Oh the guilt!

[Woodmnky]

I think that leaving the 2 yo at home with Grandma (even if the 2yo would have a wonderful time) just sets up a situation for sibling rivalry and hurt feelings down the road. Changing plans to keep up with your family dyanmics is part of what being a family means and for our family leaving one member of the family home wouldn't even be a thought. I know that you said you want a vacation without other adult family members, but what about doing a family trip to WDW and then having Grandma keep the kids so that you & your spouse can take a adult only retreat at a later date?

 

[4xmom]

We have been taking all 4 of ours since they were a few months old. We have video from one trip when I pregnant with number 4. She doesn't like that video very much. Although we remind her that she was there in my tummy. We had one trip that was over middle dd's birthday and she had her party at the Beach Club. The others, even now being older, still complain about the months their birthdays are in since they will not get to go to WDW for a birthday (summer months and one a few days before Christmas). I just couldn't leave one behind. But then again my mommy guilt is so bad that we have not had a single vacation with no kids.

 

[mrsp1030]

You will get a lot of advice but in the end, go with your gut feeling. We have 3 kids and all three have been as young as 5 months and each adventure has been different. In fact, our middle son will see pictures of our oldest when we lived abroad and will say it's not fair he got to go see castles and go to Paris (all before our middle one was born). I think the memories are just as magical regardless of age. That being said, I also have friends who have taken each of their kids on a special trip alone at age 5 in May before starting kindergarten. Like I said, go with your gut feeling.

 

[Disney44please]

You will ultimately need to decide what is best for your family. We took our 2 & 4 year old in December and they both did great. My 2 year old wasn't able to ride all the rides obviously, but she was amazed at the Disney "experience". From riding the bus to seeing the princesses, from parades to character meets, she was over the moon the entire time. We had a double stroller and she could veg out whenever she wanted to, it worked well for all of us and I can't imagine her not being there.

In the end you need to think about your dynamic and figure out what will work best for the group of you guys. Just remember she is free for now and you can do rider swap which will allow double the rides for your 5 year old!

I'm sure you will have fun either way!

 

[Manders77]

I think that leaving the 2 yo at home with Grandma (even if the 2yo would have a wonderful time) just sets up a situation for sibling rivalry and hurt feelings down the road. Changing plans to keep up with your family dyanmics is part of what being a family means and for our family leaving one member of the family home wouldn't even be a thought. I know that you said you want a vacation without other adult family members, but what about doing a family trip to WDW and then having Grandma keep the kids so that you & your spouse can take a adult only retreat at a later date?

. I agree with this. I am the youngest child of two and my parents took my brother to Cedar Point alone a few times because I wasn't tall enough for big rides. Mind you I was older but it left a bad taste when my brother bragged about the times he went. When I was finally tall enough I told them I wanted him to stay home so I could enjoy the time but they said that wasn't fair because he's older. Yeah it wasn't WDW but still sucked. I would of been satisfied if I got the same. Some people might not agree but my parents always talked about fairness and being even. When I asked for a small tv for Christmas my brother got one too even though he didn't care. My brother wanted an expensive remote control car once. I got a girlie version remote control car. But taking a day trip to cedar point with just mom and dad. Nope. We invite my parents on our trips so DH and I may want to have a couple hours as adults. Grandparents take the kids on the fun stuff and we meet up couple hours later. Works perfectly and we don't spend every waking moment with grandparents. They do their own thing too. I say take him and grandma

 

[Angel Ariel]

Personally, I wouldn't leave the 2 y/o home *unless* the 2 y/o will also get a solo trip to Disney with you and your DH when he's older. And with that comes telling the older child that they won't be going to Disney with you, which would likely be a bigger issue.

DH and I are considering going to WDW alone in November and leaving DD with my parents...DH wants to run the W&D 1/2 marathon, and I'd like to enjoy the F&W festival and finish line party (which goes until 4am) without having to worry about taking care of DD. But, we've already taken her twice, and plan to take her again before she turns 3. So it's not that I disagree with the idea of leaving a child home...as long as it equals out for the younger child later.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I will say that both my boys have been at 2 and both of them loved being there. Everything is so wonderful and magical for them. My boys loved the characters and watching their faces light up when they got to see Pooh or Tigger or Mickey was priceless. When my oldest was just over 2, I took him and went with my sister and 2 nephews (we evacuated from our city for a hurricane and went to WDW). Him being there with his 2 older cousins was amazing. He went to sleep saying their names and woke up asking for them. Of course he doesn't remember it, but in the moment, it was delightful.

I would lean towards taking both kids.

 

[Minnesota!]

I will be honest - bringing my 2 year olds was a breeze. Probably the easiest of my trips with them. THey were content to nap in the stroller, we did baby swap, they loved everything.

I would not be able to leave my 2 year old home...too much fun he would be missing out on (and you, too, seeing WDW through his eyes). Just my opinion..

 

[KateMW]

I would leave your youngest home in a heartbeat. He will have fun family time with his grandmother and y'all will have time with your older son. My daughter is going away to camp for 5 weeks this summer and we're going to the beach with our youngest...family trips don't and can't always be the whole family. Have a fun time!

