Looking for Any tips for vacationing w/a 2 yr old

[NandP]

Please give me any tips that you may have to make our Disney Vacation with a 2 year old enjoyable. We will be spending 8 days in Disney and 3 days in Universal, in August.

For example, how do you handle standing on a long line with a 2 year old, when all they want to do is move or be busy? What about naps (our 2 year old sleeps from 12:30pm to 3:30pm every day), should we keep that schedule and take him back to the room to sleep? What have been your experiences? We are generally flexible people and not rigid, we know that we will just have to go with the flow. But any suggestions to make it flow smoother would be greatly appreciated.

What about the airplane? We are bringing a portable DVD for his Baby Einstein movies.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[mollysmom]

My DD's favorite part of our vacation was the waterpark. We went to Typhoon Lagoon. It's a great place to go in between theme park days because it can be as stimating or relaxing as you want to make it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Hi! Definitely return to your hotel for rest time. As for waiting in line, try blowing bubbles. That is a good distraction.

 

[GeorgiaKatie]

Go back to the room for nap and have one yourself. Take turns having alone time. One day you stay in the room for the nap and let your DH go shopping or to the parks and the next you go. Character meals were the only meals we could sit down and eat the rest of the time we ate at the food court or my DH would go get me something to go (my DD is very very active and does not do waiting very well.) She loved all the characters and all the rides we took her on. We went in December so it was not all that crowded the only ride we had to wait on was Dumbo and it was pretty bad trying to keep her entertained but once we got on it was magical. Just remember to get that down time. Don't try to do everything because your child will tire quicker than you and then everyone will just be misrable. Take your time and when she starts getting ill just stop and go back to the room, take a break, cool off, and start again refreshed.

 

[Cailin'sMom]

We took DD in December and we have been given the opportunity to go back May 1, she will be 3 in July. My advice would be not to overplan for a 2 year old. In December, the first few days were a little too planned and we were felt too rushed. As for naps, we did not always get back to the room for one, but DD was good about napping in her stroller, so if she fell asleep it was easier for us to stroll her around and shop until she woke up, rather than get her out of the stroller and on to the bus.

As for waiting in lines, I have seen people use bubbles. With our DD, she was pretty patient waiting in line (for a 2 year old). Our biggest issue was that she always wanted to be held while we were in line, so luckily the lines weren't really that long. I think that the longest line we waited in was to ride Dumbo, and there were little activity points around the line that she liked to play with. She is also a very social child, so she spent most of the time in line making friends with the other children.

If you get the chance, you might try Fort Wilderness. They had a petting zoo and also pony rides. The pony rides cost $3, and were worth every penny. The ponies were gentle and DD loved riding.

I know that you will have a GREAT time. We loved every minute of our December trip and we are looking forward to our May trip. This time, however, we are going to be more laid back and try not to be overplanned.

Christina

 

[Mr Poohbrain]

Will your dd wear a headset on the plane (for the DVD)? My DS (2.5) will not, so we didn't bring his. Not sure how long your flight is, but here are some things that got us through our flights:
Suckers (for take-off and landing)
small containers of playdough
small crayola color wonder markers and paper (these are the ones that only color on the "special" paper.) I found a small package at Target for about $5.
Small Magic Doodle board
Small pack of playing cards (I found ones w/Pooh on them at WalMart). We practiced our numbers with them.
a couple of favorite books (or new ones - probably hold interest a little longer)
semi-favorite stuffed animal (if it fits in carry-on. Make sure you leave the plane with it, or there may be lots of tears)
Plenty of snacky foods

If you've bought a seat for her (I assume you have, since she's over 2), you may want to take your carseat. DS knows that he has to stay put while in the CS, so there was no whining about wanting to get out of it during the flight.

As for the parks - as many had suggested, be flexible and know that you are not going to see all of the "fun stuff" that you used to see or do. (We had a hard time dealing with that at first.) I would strongly suggest that you accomodate your DD's schedule as much as possible, including naps and bedtime. Also, we tried to take a day (or two) off after every park day. DS just got to fried if we went to parks two days in a row. We woould stay at the hotel and swim, or go play miniture golf, DTD, etc. We also found that this was a good time to schedule character meals (outside of the parks) - we weren't rushed, knowing that we didn't have to get to the park at a particular time.

Good luck and have a great time watching your DD's first experience of Disney.

