Taking toddler for 1st time, when to go and other ?s

[Brave Princess]

We are planning our 2nd Disney trip in 2021 and 1st time with our youngest, who will be 2. Our 1st trip was in 2018 with our then 10 and 12 year olds. We had an 8 day trip, 2 days at each park, we hit the ground running and went all day, and it was all amazing. We know that this time will be much different but we are trying to benefit from her still being free when she is 2 years old, not needing a family suite, etc. This trip is more about the older girls and making it work with our little one.

We previously went the last week of Jan into first week of Feb and loved everything about the weather and low crowds. However, this time next year, little one will just be 26 months. So we were looking at the first week of Nov, as she'll nearly be 3. The benefits we are looking at is we anticipate it being a little easier as she gets older, 2 to 3 makes a big difference, and she'll have more knowledge of characters and Disney and could potentially have a lot more fun. The cons are we'd be giving up the prime week we really want to go, as well as having to wait longer to go back!! Another pro of going in November is it will be mine, little ones, and oldest's birthdays, so it would be a super fun way to celebrate them all.

I want to know how the crowds will be just after Halloween into Veterans Day? We'd likely be going between the 3rd and 10th. This may also go along with "Jersey week", since all NJ schools get 4 to 5 day weekends that week.

I also wanted to know if she turns 3 before the end of our trip, does she still count as a 2 year old for the entire trip?

Also, we really enjoyed using uber and lyft at the end of the night to avoid the bus. Can I bring a carseat to the parks and store it somewhere? Or is it a lot easier to order an uber with a carseat?

It was all just so easy last time, we didnt have to think about any of these things. And if you have any tips for surviving Disney with a 2 year old, I'll gladly take it!! Any help is appreciated!!

 

[mjkacmom]

That is jersey week, so crowds will be higher. I don’t think you can store a car seat.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I can't answer too many of your questions, but if she is 2 on the day you check in at Disney, then she is considered 2 for the entire trip. Even if she turns 3 during the trip, she will still be considered 2 and not need a ticket, you won't have to pay for her at buffets and AYCTE places (for regular restaurants she can share with you for free, but if you want her own meal, you have to pay).

We took my son a few days before he turned 2 and he did great. He didn't really have much knowledge of the characters and was typically a clingy and nervous little boy, but he really loved the fur characters (including ones he'd never heard of before). We took buses everywhere and didn't have a car seat so I can't really help with that. We brought our jogging stroller from home which was convenient for him to take naps in at the parks (and the large wheels made it really easy to maneuver throughout the parks as well), but he walked a good chunk of the parks too. We had extra clothes and diapers in the stroller but also kept a couple diapers, small pack of wipes, a folding changing mat, and a few packages snacks (fruit snacks, goldfish, lollipops) in a small crossbody bag that we carried with us everywhere. We also brought a thin receiving blanket to cover the stroller with when he was sleeping to help block out the sun.

Remember that you won't get to do everything and be prepared to change your plans around. A couple of times we elected to drop a plan because he was having so much fun riding 3 Caballeros with no wait or playing on the light up carpets in the Imagination pavilion in Epcot. Factor in extra time for bathroom breaks as you will likely either be dealing with a child in diapers (so waiting in line for the bathroom to go yourself, plus time to change her) or a child that's going through or is newly potty trained (in which case you're going to want to stop at every bathroom you come across). If she has a fear of auto flush toilets and is in the potty training stage, you might consider bringing a small pad of sticky notes to cover the sensor (just of course remember to remove the sticky note and flush manually after).

Also, I would strongly recommend bring a sippy cup as lids are not typically being provided with drinks at Disney and straws (if they are even provided- not all places seem to have them) are usually paper ones.

Personally both my kids became a bit more difficult the closer to 3 that they got, so going around DS's 2nd bday worked really well for us. During his later 2s, he was wanting to do so much more stuff himself, which meant he fought more at holding hands, listening, wanting everything done his way, etc. Every kid is different though.

 

[sponica]

Will the older kids be going as well?

I think you might need to plan in some "split" time or be able to accommodate it. My then 20 month old was a trooper and stroller napped, but she absolutely hated rides. Climbing on every park bench she saw was probably her favorite thing...

 

[MaryMichelotti]

We did a rental car when my daughter was 11 month and it helped to not have to rely on the bus.

 

[Brave Princess]

Will the older kids be going as well?

