WDW with a 2 year Old

[buddha112]

Any advice for WDW with an almost three year old? Took him as a 10 month old earlier this year and it was a great trip. Not sure what to expect with a toddler

 

[jeepnjudy]

This really depends on your child. Both my DS were great stroller sleepers so we did not take breaks during the day and leave the parks but you may want to. We also pack in a lot of snacks because my kids would rather be snacking in line for a ride rather than waiting in line to buy a snack. Hope that helps!

 

[buddha112]

This really depends on your child. Both my DS were great stroller sleepers so we did not take breaks during the day and leave the parks but you may want to. We also pack in a lot of snacks because my kids would rather be snacking in line for a ride rather than waiting in line to buy a snack. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the advice

 

[TravelingTotMom]

My DS is two, and I think the biggest thing we keep in mind on Disney trips is making sure we pause to let him get some of that two-year-old energy out (since a lot of the day is in the stroller or waiting in lines).

Here are a few spots in the parks where he can run around:

Magic Kingdom - Tom Sawyers Island, the little playground next to Splash Mountain, the splash area in Storybook Circus, and the playground inside the Dumbo queue

Epcot - The Seas aquarium area, hedge maze in the UK pavilion. Also, there are also indoor interactive areas after Journey into Imagination, Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth - just enter through the exit areas (my son likes "driving" the display cars at Test Track, and the a/c in there is always great).

Animal Kingdom - the Boneyard playground is awesome, and you can also take the Wildlife Express train to the petting zoo area at Rafiki's Planet Watch

Hollywood Studios - this is harder since the closed the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The Disney Jr. show (you sit on the floor) has them up get and down a few times though. This is our least favorite park with a two year old, so we usually do a few things and then park hop.

Also, you really just have to go with the flow. We are passholders and go semi-frequently, but at this age, our son sometimes loves a ride one time and refuses to go on it the next visit. We have fun watching him have fun, so we follow his lead. Sometimes you all also might just need a Mickey ice cream bar break.

If he naps in his stroller, that is a great time to use child swap and go on some of the bigger rides.

Finally, if you think he will be okay with characters, book a character meal since under 3 is free to "eat off your plate" at buffets or all-you-care-to-enjoy meals (or book it later in your trip so you have time to cancel without penalty if he ends up not loving meeting the characters).

 

[Candycane83]

My DS is two, and I think the biggest thing we keep in mind on Disney trips is making sure we pause to let him get some of that two-year-old energy out (since a lot of the day is in the stroller or waiting in lines).

Here are a few spots in the parks where he can run around:

Magic Kingdom - Tom Sawyers Island, the little playground next to Splash Mountain, the splash area in Storybook Circus, and the playground inside the Dumbo queue

Epcot - The Seas aquarium area, hedge maze in the UK pavilion. Also, there are also indoor interactive areas after Journey into Imagination, Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth - just enter through the exit areas (my son likes "driving" the display cars at Test Track, and the a/c in there is always great).

Animal Kingdom - the Boneyard playground is awesome, and you can also take the Wildlife Express train to the petting zoo area at Rafiki's Planet Watch

Hollywood Studios - this is harder since the closed the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The Disney Jr. show (you sit on the floor) has them up get and down a few times though. This is our least favorite park with a two year old, so we usually do a few things and then park hop.

Also, you really just have to go with the flow. We are passholders and go semi-frequently, but at this age, our son sometimes loves a ride one time and refuses to go on it the next visit. We have fun watching him have fun, so we follow his lead. Sometimes you all also might just need a Mickey ice cream bar break.

If he naps in his stroller, that is a great time to use child swap and go on some of the bigger rides.

Finally, if you think he will be okay with characters, book a character meal since under 3 is free to "eat off your plate" at buffets or all-you-care-to-enjoy meals (or book it later in your trip so you have time to cancel without penalty if he ends up not loving meeting the characters).

Not OP but great advice!

 

[BigRed321]

Feed them and let them rest when they are tired...

