Advice on Parks with 14 Month Old

[FriendsOfEeyore]

WMy dw and I will be taking our 14 month old son to WDW over Memorial Day weekend. We plan to really space out days and take it very slow. He loves to swim in the pool, so we will spend plenty of time there.

Questions:

1. We have been to WDW many times, but never with a child. Can he (if he is not too scared) ride most of the rides at the Magic Kingdom?

2. He loves to shop, and we love EPCOT. But is there anything there that he might specifically enjoy?

3. How about Animal Kingdom. Anyone tried this park with a toddler?

TIA for any information or advice..

 

[Kitster]

You will probably want to check this webpage:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wa...actiongroupingindex?id=MKAttractionsAttGrping
It lists all the Magic Kingdom attractions and what, if any, ride restrictions there are. I know that many of the rides have minimum height requirements that your son will not meet. Just check each ride, that way you can figure out your plan of attack

 

[megnsamsgrace]

We went with our 3 kids last summer (june) and since I knew one child could go on rides the other couldn't we stayed in certain areas (this year we will walk all over just to see what we missed). We constantly did the Buzz ride in tomorrowland and my DD loved it! She moved the joystick all over. She loved all the rides in FantasyLand too, Peter Pan, small world, pooh, dumbo... all of it! There was nothing she couldn't go on I dont think. Those were basically the only areas we did rides in... my son that could ride some bigger rides gets freaked *he HATES roller coasters*. My kids enjoyed a 45 minute break at the little playscape in Toon Town... We also did some rides in Toon Town that she liked too... I hope to really explore the park this year as we will have 2 weeks and it wont be as busy, everything had at least a 35-40 minute wait last year... Good luck and enjoy! Steph due with #4

 

[laughinplace199]

We took our son when he was 15 months old. As far as your question about Epcot, there isn't a lot for a toddler to do, but there is a lot to see. Our son really enjoyed watching the entertainers in the World Showcase area. We intended to go to the Living Seas, but didn't have enough time.

As far as AK, I think it's great for a toddler. We went twice during the week we were there. He loved the safari ride, especially when it was a bit bumpy! He loved seeing the animals. We could have spent much more time there, roaming around looking at everything. Another thing that he loved was the Lion King show.

Have fun!

 

[2d_star_to_the_right]

We traveled with our son when he was 13 months old and he had a blast. He did pretty much all of the rides in MK- thought Buzz LIghtyear was the BEST and enjoyed the Country Bears and Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise as well- Pretty much just the big rides were off limits- ToonTown was a big hit.

At EPCOT- he enjoyed making a Tapestry of Dreams mask at all the KidCot stations. He also enjoyed most of future world and running through World Showcase.

At MGM- he like Little Mermaid, Disney Playhouse, Honey I shrunk kids playground, Cat. Canyon, and Beauty and the Beast. (He also like Indiana Jones!)

AK- loved the animals, Lion KIng show, Safari,Triceratops ride,

The parades were BIG hits as were the fireworks. He is a pretty easy going and enjoys just about anything. ONe hint- pack some rattles to amuse him during the waits for shows- it can be a lifesaver.

just thoughts

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

WOW!! Thanks for all the information. We never even thought that he would be able to ride Pirates (it is our favorite attraction). I am not sure how he will react to the HM, but maybe we will give it a try.

And on to AK. The Safari???? For real? My dw and I love AK, but never would have thought to take him on the Safari. I have checked a great number of our books regarding height restrictions, but that would only limit him from like 6 rides.

I knew that he would enjoy the visual stimulation, but never thought that he would be able (even by Disney itself) to ride most of the rides.

Thanks again for all the great responses. We will make sure to take his emotions (at any given point in time) into our decision as to whether or not we will ride.

Any others have past experiences with a 12 - 15 month old?

