I think my son was around 23 months on his first visit. I've really come to believe that a lot of what they get excited about is because we get excited about that thing and they pick up the vibe. I had been living overseas and there was very little Disney culture there as opposed to living in the US, so I let my son watch a tonne of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes and got him a few books and colouring books, etc so he would even get an idea of who Mickey Mouse is. So by the time we went, he just about worshipped this mouse (can we all relate?) that we were going to see. So much so that he would happily walk up to most characters, but not Mickey. I think it was a case of being starstruck, seriously!
Here are a couple of things that worked for us although, as you know, children are all different.
-Letting go of "I've spent hundreds to get here and my child is just chasing the sparrows" and embracing taking pictures of my child chasing the sparrows...with the castle in the background ;-) Also, like someone else said, expect it to be different simply because the pace is slower and just soak in all those luscious parenting moments. I think I took a million photos on my son's first trip.
-Sticking to nap times so you don't head into meltdown mode. You suddenly realise how loud the entire park is! There is a great child care room at the hub end of main street (they have supplies for sale too!), and the quietest place we found for a nap in the stroller was a little garden in New Orleans Square. But I think it's pretty quiet just beyond the Pooh Bear ride, too, if there are benches. If you are staying nearby, though, I'd opt for the hotel.
-If he is used to babywearing, switch up stroller riding, baby wearing, and toddling along. He may have a nap or two on your back! Are you catching the sleep thing here? It's such a long day of overstimulation!
-If they still make them, we had a snack cup that had a rubbery cover with a slot in it so his little hand could fish out snacks while in the stroller without dumping the whole thing, raisins, cereal, etc. I had this great set of plastic chain links to attach it to the stroller so it wouldn't go far if dropped. Also, small sized juice boxes are great, especially if you can have them in the freezer before you take off so they are cold for a while. Just get everyone in your party to carry one so one person isn't carrying all the extra weight.
-Changes of clothes, nappies/diapers, a hat and sunscreen. One thing that caught us out was trying to buy pants in the park when my son was around 5, I believe, and ended up soaked. T shirts galore in the shops but very difficult to buy pants if they get cold or wet so plan for that.
-Make a beeline for Small World in the morning because that queue is seemingly always long, or seems it with a toddler! Heck, it seems like it with my now 8 year old!
-Apart from the obvious ones, avoid Pinocchio's Daring Journey. By the time we came out my son was crying and the baby behind us was crying too. Fantasyland's not all fun and games!
All these things are flooding back to me now! So excited for you! Have a lovely trip
P.S. You may already know this but there is a Dumbo "plane" behind the ride so you can take photos in it without trying to get one on the actual ride. Carousel photos are also such a cute souvenir!
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