Trip with 3 yr & 5yr old and Mom

[2forMe]

Am I crazy.. dh cannot come on our trip anymore that is at the end of sept.. it was for 10 days. I just cannot disappoint the kids.. but I am not sure how I can handle going with the kids alone at that age.. anyone done this?? Maybe a shorter trip?? I amy have someone to come to replace dh but that is not guaranteed

 

[Sunshein]

Wow! That is a very tough situation to have to deal with. We are going in a couple of weeks with our almost 5 year old and three year old and I can't imagine doing it without the DH. It is stressing me out enough as it is! I know that my two wouldn't mind delaying the trip for a while at all. They have never been before so I am way more excited than they are. They are young enough not to be overly disappointed.

I would find it hard to do such a special family vacation without Daddy there, but if it can't be helped then it can't be helped. I wouldn't do it without help though or it just wouldn't be a whole lot of fun for you.

Good luck!

 

[tjmw2727]

Yes - I have done it many, many times and we always have a blast. I started taking my kids solo when they were 2 & 4 and its been wonderful. Sometimes DH joins us for part of the trip other times we go alone. When you think about all the time you spend with them doing grocery shopping, going to the zoo, mall, park etc it's really not that much different.

You will find that you can ride all the attractions appropriate for a 3 & 5yo as three to a seat so that's no worry. The parades can be tricky if you stake out a spot and then someone has to go potty. Sometimes a kind neighbor would hold our spot, other times we foud a new one or just did something else.

I highly recommend staying onside - use ME to and from the airport and you will only have to worry about having fun with the kids. We usually had cold breakfast in the room, did our big meal as table service lunch and counter service for dinner. This gave us a nice break in the afternoon, good food at lunch prices and my dd's were more likely to sit through lunch then dinner.

I find going on their pace and doing what we want makes for a wonderful relaxing vacation. Even though your the solo adult your not cooking, cleaning etc so you can really just focus on having fun with the kids.

At that age I used an umbrella stroller for the 2yo around the resorts and to and from the parks and rented a double in the parks. It was much easier to get the umbrella on/off the bus with the two kids then my double.

My dd's are now 11 and 13 and due to school and outside activites our "girls only trips" are less frequent but we are doing part of our April vacation solo as DH dosen't have as much time off as we do.

If you have more specific questions or concerns please let me know as I have probably done it on one trip or another

TJ

 

[bzzymom]

My DH likes going to WDW once in awhile, but not as often as I like to go. I have taken my children without DH, but with my parents. The first time was when DS was 2.5, and 4.5. When DS was 3.5 my dad had a convention at WDW and I went along with DS, my mom stayed home. I took DS into the parks by myself in the mornings and it worked fine, DS was just at 40 inches and could ride most of the rides. In the afternoons, my dad was out of his meetings and he met us. That was the only way I could ride the ride Space Mountain and RNR at MGM. The buffet was tricky without another adult, not impossible though. I wished I had done a family style breakfast instead. After DD was born, I went with my parent again, not DH, when the kids were 7 and 11 months. I have to say that my parents like to go to WDW and go more often than me. They really enjoy seeing the kids enjoy WDW. It has worked out great. If you have a mom or Mo-i-law who is able to go, it would be great. I think it would be hard with 2 kids and 1 adult for 10 days.

 

[scrapquitler]

I would still go! I'd probably try to line up my Mom or a friend or someone else to come along for at least part of the trip, but if that didn't work, I'd go with the kids by myself anyway. I would just go really simple and laid back and take it as easy as possible...I would not worry about rushing around to see things but go slowly. I'm sure you could still have a fabulous time!

 

[2forMe]

Thanks all.. I may have my Mom come for a few days..so in the end I am sure there will times that I totally regret going it alone.. but way more times that i think wow we are having the best time!

 

[goofiecrazy]

I did this a few years ago with the family i work for. The kids were the same age while their mom was in her medical conferences the 3 of us would hit the parks for most of the day then head back and pick her up.The kids did pretty good at listening to me when we were together.They listen better to me then their own mom on the trip.

 

[2dogmom]

I have done it a few times now. I got divorced last year and darn it I wasn't going to stop going to our favorite vacation spot I find I was more worried about it leading up to the trip. I made sure I told my girls that there will be some rides that not everyone can or will want to go on so we need to understand that. I brought a double stroller and stayed at a monorail resort for the convienence. We had a wonderful time and were talking about our next trip before the current one was even done. I will admit I was tired when we would get back to the room at night since it is a little more work with 2 girls, but I wouldn't change a thing. So do keep your plans to go. It will be a great experience.

 

[eebadeeba]

I have gone with baby and 4 yo. It was fine. Here are some ideas.

If the 5yo likes the big rides, then maybe get a babysitter for the 3yo for some time alone with the 5yo.

If you are staying onsite and using busses, try a front carrier for the 3yo (like an Ergo). It helps me to be able to get the stroller and all the other stuff on, especially if they are sleeping.

Buffets take more time, since I can't leave the little one and have to carry her and the plate each time. Maybe the 3yo is okay by themselves, but you might want to avoid buffets if you think it will be a problem.

And as mentioned before, waiting for parades is not as easy, but still doable.

Hope you have a great trip.