Best age to start going to WDW?

[motherof5]

Do you have other children? I started taking my 2nd child to 5th child to disney when they were 6 months old, but that is because I was going with a older child. If you only have the one I would wait until before they turn 2 since they are free. I did that with each child so they went to Disney free and they started making memories since they believed in all the characters and of course loved the magic of Disney!

 

[hawkeyesparks]

My kids were between the ages of 18-20 months when we took them for the first time. They could walk, they could eat with us, they had a great time!

 

[courtney1188]

This is tough because a lot depends on the individual child. We just got back from our first trip, and our sons are 3 and 5. Our three year old seemed like the perfect age to me! He had an awesome, magical time and was just tall enough for some of the more exciting rides. Our five year old, on the other hand, made me wish we had waited until he was a couple of years older! While there were moments he really enjoyed himself, he is in general more cautious and more easily overwhelmed. Even with us going at a leisurely pace and taking midday breaks, at times it seemed like too much for him. (The whining...the whining drove me nuts!)

 

[isabellea]

My daughters have been going to WDW every year since they are 2yo and I would say that my favourite age is 3yo (3-6 yo is the best age range imo). They believe in the magic and characters, are potty trained and they have more stamina than a 2yo. I would never bring an infant personally but I know other family do without any issues.

 

[juxtapose]

We have now taken our kids at 15 months, almost 3, 4.5 and 6. The only age I really didn’t like was 15 months. All the other ages have been a lot of fun. Just got back with my almost 3 year old and he had such a good time, I wouldn’t definitely take that age again, except he’s my last :’(

 

[BobbyDukes]

Any age, WDW provides entertainment, food and pleasure for all age groups.

 

[omniscientmommy]

That depends on the kid. My oldest(now 7) hated loud noises and had a hard time with fireworks until this year. We waited until our kids we 3 & 6, we went right before our youngest turned 3(so we didn't have to buy a park ticket). I guess it depends more on how you and your husband handle your kid in a crowd at that age. I know some older people think... hey there's this baby and I'm going to tickle, touch, prod or poke him/her. I always hated that and we didn't take our babies to crowded places.

 

[VandVsmama]

My husband and I were talking about taking our first trip to Walt Disney World as a family. Current our son is 8 Months Old. We were wondering what is a good age to start taking a child to Disney. I know people go at all ages but I worry taking him too Young might be just too much for him. When did you guys start taking your little ones. What age worked the best?

This is definitely one of those questions where the phrase "your mileage may vary" applies. I didn't feel ready to take my kids on a Disney trip until they were 4 and 6 (they're 2 yr apart). We'd taken them on a big trip to Hawaii when they were 18 mo and 3 1/2 and that trip was hell. Super long plane ride. Neither kid slept well. Both kids were still napping at that age, but they just wouldn't nap. And it was hard getting them to sleep at night, too. So as the week went on, their moods & behavior got worse and worse. At one point, I had to carry my 18 mo old kicking and screaming out of a drug store on Maui with everybody staring at me. She had a total melt down and was just way too tired & way too stimulated.

BUT my kids were the sort of kids at that age who slept best in their own beds in their own bedrooms at home. At daycare, ODD was the 30-min napper. You could set your watch by it. At home? 2-2.5 hr napper. On a trip somewhere? No nap.

But if your kids are the sort who are good sleepers and will fall asleep anywhere, then you'll probably be fine.

On top of all that, I wasn't ready because, frankly, I didn't have enough PTO accrued at work to be able to take any longer vacations. All of my PTO I used for the million days that my little kids were sick (about once a month for anywhere from 1-5 days). Once both kids hit the 3.5 mark, then the frequency of illnesses dropped dramatically.

We've taken our kids either every year or every other year to Disneyland (we live in Arizona) from the time the kids were 4 and 6 and this year, they're turning 10 and 12. We are doing our 1st ever WDW trip next month. But when we took the kids to DL that first time when they were 4 and 6, what worked well for our particular family was some of the following:

1. Have a plan, but also be flexible.
2. You know your kids best. So you know what their normal bedtimes are. YOU know how far you can push that. For me, I tried to stick as much to their normal bedtime as possible because I knew that as each day went on, they'd get more and more tired on each successive day.
3. So if you want your kids to see fireworks, do that for the 1st day you're there.
4. We took breaks at the hotel room every afternoon. It helped being a 10 min walk away. If I was going to WDW with a 4 & 6 yr old, we would not do commando style (aka all day park opening to 9:30 pm). I'd take a break at the hotel. Make everybody lay down in the dark for 20 min. No TV, no electronic devices, just quiet.
5. My kids sleep with a white noise machine at home, so I use a white noise app on my phone when we're in a hotel room. With that, they fall asleep very easily. And it drowns out noise from other hotel guests in neighboring rooms.
6. Look at the restaurant menus ahead of time on the Allears . net website. My YDD is a picky eater, so this helped me figure out which places to avoid.
7. If your kids are early risers, then plan to be at the park at park opening.
8. We really have loved using Magic Morning/EMH at Disneyland (which similar to WDW, gets you into the park 1 hr before reg. park opening). Then go on rides for the first 2-3 hr (assuming a 7 or 8 am EMH). Then sit down for a character breakfast late morning. At DL, we do Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza Inn...we regularly see 6-7 characters, eat our fill of bacon and Mickey waffles. It takes about an hour, we can rest, and then go on rides for another 2 hr before we leave the park for our break.
9. If I was taking a 3 yr old to WDW, I would definitely use that same method...quick breakfast in the room, bring snacks with you, make sure you have a stroller, go on rides for the first 2-3 hr. Then when the 3 yr old is 'hitting the wall', that's when you sit down for your character breakfast.
10. Little girls - ODD loves Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique. YDD hated it. so that was ~$60-70 down the drain for YDD. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. ODD still loves princesses. YDD loves Thor and Groot. If your budget doesn't allow it, go ahead and skip BBB. It's not the end of the world. Stick your kid in a princess dress and she'll feel like a milllion bucks for character Meet & Greets.
11. Re: special dress up outfits & little kids - be prepared with a back up outfit. Especially on a hot day. We've done this a couple of times now. Kids spend the morning in the fancy outfits and then they're tired of wearing the sweaty, itchy dresses. Be prepared to stash it in a locker or in your stroller.
12. Potty training - a Disney trip, in my opinion, is not the ideal place to be starting out with potty training. So if your kid has this nailed down prior to the trip, great! Bring 2 back up outfits anyway in your park bag. With a ziplock bag for each. If your kiddo is just starting potty training, be prepared for some back sliding during the WDW trip. The baby care centers have toddler sized toilets, but the regular bathrooms do not. The self-flushing toilets can be loud & scary for little kids. Some moms find it helpful to bring sticky notes to put over the sensor.
13. Don't have your heart set on having leisurely Signature Dining experiences in super fancy restaurants on Disney trips when your kids are little.
14. Use Mobile Ordering. when my kids were really young (like 1 yr old to age 4), I'd have about a 15 min window from the "Mama, I'm hungry" to total melt down. YOu can prep for this by knowing ahead of time when they are likely to be hungry. And as their parents, you guys will already know this. So if at home, your little one usually eats lunch at 11-11:30, then plan on taking a break for lunch at that same time. If dinner usually around 6 pm, plan on eating at that same time. If at home, your kids get hungry mid afternoon, plan on needing to feed them a snack at that time as well. Sometimes if you're travelling with other extended family members whose kids are older or if they don't have children, your travel companions might not realize this and it can result in some frustrations.
15. Use something like Touring Plans, but also allow yourself to go do stuff off the plan. At Disneyland, we've often used RideMax with great success. Even on busy summer days at DL, we're able to do 16-20 attractions in a day (WITH a hotel break) with nothing more than a 20 min wait. This is really helpful if your spouse, like mine, gets Theme Park Fatigue.
16. Your kids will get TPF (Theme Park Fatigue), but they will not want to leave. They will be super tired and cranky but may flat out refuse to leave for whatever reason. That's ok. Even us grown ups have moments when we cry because we don't want to leave. Everybody in my family usually has 1 cranky moment at some point during our trip.
17. When our kids were 4 and 6 (and then the following when they were 5 and 7), at some point during the trip, DH & I each took a turn going on 1 ride with JUST ONE child. A Mommy & DD date. And a Daddy & DD date. And then we'd switch kids. Our kids still love doing this and it's one of their favorite things on every Disney trip...getting a private moment with just 1 parent where you don't have to share Mom or Dad's attention with your sibling.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I don't think there's a best age. It's whatever point the adults are mentally equipped to handle this kind of trip with their kids. Some people can do the full on infant still nursing/taking a bottle, while others are better suited to take fully potty trained kids who don't require a diaper bag. Some people can't handle juggling two kids who have different height restrictions, while others are turned off by the prospect of pushing a stroller all day and night. So, to me, it's never been about the best age of the child...it's how much of the inconveniences and hindrances the adults are equipped to handle and still have a good time.

