How young is too young?

[sheila <3 WDW]

I didn't read all the responses, but didn't see a response asking if this will be a once in a lifetime trip, or if you plan to return at some point.

If its a one and done trip, I would say wait until the child was big enough to ride most of the coasters. Maybe 6 or 7.

If you plan to return often then every age is great! My kids have been at the following ages for our 5 trips:
1st: DD age 3
2nd: DD age 3 years 9 months (I we pregnant with DS)
3rd: DD 5.5, DS 20 months
4th: DD almost 7, DS almost 3 (last trip where he was free)
5th, this past Dec: DD age 8, DS almost 4.5.
All of them were great!

 

[wdw71]

There is no such thing as too young or too old at Disney! Go now!!! We took our kids for their first trip when DD was 4 and DS was 18 months. I have said it hear before I will never regret taking them at these ages. My son enjoyed everything we did and even though he doesn't remember it now we have tons of pictures which he loves to look at. When we were in tomorrowland he jumped out of his stroller and ran to meet Buzz. Luckily there were only a few people standing there and they didn't mind that he ran in front of them. The pictures are absolutely priceless. Wonderful memories.

 

[Goofey Drool]

Our first Disney vacation with the kids were when they were 5yrs. and 7yrs. they both were easy to manage and were so excited to do everything. We didn't have the meltdowns that we witnessed younger children having so that was good. One morning we were waiting for the bus to MK and a family next to us was having an issue with a cranky child. The mother told the rest of the family to go ahead to the park and that she was going to stay at the resort with the child. The poor little kid was just over tired/over stimulated.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I am probably the wrong person to ask but my youngest who turned 5 yesterday has been 6 times...the first time when he was 6 months old. He will remember what he remembers and forget what he forgets but we have tons of pictures to remind US of all of the great times we have had in the last 5 years at Disney.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I mean, how do you even get a stroller on a plane? I have no idea!.

Maybe some airlines are different, but SWA does gate check.

The child uses the stroller though the entire airport, just as others might use a wheelchair. You can use it all the way until you board the plane. While in the airport, you request a 'gatecheck" tag for the stroller, and also attach a (free?) luggage tag with your name.

Just when you are getting on the plane - at the BOTTOM of the jetway- you fold the stroller and leave it within five feet of the airplane. The crew loads it into the hold, as they do with a gate checked luggage and wheelchairs.

When you arrive at your destination, the crew delivers your stroller right to the bottom of the jetway. If you sat in the middle or back of the plane the stroller usually arrives faster than the child can get off the plane!

There are also a number of Orlando companies that rent strollers and other gear.

One word of caution! One thing I would personally never use at WDW is a baby carrier. We once witnessed a mother take a nasty spill in Epcot when she was navigating the cobblestone part of the UK pavilion. She missed her footing, and tried to protect the baby over bracing her fall. EMT's arrived in seconds, but it was still a very unhappy situation.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Maybe I should mention, I've been going since I was just a toddler!

So be careful, or your child might end up giving Disney thousands of $'s!

 

[smiths02]

My wife and I have a girl who's right now 19 months and we were wondering what's a decent age to first go to Disney world We were thinking that a little after 3 woud be a decent age to take her. Is that tooyoung or is that a good age for week at Disney World?

If you aren't going to go yearly, I would recommend either right before 3 so she can be free or around 4 when potty training is more under control.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

That will be helpful - but even if you don't, that doesn't mean it can't be done. We never had help when we went and it really wasn't a big deal.

It might be worth adding...WDW is easy with two adults (Universal too!). A single parent bringing two or more children faces a number of challenges. Having three adults can be helpful.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

My wife and I have a girl who's right now 19 months and we were wondering what's a decent age to first go to Disney world We were thinking that a little after 3 woud be a decent age to take her. Is that tooyoung or is that a good age for week at Disney World?

A 19 month old will love it. I think too young is less than 8 months.

