Wiggly, Impatient, & VERY Active 18 Month Old In Disney

[MosMom]

I saw the other post about 18 month olds in Disney but mine is a VERY busy little boy at 16 months and I'm concerned about our upcoming trip. He is a great little guy and a REALLY good baby but he *is* very busy. I think he will do fine when things are going on and will have a blast when we are active. I'm concerned about long stretches in strollers, bus rides, waiting for a parade/fireworks, etc.

SO, all you parents of the unrestrainable adventurers step up and tell YOUR stories of your early toddlers please. We have 2-way radios so if we need to let him run off steam while one of us waits and then radio to each other when the excitement is about to start we can. I'm also wondering if even the busy child is awed by DisneyWorld and magically sits in their stroller and goes along with the flow.

We are VERY excited to take this trip and introduce him to the world, I'm just a *little* worried about my busy boy.

 

[Samandmom]

My DS was 20 months on his second trip. He also was and still is a very active child. We had a great time. He loved all the characters, and he LOVED the parades. We bought him a few toys for the waiting times. He especially loved the spinning toys that light up. We timed it to be a snack time at waiting times. (pretzels, ice cream) Also while waiting for the parade to start we usually got a curb seat and let DS run around us for a bit.
Enjoy !!

 

[HappyMommy2]

My goodness, you described my now-22-month-old perfectly! We call him TWW (The Wild Wiggler). He was about 18 months on our last trip to WDW and it was indeed a bit of a challenge to keep him reined in, but in the end everything worked out great and we all had a wonderful time. What a joy to see our kids' (DS 3 and DS 18 months) eyes light up all day long.

There was so much for DS to see at WDW, he was happy in his stroller for MUCH longer periods of time than usual (and on rides he was usually too mesmerized to wiggle). We brought some little snacks and those would keep him occupied at convenient times. We tried to avoid standing in any long lines---used FPs efficiently, got to the parks early each day, followed some guidebook advice on which rides to hit first thing in the morning, etc. We tried to find some places where DS could run around safely for a few minutes in the parks--the interactive fountains were a godsend during the summer. We were able to see and do pretty much everything we wanted to, and far more than we'd expected to be able to do. We did avoid most parades and shows that required a long wait. DH and I really wanted to do Who Wants to be a Millionaire but knew the kids would never sit still and quiet in there so we traded off; while one of us went to the show the other bought the kids a popsicle or took them down to meet Mickey or run around at the end of the street there, which was pretty quiet. I would have liked to have seen the nighttime parades/shows/fireworks but will save that for a future trip; skipping these not only spared us a long wait in the parks but allowed us to avoid the big park closing bus lines, and enabled us to get to bed early for an early start the next day.

I did buy the Ultra EZ baby carrier (baby rides on your hip-- I got mine at One Step Ahead), thinking it might come in handy in places where the stroller couldn't go. I did use it a few times (in the Playhouse Disney line and in a couple of other places) and it worked out pretty well. DS didn't seem to mind it too much and it was fairly comfortable for me.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[HappyMommy2]

Just looked at your original post again, and I realized you have an older child too (such cute pictures!), so skipping the parades/shows/etc. may not be an option as your DD will probably not want to miss them! Who knows--maybe your DS will surprise you and do just fine during the waits; if not, the 2-way radios sound like a fantastic idea.

 

[cinder1]

We went when my DS was 21 mths and again when he was a bit over 3yrs. He is very active (he is now almost 4 and I just spent over an hour cleaning up one of his "speriments"!!). I too was worried when he was 21 mths but he was great. He rode in the stroller or on DH's shoulders. There was so much to see even in lines that he was entertained. I have 2 DDs (now 6 and 8) so skipping stuff was not an option, but DS LOVED every parade and was willing to wait nicely (usually not in the stroller) for each parade, some he saw 2 or 3 times. He stills talks about every single thing. We go again in Jan and he can't wait. Also, none of my kids have been good at sleeping in the stroller, but DS did when he was tired at WDW. When he needed a break at MK, he and I would go ride the train and rest. I think you will find that there is enough to entertain the most active child at WDW. Just take snacks and be willing to change your plans or split up if he needs to run around or rest.

 

[2MuchOhana]

Consider getting a childs harness with lead leash. It worked wonders! My niece was able to run and walk in the park all she wanted; but no fear of getting lost or separated. Just be mindful of everyone else around you; so they don't get hurt. I never liked or thought they were a good idea; but after seeing it in action I changed my mind. Especially since she never wanted to be in her stroller.

Be sure to have plenty of snacks and beverages with you. That makes a big diffence, too.

 

[castlegazer]

I've posted quite a few tips about what to do to run the steam out of the very active toddler, but I wanted to add one thing - do not depend on your two way radio - everyone has them and they are not reliable. Cell phones also are not reliable - way too much interference. Try and make meeting times and stick to them - that is the only way you can split up.

 

[4greatboys]

Our last trip the 2 little ones were 3.5 year and 18 months. The oldest wanted to walk, so we left his at home. Well that lasted for about 2 days,lol. Then we had to rent a stroller everyday for him. My littlest one is very active but he did great in his stroller. He hardly tried to get out. One good tip is to go to the baby center in the parks for a little break. We only hit the AK one but they had a movie playing in one room so the kids could watch. The 2 little ones ran around some and burned off a little steam and were okay getting back in the strollers. My 18 month old was good on the rides we took him on--he loved seeing all the stuff. They both liked Its Tough to be a Bug. We also took some snacks for them since they are light eaters so we didnt have to stop all the time to snack. A couple of toys also help entertain when they start to get a little bored. Good luck!

 

[bubbasmom99]

If you have an active toddler, I think it's a good idea to go at off-peak times so there are fewer people around and you can let them run around. We just went to Disneyland this weekend and it was BUSY (I guess due to Veteran's Day) and it was not fun at all for our almost 18-month old because she wanted to run around and it was too crowded to let her. We longed for Disney World and its wide open spaces... (but that will have to wait until next year!)

 

[MosMom]

Thank you all for your tips. We will just take it easy and be willing to go with the flow of his schedule. We have been watching the Disney sing-along videos (Disneyland Fun, Beach Party at Walt Disney World, & Safari at Animal Kingdom) and he is really into them and gets very excited when he sees the characters. He points and says "See See See". LOL I think he will be fine, I'm just a nervous mom.

 

[swilphil]

Make sure you hit the playground areas in each park: MK's Toontown play area, MGM's Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Epcot's Viking Boat, AK's Boneyard. Actually we found little else for our son to do at AK, so that may or may not be worth the trip for you.

The only real problem our very active son had was waiting in line. It worked best if one parent took DS to explore nearby while the rest waited in line. I also brought some toys and small containers of bubbles to play with in line, as well as snacks. Epcot's World Showcase was a nice break from the normal park activities. There was room in the pavilions where our son could run around.

Take breaks. We stayed on-site at the Dolphin so this made it much easier. Our group had cell phones (4 different service providers between us), and we had very little problem with service in the parks. MGM was a little troublesome but if you moved around the corner, it usually worked fine.