I'm getting cold feet - Please tell me your Disney with a 3 year old experience!

[DisneyAllison]

I just got out of school 2 days ago, and I am so glad it is summer! We have a new membership to the local YMCA, and I brought DD there for the first time today. They have several kiddie pools, and also a kids "waterpark". She had a BLAST!!! However, when it was time to leave, she had a meltdown. We were there for about 3 hours, and she did fine the whole time until I started warning her it was almost time to go. This is her 1st experience with something so "stimulating". (She had 2 surgeries on her ears last year, so we had to avoid water!)

She had her meltdown all the way home, and still "pouted" and fussed after we got home. I don't tolerate this behavior at anytime, so I didn't tolerate it today. I am worrried about how to handle this in WDW.

OK, enough rambling... Anyway... I got very worried after this experience. I wonder if she will react this way everytime we get off of a ride? leave a park? get off the monorail / boat? She was SOOOO... exhausted after the afternoon. I wonder if Disney is too much for her? I hope the stimulation won't be too much.


I REALLY want this trip to work out. We are going in July, so she will be 3 yrs, 10 mo. by then. DH and I have been living for this trip; however, we don't wan't to be unfair to DD. I guess we could do the beach this summer and postpone Disney 1 more year, but we really don't want to do that unless we just have to.



Any suggestions? I am desperate! PLEASE HELP![/COLOR]

 

[susykt4]

When we took our first family trip, DD was 4 and DS was 2. At home DS was so awful about crowds, characters, loud noises (and on and on) that we decided to make the trip all about princess-loving DD and take turns taking DS back to the resort (or possibly one of us just staying with him.)

DS SHOCKED us!!! He LOVED everything about WDW! He liked all the rides, didn't seem bothered by the crowds and even <gasp> loved the characters! We never once had to take him back to the resort. We did keep him mostly on his home schedule with a midday nap at the resort and to bed at 8pm. That meant we had to skip fireworks and nighttime shows, but both kids stayed happy the entire trip. And NO meltdowns! (I can't even begin to explain how shocking this was.)

We went back a year later when he was three and had another excellent experience (but again kept him on his schedule.) This year (he's now 4) we messed up a little... We decided to try the Pirate and Princess Party on our Feb trip. He loved it up until his sister accidentally stepped on his hand at Sebastian's dance party. He cried for about 20 minutes (we stayed hoping the 10pm fireworks would cheer him up) and then had a meltdown during fireworks. DH ended up taking him back to the resort to bed (while DD6 and I stayed until the end of the party.) He was grumpy and cried easily the next two days while he got over staying out until TEN-THIRTY PM!!! Lesson learned!

Good luck with your decision! Personally, I'd go for it. Try to go at her pace and if she's schedule dependent- KEEP HER SCHEDULE, lol.

 

[brymolmom]

I've taken my kids at that age - and in August's trip ds will be 5 and dd will be 3 and 1/2. It can be a wonderful age for kids to experience WDW! That being said, it sounds like you're realizing that with kids that age - you never quite know what to expect. Being prepared for that is about all you can do. I suspect that if the meltdown is unusual behavior for your dd, that you will be fine. Just be flexible enough to adjust your plans (very difficult for me - because I'm a planner, complete with ride order itinerary in hand) accordingly. If she's tired or cranky - a stop in a cool spot for her to just run around (like Pooh's playful spot) - might be called for. You won't be staying 'on track' with your plans - but it might be just what she needs to get it out of her system.

We, too, keep the kids as much on schedule as possible - and it usually helps. Also, they love so much of the stuff there - they forget to have a meltdown sometimes.

One story to share - dd's first trip (that she remembers) - she was younger than yours, but she still did some 'testing'. We got to the resort on our 1st day and the first order of business was...taking a nap. Like I said, we keep them on schedule. So my dd takes a 2 hour nap and we get her up and get ready to go to MK to eat dinner and see the fireworks. Well, in line for the bus to MK - I give the kids some snacks and water. She decides she wants juice instead of water (now, I NEVER carry water in our backpack - so she knows it wasn't possible - definitely just testing dh and I) - I informed her that we only have water and WHAM - here we have an all-out tantrum standing there in line surrounded by people. I was surprised and embarrassed, but dh and I handled it the same way we would have at home - we ignored her. Now, some of the families around us weren't thrilled with our decision - we got some LOOKS. But really - it wasn't like she was interrupting a show at a park (we would have brought her out immediately if so) and it wasn't like we were pushing her too far and too long (we hadn't even done ANYTHING yet) - but I suspect some of the parents around us thought we were pushing her too far and that's why we got a lot of mean looks! After about 5 - 10 minutes she settled down enough to ask 'can I have some water?'. And that was that.