 

[Angel Ariel]

My wife and I have a girl who's right now 19 months and we were wondering what's a decent age to first go to Disney world We were thinking that a little after 3 woud be a decent age to take her. Is that tooyoung or is that a good age for week at Disney World?

We've taken our DD at 8 months, 15 months and we took her to DL for the first time at 3 y/o. All of the trips have been wonderful...different, but wonderful. As an infant, she was mostly just passively observing. She was interested and happy..but the trip was definitely for us, not for her specifically (but the memories of her grabbing Mickey's nose when they first met are priceless!) At 15 months she was a bit more interested, but the trip was still more for us than her...not that that's a bad thing, just the way we viewed the trip. We wanted to go, so we took her with us

This past trip at 3 y/o she was much more interactive and had likes and dislikes...opinions on everything! It was definitely a trip more about her and her experiences than it was about us (but we still got to do what we wanted as well ).

I wouldn't take back any of those trips. They were all great in their own way, and all a little bit different. I wouldn't put off a trip solely because the child was young...if you want to go for yourselves, then go!

If the goal is for the child to remember it when they are an adult, though, then I wouldn't expect that...even up to and through age 5 I wouldn't necessarily expect that they remember the trip. My oldest nephew is 9. I started teaching him how to skate when he was 6, and then he started taking skating lessons and hockey lessons (he now plays hockey). We went skating together over Christmas, and we were talking and he does not remember that I was the one that taught him how to skate. He thought he learned it from the classes..he didn't remember me teaching him at all. And that was only 2.5 years or so ago. I haven't asked him what he remembers about our trip to WDW when he was 6, but from the few conversations the family has had about the trip over the years I think he remembers really big highlights only (like riding BTMRR 6x in a row at RD ).

 

[Pigletpal40]

All our babies, now 15 and 10 have been for their first birthdays to Crystal Palace. They both loved the characters.

 

[jmkjr72]

Why wait so long. My son was 2 my niece was 18 months my grand nephew who is there right now is 15 or 16 months

 

[Atrain13]

What are some things that people can suggest for little ones that age? At least as far as rides go.
Also for those of you who have gone with little ones (under 1) how do they get alono there? There's a decent chance we will have another by then. My wife is just worried that she won't get to do anything with a little one, even if my parents are there to help.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My wife and I have a girl who's right now 19 months and we were wondering what's a decent age to first go to Disney world We were thinking that a little after 3 woud be a decent age to take her. Is that tooyoung or is that a good age for week at Disney World?

We have taken them as young as 6 weeks.

But to answer your question, any age before 3 is good since she will be free. Being tall enough for barnstormer would be nice. Unless she is in the high percentile on the growth charts, it is doubtful she will be tall enough for any 40 inch rides like splash and thunder mountain. If that would make or break your vacation and return visit is not known or never intended, you might wait until she is 40".

That said, there is plenty to do and see and the toddler age is a great time for Disney. All mine enjoyed it a lot at that age.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

What are some things that people can suggest for little ones that age? At least as far as rides go.
Also for those of you who have gone with little ones (under 1) how do they get alono there? There's a decent chance we will have another by then. My wife is just worried that she won't get to do anything with a little one, even if my parents are there to help.

I take my babies on everything that doesn't have a height requirement. The exception is any ride that spins. I wait until after they are 6 months old. That is my preference for their safety. Rides with height restrictions that I want to enjoy, we use rider swap.

I wear my baby and that helps a bunch. I have a Tula carrier. 5 kids and this is the first kid I used it with. My husband has even worn him.

If you search the Family board, you can find lots of tips and feedbacK on traveling to the parks with infants and toddlers.

 

[jenthern]

In 2013, my son turned 1 on the trip. It was perfect. He wasn't afraid of anything. He loved absolutely everything. He slept in the stroller. 1 is a perfect age for Disney.

In 2014, he was right about 2. He was afraid of a couple things but still loved it. It took him a minute to warm up to the characters.

