“Why take them?, They won’t remember”

Megan Mojica

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
I have a question and want to assure myself I’m not crazy as to thinking this way.

Recently I was talking about how I would totally take my kids (i currently have none but when I do!) to Disney when there are young, probbly 2-3 becauseof how much fun they would have. and I was bombarded!! By people saying “why take them when they are young they won’t remember it” “Disney is not for kids it’s more for adults” “why drag a kid along just for your fun” “it’s borderline tourtue to take a kid that small in the Florida hear” and these seemed to be the only argument people had. and it made me stop and think.

Are people really only thinking about the memories? About the fact that the kid won’t remember the trip in 3 years? And becuase they won’t it Dosent justifi the cost of going on the trip all togather

In my opioion it’s complelty worth it to take a 2(almost 3) year old to Disney.they still believe it’s real,they are FREE and yes you have to do things at a slower pace.but are those experiences and memories not worth it?

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I am very curious on this topic
:-)
 
As you found out, people really are thinking about the memories. That doesn't make them right. Nor should it sway your thinking.

No kids, but nieces; my sister took her first kid when she was 3. I took her when she was 5. To this day she talks about that second visit and says she doesn't remember the first visit at all.

Just anecdotal, I admit. I think it might be better to wait until the child can really take it in and remember it later. But I would never tell a parent taking a young child is "borderline torture" (and what a foolish thing to say - infants and small children actually LIVE in the Florida heat) or that they shouldn't do it.
In my opioion it’s complelty worth it to take a 2(almost 3) year old to Disney.they still believe it’s real,they are FREE and yes you have to do things at a slower pace.
Then it's worth it. In my opinion YOU will remember it more than the 2 (almost 3) year old but that also makes it well worth it.

Great question and I look forward to reading what others say.
 
We've been taking our kids since they were 4, 1, 1 respectively. Honestly, the only reason we took them when they were that young was because they were free (the twins were at least). That, and I am WDW obsessed myself. Yes, my older son at the time certainly understood some things, could interact and was having a blast. The twins obviously didn't understand anything, but it was fun to watch their amazement at everything. We went in July, as we always do. Yes, it was hot, it always is, but it's not that big of a deal. Yes, it's a lot of work, that was a bit of a pain...OK a lot of a pain.

Really, the "memories" are more for my wife and I, because we remember the trip...or at least some of it...I have very poor memory so I don't remember a ton of it myself. The kids don't remember any of it at all, and I wouldn't expect them too. The first trips they remember are from when they were around 5 or so, and even then it's very, very sketchy what they remember. But we went because we wanted to go on vacation, I love WDW, my wife does too. We knew they wouldn't remember it, but they'd have fun while they were there. The twins were free, so why not go?

Ultimately, I guess I'm on both sides of this fence. No, they won't remember it anyway, so I totally understand and buy into the "it's not worth it" thing from that perspective. Them not remembering it, the hard work it takes, etc...are major downsides. But we went as a family, WDW is very much family oriented, and we had fun. So from that perspective, yes, it's 100% worth it. I know that doesn't make sense, because I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but that's how I see it. Absolutely not worth it at all, and at the same time I'd highly recommend it for someone who wants to do it.
 
My kids have been going to Disneyland since they were like 4 months old, we have passes. We went to WDW when middle was 2 and oldest was 5. We are going this year with my youngest who will be 2, olders are now 10 and 13. I don’t subscribe to waiting until they are old enough to remember it. My line of thinking goes like this...

1- it’s a family vacation. Are we supposed to take no trips until the youngest can remember it?

2 - we have older kids too, they shouldn’t have to miss out until the youngest in line can remember it

3- we ALL enjoy it, my husband and I, the grandparents who go with us, all of my kiddos. It’s not all about the youngest one. Actually I probably want to go as much as if not more than the kids lol

4- it is worth every penny to see the sheer joy and excitement when they see their favorite character or ride a ride they’ve never experinced. Toddlers have as much fun as anyone else, they don’t need to remember it when they are 30 to have an amazing time.
 
