Let me start this out by saying that this post is purely opinion. And to write it, I think you need to understand how I've classified my children throughout their lives.
Babies: infant to around 18 months
Toddlers: 18 months to around age 3
Little: This stage began around the age of 3 and lasted until they went to school. For one that was 4 months after he turned 5 and for the other it was 9 months after she turned 5.
Kids: Kindergarten until they were formally a tween
Tween: 10-12
Teens: 13 - 17
I say this because over the next few posts I'm going to tell you my opinion of taking 4 different ages of my children to Disney. I never took my kids to Disney when they were babies or toddlers. For one child I never had the opportunity. For the other I actually chose not to bring her on a weekend trip (though I do have regrets on this now at times, though other times I don't - it's a very conflicting moment in time!)
To begin with, the Joys of bringing a Little to Disney!
My Littles were each 3 when they went on their first Disney trip. My son took a quick 2 night trip with my husband and me when I was in Orlando for a conference. We extended my week there and they flew in to meet me. Due to the fact that I had just been working and he was traveling alone and it was really just an introduction to Walt Disney World (I hadn't been since I was 4; my husband had never been), we elected to leave the 10 month old at home. Fast forward a couple years later, and we took a family trip for a week and my daughter was now 3 and my son was 5. While in hindsight I totally could have brought a child at a younger stage, 3 was a magic age for me!
People will often say "but they don't remember it!". And this is kind of true. So let me address this first and foremost. It is true that a 3 year old has limited memories. But they do have memories! And so do you! My suggestion to combat this argument is to take lots of pictures. Taking pictures and going through them frequently after the trips allows your Little to relive those moments over and over, keeping those memories fresh and important. Now, here's the thing that I want to stress the most. My kids remember these moments - my son remembers meeting Leo from The Little Einsteins. My daughter remembers meeting Pluto about 8 times this trip. But, what about your memories!? Your memories are just as precious and important. So when someone asks me why they would take a 3 year old to Disney because they won't remember it, I tell them "why do they get to be the only ones who will remember"? What my son doesn't remember without my help is that he was wearing a Little Einsteins shirt and it had Leo on it. Leo was pointing to his shirt and then pointing to himself and getting excited. Leo was happy he was on my son's shirt! What my daughter doesn't remember without my help is that she would fall into the arms of a Pluto and wouldn't leave without being pulled away by force so that we could actually get a picture with her face in it! What she doesn't remember without my help is that when Pluto was on a break and she'd waited in line to meet him she burst into tears and was so upset that a Cast Member helped to console her (we were able to come back later to meet him...again as if we hadn't already met Pluto multiple times on this trip!). Memories are the moments I live for and I'm constantly seeking them out. Which moments in my day will become those cherished moments that I want to remember forever. Taking Littles to Disney you get so many.
Littles experience the Magic unlike no other. They truly see the world in a different way.
Water features are alive, characters are real, elephants really fly, the fake tattoo they got is a real one. If they watch Playhouse Disney, Disney Jr, Disney+, or whatever it's called when they were this age, most likely there will be characters from their favorite shows there. It is a magical moment indeed when someone from their favorite show walks out to give them a hug! When they then go home and see that show again it takes on a whole new meaning to them when they tell their friends they met that character!
Littles are typically past the point in time that they need long naps during the day. If you manage the day properly you can either do a regular start day (we started the days around 9am) and end them at a reasonable time (we ended around 6 or 7pm). But if they do still need a nap, they're still small enough for a stroller! So, do still bring a stroller! On our weekend trip with our son we thought we wouldn't need one (only 2 days in the Parks and he's 3; he's good! or so we thought). We learned our lesson the hard way. My husband carried him the first day and we broke down and purchased a stroller from the gift shop of our Resort that evening.
That stroller has become my #1 souvenir of all time! So if your Little does still need a nap, they can use the stroller you brought (or bought!) to nap in. Alternatively, if the Park is empty you can always hop on the People Mover in the Magic Kingdom and ride that about 9 times - each time around is around 10 minutes.
This is how my daughter took her ONE nap the entire week we were there!
Disney has so many things there that are geared specifically for a child this age! A lot of rides are slow rides and smooth enough for any age. You do have to know the height restrictions if you have a child who is a little more daring. I did not have this! So we spent most of our days riding things like Dumbo, Tea Cups, and the Jungle Cruise! I will say though that often the Dark Rides scare this age. So be aware of that. Neither of my kids were big fans of getting into a car and riding into a place where they couldn't see what was going on. This includes such beloved rides like Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan! If they couldn't see what was coming as they got into the ride they were absolutely terrified. Animal Kingdom is a great Park for kids this age. It's a great place to simply run around on the different Animal Trails. And most Parks have an actual Play Area geared specifically for kids of this age! These are the perfect place for your Littles to run some steam off while you refuel with a coffee!
I was blessed in that neither child had a true meltdown at Disney. My son was a little under the weather (he'd battled a cold the week before we went), so he wasn't feeling 100%, and so we had one brief moment in time in Fantasyland where he and I both had a small meltdown at the same time. It lasted maybe 15 minutes and now my husband laughs at it every time we walk past Pinnochio Village Haus (where we were when it happened). Neither child had a meltdown, however, when it was time to leave somewhere or when it was time to stop something. I'm not sure if that was the Magic of Disney or if it was because they were too excited experiencing something new because that was not how they always were at home! You know your child best when it comes to temperament. So if temperament and meltdowns is your concern, I can't help you with that one! But I can tell you that any parent there will look at you with sympathy (I know I did whenever I saw it happen!).