 

[MouseMama11]

We took my oldest on her first trip when she was 2 and a half. We would start early and get all our FPs out of the way and head back after lunch for nap time in the room. We would swim before bed to settle her down too which was a nice way to end the day! We skipped the fireworks that time around just because we stayed for 10 days and knew she would be overstimulated anyway and didn't wanna push it to the point she was cranky and overtired most of the trip, but every child is different!! Just follow their tired/hungry cues and it will be such an enjoyable trip! We loved going at that age. Everything is so magical to them

 

[buddha112]

Thanks for the tips

 

[craigkerstiens]

This in some ways echoes others, but pace yourself and go with the flow of what seems fun for them. Specifically, if they want to run around and play let them, or if they seem tired, find a spot with air conditioning and let them sleep in the stroller. If you're there during the Flower and garden festival in Epcot there tends to be some extra playgrounds for them to play at.

If you're there when it's a hotter season take advantage of air conditioning. We personally loved to hop into a lounge while our 2/3 year old was napping, enjoy a drink and all have a break. Often the Rose and Crown pub was crowded but you could still manage a spot, same for the lounge next to the 50's Prime Time Cafe.

We also often planned to explicitly take some time back at the hotel for naps on days when we were park hopping. Sometimes this worked out great, other times timing just didn't seem to work.

 

[ashleymrush]

My DS is two, and I think the biggest thing we keep in mind on Disney trips is making sure we pause to let him get some of that two-year-old energy out (since a lot of the day is in the stroller or waiting in lines).

Here are a few spots in the parks where he can run around:

Magic Kingdom - Tom Sawyers Island, the little playground next to Splash Mountain, the splash area in Storybook Circus, and the playground inside the Dumbo queue

Epcot - The Seas aquarium area, hedge maze in the UK pavilion. Also, there are also indoor interactive areas after Journey into Imagination, Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth - just enter through the exit areas (my son likes "driving" the display cars at Test Track, and the a/c in there is always great).

Animal Kingdom - the Boneyard playground is awesome, and you can also take the Wildlife Express train to the petting zoo area at Rafiki's Planet Watch

Hollywood Studios - this is harder since the closed the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The Disney Jr. show (you sit on the floor) has them up get and down a few times though. This is our least favorite park with a two year old, so we usually do a few things and then park hop.

Also, you really just have to go with the flow. We are passholders and go semi-frequently, but at this age, our son sometimes loves a ride one time and refuses to go on it the next visit. We have fun watching him have fun, so we follow his lead. Sometimes you all also might just need a Mickey ice cream bar break.

If he naps in his stroller, that is a great time to use child swap and go on some of the bigger rides.

Finally, if you think he will be okay with characters, book a character meal since under 3 is free to "eat off your plate" at buffets or all-you-care-to-enjoy meals (or book it later in your trip so you have time to cancel without penalty if he ends up not loving meeting the characters).

Wow! This post really hit the nail on the head! I was literally going to give the exact same advice. Time to let them explore and do their own thing was definitely what was best for us. Kept him very happy!!

 

[buddha112]

Wow! This post really hit the nail on the head! I was literally going to give the exact same advice. Time to let them explore and do their own thing was definitely what was best for us. Kept him very happy!!

Thanks We will definitely have to remember that

 

[Meeko5]

My almost 2 year old just loved exploring whenever possible - as PP said, Hollywood studios was hard for this at times and will be even more so now that the playground is closed

We found deserted side pathways and he looooved looking for lizards, jumping off curbs, running up and down the walkways (again only the deserted side ones haha. We spent a solid 30 minutes running up and down a handicap ramp somewhere while waiting for older DS and DH to get off a ride. Wore him out well for a stroller nap, which he NEVER did at home. Ever. He crashed for an hour or more each day in the stroller at the parks so we didn't have to leave for naps.

At Epcot the fountain area is great to explore in. Also around mission space.

