what age to take child to disney for first time

[SplashFan01]

my daughter is 9 months, and my wife and I are thinking about taking her to WDW for her first time for her second birthday. i want some opinions- is this too soon? what have your experiences with children this age been like? and basically is this a good idea or should we wait until shes older? Thanks!

[LittleRoosMommy]

I think that every child is different and it's something that you will have to gauge. Personally, we took our DD4 for the first time when she was 15months and we had a great trip!! In fact, she even remembers somethings from that trip! She was able to ride everything in fantasyland, loved all the parades, shows and fireworks! She also LOVED all the characters!! We have some of the cutest pictures from that trip!! We were able to push her a little too! She would sleep for a couple of hours every afternoon in her stroller!

We took our DD2 for the first time when she was 14 months old. She is a very different personality than my older DD. She didn't really care for the characters, wasn't really that into the rides. She did really enjoy all the parades and fireworks though. With that being said, we did have a really good trip with her! We just had to do things that she really enjoyed and altered our original plans. Which was not a big deal! Sometimes, DH and I would split up with him taking one and me taking the other, so that each of them got some one on one time to do what they liked!

I am a definite believer in trying things w/ your kids because you'll never really know until you try how they are going to react. So, I say definitely take her while she is young! Just be ready to take breaks during the day if you need and be very flexible and do what she is going to like or what she needs to do. And remember if you don't see everything, there's always next time!!

[KylesMom]

DS was 27 months the first time we took him to Disney. It wasn't a planned thing - his room was decorated in all Disney characters, and when they started the Millenium commercials he'd see the TV and repeat "ICKEY-ICKEY-ICKEY's HOUSE". Although DH and I had decided on our honeymoon that a kid needed to be 8 or 10 their first trip, we caved & decided to take our first family trip with DS in tow to Disney World in May of 2000.

We thought it would be a once-until-he's-a-preteen trip. What it was - was magical. He loved the characters, the Fantasyland rides, the parades, the Star Wars characters we ran into . . . you get the idea. It was a wonderful experience for us all. Thinking of that time way back when still brings tears to my eyes.

Needless to say, we've been back every year since. Now DS is almost 11, and his love of Disney is still strong!

As LittleRoosMommy stated, each child will react differently. DS was intimidated by some of the darker rides and shows where there is no height restriction, but overall it was a wonderful age to introduce him to The World! Just be prepared to go at your child's pace and realize that commando style isn't the way to go.

[Faver]

Our DS was a bit on the older side for his first visit. He was 7 years old. Not that you should wait that long...in comparison, I was 4 on my first visit, and still remember so much. But when my DS was 2, he would have been too overwhelmed with the crowds, lines, characters, the rides etc. He just wasn't very adventurous, and a bit fearful. We were able to tell that when he was around 2-3 years old. So we thought it best to wait.

I was just the opposite as a child. So personality does really play a part. But since your DD is still young, you have time to watch how she relates to crowds, and other situations. Perhaps she's more the adventurer too

[gwfx1031]

We took our daughter for the first time when she was 15 months and we had a great time. She was pretty fearless and took it all in. My son first went at about 2 and he was pretty ugn shy about a lot of stuff, so kids do differ. Do not worry so much about how much she will remember but rather the great memories you will have sharing the time together.

[cajunprincess]

We took our DS at 22 months. He was not scared to ride anything. He was able to do so much more than I expected he could. He had a wonderful time. We did have to deviate a lot, naps, time away from the business, but over all, we are very glad that we decided to take him. Now Baby #2 () is on the way, and hopefully we will be able to take him around the same time.

[CosmicRay]

We took DD and DS for their first time when they were 2 and 3. They did great, we have friends that took their kids as young as 6 mo. We now have a little one and she will be 9 mo when we go.

A good tip is to take pics and videos, and after we came back, they wanted to see that video over and over again. That kept the memories fresh and fun to see! Now the kids are now 6 and 7 and they went back last year they still ask to see the videos from their first time and this last visit.

If you were taking your child once, then I would say maybe wait till they are older so they can remember more. But if you are planning to take them more in the future, then I'd say start the fun, memories and traditions now.

[DawsonAR]

My son's first trip was for his 4th birthday. It was a good time, however, we did have to do breaks in the afternoon. There were times during the trip I wondered if we did the right thing. It was a good choice, but we had to do things at a slower speed and did much less than previous trips. Now he is 7 and things are easier, but still not like traveling with teenagers or adults. We just relax, have fun and do what we feel like doing.

