I personally never thought I would take a child younger than 5 or 6. I never wanted to mess with diaper bags or strollers in the parks. That would ruin all the fun wouldn't it?
I changed my tune after we had our son. I had no desire to take him as a baby, but when he was 2 and started to love Disney characters I got the bug. I gave in and I'm glad we did.
For those with little kids under 3 you can get them in the parks and feed them at buffets for free! Plus, what can beat this expression of pure joy??
The best time to take a small child is right before their 3rd birthday. If you can time it right to go at this age your child will still be free AND big enough to enough for lots of rides. Even if your child turns 3 during the trip (what a birthday present!) he or she will still be free the entire time.
Our son was also potty trained by this age so that saved us from needing a diaper bag. Although, we did have to visit LOTS of restrooms.
Each child is different. There are questions to consider before you take them at this age:
-Is your child scared of characters in costume? That is a lot of the appeal at this age so if they are scared waiting might be better.
-Is he/she scared of the dark? Several of the rides that small kids like the best (Winnie the pooh, peter pan, etc) are dark rides. I never thought about my son being scared of these, but he was the first time. After he knew what to expect he loved it.
-For small children their height will also determine what they can ride. There are plenty of rides for small ones, but here is a list of rides with height requirements as well.
Want to ride one of these, but your child isn't big enough? No problem! Disney has a child swap pass! Just tell the cast member at the ride entrance that you want to use child swap. You get to go ride while your spouse and child go play somewhere else. When you are done your spouse can use his pass to skip the line and go ride! It is a fantastic system that my husband and I have used many times. we love the thrill rides and can't miss those!
What about those wanting to wait until their kids are older? I still think 5 or 6 is the perfect age for the first trip. They won't be free any longer, but they will remember more of the trip and be able to enjoy more of the rides. We took my son back at age 5 for 1 day at the Magic Kingdom and it was perfect. He wasn't scared of anything, still loved the characters and had a ball! Plus we didn't have to visit quite as many restrooms.
Now for those of you asking if your kids are too old......NEVER!!! You never outgrow Disney. Lots of people associate Disney with princesses and character that only little ones would enjoy. Disney is so much more than that. All those rides above with height requirements are awesome at any age. Plus pirates, haunted mansions and fireworks. You never outgrow good food or good rides. There is so much great food (my next blog will talk about food).
My husband and I actually like to go without our kids (please don't tell them!). We had several trips together before they were born, and even a couple of date nights since they have been around. We love not only the rides, but the food and the atmosphere. And what big kid wouldn't enjoy this water slide at Blizzard Beach??
So the best age? Well it really depends on your family and your child's personality. If you are going to make more than 1 trip in their childhood (of course I think you should), then try my suggestions above at 2, 5 and anytime after that. If you are saving up for 1 big once in a lifetime trip wait until at least 5. If they are still a little scared of rides at that age then wait a couple more years. They won't outgrow it by then!
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