In 2015, we went right before he turned 3. He was terrified of all the rides with an any darkness at all, including small world. That was frustrating. On the other hand, he adored the characters. That part was truly magical. My daughter was 2 months and honestly it's really easy to take a baby to Disney.

We're going again next week. He's 4 today. I'm hoping the fear thing isn't as bad. He did like the good dinosaur so here's hoping.

 

[ktlm]

What are some things that people can suggest for little ones that age? At least as far as rides go.
Also for those of you who have gone with little ones (under 1) how do they get alono there? There's a decent chance we will have another by then. My wife is just worried that she won't get to do anything with a little one, even if my parents are there to help.

At age 3, aside from all the characters, atmosphere, play areas, shows etc. (of which there are a ton DD loved when she was 3) and just thinking of rides (which realize that WDW is so much more than rides and there is so much more for littles than that), there is:

MK
Peter Pan
Pooh
Small World
Dumbo
Aladdin's Magic Carpets
BarnStormer
Buzz Lightyear
Jungle Cruise
Teacups
Little Mermaid
Carousel
(possibly Pirates and Haunted Mansion depending on whether she scares easy- Pirates is less scary than HM)

EPCOT

Nemo
Figment
Living with the Land
Spaceship Earth
Grand Fiesta Tour (inside Mexico- DD would have ridden that one in circles for hours).

DHS
Toy Story Mania
(possibly the Great Movie Ride- DD did not mind the gangster/outlaw and I covered her eyes during the Alien part)

AK
Safari
Triceratop Spin

You can take a 1 year old on most of these as well. I have seen lots of infants on rides with parents. If your 3 year old has hit 40 inches (depending on how old of a 3 she is she might have-DD did- then most of the thrill rides work as well if she wants to ride them. DD loved Soarin at that age, and loved Test Track (well...until we got stuck on it in what used to be the "hot" room- after that she hated it until they remodeled it). She would have loved 7DMT had she been there.


Also, remember, that WDW is so much more than just rides. There were so many characters and shows and experiences that DD loved in the parks at age 3. Just a few would include things like Philharmagic, Tikki Birds, The castle show, Monster's Inc. laugh floor, the performers throughout World Showcase in EPCOT, Turtle Talk with Crush, the aquarium, the Beauty and the Beast show, the Little Mermaid show, Disney Jr show. She was not a big AK fan at that age (had a good zoo at home and no princesses there), but lots of kids enjoy seeing all the animals. She did really like the Lion King show there when she was little. You won't run out of things to do with preschoolers there!

 

[gorkt]

I've been fortunate enough to take my kids ranging from age 2-11. The most fun IMO was when the kids were older, ages 9-11. While going when the kids were younger did give them a magical experience, those trips were hard and tiring. Once they were older elementary age, they can go all day long and don't require strollers and are mature enough to deal with being tired instead of having meltdowns. They could ride all the rides, they ate a wider range of foods, and they also had more appreciation for the attention to detail that WDW offers. The whole family just got more enjoyment out of the trip. If I had to pick one age, it would be in that 9-11 range.

 

[Atrain13]

We will go back when she's older. This trip is more for my wife myself and my parents. My grandparents live about a hour south of Orlando so we would go often when we visited. They haven't been there in about 20 years. So I want to take them so they can see it again and see it again as a grandparent and not a parent.

 

[Julesinwisco]

We're taking our 20 month old next month. For us it won't be a once in a lifetime trip since my mom lives down there full time and my MIL is working on her snow bird wings. My husband thought I was crazy when I first suggested taking him this young but we come from different worlds-- he has been once in his life, I grew up going every other year. I admit, his trepidation wore off on me a bit at first, but now I am nothing but excited. Another baby is in our near future and I'm soooo excited to be able to share this one trip with my family of 3; we can both give our son our undivided attention and enjoy it through his eyes. He might not have memories of his very first trip but I will for sure!!