Magic Kingdom for 3 YO

[dakotix]

Hi Everyone!

So My husband and I are new dads. We are fostering to adopt a 3yo. He's awesome and loves Mickey. Before i begin, a little background on our situation. Most people aren't aware of the hurdles involved in adopting a child in the foster care system. I'll spare you most of the frustrating details. The main hurdle we face right now is the fact that when you adopt from the foster care system it is a "legal-risk" adoption.

A legal-risk adoption means that the parent who had this child taken away has not yet had her parental rights terminated. In January 2018 we find out if her rights are retained or terminated. If her rights are terminated then we can move forward with the adoption. If she gets her rights back then she will regain custody of our foster-son after we have been caring for him as our own for almost a year. It's a scary prospect but we went into this with our eyes open.

So here's the fun part! We have decided to take a very short trip to Disney World. We wanted to give him something fun to celebrate our life together. Its a three-day adventure and we want to make his first trip fun. I am looking for ideas on how to "frame" our days at MK so he has fun but isn't too overwhelmed by everything. He LOVES Mickey Mouse so I'm fairly sure he'll be thrilled once we get there. He's a pretty resilient and happy toddler. He loves people and is very friendly.

We will be arriving early on a Tuesday and will leave first thing on Thursday. Any tips or stories from other families who have taken their toddlers to MK for the first time would definitely help us figure out the best way to do this the smart way.

 

[MissMet]

Congrats! My friends are going through a very similar process. Such a huge emotional roller coaster. Hopefully everything works out for you guys in the end.

I think the biggest thing parents do is "over do". Less is more. Have fun, go on rides, but also give him down time. Take him to the many play areas throughout the parks to blow off some steam. Sit & have an ice cream. Have fun in the shops trying on hats & being silly. I think we get in our heads to "go, go, go" to ride all the rides, to see all the shows, to take all the "must take" pictures, but we forget to really enjoy ourselves. So my advise is to make peace with the idea that you won't see everything, but in the end, he'll have a much better time if you just go with the flow & let him set the pace.

We love to take our son, who will be 3 in Oct during our next trip, to the Main Street Barber shop. Even if he doesn't need a haircut, they'll put colored hair gel in his hair, style it, and add some pixie dust (glitter). A fun thing to make him feel special and a way to have him relax a bit in the A/C.

Also, start showing him videos on youtube...of rides, characters interacting with kids, etc. My son is OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse, but he's still terrified of the characters. Even after weeks of watching youtube videos of the characters, which he loved & talked up a big game about giving Mickey a hug, once he was there in person, he was petrified. This was at 2 (WDW) and again at 2.5(DCL). However, one time he was totally okay with Mickey Mouse but that was when we went to see the talking Mickey on Main Street. That's the only "Mickey" he's been okay with. Every kid is different, but sometimes for some of the young ones, having an idea of what they're getting into ahead of time is a help.

Have fun!

 

[dakotix]

Congrats! My friends are going through a very similar process. Such a huge emotional roller coaster. Hopefully everything works out for you guys in the end.

I think the biggest thing parents do is "over do". Less is more. Have fun, go on rides, but also give him down time. Take him to the many play areas throughout the parks to blow off some steam. Sit & have an ice cream. Have fun in the shops trying on hats & being silly. I think we get in our heads to "go, go, go" to ride all the rides, to see all the shows, to take all the "must take" pictures, but we forget to really enjoy ourselves. So my advise is to make peace with the idea that you won't see everything, but in the end, he'll have a much better time if you just go with the flow & let him set the pace.

We love to take our son, who will be 3 in Oct during our next trip, to the Main Street Barber shop. Even if he doesn't need a haircut, they'll put colored hair gel in his hair, style it, and add some pixie dust (glitter). A fun thing to make him feel special and a way to have him relax a bit in the A/C....

Thanks MissMet! That's great advice.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Congrats! And best wishes that everything goes smoothly. We took our 2 1/2 year old son last September and had a blast. We're taking him again this September at 3 1/2. All of the rides except the ones he isn't tall enough to ride should be good for your little guy. We haven't taken our son on Haunted Mansion yet. Just in case it would freak him out, we don't want to scare him off from all rides. I've had friends take their kids on something like Dinosaur, and after being terrified, the kid wouldn't go on another ride the rest of the trip without a struggle. So better safe than sorry.

We play a lot of Disney music around the house and the car so he is familiar with things like Small World, Yo Ho, and You Can Fly. It gets him more excited about the rides when he is familiar with something.

My son's favorite rides are: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, Dumbo, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, the Barnstormer, and Buzz Lightyear. 3:00 is still the end of naptime, so we haven't seen the parade yet, but we have been in the area when the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it show has gone by and he LOVED that.

