Help me convince my sister to take her kids to WDW

[Michele]

Hi-

My sister has 2 kids, 4 1/2 and 13 months, she isn't sure if they are old enough to go to WDW.....I know.

Please tell me your reasons for taking your kids at a young age and please some pics of little ones really enjoying themselves will help too.

My kids are 11 and 13 and I keep telling her I really wish I would have taken them more when they were little.

Her 4 1/2 loves Cars, Toy Story, Incredibles and although I think he might be shy at first with the characters, I don't think he would be scared of them. He has seen the pics of my boys with the characters and thought it looked cool. Her little girl, 13 months, is good with strangers too so I don't think she would have a problem with the characters either.

TIA!!

 

[dzneelvr]

sorry but I have to take your sister's side. Selfishly, I didn't want to do WDW with a diaper bag or a kid that still needed a nap to get through the day. We travel enough to know what a hassle it can be and we've had family members that took the small kids and to this day, none of them ever wanted to go back :confused We began going when DD was 8 and DS was 10. Even then they don't really remember much of the first trip, but at least they were old enough to get into everything once we were there. We go every year and I can only think that by saving this large a trip until later, allowed us to budget for it every year. Remember, it's a huge expense and you want to make sure every family member enjoys it fully. WDW--Here we come June 14

 

[beattyfamily]

The youngest we took one of our kids was age 1. We had fun but she was afraid of the characters. She would get tired easily and then cry.

For us, the perfect ages from 2 through 5. At age 2, they went wtih the flow and thought everything was so magical. It was great fun. After about age 5, we still have great fun, but they weren't quite as into the magic of it all and started to whine more than they did before! But we still have wonderful times!

I say for us, its any age after age 1 but that's just us. We didn't mind the diapers and the sometimes crankiness. We were at Disney for goodness sake. But, to each their own.

We have some wonderful pictures from ages 2 and up.

 

[jenseib]

She needs to get that 13 year old down ther NOW!! LOL! Before she's too old!!!
I agree, though. She should go. I took my older DD for the first time right before she turned 5 and she had a blast. She no longer took naps, she didn't need a stroller, and we just had so much fun. Her mouth was open in aw all the time just enjoying the wonder and magic of it all.

 

[Nala2007]

I agree, with you all, but my main thing isn't so much the schedule of a baby, but the heat and the sun!! My DD is unbelievably fair skinned, so we haven't taken her yet, this will be her first trip! Plus she is 3 1/2 and I think she will have so much fun

 

[latexscooter]

We took DD for the first time when she was 5 months old and it was a wonderful trip. She is going to be 4 in May and she has been several times since that first trip.

Travelling with a baby wasn't bad at all. The child care centers are wonderful, I have never once encountered a CM who wasn't helpful and the baby swap pass was sent directly from the heavens.

She is fair and using proper sun protection and taking afternoon breaks was great for keeping her out of the bright sun during the hottest part of the days and helped us maintain her nap schedule as well.

All of our trips have been fantastic and that can been a curse as well. Now we've got a Disney fanatic that can't understand why we can't go more than 1-2 times a year.

 

[PrincessasMommy]

We take our kids on vacation every year!

The babies first airplane vacation was WDW at 8 months old, and she loved it, so did we. Our others were 27 months and 9 years old.

We don't consider it a hassle at all to travel with our kids, sure it's more stuff to lug but it's worth it to us for the experiences and the memories.

As far as the sun, our oldest is Albino (as in NO pigment, very susceptible to heat rash & is legally blind) so I know that sun/heat is a huge concern, but she has been to WDW, Mexico and Europe and as long as we sunscreen 50 spf every hour and wear t's with sleeves as opposed to tanks we are fine. Most WDW lines are shaded or indoors we find!

We travel from Canada by air with double jogger stroller, playpen and 2 car seats. Our next trip will be 3 carseats with a newborn!!

To each her/his own ...we have many friends who think we are crazy to take them, it's "so much work" - we don't think our kids are work - it's all in your perspective I think!

For the record, our WDW vacations are more enjoyable than our Mexico or Europe ones, we love to see the magic in their eyes!

They grow up too fast!

 

[daisyduck123]

She needs to get that 13 year old down ther NOW!! LOL! Before she's too old!!!

The baby is 13 months old.

 

[pennymercantile]

I am going for the first time because of money was low in the early years.

Our kids are 11, 9 and 6 and I think it is a perfect age.

Too young and they might not even remember it...I wanted them to go when they could also have memories of their time there.

We took the kids to Sea World when they were younger and my oldest two remember it but not my youngest.

 

[la79al]

She should take them before she has to take her son out of school, that way they can pick when they go and enjoy WDW without the heat of summer or crowds of school breaks. She should take them now while they will still ride the same rides. Once the older one gets a little bigger he will want to do the big rides and her daughter will still be too little - two different lists of must dos.

 

[Starr W.]

We didn't go until the baby was 5 yrs old. Fully potty trained and didn't need a stoller(he has more energy than his older brother). He gave up naps at about 3 unless he's sick.


