Disneyland for 17-Month-old?

I just went last month. My 5,9,12 loved it. My 3 1/2 didnt like a few of the rides and seemed to be bored and the 17 mon was so overwhelmed he CRIED unless I held him. My baby is such a good one, he loves people and is independant and not a whiner so I was shocked.. once we got home he was fine, so I know he wasnt sick. Odd enough... My 5 yr old didnt care for it at 2,3 & 4 now LOVES it.... Good Luck to you :)

There are many rides you can go on while pregnant and also a toddler. Snow white, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Winnie the Poo, Pirates, Jungle cruise, Haunted house, Alice and Wonderland plus they have the shows and also the train that goes around the park.

Go before you have twins! You can go on It's a small world, Casey's train, Storybook boats, the train around Disneyland, the big boat that goes around the lake, and there is stuff you can walk through like Sleeping Beauty's castle and the houses in toon town. Have fun!

I took my daughter when she was 6 months old. While I am sure she doesn't remember the trip was more for her father. However she was allowed on all of the rides in fantasyland, dumbo, peter pan ect. Also any non roller coster ride, pirates, haunted mansion, small world, jungle cruise. Height requirements are listed on the Disney website and include materhorn, star tours, space mtn., thunder mtn. railroad, Indiana Jones ect.

he would totally enjoy it at this age. we took my 15 month old yesterday [we have the premium pass for disneyland] and he was pointing at everything, which to me seemed like he enjoyed it. toon town is a good place you can take, since you are pregnant, you can walk through all the little houses. make sure you guys ride the disneyland railroad,(its loacated right when you walk into disneyland, you cant miss it) its beats walking :]. make sure you stop at the town hall and get him a first visit pin and they put the date on it. the tiki room is so much fun, he will love that, also in that part of disneyland is the jungle cruise which im pretty sure you can get on too. make sure you guys get on its a small world, after they remolded it, the ride is so pretty now. also in california adventure they have the play house disney, thats always fun too..
but i would say if you have any questions about what you can go on because your pregnant, just go to town hall and ask them.. hope your family has fun!

believe me when I say he won't remember a thing... Best you can do is take pictures for him to enjoy later :) Reason it's free until 3... I never understood taking little babies to these parks, it's hot, they're tired, they're uncomfortable and they sleep :( if you do go try to get a lay down in the hospital if it's not crowded... My daughter is 8 and we still go there for about 1/2 hr to lay down and take a break...

I would say wait. Your son won't remember it. He would enjoy it, because there is so much to look at.
But being pregnant with twins, you might not last very long, and it's a lot of money to spend for one day (remember they charge for parking and if you buy food there it's ridiculous). I am pregnant with my 3rd child, and we had annual passes that expired in March, we tried to go one last time when I was about 30 weeks pregnant I think. It was horrible for me, I was completely exhausted within 3 hours.
Go once the babies are born, but they aren't mobile yet. You will feel so much better and have so much more energy, plus your son will be that much older and easier (although I'm sure there's parents who will beg to differ that the two's are harder than 17 months).
And like someone else mentioned, buy the annual pass. It's so nice just to be able to go often for just a few hours.

He won't remember, but if you want to go for yourself you are correct in that it is the best time. He may have some fun but plan on a short day and lots of stroller pushing. He will fall asleep.

Hi JM,

I took my son to Disneyland for my birthday in March as we both got in for free; he was 19 months old at the time. I was wondering if it would be a huge disaster, but decided to take a chance - and we had a really great time! Because I'm neurotic, I actually gathered lots of info from different websites about the best rides for little ones his age and compiled them into a Word document so that I could plan which rides we wanted to go on, and which should be first. I can send it to you if you want.

My son still takes a nap in the afternoon, so we just went as soon as they opened and stayed as long as I could, till about 1:00. He fell asleep on the car ride home. Disney was exciting enough that he really wasn't fussy or anything like that.

Email me with any questions, or for that list of rides w/ comments - I'm at ____@____.com fun!

R.

We first took our son at 14 months and our daughter at 6 months. Never a problem at either age. You'll actually see babies that are 2-3 months there. Considering you're pregnant, he can go on every ride you can. There are no rides where he would be able to go alone, they're all family rides. You'll find rides in each section of the park that you can all go on but Fantasyland behind the castle is where every ride is for the younger guests. Go! Enjoy yourselves! The weather is perfect right now.

I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this one, but I say wait. My husband and I originally decided to wait until both our sons were potty trained. Then, financial circumstance prevented us from going. When we finally made it, my sons were 10 and 13 and we had a total blast as a family. We could all ride the same rides and we all wanted to ride the same rides. Highlights for us were Space Mountain, the Jedi Training Academy, Nemo (just opened the week we were there), Pirates and Indiana Jones. Obviously, you and your little one won't be going on those rides, but it was great for us. I'm glad we waited. We now have a wonderful family adventure to remember!

