Tell me some experiences when you took your 2 year old or younger,please. Good age?

[GingerbreadCoffin]

The first time I took Jack he was 1 1/2.Everyone told us we were nuts but he loved it...and we were at Epcot!He is not even 3 years old and he is already a theme park nut.My youngest sleapt in the stroller alot but when he was awake it was all giggles.When we walked onto Main Street Jack grinned so big and started jumping up and down pointing to Cinderella's Castle and squealing "Oh Boy!Disney!".I nearly burst into tears.lol.I thought taking the kids would put a damper on my ride hopping but it is so much more exciting when you bring the whole family.

 

[bdb7607]

we took our just turned 2 year old a year ago with their brother (3) and sister (4), the 2 year old - she was slightly scared of the characters, but loved the entire experience....just do it.

 

[KimR]

I agree that 2 is a great age for WDW. We took my 2 youngest DDs when they were 2 and had a wonderful time. However, I do have to agree with the poster who had a not-so-good experience in that you really do not know how they will react.

My middle DD was 2 1/2 and totally freaked out on all of the dark rides and shows for the first few days. Even things that weren't inherently scary terrified her. This surprised me because she was not afraid of the dark at all and used to love to hide in pitch black closets. But once I figured out what set her off it was easy enough to avoid those types of rides and and do things with her she enjoyed. We were even able to watch Fanstasmic because I just turned her around and distracted her during the scary parts. After a few days though she became accustomed to the dark rides and was fine. By our last day she was riding everything including the Haunted Mansion. She is 7 now and enjoys most of the rides but still will not ride Dinosaur or TOT. Once was enough for her on those.

Now my youngest doesn't mind the dark rides but she is afraid of anything that is too loud, too fast or has scary images (she even thinks dumbo is too fast). You'd think there would be very little there for her but she loves it and our last 2 trips with her have been the best yet. Just be flexible and accomodating and you will have a wonderful time.

 

[cutienibbler]

We took my first Dd when she was 22 months old, she had a BLAST! I have some great pictures and memories from that trip! Does she have great memories? Im not sure, she says she remembers somethings, but it was a great experience anyway. She is Mickey's biggest fan, so I think the trip did inspire her,she is now 4.5.

My second Dd went to wdw for the first time when she was 17months, she had a BLAST too! She loved meeting the characters and hugging them. Both my girls love posing for pics with characters. When we took her to Philharmagic, she left on her 3d glasses and was amazed. When Aladdin and Jasmine came by on their magic carpet Dd waved at them! She thought they were real because of the 3d element Both my Dd's also love Fantasmic. We are going again in April and I can't wait, the memories are so beautiful.

 

[Desnik]

DD's first trip was at 9mo, DS's first trip was at 8mo. They have been every year since their first trip! DS is omly 2 and has been twice! I have to say I enjoyed taking them at every age for different reasons. I would say to definately take your 2yo. The expression on their faces when they see WDW is priceless!

I get so frustrated with people when they say taking a youge child is not a good idea and they will never remember it!! I get this all the time. Then DH reminds me that for alot of people WDW is a "once in a life time" trip. So then I now just tell people we go every year, so we don't care if my 2yo won't remember! We have great memories and lots of pics to share with them!

nygrl
I am sorry your 2yo had such a tough time. As I read your post I remembered how my DS was on this past trip. He was 20mo and a complete nightmare in any sit down restaurant we went to! I had to get up and leave with him and leave DH and DD to eat in peace a few times. Then we just gave up and ate at counter service to spare ourselves and other guests. He would just throw everything off the table, try to get out of the highchair, and just scream, thinking he was funny and playing with his Dsis! At 50's PTC he threw and broke the sugar holder!! I also thought I knew my 2yo and "he would never act like that in a restaurant" LOL!!! I was so wrong and I wouldn't have known it until trying it.

I would advise anyone who goes with a 2yo to start them off slowly. Maybe face characters before the costume ones. Mild rides like IASW, or Dumbo. Then work your way up to Buzz and Pooh. Go at their pace and make sure they get their nap or down time.

 

[PrincessA]

We are taking my 21 month old in May and I can't wait. He even has a little Mickey Mouse stuffed animal that we hug and kiss on the nose. I already know that there may be things that he won't like. We will just have to modify our plans and cut out any rides that he doesn't like. I just can't wait to go and expose him to all the things that I love about WDW and hopefully pass my joy on to him.

