Taking a toddler - asking for trouble?

[johnscone]

Hello all,

Me and my fiancee are expecting a baby who will be arriving in October. We had planned to go to Florida in October 2016, but we cancelled those plans because we didnt want to go with a one year old baby.

I have said I will go the following October (2017) which would mean we would be taking a two year old.

I am starting to think it might be too soon. Most of the rides are unsuitable and I am worrying about the baby not enjoying the holiday.

I'm wondering if anybody who has taken a two year old can put my mind at rest, I really want to go but not if there is nothing for the baby to do.

My other half pointed out that last time we went we were childless so we were hardly looking out for baby activities which is true.

My extended family will be going so we will have plenty of help etc. And if it makes a difference we will be going back a LOT so its not once in a lifetime.

Thanks in advance for your help.

John

[BevS97]

We've taken both a 1 and a 2 year old. I think 1 is slightly easier, but both are very doable. Loads of toddler friendly rides at Disney and the parks are very kid friendly.

[chloe87]

Our DS turns two whilst we are out there in September, so I cant comment on what its like exactly but I know it will be hard/more work than when it was just me and my husband but I'm sure it will be all worth it. And we are very excited about taking him.

There is plenty of things/rides a two year old can do, the argument may arise of that they will not remember it, (I hate this comment) but you will and they will get a lot out of it, even if they cannot remember the exact details when they are older.

[MK_club1987]

Please look through the below thread that I started a while back, me and my wife were in pretty much the same situation, in fact we had convinced ourselves not to go next year as DS would only be 16/17 months, but all the replies were so encouraging so we have now booked for September 2016!

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=891144

[ilovedisney25]

We took both ours at 1 and it was a doddle. They both had amazing fun and could go on loads of rides! Ds also went when 2.5 and the plane was harder as he didn't want to sit still as much as he did when he was 1 but apart from that it was great! Don't think there's that much difference ride wise between a 1 and 2 year old. My ds was 4 last week and will be just tall enough to do some of the bigger rides like splash but most of the kids rides so to speak don't really have height in age restrictions x

[familyofthree]

Definitely go as soon as you can, taking a 2 year old is much more hard work than a 1 year old believe me.

We have taken our DS when he was 6 months old, 18 months old and he will turning 3 when we go next month. Each time has been great and he has loved it. We have never been to Disney only taken him to water parks and Universal/IOA.
What is there not to love, you will be in a sunny country where your LO is going to be out all day getting spoilt by you and the rest of the family. We both work full time so our holidays are very precious to us as it is the only time we get to spend a whole 2 weeks together as a family, our DS doesn't remember going but we remember and that is all that counts. You make so many memories we still talk about things that we did on our first trip, took him to see the animal actors show in Universal and he was fascinated by all the animals. There is plenty you can do with them and if you are off to Disney I am sure there is even more stuff suitable for them.
Life is too short just book it!

[Rubix]

We took our little one to DLP when he was 18 months old and he had a whale of a time! I know it's not the same place but I think they're very versatile at that age

[caro]

I hope it's not too difficult...we are taking a 3 and 4 year old next June! My main worry is the heat, so we are only doing disney and planning on doing early mornings in the park with pool time/rest time in the afternoon. Later in the holiday we'll swap to doing parks in the evenings and taking it easier in the day.

[louiseybobs]

My son is 2 on the 5th of October and we go the
9th September - 1st October
So I'll let you know!

but I had the same doubts, if you know you're going to be going back then why wait

[Lisa29]

My eldest was 2 on her second trip and my youngest turned 2 on her first trip and we had amazing times on both holidays. There is plenty for kids that age to do, they can go on most rides in Magic Kingdom. It is so magical at that age for them and seeing both of my girls faces at seeing the parades, characters, castle, etc. was absolutely priceless.

My trip report in my signature below is from our 2013 trip where my youngest turned 2. If you want to have a look, you can see what we did and the look of excitement on my girls' faces in the photos.

I would also very highly recommend the Harmony Barber Shop for your little ones first haircut. It is such a lovely experience and great value at less than $20.