Take toddler at 16 months or wait another year?

[AntFarm]

So we are planning another spring break trip but this time with extended family and I would love for my younger sister to come along with her family but she is on the fence about going because she has a baby that will be 16 months old at time of the trip (her other daughter will be 5 years old at the time of the trip). She has never been to WDW with her family and thinks waiting until the baby is at least 2 years old might be better. Is there a real difference between 16 months and 2 years old when it comes to a WDW vacation? My kids are older, but I am trying to tell her that there isn't much of anything different they will be able to enjoy at 2 rather than at 16 months. As much as I would like for my dear sister and my nieces to be a part of this trip, I don't want to push her if she thinks it will all be a total flop if she brings a 16 month old. What do you all suggest?

 

[acwaters]

I say she should go for it but i am also taking my DS (6) and (15 months) this Sept. I always say if i wait for my youngest to get older to do that as a family, that we will never do anything! Her child will probably only be able to ride the same amount of stuff at 16 months as at 2 years old so no real difference in that area. I think as long as your sister is isn't a commando style park visitor, her and her family would have a great time! My plan is to take it slow! I understand that we won't see every show or ride every ride. I can't wait to see my little man waddle down main street and meet all the characters. I can report back to you in Sept. and let you know how my trip went!! LOL

Best wishes to your family and your sister's family!!

 

[wvasweetness]

I say a 16 month old is generally more compliant than a 2-3 year old!

We went in Feb and our youngest was exactly 16 months. He did great, though we worked hard to be sure he was well rested. We headed to the parks early and went back to the resort for lunch, nap, and "down" time.

My best advice: Do not try to skip naps. Do not schedule anything during naptime or late at night. Realize that you aren't going to be able to power through an entire park with a toddler in tow. Keep plenty of snacks on hand. Have some distractions available for when waiting in line.

Have fun!

 

[kom1977]

My son was 18 months when we went last and I would say it was harder than if we went with him now (at a little over 2). Now, he can communicate and reason to some degree. As others have mentioned, I think the key is to have realistic expectations for what they can do and prepare as well as possible. Whenever we have had littler ones at wdw, we have always brought grandparents to help. My dad took my youngest home from a park one day when DS had just had it and wanted down time. It worked out perfectly. If you guys are traveling together, it will be much easier for her

 

[marybrat]

We took both of our children when each was around 16 months. Very easy, virtually no arguing at all. The only thing that didn't go well was visiting the characters. Both were just too afraid, but that's ok. We've been back many times for character photos. LOL

 

[msmama]

If you take a child at either of those ages, you really have to concentrate on THAT child. You can only go as fast as your slowest member (and by that I mean, you can't push a toddler super hard or they will melt down and then everyone will have a rotten time).

I don't think there is much of a difference between the two ages, BUT, if you are expecting her to keep up with the family, then maybe it isn't the best idea.

 

[jadelane1]

We took my son at 15mo and he was great. My husband and myself split the time watching him and we were both able to enjoy the trip. We are taking him in September and he will be almost 3, I am a little more worried at this age because we will all have to focus more on what he wants and deal with occasional tantrums too. I say go for it.

 

[solstice621]

I say she should go! My kid have been many times (and at all ages) and every time it has been a wonderful experience with fabulous memories. A few challenges come up of course with naps, food and bedtime, but nothing that cant be handled. (My DD's always slept int the stroller, but I know that doesn't work for all kids). Someone else said a 16 month old will be easier to handle than a 2 or 3 year old and I couldn't agree more. So true.

 

[surferdave]

These threads come up a lot and I see two kinds of responses: (1) "I would never take a baby/child that young to Disney" or (2) "We took our baby/child that age and loved it". I have never seen anyone say "we took our baby/child that age and wished we didn't".

 

[AntFarm]

Thanks to you all for your input. My sister will be a WDW newbie and is not on the DIS like I am so I can understand why she is on the fence about taking the baby. I will pass along some of the feedback you've given and see what she thinks. I just don't want her to feel left out but if she wants to wait until her kids are the age where she is comfortable taking them I can understand where she is coming from. Thanks

 

[DSNY4ever]

We took DS to Disneyland at 15 months and we had a wonderful time. There were some struggles, but it was an amazing trip overall and he (and my husband and I) had a great time.

