What's the ideal age for a kid's first trip?

[Jill72]

I would definitely go before they turn 3 - with twins that's a LOT of money you can save compared to waiting until 4! So, I guess I would pick a time of year that works well for the family and go at that time during the year the twins are 2. Besides being free admission, it's free food at any buffet and you can have the family of 5 in any room legally.

I agree that if you can only afford to go once or twice in a child's life it makes sense to wait until they are old enough to be able to ride everything, but for *my* favorite trip, I think it will be hard to top watching my little toddler's eyes light up at everything that was so new and exciting to him

It's not about the money - we can afford to go often. It's just that I did want my DD to remember the trip and also did not want to bring her to a magical place where at every turn she was confronted with the fact that she was not tall enough to ride a lot of things. Her height was a huge factor in waiting as well....

 

[Jill72]

I always said no Disney until they turn 5...we waited until DD was almost 5, and I was pregnant, so it was a now or never situation. We had always vacationed WDW as a kid, and I had seen lots of meltdowns (this was before all the resort options were available). A year later grandma offered me an all expense paid trip, so who could say no to that, even if the baby was only 7 months?! Dh laughed at me because I was so adamant about not doing WDW until they were old enough to enjoy it. But bringing a baby wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, same with a toddler. You just have to accept the fact the trip will not be done commando style, and there's nothing wrong with going back to your resort for a nap and a swim, and enjoying all the world has to offer, things you might not do if you don't take the chance to relax. Seeing the World through a toddler's eyes is fun in it's own way, and I find myself watching her reactions to the attraction instead of the attraction itself.

DD#3's first trip was when she was 3 weeks old. Yea, my "rule" went way out the window. lol

Your advice has been really helpful! We are a family of park commandos - and I guess I am trying to picture doing the parks "our" way with young twins in tow. But what I need to do is forget about commando style and take a more relaxed approach. I have decided that we would prob need to take a longer trip (we usually just do 4 sunup to sundown days in the park) and thus be able to do 1/2 days in the parks with swimming, naps, etc in the mix as well.

 

[my2minnies]

I will let you know! We are taking our twins at the end of Aug when they will be 25 months! We also have dd (5) and dd (6). I look the girls last sept and left the twins home with dh and it was a great trip. I too want to go back and want to go before the boys turn 3. With free dining it was too hard to pass up. I too plan our time at Disney to the minute and will have to find a way to let go and relax a bit this next time. I cant wait to see the look on my boys faces. This will be the fourth time that I have taken my older two. It is nice now that they are tall enough to rides most of the rides, but my favorite trip was when they were 2 and 3.

This last time when my dd was 6, the magic had gone. It was so sad to see that she does not believe that the characters are real. Dont get me wrong it was such a fun trip especially after a crazy year of twins, but I misses some of the magic.

 

[DisneyAprilFool]

You learn how to compromise with little ones in the park. It doesn't mean that the trip is going to turn sloooow and boring either. As far as going back to the room- there was a thread on here a while ago and it seems like a lot of us don't return to the room- just depends on the child. If the kids will nap happily in their strollers- let them. If not, go back to the room.

We've been to DisneyLand since my daughter was 1 or 2? Last time we were there, our youngest was... 9 or 10 months old. Does he remember it? Heck no. Did he enjoy it? Oh, he was the cutest little kid with his Davey Crockett hat on! He enjoyed the rides- there was always something to see at the park. Did we return to our room for naptime? We returned because we also had my Grandma with us and she needed someone with her in the room.

In fact, my last TWO trips to DisneyLand have been a lot slower then we are used to as a family because Grams went with us- she was on oxygen and in a wheelchair. And you know- those are some of the most precious memories I have.

So, in the end, I'd say go. We'll be at WDW for my son's 2nd birthday. Do I expect him to remember the trip? Once again, no- but I'll have wonderful pictures and memories to tell him about it. After all, if we only did things once our children would remember- there would be no first Christmases and no big first birthday parties, etc, etc.

 

[LoveThatDarnMouse]

It can be done, you just need to make adjustments and not be too aggressive with your schedule. And i can't stress enough how important it is to have down time in the afternoon. Everyone always said to me "don't you want to wait until they can remember the trip"? My response is "what does it matter, I'll go again and they'll remember that trip" Anyway, my kids all remember at least one part of each of our trips.

Most recently, last August, we took DS 4, 10 and 13. What a blast it was. The older ones absolutely loved showing DS4 all the great things they remembered about their previous trips.

 

[Tess'smom]

We decided to wait until my daughter was 6 yrs old to go. I am happy with our decision because; a) she remembers her very first trip, b) she loved characters at that point instead of being leary of them, c) easy to take on a plane d) she could go on quite a few rides and really enjoyed them.

Having said that, any age is a good age to visit WDW!

 

[rdevine10]

I think anytime is good! But, if you are bringing young kids, you just need to make sure you take the time to relax.... like afternoon naps, downtime at the pool, etc.

We used to go "commando" before kids. Up at 6 am, out till midnight. But, I honestly reallly liked the slow pace we had last vacation. We came home a LOT more rested

And, we still had a ton a fun! We took our oldest for the 1st time when she was 26 months. We then went again when she was a little over 3 1/2. She talks about this trip ALL the time! Pretend plays on a daily basis she is going back to Disney! (she is the reason we ARE going back again is Sept!!!). Her favorite movie to watch is the Disney vacation planning DVD

That being said, my youngest was 9 months on her 1st trip. I was terrified since she was a very collicky baby, and was still has her moments. But, she behaved BETTER there than at home. Slept better there, and really enjoyed people watching, so it was great!

 

[Cory's Gal]

We took DS one week after he turned 2 this past January. My parents came with us and we all get along REALLY well. My dad had his reservations about bringing a child that young. Well, he quickly changed his mind! My dad saw my DS have such a BLAST! He remembers A LOT and LOVES to look at the pictures and watch the videos! My parents, DH, and I loved seeing WDW through his eyes, he loved the characters, the rides, the shows, the parades, the meals, the transportation, EVERYTHING! Such special memories for us all! PLUS, other than the plane ticket he was FREE FREE FREE!!!