Magic Kingdom for 3.75 year old

We went when my daughter was that age, and her favorites were seven dwarfs mine train, splash mountain, and the tomorrowland speedway, but she also loved several rides I never really think about (astro orbiter, carousel, tea cups).

Thanks this is helpful, and we are on the same page about the fireworks :) I forgot about the parade - this will likely be a big hit for my son as well.
 
Your first problem is you are trying to plan.
Stop planning.
You have a toddler, there are no plans with a toddler.
We took our DD when she was 19 months old. LOVED the fireworks. Loved the rides, didn't care about waiting in the lines, kids that age are excited about EVERYTHING and will just be looking around and generally "buzzed" to be there.
We are coming back in a few months and she will be 3.5, we will do all the same things we did with her when she was little. You need to let the child lead, if they need a break - have one. If they need to eat - eat. ETC. You can't plan a day with toddlers. Just go with the flow, you'll enjoy your trip much more without the planning.
 
We began taking DD when she was under a year old and almost always stayed close to a full day without a hotel break. It was great that she could nap in the stroller and we would sit in a quiet place when that happened. This saved us a lot of back and forth time not having to return to the hotel and it gave us a much needed break too. Sometimes she would sleep during a show like Carousel of Progress, Country Bear, Tiki Birds or Hall of Presidents. Each child is different and I wouldn't plan too much and let your child's reaction determine things. At his age, you might consider taking him over to Tom Sawyer Island as a break from the lines. Schedule your FP+ selections when your window opens along with any ADRs. We always schedule ADRs close to our FP+ location so we don't waste much effort crisscrossing the park. Make sure to stay hydrated, take frequent bathroom breaks and eat before you become ravenous.
 
It's your first visit with a young kid, so you need to be flexible because you're going to learn as you go. There are, of course, safe bets like "It's a Small World", but other things will be a crapshoot. I've got triplets - 2 girls and a boy. Our son was terrified to go on Pirates when he was around 5-6 years old (ultimately I picked him up and put him in the boat, and he wound up loving it), but the girls weren't bothered at all. It's impossible to know how things are going to go until you're there.

Semi rant: Maybe it's just me, but I dislike when questions are phrased "what do most X year old boys/girls like?" It doesn't matter what most other X year old boys/girls like. What matters is what your X year old boy/girl likes, and none of us know that. I don't know why people crowdsource plans based on what are ultimately individual preferences - it happens a lot on these boards.
 
Heading to WDW in Sept. with my spouse and our 3 (will be almost 4) year anniversary old.

I’m trying to get a sense of what I should plan to do. Realistically I think he will be too young for fireworks. Tentatively planning one day in Adventureland and Frontierland and one day in fantasy land. Any itinerary suggestions? We will be more concerned with avoiding melt downs, than with doing all the rides.

I totally hear you on the early days! When my DS was five, he was very much an "early to bed, early to rise" guy, and trying to stay late for fireworks would have done him in.* We rope-dropped every day (that we actually went to parks) and were back at the resort at least in time for dinner. There are many ways to "do Disney" - and you should trust your gut. :)

I do like the idea of doing the Adventureland/Frontierland side one day and the Fantasyland/Tomorrowland side another. It will save a lot of walking if you don't criss-cross the parks between attractions.

Check the height requirements online first, so you know what he can & can't do, and then watch a planning video with him to see what he's interested in. I would also recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Birnbaums-2018-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1484773799

We had a previous edition when DS was little, and it was great to be able to read "by kids" reviews of the individual rides!


* Just a funny note - the same kid is 18 now, and completely the opposite! We were just there last month, and one night we watched the nighttime shows at DHS and just got to MK at 10:30pm.
 
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When my DS was five, he was very much an "early to bed, early to rise" guy, and trying to stay late for fireworks would have done him in.* .

Yep. My son does not do well with late nights (7 pm bedtime right now) and that’s fine, we can see the fireworks in a few years when he is older.

I will look for that book.
 
I took my twins 2 weeks before their 4th birthday (they are b/g). They never saw any fireworks. The one night we tried they both passed out in the stroller.
My son’s favorite rides were buzz light year spin, barnstormer, Tomorrowland’s speedway, Peter Pan, and the people mover. My daughters favorite was small world(we road it at least 4 times) and her goal was to find as many princesses as possible.
The haunted mansion made them nervous and the stitch ride made them cry(like sob in fear).
Other rides they both likes were the carousel, Pooh, dumbo, flying carpets.
We went in March 2014 so it’s been awhile.

Returning in late May/early June my youngest will be 3yrs8mo. Twins will be 9!
 
