I already have a thread for my visit to WDW the second week of December where I ask for some advice on visiting during Xmas season and where to stay. Now, I ask you for some new advice.

By the time we visit the park our daughter will be two-years-old. What are the best things to do in the park with a toddler that age? We've already decided we won't be doing the 'Commando' touring that's normally done. This is a trip for our daughter.

Any advice will be appreciated.

lots and lots of rides on the carousel :D

When we went back when my son was 2 (for the 25th ann celeb) he loved the carousel. He also loved small world (i however needed therapy after all those rides lol) j/k. The country bears, the jungle cruise and the tiki room were a real hit with him too. He loved the mermaid show in mgm. Playhouse disney wasnt there then but i'm sure your daughter would LOVE that too. The muppets however made him go CRAZY. So use your judgement there. I think it was just a little too dark and way too loud for him. That was the only time he cried the whole trip, but we got him out of there right away and he was fine the rest of the trip.

One thing i will tell you, go with no expectations. My son at 2 bascially said about 5 words, one of which was pooh. He loved pooh. Actually he always drew it out real dramatic poooooooooooooh lol. So we get to wdw, my dad suprises us all with lunch at the crystal palace and here comes pooh to the table. My son didnt cry but basically looked at this much bigger than he's ever seen, giant, fuzzy, real life bear and basically stared at him as if to say "get away from me" lol. It was cute, pooh played peek-a-boo with him to try and get him to smile, no dice. Then eeyore (my fav) comes along and my son giggles like crazy, go figure. So go with the flow and everything will be fine. hope this helps some.

Lots of 2 yr olds have gone to the parks with me !! ( MIMI ) I am a grama who thinks this place is a developemental wonderland . LOL.
Plan on seeing all the parades. They love them. also, Go to toon town via the train you can get on at main street station. ( unless u are using one of the parks strolers that don't fold up. Then you will have to hoof it.
Pooh ride is good. Small World is Great!You know your baby
and what things will scare her, but if you keep talking , pointing things out, act happy and excited, you can get around the scare and turn it into a cool experience. OK at the risk of sounding like a poop,The main caregiver needs to be the one holding the baby on all rides.Without going into a big speel, survice it to say , new things that might be scary to a 2 yr. old, is not the time to try and bond. If the kid is wanting Mommy give the kid to mommy. Or whoever. If thats hurts feelings, tough.The child will have more fun with the one he trusts to keep him safe. Sorry , thats just the way it is.
ever try to change a 2 yr. olds mind????
The whole atmosphere at WDW is amazing to a child that age. Just relax and go with the flow. Keep your camera ready and remember if things get to tough, there is a ice cream cart around the corner!

By the time he was two, my normally outgoing kid was starting to exhibit fears. He wanted NOTHING to do with characters. Characters scared him a lot. He was fine from a distance but not up close. I really wanted him to be "over" this, but it wasn't my choice to make. Not all two y/o's will react this way, but just be prepared that yours might be. I have a friend whose son still isn't crazy about characters at 5 while his 2 y/o sibling loved them, so you never know, but be prepared.

At this age, Matthew didn't like Pirates or dark rides, either. *know your kid* Some kids will get over it once on the ride, others won't. It's not fair to the child (or to the other people at the park!) to be dragged screaming on a ride. And best of all, there are so many other things to see and do that if your child does not like the dark rides, you can go ride or see something else!

Adrienne K

I don't remember exactly how old I was; maybe 5 or 6. My mom took me to a musical show starring my favorite frog character (I don't remember his name; this was in Japan). I was fine, up until near the end of the show, when they welcomed children to walk up near the stage. When I got there, I saw that the froggies were all just human beings in costumes, wearing rubber heads. I could see parts of their faces from the frog mouth.

EGADS! That was it for me! After that, I didn't like the frogs at all. Talk about breaking the magic spell.

It's quite possible young children dislike the head characters because they are far larger "in real life" than on TV, or that the children can sense that they aren't real. Who knows?

The best advice given to me -- have small toys or bubbles for your child to play with while in line. I used this with both of my girls when they were smaller. Everybody in line enjoyed the bubbles! I used the little bottles that you get at most weddings. I also used dryerase board and markers. My kids never really minded waiting in lines! Don't forget to use those Fast Passes! It can really help with little ones!

Originally posted by Annette
The best advice given to me -- have small toys or bubbles for your child to play with while in line. I used this with both of my girls when they were smaller. Everybody in line enjoyed the bubbles! I used the little bottles that you get at most weddings. I also used dryerase board and markers. My kids never really minded waiting in lines! Don't forget to use those Fast Passes! It can really help with little ones!

great idea for when it's crowded but no lines when this family is going.

The only concern I have with bubbles is that I usually ask the people around me in line if they mind. I've been in lines before when other people assumed that everyone would love their diversions, only to have some "helpful" other guest attempt to blast my relatively young baby with her squirt bottle. Fortunately, my quick thinking friend blocked the bottle and told the lady that we really did not want to be squirted, thank you.

Now, I'm not at ALL implying that you would do something like that, Annette. Just commenting that sometimes when we're in line, we forget that the other people around us might not like our bubbles, squirt bottles, etc. Some people have skin sensitivities and such, so it's usually a good idea to ask first.

Personally, I have bubbles in multiple pockets of my diaper bag as well as a couple in my purse :)

Adrienne K

I guess I should have made it clearer that I had plenty to spare and share with others. We also asked others around us before we used them.

Also, even a five minute wait can seems like an eternity to a child. So even when the crowds are minimal it always helps to be prepared with a few things to help entertain small children. The longest waits we had with the children in the early part of December was for some of the shows like - The Little Mermaid or Playhouse Disney.

You never know how kids will react. I went this past Feb with my then 2-3/4 year old. Now, he is normally very shy and refuses to speak to any adult he doesn't know VERY well, let alone strangers. I was expecting the worst at the character breakfasts, but he LOVED them. Chef Mickey's was probably his favorite part of the whole trip.

The worst part was waiting in line. Definitely use fast pass and avoid any line over 15 minutes.

My 2 year old loved: the carousel, Peter Pan, the Country Bear Jamboree, the Tomorrowland Speedway, the railroad, Bear and the Big Blue House, Indiana Jones, and especially all the parades.

He wasn't crazy about: Pirates, lines, Backlot Tour.

In general my kids loved just being in the parks. The atmosphere is so wonderful, they love running around and climbing on all the props. I think they would be perfectly happy without the rides!