Too Young for Disneyland?

[cstephens]

Folks who bring little ones have every right to do so - and folks who ascribe to waiting until their kids are older have the same right.

I think this is where I stand - people should make their own decisions about what's right for them, their family, and their kids. Too often, I see people telling other people that their kid isn't having enough fun or the right kind of fun, so it was a mistake for the parent to bring the child. And on the flip side, I've seen someone accuse another parent of child abuse because they purposely didn't bring their child to Disneyland until the child was 7 or 8. I've been to Disneyland with small children, children in the stroller set that some people say shouldn't be at Disneyland, and I'd bet a year's salary that you wouldn't be able to convince the children or the parents that the children didn't have enough of the right kind of fun on their visit.

[DianeM]

This thread has been very interesting to me. It is highlighting to me the differences in how people perceive Disneyland itself. It really amazes me how many people seem to feel that unless you can ride all the rides, you can't have a really good experience at DL. I never realized how important people consider the rides. I always thought of DL as a place where you can go to do all kinds of things, with rides as a fairly small component of the experience. One year we visited and all of the roller coasters were down except for Matterhorn, and we had a great time. We spent the time we would have been on rides wandering the park, and found new things to enjoy. My mother doesn't like roller coasters at all, but she loves to sit and "people watch" while we go on them. A lot of people who don't like most amusement parks love DL because there is so much to do that doesn't involve rides.

I see the kids at DL, and notice some that are sleeping, but most are enthusiastically pulling their parents towards one of the characters, or Fantasyland, or a show. There is so much to do for little kids at DL, it's hard for me to think of it as something that should wait until kids are older. Anyone who has been on the Storybook land canal boats, watching as a young child's eyes widen as the boat moves through the whale, or watched a child glow when he saw Mickey for the first time IN REAL LIFE, or had a child treasure his DL souvenirs to the point that he slept with them under the pillow for months will tell you that a child doesn't have to be old enough to ride all the rides to treasure the Disney experience. I'm just so glad my brother doesn't feel the way you (and others) do, because if he did, I would have missed out on experiencing all of the above with my 4 yo nephew (who wasn't big enough for a lot of the rides). Watching him enjoy the park for the first (and second) time, really changed the way I see the park forever. My most memorable moment will always be watching him have a sword fight with Captain Hook (he used his light saber). I can't imagine him doing that now. He's a little man now, at 7. He can ride the rides, but he knows that Mickey is just a guy in costume. It's still special, but there is something missing. No, make that different. It's just as good. :-)


This is the gist of my whole question. For me, the answer is yes, I would wait until they are all tall enough to ride every ride.. unless they are exceptionally tall for their age, this likely gives them enough life experience to handle those rides. Folks who bring little ones have every right to do so - and folks who ascribe to waiting until their kids are older have the same right.

[lobotomomma]

This is the reason we want to take our child when they are in the 2-4 age range. If we took them later it of course will be fun in other ways, but i want that magical stage too.
Angela~
I couldn't agree with you more! We're taking our 3 year old and have been told we're crazy for taking her but she is really into "Cinderella" and "Toy Story" right now--and she has seen most Disney movies it took a lifetime for me to see. She is just the right age to for it to still be a "magical" time for her. And yes, the only way she'll remember it is through photos! Her three older siblings are going and we are truly making it a "family" vacation. I do agree that waking up babies past midnight is extreme and also the yelling and screaming at kids isn't necessary. My thinking is if you treat this as being a positive experience for your kids you'll be rewarded by the light in their eyes and the smiles on their faces. If that makes me selfish, then I'm guilty as charged!!! :o)

[Malcon10t]

This is the gist of my whole question. For me, the answer is yes, I would wait until they are all tall enough to ride every ride.. unless they are exceptionally tall for their age, this likely gives them enough life experience to handle those rides.
I think this is where the 2 sides differ. To me, the park is sooooo much more than the rides. I go with a dog. The dog is never going to get to go on the Matterhorn. I agree with taking small children, if the parents want to.

