My mom's making me 2nd guess

[ajk912]

I think 2 is a great age because it's around age 3 (at least in my experience) that they start becoming afraid of characters.

Nothing ruins the photo ops more than the kid who cries at the thought of taking a pic with Mickey Mouse!

 

[GoofyFairie]

This trip isn't just for your 2yr old- it is for you too. You know what is best for your family so make your decisions based on that. No guilt and no second guessing- you are allowed to be happy! Have an awesome tirp. Your kids are going to have be so excited!!!

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

My DD was 2 when we took her in December. She LOVED it. She recognizes more and more characters, recognizes Main St, the Castle, etc. She went on rides (loved Dumbo), and had a great time.

 

[nickelsfamily]

I wouldn't worry about what other people think!

(we have done WDW with a 9 month old!) I would just do what you have planned. 2 years old is a great time to go. Even if your child doesn't remember think of all the joy they are having at the time and YOU will keep the memories

 

[disneynewbee]

My 2nd dd turned 2 while on our first trip and she loved every minute of it. I have no regrets and she loves looking at the pics of her from that trip (she's 6 now).

 

[liznboys]

Your mother is just plain wrong on this one, sorry mom! lol Don't let her sway you, do what you want to do. You will have a great time.

 

[Goofy'slady]

I'm gonna concure with everybody else. I've heard lots of folks make these comments and it never makes any sense to me. I mean would people plan a picnic and leave their toddler home because they won't remeber? no. But when planning a trip to Disney it all of a sudden becomes an issue. Two year olds deserve to have fun too, just because they won't remember certain details of the trip doesn't mean they won't enjoy it while it's happening.

Our oldest daugther's first trip was when she was 15 months and now she's 10.5. If you ask her if she remembers anything she'll tell you no, but I remember her smiles, laughter and speical moments. Our 2nd daughter was just 23 months her first trip and she had a BLAST! We went to the Spirt of Aloha show and got up there to dance and join her big sister. She splashed in the kiddie area at Typhoon Lagoon and MK was so much fun for her because even though she was nearly 2 she still was able to ride on sooo much. Last year we took our kids back again before our oldest turned 10(so we still paid child prices for her) and our youngest was a month away from turning 3(so she was still free).

Since that last trip everytime she sees a Disney commercial she jumps up and down saying mommy "you remember?" so that tells me that she remembered everything. This May she'll be a month shy of turning 4 and she's soooo excited about her trip to Disney. Don't under estimate the memory of a toddler; no they probably won't remember things 5-10 yrs from now but they'll still remember for along time after they return and isn't that worth it. You enjoying your daughter's laughter and good times running, splashing, and total enjoyment is part of the journey of being a parent.

T.

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

Well ummmm,

1. YOU will remember it even if she doesnt. To remember the first time your kid sees the castle and their face lights up - or Mickey - ooooohhhh magic!!!

2. You are taking an older child too!!

3. Why not? It's fun for adults too! LOL

 

[CoachG]

We took our DD last year at 16 mo along with our DS who was 3 1/2 at the time. We took tons of pictures and made a scrapbook after. Literally every single day my DD (now 2) asks to go to "Mickey's House" and loves to look through that book and even carry around some pics we didn't put in the scrapbook. She might not be able to know any of the names of the rides or places we ate but she knows she got to meet all of her favorite disney characters because she's got pictures with them and she's even more excited than DS to go back this year. We had another DD in September so she'll be less than a year old when we go back this year and we have no worries about taking her or it being a waste of a trip. When is a vacation ever a bad thing?

 

[katied]

DS has been 5 times already, the latest at 20 months. Every time he enjoys it just a bit more, and he can't wait to go back. His favorite words are Mickey and Duck! DNiece also loved it at 23 months, and keeps asking her mom and dad to go back.

 

[la79al]

Well, the trip is still on. And we're talking about buying a camcorder to take along. I don't care if she doesn't remember a thing. Her big brother and sister will make sure she doesn't forget! I don't want to fight with trying to take the kids out of school so we can go in the winter so I really feel that this will be our last chance for a family vacation like this. DSS is already saying he can't believe he is so excited about DW in a way that makes me understand that if we wait, he won't be excited at all by the time we do get to go. I'm looking at it as one last time to take the older kids (though DSD will probably never outgrow DW) and since DD will be free anyhow, it will just be a nice chance for all of us to watch her first trip. And knowing my mom, she will not even be able to wait until we get home to call DD and ask her about the trip Thanks everybody for your positive thoughts!

