Rescheduling trip due to toddler tantrums??

We will be heading to a more local amusement park soon so I will get a good feel but I can't imagine a miracle occurring at this point in time.

A local amusement park may not give you a good gauge of how a child will act at Disney. As a pre-schooler, my DD could care less about most plain rides or kiddie rides. She was all about the Disney dark rides like Small World; Pooh; Peter Pan; Toy Story Mania; Grand Fiesta Tour; Figment; Living with the Land etc. and all the characters. She also was really big on the parades at that age. That was what excited her and what affected her behavior in a good way at Disneyworld. We have a local amusement park and zoo, but Disney was completely different.

I saw some posts about length of trip--- just FYI- our trips were always 8 nights. That was fine for us. We did parks every day too because once DD woke up (and she was not a morning person and was slow to wake up), she would be standing at the door with the stroller telling DH and I to hurry up so she could get to the park.
 
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OP--You do you. You know what you're dealing with, and what you might have to deal with on a vacation. There's no shame in saying, "I don't want to deal with this, I'm going to wait." Disney will still be there.

As far as disciplining kids/tantrums--my older son has always been over-the-top stubborn. He doesn't learn a lesson unless it's painful (not necessarily physically painful, but he had to really "feel" the punishment). More than once, we had to take him out to sit in the car, while his sister had fun (and I watched him, reading a book). Some kids are much easier to get a message across to.

A little OT, but when my youngest was little, his idea of a tantrum was to just throw himself to the floor in abject despair, and lie there. He was #4--I would be like, "Really, kid? That's all you've got?"
 
Yes, a child will act out numerous times, that is normal. But giving into that behavior is how a parent loses authority. Parenting is very hard, my kids were not perfect either. I am lucky that my husband and I work as a team and never undermine each other. The kids know that they can not get away with anything from either of us. It's not really an issue for us anymore since our kids are older now. But just to put it out there for those who are just starting out, I would tell them to not give into a child's tantrum by letting them have what they want. It will not help.
I never said anything about actually giving into the behavior..
 
I ultimately canceled it. I just felt it might be better all around if my toddler was a little older, to hopefully be able to be reasoned with more. It's just been pretty unbearable here with the level of fits and tantrums, I don't think it will be enjoyable enough for me right now. Thanks everyone! Trip postponed until the spring. I can't fly all the way there to have a possibly miserable time.😞
How old was your toddler going to be on this trip?
 
3+ but being more verbal is what I hope will help lessen the screaming and tantrums. One can hope anyway!
Lol, thats what I had hoped when my oldest was a toddler. It just meant his tantrums used more words, and he was more stubborn. We called it the terrorist 3s, and the F u 4's. Because 3 yr olds throw fits like it's their mission in life to make mom drink lol. And 4... oh my. By 4 he knew exactly what he wanted and did not care that I said no, he was gonna get what he wanted. The stubborn is strong with that one. lol. One day it will serve him well. today is not that day. Every year I'd think, oh 4 will be better, 5 will be better. Lets all take a second to laugh... I'll say the last year (just turned 8) has been better. But there's been a lot of changes in the way we deal with the tantrums and learning what is a trigger and trying to help him learn to deal with those vs punishing the resulting behavior.
 


Lol, thats what I had hoped when my oldest was a toddler. It just meant his tantrums used more words, and he was more stubborn. We called it the terrorist 3s, and the F u 4's. Because 3 yr olds throw fits like it's their mission in life to make mom drink lol. And 4... oh my. By 4 he knew exactly what he wanted and did not care that I said no, he was gonna get what he wanted. The stubborn is strong with that one. lol. One day it will serve him well. today is not that day. Every year I'd think, oh 4 will be better, 5 will be better. Lets all take a second to laugh... I'll say the last year (just turned 8) has been better. But there's been a lot of changes in the way we deal with the tantrums and learning what is a trigger and trying to help him learn to deal with those vs punishing the resulting behavior.

Oh boy, this isn’t giving me hope. My son is almost 4 and he has so. Many. Opinions!! Life was way easier before he knew that opinions existed. His 18 month old trip was easy and his almost-3 trip wasn’t too bad. We’ll see what his 4.5 year trip brings!!
 
Oh boy, this isn’t giving me hope. My son is almost 4 and he has so. Many. Opinions!! Life was way easier before he knew that opinions existed. His 18 month old trip was easy and his almost-3 trip wasn’t too bad. We’ll see what his 4.5 year trip brings!!
Lol exactly. 3-4 they learn they have choices, and that they can argue for those things. Yes they are more verbal, but that just means they have more words to scream at you😂😂
 
Lol, thats what I had hoped when my oldest was a toddler. It just meant his tantrums used more words, and he was more stubborn. We called it the terrorist 3s, and the F u 4's. Because 3 yr olds throw fits like it's their mission in life to make mom drink lol. And 4... oh my. By 4 he knew exactly what he wanted and did not care that I said no, he was gonna get what he wanted. The stubborn is strong with that one. lol. One day it will serve him well. today is not that day. Every year I'd think, oh 4 will be better, 5 will be better. Lets all take a second to laugh... I'll say the last year (just turned 8) has been better. But there's been a lot of changes in the way we deal with the tantrums and learning what is a trigger and trying to help him learn to deal with those vs punishing the resulting behavior.

