How young is too young to visit WDW?

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Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Member
Hi there - I'm often asked by clients how young is too young. ; I attend weekly BNI meetings, and this morning, my infomercial focussed on that point. ; Figured I'd share it here, for info sake - but I'd love to hear of others' experiences too - I have my own, going with a wee one, but do others with small kiddies share my view that it is a great time to go?

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I’ve been asked by clients – how young is too young for Walt Disney World. And the answer is …. You’re never too young. I’ve been to WDW when I was pregnant – so that baby wasn’t outside yet for their 1st visit. She went back at 19 mos. The huge advantages of travelling young are you:

o Don’t pay for airfare if under 2
o Don’t pay for park tickets if under 3
o Don’t pay for dining if under 3 (if they share your meal on dining plan)
o Can spend days at Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom and have a blast& save the height restriction rides for next time – there are plenty of attractions for even children in diapers
o can have grocery stores deliver supplies (such as diapers)
o know that Disney is the most kid-friendly place on earth
o Can rent strollers at the park
o can find a play area anywhere
o can use babysitting and kid clubs at resorts
o can have their 1st haircut at the barber shop in MK
o Can introduce them to the magic early
o can take special wide-eyed pics
 
Hmmmm...that is a good question for sure. ; Like you I am taking baby being pregnant, but there are plans to go next December when baby would be about 10 months. ; I think it almost might be easier to take a baby, than a toddler, but I haven't made it to that point to make any judgements. ; Last year we met a couple from England and they brought their little baby with them. ; She wasn't 1 yet and for rides that parents took turns, the wife would go on while the husband stayed with the baby and vice versa, so it can be done for sure. ; They didn't plan on bringing the baby back for another couple years though.

I would say a baby would be never too young as long as parents are comfortable with that. ; If it is too hot outside though, that might not be the best trip for baby to take.

As far as taking kids that are a bit older, the only thing I would worry about is if the child seen and wanted everything. ; That would be a bit harder and exhausting to handle in my opinion. ;
 
my sentiments, exactly :-)... but I was trying to be open-minded, in case others' had a different view.

BTW, I didn't find the toddler stage difficult at WDW - the park strollers are great for not having to lug them around on buses/ monorails/ etc - and when we park-hopped, we could skip the queue with our multi-day pass, and go right away and get another. ; The only problem with our toddler is that she doesn't nap - so the stroller (even though it's hard plastic) at least afforded her some napping time when she was overtired or stimulated from everything going on - that's where staying at a monorail hotel really helped us, though - if things got too much, we just whizzed back to our hotel to cool off and take a break.
 
It's certainly a no-brainer for us on these boards ... and Minnie will have no problem next year ... we've all been multiple times and feel no need to do it all. The key with a baby/toddler is to go to their tolerance level. If that means leaving the park at noon, so be it. When I first took my girls, the youngest was 19 months. We rarely were at any park past 4 pm. Any sign of a meltdown and we left (Daddy included!).

I had tonnes of drinks and snacks on hand at all times (hydration is key, especially for the Cdn babes who aren't used to the heat). We did lots of out-in-the-open shows, and daytime parades. Often, we took turns pushing her in the stroller while the other parent took the 3-year-old on a ride. I have so many memories of her pointing and saying "look ma!" At Chef Mickey's, the mouse himself spoon-fed the baby ice cream. It's not about the memories they have on that trip -- it's all about the parents' memories. I truely loved that trip.

From 3 on, the girls were going on thrill rides and doing all the parks ... but I have quite the nostalgic glow about the first trip when we took it slow and savoured the happy moments.

I think the problem some people have when bringing babies is that they are not willing to give up any of the WDW experiences. They are out all day, and end up being over-tired and over-stimulated. My husband and I had been to WDW before kids so we didn't feel we were missing anything by skipping the thrill rides (or certain parks) for that trip -- we knew we would be back again. ; ;)
 
Our DD was 7 months on her first DVC trip in August. ; She loved it! ; We didn't do any of the parks with her though. ; We then returned in October for our 7 night eastern carribean cruise (which she was a doll gain). ; We are going to be in the world in a few weeks, when we are taking her to MVMCP and a day at Epcot. ; We also have reservation at the end of Jan to return again with her.
I think the secret to travelling with a baby/infant/toddler is moderation. ; You cannot pack a full day in like you do with bigger kids or adults only. ; And most of all you have to make it fun for them. ; We are blessed tht our little angel is turned out to be a great little traveller and will sleep any time in her stroller therefore we can get a lot in.
I'll try and post again here in a few weeks when return and let you know how it went. ; I can tell ya we did some fairly full days on our cruise and it was alright. ;
 