Your first problem is you are trying to plan.
Stop planning.
You have a toddler, there are no plans with a toddler.
We took our DD when she was 19 months old. LOVED the fireworks. Loved the rides, didn't care about waiting in the lines, kids that age are excited about EVERYTHING and will just be looking around and generally "buzzed" to be there.
We are coming back in a few months and she will be 3.5, we will do all the same things we did with her when she was little. You need to let the child lead, if they need a break - have one. If they need to eat - eat. ETC. You can't plan a day with toddlers. Just go with the flow, you'll enjoy your trip much more without the planning.
We started traveling to WDW over twenty years ago. Traveling in early December used to be slow and planning was not necessary. FP's did not exist and you could see MK in a day. Today is so different. It's almost impossible to get a dining reservation without planning. Our toddlers taught us years ago to slow down and appreciate the little things. (we haven't hurried from ride to ride in years) I do think however some planning is needed, regardless of the age. Having an idea of ride restrictions, viewing spots, and quiet areas to escape the crowds is very helpful. I'm not talking binder with a minute to minute schedule but having a tentative plan never hurt. Happy travels.
 
I really do think you’re missing out if you don’t do fireworks. Disney just does fireworks so well and it is part of the experience. Even if they don’t remember it..you will.
 
We started traveling to WDW over twenty years ago. Traveling in early December used to be slow and planning was not necessary. FP's did not exist and you could see MK in a day. Today is so different. It's almost impossible to get a dining reservation without planning. Our toddlers taught us years ago to slow down and appreciate the little things. (we haven't hurried from ride to ride in years) I do think however some planning is needed, regardless of the age. Having an idea of ride restrictions, viewing spots, and quiet areas to escape the crowds is very helpful. I'm not talking binder with a minute to minute schedule but having a tentative plan never hurt. Happy travels.
I agree. And also planning is part of the fun for me :)
 
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I really do think you’re missing out if you don’t do fireworks. Disney just does fireworks so well and it is part of the experience. Even if they don’t remember it..you will.

We will play it by ear, but I suspect fireworks will not happen. My child does not stay up late. On the few occasions he has, he is a disaster the next day. My husband and I saw the fireworks in December, and for me they are not worth the high odds of our pre-schooler being miserable both getting to/during the fireworks and the next day. He will be staying up past his bedtime on the trip, but staying up late is probably going to mean 8 pm Orlando time, as that is 9:30 pm in our town. :)
 
My youngest was this age on our trip last summer (we went in May and he turned 4 in October...so actually a tiny bit younger than this.) Here's everything he did in Magic Kingdom...
Fantasyland: He loved the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Dumbo, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Barnstormer, meeting as many characters as possible, the Splash and Soak play area by Dumbo and the character meeting tent, It's a Small World, Mad Tea Party, the Carrousel, Peter Pan's Flight, and Under the Sea/Little Mermaid. So basically everything. He wanted to like Philharmagic but found it too loud/overwhelming - next time we're going to bring ear protectors to take care of that.

Advantureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square: Loved Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Haunted Mansion (once we assured him it was all make believe) and the play area by Splash Mountain. Was iffy on Pirates of the Caribbean - mostly due to the flume portion, but did go on it and enjoyed parts.

Tomorrowland: Loved Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Liked Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Would have liked Astro Orbiter, but we were never over there when the weather was good enough for it. I see your plans don't mention Tomorrowland - I think that's a mistake! Buzz Lightyear was my son's absolute favorite ride in all of Disney World!


I also think not staying for fireworks is probably a mistake. Of course, you know your child, but as long as we went back to the room for a midday break to rest, he was perfectly happy to stay up a bit later than usual to see the fireworks. They're a must, in my opinion! Again though, I would consider bringing the ear protectors in case the loud noises bother him. That way he can still enjoy the show without it being as intense.
 
For what it's worth we did not stay for any night time entertainment, at home my kid is usually asleep by 630 and while we were able to stay in the parks until about 7 most nights, pushing it any later would have been a disaster for us...so don't feel like you did Disney wrong if you don't go.
 
When we went with a 2.75 yr old and a 5.5 yr old we didn't plan our days past 2 pm. We started making our FPs around 10 and then would shift the other ones up if it worked out. Sometimes we stayed at the parks longer, sometimes we came back after resting/swimming and sometimes we were just done for the day.

Big hits with my boys were Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Speedway (if it's open during your trip), Dumbo and the Parade. One of my sons doesn't like dark rides but loves fast/outdoor ones. The other one is the opposite. We watched some ride videos ahead of time so none of this came as a surprise.
 
