taking toddlers

[powellrj]

My kids area older now, but we have 3 and went almost every year when they were younger. You will be find and have a great time. Just follow their lead and take breaks when they want to, eat when they want to and make lots of bathroom stops and things will be great!

To the poster who said it was harder with grandparents, I can see that. When you have several kids, you have a rhythm even if you don't realize it. When the rhythm gets upset, thats when it gets harder.

 

[Goddesstree]

At the World right now, and some kids can handle WDW, and some can't. So far, I've noticed that parents are keeping their very tired little ones out way too late at night - screaming toddlers and crying babies on the bus and in strollers being pushed around and ignored. I'm not talking about fussy crying, I mean all out screeching and the parents can't/won't soothe them. One woman actually slapped her toddler on the bus. I was shocked, ans so were all the other people that saw it.

OP, WDW is very overwhelming for toddlers and preschoolers. It can be wonderful, but most often only wonderful in small doses at their pace. Add an extra hour or more into how much sleep each child will need, and plan accordingly. They will need lots more water, food, and rest than they would at home. They need more time to process things too!

 

[branv]

I totally agree. Don't stray too much off your at -home schedule, and if you do, plan for more rest time that next day. No matter what some parents say on here, if your child isn't a stroller napper, don't go into it fingers crossed that they will at WDW. If they do, great. But assume they won't, and plan accordingly (and don't assume normal stroller nappers will do so at WDW. Some kids get too hyped in the park). Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Talk to them about your plans and your expectations of their behavior, even to your toddler. Then repeat and repeat. You'd be surprised how often that can help. It's in the same vein of telling a toddler "in 10/5/1 minutes we're leaving the playground." You might still get a fit, but often it minimizes it.

The funny thing about travel and my toddler is that hands down the hardest part has always been the hotel room. Sleeping in a new place is very hard, so the first few days of sleep is pretty rough. And having a new "playground" I.e. hotel room with nothing childproofed like at home is *exhausting* for us. We have "no" and "stop" on permanent repeat as we chase a toddler from here to there. This is true whether we travel to WDW or a few hours away. At least at WDW, there's a million things intended for them to play with and enjoy, so at least they're more worn out by the time they're back at the hotel

 

[colagirl]

We took our son at 2 for the first time, and my sister was there with her 3 year old. Definitely take mid-afternoon breaks and stick to your normal nap schedule. Do not expect to see everything or ride every ride. We also did not stay out very late (no fireworks for them). We had a great time, and the kids did really well. I think where people get into trouble is by pushing through, trying to see every inch of the parks.

 

[Cndrsgrl]

I might recommend you look at the different menus of restaurants whether they are quick serve or table service. That way you know where you can find food that your children will eat. I had picky eater and it helped. Once I even went to a quick serve and got her meal and then went to our table service..everyone happy and fed!

 

[lustergirl]

I can't wait to take my new grandson. It will definitely be a new experience for us. We didn't start going to disney until my sons were teenagers. I know nothing about strollers, diaper bags, and the like. I am going to wait until he is around two years old before we take him though.

 

[Cndrsgrl]

I can't wait to take my new grandson. It will definitely be a new experience for us. We didn't start going to disney until my sons were teenagers. I know nothing about strollers, diaper bags, and the like. I am going to wait until he is around two years old before we take him though.

I took my granddaughter with her parents last fall for the first time. she loved the rides. No sure about the characters. We are going back in a few weeks . All she talks about is seeing the castle ( and yes , grandma got a breakfast at CRT) and Elsa. she just turned 3 . This trip will be interesting because no mommy or daddy will be there. Just me, great grandma and an aunt...