Have a great time

 

[dakotix]

Yea we're not sure about the Haunted Mansion either. We have the Haunted Mansion book which he loves to read at bed time but that's a whole lot different than the actual ride. He's actually never been on rides before.

Just ordered the magic kingdom story book from Amazon which we'll read together and hopefully get Mickey to autograph it for him.

 

[buzznina]

Congrats! And best wishes that everything goes smoothly. We took our 2 1/2 year old son last September and had a blast. We're taking him again this September at 3 1/2. All of the rides except the ones he isn't tall enough to ride should be good for your little guy. We haven't taken our son on Haunted Mansion yet. Just in case it would freak him out, we don't want to scare him off from all rides. I've had friends take their kids on something like Dinosaur, and after being terrified, the kid wouldn't go on another ride the rest of the trip without a struggle. So better safe than sorry.

We play a lot of Disney music around the house and the car so he is familiar with things like Small World, Yo Ho, and You Can Fly. It gets him more excited about the rides when he is familiar with something.

My son's favorite rides are: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, Dumbo, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, the Barnstormer, and Buzz Lightyear. 3:00 is still the end of naptime, so we haven't seen the parade yet, but we have been in the area when the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it show has gone by and he LOVED that.

Have a great time

This plus, take your time We also like grabbing an ice cream cone from Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and sitting at the tables looking at the castle and other sites. Our DDs loved seeing characters, I would highly recommend tom sawyer island, I think he would love that. I agree with the rides that DizneyLizzy mentioned and would add the people mover, dont forget the Speedway cars We also had a comfortable stroller so our DD(s) could sit and relax when needed and was lucky that they would also sleep in it. It is so much fun seeing the looks and excitement on our DDs faces during our trips.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

First, congratulations! I hope everything works out, and this sounds like it will be a wonderful trip for all of you.

I have a three-year-old son, and we go semi-frequently, so here's my best advice from my experience.

Go with their flow. My son might say he wants to go on one ride, but then change his mind at the last minute. There are so many things to do there that we just say "okay" and move on.

To prepare him to meet characters the first time, we watched an old Disney Sing-a-long video called Disneyland Fun. It's dated and the wrong park, but it does show the furry characters how they appear in the parks, as opposed to cartoons, and helped him become familiar with it.

We don't do a ton of table service restaurants because it's just too hard at that age. Character meals are an exception, but quick service meals work best for us at Disney.

If he naps in the stroller at the park, you can use rider swap on the height restricted rides.

Also, a Mickey Ears hat with his name is a great souvenir, and you can get it at the Chapeau as soon as you enter the Magic Kingdom. They are super cute in photos too.

Don't miss the Festival of Fantasy Parade! We like to arrive about 30 minutes before it starts in Frontierland and pass the time eating Mickey Ice Cream bars.

And here's his list of don't miss rides:
-Dumbo
-It's a Small World
-Barnstormer
-Carrousel
-Tea Cups
-Tomorrowland Speedway
-Jungle Cruise
-Magic Carpets
-WDW Railroad
-People Movers
-Meet Mickey at Town Square

 

[DizneyLizzy]

First, congratulations! I hope everything works out, and this sounds like it will be a wonderful trip for all of you.

I have a three-year-old son, and we go semi-frequently, so here's my best advice from my experience.

Go with their flow. My son might say he wants to go on one ride, but then change his mind at the last minute. There are so many things to do there that we just say "okay" and move on.

To prepare him to meet characters the first time, we watched an old Disney Sing-a-long video called Disneyland Fun. It's dated and the wrong park, but it does show the furry characters how they appear in the parks, as opposed to cartoons, and helped him become familiar with it.

My son LOVES that Disneyland Fun Sing-along video!! I think that's a great idea

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

First, congratulations! I hope everything works out, and this sounds like it will be a wonderful trip for all of you.

I have a three-year-old son, and we go semi-frequently, so here's my best advice from my experience.

Go with their flow. My son might say he wants to go on one ride, but then change his mind at the last minute. There are so many things to do there that we just say "okay" and move on.

To prepare him to meet characters the first time, we watched an old Disney Sing-a-long video called Disneyland Fun. It's dated and the wrong park, but it does show the furry characters how they appear in the parks, as opposed to cartoons, and helped him become familiar with it.

We don't do a ton of table service restaurants because it's just too hard at that age. Character meals are an exception, but quick service meals work best for us at Disney.

If he naps in the stroller at the park, you can use rider swap on the height restricted rides.

Also, a Mickey Ears hat with his name is a great souvenir, and you can get it at the Chapeau as soon as you enter the Magic Kingdom. They are super cute in photos too.

Don't miss the Festival of Fantasy Parade! We like to arrive about 30 minutes before it starts in Frontierland and pass the time eating Mickey Ice Cream bars.