So I’d never been to Disney, though my husband had been multiple times, and won a trip for our family last month. We hadn’t made any plans to go prior to (mostly because we just hadn’t contemplated or budgeted for it honestly). We went and our kids had a blast! I will say my husband and I aren’t really ride junkies, and our 2 and 4 year old were too short for the height requirements - and they had a blast! Our daughter loved meeting the characters, our son loved T-Rex and they’ve talked about it for a month. Maybe they won’t in the future - but it was a fun vacation for our family!
 
I agree they won't remember. I agree with a lot of the other comments as well from previous posters about reasons why it is still nice to go with young children.

I also have to say that memory isn't all about episodic memory. New experiences, good times with family, etc. all create connections in the brain as well. You don't have to remember something for it to be worthwhile.
 
My husband and I visited WDW quite a few times before we had kids (we were late reproducers). We would slice through the crowds, hitting all the headliners, and see people with their kids pushing strollers and kids crying and look each other in the eyes and swear we would NEVER bring a kid to WDW until they could walk.

Fast forward and we've taken our 4 yr old and 1 yr old...and went again with a 6 and 3...going again when they are 7 and 4.

Part of it is that we love WDW ourselves, so we want to share that with our kids. Part of it is that is truly is a family-friendly, fun for everyone kind of vacation. Part of it is that we had money in the budget for it.

I make a photo book, which has helped both kids "remember" the vacations. Clearly my 1 yr old doesn't remember anything, but he knows that the baby version of himself went on that trip. :)

My advice to people is - can you only go once or twice? If so, wait until your kids are 40 inches and willing to do some of the easier coasters at least. Can you go more often? Feel free to go whenever you want, with whatever age kiddo you want. Disney is an incredibly easy place to be a parent on vacation.

And now, my husband and I take a break while our kids dance around a fountain, and ride Barnstormer 6 times in a row after rope drop, take breaks often and skip things if we're getting crabby, and look each other in the eyes and swear that bringing our kids to Disney is our FAVORITE thing to do. :)
 


Took our first 2 kids when oldest was 6 and (now middle kid) was 16 months. We thought about leaving the 16 month old with grandparents, ultimately we took her-DH and I still remember that trip as one of our best family vacations ever! We had to take it slow, so we experienced so much more-all the details in the parks, the shows (still know good nap spots :rotfl2:) etc. We went in February so parks closed early anyway. Our memories of that trip are what is worth the "extra" work. We tell tales of that trip (how their faces lit up at seeing characters, how the baby was so good for nearly all the trip except when Prince Charming went to sister first at 1900 Park Fare dinner-she pitched a fit but Charming fixed that quickly LOL). But we also went for a week, stayed offsite in 2 bed condo so it was an overall relaxing trip as well. I didn't care that maybe only the 6 year old (and she doesn't remember much) would have the memories-I have them :)

OTOH-my niece and her DH took their 6 year old but left the 1 year old at home when they took a quick trip this past December. Multiple reasons, but they really wanted to see as much as possible and knew it wouldn't happen if they brought the baby, as they were going for 4 days and knew they probably wouldn't be able to afford to go back for years, if ever (they went when DD was CM and got great CM discounts because of her on hotel, food, free admit tickets and DD and I bought them MVMCP tickets).

Really depends on your personal story and situation.
 
When I took my daughter at age 5 for the 1st time my mother told me she won't remember. My answer "Maybe not but I will". I was talking to her the other day about our upcoming trip and she mentioned the fact that while she does not remember everything, she does remember things like going to BBB and getting a princess dress and talking me out of a g*d awful haunted mansion top hat(which she still has). They will remember a lot more than you think.
 
I have a question and want to assure myself I’m not crazy as to thinking this way.

Recently I was talking about how I would totally take my kids (i currently have none but when I do!) to Disney when there are young, probbly 2-3 becauseof how much fun they would have. and I was bombarded!! By people saying “why take them when they are young they won’t remember it” “Disney is not for kids it’s more for adults” “why drag a kid along just for your fun” “it’s borderline tourtue to take a kid that small in the Florida hear” and these seemed to be the only argument people had. and it made me stop and think.

