Scary Mommy Post

[qman6975]

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/t...y-disney-pretzel-will-make-you-cringe-so-hard
So I’m sure a lot of people have read the above, my question is this. My wife and I waited until our kids were 10 and 7 before our first trip. Is it really worth bringing a three year old to Disney?

 

[HopperFan]

That story has been going around for awhile and at one point there was the thought process it wasn't real but someone just trolling for the viral. Do I think people like that exist? YUP cause I see them every day I am in the parks being ugly to their children, to each other and to CMs. But I still hope this post is fake.

My kids first visits with MANY MANY more since:
DS1 first went at 15 mos and in total awe of things I still remember moments 35 years later.
DS2 first went at 3 and WOW, even he remembers first seeing castle, he squealed.
DD first went at 4 mos, then 11 mos, then 16 mos ..... it was part of life for her.

Every child is different but I do think the most magical age is 3-4 years old. Old enough to be wowed and interact with their surroundings ... often making for the most magical moments. BUT every child, every family is different in their expectations, reactions and number of times they plan to travel back or if at all. There are 3 year olds that have the most wonderful memory filled time and there are 3 year olds that are stressed, overtired, ill behaved and unable to handle that type of vacation. We as parents should take our kids when they are ready for this kind of trip so everyone enjoys it ... especially if it's a once in a lifetime or decade kind of trip.

PS My kids are the most fun at Disney now that they are adults.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Yes.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I took my own for the first time when they were 7 and 10. WHY, because #1 we could afford it then ( 2000) and #2 it was a trip with my parents and sister too.

In 2020 , it'll be me, hubby, daughter, her BF and our Grandson ( 5 then) I can not wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[blf14]

A million times yes. I’ve been with kids everywhere from 6m-10yo and (while certainly every age is fun in its own way) FIRMLY believe that the most magical age is somewhere in the 3-4.5yo range.

Can it be hard? Sure. Will it be remembered by the child into adulthood? Maybe not. But it will be remembered by the child for years, the photos of their expressions will last forever, and mostly for me, as a parent- my memories of watching them experience the magic is worth it all.

 

[AllieBoo]

Absolutely! We took my daughter for her first trip when she was 2.5. We've been many times since, but I still remember that as one of our best trips . She had the best time meeting characters and riding rides. It was wonderful seeing her so in awe of everything. Now she's a teenager and she is all about the thrill rides. Kids enjoy Disney differently at different ages, there's no need to wait until you think a child is "old" enough to go to Disney.

 

[pjhootch]

Everyone sees things differently. My eldest went at three to Disneyland. I went at 4. Neither of us remember our earliest trip. My daughter had a great time at three. I assume I enjoyed myself at 4. My mom loved Disney and my dad did not.

My youngest are twins and we were broke and they were uncivilized and whined alot. I took them to Disneyland at 5 and they whined a LOT. lol. I remember them enjoying it when they were not whining. Me? Not so much (did I mention the whining?). My eldest was 15 that trip and had a blast. The twins do not really remember that trip-not the smiles or the whines.

We switched coasts and took our twins (and their 17 year old sister) to WDW at 7. They had a great time and remember the trip. They have gone many times since. They are 28 now and they STILL whine too much. The eldest is 37 and she and I are doing WDW again together next month.

I did not self analyze it 20 or 30 years ago, but looking back... those early trips with little bitty kids were really about ME. I wanted to see my kids enjoy something I enjoyed. They did, don’t get me wrong. And I do not regret it. BUT - grandkids - I am not taking them until they are at least 7.

I cringe a bit when I see people on these boards stressing about planning details for princess dresses and hair cuts, meeting characters and staying at the perfect resort and having the right meals. I want to tell folks to relax and do not push themselves too hard. The little kids do not know they missed a princess if you don’t tell them. The princess dress turns into a $75 doll costume in a year or two.

You do not have to “make” memories. In fact- you cannot make memories. Your children will remember little you expect them to, and focus on stuff you find mind boggling. One day your $10,000.00 vacation will be reduced to your child’s only clear memory being that they left their crayons from Denny’s in the rental mini van when it was 95 degrees outside and there was nothing but wax stains left of them after our day at Magic Kingdom.

ROFL. Not kidding about that last one.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Every kid is different. We waited until my daughter was 5 and it was perfect. We hardly went out in public when she was 3. Lol she was not fun.

 

[MumziMom]

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/t...y-disney-pretzel-will-make-you-cringe-so-hard
So I’m sure a lot of people have read the above, my question is this. My wife and I waited until our kids were 10 and 7 before our first trip. Is it really worth bringing a three year old to Disney?

We couldn't afford to until our son was 9, our daughter almost 6. I wish that we had been able to when they were a bit younger, but to each his/her own. We've had great memories there, and are just glad that we haven't witnessed too much bad behavior at Disney.

 

[Hikergirl]

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/t...y-disney-pretzel-will-make-you-cringe-so-hard
So I’m sure a lot of people have read the above, my question is this. My wife and I waited until our kids were 10 and 7 before our first trip. Is it really worth bringing a three year old to Disney?

LOL, that crazy rant and your thread is about bringing 3 year olds?