See, on the other side of the coin, have you every tried to get a 9-11yo to take a pic with the characters? They are too old, and want nothing to do with it. And by 13, they are hiding if the characters come near them, cause heavan forbid mom gets a pic... There, to me, you lose out on a lot of the park, all the kid wants to do is ride, ride, ride....

[CaptainHook15]

I would say the 'right' age to bring a child depends entirely on the child.

I think my biggest gripe about kids in the park, and sadly this gripe applies to many adults too, is that many kids/adults are not well behaved enough to allow others to enjoy the park too.

If they can behave and the parents are willing and able to deal with them for a full day, I say bring 'em and enjoy!

And whose to say what a kid would and wouldn't remember? A good experience, or a good feeling, is just as good for a kid as a good memory is.

And also, since the stroller issue has been mentioned... I have no issue with the stroller itself, but I take great offense with the adults who use them as cow catchers when going through crowds! Please people! Watch where you are going.

[MammaSilva]

I've been reading and basically nodding or going hmmm but I have to say, I just spent a week in the area, while there I got to experience the park on two different occassions....on both trips we had a 22 month old, a almost 5 year old (he's five in about seven weeks give or take) and a 7 and half year old and a chonological 24 year old with a mental capacity of about 4/5....we had the BEST time...my total 'rides'.....for both trips : Pirates, DLRR, Mr. Toad and the Tiki room X2, the Main street Cinema for the first time in YEARS thanks to a new rule I implmented for myself...if we say "oh we'll do it on the way out" from now on, we are going to MAKE the time to 'do it on our way out' because like enjoying the Dapper Dans, one just never knows what the next Disney experience might be. The kids all rode a few more things than I did, I was the watch the baby hold the stroller person and I did it with a glad heart....I have over 300 pictures from our week....at least half of those are from the two days we spent at the park...I have pictures of the 22 month olds first time at Blue Bayou, I have pictures of the 4 year old on Jingles, I have pictures of the 4 kids just having the time of their lives being KIDS....can the 22 month old do what the 7 year old can, nope..and that's why you figure out the balance...but will we hire sitters for the 22 month old so we can take the older 3 NOT in this life....that boy LOVES his Mickey and he loves the Tiki and I don't care if the naysayers say he won't 'remember' these trips....he doesn't have to, we have pictures, we have stories and his mamma is a professional at preserving his memories for him to relive in years to come.

I think the bottom line is that you have to do what works for your family...and NO one else can make that call for you. If you saw us and saw that baby screaming as we were leaving toontown...you might think wow, they need to take him home, he's exhausted, you wouldn't realize that he isn't tired, he's MADDER than a wet hen that he had to leave his Mickey....he loves that mouse...I really don't judge parents with crying kids unless I hear the parents screaming I PAID for this and YOU will have a good time...then I think hmmm you might need to rethink your priority follks but even then I'm not going to go up to them and say, hello...get over yourself. We do what works for our kids, you do what works for yours....everyone is entitled to an opinion but like noses, everyone has them and their all different.

[lobotomomma]

I think this is where the 2 sides differ. To me, the park is sooooo much more than the rides. I go with a dog. The dog is never going to get to go on the Matterhorn. I agree with taking small children, if the parents want to.

See, on the other side of the coin, have you every tried to get a 9-11yo to take a pic with the characters? They are too old, and want nothing to do with it. And by 13, they are hiding if the characters come near them, cause heavan forbid mom gets a pic... There, to me, you lose out on a lot of the park, all the kid wants to do is ride, ride, ride....
I agree, Malcon10t. My older kids only concern is the rides,which is fine, but my younger two are coming to the park for the first time and I can hardly wait to see their reactions to seeing Sleeping Beauty's Castle for the first time and I'm sure I'll be a weepy mess seeing them hug Mickey! That is what Disneyland is all about in my opinion and I'm glad we're doing this as a family. Everyone's entitled to their opinion though and I respectfully agree/disagree with the different posts. Very interesting topic! Gets the old noodle working.....

[adriennek]

If you saw us and saw that baby screaming as we were leaving toontown...you might think wow, they need to take him home, he's exhausted, you wouldn't realize that he isn't tired, he's MADDER than a wet hen that he had to leave his Mickey....