 

[daleswife]

im taking my DS2 this September. My DD is going to be 6 by then. We also took them both last year when he was 21 months old and we took them the year before that when he was 3 months old. The look on his face when he saw mickey mouse for the first time was priceless.... Id so do it over again...

 

[DISNEYNV]

Yes, take her! Two is such a fun age to begin with and that should be a good enough reason to take your DD on a great family trip. You will have so many great pictures and family memories to share with her...and your mom! If it feels right for you and your family (not including mom of course) then do it...you will not be sorry you did. Have fun!

 

[bumbershoot]

We have a trip being planned for the month after DD turns 2. Today my mom went on and on about how she thinks DD will be too little to enjoy DW.

The question is not if the little one will enjoy every moment. The question is if you guys will enjoy it. The answer to that is likely YES we will enjoy it!

When they are that little, the trip isn't for them, it's for you and the family as a whole.

Sounds like she really wants to keep the 2 year old with her...grandma should just come with you guys. If you can deal with that of course, LOL.

 

[disneybridetobe]

DO IT!! GO! You'll have a great time. We took DD at 14 months and she's going to go again when she's 2. I can't wait!

Go.. and take LOTS of pics! DD had lots of special moments with Pooh that I wouldnt trade for the world.

 

[ashlansmom]

We took our daughter (only one at the time) when she was 1.5 years and everyone roasted us for it. I am so glad we did it because she LOVED it! We were so happy watching her wonderment and awe, it was simply awesome! She wasn't scared of the characters (I realize this can vary by child), she liked everything she rode which was basically everything except the rides she was too short for, she LOVED the parade during the day. I was so bummed we couldn't get her to the night parade, but we went in April and it wasn't until 9pm, and although I hoped we could drag her back to the park for it, she wasn't sleeping well or napping well, so it just wasn't happening. The hardest thing for us was : We had a room at the Wilderness Lodge, and she didn't do well falling asleep in the pack and play while we were in the room.... we would try to go on the balcony to leave her alone, but it took her a long time to fall asleep in there. She was definitely tired during the trip. We said that next time we would be looking to have a place with a common area and a bedroom separately that we could close the door to while she fell asleep By the way, she also loved the KidCot stations at Epcot. It was the only thing that got us through the countries, otherwise she wouldn't have stood for that part!

Do not hesitate! All these people said the same things to us, my MIL thought we were crazy and said so to my face. Our thought was, she was free to fly, free to stay, free to eat, free to go to the parks.... it was awesome and I wouldn't change it for the world. Great memories and we talk with her even still about "Mickey's house!" I can't wait to take her back! We have memories for a lifetime and we have pictures to show her since I'm sure she won't remember. If we were going to go SOMEWHERE on vacation... why not Disney when she was free anyway? She wouldn't remember ANYWHERE we took her that year on vaca!

Good luck, ENJOY, and relish the moment when you come back and tell everyone how magical it was for your little one, and how WRONG they were!

 

[mickey&minnie4ever]

We took our daughter her first time at 7 1/2 months then 9 months, 21 months, and 23 months. Her next trip is at 2yrs 2 months in March. We took lots of pictures and video. She was so funny at all ages. Something different each trip. We were told she would not like Disney when she grows up and now she says "I'm going to Disney World" all the time. She says she wants to go to Minnie's house. She is always saying Goofy is in Minnie's Castle. Forget what everyone else tells you about taking a young child. They are FREE, you get to see their face light up at all the different things around them.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I was just looking at video of our Ds's last WDW trip during his 2nd birthday and it was a great time to go! He really enjoyed it. There is TONS they can do at that age and you never know what they will remember.

 

[TeacupDemon]

Chiming in to say go for it! We took our 2 year old in June, and it was a wonderful experience!

I found that the people telling me not to do it are people who view Disney as a "once in a lifetime" destination, rather than a "once a year" destination. I know my son will be seeing WDW at many ages, not just 2. But what a great way to start a lifelong love of Disney!

 

[ScrapperBelle]

I just wanted to add that my parents took me for my 3rd bday (way back in '72) and I remember "moments" from that trip. I can remember seeing the castle across the lagoon for the 1st time, getting to pick out a balloon, a little of the characters...not really in any great detail...but those are some of my 1st memories and I do remember them! I have been many, many times since then, but I still get a "flashback" of that 1st time seeing the castle on every trip!