Taking a young child to disney world, lots of ???

[sl_underwood]

We have decided to go ahead and take our new son to wdw this year. Depending on when we go, he will either be 3 or 4 but he has some significant delays. Can we rent a stroller for the length of our stay, if so what is the cost? If not, what is the cost to rent a stroller each day? Also, how do you handle sit down meals? We want to do atleast on ts each day. We will also have a 3 1/2 hour plane ride, any suggestions there? Which hotels are most kid friendly? I have never taken a young child anywhere, lol, so I am very nervous. Any advice would be helpful!
Thanks
Lora

 

[chip&dale1]

Hi,we took our boys to WDW from the Uk when our youngest was 4.you will have no problems.we found that it was better to take our own stroller rather than hire one .(that way if you decide to stay off site and your child falls asleep it saves your arms)
We made a rule that when the first child starts to get tired we would go for a rest and re enter the park later.
One thing we did notice is that you must let the little one's discover the charicters at there own pace.We know they are safe but the little ones don't.Take your time and have the camera ready for some magic photo's.
If you are staying off site i would suggest you all get your evening meal before leaving the park as we found our boys were fast asleep on the journey to the hotel....It seemed a shame to wake them.
There are plently of attractions for small ones in Magic Kingdom.
Hope this helps and have a great time!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Strollers are $10 a day at the parks. I don't think there is a multi-day discount. You can only use the strollers in the park, so they aren't available for use at the resort. It might be cheaper and easier, depending on the length of your stay, to bring one or buy a cheap one while you are there.

We let our children rest in the strollers at the park. It works for some kids and not for others. If your hotel is really close, going back for a nap isn't a bad option. I'd hate to egress from the Animal Kingdom and go all the way back to someplace like the Grand Floridian just for a nap. I supposed it depends on the time of year as well. During the off season, the hours are short, so time away is more costly in terms of park time.

We didn't handle table service meals. Our kids are generally well behaved, but they have spend very little time in restaurants without play areas. They really struggle to behave at regular restaurants so we gave up and don't go to them. Dining was never a big thing for us, so it's no big loss.

For the plane ride, it's best to bring a variety of small activities. We switch between reading books, doing activity type books, and watching DVDs. A little snack never hurts either, but be careful about carbo loading your kids an then expecting them to sit still. I'm mystified by parents that give their kids 500 calories of candy and soda in the middle of a plane trip and then seem surprised at how hyper their kid is.

The biggest lesson that we learned doing WDW with young children is that their drive and desires might be different then yours. My oldest, when he was 3, announced in the middle of day 2 that he was no longer interested in rides and just wanted to play. We were on a short trip and were trying to get on every ride possible with him. We learned our lesson and now plan multiple stops at Dinoland, I Shrunk the Playground, Tom Sawyer's Island, and anyplace else that they can have some free play for a while. That may not work for your kids; watch them and pay attention to what they really want to do, not just what you want them to want to do.

 

[disneymomej]

It actually is cheaper to rent the stroller for the length of your stay, or it was last year. I personally hate hauling my own stroller around on the buses, etc... I find it much easier to just rent a stroller for our stay. On the first day of stroller use just inform them how many days you will be needing one. They give you a card and you are then able to bypass the lines and just grab a stroller at any park. We found this convienent.

I have DD5 and DS3. Just remember WDW was made for the little ones! We have been taking our kiddos for 3 years now. The magic is real to them, and WDW was designed to handle them. You will have a great time, and your kids will love you for taking them!

 

[belle&beast]

We have decided to go ahead and take our new son to wdw this year. Depending on when we go, he will either be 3 or 4 but he has some significant delays. Can we rent a stroller for the length of our stay, if so what is the cost? If not, what is the cost to rent a stroller each day? Also, how do you handle sit down meals? We want to do atleast on ts each day. We will also have a 3 1/2 hour plane ride, any suggestions there? Which hotels are most kid friendly? I have never taken a young child anywhere, lol, so I am very nervous. Any advice would be helpful!
Thanks
Lora

We took our 4.5 year old and 2 year old last year and I would bring my own stroller. The rentals are hard plastic, and may not be comfortable. When you say significantly delayed, I am picturing a child that may have difficulty sitting for long in something that is not flexible and doesn't offer support. (I'm a preschool speech therapist) Also, at the end of the day you will have to turn in a rented stroller and we used ours until we boarded the bus. Then we used it again to get to our hotel room- the resorts are really big!