She was just testing us in this new, unknown, environment and also - she had an audience! She had one heck of a tantrum - way more enthusiastic than when we're at home - she loves to be the drama queen!

Moral here - just keep it in mind that you dd might do something similar to see how you will react to it - and what kind of rules exist in this new environment. Also, moral is not to worry about looks you might get - just handle it in whatever way works for you - as long as you're being considerate of those around you.

Good luck - -I bet you'll all have a blast!

 

[pooksma]

Best advice I could give is pace yourself. Once DH accepted that DS(then 3) wasn't going to be able to follow a park commando (it was DH's first time too)we had a great time. Back to the resort for naps, didn't see any fireworks but that was ok.

We only had 1 character meal (Crystal Palace) and limited our contact with the characters until he was comfortable.

Special times at age 3...and 4...and next up 6.

 

[eeyorefan74]

We took DD for the first time at 3. My best advice is to have realistic expectations. I was so looking forward to our trip and had to realize it wasn't all about me. It was her trip, too, and she needed a slower pace and breaks during the day. I also expected her to be incredibly excited at the sight of the castle, characters, etc, based on stories friends had told about their kids' reactions. While she was happy, she's kind of a low key sort of kid when it comes to showing excitement and was pretty matter of fact about the whole experience, so that was a little disappointing for me.

There most likely will be meltdowns, so just use them as cues that it's time for a snack, nap, or swim break. DD had a great time and did amazingly well, but I remember one meltdown in particular at AK. We just had a few things left to do and were trying to finish the park. She had had enough. After the tantrum, we were able to pacify her with some chocolate ice cream, and that bought us a little more time. But I learned that on trips with preschoolers, it's likely you won't get to do everything you planned or that the adults want to do. A good excuse to go back for another trip!

 

[Kim1964]

We took DD for the first time at 3. My best advice is to have realistic expectations. I was so looking forward to our trip and had to realize it wasn't all about me.

But I learned that on trips with preschoolers, it's likely you won't get to do everything you planned or that the adults want to do. A good excuse to go back for another trip!

I want to second all of this! We took DD#2 when she was about 2.5 and I pretty much ruined the trip by not realizing all of this. By the time I did, the trip was over and I so regretted my attitude and expectations. If I could do it all over again, I still would have taken her at that age, but I would be much more realistic and take things at a slower pace.

 

[jtopp]

She can be surprising. she may enjoy it all and be so tired by the end of the day that she will almost beg to go to sleep. She may be a perfect angel, or she may be difficult. Either way, she will love the trip and remember it always. Have fun and good luck!

 

[KMZOB]

We took DS at 2.5. He gets upset at home when we "interrupt" what he is doing to go somewhere or do something else...so I had the same fears. He did very well. There were a couple of rides that he wanted to go on again (like Dumbo) that just wan't possible...he'd of had to wait in a really long line. We just told him we have another suprise for him and brought him to a different attraction. This worked out well. We also went back to the resort mid day to take naps, or just relax. He's a night owl so he was okay watching fireworks...but fell asleep towards the end because it was still late for him. He got tired while we were touring the parks and he would just nap in his stroller. This worked out for us because I am not a ride person, so this was an opportunity for DH to ride other rides, and then we would go back to the room. Overall he did very well, except for the couple of times we had to convince him there was something better to go see (which of course was not a lie!)
i agree with what everyone has said...just have realistic expectations. Don't expect to see everything in the parks and realize you need to take breaks.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[reginaastralis]

My friends ask why we go so often, since we usually go with just Juliette and I, and we don't necessarily hit all the rides.

My answer, she enjoys it. If she threw temper tantrums everytime it came time to leave, you bet we wouldn't go as often. Sometimes, she's had enough, and it's time for a nap. My daughter lets me know this b/c she refuses to sit in the stroller or be pacified by walking, she wants me to hold her. So, yes a tantrum could errupt, but it might not be in the form you expect.

When Julie's had enough, we get some ice cream, play in one of the playgrounds ... just relax.

