19
Well, my grandma's theroy is that if they don't get enough sleep, they will get sick. She says that for him to be running around all day and not getting at least a 2 hour nap every day, he'll get sick. She says that kids grow when they are sleeping (which is true), and that he needs his sleep in order to not get sick. I agree that a nap is always good, but will he get sick if he doesn't take one? I really find that hard to beleive.

I've heard this and other well-intentioned "old wives' tales" from many of my older relatives. The idea that people get sick because they don't get enough sleep comes from the old days before people understood that GERMS make you sick, not lack of sleep, night air (my great-grandma used to fear that), or being outside in a cold wind (my MIL's favorite)! Of course lack of sleep can wear down your immune system and make you more susceptible to germs, and there are germs aplenty at WDW or anywhere else in public, but a WDW vacation won't automatically doom someone to getting sick! You have gotten good suggestions from the previous posters and it sounds like you have a good plan so that your DS will get sufficient rest (that'll probably do more to prevent meltdowns than to prevent illness, though!).

Give your Grandmother a hug for caring so much about your DS, then go and enjoy your vacation!