As you might have guessed, we here at Chip and Co love Disneyland! As a newer writer here, I have imagined some of the questions readers may have. One that I struggled with personally was what’s the right age to visit Disneyland? I imagine some of you may have the same concerns.
So my wife and I discussed, with some trepidation, taking our toddler son with us right after his 3rd birthday. We wondered what’s the right age to visit Disneyland? Additionally, we were feeling slightly guilty over the number of trips we’d taken since his birth to Disneyland without him. So we said Hakuna Matata and off we went. This was an especially good trip for his first visit. We were fortunate enough to have my Sister in law and her family with us, including our 6 year old niece. They were visiting us from Stockholm for a few weeks, so off we went. It was both kids first visit!
I know many, many parents have asked me what’s the right age to visit Disneyland? I’m not fully sure there’s a correct answer. Before going we felt 3 may have been too young. In some ways we were right, mostly we were wonderfully surprised at his enjoyment, wonder and curiosity over the whole magical experience. Were there moments of time that we wanted to rip our hair out, yeah… Quite a few moments. Were there just as many, if not more moments of looking at each other with pride in our kid who was loving Disney as much as we were… Absolutely.
Top Reasons to bring your toddler to Disneyland:
- You will experience Disney anew through them
- Starstruck look when seeing Mickey live for the first time
- Raising your hero status to unprecedented levels
- Magical Memories
- They find everything to be curiosier and curiosier
- You will see parts of Disneyland you didn’t even know existed
- Finding that ride that makes them giggle uncontrollably
Top Reasons NOT to bring your toddler to Disneyland:
- They will lick EVERYTHING… Including the chains separating lines
- They want EVERYTHING… Including bringing Mickey home
- They eat EVERYTHING… If it’s a treat, they will eat it
- They will cry about EVERYTHING… you will never go the right way, ever
- They want to do EVERYTHING… Right NOW!
Those are our experiences with bringing our toddler to Disneyland. You’re now on your own. However, feel free to leave comments with your own experiences and concerns!
One last tip, watch your kids around Captain Hook though, he’ll lure them with cool balloons and turn them into Pirates!
I hope you find this information fun, new and worthwhile.
Daniel is a self-proclaimed Disney Geek, Disney Vacation Planner and a Disneyland Specialist. When he’s not adding to the plethora of Disney Trivia in his head, you can find him on his Facebook Page and/or follow him on Twitter…
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I’ve taken my son to Disneyland several times in the past: the first time in October just before his first birthday, the second time in June when he was about 1 1/2 and again in October when he was just before two and each and every time he loved it and we had a different experience each time. The very first trip he was just happy to be pushed in the stroller and to take in all the sights and sounds. The second trip was much of the same except he would walk a lot more but still would sit in the stroller when walking to and from attractions. The last time he was much more involved in the whole experience and I can’t wait to take him back again this December for his third birthday. We always travel with extended family so we take advantage of grandparents waiting with him while we ride the attractions he can’t but overall he was able to ride the majority of the rides and he enjoyed them. Traveling with a toddler of course brings challenges and the most common for us was him being tired (although we did nap every afternoon) and him just being over-stimulated. I would definitely recommend taking a break during the hottest part of the day and returning to the hotel for a nap and then going to the parks later in the evening. My son absolutely loved the parades but was frightened by Fantasmic. You know your children better than anyone so I really believe it is up to each individual family to decide when the time is right.
We found that 4 was a good age for 1st visits for both daughters. No more naps or pull-ups; big enough for most rides; could go all day with some resting here and there (did take strollers since both would still glady be pushed around for long walks at that age); own stash of snacks did fine instead of buying all park food; had a toy or two for them when waiting in lines; old enough to go to characters without freaking out; no need for cribs, diapers, nursing, … all that comes with babies and toddlers. To spend the money we did on a long trip from Texas, we are glad we waited. If, however, you live near the parks and can get there easily, taking younger kids can work with the allowances that go with those ages.
We are making our first trip to Disneyland this summer and taking our 7 year old and 2 1/2 year old daughters. They, and we, are so excited to experience this magical land with our girls. Our youngest keeps telling me that we’ll see Cinderella at Disney. I love how enthusiastic they both are about this trip. We’ll be starting our countdown soon! I went to Disney World when I was 12 (eons ago!!) and can’t wait to be immersed in the Disney culture again.