Squirmy 18 month old

[HollyL]

Hey all. We are planning on going to the DLR in about 5 weeks or so (haven't set our dates in stone yet). Our son is 4 and our daughter is 18 months old. We last went to the DLR last February, when our daughter was about 9 months old, and in a baby bjorn. We had no problems with her on the rides and she was quite content in her carrier. Well, now she is definitely a mover and a shaker and always very squirmy when I hold her. I am wondering how she might be on the rides. We live in Houston, TX. and there really isn't a local theme park to "test" her out on. The closest thing was the shark train ride at the Downtown aquarium, and she did seem to settle down once the ride started.
I just wanted to hear about other people's experiences with a very squirmy toddler, and what rides worked out best, and which ones didn't. Did your kids generally settle down once they were mentally stimulated by the ride, or were they still squirmy?
Last time we went, she was really entranced by Pirates, IASM, and the Buzz Lightyear Ride.
Thanks Ya'll.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Mine was pretty squirmy when she was that age. My dad used to call her "perpetual motion." When we were out walking she would try to escape, and we were always watching her, running after her, holding her down... the rides kept her entertained enough that she didn't squirm at all.

There is so much visual and other stimulation there, that I think she'll be fine.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I have the same worry. We took our DS at 8 months old and he was fine with everything. Our next trip is in a few weeks and right now he is 13 months and as squirmy as an be! He doesn't want to be held, or ride in the stroller, he wants to walk on his own and do everything himself I am not too worried about the rides because I think they will hold his attention, but I am worried about holding him in line....he will want to squirm out of my arms and "go walking" through the line. My only hope is that we have 6 adults and one kid, so we can take turns wrestling...err I mean "holding" him and maybe we can block him in the line. Good luck!

 

[PinkBudgie]

We've been wondering the same thing about how it will be with my sister's very active young toddler when we go in November. She will be about 17 months and has been running since before she turned one. Even with 6 adults we are wondering how to keep her busy in line because she doesn't understand you can't just run anywhere you want. Hopefully, she will be entertained enough by the ride to sit still like others have said. We'll see.

 

[DisneyMommy403]

Girl, I hear ya! I have a 15 month old, who is FAST, and of course, loves to run around, explore, and is a little squirmy. I think the rides should be fine for our little ones, because of the stimulation. My son loves to hop on my mother's lap and tell her to "go" because she uses an electric scooter and my son loves "riding" on it. I mostly worry about the waiting in line, and the 5 hour plane rides we have to face. I'm certainly praying everything runs smoothly for all of us! Thankfully, I too have a few other adults I can hand my little man off too when my arms tire. My son is very playful and loves if I sing songs, tickle and play hand games with him. Now, I just need to hope he doesn't get too bored of that!

 

[madigraham]

My 19 month old does great on the rides and seems to settle down once we get on. Sometimes he gets scared on certain rides and wants me to hold him but other than that no problems. She should be fine

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I carried my dd in an ergo until she was 2.5 it really helped the squirmies!

 

[goldies 5]

I agree that the lines are usually easier. Our hardest trip to DL was when our 3 year old was 17 months. She was hard to keep in the stroller, wanted to do everything that we didn't want her to do, of course. It was very trying, but there was a lot of fun as well. Meltdowns can happen. We are going to do the same thing this year with another 17 month old. I don't have any great expectations. I will just have to roll with her mood and the very stubborn now 3 year olds as well. On the other hand my boys' were a breeze at that age and very easy to deal with at DL. Or maybe it just seemed easier because I was younger.

 

[HollyL]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting an ergo carrier, at least for when we're in line. We are choosing the Tuesday and Wednesday after Thanksgiving to go, hoping the lines will be pretty short. I guess we can always get a child harness IN CASE....I am not a big fan of those, and have never used one, but we do have one that is "disguised" as a monkey back-pack with a tail.

 

[lurpee]

I have one of these. Dd4 doesn't use it now but I would use it at the San Antonio River Walk, the Portland Zoo when we were near the train tracks and a couple times at the airport while letting her walk around. I think they're a bad idea around super heavy crowds but it's nice for some independence so that they don't have to be constrained all the time.

Good luck!
Kerri