Trip with Toddlers

[ILoveMickey'77]

Hi All,

My husband and I have been to the World several times as married adults, but in May we are going on our first trip with our kiddos. Our oldest will be just shy of 3 and our youngest will be just shy of 2.

What are your best pointers for kids this age? I know we will need to go take naps in the middle of the day, but do you schedule dinners for the same time at home? Do they usually do ok staying out a little later than normal?

My oldest is a little tentative when trying new things, riding a carousel at the zoo was a little stressful to him. Any pointers or ideas on how to prepare him for the sensory overload he is about to enjoy?

Again, any great mommy and daddy tips are appreciated, not just my specific questions.

TIA!

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

It's hard to know when to schedule meals, because everything seems to get off-kilter when you're on vacation. My kids were always early risers, so we scheduled character meals for breakfast and lunch when they were young. They were usually pretty wiped out by dinner.

We were never good about taking a break and going to the room for a nap- each kid had such different sleep tendencies, and they were never ready to nap at the same time. We just rented a big double stroller, and each one could stretch out and fall asleep when they were tired. Typically, one would be sleeping hard, but the other was fired up and ready to go. In that case, one parent would just find a quiet spot in the shade to sit with the sleepyhead, while the other took the awake kid on more rides.

If you're TRYING to get them to fall asleep, head straight for the Hall of Presidents!! :thumbsup:

[dumbomydumbo]

We are actually going to Disney tomorrow with our twin 3 year old grandsons. (actually their second trip) Biggest recommendation is to stay on property so you can easily get back to the hotel for naps. Also rent a stroller, we do the double one from Orlando stroller rental. Have fun!!

[FantasmicJ]

We have 2 boys now, ages 5 and soon to be 2. We've spoiled our oldest child and he has been to WDW 3 times already, at 13 months, 2.5yrs and 3.5 yrs old. The interesting thing I'll say about that is that he has been hesitant or scared at different things each time we have gone, even things he may previously had been ok with. For him, our last trip was somewhat frustrating to start with because we had been talking for months about all of the rides he wanted to do (now tall enough at 40+ inches). When we got there, he was extremely hesitant. To help get him to a place where he was comfortable, we took him on more tame or familiar rides. We did have to pull him on a ride (Mexico boat ride) once, but I think doing so helped him to realize that he could trust us with what we chose and asked him to ride. Some rides (like POTC) we just didn't push him and one of us sat out while the other went.

Overall, I would say to be prepared for anything when it comes to their reactions, and that your vacation is going to be at a lot slower pace than when it was just the 2 of you. I would try to set aside some time each day for a nap (could be in a stroller) as well as time for them to play and run around. Whether that be at the pool or just letting them run around the hotel room, it can help them to get rid of extra energy if they are in a stroller a lot of the day.

As far as our kids, they both tend to be night owls when there is activity going on. We typically manage that pretty well in our day-to-day life with routines that we have, since we have to get them up early. At WDW, it translates into more staying up late and sleeping in during the mornings, since there is so much activity going on.

I would add as a place to get kids to sleep - Spaceship Earth. I had one of our boys sleeping on me by the time we reached the wooly mammoth on one of our trips

[luvkatiebug]

I think the main thing you need to keep in mind is being realistic about what you can accomplish on a trip with toddlers. We had a great trip with our oldest when she was 3 and a nightmare trip with our youngest when she was 2. My biggest suggestions would be taking breaks during the day (we still do that, and ours our 12 and 9) and not trying to do everything in one trip. If you don't get everything done, its a great excuse to go back! :mickey:

[ANG]

We've taken our 2 sons many times. Great tips above...

Be realistic is a great one. Don't expect to see everything. Pick a few priorities each day that you really want to do and the rest will just be icing on the cake.

Follow the kids lead if they start to get fussy. Some days ours needed and naps and others they were fine with just catching a more quiet ride/show.

I make ADRs for around the same dinner time just because earlier is always less busy IMO. Just make sure you stop and really enjoy the simple things and their reactions.

[IloveJack]

My biggest piece of advice would be to leave your expectations at the door when it comes to characters. My oldest screamed in fright on the first night, when she was turning 1, only to do a 180, and love them the next day. Then, she wouldn't go near them just a year later at 2. At three and a half, on our most recent trip, she adored them. Just be prepared, in case you have dreams of your littlest toddling up to Mickey, that some kids are scared to death of the characters, and some love them, and you won't know till you try.

Also, as annoying as it is to haul a stroller around, the one that they're comfortable with is worth carrying with you, ESPECIALLY if it reclines. We rarely return to the room for naps, and our kids sleep well in their strollers. But we take our own, instead of expecting them to nap sitting up, or in the hard plastic rentals.

As someone else said, it's hard to know how to plan meals, as vacations throw everything off-kilter. However, the craziness of theming often kept our kids from eating much, anyhow. And if characters are present, they weren't eating anything. Take snacks into the parks, and feed them when they're hungry. Plan one ADR a day, and then eat the other meals when the kids are ready.

Basically, just be ready to go with the flow. You'll have a much better vacation if your kid never reaches meltdown mode. We did the park commando-type trips when it was just DH and myself, the ones where you see everything you can and sleep four hours a night to do it. We learned on our first trip with our oldest to do it her way; she taught us, by meltdown, in the middle of Epcot on our second night. Since then, we've done two more trips with toddler(s). We're heading down in just over two months for our next one, and our first with a baby. I have my plan all written out, but I know full well that the kids will lead us.