people with young kids

[2sweetangels]

Ok DH and I are taking our first trip to WDW in September and we are bringing our 2 daughter's, Katelyn who will be 2 1/2 and Hayley who will be 13 months when we go (I know I had my kids to close together,LOL) anyway alot of people are telling me that they are to young, they won't remember the trip, Im gonna have a hard walking through the parks with them because they will get tired and start to whine and cry.
I just want to hear some other people's expirience with thier small kids at WDW.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

When we went last march my daughters were 12 months, 3 yr. old and 5 yr. old. We had so much fun. Of course my 5 year old will be able to remember the trip better than the little ones but there will be many other trips to Disney also. My 3 year old was so excited even before we went, she loved to help pack and have her own backpack. As for at the parks there are so many things for kids that age to do, she had so much fun on the rides and meeting the characters. Magic Kingdom is the best for that age, I think they have so many rides the whole family can ride together. And my 12 month old was so good. I was worried that she would get cranky when she was tired, but that was never the case, when she was tired she just fell asleep in the stroller, and there was just so much for her to look at, she was entertained the whole trip. It is definately true though at this age kids get tired, there is alot of walking , but as long as you have a stroller for both DD's you'll be all set. We even ended up renting a double one there so my 5 yr. old could ride in it also. Your DD's will have so much fun.

 

[2sweetangels]

thank you. We will be bringing our own double stroller and your right, even though they won't remember this trip, we will have plenty of pictures and there will be other trips as well.

 

[all4fun]

We have taken our ds to WDW at 13 months and at 23 months and did DL (CA) at 2-1/2 as well. At 13 months we just had to follow his lead. He slept in his stroller really well at that time (I recommend some sort of cover to block out the light - you can use a sheet or blanket w/some clips to hold it on. We actually bought the Kiddopotamus stroller cover, or something like their "Ray Shade" might work well also). We have had a great time on all of our trips. I'd say the hardest ones were when he was entering the "terrible two's" stage because that's when they really start feeling out their independance. But I figure we would have had to deal w/that at home too. We are also the type to go to WDW as much as we possibly can so if I have a "bad" day at DW it's still better than a good day at work lol. And I know we'll be back so it's not the end of the world!

The best part for us was seeing our son enjoying the characters and rides. Sure 20 years from now he probably won't remember, but we will! Anyway, try not to worry what "a lot of people" say. They are wrong! It doesn't matter what others think anyway, the only thing that matters is that you have a great time, and I'm sure you will. If you find yourself in a situation where your children are "whining and crying" then that's a good time for a break from the park. I think you'll find that it won't be bad at all.

Btw, September is a great time to go because the crowds are usually pretty low. The downside can be the weather (hurricane season) so be prepared for that. We usually check weather.com and/or accuweather 10-15 days out just so we have an idea of what to expect.

 

[laughinplace199]

We brought DD to DL when she was 13 mos. She did fine.

For our first family trip to WDW, DD was 3 yrs. and DS was 15 mos. We had a fabulous time. We brought our own stroller and kept to their schedules as much as possible. DD, who is now 6, still remembers her first trip to WDW. DS doesn't remember that trip but loves to look at the pictures. We've taken the kids to WDW two more times since that first trip and are trying to figure out when the next trip will be.

Go and have a great time with your family!

 

[mamaof2]

Hi,
You will be just fine. I took my girls on their 1st WDW trip when they were 2 yrs and 3.5 yrs old. My girls are also close in age--and yes, I have been looked at differently for having them so close in age. I don't care. Now they are almost 3 and 4.5 and they are best friends. It just gets easier as time goes by. The only problem I had was that my 2 yr old would panic and have a meltdown everytime a character approached. So I learned to keep her away until she felt comfortable around them. I am not saying it's easy-but you can do it. I wish you much luck...Please, don't forget to enjoy the moment.

 

[las3888]

We took DS last fall at 8.5 mos and just this past week at 14 mos. I hate it when people tell you kids that young don't get anything out of it. He really had a great time. We thought he had fun the first time, but at 14 months, he just did great. He loved going in the pool everyday, going to the parks...LOVED to see the characters. We stood in a few of the shorter lines to meet a few characters, plus we ate at a few character meals. He really enjoyed the rides like "it's a small world", "dumbo" "pooh", and he did pretty good on some of the longer attractions too. He really just lit up all the time and had a great time. He probably won't remember it, but we have a ton of photos and memories, plus we had a nice much-needed vacation to one of our favorite spots.

We were careful to take a break everyday and make time out for naps. We generally didn't stay in a park longer than 3 hrs at a time and found that to be plenty.

Good luck!

 

[2sweetangels]

thank you all so much, i feel alot better about bringing my girl's now.

