We are planning our second trip to Disneyland at the end of June and we will be taking our 2-year old son for the first time. He is quite a shy little boy and sometimes afraid of things he is not familiar with (which is true of most toddlers, I think). I would never dream of taking him on any of the bigger rides, but I was wondering if there was a good "first" ride that we could take him on to see how he does. Also, can we hold him in our laps or should he sit between us?? I want him to be safe, but comfortable too. Any suggestions?
Also, a big thank you to Adrienne K. for the Parenting in the Park columns as they have helped me a great deal in planning our trip. I am quite looking forward to taking it a bit slower this time and enjoying the scenery and atmosphere of Disneyland.

Diane
Sacramento, CA

Originally posted by disneyfan
We are planning our second trip to Disneyland at the end of June and we will be taking our 2-year old son for the first time. He is quite a shy little boy and sometimes afraid of things he is not familiar with (which is true of most toddlers, I think). I would never dream of taking him on any of the bigger rides, but I was wondering if there was a good "first" ride that we could take him on to see how he does. Also, can we hold him in our laps or should he sit between us?? I want him to be safe, but comfortable too. Any suggestions?

I'll be very interested to hear what other posters have to suggest. If your son is shy, I would personally avoid any dark rides... This includes many of the rides in Fantasyland (Mr. Toad, Peter Pan, Alice, Snow White, Pinocchio.) Personally, I'd try an outdoor ride-- nice and open. Fantasyland does have lots of these: Dumbo, Storybookland Canal Boats, Casey Jr, for example.

Does your son have any interest at all in trains? My 2.5 y/o LOVES trains, so Casey Jr and the Disneyland Railroad are must stops! In fact, the Disneyland Railroad is the very first ride you could get to in the park, so why not stop there?

As far as how he should sit: We have Matthew sit between us -or- on our laps. Our one steadfast rule is that if he's on a ride, he MUST be seated. Sometimes that requires a little wrestling... We also just about always have him between us/toward the center of the ride. If it's just a two seater, we have him away from the "door" or entryway to the ride.



Also, a big thank you to Adrienne K. for the Parenting in the Park columns as they have helped me a great deal in planning our trip. I am quite looking forward to taking it a bit slower this time and enjoying the scenery and atmosphere of Disneyland

:) Wow, thanks, Diane!!

Have a great time in June!
Adrienne K

I agree with Adrienne on the dark rides...most kids won't like it. The "funny" thing is that my 17 month old doesn't mind walking around a dark living room, but she doesn't like dark rides at all! I first took her on Pirates of the Caribbean when she was about 9 months figuring she'd like the singing and the characters, and she did fine. I took her on again about a month after that, and she didn't like the dark parts at all! Same with Peter Pan, she liked it the first time, hated it the second time!

Right now, she loves Dumbo! I was nervous at first with it being off the ground and her being squirmy, but you can hold a small child on your lap if you feel that's better/safer.

She also likes Country Bear Jamboree a lot...she just loves the guys on the wall!

She likes It's A Small World, but because that's a longer ride that goes a little slow, she sometimes gets squirmy and wants to get off, but for the first few times, she just loved all the little kids!

Good luck, and enjoy!

There is also King Arthur's Carousel--Good photo ops on that ride!!
:D

Originally posted by Dlandmom

She also likes Country Bear Jamboree a lot...she just loves the guys on the wall!

She likes It's A Small World, but because that's a longer ride that goes a little slow, she sometimes gets squirmy and wants to get off, but for the first few times, she just loved all the little kids!

Good luck, and enjoy!

Now, see, Matthew hates the guys on the wall at Country Bear. He can handle the rest of the show, but the talking heads freak him out. He also doesn't like hobby horses, though, so I think it's something about disembodied animal heads....

As for It's A Small World-- My kid sings this song CONSTANTLY. He loves that ride. We'll be in the car and he'll randomly start singing "It's a small morld after all!" over and over again....

Adrienne K

I have found that Nick was much more agreeable to the dark rides when he was 8 months old and didn't know any better.... this last time we went, he was 23 months and he definitely has a better idea of what he'll tolerate, and he wasn't too thrilled with the dark rides. It wasn't so much that it frightened him - but that it wasn't interesting enough.

This last time we spent alot of time in Fantasyland and switched off for the other rides. He liked Dumbo and the Carousel, and Peter Pan. Not so crazy about Haunted Mansion. Pirates was closed but he didn't care for it the time before. Donald's Boat in Toontown was a hit as it involved lots of climbing and getting into trouble :)

Mostly, Nick just likes to be allowed to run around and check things out at his own speed. Depending on the crowds when you go, you might want to allow a little "free" time without concentrating on getting on rides. It's a blast just to watch them run around and take it all in.

HAVE FUN!!!

[Edited to correct erroneously censored word]

Jolly Trolley, Main Street vehicles (including HORSEY carriage!!). Mark Twain Riverboat, as well as Tom Sawyer Island. Definitely second on King Arthur Carrousel.

If you are brave enough to take him onto a dark ride, I consider Peter Pan to be the least scary for small children.

Depending on the two year old Innoventions might be good, especially if it gets hot. The Autopia should be a good choice as well as the Monorail.

Autopia!!!!! My kids love this ride (just make sure and use fastpass to cut way down on the wait time)

King Arthur's Carosel
Dumbo (If he likes that, try the Astro Orbiter)
Casey Jr.
Disneyland Railroad
Small World
I agree that Peter Pan is a good test for ability to handle the "dark" rides
Country Bear
Tom Sawyer Island

Hi There -
We took our 2 y/o daughter to DL back in 99. She loved King Arthur's Carousel, even did the teacups at night, and repeated Small World twice! Pirates of the Caribbean, however, had her clutching onto me and burying her face in my shoulder as soon as we started moving. Her very favorite was Mickey's Starland, which I don't even know is still there, and also big hugs from Minnie - one all by herself - Minnie stopped by as she was leaving her house in Starland!
Great memories, great photos, great big piles of Minnie Mouse in all sizes at our house that Christmas!!
Enjoy!:) :) :) melomouse

My two and a half year old niece Stephanie definitely has her favorites, including It's a Small World (her absolute favorite), the Country Bear Jamboree, Casey Junior Circus Train and the larger train that circumnavigates the park. She also really enjoys Mickey and Minnie's houses in Toontown. She does not like dark rides, however. The sudden motions and loud noises proved to be too much for her.

Speaking of which, I never noticed how loud the ride soundtracks are until I had her with me. I found myself continually covering her ears. Perhaps some earplugs might be in order, if you think they are safe for your child.

Pretty much anything that is out in the open and gentle to the system should be a favorite with this easily scared age group. Oh! One other thing! Stephanie LOVED the parade. She kept trying to run out and join the performers.

Good luck! :D

Thanks to everyone for the great advice. We just got back from our trip to Disneyland yesterday and we had a great time!! My 2-yr old son, Zack, loved Dumbo the best. He cried and pitched a fit every time it ended and we had to get off. The same for the Teacups and the carousel. We tried Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland; he did okay on those, not crying, but he kept saying he wanted to "go home". He enjoyed the Jungle Cruise and Casey Jr. Railroad alot too. I must admit to being a little apprehensive about going, but he did so much better than I expected. We probably won't get back for another 3-4 years and then it'll be a whole different experience! Again, thanks to everyone for their advice.

Thanks for following up! I'm glad to hear you had a great time!!

Adrienne K