I constantly say I am being terrorized lol, so I get it. You may be right in my case, but I will pray in the meantime!
 
To the OP - hang in there. One of my worst/best parenting memories is me practically dragging my then four year old son down the sidewalk after carrying through on a threat to leave a restaurant due to poor behaviour. As we walked (translation, I tried to walk while he alternated between alligator rolls and sprinting back towards the restaurant) he was screaming “you are not the boss! I want pizza!”

As we passed a woman on the sidewalk she leaned in and whispered to me “You ARE the boss.”

So, OP this is me leaning in and whispering “You ARE the boss”. Don’t let the Karens get you down with their perfect parenting advice. This ***t is hard and every kid is different. You got this.
 
OP don't feel bad for your decision. You did the right thing for your family.

My son wasn't a tantrum thrower but he was VERY hyper. The most hyper kid I've ever encountered and most people still tell me to this day they've never seen a kid like him. lol. I had to be on my toes at all times. There was no time to relax because he could make a mad dash in an instant. (He was diagnosed with ADHD once he reached school but we didn't medicate so it was a challenge).

We took him when he was 3 and I had to have him confined to his stroller because I was so afraid of losing him. Or him getting hurt or hurting someone else. I felt bad about it but it was for his own safety. Most of the time he was ok with it. We had to do lots of breaks so he could run around and get his energy out but those places had to be select areas where I knew he wouldn't run off (I remember the little area next to Splash was a good spot he could play in). I couldn't just let him wonder around while he walked to the next attraction. If we did I would hold his hand and he would try so hard to run so then it was a battle of the hand holding. We did one day at MK and one day at TL. We didn't go back until he was 8.

DS is now 19 and very calm and quiet. He still has ADHD but the hyperactivity part is gone but he still has attention issues but he's good with working with it. I waited 6 years to have kid #2 (mostly because of how active my son was) and she ended up being very calm. Like night and day! This too shall pass. Hang in there. You've got this!
 
OP don't feel bad for your decision. You did the right thing for your family.

My son wasn't a tantrum thrower but he was VERY hyper. The most hyper kid I've ever encountered and most people still tell me to this day they've never seen a kid like him. lol. I had to be on my toes at all times. There was no time to relax because he could make a mad dash in an instant. (He was diagnosed with ADHD once he reached school but we didn't medicate so it was a challenge).

We took him when he was 3 and I had to have him confined to his stroller because I was so afraid of losing him. Or him getting hurt or hurting someone else. I felt bad about it but it was for his own safety. Most of the time he was ok with it. We had to do lots of breaks so he could run around and get his energy out but those places had to be select areas where I knew he wouldn't run off (I remember the little area next to Splash was a good spot he could play in). I couldn't just let him wonder around while he walked to the next attraction. If we did I would hold his hand and he would try so hard to run so then it was a battle of the hand holding. We did one day at MK and one day at TL. We didn't go back until he was 8.

DS is now 19 and very calm and quiet. He still has ADHD but the hyperactivity part is gone but he still has attention issues but he's good with working with it. I waited 6 years to have kid #2 (mostly because of how active my son was) and she ended up being very calm. Like night and day! This too shall pass. Hang in there. You've got this!

OMG, this sounds like me with kid #2! He wasn't hyperactive, he just was...unpredictable, you never knew what to expect. I had to watch him like a hawk! Plus, he had the charming habit of passing out and seizing, sometimes for no apparent reason. All my grey hairs are named for him! We were trying, but it took us 6 years to get kid #3--I think it was God's way of telling us that we had our hands full. I say that #3 was my reward for not killing #2--she was a sweet, easy baby, and is now a sweet, easy teenager. And #2 STILL takes up more than his share of my time, but that's how it goes sometimes. Love him to death!

My BFF and I joke--we have 9 kids between us, and each kid has their own quirks. We say that we could have 20 kids between us, and #21 would STILL come up with a way to keep us on our toes!
 
I don't blame you for cancelling the trip. You know your child best. But I will say no matter when you plan to visit Disney, I find my kids to be fairly well behaved when we are there. Their typical behavior patterns sort of go out the window as their schedules and surroundings are all new. It is such a huge place with so much to do and see. They get very stimulated and as a result, are fairly occupied and easy to distract with something new if one thing isn't working plus, they sleep like rocks! My 3 have slept well in the stroller at Disney even if they weren't normally stroller sleepers at home. There may be a frustrating moment here and there and even a tantrum or two but there will be lots of magic in between. But, that's parenthood for you! Have fun whenever you decide to go!
 

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