I make sure everyone in the family has a fanny pack - so the kids carry their own snack, drink, wipes, pen and autograph book. ; So - I'm right there with you on the hydration point, AMV. ; I agree, too, though that the memories that these trips give the parents are huge! ; Nothing like seeing the smiles and bug-eyes on your kids. ; Fantastic!

I agree with you too, Alex re: moderation - I think you're quite right about taking it slower- you can't (or at least I didn't) go commando style when you're pregnant or have small kids - everyone suffers. ; I remember when DH and I were younger (and not as wise :-)...) we stayed offsite a couple of times, one of those hotels that still have the free shuttle - but the lllooonnnggg queues, the overcrowded buses, and the long ride back to the hotel at the end of the night. ; One of my most unpleasant memories is being on a bus with an overtired mom and dad who were trying to cope with exhausted and over-stimulated kids - they'd tried to squeeze too much into one day, and the kids had finally had it. ; They were in meltdown mode, and their mom and dad weren't far behind. ; A most unpleasant end to a day that I'm sure had been filled with wonderful times for them - not a nice way to end for them (or anyone else on the bus).
 
We waited until the youngest DD was 6. Older DD was 11.

I wished we had taken them when they were younger. ; Head Hamette DW wanted to go down when they were younger but I wasn't in favour of it.

With that said it was great going with them when they were old enough to remember it.
 
We waited with DD9 - took her when she was 3. ; She has memories! ; DD2 was only 19mos first time - she has memories, but not sure if they're reinforced by older sis and scads of photos, but she claims to remember giving Snow White a big hug (which she did).
 
OUr son was a week shy of his 3rd birthday on his first trip (mine too). ; He can still remember lots of the trip and we have some fantastic memories of seeing someone so young interact with the characters.
 
Their memories are there, for sure - but it's the parents' memories that are priceless at this age for the kiddies! Theire enthusiasm is so pure and full of such innocence - it's like them seeing Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy all together!
 
Zygote? You won't remember a thing.
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I always wanted to wait until my son was 4 or 5 so that he could remember some of it....but now, seeing how he is with all the Christmas decorations, and when he experiences something new ..... I would love to go next year....not in the budget though, so unless we win the lottery it won't behappening.
 
Every time I think about the "how young is too young" question, I autimatically start thinking 3 or 4 is too young...

But Sheila... you are absolutely right. ; I hadn't thought of it from that perspective.
 
I have to agree that you are never too young, or too old for WDW. ; My youngest started at 18 months and they have probably been to WDW every 2-3 years and still continue to visit into their 20s. ; We're now also taking along our elderly parents who also love the resorts and parks. ;
During the youngest years they may not remember events, but they are priceless to me and you can't discount the fact that under 3 really doesn't cost you anything to have them visit Disney. I found it more difficult to budget for trips as they became older and required full adult prices. The characters really went out of their way to visit the youngest visitors at WDW. ; You have to pace yourself when visiting with young children as we also do with our elderly parents. ; It's more important to keep everyone happy, healthy and feeling well when travelling and sometimes that means a restfull break at one of those wonderful Disney resorts. ;
 
We went when my DD was 2 and we drove down to WDW. She was fantasic in the car. We visited one park per day from open to close and magic hours. She was a trooper! Not once did she complain. She napped in her stroller and that gave my Husband and I time to ride the adult rides (child swap) She is still talking about our trip last year and we will soon be heading there again and she is sooooo excited! This year will be much more fun thou, at 3 yrs she is 40" tall and can now ride almost all the rides, even Tower of Terror!!!

Another thing about taking a toddler/preschooler is that they don't know the characters are just people dressed up, they think they are the real deal!!
 
"MommyOfaPrincess" said:
Another thing about taking a toddler/preschooler is that they don't know the characters are just people dressed up, they think they are the real deal!!
Click to expand...

WHAT?!?!? ; Aren't they?!?!?! ; ::)
 
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