Taking toddler

[RRK15]

Is 3 too young for Disneyland? We're going in April and some ppl have mentioned that my 3 year old might not enjoy herself because shes too young. Anyone taken their 3 yr? How was ur experience?

 

[sophies*mom]

Our last trip, my kids were 8mo and 3yo. My 8mo had a blast, he was laughing and smiling and excited the whole time. My 3yo was unsure about meeting characters and didn't like some of the dark rides, but overall she had a lot of fun and I don't regret taking her.

If your DD is not familiar with what she might see, then I would have her watch youtube videos or something, but I think she will have fun as long as you take her lead and go at her pace.

 

[pharmama]

Is 3 too young for Disneyland? We're going in April and some ppl have mentioned that my 3 year old might not enjoy herself because shes too young. Anyone taken their 3 yr? How was ur experience?

OMG NO! I just spent 2 days at the parks with just DD3 and it was great! Probably my favorite trip with my DD5 was a solo trip I took with her when she was 3. As long as you let them guide the trip she'll have a great time. And seeing the wonder and excitement is so worth it We are all Annual Passholders so maybe we're biased but I think its a fun age as long as you go in knowing that they're not gonna be tall enough for the 'big' rides (in most cases...my DD3 is just barely 40" but will be 4 in May. They let her on BTMRR once but the second time decided she wasn't tall enough). It's all about shows, parades, Fantasyland rides etc. My only caution is to take cues from your kid when it comes to characters...my DD3 is really only OK with characters she can see their real face (so basically princesses). We went through the whole meet Olaf process (she said she wanted to) but then she freaked out at the last minute. Oh well!

 

[RRK15]

Our last trip, my kids were 8mo and 3yo. My 8mo had a blast, he was laughing and smiling and excited the whole time. My 3yo was unsure about meeting characters and didn't like some of the dark rides, but overall she had a lot of fun and I don't regret taking her.

If your DD is not familiar with what she might see, then I would have her watch youtube videos or something, but I think she will have fun as long as you take her lead and go at her pace.

OMG NO! I just spent 2 days at the parks with just DD3 and it was great! Probably my favorite trip with my DD5 was a solo trip I took with her when she was 3. As long as you let them guide the trip she'll have a great time. And seeing the wonder and excitement is so worth it We are all Annual Passholders so maybe we're biased but I think its a fun age as long as you go in knowing that they're not gonna be tall enough for the 'big' rides (in most cases...my DD3 is just barely 40" but will be 4 in May. They let her on BTMRR once but the second time decided she wasn't tall enough). It's all about shows, parades, Fantasyland rides etc. My only caution is to take cues from your kid when it comes to characters...my DD3 is really only OK with characters she can see their real face (so basically princesses). We went through the whole meet Olaf process (she said she wanted to) but then she freaked out at the last minute. Oh well!

Thank you both! I've been told to keep an eye on the character thing but my daughter is soo outing i dont see it being a huge issue! I also thought now was a great time to go as well as its more magical at a younger age - their minds are soo pure! Everything seems more real.


Would you both defiantely recommend I take a stroller tho? Debating to take one or not.

 

[pharmama]

I think you'll both be much happier if you take a stroller-conserve her energy for enjoying the parks rather than using it on the walking. That said, we will park our stroller in one spot, say in Fantasyland, then wander around the whole area and then go pick up the stroller when we are ready to move on to another land.

 

[sophies*mom]

Yes, I would take one. That's a lot of walking and her little legs will get tired.

 

[Crisi83]

As far as characters go, I took my 18 month old and she was very excited to see Mickey, but did not want to quite go all the way up to him (just run in a circle around him, laughing I did try taking her to some places I knew would have some costumed characters to see how she would react. Olaf freaked her out too! Try visiting the Easter Bunny at the mall or maybe Chuckie Cheese to see that mouse

Now we are going when she is 2, and I don't think we'll have the same problems. Still, the best interactions we had were low key. Halloween party we saw a lot of characters with no lines so she could take her time getting to know them and a late character breakfast was great because there were not a lot of kids and so she could spend more time warming up to each character.

