Questions about taking a 3 1/2 year old

[Mom_Z]

My husband and I have debated a few things about our upcoming trip. We have a DS(3 1/2) that is potty trained. I think we should bring a backpack with a change of clothes just in case of an accident. You know he will be so excited about everything that he will put off going to the potty and might now make it in time. I also know how much he loves water! Any opportunity to get in a sprinkler, etc. he will be there. My husband and I visited WDW in Oct. by ourselves so we were able to walk around with just a fanny pack. I just don't think that is realistic with a child. We are also debating whether we should rent or bring our own lightweight stroller. Anyone have and advice based on experience??

Oh yes, another question is about ToT with him. Is it appropriate for a 3 1/2 year old? He is 40 inches so he meets height requirement. I have never been on it (closed in Oct.) so I don't know what it is like. He saw it on t.v. and today he built a model of it using his blocks. He said "mommy it is the fast elevator like on t.v." Very cute.

Thanks.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

I say yes to the spare change of clothes - when you have a little one you just can't travel light anymore, can ya??? I also say yes to the stroller.... Then you have somewhere to stash that extra bag!!

By the way, as for the potty training, I thik the extra clothes will be used more for the fountains, ice cream drips, etc. My 2 year old will be 3.5 when we go next, but she has been PTed since 27 months old. I don't foresee accidents being a problem. We usually see a warning "pee pee boogie" when she is trying to hold it too long so she can play longer!!!!

 

[seetheworld]

I have a 3 y/o and I would advise on a change of clothes just for spills, etc and they would be great to have if there is an accident. It takes so long to get in the parks & through the crowds that I personally wouldn't want to have to rush back to the hotel to get new clothes. I suppose you could buy them there if you had to.
I am not sure if your DS naps anymore, but a stroller is a great place for them to relax during a busy day at the parks when their little legs get tired. As the previous poster said, you can use the basket to store extra clothes, etc. which is really nice. We are going in 2 weeks and will be taking our light weight travel stroller for my 3 y/o as well.
Finally as far as TOT, we are not going to take my DS on it. Other people have posted on here that they have and that is fine, but my DD at age 6 would fly out of her seat on TOT and the seat belt barely held her in. I might be a little conservative in this area, but I wouldn't take my 3 Y/O on it especially the scare factor is huge and thier bodies are still small and growing. Just my opinion. HTH & have a great trip!

 

[Barb D]

Yes on extra clothes, no on Tower of Terror.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I agree with pps. Yes on the change of clothes, although I didn't bring one for my dd who was 3.5 last time we went. But, it was winter and there was no playing in the water. Not sure what we will do when we go in May but likely I will pack her something.

I personally would never take my 3.5 year old on tot. It took my dd a few days to warm up to the rides in Fantasy Land so she would be 100% terrified and scarred for life if she went on tot. It's scary. It's really scary. My dd is 40 inches now and I'm wondering if we will even take her on any of the "bigger rides" that she couldn't do last time. I also agree on the tiny and growing body thing. I think the tot is much more appropriate for an older child.

ETA - If you have a stroller, I would bring it. Well, I guess it depends on how long you will be there. If it's a long trip it's better economically to bring one. We are only going for 1 day in May so we might rent b/c it's only 1 day. Any longer and we would bring our own.

 

[jodifla]

Yes on change of clothes, no on ToT, and buy an inexpensive umbrella stroller with a canopy and small bag on the back. I got mine for about $20, and still use it sometimes for DS, 5.

It's SO much easier on trips with long schleps in airports or through theme parks.

 

[Tigger&Aidan]

A change of clothes would be good not just for potential potty accidents, but also if something gets spilled, there's a water play area, etc. Plus, kids can get pretty sweaty running around all day! I carry a small backpack that holds DS's clothes, snack, drink and my camera. etc. As for the TOT, I'd say no. There were 2 small kids on with there mom when we went, and they were really scared! It's not like you can just get off or you can see an upcoming drop or something.... Lightweight umbrella type stroller would be a good idea - that's a long way to walk and you could use it to store stuff.