 

[Partyof12]

We just came back from a wonderful trip with our 4 grandchildren aged 1 to almost 3 (and their parents). Please don't let anyone tell you they are too young! If we had listened to "everyone" we would have missed one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Maybe the little ones won't remember everything - but they sure enjoy themsleves while they are there. The characters are real to them. When my 2 year old greanddaughter waved and said goodbye to Mickey as we were leaving it was so adorable. I also remember taking her mom (my daughter) when she was about the same age! Just watching her watch her own daughter with the same wonder in her eyes was priceless!

Even if the little ones don't remember - you will. You can take them when they are older but it will never be with the same innocence and sense of wonder!

We spent 2 days at the MK and went back to the hotel for naps. That way no one was rushed and everyone was happy!

Enjoy!

 

[kldmom2000]

We took our girls ages 4 yrs and 26 months to Disney this past December for the first time. My 4 yr old HATED it. She was afraid of the characters(except the princesses), any "indoor" rides, the shows, etc... only wanted to stay at the pool at the hotel. My 2 yr old on the other hand, LOVED It! She would get so excited to see the characters-she'd run up and hug them so tight! It was adorable! She wanted to all the rides she possibly could based on her size-I enjoyed bringing her-she made it so exciting! Just wish my 4 yr old liked it too Due to the 4 yr old's reaction, DH won't let us return until they are 7 and 5 which will be Oct. 2007..... can't wait to go back!!!!

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[Nini]

Would have taken our dd(now 3) before now, but had to wait for financial reasons. This year we are going with dh's extended family (12 of us including kids) and my dd is the youngest at three. The ages range from 3 to 9. BUT my sil has taken her little ones since they were infants!!! I would do it if I could...and about them "not remembering"...adults don't even remember EVERYTHING!!! Take lots of pictures and try to get a video recorder...dh is bringing his (it's not digital but who cares!!!) as it will be some time before we can return.

Go For It!!!!!!!!!!

 

[robyn323]

The first time we took our DS he was about 2 and 1/2. I had just taking him out of his stroller to let him stretch his legs a bit.When Mickey came walking out of this side entrance. My son went totally crazy! He started yelling at the top of his lungs MICKEY MOUSE mom it's MICKEY! And he shot off like a cannon after him. Well Mickey heard him and came running back to my son with his arms out wide and I thought my son was going to knock him down! It was really cute! He is now 7 and he still remembers the 1st time he seen his best friend Mickey. Were going back in may and he is so excited. All of his friends are into spongebob. Not my son. He's all disney.

 

[sukhakuli]

My daughter has gone at 8 months, 21 months, and soon 28 months. We're expecting our second who will be only weeks old on the trip.

Any age is a great age for Disney! I never personally understand why people won't take their kids because they won't remember it. I didn't beat my daughter just because she wouldn't remember it, right? My daughter STILL talks about our Disney trip, so even at this young age, she remembers.

At 8 months she was a blast because she wasn't scared of anything. She loved the characters the rides, the shows, just everything. We even took her on Pirates and into It's Tough to be a Bug. She slept through most of the shows, nursed everywhere, and just had a wonderful time. Feeding her solid food was a challenge since at home I make my own, and we had to bring the yucky jarred stuff. She didn't want to eat it. She was also too young for ice cream. The only thing she didn't like was the family raft ride at Typhoon Lagoon. It splashed her in the face and she cried.

At nearly 2 she was so much fun! She wasn't afraid of the characters, but was a little timid. It's Tough to be a Bug scared the bejeezus out of her, but she's a pretty easy going little thing and just snuggled into her daddy with her eyes closed and telling us she was scared. We won't be taking her to it this time. The character meals couldn't have been more fun! It's just such a delight to see her there. She really believes that it's all real, and to see the magic and wonder on her face is priceless.

 

[scorp111]

We took our daughter for the first time at 14 months, again at 16 months, and will be doing it again when she is 21 months.

She absolutely loves it! And so do we.

Every family and child is different I suppose, but for us, WDW is where it's at!

She loves Disney movies, music, characters.....You get the idea.

How many 19 month olds respond to "Your Attention Please" with All Aboard and making train sounds?

If you say Disneyworld, she starts making the sounds from WD Scenic railroad...

We have pictures with her and over 35 characters....

 

[aimb]

We took our son at 7 months and again just after he turned 2. Of course he doesn't remember anything from his first trip, but he DID enjoy it - and I have pictures and video to prove it! He was in awe of all the sights and sounds and LOVED all the characters and the parades.

