Taking a 2 1/2 year old to DW?

[MrsDe2008]

My husband and I will be taking our 2 1/2 year old to DW in September and I would just like to hear that we are making the right decision. lol

She is a pretty mild mannered, well behaved kid, so I think she will be fine overall, but part of me thinks that bringing her to parks all week might be overwhelming. How did your little one fare at the parks? TIA!

 

[jennylyn_b]

We haven taken our dd every six months since she was 12.5 months old. In May she was 2.5 yrs and it was our best trip with her so far. While they have all been great and she changes so much from one trip to another, this one was the most fun. She could tell us what she liked or didn't. She asked for things and let us know if she was hot or hungry etc. She was really into the rides and meals were easy as I could give her some choices and she told me what she wanted.
Make sure to have lots of snacks and drinks for the toddler. And have a great time!

 

[pollypineapple8]

We took our daughter to Disneyland Paris last summer, she was 1.5yrs old. It was horrible, because she was teething bad and she did nothing but cry the whole holiday.

Now she's coming 2.5yrs old and we are going to Disneyworld Orlando this September. The things I dread most are the long queues and the long flight from the UK (9hrs). She is normally a good child, but gets bored quite easily and throws hissy fits. It will certainly be interesting to see how she gets on.

She is at the age now where she is talking, she can communicate more. I think she's at an age where she will just love it.

 

[turkeymama]

We took ds for his first trip at 18 months, 2nd trip at 2 1/2. First trip was great, and the second was even better. He could walk more, talk more and just generally do more. We took our own stroller from home and he frequently napped in there while we were in the parks. He is also a pretty laid back kid so he's always been easy to manage in the parks.

 

[luvmy2babies]

My son has been at 10 months old, 2.5 years-old and just under 3.5 years-old. He’s done great each time. The trip when he was 2.5 we actually had a tropical storm and got rained on for days and he just rolled with it, jumping in puddles when he wasn’t in his stroller. Only thing was for over a month after we got back home, every time it rained he asked if we were back at Disney.

Just make sure you have verious ways to keep her cool and hydrated and have flexibility in your touring plan. Have fun and be ready for that tiny little voice asking you to go back later.

 

[RooRach0906]

We took our DD for 9 night trip at 2.5 in Dec she did great. She loved the rides and characters. She would occasionally request different things.

We only had issues when she was hungry or tired. I made sure to take a variety of snack in the park and kept them a few in my bag with the camera and the rest in the stroller so I had them whenever needed and would replace them when we got back to the stroller. I also took a few dollar toys and a small pad and pens in case of restlessness in lines or at table services. (I only needed them a few times)
The biggest thing I think that kept her calm is DH and I were relaxed and enjoying ourself so she was too. (The reason I say this to is one day we met up with my DH grandfather at DTD cuz he lives in FL and that day DD wasnt as good but we were irritatied and annoyed)

You will be fine you know your kid best and you will know when to take a break by listening and reading their signs.

 

[nugov2]

MK is the meltdown capital of the world after 3

We went this year with my 2yr old(2 yrs 8 months to be exact). He is the third born(6 and 8 yr old siblings). He is used to going to soccer tournaments(my dd plays competitive travel ball) and my ds plays baseball/football...so he is used to being on the go and even missing naps or the quick car nap. He really enjoyed WDW, BUT he couldn't handle the parks every day in the heat of June. He was at a park every other day before RD and was totally done by 2 and out cold by 6:30-7 for the night. We were lucky my mom would take him back to relax so we could stay with the older two(though one day even my 6 yr old was done and didn't want to come back to the park) I think the extreme heat of June did play a factor in it, but I think the theme parks can be overwhelming. He did love the one day when it down poured playing in the puddles...some of the best pictures I got of him. He had a blast!! I think it is a good age to go, but IMO every day in the park is a lot. I wouldn't buy tickets for more than an every other day and then add on when you are there if you happen to have a kiddo up to going every day. I will add that we met my brother down there with their twins...a couple of months older. They bought 5 day hoppers(they never hopped once). Well he went one morning on one of my families off days....he was back after 2 hours in the park...his kids were melting down. So he only ended up using 3 half days and the one 2 hour days because his kids left the park by 2 the other days. He regretted paying the extra money(even though the twins were free it was still wasted for him and his wife). They did go back to MK for dinner at BOG one night while my mom watched the kids for them. Just go slow and even though you get a savings it still might not be worth it to over buy days on your tickets.

 

[mrsap]

I say go for it! My DD went her first time at 23 months and we took DS for his first time last year at 18 months. He just turned 2 last week and we are taking him again in November. We have not had any problems with either child and would do it all over again in a heartbeat! seeing their faces and reactions are just priceless! Make sure you bring a comfy reclining stroller for park naps,plenty of snacks and drinks. I also recommend afternoon breaks back at the hotel. She will love it! Enjoy!

 

[GaBelle]

Our 1st trip to Wdw was when my youngest DD was 2.5, September 2008.
She did great overall! Really a wonderful experience and I swear she still remembers that first trip.We made a couple of mistakes as parents and newbies to Disney that led to a handful of toddler meltdowns.
She was disappointed about not being tall enough for some rides and since we were newbies we didn't educate ourselves on height requirements for attractions.
We stayed offsite and didn't take travel time into consideration when planning breaks. Since, we have vowed to always stay onsite.
We kept her up waaayyy too late the night we did MNSSHP. As her mother, I should have paid attention to the warning signs that she was getting overly tired. But I didn't. And she threw a fit of epic proportions at the carousel.
So I say all of that to say this, by doing what you're doing now: research and gathering information, you can be prepared and have a magical vacation!

