New Here: Best things to do with a toddler at WDW?

[MyPrinceCame]

I know this has probably been asked 100000 times but we are taking my son for his first trip to WDW in August he will be a few weeks shy of two. What are the must do's for kiddos that age? I have not been since I was 9 so we are really looking forward to it and want to be sure to show him all we can. Thanks!

 

[eaj1228]

I went to Disneyland in April with my niece who was 18 months and she had tons of fun. I know it isn't the same as WDW but it is similar. She was able to go on Pirates and all of the rides in Fantasyland. Her favorite ride was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. She was able to go on Toy Story Mania and seemed to enjoy it. She liked the Mr. Potato head in the queue. She also enjoyed all of the parades. I was suprised she like the fireworks as much as she did.

She also loved simply being outside. We are from Seattle so she was cooped up in the house for most of the winter. Sometimes she was more into watching the ducks or other animals than she was going on rides. When we were in California they had record shattering high temperatures so the frozen lemonade cups were her best friend. She would slop them all over herself so we would just bring an extra change of clothes in our backpack/diaperbag.

I am planning her first trip to WDW and I know even now she would love the Safari, Nemo Show, Festival of the Lion King in Animal Kingdom. Country Bear Jamboree might be fun for a little one.

 

[saraheeyore]

we took my daughter when she was 2. be prepared that they may want to do some things more than once. we went on small world about 4 times and lost count on times we went on the carosel. book some character meals and if you are staying onsite try the playhouse disney dance party at hollywood studios

 

[bigolive9]

We took our son a couple weeks before his second birthday on just about everything that didn't have a height requirement. He loved Dumbo/Aladdin/Triceratops spin. Fantasyland gave us the most options for him. He like Imagination at Epcot, but did not love universe of energy (he like the dinos in it, but not the rest). We found that he did not want to sit still for shows (except Philharmagic and MuppetVision). He did very well on rides, but he squirmed and wanted to run around during shows. He loves Mike, but fussed a lot during Laugh Floor when Mike wasn't on the screen. Don't try to do American Adventure, or any other show that requires being quiet/sitting still for a lon period of time. We did Baby Swap for TOT, Soarin, Splash, etc...

Unless your toddler has a specific fear (dark, fast moving things, etc...) you should be able to take him on just about everything. Do make sure that you keep plenty of sunscreen and water available. We went at the beginning of May, and our poor DS looked miserably hot most of the time. We made sure he had a sippy cup of water at all times, and tried to fill it often. If he got extremely hot (after the 3pm parade), we ran into a store and got him a bottle of cold water.

He was kind of "bad" at dinner, but he is normally very good- I think it was just that he had a lot of energy built up at that point. Normally at home, he spends his afternoons running all over the house, not in a stroller, getting out only to wait in line and ride rides.

Your little one should have a great time! Just keep in mind that it is much different touring with a toddler- you will likely not get to see or ride everything. Make sure that you plan in some down time. We didn't get started until 11 most mornings, so we didn't come back for naps, but we did stop and have ice cream or a cool snack nearly every day.

 

[deva]

My 2yo loves:

At Magic Kingdom
Winnie the Pooh
Dumbo
Small World
Peter Pan
Minnie's House
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (may still be shut down for rehab???)
Tiki Room

Epcot
Living with the Land (boat ride)
Nemo
Journey into Imagination (not sure of the exact name - has Figment the dragon)
Spray fountains/misters (by Test Track)

Studios
Toy Story Mania
Playhouse Disney Live
Little Mermaid

And, of course, the POOL!

 

[tiffsix]

We went in May & my son had just turned 2 in March. His favorite park was of course the Magic Kingdom! Make sure you have this park in your itinerary a few times! Like PP's have said, he can go on pretty much anything that does not have a height restriction in any of the parks. I think at that age, character meals are key! My son loved the interaction with the characters and actually sat very well during those meals! Another must do in my opinion is the Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness. He has been twice already and he still talks about it almost every day! The kids are able to dance with the characters and it really is a lot of fun! We are going again in Sept. and he pretends to call Mickey on the phone telling him we are coming to his BBQ!! To blow off some steam, the playgrounds are always a nice place for kids his age! Have a great trip!