 

[MinnieMouse73]

I would definitely take extra clothing, as much for the fountains as anything else When we took my daughter 3.5 years old it was her first trip since being potty-trained (at nearly 3) and she was fine, though we made sure she went to the toilet often. We also took our own lightweight stroller, although at home she hadn't used one for about 8 months - she did use it quite a lot (we go in August, so the heat can tire little ones out pretty quickly).

At 3.5 I did take her on ToT and she loved it, but I know a lot of little kids wouldn't.

 

[Dad_Z]

As DW (Mom_Z) said, we did not get to ToT when we went last year. It might make sense for me to ride it first, then decide whether/not DS gets to ride it. This all assumes that he WANTS to ride it once he sees it. My guess is that he will.

I am pretty sure that I will be ready and willing to take him on any ride that he wishes (that he is tall enough for), and DW will be occassionally trying to reign us in! Like Dinosaur, anyone have comments on that ride? DS is very adventurous and afraid of almost nothing (which, of course, makes papa proud). I think we will love Space Mountain and Test Track, and would love Rockin- Rollercoaster, but I think he is too short for it. (And, of course, he will love the simple rides as well - isn't childhood great!)

I wonder if gender has any baring on the different opinions for riding ToT. Are the posts (decidedly AGAINST our preschooler riding ToT) mostly from moms/women?

Btw, what is "HTH"?

 

[Barbers2005]

I didn't take dd4 on ToT last year, but she gets spooked by things easily (I actually think she would have been scared by the "ghost" effects, not the drop). If your son is rather adventurous than there shouldn't be too much trouble with ToT- it's not that scary of a ride (we plan on taking dd on it this year). I would say no to Dinosaur though. The actual ride movement isn't bad, but the dinosaurs are pretty realistic and jump out at you. If you really want to take him on it, you could test him out on The Great Movie Ride and Ellen's Energy adventure (aliens jumping out at you and dinos, respectively). If he's cool with those, he might like dinosaur, but it's still quite a bit scarier than either of those.

Btw, I'm a mom, and "hth" is hope this helps.

 

[Hannathy]

Mom here, I say let him see it and go from there. If he wants to take him on, if he is tall enough he is safe enough. but hey I took my 5 yr old on the original MS and he did fine. I personally think we overthink things anymore and should just go with the flow ,if they want to go take them on. Remind them it is all pretend or man made by Disney and enjoy. The thrill in a lot of rides come from the little bit of fear in them, because you know you really are safe but it is fun to be scared. When we were there last I rode next to 2 little girls about 4 and 5 and their Dad was in the back row with the 3 yr old, they all liked it and wanted to go again. The 4 yr old did fine by herself.

Dinosaur is very loud and bumpy but again if he likes dino's and knows it is loud and of course fake he should be fine.

 

[MichiganMomto4]

HTH = Happy To Help.

I'm female and I would say only you know if your son can handle ToT. Going first is a great idea. My son rode the first time with his dad (I was terrified!) when he was 4.5 and LOVED it. In fact, he got me on it since I figured if he could do it, so could I. He had/has no fear either. With ToT you have pitch darkness, loud noises and semi-scary visuals. The actual drops are really not that bad.

I do agree with the change of clothes. Heck, I should bring a change of clothes for myself sometimes, too.

Stroller - to bring or not. It's A LOT of walking for short little legs. I have always taken a stroller up until the age of 4 for my kids. After that, they can walk as much as I can. We are going in Nov. and my youngest DD will be almost 5 but she's a whiner. I'm going to try and not take a stroller but if she gets unbearable, I'll rent one.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Going by my own kids at that age:
Definitely on the change of clothes. No way on ToT. Absolutely on the stroller, just make sure it is compact because bulky ones are a pain on the buses.
Have a great trip.