Mrs PB

 

[nicdanh]

Since you will be there in August you should plan to take your 2 year old back to the room by noon for a nap to escape the afternoon cruling heat. While he's napping your husband & you can take turns spending time by the pool for some R&R.
A misty fan always works great with my kids in long lines it gives them something to play with.
For the plane I pack a bag pack for each of the kids with all sorts of surprises they have a blast going through it and playing with each thing. I also put a few things in the suitcase to put in the back packs on the trip home.

 

[minmate]

Make sure to bring enough diapers and a change of clothes for your child whenever you leave your hotel room! We didn't bring a stroller of our own b/c our 2 1/2 yr old loves to walk on her own and has done well w/o our own stroller at WDW. But this last time, she developed a serious case of "hold me's" whenever we didn't have a stroller. So I would strongly consider bringing your own stroller.

Get really comfortable with park maps before you go so you have a game plan. Based on your child's nap time, I'd get to the parks by opening and start heading out again by 11:30/12 ish so that a good rest can be taken back at the hotel. Rests are a good idea even for adults and kids who DON'T normally nap mid-day. 3:30 is a good time to start freshening up to head back into the parks for the evenings. But my experience has been that if baby is cranky, mom and dad will get cranky too -- so don't push too hard. That will ruin the vacation.

If you must, go ahead and try standing in lines, but I'd really work FastPass, and learn some of the strategies from people here (like for a child your age, get to MK at opening and do Fantasyland first before all the ride lines get too long -- FP along the way if you need to). Many rides that will end up having long lines will likely be rides that your 2yo won't be tall enough to ride anyway. If 2yo is having trouble staying in line, have one of you walk around with her and meet up with you further down the line. Use rideswitch so you don't BOTH have to wait in equally lengthy lines.

You might want to buy a Front of the Line Pass for Universal if you aren't staying at a Universal hotel while there. That will enable you to basically walk-on some of the more popular attractions.

I would strongly encourage you to plan 1-2 non-park days. On these days you can still experience Disney Magic by enjoying your resort's pool, kiddie pool, playground area, a character meal at one of the resorts like Chef Mickey's, O'hana's or Cape May. You can visit downtown disney and even watch the fireworks over the castle at one of the monorail hotels... I recommend the Grand Floridian, from their marina. Or if you're willing, a few days where you do 'shorter days' in the parks, like you only go in for the afternoon after your child's nap.


Our 2yo was entranced with the park maps, so'd we pick up an extra one for her. Other things that work well is having some easy snacks like goldfish, cheez-its, pretzels, cheerios available (nothing that is too messy or melty). Plenty of water or juice so the little one doesn't dehydrate is also important.

The misters are fun, keep kids occupied and cool. Just watch so your child doesn't bite on the foam wings of the fan!

Bring lots of wipes with you wherever you go. I even sometimes bring a wet washcloth double-baggied with some ice in the bag to use to wipe down myself or kids when they're sweaty. Feels clean, refreshing.

On the plane, our dd2 slept most of the way home. But for on the way out, I brought along our portable dvd player with some of her fave movies. Crayons, a blank notebook for her to scribble and create masterpieces in and loads of stickers to add to the fun. Since she's too young (imo) to chew gum properly, I gave her fruit chew snacks on takeoff and landing to keep her chewing and help if any ear trouble arose. Having an arsenal full of songs and fingerplays you can do together can keep a child entertained (Mr. Sun, Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It).

Pack benadryl. It helps if your child has ear trouble on the plane. You also never know when else it may come in handy, if someone appears to have any kind of allergic reaction to anything.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[NandP]

Anyone know if you can leave a theatre such as "Mickey's Philharmagic" mid show if my little one gets scared?

 

[nicdanh]

Yes, you just go to an exit an leave at anytime.

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

I've found that following your 2yo's regular schedule is the best tip.
If they are use to eating and sleeping at certain times you should try to maintain that. 2yo's are also pretty flexible- if you have time to go back to your hotel for a nap than do it --but a nice reclining stroller in a shaded spot can be great if you're stuck and your child is easy going.
Have great trip!

 

[WDWRULZ]

We went to WDW this past January with our DD (5) and DD (2). We have a set schedule and planned on keeping it when we got there. That went out the window the first day. The first day we went back for nap time and it was a nightmare. We found that she was better falling asleep as she wanted to in her stroller and then we would go in to shop or stepped in somewhere cool to allow her to rest. My wife and I would swap out sitting with DD (2) while the other continued to enjoy the day with DD (5).

We also found it priceless to rent the Disney strollers instead of bringing ours and also using their lockers at each park. The trip turned out wonderful!!!