![]() There have been many times when I’ve spoken with parents about their going to Disney World with their kids and the response has been something to the effect of, “The kids aren’t old enough yet” or “I want to wait until the youngest will remember the trip.” I’ve never really given it a lot of thought before, but I always knew that I disagreed with this train of thought. To each their own, and obviously somebody’s financial situation needs to be taken into consideration before planning a trip, but personally I’m a huge advocate of taking small kids on a trip to Disney! Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you... Often times there are multiple children in a family and the parents want to wait until the youngest can do everything before going on a family trip. For convenience sake, this really isn’t necessary. There are lots of rides you can take small children on (heck, even an infant!). In the event the older child wants to go on a ride the youngest can’t, there is always something near by for one parent to do with the little one while the other rides with the older. I realize this only works if there are two adults. :) There is also the rider swap option. One adult and child go wait in line for a ride while another stays behind and does something else with the little. When they get to the front of the line they ask the cast member for a ride swap. After they get off the parent gives the ride swap to the the other (the one who DIDN’T ride before). Then the parents switch places and the second parent and child get to ride the same ride, this time without the wait. The idea of memories is something I always think about when discussing this topic. I think it would be wonderful to have memories of your kids at Disney when they were small. If you wait until the youngest is older, the oldest isn’t small! I’ve even seen pics online of Mickey and Minnie holding babies. Let me tell you… those parents that now have those pictures think it was TOTALLY worth it. Adorbs! People always want to wait until the child “will remember the trip”. I might not remember specific details from my first trip, but when I went back the second time, I remembered the first. Even if your child doesn’t remember any of the trip - you will! If the older kid is the perfect age but you’re feeling the younger kid might be a little too young to remember, I don’t think that’s the point. It’s a family trip. Whether the youngest will remember it or not, they’re still part of your current family dynamic as a small child. I kind of think of it like celebrating a baby’s first birthday (or second, or third…..). You don’t wait to celebrate until the child will remember their cake and presents. That’s not necessarily the point. They enjoy it at the time, and YOU will have the memories and pictures to show them when they are older. I understand the logistics of traveling with a small child can be a bit daunting. Disney World magic or not… little kids are still a lot of work. Disney has really done everything they possibly can to make it as easy as possible for you. You can get a crib or Pack ‘n Play for your baby to sleep in at the hotel. Or, you can even see if a side rail for the bed is available. If one is they will let you use it! Traveling with diapers a problem? Take enough to get you there and then order more from a pharmacy in Orlando that delivers. Worried about feeding your baby or the heat? There are baby care centers in each park. They provide quiet, air conditioned spaces for small children that need to be fed, changed or even take a nap. That’s just my two cents worth. Like I said, to each their own. I just wanted to point out to someone who can’t fathom why you’d want to take a small child to Disney World, why and how it can be done! Due to the length of this post I think I’ll post a second article about what rides and attractions you can actually do with very small children. Comments are closed.
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AuthorBrittany is a Disney fanatic and an agent with Magical Journeys Travel. As a College of Disney Knowledge graduate, she has plenty of expert tips to share. Brittany can help you plan a spectacular Disney vacation and ensure you get the best deal possible... for free! Archives
October 2023
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