7 days too long for a 5 year old

[yankebabie]

Taking my grandson to Disney for the first time in June. He will have just turned 5 in April. booked the trip last September on a bounce back & booked it for 7 days. Now I am wondering if 7 days will be too long for him & thinking about changing it to 5 days. What do you think? Btw I plan on renting a stroller for him so him walking too much is not an issue

 

[Toon crazy]

It depends on him. If he is a super active kid I think you should be fine. My daughter did six days at Disneyland when she was three. We just took plenty of breaks and kept her hydrated. We had a stroller as well and it helps.

 

[yankebabie]

Yes he is very active & also was thinking that the breaks would take up some time. I am a fairly young grandma (52) any reason/problems I may encounter taking him by myself with no other adult? None that I can think of

 

[buzznina]

We have been taking our DDs since our youngest was 6 months old, and up to 10 night stays. We do 1 or 2 resort days where all we do is swim, relax, maybe rent a surrey bike etc. We also had a stroller and I believe this helped a LOT with keeping our DDs from having any melt downs from being tired. Unless you are planning on doing commando style, you should have no issues with 7 days.

 

[Mama Lo]

We have been taking my kids since they were about a year old and most trips were a week long.

I think you have to go with the mind set that you will do what you can do and be happy about what that is. I would try to keep him on whatever schedule he is already on in terms of wake up and bed time. I might even tell him that you need a mid-day nap and ask him to join you.

5 year olds have tons of energy so I think you will be find for a week.

Enjoy a magical time with him.

 

[gatormom2tots]

We did a 2 week trip with our 11, 10, 5, and 2 year old this summer. I would suggest you take a day off every 2-3 dasy and plenty of afternoon breaks.

 

[Kae]

We took DS on his first trip at 4 for a week. We rented Strollers when needed, did some late mornings & early evenings and did a full resort day.

Kae

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I love longer trips like that, have done several with DS ages 4-6 over the last few years. Some have only been me and him, so I have a lot of experience in that regard. We have the best times on those long trips where it's just us. We can slow down, relax, not be in such a rush. Naps, rest, and not pushing to hard are key.

I do try to watch the constant sugar eating to some extent and make sure to keep up the fruits and protein as much as I can.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The longer the better, I say! Seriously, as others have pointed out, when you have more time, you can slow down a little bit and not feel so rushed to see everything in a condensed period of time. Go swimming, play mini-golf, check out the extra activities at the parks (Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom, Pirate Adventures, Wilderness Explorers, Agent P). He may even enjoy one of the kid-only pirate cruises that leave from some of the resorts (the YC is my DS's favorite) or even one of the kids clubs in the evening.

 

[okeydokey]

We always stayed a week with little ones. They also liked to swim and just play in the play grounds for a long time. It will be a great trip I'm sure.

 

[JessyP]

We stayed for a week when my son was 5 and he was fine. We didn't have a stroller but were prepared to rent one if needed. It was a great trip and we could have stayed a few more days!

 

[loves to dive]

I've been taking my son since he was almost 3 and none of the trips were less than 7 days. Most of the time it was just us, I'm a single mom and through the years my mom would occasionally come with us but it was mostly just the two of us. I had no problems being with him as a toddler just the two of us. I didn't take a stroller, if he got too tired for words, we would go back to the resort and I may have rented one toward the end of the day maybe once or twice. I always went on his schedule, if he wanted to run from ride to ride we did that, if he wanted to lay on the grass and rest, we did that. If he got cranky, back to the room. He was used to going places with me and knew the rules, he had to be holding my hand or my shirt or some part of my clothes when standing in lines at QS. He didn't always hold my hand in the parks but he had to stay close to me and in front of me so I could see him at all times.

 

[kandb]

We always went for 7 days or more with our children at that age and it was always great. Just because you are there 7 days doesn't mean you have to go commando all 7 days, take it easy and relax some days. Stroller is a great idea, keeps their energy up.

 

[summerw]

So his parents won't be with you? Has he ever been away from his parents that long? If you are taking lots of breaks he will be fine with all that walking. If you're going a little more commando, I'd plan on a stroller as backup. I always feel like Epcot is a crazy amount of walking.

 

[katie111]

I guess my biggest concern would just be him missing his parents. My DD and my youngest DS would have been fine with that, my middle DS never would have lasted that long without me at that age. Otherwise I think 7 days is great. I've taken my kids lots of times without my DH and never really had any issues. It can get a little lonely though when you have no other adults to talk to for that long. Sometimes I would just strike up conversations on the bus or in line just because I needed some adult conversation. Also, make sure he is okay with going in the ladies room with you. I personally wouldn't leave a 5 year old outside alone and the family bathrooms are not always readily available. Set some ground rules upfront such as how long you're willing to wait for a ride, how many souvenirs he can get, snacks, etc. You can always change the rules as you go, but it's good to have a baseline from the beginning. I took my two oldest kids when they were 6 and 5 and I think that was our best trip ever. They were old enough to ride most things, they could stay up later for the fireworks & parades, and they still believed the characters were real. Personally, I would just bring a lightweight stroller with you. I hate the rentals. They are expensive and so heavy & awkward to push. I used to just park my stroller for the day & then pick it up once one of the kids started getting tired. Loved it to hold all of our stuff too.

Hope u have a great trip!

 

[yankebabie]

Thank you all so much!! Yes he will be fine being away from his parents that long. We have done week long trips alone in the past. Just not Disney. Sounds like breaks & following his schedule is the key & this nana is fine with that

 

[Kerriowl]

We did 7 days when my boys were 5 and turning 3 and they did great. We also did 7 Disney days followed by two days at Lego land when they were turning 5 and 7. It depends on your kids. Also, make sure that you plan breaks in your day especially later in the week.

 

[summerw]

I agree with working out the bathroom thing too. I would let DS go into the bathroom with me outside in restaurants etc, but disney can get strict about that. I was chastised for washing my hands with him by the door.

And a backup umbrella stroller you leave at the front, especially toward the end of the trip is a great idea.

 

[Mousemommy1]

The shortest trip we have taken was 8 days (and that's with a 3 month old baby). Normally, we do 10-11 days.

I don't think that 7 days is too long clearly, lol.

 

[sweetpeama]

Due to the distance a trip for us is 9 days including the travel days so a total of 7 park days. We went when my oldest turned 5 and other than the first day we did not go back to the resort until park close. We did tend to find places to sit down and take a break. Fountains were a favorite place to sit and just enjoy while having a small snack.