kids under 3 years old

[tanyadews]

we have two kids one is 3 1/2 years old and the other is an infant. wondering what you would reccomend we take our three yr old to see and do. is there any rides that he can go on being so young? has anyone taken such young children to WDW. Thanks

 

[Barb D]

Your 3yo can ride (and will enjoy!) almost every ride. There are only a few he may be too short for. There are height restrictions for a few rides. If he's 40" tall he'll be able to even more.

Some he may especially enjoy:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo
Magic Carpets of Alladin
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Goofy's Barnstormer

Even your infant can ride most of the rides. If there's a ride that she can't go on, the two adults can take turns riding. You can do a "baby swap" where one of you rides while the other one waits, and then the second one rides without standing in line again. Ask the CM (Cast Member - employee) at each ride how to do it. Every ride is a little different. At Splash Mountain the second adult waits in a little play area, and then goes through the Fast Pass line (which is usually much shorter than the regular line.) If your 3yo is tall enough to ride Splash Mountain (40"), he'll be able to go twice in a row.

 

[ABCMom]

We took our DS on his 1st birthday and we took our DD this year and she is 2. Your kids will have a great time at any age. The most important thing to remember is that little ones need more rest time that adults, or even older siblings. Make sure they get plenty of "down time." so they don't become overly tired and cranky - which can ruin everyone's day. It truely does help to stay onsite so that you can hope back to the hotel in the afternoons for naps all around, and then head back to the parks in the evenings.

 

[tjmw2727]

When my girls were 3yo they rode (and loved) everything in MK except those with a height requirement - SM, SplM and BTMR. Similar experiences with the other parks.

If you don't already use a sling with the baby I HIGHLY recommend you try one out before your trip, it was truely a lifesaver for me. My daughters are 2 years apart and we went when my youngest was a year - either dh or I used the sling most of the trip. It also allowed for bringing a single stroller rather than the double - but ymmv on that! You can't use the stroller in line or of course in a ride. With the sling you can just wear the baby through the line as well as on rides and in shows - mostly every ride sans the height required rides.

If your staying at a WDW resort and using bus service that was another time when the sling came in handy. DH handled the stroller and backpack while I was able to wear the baby and negotiate my older dd safely onto the bus and to a seat (usually).

Dr Sears makes a good one as well as "sara's ride". Do a websearch and you will find more info that you can use.

Have a wonderful vacation.
TJ

 

[tanyadews]

we can acutally take our 7month old on rides? thanks everyone for all of your info

 

[Barb D]

Your 7mo can go on almost everything! We took my DD for the first time when she was 5mo. I carried her in a sling, like TJMW2727. I used one a few weeks ago when we took her again. (She's 23mo now.)

The baby won't be able to go on the roller coasters and a few others, but almost every ride is perfectly safe for babies. You'll just hold her in your arms or on your lap. The amazing thing about WDW is that it is for ALL ages. I enjoy the rides as much as my kids do.

 

[josierac]

The only thing that your 7mo old can't go on is the rides with height restrictions. Everything else is fine.

 

[Goofy6]

We took our 4 kids last year. Our youngest was just 2. We used a baby sling and i would diffently recommend this for the waiting in line (where stroller are not allowed). I also kept her in it on alot of the rides and she felt very safe and was not afraid of the scarier rides (Snow White, Haunted Mansion). There are alot of rides that both your infant and toddler can enjoy. My 2 year olds favorite was Buzz Lightyear. She still remembers and talks about it. Your infant could also ride on this. I just really recommend a baby sling. They free up moms hands too! So many other parents commented to us that they wish they would have thought of bringing a baby sling. The lines can be long! Enjoy your trip. Your kids will just love it. Take time to watch the magic in your childrens eyes!! Those times are my favorite memories!!!

 

[Goofy6]

If you and your husband want to enjoy a few of the bigger rides take advantage of the baby switch. Tell the first worker that you want to do this. We even combined using our fast passes and the baby switch and hardly had to wait at all. The exits are usually into a store and this was enough to entertain my kids. Space mountain was great because there were arcade games at the exit and my 2 year old thought she was playing them (free entertainment!) The only downfall would be that you and your husband would have to ride alone.

 

[AJMommy]

You can have a blast with kids that age at Disney! Our last trip DD was 2.5yo and Ds was 7m. We did everything that did not involve height restrictions. DS loved seeing all of the characters especially BEAST--too funny watching this huge guy tickle our infant with his CLAW! We did the baby switch for Rock Coaster in MGM and Splash Mountain in MK. DH did fastpass for Space Mountain. We did one park in the morning, went back to hotel for a short break/nap in early afternoon, and then headed to a different park for the evening. The variety kept them interested. It was a perfect trip. DD still talks about it and explains the pictures to her brother! GO and ENJOY!!!!