 

[bjscheel]

The change of clothes was a lifesaver for our 3yo. She never was one for accidents but she got the runs at PSB. Thank you to the pregnant woman who saw our need and let DD go in front of her in the bathroom! She was wearing a dress so we were able to toss the Sleeping Beauty undies in the trash and go out to the stroller to slip the new ones underneath. Otherwise I would have been paying $24 for a pack of new Disney panties.

We rented a stroller in the parks- I didn't want to lug one around everywhere. We didn't stay out late so she was able to handle the walking out of the park without a stroller.

 

[sebastian75_99]

I took my DS(3.5) in January. I used a very small backpack with a change of clothes. I never needed them, but I would still have them on hand. I rented a stroller and my DS and I both loved the rental strollers. It was a lot of walking back to the hotel, but your DH can carry him if your DS falls asleep.
When we were in MGM, my DS son was getting antsy and asked to go on a ride. I had been on ToT in the past and my DS was also tall enough, so I took him. There was not a bar that held you in, it was a seatbelt, pull it really tight. My DS did fine. Every kid is different. See how he reacts to tamer rides like Dumbo. We even did BTMR before ToT and my DS loved it. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[pl'smama]

Yes to the clothes. Our DD 3.5 was potty trained, but she became scared of the auto flush toilets (needless to say TOT was out for her!!! ). She would hold onto her pee for so long due to fear of the potty that I was afraid she might get a bladder infection. Anyway, we were lucky and there were no accidents.

Having said that we used our change of clothes for DD twice. First time after a romp in Ariel's Grotto. She got soaked and loved it. We had a chance to sit in the shade and watch her. It was mid December and hot that day! Second time we used the clothes was due to a heavy rain storm on our last day during the MVMCP. We had ponchos, but it rained so hard for so long that we all got soaked. I was able to put DD in completely dry clothes for the trip back to the hotel. So, there are all kinds of good reasons to bring a change of clothes.

A tip I got on the boards was to pack your spare clothes, well, all of them really, in a zip lock bag. Then you can crush out the air and just toss the zip lock in your knapsack of bottom the stroller. Takes lots less room and then use the zip lock for the wet or dirty clothes.

Yes, yes, yes to the stroller. You can put your stuff in it when you child is not and they will need a rest at some point!!

Have a wonderful time!!

 

[trennr]

Change of Clothes...YES!!!

ToT...NO!!!

Also...I'd rent the Double Stroller at the Park...nice place for your DS to Crash...and you can put your Backpack in there beside him.

Use the Package pick-up service for any purchases....

Keep your $$$ with you in a fanny. That way when you have to leave the Stroller at the entrance of a ride...all you have to do is get your Kid and hop in line.

 

[2Pirates_1Princess]

You can see video clips of ToT on UTube. So show him the preshow on Utube and see what he thinks of that. My DS7 has seen the ride and swears it is a must do for him. Since he isn't much of a thrill seeker I think once he sees it in person (larger and scary looking) he won't want to ride. We plan to be open and let the kids do as they choose. My DD4 is going with us too and I might have a harder time letting her get on since I myself am to chicken to ride. Just go with the flow, but I would ride something kid friendly first incase the ToT does scare him and then you won't be able to get him on anything else the rest of the day.

 

[DIS FANATIC]

Stroller--Rent one! I know it costs more but it is worth it. Last year we took our DS (3 1/2 at the time). We brought our stroller from home. It was a NIGHTMARE getting on & off the buses, especially at night when it was crowded. By the end of the week we left our stroller in the room and rented one. Our DS loved it! He thought he was in a little car or something. We are not even bringing a stroller this year. We will definitely rent one!

Clothes--Definitely! Our son was PT when we went last year and we always brought a change of clothes. The only time he needed them was once in Disney Quest. He was having so much fun that he didn't want to take a "potty break" and by the time he did it took us too long to get to the bathroom (they are a nightmare to find in that place!)

TOT--Depends! It depends on your child. My DH rode it last year but I would not let my DS ride. Even this year ,at age 4, I think he is too young. It looks "cool" to him and I know he wants to ride but once he is on there it is a different story!

Hope this helps!