Thinking of taking a 2 year old to New York? Am I crazy?

[PinkCupcakes]

Hi there!

I am currently planning a US trip for this December. We have three dds who will be aged 11, 8, and 2 at the time of our trip.

We have previously been to DL back in 2010 when the older dds were 4 and 7. I am considering adding on DW and maybe NY this time round for 5 nights.



Give it to me straight - am I nuts for thinking this is doable with a 2 year old or should I just stick to DL and DW?

Is it even worth doing DW with a 2year old? We would be staying offsite at the Double Tree as we need our space and somewhere for dd2 to nap. Would probably be there between 10 - 14 nights.

Jade

 

[dollarmite]

I say do it!

We took (now teenage) DS1 to Disneyland/LA, NY, Canada and a bunch of other states when he was 17-18 months old. It was great! Even though he doesn't remember it, DH and I can still recall the wonder of seeing things we'd seen before through a child's eyes.

At the toddler stage it's still easy enough for them to sleep in the pushchair when out and about so it didn't impact on our outings at all. He was also a great 'ice breaker' as people would stop to chat when they saw him.

Not to mention, that at 2 they're still free in most places, which made him a lot more economical (to travel with) than he is now.

 

[Marlea98]

The two year old wouldn't remember much of NYC but that wouldn't stop me from taking them. I saw heaps of toddlers in NYC, obviously many of them lived there, so there's no reason why you wouldn't have fun. It also forces you to slow down and enjoy your surroundings if they need to nap

 

[PinkCupcakes]

Thanks for your replies and encouragement dollarmite and Marlea!

Your right. At 2 she won't remember, but we will. Also dd10 and dd7 would love it! Now, onto saving !

Jade

 

[WearegoingtoAmerica]

Hi Jade,

I say do it. We went in September last year with our 6 kids ranging from 10 to 9 months, including a 3 yo. We were there for 5 nights & loved it. My 3yo just said he loved Central Park, going on the ferry (Staten Island) and going on the horse & carriage and seeing lots of lights at night.

The only disadvantage we found having the 2 youngest was the shows. We were told they generally needed to be over 5, so we were unable to see a show. Really wasn't a big deal though.

 

[PinkCupcakes]

Wow! You are amazing "Wearegoingtoamerica"!

Well if you can take 6 kids with two being very young - then I can take 3 kids!

Where did you stay in NYC? We are thinking of staying at the Doubletree in Times Square.

Where else did you go while in the US? Sorry for so many questions! I'm just excited! This is exactly the kind of ammo I need to convince DH that it's a good idea

 

[WearegoingtoAmerica]

I understand you're excitement, PinkCupcakes. We decided on our flight home we just had the best time that we needed to go back, so I'm looking into everything again too, for next year.

We stayed at the Comfort Inn Theatre District. Small, basic rooms, buffet breakfast, good location and fairly cheap - although not by the time you pay for 2 rooms.

We went to Houston, then Orlando for 2 weeks. Then we hired an RV and made our way to NYC via Daytona, Charleston, Washington DC, Lancaster County, Hershey and all the places in between. Then we flew to Niagara Falls. Next we flew to LA and went down Route 66 to San Bernandino and stayed in the Wigwam Hotel.. Our kids thought this was awesome as it was just like staying in a cozy cone from Cars. We headed back to Anaheim and spent the following day at DCA before heading home.

We had an awesome time and we're all looking forward to going back next year. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time too and don't let having a young one stop you from doing anything.

 

[Snickals]

I say do it! The first 2 trips I took with Baby Girl she was too young to remember but I have amazing memories (plus photos and videos). This last trip however she had so much fun and was so into everything Disney! And she does remember it, she is always bringing up things we did/saw. We also went up to Pennsylvania (snow stopped us from visiting New York) and saw snow for the first time ever, and she still talks about the snow!
And like others have mentioned being 2 for a lot of things they will still be free so enjoy saving the money while you can

 

[PinkCupcakes]

Wearegoingtoamerica - that sounds like a fantastic holiday! You are right- I shouldn't let having a little one stop us from going. If we wait until she is older, then the big girls will be even older again.

Snickals, thanks for your reply. Your holiday sounds amazing too! What sort of clothing did you have to take for snowy weather? If we go, it will be the start of December.

Jade

 

[Snickals]

We had thermal wear and tracksuits with us but we are from QLD so don't get snow here. We just went to walmart the first night there and bought thicker clothes including a snow suit and coat for Baby Girl, beanies, gloves.

 

[Marlea98]

We bought some great thermals from Columbia outlets in Orlando. We wore jeans and jumpers with our thermal tops under and a multi layer ski jacket over (we were going skiing after NYC and didn't want to buy extra jackets). You go in and out of so many heated places you need to be able to quickly strip off and cover up again throughout the day.

 

[PinkCupcakes]

Snickals, your daughter is adorable! Thanks for the picture. It gives me a general idea. We are from Victoria so we are used to cold but not snow!

Thanks Marlea. I'm worried about not having much room left in our suitcases after packing all our jackets. I will have to look at getting thermals here in Aust before we go as we are going to NYC first. I should be able to get some deals in the winter sales later in the year.

Thanks again for all the replies

 

[Marlea98]

Snickals, your daughter is adorable! Thanks for the picture. It gives me a general idea. We are from Victoria so we are used to cold but not snow!

Thanks Marlea. I'm worried about not having much room left in our suitcases after packing all our jackets. I will have to look at getting thermals here in Aust before we go as we are going to NYC first. I should be able to get some deals in the winter sales later in the year.

Thanks again for all the replies

Kathmandu have some excellent sales if you want to try them.