should we bring the baby?

[krismom]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but it's a new quandry for me... we are going in March (ME, DH, DD 6, twin DS's 4) my Mom has offered to keep the "baby" who will be two and a half at the time of our trip. Part of me wants the whole family together for the magic, fun and photo ops! The other part of me thinks that lines, meals and not doing a baby swap would be much easier and possibly better for the rest of the family. I don't have to decide right away- he wouldn't need a plane ticket anyway- but I'm curious what you all think.... my husband says it's up to me... thanks alot Sweetie!

 

[MATTERHORN]

Okay, well if the baby is over 2, they will need a plane ticket. Ony under 2 can ride on your lap, just so you know when you book! On that note, Take the baby!!!! You will have a great time as a family, and likely there would be rides you will have to baby swap for your twins regardless. We take our kids everywhere, and a place that is so great for young children, I can' timagine leaving only one out! Good luck.


Andrea

 

[lillygator]

take the baby!

 

[tjmw2727]

I would - for us a family vacation would have to include the whole family. We took our oldest dd on her first wdw trip at just under 3 and it was wonderful, we all had a great time. Baby swap is great, very easy to use and with fastpass you can minimize waits for everyone.

Just a note that only children under 2 can ride for free on the aircraft as a lap baby, after age 2 you need a ticket. In my experience if the child looks even close to 2 they will ask for the birth certificate. So you will have to decide before you purchase your airline tickets.

Have a great trip.
TJ

 

[Mom to Jordan]

It's a family vacation..... The whole family should go...

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I'd take him. In fact, we are taking our 2.5yo when we go in fall. Personally, I wouldn't dream of leaving her behind, but then, we only have one other child, so that probably makes it easier on us.

I also think that on most rides you'd have to swap the 2.5yo, you'd be swapping the 4yo's too, unless they're exceptionally tall and adventurous. As for lines and meals, bring bubbles, crayons/paper, books, snacks, etc, anything to keep him occupied. I'd be bringing that for the 4yo's, too, so to me, it wouldn't seem like too much added trouble. But you know your family better than I do, and who can handle what.

Your trip is a long way off. It sounds like he's not even 2 yet, right? So it's easy to still look at him as a little baby. But my two matured so much between 2 and 2.5. While still very babyish at 2, at 2.5 (well, even younger than that now for dd#2) they're becoming much more "kid", and would definitely enjoy DW as much as a 4yo would (IMO).

Good luck with your decision. (oh, yea and I agree with Matterhorn, he will need a plane ticket -- it's only under 2 that airlines will let you keep them on your lap.)

 

[seashoreCM]

I would say it is a tossup whether to bring the 2-1/2 year old.

OT: I would say a child under 2 years old would probably not understand the goings on, although this is not an all compelling reason not to bring him.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[krismom]

Oh yeah, I was thinking of Disney and not needing a ticket under three. He would for the plane- I am leaning toward bring ing him with us. I would really like to have my parents come too, and help out. But... the cost of this trip is already spiralling out of control- I can't add 2 more adults tix for plane, parks, food, etc. I mentioned it but they didn't get the hint... I don't think I would have been able to leave him behind, but it would be great for the older kids to have 1 : 1: 1 time with us! Thanks for the input and advice everyone!

 

[taximomfor4]

only you can decide what is right for you. On that note, we took our 2 1/2 yr old to WDW over Easter this spring... we drove from NE Ohio. Of all the kids (11,6,5,2) she was by far the most excited by everything at WDW. She still brings it up all the time. The parades were downright magical with her there -- she was pretty much a character magnet. She sits on the curb and waves at EVERYONE In the parade, and gets special blown kisses, handshakes, and even hugs. I saw ONE parade without her with me, and definitely missed watching her watch the parade.

