The perfect age to take your child the first time?

[KingdomHearts]

Let me start by saying if there was a thread on this already, which I am sure there was, Im sorry... with that said..My Dh and I were talking about this the other night, what the perfect age is to start taking your child to WDW. I am now starting my second trimester and we were trying to figure out what the perfect age is. I dont think it out be a lot of trouble to take him/ her down when they are very little but I think the perfect age is 3. I teach 3 year olds and I hear the stories all the time about them going to WDW and Cinderella and the BBB. So what do you think the perfect age is?

 

[twooley2]

I think 5 is great although the first time we went mine were 7 and 8 and no strollers were needed so that was way cool

 

[barnaby1]

To be honest I think the "perfect age" to take a child is when the parents are ready. It is such an individual thing. We have taken our dd since she was 8 months old and wouldn't have in issue with taking a younger baby (except in really hot weather) but there are plenty of people who would never dream of taking a young child to WDW.

 

[pinktink75]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! What an exciting time!
We took our first DD when she was 18 months old and she absolutely loved it. Even though my DH and I had been many times before it was so magical for us seeing it through her eyes, especially having breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends. We took her again just before her 3rd birthday and were amazed at how many rides she could go on. Our next trip is this August with our new DD who will be 10 months old. We're all very excited because we will be staying at Disney hotel for the first time-thought it would be easier to pop back for naps and pool. Only thing we're not looking forward to is 9 hour flight from uk with 4 yr old and baby!!
Good luck and go whenever you're ready I'm sure WDW is magical for children of all ages, even babies!

 

[mom2cinderella]

I think anytime is the perfect time for a first trip!

I do think the 'magic' peaks at around 3. My older two still love WDW and have a ton of fun there, but the roundeyed awe of meeting a Princess or Mickey is gone.

Michele

 

[IATink]

I agree with barnaby1, whenever you feel you are ready to tackle WDW with the kids, then it is time. My DH and I had been to WDW several times before our kids were born and couldn't wait to take them.

We finally took our girls for the first time when they were 18 months and 3 years. It really wasn't that bad. I was worried how my youngest would do, but it was great. She does not remember much from that first trip, but we have awesome pictures of her watching the parade in awe.

Last summer, my oldest was 6 and it was the first time she really tackled all the big rides. She was so much fun because she loved Expedition Everestt and Splash Mountain. A whole new world opened up to her. She still loves the characters, but my youngest who was five enjoyed that more. It's always so much fun to watch your kids when they experience something new! You'll know when the time is right for you.

 

[odd1]

Six weeks in our case. I wanted to introduce my son to Mickey! Mickey thought he was adorable. And it's up there in my top 2 favorite trips. There were a surprising number of things that I could ride with my baby (a fave was Spaceship Earth), and it was truly magical to walk around the parks with him. I will never forget it.

 

[_queenie_]

To be honest I think the "perfect age" to take a child is when the parents are ready. It is such an individual thing. We have taken our dd since she was 8 months old and wouldn't have in issue with taking a younger baby (except in really hot weather) but there are plenty of people who would never dream of taking a young child to WDW.

Ditto

 

[Grand Canyon]

We took all of ours we they were a few months old WDW
All three were conceived on Disney vacations. There must be something in the water

 

[liznboys]

I agree with you, age 3! And I agree with the others in that it's great taking younger ones too (we did) but that the magic is so strong at age 3.

 

[doodlesmommy]

Age 3 for us too. That is when the magic peaks. My DD will probably never remember last year's trip after 10+ years but we always will and we have the pictures to show our amazing trip. We waited until she was 3 because we refused to change diapers in the park. Heat, exhaustion and wet diapers; no thanks! We had so much fun last year we are headed back in just a few months. Whoo Hooo!!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

 

[Aliceacc]

As long as we're talking "first" time-- not "only" time, it's whenever your budget and schedule allow. Everyone will have opinions; the only one that matters is your own.

For us, this is a BIG deal, not something we'll be able to afford again anytime soon. So we waited until: a) I went back to work and b) our youngest was (or will be) 5.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

As long as we're talking "first" time-- not "only" time, it's whenever your budget and schedule allow. Everyone will have opinions; the only one that matters is your own.

I'm going to add that every child is different. My oldest couldn't have done disney at 3 years. Maybe at 6 years but by almost 9 he did great. My other children were ready earlier than him.

You'll know when it's right once you get to know your child.