Look at my avatar of the aforementioned 22-month-old and da mouse, then look me in the eye, without blinking, (not behind a computer keyboard,) and tell me that I wasted my time taking that kid to Disneyland.

It's entirely possible that someone could do it with a straight face. And I wanna be able to laugh right back at it. :D

Adrienne

[Crazy4DL]

everyone is entitled to an opinion but like noses, everyone has them and their all different.

LOL! I have never heard that expression before! cute and funny and oh so true :)

[WITron]

I will admit that when we took our daughter at 6 weeks it was purely selfish. I know that she will not remember that trip at all, but for my wife and I it was a perfect time to go, since my parents wanted us to come visit and show off their grand daughter to their friends there. The nice thing was that the baby center wa a great place for my wife to feed our daughter and we had a great time.

[SandraVB79]

Just curious - what criteria will you be using to measure that? And how much do they have to enjoy it? Does it mean they have to be tall enough to go on every ride? In theory, your idea sounds good, but I'm not sure how that works on a practical level.

What criteria? I want my children to be able to recognize the characters and the theme of the ride. I don't want them to look at Cinderella as a lady in a blue dress, I want them to know it's Cinderella.
I also want to make sure they won't be scared to meet the characters. I have seen enough "drama" with children who are scared to death by Mickey Mouse.
They don't have to be tall enough to go on every ride, it's not because you can't go on Space Mountain that you can't enjoy the park. But if it's just to play in the playground, and be scared of all the rest, I think it's a waste of money.

Next to all that, I don't see why it wouldn't work on a practical level.
As much as I love Disney, and how much I hope my future husband and children will somewhat share my passion, I also believe one can have a perfectly happy childhood without Disney. There are people out in the world who say that "people who deprive their children from Disney are the worst parents in teh world and shouldn't be allowed to have children". Well... I have my own ideas about that.


I've seen 8 and 9 year olds in rented strollers, and while looks don't tell you everything, it didn't appear to me that they needed the strollers per se.

I have my own ideas about all that, and I won't go into discussion about this subject. I can only tell that I haven't been in a stroller since I was 2.5 yo. Accoridng to my parents, since the moment I could run around (about 10 months old!) I didn't like the stroller that much anymore. Once my brother got born, they didn't even bother to put me in. God gave you two legs, use them! (and I just know there will be people who are going to start a discussion like "my daughter is 8 and needs a stroller because she has some handicap and can't walk". Those are exceptions, I was talking about children with "normal" abilities to walk around)

[SandraVB79]

I think this is where the 2 sides differ. To me, the park is sooooo much more than the rides. I go with a dog. The dog is never going to get to go on the Matterhorn. I agree with taking small children, if the parents want to.

See, on the other side of the coin, have you every tried to get a 9-11yo to take a pic with the characters? They are too old, and want nothing to do with it. And by 13, they are hiding if the characters come near them, cause heavan forbid mom gets a pic... There, to me, you lose out on a lot of the park, all the kid wants to do is ride, ride, ride....


I think it also depends on where you live, both distance-wise as culture-wise.

If you live close to Disneyland, and can go often, you can go to the park to people-watch and enjoy "smaller" things. If you have to come from far away, and spent a fortune on transportation, you don't go to a theme park to people watch and play on the playground. Unless you ahve of course so much money you don't know anything better to do with it, but unfortunately, that's not the case for me :D

Since I don't know too well about American teenagers, I don't know how they act at DL, I only know how I was when I was that age, how my bothers were and how my classmates/ friends were, and I think we would all have enjoyed it.

It all depends... just like with those noses!

[3894]

I think it also depends on where you live, both distance-wise as culture-wise.

If you live close to Disneyland, and can go often, you can go to the park to people-watch and enjoy "smaller" things. If you have to come from far away, and spent a fortune on transportation, you don't go to a theme park to people watch and play on the playground.

This is a really important point and SandraVB79 said it well.

If you get only a few shots at the DLR in your lifetime (or maybe even just one), then you really have to weigh the pros and cons. A thread like this is very useful. You listen to what everyone has to say and you make the decision that seems right to you.