I got a LOOK while in Epcot. She kept jumping out of the stroller while I was pushing it ... and I was afraid of hurting her. I got on her level and told her in no uncertain terms that this was NOT acceptable and I would buckle her in if she did it anymore. That she knew better, and was trying to test her Disney waters ... and that if she kept it up she would get hurt and then both of us would be hurt. A lady walked by and said something like "It's Disney." Julie didn't like it when I buckled her into the stroller, and screamed for about five minutes, but I ignored her tantrum, and after our next stop, we were able to leave the stroller unbuckled and she could leave it when she pleased (if it was stopped!) You will possibly get looks from parents (and nonparents) who don't mind showing them ... but believe me, safety is our important thing.

My bet, she'll do fine. Disney is that MAGICAL.

 

[DisneyAllison]

Thank you for all of the wonderful ideas - you guys rock!


We are definitely planning to take it slow while we are there. We will be staying on a Sun. nite - Fri nite, with 6 days in the parks. We plan to drive all night Saturday and get there at breakfast time Sun. morning. DD sleeps GREAT in the car, so the drive down will be no problem. We are going in to the parks for 6 days for the very reason of taking it at a slow pace.

Here is what I was thinking schedule-wise:
-Go in the parks early
-Eat a brunch / lunch (These are our character meals)
M- Play & Dine, T - CS meal , W- Coral Reef, Th-CS meal , F- Cinderella Breakfast (late)
-Nap after lunch
-Swim
-Light dinner : All CS except Tues -Chef Mickey's Dinner, and Thurs.-O'hana dinner
-Possibly return to the parks (If not, we might swim instead)


I hope the late dinners (Chef Mickey's & O'hana won't be too much & too late, but I was looking for variety in foods served: i.e - not all breakfast foods at character meals and trying to avoid limited CS meals at resort, since we would be eating alot of our dinners at our resort or another resort close to WL). Both O'hana and Chef Mickey's are early - 5:05 & 6:00. Plus, we are in the Central Time Zone, so the dinners will really be 4:05 & 5:00 for her.

What do you think? Does this sound reasonable? Please feel free to critique our park plans or our dining plans.

Thanks so much!

 

[DisneyAllison]

oops! double post!

 

[Tikicampers]

It looks like you only have one scheduled meal each day, so I think that would work. I would try not to plan too many time specific things. We took DS at 18mo and we just went with whatever he wanted to do (within reason).
Yes you'll probably get a tantrum or two. We can't go more than a day without one right now. Just handle it like you normally do regardless of the looks of others (they act like they've never had a kid freak out on them).
We're going next week, and DS is a little over 3. We also have a two month old. We have one character meal in the two days we will be there.
We had tons of fun the last time we went. Just seeing DS's face when he saw the characters and the castle were worth it. I think your DD is the perfect age to experience the Disney magic.

 

[cbeehler3]

Pace, pace pace yourselves. That is my number one piece of advice.
We have done Disney every year (if not more) since my second was 15 months old..she is now 8 and 1/2. We have an almost two year old for this summer trip coming up.

Don't worry if you have been before that you are going to miss something. It is so much more enjoyable if they are happy.

Good luck and you will have a blast as will she!

 

[mom2aredhead]

We just came back from our 3rd trip w/our now 3.5 year old. Our mantra was "go with the flow".
My son is not (and has not been in a long time) a napper. He is also not an early riser. Although common advice is to get there for rope drop, do as much as possible early, and go back for naps, that didn't work for us. We planned our days around the night EMH and usually hit those parks mid-afternoon and stayed thru the night. When you're bringing a little one, you need to realize UP FRONT that you will not see everything and even best laid plans will likely go out the window. The first 2 trips we did not even get to EPCOT at all because we were enjoying the other parks so much and didn't want to push it. My husband and I did the "divide and conquer" thing a few times - One of us would hang in one of the play areas with my son while the other rode something we wanted to (rarely used "baby swap" because we like different rides)
We did not do DDP on any of the trips, which made the eating thing a little easier - I had made some ADR's, mostly for the parks we were planning on being in that day. If we made it, great. If during the course of the day our ADR wasn't looking good, I'd call and cancel and we'd just grab something in the parks or at the hotel.
Most of all, remember you are ON VACATION and enjoy the time with your family!

 

[Tam1067]

My youngest two have both gone at about the age your DD will be.

Your plan looks great. The key is to ancitipate the meltdown before it happens. You know she'll get tired, so head back to the resort before that happens. Keep an eye on the time and act before she becomes overloaded. We have done very well with no real traumas with our kids because I was very careful about not overdoing it and by planning plenty of relaxed time at the resort.