Lines can be difficult at this age, but children this age can also often be entertained by very little! My kids were this age before the age of smart phones, so we entertained them with Eye Spy games, Rock Paper Scissors, Would You Rather, and other silly games where they had to simply pick an answer from a choice of two different choices. Kids this age also have a tendency to make friends with others in line! My son made friends with Johnny in line for the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. We had over an hour wait (our longest that trip). But he and Johnny entertained each other for almost the entire wait....talking about and doing whatever 3 year old boys do! Another one of those memories that I think about each time we're in line for that ride!
I would take this age to Disney every year! This is the age when they start asking questions and are curious about the world around. The memories I cherish of each of my children from these trips are ones I am thankful I have. And in hindsight, I'm thankful that I was able to arrange each of their first trips to be at the same magical age in their lives.
Do you have any concerns about taking this age to Disney? Drop me a note! I'm very emotional about this age and am happy to address it! It's easier than you might think!
Go make some Magical Memories!
Babies: infant to around 18 months
Toddlers: 18 months to around age 3
Little: This stage began around the age of 3 and lasted until they went to school. For one that was 4 months after he turned 5 and for the other it was 9 months after she turned 5.
Kids: Kindergarten until they were formally a tween
Tween: 10-12
Teens: 13 - 17
I say this because over the next few posts I'm going to tell you my opinion of taking 4 different ages of my children to Disney. I never took my kids to Disney when they were babies or toddlers. For one child I never had the opportunity. For the other I actually chose not to bring her on a weekend trip (though I do have regrets on this now at times, though other times I don't - it's a very conflicting moment in time!)
To begin with, the Joys of bringing a Little to Disney!
People will often say "but they don't remember it!". And this is kind of true. So let me address this first and foremost. It is true that a 3 year old has limited memories. But they do have memories! And so do you! My suggestion to combat this argument is to take lots of pictures. Taking pictures and going through them frequently after the trips allows your Little to relive those moments over and over, keeping those memories fresh and important. Now, here's the thing that I want to stress the most. My kids remember these moments - my son remembers meeting Leo from The Little Einsteins. My daughter remembers meeting Pluto about 8 times this trip. But, what about your memories!? Your memories are just as precious and important. So when someone asks me why they would take a 3 year old to Disney because they won't remember it, I tell them "why do they get to be the only ones who will remember"? What my son doesn't remember without my help is that he was wearing a Little Einsteins shirt and it had Leo on it. Leo was pointing to his shirt and then pointing to himself and getting excited. Leo was happy he was on my son's shirt! What my daughter doesn't remember without my help is that she would fall into the arms of a Pluto and wouldn't leave without being pulled away by force so that we could actually get a picture with her face in it! What she doesn't remember without my help is that when Pluto was on a break and she'd waited in line to meet him she burst into tears and was so upset that a Cast Member helped to console her (we were able to come back later to meet him...again as if we hadn't already met Pluto multiple times on this trip!). Memories are the moments I live for and I'm constantly seeking them out. Which moments in my day will become those cherished moments that I want to remember forever. Taking Littles to Disney you get so many.
Littles experience the Magic unlike no other. They truly see the world in a different way.
Littles are typically past the point in time that they need long naps during the day. If you manage the day properly you can either do a regular start day (we started the days around 9am) and end them at a reasonable time (we ended around 6 or 7pm). But if they do still need a nap, they're still small enough for a stroller! So, do still bring a stroller! On our weekend trip with our son we thought we wouldn't need one (only 2 days in the Parks and he's 3; he's good! or so we thought). We learned our lesson the hard way. My husband carried him the first day and we broke down and purchased a stroller from the gift shop of our Resort that evening.
Disney has so many things there that are geared specifically for a child this age! A lot of rides are slow rides and smooth enough for any age. You do have to know the height restrictions if you have a child who is a little more daring. I did not have this! So we spent most of our days riding things like Dumbo, Tea Cups, and the Jungle Cruise! I will say though that often the Dark Rides scare this age. So be aware of that. Neither of my kids were big fans of getting into a car and riding into a place where they couldn't see what was going on. This includes such beloved rides like Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan! If they couldn't see what was coming as they got into the ride they were absolutely terrified. Animal Kingdom is a great Park for kids this age. It's a great place to simply run around on the different Animal Trails. And most Parks have an actual Play Area geared specifically for kids of this age! These are the perfect place for your Littles to run some steam off while you refuel with a coffee!
I was blessed in that neither child had a true meltdown at Disney. My son was a little under the weather (he'd battled a cold the week before we went), so he wasn't feeling 100%, and so we had one brief moment in time in Fantasyland where he and I both had a small meltdown at the same time. It lasted maybe 15 minutes and now my husband laughs at it every time we walk past Pinnochio Village Haus (where we were when it happened). Neither child had a meltdown, however, when it was time to leave somewhere or when it was time to stop something. I'm not sure if that was the Magic of Disney or if it was because they were too excited experiencing something new because that was not how they always were at home! You know your child best when it comes to temperament. So if temperament and meltdowns is your concern, I can't help you with that one! But I can tell you that any parent there will look at you with sympathy (I know I did whenever I saw it happen!).
Lines can be difficult at this age, but children this age can also often be entertained by very little! My kids were this age before the age of smart phones, so we entertained them with Eye Spy games, Rock Paper Scissors, Would You Rather, and other silly games where they had to simply pick an answer from a choice of two different choices. Kids this age also have a tendency to make friends with others in line! My son made friends with Johnny in line for the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. We had over an hour wait (our longest that trip). But he and Johnny entertained each other for almost the entire wait....talking about and doing whatever 3 year old boys do! Another one of those memories that I think about each time we're in line for that ride!
I would take this age to Disney every year! This is the age when they start asking questions and are curious about the world around. The memories I cherish of each of my children from these trips are ones I am thankful I have. And in hindsight, I'm thankful that I was able to arrange each of their first trips to be at the same magical age in their lives.
Go make some Magical Memories!
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