 

[DisneyHeather]

I've taken my son at 6 months, 9 months (WDW), 1 year, 1 1/2, 2 1/2 (WDW) and we're going again to DLR next weekend (he'll be a few days shy of 4). He has loved it at each age for different reasons. At 6 months he loved the characters and I have some of the cutest pictures of him touching their faces and checking them out. This upcoming trip all he's talking about is the rides because it's his first 40" trip.

I say don't listen to what people say. You know your child and you know what they like and don't like so if you feel it's time for a trip then go for it and have fun!

 

[amyg1975]

We took our 3 year old in November (actually, she was turning 3 in two weeks) and she had a BLAST! This time around she loved the characters (this was her third trip) and we spent a lot of time finding Mickey. She loved most rides too. Because she had fun, we had even more fun. We headed back in two weeks. Stroller was necessary- she took her nap in it, and with crowds and slow walking, it was just easier to put her in the stroller.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Is 3 too young for Disneyland? We're going in April and some ppl have mentioned that my 3 year old might not enjoy herself because shes too young. Anyone taken their 3 yr? How was ur experience?

You know your child better then anyone, but I've yet to hear of a three year old NOT enjoying a trip to Disneyland. I really think 3 is the PERFECT age because they are so into the magic! Last year my oldest was 2.5 on our trip and he had a wonderful time. He believed McQueen was the REAL McQueen from the Cars films and was totally star struck. He watched a parade every day and danced along to Disney Junior LIVE twice. Definitely bring a stroller - as my non napping boy passes out in it at least once a day at Disney. The fun wears them down

 

[beachdreamr1229]

No age is ever too young or old for Disneyland as long as you're smart about it. I started taking my oldest when he was 2 1/2 and we've gone regularly ever since. At 3, he had a great time with all the rides. There's plenty for kids under 40 inches tall to ride. He loved meeting the characters, too. Every kid is different, of course, and only you know your kid, but I think 3 is a great time to start (I was also about 3 my first time going and I still remember bits and pieces of it).

Edited to add you should DEFINITELY take a stroller. My oldest is almost 5 now and he still gets tired occasionally. A stroller really helps, especially if you're going to stay late into the day without a hotel break.

 

[YukonMommy]

NO 3 is not to young. Disney is for all ages!
YES you need a stroller. It is a lot of walking, plus it is super convenient to store stuff in (snacks, water bottles, hoodies, etc)...we call it our portable locker!!

Have a magical time!

 

[bumbershoot]

some ppl have mentioned that my 3 year old might not enjoy herself because shes too young.

How could she NOT enjoy herself? 3 year olds love life, they love being with their parents, they love smiling and being silly and having fun.

Now, if those people really mean "she won't remember it", that's different. She might not. But she won't remember tomorrow's preschool class, or day spent helping you sort socks, either. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do things. What it means is that if this trip is "for her", if it's a once in a lifetime moment, then you should reschedule for when her memories are more set, for when she won't need the stroller, for when she'll carry her own backpack, etc etc etc. But if it's a trip for the family and she gets to go along because she's in the family, then go, have fun.

Things will be different because 3 year olds get tired, cranky, hungry...3 year olds are unpredictable (she loves scary skeleton pirates and hates Winnie the Pooh? could happen!)...they need rest and downtime.

Our son's first time was there was a day trip from my brother's place, he was 17 months old. Second time was a year later, same daytrip. third time was at 3, it was several days long, it was great. And so we started our Disney-time.

He doesn't remember much from the trips but we do.

 

[Goose&mavie]

We had the same concerns as you but my LO Loooved going to DL. We just went in February and she's 3 and a few months. We're planning to go back in September that's how much she enjoyed herself. We did a 3 day park hopper but only ended up spending about 2 1/2 days there.

