what age to take child to disney for first time

[huzzah4]

I would say it depends on the physical size and strength of the child. Personally, I would not want to push a stroller or carry a child all day long, so until they are able to stand and walk all day, it seems like too much trouble to me.

[OctDisney]

I think it is up the family on when to take their children.
We stated that when the boys were in 3rd and 1st grade we would go, so they could walk everywhere as well not have to watch them every minute at the pools.
We were happy to do this, but we also got a big kick out of seeing all the littler children having a blast.
I guess we have made up for it since we will be going for the 5th time in 6 years in May 2009.

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

The Perfect Age is very different for each family and each child.

For the family who expects to go every year or two, then you may as well start young. Even if the child is "too young to enjoy", the adults are likely the kind of people who will have a blast anyway!

For people like my sister, who plans to take their kid ONCE in his life, I'd say the Perfect Age is 4-5 yrs old. At that age, they are likely to be:
*Tall enough to ride most rides (44 inches!)
*Young enough to still love the characters and fully believe in the Magic.

[skram79]

We took our daughter when she turned two. She had a good time, but her favorite things were the playgrounds. She didn't care much for the characters but loved the rides in fantasyland and loved toon town. We enjoyed taking her around Disney at 2, we would break each day at noon to keep her fresh. Good tip is to drive to the parks, a tired two year old can be a pain when waiting for a bus. And some people will remain seating and watch you stand holding a child. One of my pet peeves, I can't use Disney's buses because of it. I always stand for people holding children and I am disabled with serious leg problems. Drive and you will be happier. You can bring a little 12 pack soft cooler in with you, we did with juice, milk and snacks, saved a good bit of money and time. I always bring my own stroller it is nice and padded so she can nap.

We went back when she was three last year and she really dug it. She knew all the characters and enjoyed all the rides she could get on. Three was more enjoyable then two for her, we always have a good time. We are going to take her again in February.

I hope this helps, have a great vacation!

[jwallace378]

We took my son in April when he was 6 months. Believe it or not he had a blast. He probably won't remember much, but he smiled on every ride we took him on! We took him on PotC, IASW, Winnie, Peter Pan, Riverboat, WDW train, Mexico pavilion, and a few others that I can't remember off hand. It helps that he's a very carefree kid also! But we also had help from some family members. All in all we had a great time with our little guy. Matter of fact, he turned 1 yesterday.

[teambricker04]

I agree... every family is different.

We took DS#1 when he was 10months and DS#2 when he was 5mo (DS#1 was nearly 3 on this trip) for their first trips. We love going to Disney with small children because it is one place where they are welcome with open arms and even catered to.

We took our youngest on every ride that his big brother went on when he was 5mo. He could face forward in a carrier and loved every single moment of the trip. It was Nov, so it was warm but not super hot. He did get a bit stinky by the end of each day due to spit up and other baby business, but he is washable and wasn't offending anyone but me.

I thought and still think the hardest time to bring a small child is when they are walking, but still don't know how to stand in line and not run away. It is a challenge to keep them entertained in lines!

I do think our eldest son will be easier on our next trip since he doesn't sit in a stroller and is potty trained. Everything that made it difficult on my DH and I was nothing we don't deal with every day or that affects anyone but us.

[lindique]

Although I don't have any kids of my own, I have a lot of experience with my young nieces and nephews. And, as it has previously been said here, it all depends on the kid.

There are two big fears in kids that age - fear of the dark and fear of the characters. You could test your child by taking her to see Chuck E Cheese or Santa Claus,
for example, and see if she is wants to hug Chuck E. or is terrified of him. The second, fear of the dark, is very important too because most of the Fantasyland rides are actually very dark inside. If your child is okay with both of the above, you'll have a great trip!

Oh yeah, one more thing - the potty. If your daughter is newly potty trained, when she announces she has to go, she probably won't mean in 20 minutes after the ride is over or you get through the line. That's just another thing to consider.

[AllDisney]

Everyone is different. We took our daughter when she was 3 months shy of her 4th birthday. We got to the parks when they opened & stayed until they closed (she gave up naps at 2 yrs. of age). She doesn't remember anything about the trip (thank goodness for pictures), but we had a wonderful time.

[green ranger]

We took DD3 for the first time when she was 18 months. We will never ever forget her face while she was watching the parades. She would wave her little hand from the beginning of the parade to the end. Does she herself remember this? I'm not sure, but I sure have some of the most precious memories in my mind. Needless to say, she has been back to Disney at 2 and at 3 years old. Each time has been different and so magical in its own way.
If you have the opportunity to go with your DD when she is 2, I would say go for it! It could be the best memories of your life.
It's very interesting what I have seen with my son who was 3 the first time we went. He was amazed and in awe of everything. The second time he was 4 and was into the "bigger" boy things, like the Power Rangers and Buzz. This past time, almost 5, the "magic" of the characters was disappearing. He would say, "Mommy those are just people inside costumes, right?" Don't get me wrong, he still loved the characters, but it wasn't all that little boy magic anymore.
Wow, this ended up being longer than I planned.

[LauraleeH]

I was 9 months old when my parents first took me. Obviously, I don't remember anything, but my parents do! And I love the pictures of me and my chubby legs walking around outside the Haunted Mansion. I plan on taking my future children as soon as I can get them there.

