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!

 

[tracyl921]

She'll be fine. Don't let one bad experience discourage you! The first time we went, our kids were almost 3 and 5 yrs old. It was magical, so much so, we went every year since and joined the vacation club. It's not unusual for kids to have meltdowns after being overstimulated. Remember though, with Disney there's alot of walking around - you'll all probably be tired and in need of naps by mid afternoon, make sure you take them!!! Have a great trip and be sure to report back afterwards.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

We went in February with our 3 year old and I had all sorts of "what if's" swimming in my head prior to our trip. I was so nervous that he was going to have numerous meltdowns as you mentioned. Turns out, he really didn't have any! He did totally fine and had such a GREAT TIME! We made sure he got a nap EVERY SINGLE DAY! As long as he wasn't cranky from being tired or hungry, he was totally fine. Everything at Disney is an adventure for little kids their age. You want to know what my sons most favorite ride in all of Disney World was?? The parking lot tram!! Go figure. By the time we got to our car to return to the resort for a nap he was just zonked! He was asleep before we got there.

I just wanted to add one more thing.....When you get there and see the look on your little one's face, you will be so glad you decided to go at this age!!

 

[2poohbears]

Go! We took our twins when they were 2 1/2, 3 1/2 and again just last week. You are bound to have a few tantrums to deal with - that's normal for their age...so don't stress about that. If one of them pitches a fit I pull him aside while my hubby takes the other on rides. This way they learn that tantrums will mean you miss out on fun...that usually nips it in the bud.

My best advice is to stay as close to her normal sleep/rest schedule as possible. We always go back to the hotel after lunch for a nap - honestly, we're all tired by then anyway. We head back to the parks after nap, and we return to the room by 8pm. If you try to stay too late or skip nap/rest time you'll end up with more tantrums/crying. Talk to her in advance about where you're going, what you'll be doing... get the free dvd so you can show her rides and characters. I find mine are better behaved when they know what's coming and what's expected of them.

You might also think about bringing along a few little snacks in case she's hungry in the park - hungry kids are grumpy kids. Also, a tip - you can get free ice water at the counter service restaurants...that time of year you'll definitely want to keep hydrated. You might think about getting some little misting fans as well. Those kept my 2 pre-occupied in lines and on the bus. They didn't spritz anyone else (we told them not to), but they loved turning the fan on and off.

Have fun!

 

[Micka Mouse]

my dd was 3 when we last went. She was pretty good. When it got too hot, we told her, "time to go back and take a nap". I remember telling her what was next all the time. (ex. "we're going on this ride, THEN we're going back to the hotel for a nap", or while we were in the pool, "we'll swim for a few more minutes, THEN we have to get dinner") I think that everything is so exciting there that it doesn't really matter much to them. Going to the hotel was a break for us, but another exciting display for her. If you don't tolerate tantrums, she knows it. A+ for you for sticking to your guns and not giving in (I HAVE GOT to learn to do that more often )

 

[MoeFam]

We went in April with our just turned 4 yr old and almost 2 yr old. We had a great great time. We too stuck to their schedules as best as we could, and didnt freak out about the little stuff. So DS didnt want his picture taken in front of the castle, so what...so DD fell asleep on the Kilimanjaro Safarii-, oh well...we didnt let that kind of stuff worry us and just LOVED LOVED watching them encounter so many new things. You will quickly figure out what works ( naps, time at the hotel are possibilities) and what dosnt ( for us- both kids were NOT into characters)

Our DS favorite part- "Periwinkle" the van we rented while we were down there!

 

[2poohbears]

Make sure you go with realistic expectations as well. Don't try to rush around and see every single thing. You won't be able to accomplish that and you'll all be miserable in the process, too. Just enjoy the parks at a leisurely pace.

FYI - I usually bring stickers from the dollar store in case I need to distract the boys while we're waiting in line, too. We also bring our own umbrella strollers as the parks do involve a lot of walking and they get tired. Sometimes they walk, sometimes they ride...we play it by ear.

 

[tigger813]

We took our oldest to Disney for the first time when she was three. Her only meltdowns were late at night and on the way to the Princess breakfast. She ended up getting sunscreen in her eyes and we had to call the EMTs before we even got in the park to wash out her eyes. Overall she did fine. She was afraid of the beast in Epcot. There were some rides she said she didn't want to ride and ended up loving them.

We took our youngest last July when she was 20 months and she also did amazingly well. She's always been an easy baby so we weren't too worried. Her only problem was being able to fall asleep once we got back to the hotel. She would lay in the pack and play and babble on and on.

We'll be taking both girls, now 7 and soon to be 3 again in December so we'll see how younger child does then.

Really I found the key was to just relax and go with what the child wants for the most part.

 

[pospisil]

=
Really I found the key was to just relax and go with what the child wants for the most part.

I totally agree! We went for DS's 4th birthday, a first time for all of us, and we all had a fantastic time. We took it easy, went at a slow pace, stopped lots of time for DS to play in the fountains, and he was great. Go, you won't regret it!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Any suggestions? I am desperate! PLEASE HELP!

I don't think she had a meltdown because she was overstimulated. She was enjoying herself and had to leave before she was finished. Not all kids get "overstimulated" and lose it. My son could go from morning until night and never miss a beat...maybe your daughter is the same way. Good luck with your Disney trip.

 

[DisneyAllison]

Thank you so much for your replies. Each of you have made me feel so much better.

I think that I over-reacted a little. I want this to be a pleasant trip for everyone. I want her to enjoy it as much as she can on her own level. Hearing all of your stories made me smile.

We will DEFINITELY be returning to the hotel to nap.

Thanks again!!

 

[2poohbears]

I don't think she had a meltdown because she was overstimulated. She was enjoying herself and had to leave before she was finished. Not all kids get "overstimulated" and lose it. My son could go from morning until night and never miss a beat...maybe your daughter is the same way. Good luck with your Disney trip.

I agree with this. Also, IF you feel she is getting overstimulated at any point you could find a bench off to the side someplace where it's quiet and have a lemonade or ice cream to give her some quiet time.

 

[Nynaeve]

My DD had turned 4 on our trip, and it was her first time there.
She's prone to having fits, and we were worried about the exact same thing, having a fit when it was time to go. We were very surprised, she did not have one when we were out at the parks for the day!! We would go all day, and she'd sleep in the stroller for a bit in the afternoons, and be refreshed for dinner. She was so happy and tired by the time we left for the hotel, she did not make a peep.

Now, getting her up in the mornings was a different story. She's like me, you wake her up and she turns in a bear!!

 

[angel659]

Hi

Wow not long till you go. wahoo

When we last went we travelled with a 5 yr old and twin boys of 23 months. This trip they will be 7, 4 and 4.

We always inform the child that we will be leaving soon. So they know to expect it and not to have the sudden shock. We normally say from 15 mins, 10 mins and then 5 mins to we are going now. If they misbehave then we just ignore them whilst walking to the car. I think children know how act up and to get a reaction from then. I normally say its time to go and I am going to be ignoring you if you behave like that. I always let them know we will be returning, but you need to be good. In the end they start to understand or at least accept it.

I would take your children to places like swimming, play areas more you take them the quicker she or he will learn to accept the leaving factor. You could introduce stickers i.e disney ones and say each time she or he is good when leaving the park they get a sticker.

Remember practice makes perfect (in an ideal world )

You will be fine.