Took my son at just under 4 a few months ago. He loved everything at MK with few exceptions:
Too short for Space Mountain
Jungle Cruise and Carousel of Progress are too boring
Doesn't like 3D (so no Philharmagic)

Otherwise, everything was good. Especially character meets, roller coasters, and Buzz Lightyear. We do open to lunch, return to room for a nap, and return to the park around 5pm until fireworks.
 
We have been with both kids (now 4 & 2) multiple times. We were just there a couple weeks ago (when my oldest was a day away from turning 4.)

We completely play the days by ear. This works the best every time for us. We book our 3 FP for early in the day (if we can) when everyone is energized. They are early risers so we are always there at rope drop. We rarely do a dinner ADR - mostly breakfast or lunch if we do one so we can play dinner by ear. Midday breaks don’t really work for us because my kids don’t nap at the hotel and are too tired to go back, so we just go go go in the parks until they’re done, knowing we won’t return that day. That’s usually sometime between 4:00pm (we always try to make to to the Festival of Fantasy parade at 3:00) and 7:00 at the very latest.

We stayed in the park late for HEA in 2017 and both my kids fell asleep in the stroller before it started. We stayed at Poly on the next trip and the kids watched the fireworks from there in their pajamas, which worked out great, but our in-park late night experiences will be more reliable when they’re a bit older.

Here are some things my kids love:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (my daughter has gone on when she was 3 & again at a day short of 4 - if your child is tall enough, try to get FP)
-Festival of Fantasy parade
-Peter Pan’s Flight
-It’s a Small World
-Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
-Mickey’s Philharmagic
-Mad Tea Party
-Barnstormer
-Dumbo
-Under the Sea w/the Little Mermaid
-Country Bear Jamboree
-Haunted Mansion
-Pirates of the Carribean
-Jungle Cruise
-Enchanted Tiki Room
-Magic Carpets
-Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
-Tomorrowland Transit Authority
-Castle stage shows
-my daughter LOVES interacting with the characters so we always do a good number of meet and greets with her. My son prefers rides so we sometimes split up for a bit. It’s hard to know how they feel about characters until you’re there.

Have fun!
 
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When my kids were younger, they were fine going all day.....but, after 4 days of that, they started to get grumpy. I don't know how long you are going to stay, but we always build in a 'rest' day. It isn't really resting by normal standards, because it is a packed day, but it is a bit slower. We eat a late breakfast, go for a swim, stroll through DS, etc.
We also found that having a sit down dinner allowed us to take a nice hour break before getting a second wind.
As to attractions, my kids loved everything they were tall enough to ride.
 
Heading to WDW in Sept. with my spouse and our 3 (will be almost 4) year anniversary old.

I’m trying to get a sense of what I should plan to do. Realistically I think he will be too young for fireworks. Tentatively planning one day in Adventureland and Frontierland and one day in fantasy land. Any itinerary suggestions? We will be more concerned with avoiding melt downs, than with doing all the rides.

I've rope dropped with my 4 yo and 2 yo. The key is planning your day around breaks, meals and times to sit down. We did MK twice in a week last time, and we did rope drop to fireworks without meltdowns or any other issues.

Each day we had a meal planned that took us out of the heat. For example, the second day we did Be Our Guest for lunch and Crystal Palace for dinner. The first day we did Chef Mickeys for lunch and Be Our Guest for Dinner (before it changed to the current menu). All of this was on the Dining Plan btw.

This did two things, it gave us an hour or two for each meal, in a great place the kids were entertained, that got us off our feet and the kids calm and fed.

Also, you'll want to find places to sit and relax before fireworks and parades. On our last day, we found a nice spot in front of the castle (click the link in my signature and go read the article about places to watch fireworks) and got there an hour before the show. This gave us time to relax, and have the kids play in a small spot in front of us.

These are just examples, but the biggest piece of advice is DO NOT run around the park going full speed on rides all day, grab a quick bite to eat, and keep going. Take your time and relax and move at a slower pace. Do Hall of Presidents, People Mover and Carousal of Progress. My kids have napped in many of them. Take them to see shows at the other parks. Plan these things and everyone will be happy.

You also want to not wait in lines as much. How do you do this? Manipulate the fast pass system. Book all of your fastpasses for the morning time or as early as possible. Once you get on line for the third fast pass, immediately get on your phone and book your fourth. Then use it, then book your fifth. Just travel the park on fast passes. You'll never wait long and you'll keep the kiddo engaged and entertained.

I personally don't think planning a day in each land or combination of lands is going to work well. You're either going to be waiting in lines all day or feel like your limited to a plan. I would definitely plan out meals, fastpasses and shows/parades that are on a schedule. Outside that, I would go with the flow of what you can book with fast passes. It'll be ALOT less stressful for you. At least in my opinion.
 

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