Our oldest daughter visited Disney for the first time when she was 9 months old. Our son made his first trip when he was 6 weeks old! The other kids have visited Disney for the first time at varying ages. This past year our youngest was almost 3 years old when we visited the Mouse.
Personally I don’t think there is any age that is too young for Disney, it was easy to take our 6 week old around the park, he just hung out in the stroller! He could not however go on many of the rides in the park. This wasn’t too important to us because we had 2 kids and 2 adults so we took turns sitting with him and taking our two year old on rides.
The benefit of taking anyone under 3 to Disney World is that admission is free. Will a 2 year old enjoy Disney, absolutely. Will they be able to ride many of the rides, yes. Will they remember it when they get older, probably not!
We had annual passes when our oldest daughter was ages 2 through 4. We went to Disney or Epcot almost once a week for those three years. I took hundreds of pictures, some of which still hang on our walls today. She has some memories of these trips, although she does not remember most of what we experienced during those years. Many of her memories are from the visits when she was three to four years old.
If you are taking children five and under I highly recommend bringing a stroller. You will walk a lot during your visit and little legs tire quickly. A stroller also provides a place for tired children to take a nap as you stroll around the park.
Disney parks also have a ride swap option for parents of young children. This program allows both parents to wait in line (with the kids) and then one parent rides while the other one waits, then when the first parent is finished they take the kids and the second parent rides. This is a great option for those wanting to ride the “bigger kid” rides that cannot accommodate small children.
If you are traveling with a little one I suggest visiting Disney’s official planning page for tips. You will find kid friendly attractions, height requirements, baby care locations, kid programs, and resort amenities for young ones. There is even a special park map with details on kid friendly attractions.
The only time I thought it was difficult to take a child to Disney was when they were potty training. There is nothing worse than standing in line for 45 minutes, being able to see the finish line and then having your young one tell you they have to go to the bathroom! (Well, there are many things worse than that, but you know what I mean, right?)
Big or small Disney is magical for kids of any age. Even my 12 year old son enjoyed the trip this year, he just made me promise not to put any pictures of him on the blog!
Our almost three year old enjoyed meeting all the characters this year and talks often about returning to Disney.
Stephanie says
We took our daughter to Disneyland when she was 22 months old and it was fantastic.
I really do think Disneyland is the “happiest place on earth…for babies and toddlers too!” You can read my post about it here: http://metropolitanmama.net/2008/07/disneyland-the-happiest-place-on-earthfor-infants-and-toddlers-too/. 🙂
Tiffany says
I always say my kids might not remember it, but I’ll remember sharing that time with them. I agree, nobody is ever too young to go to WDW!
Monique says
What great tips!! I hope to take our boys next year.
Julie says
Great post, and I totally agree, it’s fun to take even the littlest ones to Disney. Each park also has a “baby center” where you can go and relax in an air conditioned little quiet piece of heaven! Complete with rocking chairs, changing tables and even high chairs for feeding. I went to these often while nursing our two youngest. A great place for me and the baby to hang while dh took the older boys on rides.
Kirsten Patterson says
We just got back from Disney World with our 3 children and 2 grandparents. It is always such fun to us. I laughed at your post because our youngest is potty training. It just clicked in his mind about a month before our trip. I almost put him off because of the trip. He did great and the cast members were very understanding about me needing to exit the line quickly or join back up. Our son did great and we were totally shocked that there were more accident free days then not! It was our 7 year old that ended up visiting nearly EVERY bathroom at WDW! You are never too old nor too young for Disney.
Melissa says
When my son was 2yo everyone told us that we were crazy–or, at least, wasting money–taking him to Disney World. It turned out to be magical. The first time he saw Tigger, he looked up in wonder, then rushed over to bounce with Tigger. He doesn’t remember it, but he had a great time!
Courtney says
How fun!!! We are planning our trip for right after our girls turn 5. They remind us of it at least once a day! 🙂
Nancy M. says
I totally agree! Both my son’s first visits were around age 1 1/2. They could ride many of the rides and had a wonderful time, even if they won’t remember it. The last time we went we rented a stroller from Orlando Strollers because we had 2 children and no double stroller. It makes it a lot easier! I do imagine potty training at Disney would be difficult, heck, I have a hard time doing that at home, lol!
Jenn says
My very favorite thing about taking a baby to Disney is the Baby Care Centers. I am a nursing Mom and it was so nice to have a quiet spot with some privacy instead of having to fight to keep my son from ripping off the Hooter Hider while nursing on a park bench! (Not to mention it’s air conditioned in those Baby Care Centers!!!)
Rebecca says
We frequent Disneyland, and I was dreading the first trip during potty training, but it turned out so much better than I expected! I stop frequently so he would come with me and “try” everytime I went, but more importantly, a huge number of the other guests are also parents! Everytime one of us had to run to the bathroom with him while the other stayed in line we got nothing but understanding comments and smiles. They’ve all been there!