We really didn't want to have to carry and pack all the "stuff". That was our choice and I think it you should let your sister make her own decisions(I do the same with my younger sis, I only give advice when asked).

The boys had a blast and the younger one is tall enough to ride most rides, as he has to do the samething as the elder one. He love Soarin'!

I have 3 trips on the books for WDW through next January, then Spring Break at Vero Beach(all my boys, DH included ) love the beach.

 

[CrzyforPiglet]

Two questions for you - What is your sister's reasons for not wanting to take them now? I think if we knew her more specific concerns we could help you argue against them better.

And if you planned a trip how much older would the kids be then?

We've taken our son at 6 and 13 months and our niece at 3 and 7 years. Our son was much more fun to take at 13 months than 6 and easier to take care of. He still didn't get a lot of it and was a little apprehensive about the characters but he was much more alert and he loves fish so the big fish tank in Epcot was the best. I also didn't find the diaper thing to be a big deal. I actually liked it b/c by the end of our trip there was room for souvenirs. Overall he was very flexible with the odd eating times and we would do it again in a heartbeat. For my niece she was fun at 3 and at 7 but I agree that at 7 she had lost some of the magic. She still wanted to do a princess breakfast but didn't dress up like she had at 3 and obviously knows that they are just people dressed like princesses. I think 4-5 is a perfect age to go to Disney so if you went now with you nephew you'd have all of that first time magic and then in a couple of years maybe you could plan a second trip when the 13 month old is 4 or 5.

Good luck!

 

[mrsg00fy]

Why would you want to talk her into going if she has decided the time is not right?
We took our kids for the first time when they were quite young. We had a great time...but it is a different type of trip with a different level of planning and relaxation for the parents. Now...we loved it so much that my boys who are 11 and 8 have been to WDW no less than 20 times. Others think we are nuts for going back again and again.....but we tried it, we liked it....and we keep on doing it! If folks who know us and know what fanatics we are about planning want to go and seek out our advice and opinions...I refer them to my favorite websites for planning....ie the disboards, mousesavers, allearsnet...
I tell them to read up and then if they want my further assistance and opinions....to just let me know.
My BIL and SIL have not taken their 8 year old twins because they think they are too young....and can't be bothered with packing. They don't know what they are missing...but to each his own.

 

[Michele]

Her reasons for not going yet are 'why go if they won't remember it' and my thought is, but they will enjoy it while they are there and you will enjoy their excitement, have pictures to remember, scrapbook etc.

They have the opportunity because her DH will be in Orlando for work, May 6-9. That is a perfect time of year to go crowd-wise.

 

[TheDizMom]

While I understand your enthusiasm for DW I think you need to let it go. It is up to her and if she doesn't want to do it when her kids are so young you need to respect her decision. While I agree they would still have fun and pictures to look back on some people just don't want to do trip like this with young children. Lets face it there are logistical issues for napping and then there's the hauling all the baby stuff around everywhere. I also get that this may be the perfect opportunity since her husband has to go down, but he will be WORKING. This leaves your sister to deal with 2 small children at DW ALONE and I can see how that may not be all that appealing to her. It is a long day in a hectic place alone with 2 young children. I think you have tried to encourage her and she has still chosen to stick with her view on the subject. If you think about it, wouldn't you want her to respect your decision if your places were reversed. You gave your opinion but you have to let her decide what is right for her family. You have no say in what happens in her family just as she should have no say in what happens in yours. If you try and force her to your view on the subject you may end up making her resentful and angry. It really pisses me off when my sister tries to make me do things her way, and by the time the conversation is over I am hurt, angry, and wanting nothing more then to stay away from her. When she decides it's time to go, offer to help her plan and be as enthusiatic as you are now. If she says thanks but no thanks, tell her to have a great time and you will anxiously await her return so she can tell you all about it and show you all the pictures.

 

[2 princes 1 princess]

My husband and I are so glad that we took our kids while they were young enough to believe in the magic. My son was 4 and my daughter was 1 on our first trip. We were hooked and went again with a 3 month old the next year and we've been going as often as possible ever since.

Last summer my son wasn't as interested in the characters anymore and we were a little heartbroken One day at MGM he heard the Power Rangers blasting through and he started running towards them and posing with them. We were so happy to get one more dose of magic with him. This year we say Darth Vader and I got to see that look in my son's and even my husband's eyes! I just love that innocent joyful look "kids" get!

 

[Michele]

Don't worry, I'm not pressuring her. This just came up last night and I thought I would get some opinions from the Dis. I will leave it up to her and just offer my help if she does decide to go.

Waiting a couple more years can't hurt, by then they'll be DS 6 and DD 3, maybe that would be a better time.

 

[PoohsFan1]

The last time we went to WDW we traveled with a 2 year old and a 4 year old. At the time of planning we really weren't planning the trip for the 2 year old, but more for the 4 year old. Eventhough she doesn't remember that trip, except for what she sees in pictures, the 2 year old had a great time and we have wonderful pictures with both of them and the characters. We will be returning this June and our kids will be 4 and 6. This time we are planning our trip around both kids.