[dmosher]

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

[LandFan]

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!

[tink2006]

I agree, every child is different. Only you can judge the best time for your child. We took DS for his first time just before his second b-day. His bedroom was decorated all Disney and he loved everything Disney so, in our opinion, he was ready. It was a magical time! I still remember him running up to the characters and giving them bear hugs (all but Captain Hook, he was NO,NO). We still talk about that "first" trip. I will say that, on all trips, if he was not tall enough or brave enough we skipped that ride/show. We also took afternoon breaks to nap, swim or simply cuddle.

It has been wonderful to experience WDW through the eyes of our child. Each developmental stage brought new and wonderful Disney experiences.

DS is now 16 and still loves going to Disney! I know (hopefully NOT) the day will come when he will not want to go but, for now, we are still enjoying the magic as a family unit!

[Disney fans..]

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..

[WelshieLover]

My oldest went to Disneyland at 4 months (16 of us were attending a family wedding in CA). It was easy he napped a lot and I was nursing him and I had a lot of help. His first trip to WDW he was 4 and his brother 2. Do they remember that trip? Not really! But they had fun and we went during a time where there were few crowds. They had a great time running around Epcot exploring the nooks and crannies in the various countries. And the looks on their faces priceless. I ahve some great photos. It was not a waste of $. Do what is best for you and your family. Just go when it is not so hot. Don't rush. Take afternoon breaks. Enjoy!

[wolfhog]

I have a question myself concerning infants. I'll be traveling down in January with an 8mo old. Are there any rides a child that age can go on?

[mdhiggin]

We've taken our kids from pregnancy to infancy to toddlerhood, now teenager. We enjoy the world for ourselves as much as for our kids, so we go all the time, regardless of age. We all love it, and there are things you can do there no matter the age. Sure the little ones add another level of difficulty, but it has always been worth it for us.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

My 1st nephew was 4.5 his first time, the next was also 4.5, the next was 3.5 and the next was 2.5 and the last one was only 7 weeks old. (Not all from the same sister, but nephews from 3 different sisters). All of them were fine and with the exception of the 7 week old who is now 16 months, they have all been back more than once.
They all reacted differently to different things. That doesn't mean it was right or wrong taking them at a certain time, it just meant that they enjoy different things and what they didn't like on one visit, they may love on another trip. It should be your choice based on how you think your child will react and whether they will enjoy themself. How do they do at the Mall? Do big crowds scare them? Do they like parades and fireworks locally? Do they enjoy meeting Santa? This will give you a basis to go on. Even then it doesn't mean you can't go, you just gage how the child is reacting at that particular moment. And that could change on a daily basis. They may be petrified of the characters one day because they are tired etc, then run up to them with open arms the next day. To me, there is no wrong age.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I have a question myself concerning infants. I'll be traveling down in January with an 8mo old. Are there any rides a child that age can go on?

There are tons of things a baby can go on at MK especially in Fantasy land. In the Studios they can go on the Great Movie Ride, Epcot they can go on the Mexico and Norway boat rides. Even in AK they can do the safari, just hold on as it gets a little bumpy. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. They can pretty much go on anything that doesn't have a height restriction. Some things may be too loud though.

[bjs6]

Our youngest first trip was a 2 and 1/2 (actually 2 yrs. 8 mo.) It worked out great for us. She was young enough that we didn't need to purchase theme park tickets for her but old enough that she remembers the trip. We took a stroller which she used for "power naps" in the parks.

[iluvdumbo]

i was 4 i think when i first went to disney. i thought it was fun for a 4 year old.
maybe younger is better to get a kid basicially ADDICTED to disney (my mom(twink93) didnt need to help me get addicted) but i wouldnt know. i think my friend was like 3 and my next door neighbors grandchildren were 5,4,and 1 for their first trip

[DizRunner]

We're planning on taking our son for the first time in April on his 4th birthday. I think that'll be a perfect age for him.

But like someone else said, taking a younger child is not a bad idea also. The look of amazement is priceless. And like they said, even if they don't remember it...you will.

I was at WDW in January by myself for the marathon. And I'll never forget seeing this little boy (3 or so) on his daddy's shoulders watch Illuminations. It's too bad that his daddy couldn't see his face. But I could. Again, priceless.