First time ever with a 2 yr old advice

[princessesmom]

My youngest is now 9, but all 4 of my children were at WDW when they were 2. As others have said try to stay on his regular schedule. Naps are very important! Get to the parks early, take an afternoon nap break, and then head back out for the late afternoon/early evening. There are some scary things in WDW for some children. I think Fantasmic is especially scary and we did not take any of our children to that show until they were older. Don't be surprised if he is not receptive to the characters at first. A lot of children are, but some are not. My son didn't want to be close to them early on the week we visited when he was two, but by the end of the week he loved them! Take lots of snacks along. We always traveled with my parents, which was a huge help when the kids were young. It sounds like you have some extra hands along as well. You'll have a great time.

[GoldenDreams]

Looks like a lot of great advice here. I'll add these tips:

1) Have some toys for him to play with in the morning while you get ready. He'll need the downtime. My son was 4, so it was Legos, but maybe you'd bring some Duplo or toy cars... whatever usually keeps him busy at home.

2) The strawberry ice bars are a lifesaver for a cranky, hot, or hungry kid. All fruit, so we didn't mind giving him a few. The fruit/cheese snack-stand at Animal Kingdom is also a nice change of pace and has very toddler-friendly food.

3) It isn't a bad idea to pack a thermometer. Kids get sick, so being able to take their temperature can be helpful.

Have a great time!

[megustamex]

I don't know if this is a consideration, but we always get a rental car to take to the parks now that we have young kids. It has been a savior when they are cranky and tired - we get to leave immediately on our schedule, no waiting in lines for buses. I have too many memories of standing on a full bus at the end of the night - can't imagine doing it with a tired kid. We also don't take trams but walk to the car - then the sleeping child doesn't need to be taken out of the stroller until they go in their car seat.

We also bring full lunches into the parks - peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, the works. Disney will let you bring food in - people even bring rolling soft coolers. We used to have to stop what we were doing when the kids got hungry and make our way to a restaurant that had something they wanted to eat - sometimes that was on the other side of the park. Then get in line and wait some more while wrangling the kids - it's so much easier to just bring our lunch, find a table wherever we are and eat right away (they'll let you grab a counter service table and eat your own lunch there - no one bats an eye). Plus then we always have food that the kids will eat. That has been the best thing we've done to make the trip more relaxing.

Early on we changed the way we do Disney - we used to be all nighters too. When we went with kids, we stopped caring about going on roller coasters and just did whatever the kids wanted to do. That mindset resulted in the most relaxing vacation.

Have fun! It's a great age - your child will be so wowed by the magic. It's a break for you because as soon as you walk in the park he will be mesmerized by everything and you don't have to work so hard to entertain him! Enjoy.

[minnie04]

You know your child better than anyone, so just relax and take it slow and at his pace. I wouldn't rush out the door in the morning if he isn't a morning kid or stay out late if he sleeps early. Those are the things to remember the most. It will be very overwhelming to him to see everything, so just take your time and let him enjoy all he can in the days you are there. I would try to book a character breakfast or dinner. This way he can see the characters he likes the most up close and take nice pictures. A two year old has no concept of time to be standing/sitting in those long lines to see characters. As far as sleeping arrangements, our son slept with us in the bed. I took a playpen, but that was only to put him in when a lot of people were coming in and out of the room, so he wouldn’t run outside or if I needed a hands free moment. Try to bring a few comforts of home (i.e. pillow cases, blanket, favorite toys, etc.) just remember take it slow and enjoy every moment of your trip. If you rush your will miss the little things like his expression, smiles and excitement… Have a great time planning

[honeybear]

I have been reading and taking it all in. Will be traveling to Disney with a then 2yo. Loving these tips!

[ISLE39]

Love the advice

[BuffaloJason]

You're getting so much great advice here and I don't have much to add but just a couple tips from my recent trips with young kids. We took my oldest daughter when she was two (34 months), and then went with both daughters at four and one (16 months). We're planning to go back Jan-2014 when they'll be two and five.

For last years trip we rented the Citi Mini strollers from "Strollers and Groceries" and they were awesome. The fold super easy, are relatively light weight, comfortable for sleeping, and just enough cargo space. They're super expensive to buy and I don't really need them around town but I wouldn't go WDW without one.

My other tip would just be to try if you can to minimize your own expectations for how much you'll do in the way of attractions on this trip. We've found as many have suggested that things go smoothest if we just spend a few hours in the parks in the morning, take a long afternoon break, and maybe spend a couple more park hours in the evening. Dumbo, Small World, and the Speedway are about as intense as we can get with the attractions. First day or so of both trips I found myself feeling really disappointed that we weren't "getting more done". I have to really make a conscious effort to "slow down and smell the roses". There's so much more to WDW than the attractions. That's really what keeps us going back.

Lastly I'll mention that you shouldn't autotmatically skip World Showcase as many do just because you have small kids in tow. In fact I'd dare say WS has turned out to be both of my kids favorite parts of WDW so far. Coloring the Duffy's, meeting the princesses, checking out the train in Germany, checking out the fountains, getting souvenirs from all the shops. Your results may vary of course but the sort of low key aspect of WS seems to agree really well with my kids.

[megustamex]

I just have to add an echo to the last post - my kids love Epcot too. The Character Spot in Future World is the best place to see all the main characters in Disney - spend one hour in line, yes, but it's indoors, air conditioned, and you get to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto all in a row. In Mexico in World Showcase, one of my kids' favorite rides is Tres Caballeros with Donald Duck. They also like to see the Pooh characters in England.

[IloveJack]

Take an extra SD card. We've always taken hundreds of pictures on our trips, but we probably take twice as many now. By the way, this is one of my favorites from our last trip. <a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/MonkeyToesMom/?action=view&current=null_zps4cac46b6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/MonkeyToesMom/null_zps4cac46b6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a> It's my YDD, who turned 1 that day. I watched her watch the afternoon parade at MK. By far, one of my favorite memories.
I've taken each of my DDs for their first birthdays, and then a trip in between, so my ODD has been at 12 and 24 months, and at 3.5 yrs. that being said, this thread is full of great advice.
As for the extra outfit, I put a full outfit in a quart-sized ziplock, then roll it to push out all the air. It doesn't take much room in the diaper bag, and it's there for dirty/wet clothes later, or anything eelse you might need.
Both of my girls LOVED the characters at 1. At 2, my ODD wanted nothing to do with the non-humans. Nothing at all. I ended up changing an ADR for the Beach Club and changing it to Park Fare, the day before, just so we wouldn't have a kid under the table, hiding the entire time. Then at 3.5, she loved them again. Just be aware that its possible, and be flexible if it happens. I'm hoping our YDD still loves them when we go again, but we'll deal if not.
Lastly, don't forget ice water is free. I learned that here, and it's a great freebie to know about. We got a cup for the girls after playing in the park's "playgrounds" each time. It cooled the girls off quickly, and we didn't have to pay for a "real" drink. Like someone mentioned before, they dehydrate easily, because they're too excited to think about being thirsty.
Most importantly, have fun, and don't be shocked when you tear up seeing the magic through their eyes.

[ISLE39]

I tear up now thinking of when I first arrive with him in wdw