Pack lots of familiar snacks, and some new little trinkets too. My kid loves stickers so I bought a small spiral bound notecard pack and some dollar store stickers. He loved that activity, as well as covering himself in stickers.

 

[msmama]

My son was 2ish when we figured out our Disney plan that works for us (and we still do it to this day now that he's 8).

We go to the parks and stay as long as we can - usually mid afternoon - if we rest enough we can make it through dinner, though not every day of the trip, and then we head back to the resort. It means missing nighttime entertainment, but it's worth it to have a happy kid. Mid day breaks did NOT work for us and neither did later starts (now we can do later starts to stay late, but mid day breaks still don't work for us).

Like someone said - keep them fed and watered. Let them walk around as much as they can. As much as my son may have been a miserable 3 year old, he was always a good hand holder.

Because I've always known I'm going back relatively soon, I've never minded skipping anything. I'm a big believer in only going as fast as the slowest person in the group so we watched a whole lot of ducks at WDW one trip.

 

[kohlby]

Agree that it really depends on the child. Our first with-kids Disney trip had a barely 3 year old and a 2 month old. The 2 months old was MUCH easier than the barely 3 year old. But he was a challenge at home. He actually was slightly less of a challenge at Disney, but it was still a lot of work. We learned a lot that trip about touring with kids - so much that we went back 6 months later since we wanted to apply what we had learned. Before that first trip, we had agreed that we wouldn't go to Disney until the kids were completely out of strollers. So, it couldn't have been that bad! Our youngest had a trip at 2.5 years old. He has some sensory issues so it wasn't typical as he wouldn't do many of the rides. But he still had a lot of fun. He was more laid back than my eldest was so that helped quite a bit. We also were juggling three kids but it still wasn't all that hard - though we had a few with-kids trips under our belt by then.

For us, taking a mid-day break has never worked. My kids don't nap at that age. Even when younger, they wouldn't nap when we went back to the room. So it was wasted time. We learned that we can't get our kids to nap while on vacation at Disney, but we could get them to sleep at night at a reasonable hour. So, we had to do a lot of early nights. We would have one parent - and any older kids at that moment - able to go back out. But otherwise, we found ourselves back in our room around 5/6 most days. I've seen kids sleeping in strollers so I know they exist. I've heard of kids who nap when you go back to the room and presuming it's not an urban legend. It just wasn't my kids - even when they were babies.

Make sure your child is used to the stroller. When my youngest was 2.5 years old, we figured he would use the stroller at Disney. He wasn't a stroller kid but none of my kids used the stroller when they were little. The older two did use the stroller sometimes while at Disney when they were 3 so I expected the same of the third. He refused. He refused to sit in the stroller AND he refused to walk. Luckily, I had a sling with me and I could carry him that way. He hadn't used the sling for about a year so I wasn't used to it and it wasn't easy - but I had no other option. Before our next trip, when he was 3.5 years old, I worked on this. I bribed him. Bribing didn't work at 2.5 years old. But this time, we did some practice walks with him in the stroller eating candy. It worked. Don't underestimate the power of sugar. (On that note, some carefully timed m&m's worked wonders when my eldest went at 3 years old. You don't always have time to stand in a line - have something to hand over ASAP).

I'm not sure if your child is potty trained, but if so, keep in mind that most of the toilets are automatic. That scared my two youngest for quite a while. We took post-it notes with us to put over the sensors in the bathrooms. My daughter was still used the post-it notes for the sensors at 9 years old. (She did skip using them at 10 though).

If you go to fireworks show, come prepared if you have a sensitive kid. We have to take noise cancelling headphones for my youngest. He's 7 and we still can't go to the fireworks unless he has these.

 

[han22735]

He may surprise you....Our DD's first trip was right before 3 and she lasted all day till after dinner and some nights later. Slept great in the stroller when tired and never was cranky the entire 9 days we were there. At home she was used to a strict bedtime/Nap schedule and getting off that had no affect.

