DH doesn't think DD is ready for Disney :(

[branv]

Cutting the trip shorter is the opposite of what I'd suggest if he's worried. The longer you are there, the slower pace you can have... along with less pressure to not cut a day short if needed.

Ditto. You see it over and over again in the parks -- the parents who are trying to make the most of the short time they have and push their kids until they breakdown. Heck, even adults breakdown at that point. Even when it was just me and DH, we built in time for breaks and off nights. And besides, for little ones the pool back at the hotel is just as much a thrill as the park. The less time your DH makes for you guys, the less relaxed everything will be.

But I also agree with a PP, this sounds way more like it's about him than your daughter. I don't mean to say he's being a bad person, just that this experience made him dread doing it again and he's convinced himself that's exactly what will happen. In other words, he said your daughter had a meltdown, when really...he's the one who did. And apparently continues to do so given the way he called you an irresponsible parent. Ouch!

 

[RachaelA]

You are irresponsible for wanting to go to Disney, but he'll drag her to a convention she has NO interest in with 70,000 people crammed into a much smaller area than Disney? Yeah sounds like someone just doesn't want to go to Disney.

 

[knads2012]

For what it is worth - our DS will be about the same age as your DD when we go next year and I am not concerned at all. We will rent a stroller (he also has not used a pushchair for at least a year) and we will be spending the midday heat in the resort probably. Our DS's energy always outlasts ours and so I wouldn't have any concerns in that area.

If you can - give him time to forget about the trip a bit and then at an opportune moment (like when you have spent the afternoon watching your DD run round at a birthday party) ask him again what he thinks. If he is anything like my DH he just won't like feeling like he is under pressure to make a decision....

Good luck - I know I wouldn't want to be in your shoes and have my dream holiday hanging in the balance! I am crossing fingers and toes that he comes round and sees sense!!!!

 

[dlhvac]

Our friends took their grandsons to disney this july they were 19mos and three years 2 minor meltdowns that were cured by returning to hotel and going in pool and a nap

 

[tcufrog]

I'm saying this as person who has been a big Sci Fi fan since she was a kid and loves Cons. It's irresponsible to take a small child to Dragon Con which is very crowded, has adults in sexy and violent costumes that are inappropriate for kids, has a lot of adults who don't like kids (not all but enough to be noticeable) and has nothing for them to do. I've never been to WDW and my dh had to talk me into going this December since I'm not a big Disney fan. After all of the research I've done he's convinced me that WDW is the prefect place to take our 5 yr old and toddler.

It sounds like two things are happening:

1. He doesn't want to go to Disney which I understand if he's a big SF fan since so much of Disney media is the opposite of SF. The thing is when you're a parent trips are not about you; they're about the kids when they are young. If you want to do what you want to do then you leave your kids with a sitter or family and take a trip where you want to go. Is Disney my first vacation choice? Definitely not but it's not about me. I've had my turn to go on the trips I want to go on and I'll have a chance again when the kids get older. When I'm able to find childcare for the boys I'll be able to go even sooner.

2. He's gun shy after Dragon Con. Y'all need to go on day excursions to places like the zoo that are child friendly for trial runs before Disney so that he can realize that going places as a family can be fun.

 

[saffsmom]

if we stayed home simply because one of (or both of) the girls MIGHT have a meltdown we would never leave the house. ever.

 

[Eoywin]

In my husband's defense, it was my idea to bring her down to the con. She asked to be in the parade after seeing my pictures of marching last year. We had only planned on taking her down to the con for a limited time - the parade and a quick trip into the dealer's room.

I think the con wouldn't have been so bad but it was so much more humid this year than it has been in years past. She actually did pretty good.

I'm going to talk to him again - I'm hoping to talk him back into the original 6 days. We can't do much more than that because of vacation time.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Crystal824]

Then he would think I'm a really irresponsible parent as I have taken my DD to WDW twice already. Once at 9 months and once at 21 months. Seriously, WDW has something for everyone at every age. 5 is actually a pretty perfect time to go especially if you are only going to go once or twice with your kid. They still believe in the magic but are old enough to remember the trip at least somewhat. My DH remembers his first trip to WDW at 5.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We are planning on renting a stroller since we don't have one anymore - she hated the stroller pretty much since she could walk. But I know she's going to get tired. And I was planning on going back to the room for a nap / rest in the middle of the day.

That was my DD too *we visited Chicago shortly before her 2nd birthday, she hated the stroller * She strolled at Disney happily for several years *last stroller trip was Disneyland 11/10 - so she was almost 7 and a 1/2* at WDW 10/09 she was 6 and strolled a lot - her Disney stroller was a Mac Volo - renting might cost you more than buying a stroller, you may find one used.

 

[UO Duck 91]

We started taking our girls to Disney when each was 6 months old. Sure they don't remember it, but they still enjoyed it very much and still love looking at those pictures and hearing the stories. So the point is, a 4 year old will love WDW! It's magical! I can't think of a better place to take a child.

 

[danceintherain]

if we stayed home simply because one of (or both of) the girls MIGHT have a meltdown we would never leave the house. ever.

Exactly. My child threw a tantrum just yesterday, because we left the park to go get some dinner. Oh the joys of having a two year old.

In my husband's defense, it was my idea to bring her down to the con. She asked to be in the parade after seeing my pictures of marching last year. We had only planned on taking her down to the con for a limited time - the parade and a quick trip into the dealer's room.