[andreallybadeggs]

If you'll enjoy it, go! Chances are the baby will have fun, too. There is plenty there to enjoy with little ones as long as you're not exhausting them in the process. I'm a firm believer in traveling with kids at a young age and it doesn't have to be far or expensive...just an overnight at grandma's or camping in a state park is a good start to helping them adapt to
being away from the routine of home.

[TINKinTX]

After spending time at Disney with just my husband over the years, I never thought we'd take a little one when we had kids....until they were old enough to last through the day. Well, here it is......our daughter is going to be 17 months old and we can't wait to take her. She has sat through an hour long children's musical and never made a peep....church too. She is so easy-going, so we are making the leap to Disney.....mostly for the memories and pictures at Christmastime. it's her first real christmas she'll know things....and we can't wait!

[adoptionislove]

we took our DS at 5 months. He had a smile on his ace the WHOLE time. I love to have the nay sayers tell me that is too young. BUT, we will remember that trip ALWAYS!!!!!

[MinnieMommie]

I agree that all children are different. On our first trip with kids our DD was 10 months and DS almost 3 1/2. It was perfect timing for them. He was old enough to enjoy the experience and she was happy seeing the sights and sounds. They were both very well behaved so it was a great experience all around.

[TheMartellFamily]

For our family it was a decisions that after their first b-day was going to be their first trip. Both our boys were 13 months when they went. It was our first son who started walking there, and running towards not away from the characters. Our second son got his first haircut there and got his first Mickey ears along with that. We have so many great memories of their first trips that it is now hard to believe that they are now 5 and 10 years old.

[Insanity Clause]

Personally I think it depends on the child. I think for me that I wouldn't bring one under 5. We have 5 kids and we are bringing our 10,8, and 7 with us in April but leaving the 2 year old and the 4 year old with my mom. My 4 year old, whom I would actually love to bring is very fearful of things and would not enjoy this at all and the 2 year old is just too young in my opinion.

[bkfree]

We too are also more conservative on when we deemed certain places age appropriate for our children. We also try and pace things throughout their lives so far, I mean if they got and did it all by age 3, what is there to look forward to.
We did not take them to the beach when they were babies, but when they were 2, they were old enough to thoroughly enjoy the ocean and beach and we have gone every year since.
Our 2 are 2 years apart in age, so we waited until they were 4 and 6 for our first WDW trip and it was completely magical and so much fun from morning till night.
We went back 2 years later when they were 6 and 8. Our 3rd trip is coming up in Dec, they are 1 month shy of being 8 and 10.
I know some that are quite happy to take young kids everywhere and would not consider doing anything otherwise.
But I can say that ours have missed out on nothing, remember all the trips and there will be many more in their future.
I think it comes down to each child's own personality and flexibily as well as these same two attributes in Mom and Dad.
I will be honest and say that I think when you take a child that is under a year that the trip is really for the "BIG" kids more than the little ones, and that's OK too.

[Tink#64]

We brought our daughter to the world for her first time when she was four..she had a blast.
We would have taken her sooner if we could have, but couldn't save up the money before then. I think any age is great as long as you are capable of dealing with the stress that goes along with traveling with an infant.
Your child might not remember the vacation but you will have awesome memories..

We visited WDW for the first time when DS's were 4-1/2 & 6 and it was amazing! I'm not sure how much they actually remember, & how much they think they do because of all of the pictures, but we made fantastic memories! We also waited that long to save the money, & I wanted to be free of actual nap times, diapers, etc. WDW can be very overwhelming & no matter the age, tired, overwhelmed kids have meltdowns at WDW just like they do at home! I am glad we waited, but I would never discourage any one else from doing it sooner if they feel it's right for them! I have a DN that's about a year old & we are already talking about "the perfect age" for his first trip!

[Disney Doll]

I know I'll get blasted for this, but I just don't see the point of taking a very small infant to WDW. The sheer inconvenience of it troubles me; plus I just don't see it being a healthy environment for small babies. I have seen some children in the parks that were so small and wrinkled you would swear they were just born a few days ago. It just doesn't seem right. I would say 5-6 personally. That way it is worth the money since they may actually remember the trip. Anything under that and I would feel guilty, since I would only be making the trip for myself, not the child.

D

Anything you do with a small child will be inconvenient so unless you plan to live like a hermit you have to just get out there. I agree that all the sights and sounds might be overwhelming for a tiny baby. We postponed our anual Febuary trip this year because we didn't want to take our then 4 month old. Instead we went in October when he was 12 months old. Yes it was more of a hassle than the trips we previosly took with just me and DH, but that's not our life anymore. I'm not really concerned about whether or not he'll remember the trip. The important thing is that we had a great time while we were there. A few others have said that starting early is fine, but if you are planning a once in a lifetime trip to wait until the child is older. I would agree with that. Going with that logic I would say the perfect age is 3 or 4. We took our neices when they were 3 and 5. The younger one really had a blast and to her all the "magic" was real. The 5 year old was savy enough to know the real deal behind the characters and although she still had a fantastic time, it just wasn't the same. She could ride some of the bigger rides though so I guess there are pros and cons to every age. Good luck with your decision.

[disney daddy]

I think some of the greatest joy in taking a small child to Disney is the smiles on their faces.

Even if they don't remember it, you will and those memories will be priceless!

Besides, grownups are kids too and deserve to have some fun - which, as long as you are careful and thoughtful parents, many can pull off quite well!

Well said!

My DW and I took DD1 when she was 11 mos. old and DD2 when she was just 8 mos. Each time it was amazing to see how the girls reacted to all the stimuli. The memories, capture on film are priceless. Do it!