 

[aj2hall]

We faced a similar situation when my older 2 boys were 6 & 8. My parents generously gave us a trip to Disney and offered to stay home with our youngest, who was 2 1/2. We could have taken him, but it would have been a very different trip. We missed him, but time alone with just the other 2 was invaluable. And my youngest adores my parents and had a great time at their house. 3 years later, we took my youngest by himself to Disney. We were really clear all along about the plan and there were no complaints from my older 2. They enjoyed time with their grandparents and we treasured the trip with just our youngest. We're returning in February with all 3 for the first time. We take lots of family vacations all together as a family, but the one on one time with my boys was really special. Bottom line, you need to do what's best for your family, then enjoy the trip, guilt free.

 

[1000HappyWishes]

He'll be fine at home. My brother has not been on any of my Disney trips. He wasn't born on the first one I went on, and when I returned just a short while later and he didn't go, he didn't care or remember. Enjoy this time with your five year old.

 

[Chrispygal]

Personally, unless you are planning a solo trip for your youngest child at 5 years old, I don't think it's fair. So the oldest child gets to celebrate on his own, but your youngest has to share their trip? It doesn't seem right to be. Also I think at some point your younger DS will see pictures and feel badly that they weren't on this trip. It's just not something I could do. It's not always about being "fair" but something like that can really hurt a sensitive kid.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I took DD to Disney when she was 2, 3 and 5. DS was 8, 9 and 11 those trips and he came too.

I have always said if I had more kids I wouldn't take them to Disney until they were 5 because I can't stand doing the stroller thing. Going when DD was 5 and stroller free was the best trip ever.

Your 2 year old won't remember and it'll be great quality time with your older DS.

 

[NjMamaMouse]

I have kids now 12, 5, 2.... heading back again in April. This will be my 2 year olds third trip. Under 3 is free, so why not bring her.... And when we go to Disney even my 5 year old needs a nap in order to stay up for nights at the parks. So as long as you schedule in quiet time back in your room for everyone to rest, all should be fine.
And my 2 year old is SUPER excited about going in April.... She remembers our last trip and tells me she wants to "ride Ariel ride five times!" SO they remember things too!!

 

[lkrupa]

This decision is completely up to you, with that said I took my son at age 2 and he was afraid of the characters the first day but fine for the rest of the trip. He enjoyed all the rides he could go on and still napped every day in the stroller I rented from Orlando Stroller. I also would have felt guilty leaving one of my kids home. I also enjoy having all of the pictures with the whole family in them.

 

[RachaelA]

I could never leave one of my kids at home if both my husband and I were going. If it was a special mommy/kid or daddy/kid trip then that's different and both kids would get special trips.

My 2 year old remembers stuff from our trip when she was 18 months old. She looks at pictures. I can't imagine leaving my youngest home when she's 2 and just taking my oldest and then her seeing pictures and wondering why she wasn't allowed to come especially if she wasn't getting her own special trip at some point.

 

[RachaelA]

I have a question: If we were to decide last minute to bring DS along, is there anything we would need to do to inform Disney? Would we be ok to just show up with him in Orlando and add him then? He wouldn't be on our DDP so I know that's not something that's a big deal but do they give magic bands to 1 year olds (he won't quite be 2 yet)? I also don't think adding him to the room would change the price so is this something I need to worry about?

He would need to be on every dining reservation. You can't just show up with an extra person at meals. Every body including infants held in laps needs to be on the dining reservations.

 

[VS85]

My parents took us to WDW when I was 7 and he was 2. I don't remember the trip very much, but I do remember having a blast and have no memories of resenting my brother for being there because we had to time things around his schedule. (Then again, it wasn't a special trip, just a family vacation). And it's fun to look back at photos of the two of us with characters, because I am the one holding his hand or carrying him. I get all sappy and nostalgic when I see those photos. Older siblings like myself just love that kind of thing

All that being said, I don't think you should feel guilty if you decide to leave him behind. I bet it would make your older DS feel very special and loved to have a trip where he got his parents' undivided attention. Sometimes older kids can feel left out when the younger ones get more attention. I also personally don't think that you then have to take your younger one on a solo trip for the sake of fairness - my younger brother and I each did things or got things from my parents that the other did not. It doesn't create any animosity between us that "he got this and I didn't." It just was what it was!

Good luck with your decision... And don't feel guilty about whatever you decide!

 

[Zeebs]

personally no I wouldn't leave him, sharing your parents is part of being a family, is what I tell my kids. However, your family, your kids do what is right for you.

Kirsten

 

[goodeats]

Eh, I'd probably leave them. We're DL locals and I take both my 2 and 4.5 yo a lot. I have to say it's a lot more magical when I just take the 4.5yo. I would hate to fly cross country and spend thousands to deal with meltdowns and the terrible 2s at WDW. We're waiting until the little one is older, but if we somehow won a trip or something I would absolutely consider leaving the little one with Grandma. 2yos are tough!