People insisting we "wait until they can remember it"

[1rockinmamato2]

Every time I excitedly tell someone that we're going to do Disney when the kids are 1 and 2 years of age - they always tell me to wait until they can remember it.

It's not like we'll never go back to Disney ever again - it's the first of many trips to Disney that we have planned for the future. And when I tried explaining and justifying our trip to one lady by telling her that regardless of whether or not they'll remember it, they'll know what's going on and be stimulated by the sights and sounds of Disney.

I'm a believer in no matter how young they are, they can *feel* the magic.

*SIGH* Why do some people insist on raining on our parade?

 

[Ariel8676]

UGH i hate that..We used to hear that all the time (we started going when my 5 yo was 8 months)and i used to feel the need to justify our family vacations to everyone. Now my 5 yo has been to WDW about 10 times already, my 4 yo 9 times and my 14 month dd was there 3 times last year..lol. We don't hear it anymore.. they all just know that we are Disney Nuts!!!
OK so maybe they won't remember every little aspect of the trip, but YOU will, and you will have lots of pictures to look at, and remember the fun you all had as a family while you were there.

**you can always just tell them all to mind their own business..its your time and money not theirs...lol j/k...

 

[rgribik]

It's 7degrees out today.. so I'm looking at the Dis boards
Anyway, I'm a firm believer that little ones really don't remember, only regurgatate what we keep showing or telling them(I don't remember any of my trips before the age of, probally 6 or 7), but we go the Dis and beyond because WE want to go and since the kids are part of the family we all go. Don't try to justify, just say we love to go to.......and we go as a family, wether they remember or not, and we take lots of pictures so the kids can look back and see how goofy we all looked way back when.

 

[Katy Belle]

No, they won't remember but YOU will! I understand that if its going to be a once in a lifetime trip, then wait. WDW is for CHILDREN! If you want to take them when they are tiny, take them!
Katy

 

[emsip]

I don't understand why people assume that a 1 yr old cannot remember. They might not be able to verbally tell you what they remember, but it does not mean that they don't remember anything from the trip.

The first time we took our son was when he was 1 yr old. He really enjoyed It's a Small World and we rode it several times. Everytime we rode it, he would shake his head back and forth, just like the dolls. One day while changing him, my wife started humming the IASW theme song and he started shaking his head again. This was a month after our trip. I didn't believe her at first and thought that maybe she had moved her head while humming and my son was just copying her. So I hummed the song to him without making any movements and he started shaking his head all on his own. I thought it was the cooling thing I ever saw.

We took him again when he was 2 yrs old, and he definitly had fun on that trip. He watches Jojo's circus and he got very excited when he saw Jojo and Goliath. When we went to the character breakfast with Jojo, he kept following Goliath to every table. Luckily the restaurant was not crowded so after Goliath visited all the tables he spent a few minutes with my son before taking a break.

 

[SaraMc]

We are taking DS who is 5.5months old to WDW this week, we get that all the time. However this is our 3rd trip in 3 years. Its not like we are never going to go again. We usually get this comment from family that has never been to WDW some of my family prefer not to go on vacation but to stay home and work on their homes on their time off. That's great for them, but DH and I like to get away. There was NO WAY I was leaving DS at home while we went. That would be waaay worse in my mind. I know he wont remember the trip, but I just got a 1 gig memory card for my camera so there will be enough photo's of the trip for him to see that he really was there. And those who dont think he's old enough, I probably will make them look at all 1000 photo's Im planning on taking

 

[Tinkerbell2002]

We took ds at 2, 3 and 4 years of age and he had a great time every time we went. And the baby will be less than 1 when we go back this year. I don't worry when people tell me I should wait till they remember. I just feel so sad for them that they will never get to see how magical Disney World is to their toddler. Because when my son goes, even though he won't remember it, everything and all the characters are real to him. It is so fun to see Disney World through their eyes.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

Thanks everyone for making me feel so much better!

For 11 years of waiting for a child, I'd always said I couldn't wait to see Disney through the eyes of a child. My time has come to do that, but now we're dealing with the "unfun" people who have forgotten that Disney is for kids. Sheesh!

I get butterflies thinking of how my son and daughter would love, love, love It's a Small World right now!

Yeah, I'm glad I found this board.

 

[Motherofboys]

Yeah, they might not remember it later, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy experiencing it now! We got that "they won't remember it anyway, why waste the money?" from a lot people when we took the kids when they were under 3. We enjoy spending our vacation money on vacations that the kids can enjoy now, regardless of whether or not they will remember it when they are older.

Don't let the crummy comments ruin your excitement, you and the little ones will have a great time!

 

[Nlbnikki]

We just got back in October it was DD4's 3 trip she went at 7 months,2 years & just shy of 4.It was DD6months first trip,she was 2 months at the time. They both had a great time and so did my DH & I. Watching the baby smile at the characters was great. We also took them to Disneyland in Jan.(free trip to visit family in san diego) and they had fun there too. We took so many pictures to remember the trip and to share with the girls as they grom up. My older one loves watching the videos from past trips. Have fun and don't worry about what everyone else thinks.

