Need input from those who have taken their 2.5 year old

[zulaya]

Hi all--

I am trying to get my best friend to jump on this Fairytale Package deal but her hangup is that she will have a 2.5 year old boy at the time and she's not sure she can handle going to the parks, napping, etc. (Edit: The whole group would consist of my friend, her DH, their DD9, DD6, and DS 2.5)

Personally, I have not taken my kids that young, but had we had the money to do it when they were that young I would have done it.

Can anyone relate their experiences here? I think that if she doesn't go commando - which isn't her style anyway - that things will be okay. He could snooze in the stroller at the parks if need be. I think he would love the characters at this age!

But I also can see if he's unhappy, everyone else might be.

Can I have some input? Anyone made it through with a little guy this age? Or is it a mistake to even try?

Thanks.

(Note to Mods. Also going to post this on the Families Board too when I get over there.)

 

[Hayley]

It all depends on your friend, really. Will she be willing to let the rest of you go on without her sometimes? Because a 2 1/2 year old won't be able to keep up the same pace as adults or older kids, and will be miserable (and will make you miserable.)

He'll have a great time if your friend takes it easy with him and realizes she'll have to go back to the hotel when he's had it! I never took my kids until the youngest was in Kindergarten, and I was apart from the rest of our group quite a bit -- my daughter and I were at the MK or the pool alot when the rest of our group did things that she wouldn't enjoy.

 

[zulaya]

I won't be going with her...I am just trying to convince her to go! Have been working on her for over a year now. This package seems to interest her.

I hear you about the afternoon breaks. I have a 6 and 7 year old, and we still take afternoon breaks...for me!

 

[joshua4]

but you need to be patient and flexible. The afternoon nap in the room (not in the stoller) was imperative. Also, you need to adjust your pace a bit and be sensitive about things like character phobia's and fear of dark rides (my 2.5 year old freaked out in the Pooh ride due to the darkness!). Other than that, I think that you can have a great time with a small one along for the ride!

 

[chancellor]

I have a 2.5 year old boy who's been to WDW five times already (we live in Florida). He absolutely loves it, is a confirmed Pirates of the Carribbean fan, and constantly asks to "go see Mickey." We just got back from a 4-day weekend, and I can say he enjoys it more every time we go.

However, when taking a toddler, you have to get your expectations in line. First, do NOT expect to go commando style and see everything. Aside from the height restrictions, you need to take it SLOW for a toddler to keep up. Plan afternoon naps (though mine is usually too excited to sleep at least the first day). If there's a ride the grown-ups want to do, you can use the baby swap to let one group go while the other watches the little one (this works best at places where there's something for the toddler to do, like play in the fountains outside Test Track (bring extra clothes))

Also, don't force anything. I've found my DS is inconsistent in what he wants to do/what he's scared of. At first, he was afraid of the characters, now he wants to see and hug all of them and get his picture taken. When he was younger, he loved the Haunted Mansion but this last time he cried (though I suspect that was because he actually wanted to ride Peter Pan, and we did the HM because our fastpasses hadn't kicked in yet). That gets to my second tip, USE FASTPASS. Little ones don't have much patience for waiting in line, and fastpass is a lifesaver there. I don't get in any line with more than a 10 minute posted wait (though I did once make it through a 20 minute wait for Buzz Lightyear, with some fussing, since he loves that ride too). You can also split up your fastpasses among your party so the toddler can ride twice - since the biggest problem we have is when he starts crying to do the ride again as soon as he gets off.

Another hint, if you can swing it, is to stay at a monorail hotel. The bus transportation is a bit much for a small child, and you can push a stroller right onto the monorail (the boats too, if you stay at WL or FW). We have done moderates, and survived the buses, but we usually have a better time with easier transportation (plus, we always have a car with us, which helps too).

The bottom line is, take it slow, lower your expectations, and you will have a great time with a little one. We wouldn't have annual passes if a 2 year old couldn't have a good time at WDW.

 

[drogerstn]

I won't be going with her...I am just trying to convince her to go!

Sounds like you can keep her 2.5 yr old while she visits WDW

We had planned our 1st WDW trip with the "promise" from in-laws that they would keep our 2.5 yr old and we would take our 7 yr old. As usual, they fell through on their promise...but that's another story...

I really thought it would be tough taking the little one and didn't figure she would get much out of the trip and probably wouldn't have planned the trip if we knew ahead of time that she would be going along; however, I was wrong. With the stroller and a soft cooler with snacks and drinks, we were able to keep up a pretty good pace and made use of the baby-swap. (Baby-swap works great, especially if you have a 2nd child along who can ride the rides with the parents.) We had a very enjoyable trip and came home with some good pictures.

As already mentioned, mid-day breaks with a swim and/or nap helped out (the 2.5 yr old wouldn't nap, but the mother would). I was afraid that we would feel like we were throwing away park time by riding back to the resort hotel and taking a break during the middle of the day, but found out that this really helped out on the days it fit our schedule.

 

[Gillian]

Will it just be the mom & 2 yo? If so, I'd say wait. It's much easier at that age with 2 adults!