We are now taking him to WDW very soon and he will be 2. I am more excited because he is talking really well now and tells us things he is excited about- mainly the train, fireworks and meeting Lightning McQueen. But I think interaction/activities with him will be even better this trip...however he is also a LOT more opinionated now and more likely to have a temper tantrum, so there are pros and cons of each age. I am sure we will have challenges, but again I am sure it will be worth it.

 

[stlouisfan]

My daughter & I took her GD when she was 17 months old & it was great. Of course, we had both been so many times that it didn't matter how many (or how few) rides/shows we went on/saw. We let her decide when she had had enough fun, for awhile. We were one of those families that used a child harness for her, which let her get out of the stroller, once in awhile, to run....but only so far. I know a lot of folks don't approve of them, but I really think we all had a better time because we used it.
We have taken her back every year since then, & she will be going for her 5th trip, with us, in 5 weeks. She no longer needs the harness & is pretty good about staying close to us. However, the last time we went we also took her Daddy & he will be going with us again this time, to help keep an eye on her. She is finally tall enough to get on some of the rides that she couldn't get on before.
She has never been frightened of the Characters, but we never pushed her to them. One of us held her when we went to get autographs, & she did just fine. But I know that some kids need more exposure to them before they are comfortable with them.

 

[Timandalicia]

If she is only going 3 times in her life then wait. If she is going to go 3 times in the next 7 years, then no reason to wait.

 

[Woodmnky]

My 16 month old was a sweet, darling, angel. My 2.5 yo is a demon disguised as a cute & adorable little boy. I say go now

We even took my son on a Disney Cruise right at his 2nd birthday and it was awesome. Fast forward 5 months and he his opinion is that the only thing that we should be doing is exactly what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants to. I know this phase will pass, but I really do think that there is something to be said before going before the terrible 2's set in.

That being said, we are taking DS just before his 3rd birthday.

 

[StuckInKS]

I have a 20-month-old and a 2-year-old and I can tell you that there is a difference between how the child will process, understand and enjoy the trip. My 2-year-old is over the moon about our upcoming trip and can actively participate in all of the pre-trip excitement, while the 20-month-old doesn't even understand what is going on. I think it will be the same while we are actually there. My 20-month-old will have fun, but he won't be able to understand and really enjoy it on the same level that my 2-year-old will. I took DS5 at 16/17 months and this is exactly how it was. If it were just the 16-month-old, I would wait another year, but since she has an older child, I would go for him/her. She can always take the them both again when the youngest one is older.

 

[my2lovedisney]

My son was 1.5 years old for our second WDW trip...he still remembers it and asks to see "it's a small world" on our computer...and he loves Disney World!

 

[RachSal]

I don't know if she should bring her 16 month old or not, but I do have a 28 month old and will say that there is a huge difference between where she is now and where she was a year ago (at 16 months) She is potty trained and can express what she wants and needs much better. She was much more go with the flow last year and that might work better for a Disney trip with that many people.
Personally we decided to wait until DD is 3 and DS is 5 to go because we know we will not be taking often trips. We might take another trip, but it probably won't be for another 5 years or so. In the end she really knows her children the best and has to make that decision for her family

 

[DisneyFreaksx4]

We took our daughter when she was 16 months old and we all enjoyed it! Everyone said she wouldn't remember much, but she sure did. We took our second daughter when she was about three months.

 

[AntFarm]

Thank you all again. I talked to my sister about this again and she said they would rather wait a couple more years because they don't think my older niece is ready either. I didn't want to push too much as I knew she was on the fence from the beginning, but Disney will always be there for them all to enjoy someday.

 

[Dis nerd]

Definitely yes! I took my son before he was two and It was my fav time so far that I took him. Like the others said she will be able to go on the same rides as when she will be 2. Also under 2 gets free airfare and into the parks for free!!!