I think you might need to plan in some "split" time or be able to accommodate it. My then 20 month old was a trooper and stroller napped, but she absolutely hated rides. Climbing on every park bench she saw was probably her favorite thing...

Yes we are taking everyone. The trip is mainly for our older kids and taking advantage of the little one being under 3 and free. We know she wont get a lot out of the trip and it'll be a lot more work on us. So, the olders will either be 15 and 13 or 16 and 14 at the time, depending on the month we go. We are figuring this may be our last big Disney trip all together as we dont plan to go back until the little one is around 6. So we are definitely banking on a lot of ride share and my husband and I taking turns. And the olders may be ok to do a few things on their own while we sit in a show or playground with the little one. And right now, she doesn't stroller nap, but we haven't had a lot of opportunity for that. Maybe she will, maybe my husband and I will take turns and take her back for a nap. A lot will have to be a wait and see kinda thing.

This all goes in my weighing when to go. If we go early jan/late Feb, we absolutely love that week for weather and crowds. If we go first week of Nov, we'll literally celebrating 3 of our birthdays and the little one will be turning 3. I'm not sure if 3 is significantly easier than 2, but it's all in what we are weighing.

 

[Brave Princess]

We did a rental car when my daughter was 11 month and it helped to not have to rely on the bus.

We are considering driving so that we can pack as much as we want for the little one and be able to get to and from the parks and hotel easily. It wouldnt be a super crazy drive, but it wouldnt be fun either.

 

[Brave Princess]

I can't answer too many of your questions, but if she is 2 on the day you check in at Disney, then she is considered 2 for the entire trip. Even if she turns 3 during the trip, she will still be considered 2 and not need a ticket, you won't have to pay for her at buffets and AYCTE places (for regular restaurants she can share with you for free, but if you want her own meal, you have to pay).

We took my son a few days before he turned 2 and he did great. He didn't really have much knowledge of the characters and was typically a clingy and nervous little boy, but he really loved the fur characters (including ones he'd never heard of before). We took buses everywhere and didn't have a car seat so I can't really help with that. We brought our jogging stroller from home which was convenient for him to take naps in at the parks (and the large wheels made it really easy to maneuver throughout the parks as well), but he walked a good chunk of the parks too. We had extra clothes and diapers in the stroller but also kept a couple diapers, small pack of wipes, a folding changing mat, and a few packages snacks (fruit snacks, goldfish, lollipops) in a small crossbody bag that we carried with us everywhere. We also brought a thin receiving blanket to cover the stroller with when he was sleeping to help block out the sun.

Remember that you won't get to do everything and be prepared to change your plans around. A couple of times we elected to drop a plan because he was having so much fun riding 3 Caballeros with no wait or playing on the light up carpets in the Imagination pavilion in Epcot. Factor in extra time for bathroom breaks as you will likely either be dealing with a child in diapers (so waiting in line for the bathroom to go yourself, plus time to change her) or a child that's going through or is newly potty trained (in which case you're going to want to stop at every bathroom you come across). If she has a fear of auto flush toilets and is in the potty training stage, you might consider bringing a small pad of sticky notes to cover the sensor (just of course remember to remove the sticky note and flush manually after).

Also, I would strongly recommend bring a sippy cup as lids are not typically being provided with drinks at Disney and straws (if they are even provided- not all places seem to have them) are usually paper ones.

Personally both my kids became a bit more difficult the closer to 3 that they got, so going around DS's 2nd bday worked really well for us. During his later 2s, he was wanting to do so much more stuff himself, which meant he fought more at holding hands, listening, wanting everything done his way, etc. Every kid is different though.

Thanks!

You've definitely given me ideas and things to think about that I didnt previously!

It's funny, too, I've heard from everyone that little ones LOVE caballeros!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

It's funny, too, I've heard from everyone that little ones LOVE caballeros!

My son thought Donald Duck was playing hide and seek with him and kept wanting to ride again so he could "find" Donald in each scene!

Also, a tip for the queues as that will probably be where your little one is the most restless, try to find interesting things to focus her attention on. Many of the queues have neat things to look at and sometimes hidden mickeys. My son loves looking at the different styles of light fixtures in many of the queues. I know the light fixture thing sounds weird, but it helped keep him occupied. We also played iSpy and simple counting games.

 

[Gingerfun1]

If you use Minnie vans (Lyft) you can request one with a carseat.