We took DS at 2 and 2 1/2. Both times his favorite ride was the "Mickey Bus!" He was not afraid of anything dark, but wouldn't go on anything tall, like Dumbo.

He slept in his stroller some days, but others would not. The best days were when he napped during lunch, because otherwise we had to figure out what to do with a 2 year old asleep in a stroller. Shopping, eating & walking are about the only things you can do! One day at Epcot I sat outside the Wonders of Life pavillion and enjoyed the AC when the doors opened.

The hardest part for us was getting on & off of busses. And even the monorail was sometimes a pain, because we folded our stroller in the AM to make more room for other guests to board if it was crowded.

A harness is helpful!

 

[zulaya]

Sorry I guess I need to elaborate...I won't be going because my family is already going in June and November. Her family would all be going and includes her, DH, DD9, DD6 and DS 2.5

It's not that I wouldn't take Grant...I just don't think she'd want to leave him and my opinion is he would get a kick out of the whole thing.

 

[Jules74]

I took my son when he was 2 1/2 and we had a ball. He fell asleep in his stroller a few times but we had no problem at all and throughly enjoyed our trip. We are going again 5/28 and he is 4 y 4 m now!!

 

[campingcorgi]

I've taken them as young as 7 months and have taken a 2 1/2 year old. She had a blast!

I help lots of people plan their trips (as I'm sure we all do!) and I always make it a policy to present information but make them make their own choices. I just figure it will help salvage a friendship if their trip doesn't work out. Show your friend the info on traveling with pre-schoolers, infants, etc at WDWIG to be sure she is well-informed and then let her decide--in my opinion.

 

[jdonat]

We've taken both our kids from the time
they were infants -my oldest was 9mo old her first time.
Ideas, guidelines...
1. Use a stroller for the kid -if they get tired,
they can pass out in the stroller and you can
go relax yourself in a quieter area of the parks!
2. Be flexible.
3 Use the baby care centers -I tell you three times... They are great for a quiet area if the child isn't good eating in a large restaraunt.
4. A monorail hotel is good, or the North Garden wing of the Connie -you can WALK
to the MK from there.
5. Go to shows -the kids love the music and such.
6. Take a small cooler -they're invaluable for small snacks (fruit, etc.) put a damp washcloth in a ziploc in the cooler -it will be
wonderful when the weather gets real hot!
Our two have been theme park commandos since they were very little and are quite used to it by now. The ability to pass out in a stroller really helps, hopefully the little one will cooperate...

JED

 

[Gillian]

Then I would go NOW, before the little one turns three! It's such a savings.

I should add that DS was a little afraid of the characters at first, but really enjoyed then by the end of the trip. He loved Chip & Dale, because they are so playful! He also thought minnie's house was the greatest thing and could have spent hours in her kitchen!

 

[tink2]

I think it depends on the child. My DD was pretty easy-going when we took her at 2 1/2. She took naps in the stroller every day while we staked out a place for the afternoon parade. That really worked well- the older kids and adults could ride big rides while we took turns sitting with her. We did arrive at park opening most days and stayed until nighttime parades were over. We did do commando a little- not full force all week. Again, this was an easy-going child who rode in the stroller all day and napped in the stroller every day.
However, my DS will be 2 1/2 this upcoming trip and is not as easy-going as his sister. This trip will probably have to have more flexibility for him. We will have lots of help- grandparents, aunts, and uncles going - but I'm sure there will be times when someone will miss some things to accomidate him. Just be sure your friend knows that everything may not go according to plan and to be flexible!
Also, my 2 1/2 DD was scared of the characters at first- but after a couple of character meals she was chasing them! Character meals were the best thing we did for her to get used to the characters!

 

[mommystieg]

We took our dd who was a little over 2 last year. She loved it!! She is also constantly asking to go see Mickey. The most important part of any WDW vacation is flexibility. A couple of days we slept in instead of hitting the parks at opening, sometimes we returned to the room for a break and some days she fell asleep during a show or a ride so one us would sit somewhere cool with her while the other parent entertained our older dd. WDW is a perfect place to take a child that young because there are so many more things for them to enjoy than at most other theme parks. Our dd watched the vacation planning video and the Disney sing-a-long videos almost exclusively before our trip to help prepare her for meeting the characters.

 

[dmonroe]

We took ds on his first trip to WDW when he was 2.5. He had a total blast!! Loved the characters, wasn't afraid of any rides, did great catching short naps in the stroller. Only 1 meltdown the entire week! That said, we did not go commando on that trip. We went at a much slower pace than we usually do; and if ds wanted to ride Buzz 5 times in a row, we did it! We just went with the thought that the entire trip was for him, not us. It worked out beautifully--I'm so glad we did it! I know every kid is different; but I would tell your friend to go for it!

 

[spectro man]

I have been taking my kids since they were 1 yr old. They are 4 & 18 mos now and it doesnt hinder us at all. Just their reaction alone to the characters is worth every penny!

It is definately doable. She just has to keep in mind that she will need to take frequent breaks, maybe head back to the resort (She needs to stay on property to really emjoy it) for breaks.