And here's his list of don't miss rides:
-Dumbo
-It's a Small World
-Barnstormer
-Carrousel
-Tea Cups
-Tomorrowland Speedway
-Jungle Cruise
-Magic Carpets
-WDW Railroad
-People Movers
-Meet Mickey at Town Square

Yes I want to say good luck and you can find the full Disney singalong on YouTube

 

[StephanieCL]

I definitely recommend a character meal! There aren't any mickey ones in MK but they have Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary which is right near MK. My daughter was 2 when we went and she absolutely loved the characters and character meals made it easy for her to see multiple ones.

My daughter also loved the shows and the parades in MK.

 

[Thing 1]

Thank you for taking this huge risk of your heart. I'm a GAL and I do know how hard this is. First make absolutely sure you can take this little guy. Get it in writing and take out trip insurance just to make sure you are covered. Beyond that, you will be fine. You know your son best and how he reacts to new situations. I would probably get two day tickets and stay on site. Take breaks and go slow. You will have 6 FP to secure the rides you think he would like most. Maybe do a character meal the last full day dinner or depart day breakfast to see how he reacts to the characters. So many fun things he can ride at theMK. Enjoy and get memory maker so you can all three be in pictures.

 

[unrequited23]

The ride videos really gave us a read on which types of rides our kids would like. Our 2.5 yr old despised any dark ride except It's a Small World in videos and in real life, but was the one making us go higher and higher on Astro Orbiter. The parade was a great way to see a lot of characters without them being too close, too big or too scary. The fenced in areas around the hub were great places to run around and let off steam. I found trying to stay as close to the normal schedule as possible helped--same wake up time, same bedtime ritual at about the same time, same meal times, familiar snacks. Always have an emergency pack of fruit snacks on hand.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

Such a wonderful story! Taking a heart risk like that is quite admirable. I'd say take it low and slow, get to the park early, and make it all about him. There's not much you can do within the park that isn't going to light up a kid's face.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Let me chime in. We plan to do the shilouettes on Main Street. I think you can get a double copy made for like $10? I think that would be a precious keepsake to have!

Wishing you both the best of luck!!

 

[Gracie09]

Congratulations! We are in the process of adopting out former foster daughter. If you ever want to chat, please message me.
She was almost 3 when she came to live with us. We took her to WDW just after she turned 3. (It was a previously planned trip that we scrambled to add her to.)
I would start a bit slow, with the "easier" rides. We made the mistake of starting with Buzz Lightyear and she was completely overwhelmed and did not want to go on any other inside rides for a while. Take a lot of pictures. We made her and her birth mother a photo album of the trip. I even included photos of the hotel we stayed at and pictures of the parks in general. It gave her birth mother a sense of what was going on and our daughter loves looking at it even 5 years later.
You don't say when you are going, but I am sure you know to have all your paperwork, approvals in order. My daughters birth mother did not sign off on the trip until about 10 days before. We took the risk and booked her airline ticket and park passes but it was a stressful couple days. We also had backup plans. We couldn't just cancel the trip as it was my BIL's celebration from his return from his second tour in Afghanistan. So it was a big deal.
Good luck!

 

[BoatDriver]

Having taken two from the age of 18-months on up, the best advice I can offer is the following:

1. Plan extensively but be prepared to break them in an instant - Dining reservations and FastPasses are a must. That way you're not spending your time in lines or deciding what to do. However, if the little one wants to spend the morning running in circles around the flower pot, just let it happen.

2. Meals - Our kids like structure, it's how we raised them and it helps to keep them on a schedule. We don't "wing it" with meals. We make at least one table service ADR per day, usually dinner. Everything else revolves around that. Not only is it a good break, it ensures we're not reacting to a hungry kid and scrambling to find food or wait in line. I don't want to live a real life Snickers commercial. Plus, it's just good, quiet family time.

3. Cut your expectations in half - I don't mean that you should only have half as great of a time as expected. What I'm saying is that you should expect to do about half the things you have in your mind. Every year, I swear I'm not going to push the kids too hard, and even though I scale back and try to monitor how they're doing, we always have at least one meltdown caused by being either over-tired or over-sensitized. There's a lot going on, and sometimes it's tough to see it through their little eyes and feel it through their little legs.

To sum it all up, I'll tell one of my favorite stories from a past vacation. We were on a bus headed to Animal Kingdom after an afternoon break. It was only our little family and two older women. After a few minutes, one of the women looked over and said "We just wanted to compliment you on how well behaved your children are. We're here a couple of times a year and we always see kids crying and their parents just dragging them from ride to ride"

I replied with "We try not to be too hard on them and give them plenty of breaks. I can make them cry at home for free. It's far too expensive to make them cry at Disney World"