Are people really only thinking about the memories? About the fact that the kid won’t remember the trip in 3 years? And becuase they won’t it Dosent justifi the cost of going on the trip all togather

In my opioion it’s complelty worth it to take a 2(almost 3) year old to Disney.they still believe it’s real,they are FREE and yes you have to do things at a slower pace.but are those experiences and memories not worth it?

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I am very curious on this topic
:-)
we have taken grandkids under 2 a lot. in fact I have a now teen grandson who can tell most of the things he did on the trip he took at 4 months of age. of course he does not remember the trip but he does remember what that baby did in his picture book of the trip. he is always ready to take younger brothers or cousins and show them what he did. if fact I find the younger the easier. hardest ones were trips with 18 month olds as they are old enough to have an ability to do some things but not old enough to understand why they can not do what they want. last trip we did we had 16 people. 4 grandparents, 2 sets of parents and 6 kids from 15 years down to 4 months old
 
I was almost 4 when I went to Disneyland (we were passing through CA on our way to Ft Huachuca from Ft Lewis). I remember bits and pieces (and I probably remember those bits and pieces better than the multiple trips to WDW that have blurred together in my brain)
 
I like my vacations. Going to go on them regardless of what the kids will remember. When they were younger we did mostly Disney as it was easy and geared towards them. Once they got a bit older we alternated between Disney and Cruises. Not going to not go on vacation just because they won't remember. That is just crazy talk...
 
I think having the kids be old enough to remember only matters if you're only going to be willing/able to take them once. Then, yeah it would probably be better if they are old enough to remember the trip if at all possible. But if you plan on going back later when they are older? Pfffft go for it!

We took a big extended family trip when my two nephews were almost 3 and not even 1. The 3 year old talked about that trip for a good year after we got back AND remembered details I'd forgotten about. Obviously the baby had no short or long term memory of the trip but you could tell he had a blast the whole time we where there, he loved being in such a bright and interesting environment with his peeps. They truly enjoyed the trip, even if the memory faded for the older child and I totally think it was worth it.
 
I have a terrible memory, so I don't take vacations with the expectation of anyone being able to remember it all. I really detest the argument that little ones are too young to remember so why do (fill in the blank). Do these people never do anything fun with their kids when they're little? Toddlers aren't going to remember going to the park, having a birthday party, meeting Santa, going to the zoo, etc, but that doesn't mean they won't enjoy those things. For me, vacations with toddlers are about the whole family enjoying it, including the toddler. What better place than Disney?

For the argument that Disney is more for adults than kids, that's bs. Sure, plenty of adults like Disney, but it's most definitely a place for kids. When you have a place with giant cartoon characters walking around and tons of rides that BABIES can go on, how can anyone say it's not a place designed with kids in mind?

I think toddlers are a wonderful age to go to Disney with. My DS was just shy of 2 when we went and he had a blast. He loved every ride he could go on and constantly pointed out Hidden Mickeys. Once he saw our plates at Garden Grill arranged into a Mickey head, he saw Mickeys everywhere! He had no concept of it being something popular to look for, be just likes Mickey and apparently has a keen eye. Seeing his excitement at meeting every character (some of whom he had ZERO prior knowledge of), was absolutely heart melting. Watching him play peek-a-boo (completely his own idea) with the Donald Ducks on the 3 Caballeros ride, or having a full blown conversation with Pluto through gestures, or shrieking with pure joy over a Mickey head constructed from raspberries... these are things older kids are unlikely to do or care about but things that my toddler beamed from ear to ear over. Having a toddler in the parks helps you to view things from a different perspective and appreciate all the little details. They can have a blast if you do things at their pace, and it's a blast seeing how much fun they are having. Young kids help you to see the magic at Disney. I've been to Disney as an adult without young kids and I had a lot of fun, but it didn't have the same "magic" as it does when travelling with a little one, because they just see the world in such a simple light and are so amazed by things that as adults we tend to overlook.

