A lot of parents ask me the same thing - what is the best age to take my kids to Disney for the first time? I can tell you that we waited until my oldest son was 4 to take him to visit Mickey for the first time. We also waited until my middle son was 4. My daughter...she was 9 months. Of those 3 trips, my daughter was the easiest. Now, will she remember the trip? No. But the look on her face as she saw the castle, the parade, and even the characters was priceless and something that I will remember forever.
I guess you need to decide what you really want out of your child's first Disney vacation. Is it something that you want them to remember forever and be able to tell their children about? Is it something that you want them to enjoy and still see the magic in, but maybe not remember it 10 or 15 minutes later?
When we took my oldest, he had just turned 4. We thought it would be perfect because he was old enough to do a lot of walking on his own, he wouldn't be scared of the characters, and he could ride just about everything. Let me say that it was not as perfect as we had hoped. First, we went at the end of August and it was extremely hot and humid. This made for grouchy parents and an even grouchier 4 year old. And for the idea of him walking most of the time - that ended halfway through the first day. He was in a stroller for the remainder of the trip. So, what we had was a grouchy 4 year old sitting in a stroller complaining as loud as he possible could, and 2 parents that were dripping with sweat that only wanted to find some air conditioning. Not that the trip was all bad, but if I had to do it again I would either wait until he was a few years older, or travel a different time of year.
That brings me to child number 2. Again, we decided to take him when he was 4 years old (my oldest was now 7) but we went in December. This made a huge difference. The weather was gorgeous so we weren't miserable and tired from the heat. It also helped that I took my best friend with me instead of my husband. There's something about best friends that is magic with your children. They know how to keep them entertained in those Disney lines.
We still had to have a stroller, a double this time because my 7 year old still got tired halfway through every day. We still had our meltdowns but they were much more tolerable this time around. Again, it could be because of the weather, but it could have been because I was prepared. Either way, this trip was much easier.
Child number 3. We took my daughter when she was 9 months old because my husband had a conference at the Beach Club. I decided to spend the days seeing the parks while he was locked up in meetings. We left our 2 older boys home for this trip and I was so glad we did. It was the easiest Disney vacation I have ever had with my kids. A 9 month old stays in their stroller, and naps in it in the middle of the afternoon so you don't have to head back to the resort if you don't want to. They can still ride almost everything. They are fascinated by the parades and the bright colors of the parks. They don't mind just hanging out at the pool if you want. They can still have their fits, but they are usually handled by a bottle or a diaper change.
I have traveled to Disney several times with my children since those first trips and my oldest is now 11 years old. There are still moments in the parks when my husband and I look at each other and ask "what were we thinking" but those are fewer and fewer each time we go.
I'm glad we took them all when they were younger because I will never forget the first time they turned the corner and saw Cinderella's Castle for the first time, or their first hug from Mickey Mouse. They may not remember it well, but if we had waited until they were 10 or 11, I don't think it would have been as magical.
As I said before, you have to decide for yourself what you want out of your Disney vacation. No matter what age your children are, you can expect some meltdowns and some not so great moments, but those will be easily forgotten after seeing your child eat a Mickey head ice cream cone and waving at Mickey and Minnie as they ride down Main Street with Cinderella's Castle in the background.
Kourtney
My Facebook page
No comments:
Post a Comment