 

[katyjeka]

We've taken our 3 DD's beginning at 9 months old. (I would have went earlier, but my DH's work schedule would not allow) We have a great time EVERYTIME we go! We've understood from the beginning that they would not remember it, but we do. We have pictures and movies that will be treasured for years, hoping one day to share them with our grandkids. It's alot of fun to watch as their likes change, and they become more brave. Is it alot of work?Yes, but we would be doing the same work at home. Parents deserve vacations, and if you want to spend yours at WDW, go. You will not regret it and will have many, many magical moments. They are little for such a short time. Janice

 

[luvmesometigger]

We will be going in June and my DD will be 9 months old. My feeling is go for it. Yea she may not rememeber but you will have plenty of pictures for her to look at in the future and of course you will remember it!

 

[luvmesometigger]

We actually bought the Kiddopotamus stroller cover, or something like their "Ray Shade" might work well also).

Thanks for the heads up on this. I am going to go look for this at BrUs this week!!

 

[Mom to Will and Finn]

I hate the "they won't remember it argument." Are we supposed to not let our kids have fun until their memory is sufficient to last them into adulthood?

We took ds when he was 10 months (and older ds was 9). They both had a great time. Both of your girls will love it. You might just have to take more breaks (you don't necessarily have to go back to your resort - Tomorrowland Transit Authority is a nice break and there are little pockets of quiet-ish places around each park.

Unless this will be the only trip you'll ever be able to take to Disney, I think it would be great to take them now. If you think it will be years and years before you can go again, then maybe you should wait a year or two.

 

[huggiebear23]

2sweetangels

My kids will be the same age when we go in June. I am glad to see other mommies with kiddies close in age. I am sure they will have fun.

 

[LBKMAMA]

our first trip my dtr was 14 mos. My sons were 4 & 5. She did great in stroller, napped the whole nine yards. My sons were real troopers and walked everywhere. The stroller was key with the basket underneath for storage. This year my dtr. was 2.2 and not as easy. The stroller was a prison as far as she was concerned. she also got upset at times when I took the boys on a ride. She did nap in though and the one night we stayed late she fell asleep.

The flip side was our first trip the only characters she would even look at were princesses (face) and this trip she really seemed to enjoy them and would take pictures with almost all of them.

The double stroller will be tough to manage, but renting a stroller at MK seems like a hassle because it's right when you get in and its always so crowed around there. It is nice to have the little one buckled in and just do a quick walk through all the congestion. my husband and I always have a meeting place in case we get separted trying to manuveur.
Keep a special ribbon on it as well so when it's parked in the sea of stroller you can spot yours easily.

I also agree with those ages...MK is the place to be. AK shows might be fun and safari. Epcot is nice for parents if they are doing well in stroller it would be okay...lots of walking. MGM a couple of shows. If you have park hopper it's worth it, but not enough for the whole day at that age IMO.

Have fun!

 

[DISUNC]

I hate the "they won't remember it argument." Are we supposed to not let our kids have fun until their memory is sufficient to last them into adulthood?

Isn't that the truth!!!!

OP! Bring them have a great time!

 

[famofsix]

Your princesses will likely love the parades! Maybe show them Disney movies and see what characters they are attached to and then build your trip around that. We took our kids DS6,DD10, DD8 this past week but what surprised me the most was how much fun we had with DS1 and his expressions at Disney especially on the small world ride and pooh bear ride. The best part is you are on VACATION they will be happy to be with you and even if they don't remember it....you will Have a magical trip!

 

[kstinw19]

We took our first "kid" trip when my kids were 4 and 2. We didn't think our ds2 would remember but it was amazing how much they did remember! when we got home all they talked about for months and months was Disneyworld. We would watch the Disney sing-along "Main Street USA" video, and he would say, "we were dere Mama". So cool!

All4fun - I have a Brennan too! Not a very common name...it's nice to hear it once in a while. He is so cute

 

[Kendra17]

It's hard with kids that age, but easier that they are close in age and you don't have kids with big age differences that want to do different things. You know, we always just went, went, went. .. and, when the children fell asleep, they would nap in their strollers. And, they woke up and we went some more.

During this next trip, my youngest will have just turned three. During our last trip she had just turned one. Each of my older kids' first trips were when they were two or three, too. We ALWAYS had fun. They LOVE DisneyWorld. You will have a blast, just be prepared with comfortable strollers (that lay pretty flat so they can sleep), be prepared to keep them cool and hydrated, and go at your own pace.

Don't listen to all the naysayers out there!

 

[disneyinmay]

alot of people are telling me that they are to young, they won't remember the trip,

We went when my son about 26 months. I can't tell you how many people said he was too young, and he would never remember the trip. This was my response to them. "If that was the case, why do we buy toys for our kids? Why do we give them birthday parties? If they are not going to remember any of that, then I might as well just give them a plain empty room to live in. " Its about your memories too! And the fact that they are enjoying it so much at the moment! It doesn't matter if they forget about their trip. You will always remember it, and that is whats improtant. Enjoy your little ones, and the looks on their faces when they see all that Magic! It is worth it 100%

 

[zurgswife]

3months, 3,4 and 6yrs....my 3 month old doesn't remember a thing but it is one of my favorite trips when I look at pictures....

we took our time and remembered that kids have meltdowns and played it by the seat of our pants...good luck