Help with itinerary with a walking adventurous 1.5 y/o

[rentayenta]

We are joining out of town family at Disney next week, one day with park hoppers, and I am needing help making a plan for them; its been forever since I have had to plan around little kids. Thankfully.

The baby is 1.5, walking, and adventurous. He should be fine with us while mom and dad ride things; we are happy to sit off so they can ride as we are local. Neither parent grow up Disney so we are wanting to make their first family trip special. So far we bought the baby a Stitch bubble blower and autograph book; he loves Stitch!

I would be grateful for any sort of touring advice with regard to rides. We are going next Thursday (not a Halloween Party night thankfully).

Thanks for any tips and advice!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Stroller. Baby carrier. We have a toddler Lenny lamb

Although ours were walking at that age we didn’t allow them to walk in main areas. They got out of stroller once we got to a land and into carrier for lines. For playing we let them down in goofy’s house.

We spent lots of time at the hotel. Only about 5 hours in the parks. So maybe you can take baby to the hotel for nap and let the parents enjoy themselves.

 

[rentayenta]

Stroller. Baby carrier. We have a toddler Lenny lamb

Although ours were walking at that age we didn’t allow them to walk in main areas. They got out of stroller once we got to a land and into carrier for lines. For playing we let them down in goofy’s house.

We spent lots of time at the hotel. Only about 5 hours in the parks. So maybe you can take baby to the hotel for nap and let the parents enjoy themselves.

Thank you!

They are not staying onsite; they are in town 4 days only one of which is a Disney day. They're staying in Long Beach.

I do like the idea of giving them some alone time but not sure they'll want it; they take lots of adult only trips.

They'll have a stroller for sure!

ToonTown is a good idea.

 

[l4dyj8]

Every kid is different. But I like breaks and not rushing from one ride to the other.

It’s good to avoid rides over a 20 minute wait. Pooh in DL and Ariel and Monsters Inc in CA are great. Everyone can go and the wait isn’t bad. The steamboat is nice break. the Colombian offers no shade. Tom Sawyer island and redwood challenge is fun BUT if you don’t have the energy to chase around a toddler, think twice.

Some might not like the characters in costume.

Animation area in CA and the Star Wars area in Tomorrowland are good area for little ones to roam without too much foot traffic.

Tell the parents about the baby center for diaper changes or toddler potty. It’s clean and quiet. They also have high chairs, microwaves and extra wipes Nd baby needs

 

[rentayenta]

Every kid is different. But I like breaks and not rushing from one ride to the other.

It’s good to avoid rides over a 20 minute wait. Pooh in DL and Ariel and Monsters Inc in CA are great. Everyone can go and the wait isn’t bad. The steamboat is nice break. the Colombian offers no shade. Tom Sawyer island and redwood challenge is fun BUT if you don’t have the energy to chase around a toddler, think twice.

Some might not like the characters in costume.

Animation area in CA and the Star Wars area in Tomorrowland are good area for little ones to roam without too much foot traffic.

Tell the parents about the baby center for diaper changes or toddler potty. It’s clean and quiet. They also have high chairs, microwaves and extra wipes Nd baby needs

Great tip on the baby centers. Its been a looooong time.

I like the idea of not waiting longer than 20 minutes in a line.

With 4 adults, we might be able to manage Tom Sawyer Island but we'll see how rambunctious he is.


As far as musts (and I realize the child won't remember, its more for the parents) I loved Dumbo with my kids! Jumping' Jellyfish too. I'll need to look at height requirements.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Great tip on the baby centers. Its been a looooong time.

I like the idea of not waiting longer than 20 minutes in a line.

With 4 adults, we might be able to manage Tom Sawyer Island but we'll see how rambunctious he is.


As far as musts (and I realize the child won't remember, its more for the parents) I loved Dumbo with my kids! Jumping' Jellyfish too. I'll need to look at height requirements.

Dumbo will be OK but not Jumping Jellyfish. Lots and lots of rides are fine for that age as long as he is not too scared... Pirates, It’s a Small World, Nemo Subs, all of Fantasyland, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Buzz Light Year, the Disneyland Railroad, Little Mermaid, Monsters Inc, Golden Zephyr... I’m forgetting some I think.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

When my daughter was that age, we did these things a lot:
At DL:
Small World
Carousel
Main Street Transportation vehicles
Tarzan's Treehouse
Toontown - especially Goofy's house. The "sound buttons" on the floor around the fountain were also a big hit (still are!)
Mark Twain
Winnie the Pooh
Watched Mickey and the Magical Map, if it was showing
Found live music and let her "dance"

At DCA:
RIP, Bugsland
Animation room (she could spend HOURS in there, still can!)
Ariel
Redwood Challenge Creek (veer left when you get in, over to the slides/cave/bear rocks - that's the most little-kid-friendly area, and a couple of strategically-placed adults can contain the kiddo to roam free for awhile)
Monster's Inc/let her run around a bit in that corner of Hollywood Studios area

**Note: I don't have the energy for chasing actual littles around Tom Sawyer's Island, and the whole raft thing makes it so time-consuming. I MUCH prefer RCC.

My kiddo LOVED characters and so we also spent a lot of time meeting characters. Not all kids feel that way.

 

[leahlefler]

We took my oldest son at 15 months of age and it was a blast. We didn't do California Adventure, though - just Disneyland. He loved the fire engine on Main Street, Small World, Peter Pan, Buzz, the monorail, the carousel, Dumbo, and even Pirates (go figure). He really loved almost everything! He did get frustrated if he was in his stroller too long, because he really wanted to exercise his legs. We let him walk around in the back alleys of New Orleans Square for a while. We skipped Tom Sawyer's Island but did do the Tiki Room (he liked it). We just followed his lead - he loved the playground by Goofy's house. This is a pic of him on the monorail, all those years ago (he's almost 13 now and still loves Disney)!

 

[l4dyj8]

I just remembered, while our 8 year old was dragging her dad along the different attractions of the Redwood Challenge, I was with our 2 year old exploring the auditorium area. Chip or dale (I don’t know the difference) came by. We had an uninterrupted photo opp with him. They just roam around randomly.

As a parent, there’s plenty to do and see. There’s also a cookie dedorating area near toon town.

Also buffets are free for under 3. We’ve stayed at Paradis Pier and see Stitch all the time. They hang out at the lobby after Surf’s up meal times.