We still haven't seen Illuminations--and that's OK. Someday we will, but on our previous two trips, we've just found the kids were too tired, and other things were more important to us.

Also be prepared to ride It's a Small World many more times than you would want to ride it!

 

[mom2aredhead]

We still haven't seen Illuminations--and that's OK. Someday we will, but on our previous two trips, we've just found the kids were too tired, and other things were more important to us.

Also be prepared to ride It's a Small World many more times than you would want to ride it!

Soooo funny. We haven't seen Illuminations either, as this was the first trip we even made it to Epcot.

And as for small world - you're not kidding. It's (almost) all my son talked about after our last trip, and we rode it at least 3-4 times each time we were in MK - doing the math, I think I rode that thing like 12 times last week.

But like I said in a previous post:
3 r/t airline tickets... $650
hotel, food, park tickets, etc....more $$ than I want to admit.
seeing my son's face as he sings the Small World song...ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS!

 

[3jsmommy]

My youngest two have both gone at about the age your DD will be.

Your plan looks great. The key is to ancitipate the meltdown before it happens. You know she'll get tired, so head back to the resort before that happens. Keep an eye on the time and act before she becomes overloaded. We have done very well with no real traumas with our kids because I was very careful about not overdoing it and by planning plenty of relaxed time at the resort.

We still haven't seen Illuminations--and that's OK. Someday we will, but on our previous two trips, we've just found the kids were too tired, and other things were more important to us.

Also be prepared to ride It's a Small World many more times than you would want to ride it!

I second the small world comment!!
We went when my DS was 3 & while my DH took DS5 on any "dark" rides we did small world, again, & again.....
It was very cool & relaxing though, & I will always think of him when I hear that song!! He had a great time & still talks about our trip almost 2 years later.
BTW he loved Barnstormer
We found that stopping for lunch at a TS (pref. character) was really such a great break for all of us. We were also always ready for lunch or dinner earlier than we were at home, so I think your plan looks great!! Have fun & don't even think of canceling, it is a great age for all the magic!

 

[momoftwodisneykids]

My daughter's first weeklong trip to Disney was when she was 5 months old. We live in Tampa and go to Disney at least 1 full week a year and several long weekends. We took breaks for naps everyday until our trip last November when she was 4, going on 5, when I knew she could go without the nap and not meltdown. Having the annual passes does help, as we don't feel like we have to stay all day to get our money's worth. My sister and her tribe (now 9, 6 and 4), usually forgo naps, and her kids a little monsters by 8 p.m. After our nap time, we would have a snack, take a dip in the pool and then head back to the parks for dinner and the fireworks. This schedule always worked well for us. I always bring lots of snacks and drinks with us, as hunger can cause major tantrums. As long as you don't overplan and remain flexible, things will be fine.

Joanne

 

[MontanaKtsMom]

I went as a single mom with DD when she was 3 1/2---we had two wonderful days at MK, and 2 at Sea World. It was all about her those 4 days, and she knew it! I knew, at that age, that the difficult behaviors came when she wanted attention (no problem there--she had my undivided attention!), when she was 'sugared up' (so we drank water, not juice/soda, ate our snacks from home and ate one decent sit down meal a day), and when she became overwhelmed by too many people/too much noise..(we escaped to Tom Sawyer;s Island, TTA, the railroad ride, and other quiet little corners when she looked like she needed to re-group and have a break. Trying to keep her usual schedule in mind helped, but there were times when I just knew we could stretch it a little. Luckily, all gambles paid off!!

She;s now almost 8, an adventurous and well behaved kid, and has the energy and 'let's do it!' attitude I'd always hoped she'd have...
AND WE LEAVE IN 12 HOURS FOR 7 DAYS IN DISNEY WORLD!!!

Best advice is to keep practicing with her! Kids who travel with their parents and explore/experience new things just get better and better at it as they learn. It also fosters that trust in you, as PP said, that when you say "there's something even better coming!" they'll believe it!

Have a great trip!

 

[tink_about_it]

Last year when my 3rd DD was 3, she was afraid of EVERYTHING! I would suggest starting with only HAPPY attractions....Not "It's Tough to be a Bug" like we did!!! She was afraid of absolutely everything after that! I was ready to call my mom and fly her to WDW to keep DD while we took the other 3 around the world. She sort of got better, but not completely.