My LO is into princesses so we did the BBB princess makeover, which she loved so much. Ariel's grotto was closed so we did the character breakfast at plaza inn and she loved meeting Minnie, tigger, eeyore, chip and dale and Captain Hook. I think her favorite parts though we're when we went to California adventure and did the anna and Elsa meet and greet and pixie hollow to meet tinker bell. We had everyone sign the autograph book and she was even asking them to sign it too.

My advice is to absolutely take the stroller. She usually hates to ride in the stroller, but we rented one and she did ride in it a lot.

Be prepared to take lots of breaks and nap time for us was also important.

 

[Travelingmom22]

I have heard the same thing, but I know my son will have a blast.
We are going next month and he will be a few months shy of 3 and all he talks about is going to Disneyland. I ordered the free planning DVD and we watched it so he had an idea of what we would be doing and seeing the characters interact with people. He keeps asking to watch "the Disneyland movie". I know he is going to have a blast

 

[Aussie Princess]

My DS has been at 2 and 3 and has been fantastic seeing the difference in the years last year he knew what he wanted to ride - tuck and roll and king Arthur's were his favs
But we take it slow always got there early when the crowds were low as we were there over thanksgiving and then back to hotel when started to get busy around lunchtime for pool time then back in the evening
Just got to have paitence with the kiddos

 

[luulu1999]

Def take a stroller, people told me not to take our kids when they were 4&5 because they were to young but it is a great experience and my kids loved it!!

 

[ktlm]

My favorite Disney trips were when DD (9) was 2 and 3. Everything was real and magical to her and she was so happy the whole trip. She is outgoing, and she was never remotely afraid of the characters. She was a total character fanatic from the minute she saw the first one. It was so bad that we developed a block, distract and reroute technique because if she saw a character she would insist on getting in their line no matter how long it was. I can't imagine a 3 year old not enjoying themselves at DL, even if they turn out not to be so fond of the characters.

Definitely take a stroller. Disney is too much walking for a pre-schooler. You will be very glad you have it. My DD did not set foot in a stroller after she hit 12 months old and took her 1st step other than at WDW or DL. She was totally fine walking zoos, malls, and anywhere else and had no need for the stroller. Disney was a totally different experience. At Disney, she happily rode in the stroller quite a bit. With a 3 year old, she will probably take an occasional stroller nap as well. We tried and afternoon break the first day of her first trip and she hated it, so after that we just stayed in the parks open to close and she took naps in the stroller. DD was 40 inches on her 3 year old trip, but just because they hit 40 inches or just because they are older doesn't mean they are going to like the big rides. Some kids love them, and some kids not so much. At age 9, DD still wants nothing to do with BTMRR, and she isn't crazy about Splash.

I hope you have a wonderful time with your 3 year old! They start being told by their school peers at such an early age that nothing is "real" that I really think preschool is the perfect time for a first Disney trip!

 

[pikaboo27]

We took our DS starting at 10 weeks, and he's been 9 times. He's 3 now and the other day I was working on a photo album and he saw pics from our last trip (January) and he said, "Mommy, I wanna go to Disneyland." We are planning a July trip now for the 60th. So, no, 3 isn't too young. And definitely bring a stroller. Preferably one that your child can lay back in. We are fans of the Bob and our DS can sleep comfortable in it (and he's big for his age.) You will definitely want to plan a midday break, for a nap, a swim, something like that, but otherwise, go! Have fun! Enjoy this magical age where that really is Mickey, Cinderella, etc and dreams really do come true.

 

[cptmemo]

We're going in April and our youngest is 3. When we went last, she was 18 months. She was fine on all the dark rides, but absolutely terrified of the characters. I think she's a bit better now, but totally freaked out regarding Santa at Christmas. To be on the safe side, I'm not booking any character meals because I don't want to waste the money if she's not going to be okay with them.

We're taking a stroller for her, it's an umbrella fold one, but still has a basket down below. Might use it for naps if we don't go back to the hotel each day.