How young is too young?

[sir clinksalot]

I know we have all seen it. Babies in the parks. When our kids were born we waited until they were 1 to take them to the parks. Any younger than that and it wouldn't have been fun, for them, or us.

We have seen babies as young as 10 days old at the parks before. IMO, that is WAY too young. Not only for the age, but for health reasons.

What does everyone think is an appropriate age to start taking kids to parks?

[Cuzco-topia]

Nice segway from the stroller thread by the way

Are the parents going there for the kids or for themselves? Would you take your young child to the arboretum or the zoo? My parents did when I was quite young and have many beautiful pictures that my dad took. Not so much different from taking them to DL. I say it's a lovely place to sit, eat, take pictures...etc. Why not? But like you said, of course there are health concerns for very young babies going anywhere outside in public. But all in all, I find no problem taking any age child.

[PirateMunkee]

I know we have all seen it. Babies in the parks. When our kids were born we waited until they were 1 to take them to the parks. Any younger than that and it wouldn't have been fun, for them, or us.

We have seen babies as young as 10 days old at the parks before. IMO, that is WAY too young. Not only for the age, but for health reasons.

What does everyone think is an appropriate age to start taking kids to parks?

We took our niece who is 5 for her first time around Christmas. Just the right age if you ask me. She was tall enough for everything except Indy and wasn't afraid to go on any of the coasters.

[WickedQueen]

I think any age is a good age to get kids to go to a theme park so that they get socialized. I , however, DO NOT agree with taking kids (babies) into a movie theater, play , library, or any where else where it is widley known that it needs to be quiet.
Alos, it is a VERY big pet peeve of mine when I see parents FORCING their kids to go on attractions. And it is a cherry on the top when the parents tell their kids that "Snow White's Scary Adventure is not a SCARY ride!"
Umm .. hello ... question in the back??

[mamabot]

Great question sirclinksalot! My first trip to DL with the kids is when Brian was 20 months and Ali was 7 weeks. I think they liked the fireworks more than anything. At that age, they do see things. I think it is good for kids to be out and about in the world. And they can pick up germs anywhere. My kids did not get sick after their first visit to DL.

I cannot pass the place where we watched the fireworks and not think of the that specific moment in time. I can still feel the swell of love I felt in my heart while taking pictures of not the fireworks but of our group watching the fireworks.

As for my answer to your question: I think parents should take kids to DL when they feel they are ready for their kids to be at DL. Not a moment sooner.

[Mousekiteer]

I'd say 1 year old at the least.

[dsnylndmom]

I took my oldest at 18 months and my youngest at 12 months 1 week

They were both awash with wide-eye fascination at these ages and there is still soo much that they can do. Will they remember these trips, no. But I will and those memories will always hold a special place in my heart :love: (sappy but true)

I think it's up to each family to decide when is the right age to take their child, but IMO I agree with Sir Clinksalot, I wouldn't take my kids at 10 days like that. I kept my kids at home for their first two weeks! :o And only a few places after that for awhile. *I*(not against anyone else)just didn't feel the need to take them all over and expose the to God knows what it was just how I felt. It was especially important with my youngest who was a preemie and in the NICU for awhile after his birth.

I can say that some of my favorite memories with my boys have been at the 3 & 4 year old ranges at Disneyland. Everything is just so magical at that age. I love it.

[mamabot]

And it is a cherry on the top when the parents tell their kids that "Snow White's Scary Adventure is not a SCARY ride!"
Umm .. hello ... question in the back??

My kids were terrified of the ride up until a few months ago. The Wicked Queen still scares me when I least expect her to be popping around a corner. This is one ride I would never force my kids to go on...until they asked of course.

My apologies to WickedQueen. I should have zigged when I zagged. Post changed as a result. Thanks to Dsnylndmom for pointing out the error of my post.

[sleepyjeff]

My wife and I took our Son when he was just 7 months old...of course we did it for ourselves (something was glowing away), but he still had a great time. We went again when he was 19 months but then waited until he was 4 years old before going a third time with him.

Believe it or not, it was more enjoyable when he was 7 months then when he was 19 months(although, we are comparing fun to fun as both trips were awesome).....

Nothing, however, compares to the trip when he was 4 years old. We have been several times since and those two times before and all fall short of the utter delight our little family had together on that trip :love:

[DznyVan]

I was 7 when I first went to DL. I still remember bits and pieces of the trip.

All four of our kids started very young at the Parks. I personally noticed that about three years old it sunk in. The excitement level upon arriving was way up there and they were really into the characters and rides.

All of the kids were great with the Characters. The only incident was at Goofy's Kitchen when Genie kind of snuck up onto my 2 year old daughter while she was looking down at her food deciding what she would eat next. She put some food in her mouth, looked up and saw that huge blue head loking at her and immediately tried to scream at the top of her lungs, but nothing came out (other than the food). I swear she turned just as blue as the Genie was before he left and we calmed her down.

