What a Difference a (One) Year (Old) Makes

As my readers know, I first took Ronan to Disney at the tender age of five months (as guests of my sister, basically just along for the ride). Aside from him not sleeping so great in the Pack and Play, he did awesome. Loved the characters, the shows, even the dark rides. I would tell anyone who would listen, “Oh, my son’s not afraid of anything. And Nemo is his favorite! He watched the entire forty minutes, totally enraptured and never cried once.”

Wow, do I regret that! Karma came back to bite me. HARD.

Now that I’ve learned from my mistakes, I’d like to share some of my insights with you – even non-parents can take something away from my stumbles.

Characters can be scary

When Ronan was five months old, he was loving on the characters. He kissed Minnie Mouse on her nose and didn’t shy away from Pluto. At one, he was terrified. Poor kid would have jumped out of his high chair and into my lap if he wasn’t strapped in!

So what did I learn?

1. I should have phased in with face characters first – when he met Tinkerbell, he did fine. Not even a glimmer of fear.
2. I should have held him to meet the characters – they were ‘in his space’ at the meals, which didn’t help with the fear factor.
3. He will get over this eventually – so I just have to be patient.

 
Everyone needs a nap and their regular bedtime

Ronan is on a two-nap schedule, about 45-60 minutes in the morning and about 90 minutes in the afternoon. Well, no way were we going to be able to accommodate that first nap in our room. He took it on the go and for the most part, he did fine.

We did our very best to get back to the room for his afternoon nap every day, which also gave us a chance to decompress, do laundry, etc.

Fast forward to Tuesday night’s Halloween party, and Ronan lasted a grand total of 45 minutes. It didn’t help that the party was very crowded, it was also right on top of his bedtime and the kid wanted his crib in a major way.

So what did I learn?

1. As my hubby says, we needed to ‘stick with what we know’ – and that means a park in the morning, afternoon break and then a different park in the evening. He’s right.
2. We’re not going to be able to see the fireworks at ANY park in person unless we have a babysitter (thanks, Grandpa D!) or can see it from our resort room window. The kid needed to go to bed when he was accustomed to, or else.

 
Loud and close has the potential for disaster

We live in a big city and our house is on a busy street. Ronan doesn’t get freaked out by sirens, loud cars, etc. As previously mentioned, he LOVED Finding Nemo: The Musical on our March 2014 trip. So I got Fast Passes for the show this time around…the show starts, and Ronan cries like there’s no tomorrow.

So what did I learn?

1. We sat way too close to the stage – it was hard to get out and the music was too loud and overwhelming for Ronan. Next time, we’ll sit towards the back and near the door so that we can get out of Dodge if we need to.
2. Sitting towards the back is good for everyone – Ronan made it through Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage at Hollywood Studios with flying colors (thanks Grampy F!)

 
What are your tips for traveling to Walt Disney World with young toddlers? Share them in the comments below or find me on Twitter @RMZFarrell

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About the Author

Rebecca M. Farrell, Client & Contributor
Rebecca is a public relations professional, mom, and MAJOR Disney fan. She has been visiting parks since she was a child and now as a mother loves sharing the joy of Disney with her son. Rebecca regularly contributes to Disney-themed blogs and websites across the internet.