 

[disneybud]

We took our daughter when she was about 15 months back in October 2001. First we wanted to make sure she would not be afraid of the characters in the park. We bought VHS Tapes of two specific Sing-A-Long Song videos. Disneyland Fun and Beach Party at Walt Disney World. In these videos the large characters interact with all the kids all over the parks. She would watch those videos over and over leading up to our trip. When we got there she couldn't have been more excited to see all the characters. No fear whatsoever. Easy to do and really helped her to be excited about going to Disney.

Rides and Experiences:
MK- She really liked Small World, Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Buzz, Aladdin.. She loved spinning in the teacups. We must have rode the carousel 10 times too! She did HM and Pirates. Didn't like the drop in the dark but dealt with it fine. Just kept reassuring her that it was all fun and she was fine during scary parts. Loved the parades and the fireworks too! She liked going to "Mickey's House" in toontown to meet Mickey. She loved the train ride as well.

Epcot - She liked Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy, Journey into Imagination, and Living Seas.. She liked the interactive stuff in Innoventions. Anything with a computer mouse was hers! She liked the boat ride in Mexico and enjoyed dinner there as well.

MGM - Did not like the Great Movie ride. Very scared. Didn't like the gunshots. Loved Playhouse Disney. Loved Beauty and the Beast Show. Loved 50's Primetime Cafe. She enjoyed all the antics going on there.

AK - Loved the Lion King Show and the Safari Ride. Loved the Dino Boneyard where the kids can dig for fossils. Was scared in the Its Tough to Be A Bug Movie. Should have kept her off that. Felt bad we brought her on.

Baby Swap was huge for us. DW and I got to ride all the big rides while one waited with daughter for the other one to come out.

Sleeping was an issue.. We were all in small room at ASMO and she did not like the pack and play crib. Ended up taking rental minivan and driving her to sleep pretty much every night. She just was so excited. Glad we had decided to rent that car!

She is now almost 3 and loves to watch the videotape from our trip to WDW. She asks me at least once a week if we can go to Disney World again so even though she was so young it defintely impacted her.

 

[Baloo]

If you think your toddler might get a litte afarid in HM and PoC I'd suggest having a little flashlight with you to help take the dark away.Also holding him close and whispering to him about how funny it is ,look at those silly guys.That use to help Erich.In the HM the zombies that pop up at you ,starting in the attic with the bride and in the graveyard,use to give Erich a start but we began screaming back at them,sometimes beating the zombies to the yell!!! This has become a family tradition for Erich and I now!!!

Epcot is a wonderful place for toddlers!!!Journey into Imagination has fun sound things little ones can play with.The ride is pretty good there now too.Mantees and fish in Living Seas has always been a big hit.Erich has always LOVED dinosaurs,since before he was a year old,the Universe of Energy has been his favorite at EPCOT.There's a maze in Great Britian,a Viking playship in Norway,the Rio del Tiempo is a fun ride for little ones in Mexico.


The Sing along tapes and vacation videos are a good thing to watch to get him prepared.

Have a great trip!

 

[cart-mom]

I've done all the parks three times over with toddlers and will be going back in July with #4.

They LOVED the safari ride at AK and Lion King and Tarzan was really cool too. Lots of movement to keep them interested.
MK I think is geared more towards younger kids in most areas so you should be fine. There's always kid swap. (WONDERFUL idea)
My kids wanted to keep going on the transit authority ride (the one that you sit in and just ride around and go inside Space Mountain).
Epcot - We usually do this park in the afternoon and stay until the fireworks - they are the BEST.

The best part is seeing the park through the eyes of your child. It's like seeing it in a whole new light.

Enjoy yourself & have a great time.

 

[campingcorgi]

Kids that age are great because they don't know what they are supposed to be afraid of, so the usual scary rides (Pirates, HM, Bug's Life, etc) just don't bother them unless there is a sudden loud noise. We did lots with our little one and just distracted her before the Alien in Great Movie Ride and any other things that we thought might scare her. Now 2 1/2 was a totally different age!