I think the con wouldn't have been so bad but it was so much more humid this year than it has been in years past. She actually did pretty good.

I'm going to talk to him again - I'm hoping to talk him back into the original 6 days. We can't do much more than that because of vacation time.

Thanks everyone!

Don't worry. I don't think anything is wrong with you or your husband. I think it's perfectly acceptable to want to share things you love with your children. The issue I see is trying to compare the two experiences apples to apples. Disney World was created specifically for families to spend time together. How you manage that time is entirely up to you. There's nothing written that says you have to spend all day in the parks. I have a friend who took her 7 & 8 year old for the first time in June, and says they had an amazing time, and they only spent 2 days in the parks (much to my dismay as a Disney fanatic). Apparently, some relatives who "go every year" said that two days was plenty, so they spent the rest of the time in their hotel and on the beach. To each their own.

 

[ilovebassets]

The two aren't comparable at all. We tried bringing our son to DragonCon when he was 12 months old and it wasn't a great experience so this year, at 2 yrs, he stayed with his grandparents for a couple of nights (we actually live in Atlanta so no big deal for us).

Disneyworld on the other hand...we went with our son at 5 months and at 21 months and had a great time both times (though the 5 month trip was easier!)

Incidentally, I agree with some of the other posters that I don't think DragonCon is appropriate for a 4 or 5 year old. Many of the costumes and art are completely inappropriate for a kid that age. I think the 3 and under crowd are largely oblivious, but by 4 or 5, I would not bring my kids. Plus there's the other issue of there just being nothing for them to do or of interest to them. It really isn't kid or family friendly at all.

 

[Lemurone]

Hey those ponies were totally awesome I can't blame her! What were you guys dressed as?
I just had to respond because even tho you didn't ask if dragon con was ok for your daughter you still got opinions on it. I took my 6 and almost 4 yr old and they loved it. We saw nothing inappropriate.they had zombies all up in their face and people pretending to fight them with swords. That plus a million dr whos-pretty much their dream day. I actually thought wow this is cheaper than Disney and much more their speed since they are into all that stuff! I saw no kid hating sex crazed weirdos and went with a family where both parents are pastors. Family friendly means different things to different people so don't let the judgmental ones get to you!

 

[Eoywin]

Both of us dressed up as Snow White!

The weather was a lot hotter and more humid at D*C this year and I think that lead to the melt-down that wasn't really a melt-down. She actually told me today she wanted to go back to Dragon*Con today.

I don't think that Dragon*Con is inappropriate during the day - I've seen lots of small kids around my DD's age at the con.

I'm hoping to have a Disney discussion with DH this weekend. We'll see how that goes.

 

[Lemurone]

Ha, I see your pic now. I totally remember seeing you on our side of the street!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We are getting ready for our girls' third trip. The girls were 2 (just turned) and 4 on their first trip, 2 and 5 (just turned) on their second trip, and will be 4 (just turned) and 6 when we go in November.

My kids are not mega stroller kids, but they are also tiny and could never handle a full day of walking in any of the parks. We took our old sit n stand stroller on our first trip, and while neither girl loved it, they rode in it b/c they knew it would make it possible for them to get to the next attraction after their little legs were worn out. Last trip we rented a City Mini Double and they loved it so much that I had to talk myself out of buying one (I mean, WDW is the only place where I'd need it). In fact, they both napped in it and they NEVER nap in strollers.

We also take mid day breaks. Not only does it make a big difference in their behavior, it allows us to take them to the various night time activities and pretty much be meltdown free...and by meltdown- I mean the kicking and screaming variety. In fact, a good break on an MK day will get us through Wishes and an hour or two into evening EMH...and still have them rested enough to not fight wake up time if we have an early morning character breakfast the next day.

So, I say go for it.

 

[Eoywin]

Victory!

We are back to our original 6 days. We are going to skip MNSSHP and get a stroller. Otherwise, we are back to our original plan!

 

[Piglet99645]

Victory!

We are back to our original 6 days. We are going to skip MNSSHP and get a stroller. Otherwise, we are back to our original plan!

Good for you!

If my husband called me an irresponsible parent for going to Disney I'd be going without him!

 

[Kelchip10]

We are taking our daughter- who will be turning two on our trip- for her first time in 2 weeks. I'm nervous about the 6 days being too much for her but we are making sure we keep to our mid-day break plan so she can nap and we can relax for a bit. Guess we will have to just roll with it if she does gets wiped out.

 

[kohlby]

Sounds good! I totally agree with a stroller for a 4 year old in Oct. Oct can still be hot, but it's not nearly as bad as August nor Sept. Just pace yourself if there's a hot day. We have yet to do the halloween or the christmas party because I don't think my kids can make it that long. We're in the process of planning our 5th with-kids Disney trip - which will be our 4th with a 3 year old in the mix. (The other trip had a 2.5 year old in mix). Our kids don't nap at at those ages so we focused on optimal sleep at night and it went quite well! We normally have 7 park days and 1 off day.

*Atlanta's heat/humidity isn't the same as Orlando's. It gets hotter and more humid here in SC/GA than in Orlando in the summer! In Orlando, it seems to rain to cool things down once it gets up to a certain temp. My parents live down in FL and temps with heat indexes over 100 really aren't an issue there. However, in GA, those days happen very, very, very often in the summer.