Also, as you stated OP, kids under 3 are free. We went right before my son turned 2, so we didn't have to pay for airfare for him either. He shared our meals and literally the only thing we spent for him to come was a souvenir or two. Why not take advantage of that free stage, especially when there's so much for toddlers to enjoy there?

As for the heat, it depends on your tolerance, but there's plenty of things to do to get out of the sun from time to time that it's not that unbearable. When we were really hot, we'd catch an indoor show, go on a ride, get some food, look around at a shop, or grab a Dole Whip.

As for the inconvenience factor of handling a toddler there, I didn't find it any more inconvenient than taking him to the grocery store, mall, a restaurant, or any other place that we go to on a regular basis. Actually, for us, it was easier because DS was so excited at all of the new things he was able to do and see that he was so easy. Sure, we couldn't go on the bigger rides together (hello, rider swap), and we had diapers to change (would have had to change them at home too), and dealt with naps (thankfully he napped in the stroller really well), and a plane ride (plenty of snacks and a coloring book and he was happy)... but honestly, none of that was really that big of a deal. All of it was more than worth it to see how happy my kids were during the trip. Who cares if they remember it 5 years from now? They had fun then and there will be pictures to show them the fun we all had, and likely more trips in the future.

Absolutely, take your little ones if you have the means to and want to do it.
 
I like my vacations. Going to go on them regardless of what the kids will remember. When they were younger we did mostly Disney as it was easy and geared towards them. Once they got a bit older we alternated between Disney and Cruises. Not going to not go on vacation just because they won't remember. That is just crazy talk...
Completely agree. If we had an opportunity to get away when the kids were little we went for it! I never considered not going because they wouldn't remember. That's what videos and picture taking are for. :)
 
Our kids love watching the videos of them in DW when they were 18months and up. They loved it at the time and that is what matters - not if they will remember it.
 
I took my DS right after he turned 1. I started planning the trip when he was 6 months old and I could not WAIT to go because I needed a vacation! I didn't care if he remembered it or not, LOL! And, yes, it wasn't quite a vacation as there was really no relaxing or sleeping (he still wasn't sleeping through the night yet), but I'll never forget the experiences we had on that trip! He was just starting to pull up on furniture and railings and LOVED holding onto the railings in the lines to try to walk around! We played in the Pooh playground before the closed it for good. We walked around WS one morning right when it opened and we were literally the only people there (that seems to not happen any more!). It was so nice! We have a picture of him with a birthday cupcake at O'hana and our server held bread plates behind his head to look like Mickey ears. He still talks about it because he sees the picture every day. He's been countless times since this first trip (he is now 10) and we've made a ton of memories at WDW, but I don't feel like I need to make any excuses for taking him when he was so young. Mommy and Daddy need trips, too, and WDW made it very easy for us to get away for a little bit!
 
As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter if the kids remember. Our DD10 first went was she was 15months old. Does she remember it? No. But she loves looking at the picture, and I remember...
 
So we are clearly in the minority here...
If you have one baby and want to go for the baby, yes I think it’s nuts. If you want a vacation at Disney then sure, it’s a great place for kids and you’ll probably have a good trip. It’s a baby friendly place!
I remember my brother in law making a big deal about taking my nine month old niece to Disney. I didn’t have kids then and while his excitement was clear, it did seem silly to me. Plane tickets from NE, all of the other expenses....
We made the choice to go when our son was five. That seemed like a great age, for us.
Money was tight, and while I knew we would go at some point and very much looked forward to it, there was no way I was going to head to WDW when he was younger and still very happy riding an escalator at the mall.
 
We just came back from a trip and took our 2 month old granddaughter along with her parents. It was great. Of course the baby won't remember anything, but it was a family vacation, and she is part of the family now. She will probably be going every couple of years since we have DVC and vacationing is so much easier when we have the full kitchen and in-unit washer and dryer.

Getting out of the New Hampshire winters is a very good reason to go to Disney.
 

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