For the rest of the evening, we had to watch out for the Genie and distract her if he walked by our table. She didn't mind the Princesses, but anything with a "head" on it disturbed her.

Six months later on our next trip down, she forgot all about it and took pictures and smiled at all of the characters. I think she'll live a normal life...

[WickedQueen]

My kids would have begged to differ up until a few months ago. They were terrified of the ride. The Wicked Queen still scares me when I least expect her to be popping around a corner. This is one ride I would never force my kids to go on...until they asked of course.

I used to work that attraction ... and I agree ... the witch AND the forrest scene is terrifying. This is the reason that the imagineers re-named the attraction!

[Moonliner]

Like just about anything to do with kids, it all depends on the parents.

Certainly even the youngest newborn craves a variety of sights and sounds. We took our kids to a wide variety of places: Parades, state fairs, zoo's, etc.. Set them in a stroller facing out and keep 'um moving. The more neurons firing at a younger age the better.

On the other hand, we (mom and dad) missed out on a lot those events had to offer during those early years. We skipped the rides, avoided the noon time sun, took frequent breaks for down time, etc... We still had fun because we were happy to sacrifice for the needs of the kids.

Some new parents don't view things that way and take kids where they want to go keeping the focus on themselves. That's just wrong be it at Disneyland a movie, or even at home.

[SurfedUpDane]

The age of a child is not the issue friends, it is the behavior that should be at question. There are plenty of very well behaived children that pass through Disney's gates each day, but at the same time there are some kids resembling animals that should be on a leash at all times. So the thing you have to realize; there could be a 2 year old that has manners far more pleasing then say a 6 year old.
It's all about character and personality.
Next on Dr. Phil... (hahahaha)

Kyle

[sir clinksalot]

^ Good point. I've seen kids so bad, even at Disneyland. My kids knew that we would never stand for that, and AP or no AP, we would go home at the first sign of bad behavior.

Luckily we never had that issue.

I can say that some of my favorite memories with my boys have been at the 3 & 4 year old ranges at Disneyland. Everything is just so magical at that age. I love it.

Same here. We just have so many great memories of the place, and these were during the dreaded "Pressler years".

[Moonliner]

The age of a child is not the issue friends, it is the behavior that should be at question.

"There are no bad students only bad teachers"
- Mr. Miyagi.

Same applies to parents.

[Whatever]

Same applies to parents.

Yep - I think it totally depends on the parents, and the social disposition of the kid. anywhere from about 1 to, uh, never...

[DISNEYJUNKIE]

Always took my kids to the park when they we little ...how else could i get my DL fix?Both girls about 4-5 months old for their first trips. I also took my grandson to Goofys Kitchen for his first disney experience when he was 10 weeks old. Once again everyone was so nice..when we were being seated the Macarena music and dance started and my daughter asked the hostess if we could possibly be seated outside the area of the main event. The hostess put us to the left of the kitchen in a seating area that was closed,it was wonderful the characters entrance and exit door was right behind us and all the characters just loved Aidan and we got the best first character photos. The rule of thumb I followed with the girls as they grew was if you met the height requirements and wanted to go on the ride they could. If they didnt want to go because they were scared no prob , they sat with Dad, the original bench rider!

[StephanieA]

I suppose the first thing I'd ask myself as a parent deciding when to take my child to Disneyland is, are they going to remember this day? If I am alone with a child at Disneyland, I'm not going to have tons of fun on my own riding the big rides because I'll be with a child--my purpose for coming to the park would be for my child's enjoyment. Secondly, considering whether they can handle a day at Disneyland (if the child is so young it can't walk, is it really going to understand or enjoy the rides?).

I am often baffled by people who bring their tiny children to Disneyland. However, I have a suspicion that many times people bring their small children to the park because they are actually bringing their older children to the park, and have to bring the small children because they don't have a babysitter at home.

[Not Afraid]

Bring your child to Disneyland as an infant - as long as it is Dr. approved, carry them around in a shoulder harness and let them get used to the world. However, stay a short while and leave when you child need to sleep. That's the responsible parent thing to do.

Beyond that, make the visits short, just sample the park with your child. You can't have a full day of Disneyland with an invant or a Toddler. It is ridiculous to think you can.

[AlxVision360]

Our oldest daughter was just beginning to walk when she had her first taste of Disneyland. Back then you could purchase roundtrip tickets on the monorail from the Hotel DL station. They'd put you in the tail compartment. It was the perfect place for our little girl to walk around freely inside while enjoying the sights as we cruised by the Matterhorn, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland (back when it was still a happening place). We've waited until each of our 4 kids was old enough to at least waddle a bit before they got to go into the park. Watching their face light up when they see a character up close for the first time or giggle on a ride is priceless. Kids can certainly be a challenge some times (diapers, tantrums, naps...) but there is also something extra special about sharing the magic of DL with children.