 

[CamandLaineysMom]

We took our son when he was 2.5 yrs old and had a great time. He has always been an early riser so we used that to our advantage and got to the parks each day when they opened. The lines were short and we were able to get so much done before the crowds really showed up. We were there for 8 days and all but 2 of them we went back to the room around lunch time for a nap. The first day he wouldn't go down but every day after that he would because he was TIRED and so were we! We would then wake up, get ready and go to a sit down dinner (free dining at the time). Then we would go back into the parks for a few hours and get back to the hotel about an hour after his usual bed time.

Because we were there so early and also took advantage of Fast Pass a lot we did not have to wait in too many long lines so he handled it well. I had gone to the dollar store and dollar spot at target prior to the trip and purchased a ton of little tiny cheap toys that I didn't care if he lost. He would open a gift bag every day that Mickey left with these little gifts in them and have those to play with when in line or at dinner. He is a "spirited" boy but suprisingly good whenever we did have to wait in a longer line.

I think if you just go into it with reasonable expectations you will be suprised with how well things will actually go. At least we were!

Have fun!

 

[MrsDe2008]

Thank you all so much for the feedback...it is reassuring!

DH and I have been going to DW for years and were always the couple that looked at the people with the strollers and screaming children thinking "we'll never be them and take our kids to DW so young". Now, here we are, taking our 2 1/2 year old there. hehe

I'm pretty confident she will love it and behave. Being we have been so many times, we know all of the ins and outs, so we will tackle what we want to early on, before she gets too exhausted. We are definitely bringing her travel system stroller being it reclines and is comfy. Plus, it's nice that it has the basket underneath for bringing things along.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[xipetotec]

My husband and I will be taking our 2 1/2 year old to DW in September and I would just like to hear that we are making the right decision. lol

She is a pretty mild mannered, well behaved kid, so I think she will be fine overall, but part of me thinks that bringing her to parks all week might be overwhelming. How did your little one fare at the parks? TIA!

y'know I hear so many people say "I'm going to take my kid when he/she is old enough to remember" or something like that. I can tell you from personal experience ( and observation over time ) that at that age, THEY will have a blast and YOU will always remember that.

When we first went with my kids, they were 3, 6 and 7 respectively. They all had a blast of course and continue to this day ( they are now aged 14, 18 and 21! ). But the very special memories we got from the 3 year old who had no loss of illusion, was completely immersed and believed in the magic.

That special moment when he saw his favorite, Peter Pan, in the parade and waved frantically to get noticed. Or giving warm genuine hugs to characters. It was just amazing.

So yes, you're making the right decision.

 

[bushdianee]

My sister and I took our niece when she was 2.5. She had a great time and wasn't even homesick. There were times that she fell asleep in the stroller and I sent my sister on some of the bigger rides by herself as it was her first time in WDW and I had been there several times. DN doesn't remember that trip now that she is 7 but did when we went back when she was 4. Her favorite of the 1st trip riding the buses

 

[Paigesmom2013]

We are going for the first time in Septmeber with our DD almost 3. I am hoping she really likes it. She seems to thrive on chaos and contant activity, lol, so I think she will have fun. Plus she really likes characters. She is more afraid of actual people!
Along with snacks, we are bringing a change of clothes in the park and plenty of wipes. If lines are long, we can let her watch videos on our phones.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

we are going on our first trip with our 2 year 4 month old DD in November. I cant wait to have her see the icicle lights, the giant gingerbread house at the grand floridian, the lights at DHS, and meet the characters and go on rides. She loves Ariel and we are staying in the little mermaid room.. so i'm sure she will be super excited. She normally has a daily meltdown when she falls asleep nursing and i try to lay her down on her nap mat. She throws a tantrum and screams her head off until she woke herself up enough to calm down. That won't be fun in disney! hopefully she would just nap in the stroller.

 

[Timandalicia]

Not only are you making the right decision, but you are stopping yourself from making the wrong decision, which is not taking your 2 1/2 year old to Disney World (a mistake made by many people). It is a perfect age for the first trip. Now just don't make the mistake of not going when she is 4 through 10, 15 and 18.

Our kids did great at that age. Imagine how happy your child is at a park, or in a room full of toys and multiply it by 100. Their brains are wired to take in all of that stimuli and process it, and she will absolutely love it.

 

[lilybrooke14]

We took our daughter at 2 1/2, and it was great. She had so much fun! She napped happily in her stroller, loved the characters, everything. It was the best vacation we have ever taken.

We took her back at 4 1/2, and that was a special little slice of hell. She was old enough to complain about... pretty much everything. She still loved the characters and the rides, but she whined incessantly about the lines, the people, the temperature (it was October, so not hot), waiting in restaurants, etc. etc. Not cool, kid.

We're going back in February, now that our son is going to be 2 1/2. Our daughter will be almost eight, and I think she'll be fine. She's been warned in advance that any shenanigans will earn her a babysitter in the hotel room.

So, 2 1/2 yes. 4 no. In my opinion.

 

[kastoney]

And the best part - She's FREE!!!!!

 

[merdie]

We took our DD at 2.5 and it was fantastic. She did so well and loved every minute. We are going back in February and our LO's will be 4.5 and 15 months, now I'm nervous about that trip for sure!

 

[jgive]

We took our son to WDW at 15 months and we are headed to Disneyland at 20 months. Just remain flexible and take breaks when you need to. You will love watching them see the wonderment of Disney for the first time.