On his second trip he was a little over 2 and LOVED it! Personally, I think 2 is a great age to take a child to Disney. I'm sure there might be children who don't remember a Disney trip that young, but my son remembers A LOT about that trip. To this day (he is 3.5) he still talks about Cinderella's castle and the Bear in the Big Blue House show. He might not remember that trip forever, but that doesn't matter to me - what matters is that he had a fabulous time and enjoyed every minute of it in the moment.

We are going back again in October, he will be 4 then, and he is just as excited as we are!

 

[Sumac]

Our first trip was when our son was 19 months old, and he was deathly terrified of the dark rides. He cried hysterically on Peter Pan. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff is dark and we weren't prepared. We still had a fun trip, but if we had to do it again, we would bring a light pen and be really careful about the dark stuff. Our daughter never had an issue with it. I say take him whenever you are ready, just do your homework and you should be just fine.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

We took uor daughter when she was 5 months old and it was a blast. When she was tired she would sleep and was very happy the whole time. I know that she will never remeber it but we have great memories from it.... It has beem so far my best trip there!! We are also taking her again in October 05 and she will be 16 months. I think she will enjoy it much more this time.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

No experience yet, but I'll be taking my 2.5yo dd very soon, and I'm trying to "prep" her for the trip. We've been watching the planning video, where she can see clips of characters and rides. We have a video on order from the library, Disney Sing Along Songs Disneyland Fun, which was recommended by someone here, as more video of rides and characters (real ones, not cartoon -- so the child gets used to how large the characters are, compared to him/herself). We made it a point on a recent trip to Six Flags to get her up close to Tweety Bird and the other Warner Bros. characters, again, to get used to them.

I think it's helping. The first time she saw a Pirates clip she said "that's too scary", but after watching it a few times, laughing about it and singing the Yo Ho song with her, she now laughs at it and says she wants to go on it.

All kids are different and you never know how yours will react until you get there. But I'd say the same thing that other have said. If you want to go... go! You'll have to go at your son's pace and maybe skip a few rides or do baby-swap, but you'll have a blast. There is nothing as precious as watching the face of a toddler riding It's a Small World for the first time.

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

My youngest just turned 2 in July. We took him to Disney last December and he had a blast! There are planty of rides to go on with a toddler. My little guy just loved getting pushed around in his stroller and meeting all the characters. He had the best time when we ate diner at LTT. He was kissing Goofy, Pluto and Minnie! We are taking the boys back this Christmas and I am thinking he will love it even more!!

 

[disneynewbee]

Definately go! We took our dd for her 2nd birthday and she had a blast. I was a little worried because she was terrified of the characters at our local chuck e cheese but she loved the characters at disney. If I had a scanner I would post some pictures of her having an absolute blast. She loved so much about the trip. The shows, the fireworks, the rides. Daddy got on dumbo and many other rides with her and she just kept saying "again again". Granted they are not going to remember alot about the trip but they will enjoy it in the moment and you will enjoy seeing your childs face light up. Our dd especially loved the character lunch at crystal palace with pooh and friends. She is 2 1/2 now and always wants to look at the picture book of our trip. When we look at it she gets so excited and chants "can I go again can I go again". I can't wait to take her back and we would be there again before her 3rd birthday if I wasn't pregnant currently. We plan on taking them again when this new baby is only 10 or 11 months. Also my dd did not really watch alot of disney before we went because she has a short attention span and there movies are on the longer side for little ones so she did not even know alot of the characters from seeing them on movies or anything and she still loved them. Now she watches disney movies all the time and we buy every new one to come out. She is a disney addict now.

 

[allaboutmm]

Last year when we went, we only took our then 8 and 5 and left our 22mo home w/ my parents. The reason why we did this is because it was a quick trip (4 nights &5 days), and thought it would just be easier. This ended up being a good choice for us. We did not stop the 5 days we were there, when we say we were only in our room to sleep, trust me that is the truth!! I don't think she could have kept up. And she had a blast with my parents( a.k.a- Nannie and RoRo). December we are all going , its still going to be a quick trip( 5 nights & 6 days) but she should do fine. She will be turning 3 in February ( so right now is Mickeys guest ) I can't wait to watch her face when we get there!!!! Every one is different, this just happened to work for us.

 

[all4fun]

We have taken our ds at 13mos, 17mos, 21 mos and 23mos. All trips had their challenges but overall ds really enjoyed them and if I could do it all over with him at those ages, I would. I agree with the other posters who recommend taking things at your childs pace and being flexible. That can make a huge difference. Our ds really enjoyed the characters the most and loved all the rides. It was just as magical a time for us as it was for him.