For the locals, it might be fun to see what kind of deals you could get coming from, say, Chicago (I picked it because it's my neck of the woods) for air and hotel. You can pick the other variables like number of children and ages (but since we're talking about very young children in this thread ...).

For a hypothetical 4-day trip in July, family of two parents, 1 baby and a 3 year-old, the lowest I found was about $500/ea for air + hotel, holding the baby on my lap. That's about $1500. Then you have the food, of course, and the admission.

That's where I'm personally coming from. Yes, it's priceless to visit Disneyland with a little one... except it does actually come with a stiff pricetag for a young family not in the area.

[sixwoofys]

No one is ever too young for Disneyland.
It surprises me how many people know so little about children and babies.
Thank God Walt understood them.

[Pat-n-Eil]

No one is ever too young for Disneyland.
It surprises me how many people know so little about children and babies.
Thank God Walt understood them.

The people who advocate this point of view don't allow any slack for those who don't. Despite Adriennek's a picture is worth a thousand words approach, I submit that a picture is but a single moment in time.

Really, I must admit there is poor wording in my original post and probably even in the topic name.

If I could rename it, I'd use "SOME are too young for Disneyland".

Those SOME are the kids with parents who don't want to sacrifice most of the attractions that are geared for more mature kids and adults. The other SOME are those kids who wouldn't enjoy most of the visit - only the parent knows if they have that kind of child.

If you are a parent who is solely at Disneyland to give your infant the best experience they can have, then you have the right mindset. If you have older kids and must choose to modify the experience in order to accomodate the youngest child, then despite everyone having a "good time" it seems the older child really was cheated out of an even more fun & exciting experience than they had. It is a definite compromise which "works" but not all the way. That's my take.

I don't believe it is selfish at all to have a vacation that allows everyone to enjoy themselves fully. Granted, many folks in this thread have compromises, sacrifices, disabilities, preferences and other family circumstances that force them to modify their Disneyland experience from what it could be if they didn't have these issues. More power to them that they are able to enjoy Disneyland at their own pace and level of physical abilities. I never said that nobody should bring stroller aged kids, It was my intention to postulate that SOME are too young and won't enjoy it. My friend's kids for example.

For me, the trip down to Disneyland constitutes a pricey vacation that takes planning and forethought. It is a major part of our alotted vacation expenses. For me, no trip to Disneyland would be complete if I weren't able to enjoy the things that I think and dream about when I'm away from it - including ride style attractions and shows that require a quiet audience, etc.

A vacation of sitting on the bench people watching, often waiting in lines for character photo ops, halting my day to take a break to find the diaper changing rooms, pushing around a stroller, and working almost exclusively to try and get a smile on my baby's face just isn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I love getting kids to smile and laugh, but I can spend a whole lot less travel time and money by taking my little one to see the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus at the mall. Maybe Disney on Ice. That's just me. I've already been there and done that when my kids were babies. I remember carting around an trunk full of stuff (diaper bag, playpen, swing, stroller.. etc.) and as rewarding of a time in life as that is, I was definitely happy when the diaper era was over.

I know that some of you may be thinking (if not typing) something like "wow. You aren't comitted enough to your children's happiness".

I disagree completely.

I feel there are easier and cheaper ways to achieve the Disneyland type of experience for a baby or infant rather than thinking about how to accomodate the baby at the expense of the rest of the family's ability to enjoy the rest of the park.

[disneyhound]

I agree with you last post Pat&Eli!

Your original post was soliciting from fellow padders their opinion, their opinion, of children too young for Disneyland. My response was:


About 9 years old! I don't get parents who push a stroller, with a two year old passed out, come on! Or kids under five throwing a fit. Maybe school-aged kids is a good break, if they can function in a classroom, they can handle the park.

Many people took a personal objection to my post. Some seemed to imply any suggestion to an age appropriate response was an affront to their parenting skills, or god help us, an attack on Walt's dream! Opinions were sought, I gave mine, sorry to have offended...

No one is suggesting a ban on children. If someone wishes to bring their infant to Disneyland, more power to them. If someone chooses to wait until their child is 7, that parent is not depriving their little one of an early childhood experience. (Please understand that my use of age 7 in the previous sentence was completely arbitrary and in no way suggests that children 6 and under should be left at home next time you visit DL.)