People will argue that parents taking really young kids are foolish because the kids will never remember it, but happiness doesn't know any age. The only reason I'd hold off until kids are older is if it is a once in a lifetime trip and you honestly will never go back after that one trip. And by the title of this thread (start going to WDW), it's implied that it won't be a once in a lifetime thing. It's truly magical when the kids are super young and believe in all of it the way they believe in Santa Claus. So, I say the ideal age is whenever you can strike that balance between dealing with all of the kid issues with touring the parks and still enjoy.

 

[DizneyMommy]

The best age to start going to Disney? Whatever age they are
Mine have all been going since they were each around 2 months old.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My husband and I were talking about taking our first trip to Walt Disney World as a family. Current our son is 8 Months Old. We were wondering what is a good age to start taking a child to Disney. I know people go at all ages but I worry taking him too Young might be just too much for him. When did you guys start taking your little ones. What age worked the best?

I started at 18 months. That was a "one-day in MK" experience when we were already in Florida visiting relatives, and it was magical! I'm so glad we did it! He's 17 now, has been 5 more times since then, and still loves it.

The best age depends on how often you can go. If it once in a lifetime trip, I'd say 5-7. (5 was our longest staying-on-property trip.) But if you will get to go many times, start whenever!

We did a "turning 3" trip for DD1 and are doing it again for DD2. You can "save" quite a bit that way because you have a 3-year-old's enjoyment and awareness, at 2yo prices! We are going to do some character meals and buffets where DD2 is still "free" because she eats as much as her 6.5 yo sister. So if you're thinking of a trip around that age anyway, a birthday trip around 3 is the best.

Good point on saving money!

I think it depends on how many times you can afford. Mine have gone multiple times as youngsters. My oldest vaguely remembers being there at almost 4, but my middle child went at 5 and doesn't remember much now that she's 8. Still, there's nothing like Disney Magic when you're a preschooler or younger. I think the experiences affect them even if they don't remember it. Our oldest went at 8 months for the first time, then we went with them at almost 4 and almost 1, then again at 6, 4, and 6 months, then again at barely 8, 5, and 3. Only my oldest really remembers much from our last trip three years ago. We had a great time every time. I will say I'd rather go when they're in diapers or completely diaper-free. It's the worst when they're potty training, and by all means if you go when they're potty training put them in a pull up all week and don't ever depend on them to make it to the toilet.

Also a good point!

 

[FamilyShortyAJP]

Age 4 to me is the best age to start. Kids are potty trained, are old enough to understand what is going on and be excited about characters and are able to ride most rides.

 

[ButterbearUK]

My husband and I were talking about taking our first trip to Walt Disney World as a family. Current our son is 8 Months Old. We were wondering what is a good age to start taking a child to Disney. I know people go at all ages but I worry taking him too Young might be just too much for him. When did you guys start taking your little ones. What age worked the best?

We took our little one at 18 months and at 2yrs 9 months.


The first time he was interested in everything and that was lovely but he was not able to tell us what he wanted to do so we had quite a few tears when we left stuff and had to go back. Also his stamina wasn’t great. By the time we had got into a park to do fun stuff he was ready for a nap back at the hotel which was deeply frustrating!

The second time he was able to stay in the parks much longer between breaks and could tell us what he wanted to do and see, so we had a much less stressful visit. We also stayed at deluxes YC and GF the second time to reduce travel times to a minimum which worked better for us

 

[Magical2017]

The best age is any age that the parents want to go. I was pregnant with my youngest the first time we took our older son. He was two. Next month will be his sixth trip.

 

[alyssa18o6]

We're taking our daughter when she's 10 months for the first time. We go yearly, and I really don't wanna skip 2019, if we don't have too. I also don't go in the summer, so taking her when shes a year old isn't happening. If it was the only time we were going i'd probably wait, but since we go often i'm fine taking her that young.

 

[pezaddict231]

My daughter was 15 months old on her first trip and she loved it. It was so fun seeing her reaction to everything. When we got home she took one look around and cried, she thought we lived at Disney lol. Then we went when she turned two and she was even more into it. Since then we go once or twice a year. The main thing is how often do you plan to go? If it's just once or twice I'd say 4/5 is probably perfect. They are old enough to do most things but young enough that they believe in the magic. If you're able to go more often, then I'd say 1.5 and older. I really treasure the photos and memories from her baby trips and it's so fun to have similar photos over the years. Also they are free under 3 so why not lol.

 

[NYCgrrl]

If you went to Disney whilst dating for instance you'll have a new perspective of the parks with a small child. You won't spend much of your time (if any) bar crawling, you'll probably be able to only do rope drop or midnight whoop de doing not both with a child. Of course there is the advantage of lower costs for a younger child but just be sure to change your expectations as well.