Please Help We Need Advice!!!!!

[newfamilyluvsdisney]

PLEASE HELP WE NEED ADVICE!!!we are thinking of taking our son to disney in the fall he will be 17 months old. Is this a bad idea? will we regret taking him so early? will he enjoy the trip? we absolutely love it but will we with a pre-toddler? Any advice would be appreciated!!!

 

[EthansMom]

We first took our son to DisneyLand when he was 18 months old, then to DisneyWorld at 2. We're currently planning to take our son, now 3.5 and daughter, will be 13 months, to WDW in April. I love doing Disney with kids -- in truth, there aren't many other options for vacations with young children.

That said, it is a TOTALLY different experience with kids than without. If you are willing to take things in a go-with-the-flow manner, then you can have a great time quite easily.

I recommend that you go over to the Disney with Family's board on this site for some great tips.

EthansMom

 

[Ellester]

Personally, I would go for it. My dd's were slightly older on their first trips (dd1 was just 2 and dd2 was 20 months on their respective first trips), but I think it was the perfect age. They are so taken in by it all. By 4 or 5, sadly, their sense of fantasy has already dropped off. My oldest was 5 last time we went and while she had a great time, she knew that it wasn't "really" Mickey (although I think she still believed the face characters were real). You do have to take nap and feeding schedules into account and you cannot go at such a fast pace as you did without kids, but it is definitely worth it in my mind. You can babyswap the big people rides if you can't stand to miss them. But, taking the time to see it all through your child's eyes is more magical than you can imagine. Start planning!

 

[EthansMom]

So sorry, you were at the Disney with Families board! Here's a link to a similar post where I gave some advice about going to DisneyWorld with young kids: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=739101.



EthansMom

 

[DisFam95]

We took our son at 17mo and he had a great time and still talked about things afterwards. He liked the characters (after the 1st day). Absolutely bring a hip carrier. I prefer the one from onestepahead.com to the PLatex one. We got many inquiries about ours.

We just returned yesterday from another trip w/DS 2.5 and our friends 17mo DS. He HATED the characters. We tried a breakfast later in the week and he saw Donald across the room and was clawing to get out of his chair to mommy. He had to be taken out of the place he was in hysterics everytime a character came into the room.

Sleeping in the stroller was easy at that age so we never needed to go back to the room. They rode all the rides w/o restrictions. While during the ride they usually looked perplexed but after he said he liked it.

I say go for it. Plan to let your child lead by their needs and take it slower.

 

[krystyana]

Our little guy is three and he's been twice already and loved it! We had to take it a little slower and build in nap breaks...but we found out we liked touring that way better anyway. I would say go for it...he had a blast and we loved experiencing all the magic through his eyes.

 

[bunninose]

I say GO FOR IT! We took our son to WDW when he was 8 mos (his grandma works there). His first trip to DL was at 2 weeks so he was very accustomed to the Disney thing.

The main suggestion I have for ANYONE travelling to a Disney Park with little kids is to USE THE CHILD CARE CENTERS! They have full-size padded changing tables, toddler toilets (that DON'T automatically flush), rinsing sinks for cloth diapers, nursing stations, high chairs for quiet feeding times, a fridge to store your bottles in if you need to, etc. They also sell jarred food, diapers, formula, etc. The changing rooms are big enough that both parents can go in and change the baby (if you have no other kids), making it easier to maneuver a squirmy child and the clunky diaper bag. There's usually a video playing in the lobby area to entertain the older kids, too. Every Park has one, and I highly suggest finding it and using it.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[J/T Gramdma]

He may not remember the trip but the memories will be yours for many years to come. He will interact with people and the pictures and memories will be yours forever.

 

[psumomluvswdw]

i say go for it, you may have been there before and aren't sure what to do with an infant but that will be half the experience!

 

[Mari annie]

:cool1
GO FOR IT!!!

My children are now 15 (soon to be 16) and 11.
My oldest has been going since 1 and 2nd child has been going since 4 mos old, we go often (2x's yearly) why wait?
So much to do so little time, vacations go sooo quickly

leaving cold new england tomarro for WDW!!
10 glorious days!

Pixie Dust to everyone!!!

 

[lclark0621]

We took our DS to Disney World for the first time when he was only 9 months old. He absolutly LOVED the trip. And we enjoyed the trip so much with him.

We are taking him for his second trip at 21 months & we can wait!

There is SO much for the little ones to enjoy in Disney. They can go on every ride that does not have a height restriction.

And if you want to go on some "thrill rides", you and someone else can use the baby swap.

There are so many shows, and my DS loved them all! Especially the Playhouse Disney one. We have been playing it for him lately to get him ready for the trip. He loves it even more now!

The characters are so much fun with little ones.

Go go go! You will have such a great time!!

 

[psumomluvswdw]