Tips for first time visit for child???

[cinmell]

Do you have any suggestions on how to make your toddler's first visit to WDW special?

 

[Falls1]

Only one...
take it slow, do not try to
move the world, so to speak, Little
one's can only take in so much. I would
limit my time to just one park with lots
of rest time and play time. The MgK has all
of the best for a child, let the child enjoy them self,I took my granddaughter befor she grew up and we did only one park at a time. She still thinks
Disney is the best place on earth. And has only
good memories We took it slow and let her guide
our time. When she said she wanted to pool, we stopped.And went back to hotel and let her play.
Of course it took many trip's for her to get to
see all of Disney, (it was tough but some grandparent)had to do it..By the time she graduated from highschool she finally saw her
last park Animal kingdom (Her graduation present)
Now as soon as she graduates from College We will take her on a cruise (next year)already planned..
A very slow 7 day Wonder trip.. And of course The world for another 7 days She can finnaly go to
Pleasure Island, Some one has got to take her (Right)

 

[wareagle]

The first time our family went, my youngest ds was almost 2 1/2. We only went for one day to MK, but he really loved it. One thing you will want to do, if the child is not afraid, is to buy an autograph book and collect the character's autographs. This is something fun and the kids really get a kick out of it. You may also want to do the character meals. We did these on our last trip and loved them. If you can, call Disney and request one of their vacation videos and let the child watch this. Our boys still love to watch the video and get excited when they see places they know.

 

[Falls1]

Yes wareagle is right, I had forgotten about the
autograph book's and character breakfast's
and the collecting of some type of sovenier,
my granddaughter,started collecting prints
and magnets, (pin's were somthing you got for
just entering the
park or from certain rides the just opened) they were not as popular as they are
today, She has some very early pin and some of the
newer one's, but she still does not collect them.
The press penny's she has a box full and like
4 box's of autographs (she say's when she get her own place she will mount all of the prints and
autographs for her wall's).There is so many way's to make the trips fun, I sometimes from reading
these boards think why didn't we try this or that,
But that's hind site so I will try to do them my self just to say I did it ( another excuse to go
to Disney )right..








9

 

[jmminarik]

Don't obsess about this unless you're a 'photographer', but be sure to bring lots of film, take lots of photos of your child 'enjoying' the World. Don't do all 'I was there' posed photos, but capture the gasp of delight as they first see Mickey, or Pooh, or pig-a-let.

One tip for photographing kids....kneel down so you're at their level, get in close and fill the frame with the kid. If you can, avoid the 'zoom' on the camera and be physically close enough to get the shot. Esp. at night...the typical p&s camera flash has a very, very short range.

At WDW, having the child be a small part of the photo means a less than good photo.

Hope this helps,
Joe

 

[jennymouse]

I took my DGD for the first time when she was two. She was a bit afraid of the characters then and didn't get into the autograph thing. I took her again last year, 6 yrs old, and she really got into the characters/autographs....I guess it depends on the child. I'd hold off on purchasing an autograph book until you see how yours is.

Like the others said, take it easy. If the trip is really for them, be willing to do the same thing over and over and over and ov...well, you get it. Many times, what they enjoy most are the little things, like feeding the ducks. Really lather them down with waterproof sunscreen, even if they're mostly in a covered stroller. They're lots of fun at the world at that age. Have fun!

 

[MNT568]

I second getting the free vacation video from Disney and having your child watch it. Then ask your child what they really want to see when they get there. After my DS saw the video (about a million times) he told me that he wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear and Pooh's ride and meet Tigger. So I made sure that these things were accomplished. The biggest tip is take is slow, plan plenty of breaks and follow your child's lead. When we saw that my DS was getting tired we headed back to the hotel

 

[Aggie89]

The first time we went, DS was 3 months shy of turning 3. We prepared him the entire year before the trip by renting lots of Disney videos especially the ones that have attractions modeled after them like Lion King, Toy Story, Bug's Life, etc. We also watched the planning videos and the Disney Sing Along videos. Disneyland Fun is the best because it shows many MK attractions. We talked about the rides, etc. and made a list of what he wanted to ride and see.
Also warn your child that the characters are HUGE and they don't talk. Our DS is very shy, but he wasn't scared because we had already warned him. It's fun to start off the trip with a character meal like Chef Mickey's to see the characters before the overstimulation of the parks. He still treasures his autograph books.
We always did MK early in the morning when he was fresh and the lines were short. The other parks didn't seem as crowded later in the day. Epcot is nice in the evening because your child may fall asleep in the stroller and you can enjoy the ambience of WS.
Don't forget the camcorder. It may be a pain to carry around, but the video is so fun watching when you're missing WDW. DS prefers to watch our Disney trips than his other videos.
Earplugs are a must for the loud shows and a penlight doesn't hurt for the indoor attractions.
We have a 3 month old now and can't wait until he's old enough to go! Enjoy!

 

[snowwhitegirl]

If you want to enjoy the other parks, go to Magic Kingdom LAST
When kids see all the fun stuff there they don't care about Epcot or Studios

 

[travelitis]

Pacing and taking breaks is the key! Take the break, take the break, TAKE THE BREAK!

I took an 18 mo old to Disney and prepared him months in advance for the characters by saying, "Mickey is as tall as (someone he knew)."

He had a great time, but we took breaks every afternoon. We'd go to one park in the morning and another in the evening. I don't think you have to wait to do the MK, because we did that first since we had a 4 yr. old also