We found that table service meals were best for our kids at around 4:30 PM. This was about the time they started to unwind and would eat dinner and be ready to go again, but of course every child is different.

We took lots of new surprises to keep the kids busy- new colorwonder books, mini magnadoodle, etc. as well as a portable dvd player and everyone was content. I also recommend taking the sarseat on the plane if your child is still in a 5 pt harness. My kids used theirs and it was easy to keep them in their seats- they know when they are in the carseat, they have to stay seated.

We stayed at POR with our kids and it was great. I think and Disney hotel would be kid friendly and most off-sites would be, too.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

There is a multi-day discount... I believe it's about $2 a day. We usually just rent the park strollers, because it can be difficult to transport a bulky stroller on the transportation to and from the parks. One option would be to take your own umbrella stroller and use it in transit to and from the parks, and rent a stroller for use inside the park. They will hold your umbrella stroller at the stroller rental area for you.

 

[sl_underwood]

We have stayed onsite before and intend to again. We plan to use disney transportation as well. Our sons biggest delay is speech and social skills. He doesnt really enjoy sitting still but likes to ride in the stroller. He has some gross motor delays due to spending several months in a body cast so he doesnt really walk for long periods of time and cant play on most playground equipment without alot of help. We have debated on whether to postpone our trip for another year or go ahead and continue with our plans for this year. Our original plan was to go for star wars weekends and then again at Christmas break Since we got our son, I think we will need to change the dates a little. When is the best season for lower crowds?
Lora

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Congratulations on deciding to go, I replied to your first post about going! Of course you're nervous and have a lot of questions, but you will have a great trip.
I'm bringing my own stroller with us. The ones at the park are a hard plastic, and if there's a chance he might take a little nap, definately bring yours.
I'm reserving 3-4 character meals when we go so my kids can see alot of characters without too many lines( But to warn you, some kids are petrified of the characters, my dd5 was the last time we went ,she was 3.)
Just take it easy while you're there, and don't overplan.
We are staying at the all star music resort, the 3 all star resorts, seem to be the most kid friendly, the atmoshpere looks so great.
Well good luck with your trip and your new son

 

[twinmom2]

I brought my own stroller for my girls (both 2) and was glad I did. The disney ones dont recline and are hard plastic. I was happy to have it even just getting to the monorail, hotel, etc. I never had a problem getting on the monorail with my side-by-side. If there were no wheel chairs bording they put us in the large section and we never took the girls out of the stroller.
Dont reconsider your plans. your son will enjoy the sights and extra stimuli. He will absorb a lot of info in that little brain of is. My girls were not afraid of any of the characters or the rides and i think this was due to the fact of much preparation. I bought a Disney DVD that showed all the characters(not carton) and all the rides with kids riding them and the characters riding them. When we got there they pointed out specific one like DUMBO and the Tea Cups. Enjoy and have fun.

 

[sl_underwood]

Ok guys, the consensus is to bring your own stroller. I dont actually own one. What type of stroller is good for a 3 almost 4 year old? I hate to spend a ton of money since he will probably outgrow it in a year or so anyway. Any suggestions?
Lora

 

[twinmom2]

i was actually just doing some research on single strollers because i am considering two singles instead of the side-by-side. You want one that has the bars long enough (not an umbrella) because your back will be hurting after 1 afternoon. i find this one and the reviews were great. People who went to Disney made some reviews too. It is more than an umbrella, but i think it is worth it. It has a lot of extras like small basket, reclining, harness, etc.

it is on the toys r us website

C5 Stroller - Adventure Green
by: Chicco