Because of special needs dd (was 6, is now 7), we took lots of downtime AT the parks. We set up our spots to watch the parade 1 1/2- 2 hrs in advance. Then dh would run for hotdogs or whatever, and we would picnic on the curb. Remember, this was at Easter so many people were camping out early. I was just so pleasantly surprised at how well the kids waited. There is so much for them to see, even sitting on the curb on Main St!

 

[Jen D]

Two and a half is a great age for Disney. I'd bring him. If you don't you'll be looking all the time at the things he would have loved enjoying with you!

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

Well, what we do is bring the baby AND bring Grandma, too.

Since we are a family of 5, we go with either 2 connecting rooms or 1 2BR (DVC owners); so we have plenty of space for Grandma.

I like having one adult per child, too. Then we can stick with one-to-one defense instead of having to go with a zone defense

 

[pinkdiamonds1007]

of course..2 is a great age!! Have fun.

 

[Senske]

We're in a similar situation for our trip this October. We've decided to leave the two and a half year old home with grandparents while we take our four and six year old boys. I think taking three or more young kids when one of them is only two would be a bit difficult, although I'm sure it would still be a lot of fun. My recommendation would be to leave the youngest home (especially since it sounds like the grandparents are willing!) if you're planning on future vacations. In this case, the three kids who go will enjoy and appreciate more attention from you, and the baby will get undivided attention from the grandparents. Win - win.

 

[Holly]

I left my babies (twin one year olds) home last year and just brought my 5 year old. I did miss them terribly, but I knew I had made the right decision. My five year old and I had a wonderful time together.
This December the twins will be 2 1/2 and we are taking them with us. My in- laws are coming, as well.
I think you need to do what you are comfortable with. I'm sure either way, you will still have a great time.

 

[Tinkerbellmom33]

Take the baby!!! The firstime we went our kids were 6 & 2. The 2y loved it!!! We went this past trip with the newest addition and she was only 15 mo and she absolutely loved it! They might not remember a lot, but they do take something from it. She had so much fun with the characters and even the rides and shows. We did the child swap too and it really wasn't that bad. One of my other children even got to go on the same ride twice! We alternated. The pictures we took were priceless.
It's up to you, obviously, you might have your hands full this time around. I personally would feel bad leaving one of the kids out and I would miss her while we were there. It's a FAMILY vacation.

 

[momxx5]

I could never leave only one of my children back home. For us its a family vacation to WDW - everyone comes.

 

[beattyfamily]

IMHO, 2, 2 1/2 is a GREAT age at WDW. Both my girls went at that age and the trip was SO magical. They went with the flow; they were in awe of everything. They were so happy! They didn't whine or complain.

I've gone with them from age 1 through 8 and I think between ages 2 - 4 were the most magical.

Then they start to complain and whine!!

I say go for it! I would never leave one behind anyway, but everyone's different.

Good luck deciding. Remember, they'll be free at WDW!

 

[sweetpeakaris]

You would have a better vacation if ou take the baby. She may not remember the trip, but she will enjoy it! I took 2 of my kids when they were 1.2 and 2.0, they really had a ball, and the 2yr old always asks when we are going back.

 

[meandtheguys2]

One extra doesn't make a ton of difference when you have that line-up! **smilie!** But a 2 1/2 year old will have a great time with grandma too. I have taken our kids every year of their lives, and each age is special and enjoyable, in my book. Good luck with your decision!

 

[amw]

Take the baby - there's plenty for that age at WDW. I took my 18 mth DD a couple years ago. We had a little stroller which was great to carry all our stash. She had a blast. She loved the shows, the parades, and did better on the rides in Fantasy Land then my DD3. We went to 2 character meals, and both times the characters made a fuss over her without frightening her. At Chef Mickey's I got a photo of Mickey spoon-feeding ice cream to her These memories are priceless. Even though she doesn't remember the trip, looking at the photo album is getting her excited for our next trip when she will be DD3. My other daughter (now 5) remembers absolutely everything from the last trip.

At the age of your other children, you probably won't be riding all the thrill rides anyways. If you split for a few rides, one of you can have a nice, relaxing down-time