I don't remember my earliest Disneyland visits. Photos exist, I know I was there, but I have no memory of being held on the Jungle Cruise by my Mom. I was smiling, was I having a good time, or was it gas...

[Malcon10t]

often waiting in lines for character photo ops, halting my day to take a break to find the diaper changing rooms, pushing around a stroller, and working almost exclusively to try and get a smile on my baby's face just isn't for me. I think what bothered me was you were trying to convince your friend, who probably knows what THEY like in life, that going to Disneyland with their child was wrong. That they should wait. I disagree with telling them they were wrong for wanting to take their small child, and to wait til the were older.

[Pat-n-Eil]

I think what bothered me was you were trying to convince your friend, who probably knows what THEY like in life, that going to Disneyland with their child was wrong. That they should wait. I disagree with telling them they were wrong for wanting to take their small child, and to wait til the were older.

But you don't know my friend and his children like I do, nor his finances and his wife. I know you disagree with me, but I am telling you that he should really wait for many things including his son's comfort level and their disposable income. He was on the side of the fence of not going yet, and I agreed with him. I was helping him with reasons to tell his wife.

[acpalmer]

As much as I love Disneyland, I tried to convince him that his kids may be too young.

I think it was that line that gave many of us the impression that you were trying to convince your friend, rather than just agreeing with him. I know that's what made me think that it was convincing rather than agreeing, anyway, I really shouldn't speak for the others...

[Pat-n-Eil]

I think it was that line that gave many of us the impression that you were trying to convince your friend, rather than just agreeing with him. I know that's what made me think that it was convincing rather than agreeing, anyway, I really shouldn't speak for the others...

Sure, I can see why you'd think that from my post. I didn't really put our conversation in the right context when I wrote about it. I didn't have to convince him, I just supported his position because I know his kids and I really do think some kids aren't ready for it. I know it would be a financial struggle for them to get this done and I think they'd have a much better time later - for many reasons.

Sometimes on an internet forum I don't edit myself as much as I should.. I just let it flow the way it comes to me. Perhaps I will examine my posts for more accuracy in the future - especially on topics I know will be controversial.

[MouseFaninQueue]

Chalk it up to 7 pages of insightful (or was that inciteful?? ;)) discussion. Lots of people admitted they did a lot of "hmmm'ing" over this topic ...

[tmptink]

I am new to all of this. I am giving my two cents in. I am a mother of now 2 1/2 years old. We went to WDW when she was 6 months and she did great. Of course she will not remember but it was my whole families first time to WDW. When she was 2 we went to DL. She had a blast. We went at her pace. When she napped she was in her stroller. She enjoys that more than in a bed. That is when we were able to go on the big kid rides.

When we were at DL I heard a at least 8 year old boy who was begging his parents to go home.

I think it comes down to the child. And every child is different. Some will love it some will hate. With taking my child I want to see how it would be and it was a great time. I am going again in May. Who knows, she may hate it. But I doubt it.

[mkyears]

No one is to young for Disneyland:)

[bekky]

He was on the side of the fence of not going yet, and I agreed with him. I was helping him with reasons to tell his wife.


Im interested to hear what your friend & his wife decide to do now.

If they end up going ... we will all want a trip report ;)

[sixwoofys]

No one is to young for Disneyland:)

I couldn't have said it better myself.

My first trip to Disneyland was in 1962. I was 3 years old and I remember LOTS! Of course DL was much different then. The magic was still magic though and I was obsessed from that moment. I remember not understanding why we couldn't just move to Disneyland and live there. It seemed so simple to me. The happiest memories on earth - I still have them. Don't cheat your child by underestimating them. Just because they may not say much dosen't mean they aren't taking it in. They understand much more that we know. If money is truly an object then maybe you should save up and make one BIG trip someday. Money should not be an object when it comes to Disneyland. You can't put a price tag on a 3 year old's memories. My parents probably paid $7.95 for the coupon book. Maybe a lot of money in '62. Thanks Mom and Dad, it was definetly worth it.

My only regret is that I had to wait until I was 3 to go!