 

[kristenrice]

My DH thinks that we should wait a few more years for DD1 to get a little older. DD3 (going on 8!) has been ready for WDW since she was 1! She learned all the names of the princesses and their "boyfriends" by the time she was 2. We are going next January and DH thinks that our youngest (who will be just 2) will be too young to remember it or to really get anything out of the trip. I pointed out to him that, with the exception of the airfare, she is FREE! We are doing the dining plan and eating our TS meals at buffets so her food as well as her admission is free. Even if she doesn't "get much out of it" (which I doubt), we're not paying for her.

On the other hand, I think it would be smarter to wait a few years if your child had just turned 3 and you did have to pay for them. When we only had one child, our initial plan was to take her just before she turned 3 and then wait until she was 5 or 6 to go again. Now, we are doing the same thing, but the time line has been adjusted to coincide with our younger child (and the season...don't want to take a 2 year old in August!) We shall see what happens and how much our DD's get out of the trip. Our oldest is very mature for her age...and tall! (42" already!)

I tell people that although Disney is "for the kids", moms and dads like to have the memories of their young children seeing Mickey and the other characters. The kids are only young once. They will only be toddlers for a little while and seeing the characters interact with the youngest of fans is the most precious thing I have ever seen! Even if the kids don't remember it, parents will remember it for years!

 

[Jennygt]

Just ignore those comments, I am! We are taking my ds this Sept for his 1st bday! I know he will have fun and so will we! He does and enjoys alot of things that he will not remember but that does not mean that you don't do it with him! Some people just don't get it!

 

[Subrbnmommy]

I just feel so sad for them that they will never get to see how magical Disney World is to their toddler. Because when my son goes, even though he won't remember it, everything and all the characters are real to him. It is so fun to see Disney World through their eyes.

Well said! We've brought our daughter twice so far and this last trip was the best, she had just turned 3 (everybody tells me she's way too young to remember the trip) But, the way her face would light up when she'd see the characters was worth it. She couldn't wait to tell Pooh that her room is full of Winnie the Poohs and to tell Jojo that she was dressed as her for Halloween and that she's been practicing "taking a bow". We went also on DCL and when Mickey came out before the cruise, she ran to him and told him that she was going on his pirate ship. Wow, the best memories for my husband and I. It was perfect! She was too young to be self conscious or worried about her actions. She also, which really surprised us, made references a few times to some of the things that happened on her first trip -when she was 18 months!!

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

I'm a believer in no matter how young they are, they can *feel* the magic.

*SIGH* Why do some people insist on raining on our parade?

Why do they? Cause they are dorks! Go and have fun! Make your memories and be glad you did.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

You all have really made me feel so much better. You've all encouraged me so much that I'm ready to go right now!

 

[emsip]

The kids are only young once. They will only be toddlers for a little while and seeing the characters interact with the youngest of fans is the most precious thing I have ever seen! Even if the kids don't remember it, parents will remember it for years!

I so totally agree. Watching DS(1yr at the time) play peek-a-boo with Goofy was one of the best moments of our trip. He might not remember that moment but I always will, especially the hugh smile on his face.

 

[dsnymomof4]

OP-I'm so excited for you! It is so wonderful as a parent to experience Disney through your children. My regret is that we did not discover our Disney obsession until my oldest was 8 (youngest was 18months). My Mom offered to watch DD18mos for our 1st trip because she was "too young to remember" and we would "be able to do more" without her. But the whole point was to be there as a family and experience Disney together. And of course we had a wonderful time. I feel guilty that DS13 that he did not get to see Disney as a younger child. So, go, enjoy yourselves, and don't worry about what everyone elset thinks. Most of the people who say things like that just don't "get" the Disney magic!

 

[NoKatMom]

My kids have been to DW 3 out of the past 4 years, starting when DD was 2. And no, she doesn't remember much of the first trip, but who cares ??!! I remember it and everytime we go as the children get older it is a totally different trip. We are now at the stage when we can ride the bigger rides and not just Dumbo, but again, who cares !! If I want to spend all that money to go and ride Dumbo for a week because that is what my daughter likes, the so be it. I alos got tired of having to justify to family and friends why we have gone so often. I am glad that there are people out there like you all who can understand that sometimes it's just about the moment !!

 

[ohiominnie]

I have not read ALL of the responses, but from what I've read, my response will be about the same as you're getting.

Take the kids. They will love the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc. Just because they don't remember it, doesn't mean they aren't learning from it or experiencing new things. Do we not talk to our babies b/c they won't remember what we say? No, it's called stimulation and learning!

They will be memories for YOU at this point. And when the kids are older they'll love looking at pictures of themselves next to landmarks that they'll remember from trips they took when they were older.

If it's a mother-in-law that's giving you heck about it....this would be my answer....
"You're right....little joey and janie are too young to remember anything about a Disney trip right now.....we'll wait until they are older so they can remember the experience.....They are also too young to remember visiting you, so we'll bring them by again when they are 6 or 7"

 

[ohiominnie]

I alos got tired of having to justify to family and friends why we have gone so often. I am glad that there are people out there like you all who can understand that sometimes it's just about the moment !!

You may like reading through the Mouse Matters about this very subject:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/MouseMatters/mousematters2.htm