Have a blast it created great memories.

 

[buddha112]

Agree that it really depends on the child. Our first with-kids Disney trip had a barely 3 year old and a 2 month old. The 2 months old was MUCH easier than the barely 3 year old. But he was a challenge at home. He actually was slightly less of a challenge at Disney, but it was still a lot of work. We learned a lot that trip about touring with kids - so much that we went back 6 months later since we wanted to apply what we had learned. Before that first trip, we had agreed that we wouldn't go to Disney until the kids were completely out of strollers. So, it couldn't have been that bad! Our youngest had a trip at 2.5 years old. He has some sensory issues so it wasn't typical as he wouldn't do many of the rides. But he still had a lot of fun. He was more laid back than my eldest was so that helped quite a bit. We also were juggling three kids but it still wasn't all that hard - though we had a few with-kids trips under our belt by then.

For us, taking a mid-day break has never worked. My kids don't nap at that age. Even when younger, they wouldn't nap when we went back to the room. So it was wasted time. We learned that we can't get our kids to nap while on vacation at Disney, but we could get them to sleep at night at a reasonable hour. So, we had to do a lot of early nights. We would have one parent - and any older kids at that moment - able to go back out. But otherwise, we found ourselves back in our room around 5/6 most days. I've seen kids sleeping in strollers so I know they exist. I've heard of kids who nap when you go back to the room and presuming it's not an urban legend. It just wasn't my kids - even when they were babies.

Make sure your child is used to the stroller. When my youngest was 2.5 years old, we figured he would use the stroller at Disney. He wasn't a stroller kid but none of my kids used the stroller when they were little. The older two did use the stroller sometimes while at Disney when they were 3 so I expected the same of the third. He refused. He refused to sit in the stroller AND he refused to walk. Luckily, I had a sling with me and I could carry him that way. He hadn't used the sling for about a year so I wasn't used to it and it wasn't easy - but I had no other option. Before our next trip, when he was 3.5 years old, I worked on this. I bribed him. Bribing didn't work at 2.5 years old. But this time, we did some practice walks with him in the stroller eating candy. It worked. Don't underestimate the power of sugar. (On that note, some carefully timed m&m's worked wonders when my eldest went at 3 years old. You don't always have time to stand in a line - have something to hand over ASAP).

I'm not sure if your child is potty trained, but if so, keep in mind that most of the toilets are automatic. That scared my two youngest for quite a while. We took post-it notes with us to put over the sensors in the bathrooms. My daughter was still used the post-it notes for the sensors at 9 years old. (She did skip using them at 10 though).

If you go to fireworks show, come prepared if you have a sensitive kid. We have to take noise cancelling headphones for my youngest. He's 7 and we still can't go to the fireworks unless he has these.

Thanks for all the tips will definitely keep those all in mind

 

[npaige611]

The tips on this thread are great! My daughter will be younger, around 19 months, when we go. I will be applying a lot of these to our trip. Thank you!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Plan plenty of pool time. My them 2 year old remembers the trip, and the part she talks about the most is the pool. Even in the parks she she would ask when we were going back to swim.

 

[Yogamomma13]

These are all great comments! we will be going in 2 weeks with our daughters (almost 3 and 1.5) I have been super worried about how they will handle to heat/a strange napping schedule. But the youngest sleeps in her stroller and the oldest can hopefully hold it together enough that we can head back to the resort for a rest each day. A lot of ppl ask why we are even bothering taking them this young but I think it will be the most magical it will ever be for them! Cant wait to see it all through their eyes

 

[smiths02]

I have been with my oldest on his 3rd birthday. I have also been with my twins at 2 3/4 and 3 3/4 years old.

For our family, for meal scheduling, late breakfasts and early lunches worked the best for the most part. In general, my kids are used to going pretty hard from around 6:30am-11:30 am.
In general scheduling 1/2 days was the best for us. I'm not saying only do things for 1/2 days, I'm saying only plan for 1/2 the day.