Whether it is worth it is really a personal feeling dependent on many factors. Our kids ranged from 4-10 on our first trip. It was totally worth it. We didn't go earlier because I didn't want to be pregnant and I didn't want to take an infant. We never had an issue traveling with our kids, and honestly Disney wasn't on our radar because we weren't really in to Disney back then.
In the case of the crazy psycho mom in the link I think there are alot of issues going on there that says it probably isn't worth it for her to take her 3 year old anywhere. She clearly can't handle life as the mother of a pre-schooler and she is lashing out at those who she feels don't have the burden she does taking care of a child that age. That poor kid.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

My kids were almost 2 and 7 on their first Disney trip. The 7 yo was tall enough to ride everything, was still immersed in the magic, had a blast, and remembers most of it (granted, that trip was only about 2 years ago). It was especially magical for the almost 2 year old though. He was incredibly shy, spoke barely 5 words, and had extreme anxiety in social situations before that trip. While in Disney, he completely came out of his shell, ran to every fur character (including ones he had no knowledge who they were) to hug them, and babbled up a storm with them. He had a 10 minute back and forth "conversation" with Pluto through babbling and hand gestures (from Pluto) where he was so into it. Over that trip, his language skills exploded and he must have said at least 20 new words. Disney had an incredible impact on him and it was absolutely amazing seeing the wonder and magic in his eyes. He still talks about lots of details from that trip, from a time when he didn't even have the words to describe how he was feeling, but can now share it with us. It was totally worth it to us to bring a toddler and I am so glad we did it.

 

[qman6975]

Our wait until our kids were 7 and 10 was due to money but also because we didn’t think we as a group would enjoy ourselves because most of the trip would have been keeping the kids “under control”. In fact, before they were 5 and 8 we rarely went to church or to a restaurant because the control issues (I.e. the way we felt our kids should behave in public) out the enjoyment. I realize this is different for all families.

However I do remember our first day in DW at Epcot, we were all having a great time as lunchtime approached and decided to “push it” and do one more thing before we ate...big mistake! I have to say though when I look back at the pictures from that day and see the grumpy looks on their faces I always laugh!

 

[MadMadamMim1]

I took my first when she was almost 3 and my second’s going next year right before she’s 3. So to me yes. It’s all so magical at that age. About 3-6 is the Disney sweet spot IMO. It’s all “real” and magical then. You just have to know your kids’ limits and try to prevent tantrums best you can. But of course they happen. I am one that would never ever take an infant and think that’s a waste of time. But others do it so

 

[goodeats]

We just went with my 3 year old nephew and 14 mo niece. The 3 year old got a lot out of it and enjoyed himself. He was not 40" tall so he couldn't ride the big rides, but he had a look of awe and wonder all day. When he met Captain Hook, he *really* was meeting Captn Hook. Now the 14mo got a little out of it, but overall would probably have been happier staying with grandma in the air-conditioning instead of being traipsed about in 95 degree heat.

 

[stephk1981]

We took DS10 on his first at aged 2 and DD1 on her first at 5 months. We have gone 2-3 times every year since. Every trip is unique and different and a lot of fun. Personally I don't think there is any ' right' age for your child to be. Your family will be creating amazing memories

 

[one_cat]

We took our twins the first time when they were 8 months old. They didn’t get much out of it but we had a great time. The idea that from the time kids are born until the are 7 or 8 you have to just sit at home and do nothing is silly. We took our kids all over the place from a young age on up including WDW.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We took DS for the first time at 3. DD at 2. I have no regrets but if I ever have more kids we wouldn’t do WDW until they are around 4-5 and done with strollers.

DS went at 3, 8, 9, 11, 15 and 18. DD was 2, 3, 5, 9 and 12. The most magical age to me was 5. No stroller, no diapers or formula, and they still believe .

 

[Brett Wyman]

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/t...y-disney-pretzel-will-make-you-cringe-so-hard
So I’m sure a lot of people have read the above, my question is this. My wife and I waited until our kids were 10 and 7 before our first trip. Is it really worth bringing a three year old to Disney?

I’m not going to comment on the angry mom rant. But I will comment on the “Is it worth talking a kid under 5. They wont even remember. It’s a waste a money” line of thinking, that is literally in the comment section everywhere that this women’s rant is discussed. To people who ask that question/make that statement I say, “Do you take them to the park? The Pool? The Museum? The Botanical gardens? The Zoo? To see relatives? Or to the Beach?” If so why would you do any of these if your thought process is “I won’t take my kids to Disney because they wont remember it?”. Personally I take my young kids to see the joy on their faces and at that age the memories are for me and my wife, not the kids.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I’m not going to comment on the angry mom rant. But I will comment on the “Is it worth talking a kid under 5. They wont even remember. It’s a waste a money” line of thinking, that is literally in the comment section everywhere that this women’s rant is discussed. To people who ask that question/make that statement I say, “Do you take them to the park? The Pool? The Museum? The Botanical gardens? The Zoo? To see relatives? Or to the Beach?” If so why would you do any of these if your thought process is “I won’t take my kids to Disney because they wont remember it?”. Personally I take my young kids to see the joy on their faces and at that age the memories are for me and my wife, not the kids.

Because Disney is expensive and usually a week long trip. Not a one day outing to get out of the house that’s within driving distance.

And I’ve taken my kids when they were 3 but to me there’s no comparison between the zoo and Disney.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Because Disney is expensive and usually a week long trip. Not a one day outing to get out of the house that’s within driving distance.

And I’ve taken my kids when they were 3 but to me there’s no comparison between the zoo and Disney.

But why is the cost okay after they can “remember it”? If cost is an issue its an issue no matter how old they are.