 

[dougsmom98]

We went for the first time when our twins were two and our oldest was four. It was so magical for the kids! They really and truly believed the characters were real. We did Magic Kingdom 3 out of 5 days and hardly left Fantasyland and Toon town. I can't even tell you how many times we rode Winnie the Pooh, but it they smiled from ear to ear every single time. If we had tried to do the baby swap and do some of the headliner rides, I think the kids would have been miserable though. We also didn't try to eat sit down meals. Most two year olds have no interest in waiting for food or eating at a sit down meal. I think if you bring young kids, you need to make the trip all about them. There really isn't a bad age to take your kids to WDW. Good luck with your pregnancy.

 

[kim_o]

We went when DS was 21 months old and it was great - he got a lot out of it...more than I was expecting. Therefore I'd say a great "first timer" age is between 18 and 24 months.

 

[YayDisney!]

We first went to Disney when our DD was 3 - a truly magical trip!! I will remember it forever! We did not even think about if it was a good age at the time. Actually, many people tried to talk us out of it saying she was too young and wouldn't remember. !! I think the younger they are the more magical it is and Disney will be in their hearts forever after that!! Enjoy!!

 

[Mcbruns]

The perfect age is a special formula.

Potty trained + parents with patience + under 95 degree weather

Have fun!

 

[BiniB]

To be honest I think the "perfect age" to take a child is when the parents are ready. It is such an individual thing. We have taken our dd since she was 8 months old and wouldn't have in issue with taking a younger baby (except in really hot weather) but there are plenty of people who would never dream of taking a young child to WDW.

I 100% agree with this. We first took our sons when they were 7mos & 3.5yrs. We went the next year when they were 1 1/2yrs & 4.5yrs. Both trips were completely different in what we did & what they wanted to do.

We are planning a trip for sometime this summer - They will be 3yr & 6yrs. My oldest DS remembers specific rides that he can't wait to go on - my younger guy loves Mickey & all the characters, although, I'm not sure he has any vivid memories like his brother.

I am psyched to go and not have to deal with nap schedules & things like that...

It is precious to take them even when they are very young, to see the wide-eyed wonder on their faces when they look around at all the bright colors, people & activities. Although they might not have a specific recall of it, those are memories that will live in you forever that you can share with your child.

 

[beattyfamily]

For us, it was age 2 to 5 that were the most magical. They had stars in their eyes and were in awe.

They actually went with the flow more when they were younger than when they got older.

Under 3 is free so that is a benefit.

After age 5, they still had a great time but it wasn't quite as magical and they whined a bit more.

Of course, as they get older they can ride more which is nice.

Have fun deciding!

 

[dvcdisney]

I agree with those that say, it depends on you when you're ready. It does take extra work to make sure you have a great time. As long as you keep in mind that it will be very different than when you went without kids.

The first time my husband and I went to Disney was our honeymoom. We had a great time. We went a few times after that without kids. When my son was born, we decided to wait just a few months before his 3rd birthday before we went again...my husband and I love Disney and it was difficult to wait, but we thought that was the best thing to do. He loved it. So we went every year since then. However, to be honest, it was a lot easier when we first took him.

Then my daughter was born, we knew we would be able to take her. So at 9 months, we took her for her first trip. She loved it. She is 3 now. And we have started to go twice a year. To be honest, again, it was a lot easier as a baby. She took naps in the stroller, we changed her diapers, she went on some rides. Nothing really scared her. Last year, she started choosing the rides she wanted to go on. Although she still loved them, she was a little more hesitant. On our last vacation, she was still afraid of characters. We found this out when she was almost 2 and we ate at the Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner. By the way, there were no scheduled characters at the dinners so we didn't think much of it. She did have her photo with Cinderella in the front lobby. But she was very nervous and didn't feel like being there too long. By mid dinner, they had brought out the Fairy Godmother (which was not too bad), but as soon as the two Mice came out, although she was far far from them, she screamed and cried until they left. They came over to say hi and photos with my son, but knew not to go near her.

Anyways, I do believe that it is you that will make it fun as a vacation. If you think that it's easier to wait, I think that's what you should do. I have just found that they were a lot easier as babies. Last vacation, I found myself constantly asking my daughter (almost 3 years old at the time) if she had to go to the potty...she finally told me in her very calm voice..."Mommy, I told you I didn't have to go". And so, at that point, I think I had been spending my time worrying about her that I wasn't having a good time and she was getting quite annoyed at my constant nagging. .