Oh your boy will LOVE it! We have passes and have been taking our little girl (23 months) since she was 15 months, once a week. Some of her favorites: Dumbo, Casey Jr. Train, Carousel, Peter Pan (but is closed for 6 weeks), Alice in Wonderland, the Tea Cups, Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, she even likes Pirates the Caribbean. Some of the scarier rides that babies don't find scary yet (unless yours has already developed fears), Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toads Adventure. Also, fun rides are the little Story Book boat ride and It's a Small World. Plus there is Toon Town for lots of fun things. Also, Cal. Adventure has a Bugs Land for kids! I am also 8 months pregnant and I do just fine...we're going again on Sunday! It tires her out, she sleeps great afterwards, and my house stays clean!!!!!!!

I'd recommend staying home and saving your money. I took my 18 mo. to Disneyworld and other than a photo of her w/ mickey, she has no memories of it. I took my youngest dr. to California Adventure at 18 mos and she didn't like it and refuses to even go back.

My husband and I are Disnyland freaks!! You are going at the perfect time for you and your little one. Neither of you will be able to ride the "big rides" and can spend all day ENJOYING the little rides together. He will love all of fantisy land, Small world, Jungle cruise, Nemo, and POOH!! and so many others. No he won'tremember it, but is that really the reason for going? No it is to make memories for you too. We took our 8 month old daughter several years ago and that was one of our best trips there!
A few tips!
There is a MOTHERS LOUNGE thing just off of main street. All the way down on (with your back to the main gate) and turn just after the Kodak store and it is the next store front. It is run by the cutest little ladies and have high chairs, microwaves, air conditioning, and diaper channge places, even a nursing area for mommies to sit and relax. It is a life saver!
Pay attention to the map, do what is around you and don't treck back and forth across the park!
Get the stroller there! They are $7 bucks at the gate and you don't have to worry about your nice one getting stolen or ruined in any way. They are really pretty nice and they were cleaned every night.
The best place we found for lunch is the Pizza place in TomorrowLand. Just watch the time, they close early on some days.
If there are specific characters you would like to find and where they will be ask at the information booth just in front of the bridge going to Adventure land. They know everything.
Use the fast pass. Even though you might not want to go on all the rides, your hubby might. Use the fast pass and get him Too rides!
And most of all
HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!
It is the happiest place on earth!!

We love taking our boys for two or three hours after school (my school). We have a 1 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old. The 1 1/2 year old just started getting really excited and having lots of fun there. The rides that we love to take them on (and that I can still go on pregnant) are Casey Junior, Carousel, Storybook Land, It's a Small world, and there are many others in that same area (Peter Pan, Dumbo, etc). My 3 1/2 year old loves Autotopia too and the 1 1/2 year old is now tall enough for that but yours might not be yet. They also have tons of rides at California Adventure in the "Bug's Life" section for little guys that they enjoy! :)

Good luck!!! My kids love it and we got the "basic" passes and love to go on weekdays since it's less crowded and have found that going for a few hours is much more fun than staying till everyone is miserable!

P.S. To make it "cheaper" for ourselves we come armed with all of the snacks, sandwiches and drinks that we need so that we don't have to spend money inside the park. :)

I just took my 14 month old son.... ONLY because I have a 5 year old daughter, otherwise I would not have brought him. He didn't want to stay in the stroller for too long. He also did not want to wait on lines... he wanted to be "on the move". It was hard.

That said, we'll be going back again very soon, but will bring my husband so one can wait on the lines that are more than 10 minutes with my daughter and the other can be with the little one while he roams. (which he can't do everywhere as it is very crowded).

Here are the rides/attractions that we managed to do:

Winnie the Pooh
Carousel
Jungle Cruise
Toon Town - Mickey & Minnies House and Goofy's playhouse (spent A LOT of time here)

We took the raft over to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island - good place for him to run around, although very dirty. I had to carry my little one a lot as you couldn't bring the stroller and he doesn't follow along with us, he wanders... my arm hurts.

We would have attempted It's a Small World & Tea Cups, but it was naptime.
I think he would have liked Dumbo, Casey Jr Circus Train, Storybook Boats but the lines were too long (for him).

Peter Pan & the Rockets are closed right now for remodeling.

Good luck!

I just took our 12 month old son. He loved it. Best rides were the tiki show and small world. He danced the entire time to the music in both. He like pirates and dumbo as well as nemo (loved the bubbles in the window). There is a baby center on the right side of main street as you get to the main circle before the castle. Great changing rooms, high chairs, etc. Any baby need you may have. Have fun and visit winnie down by splash mnt. Too cute. My son loved it.

A few things that have not been mentioned yet. I went when I was probably 30-35 weeks pregnant with my first baby (only one) and my feet and legs killed by the afternoon. We were there all day and night and I still remember the feeling and wondering if I was going to be able to make it out of the park. And I am pretty fit and healthy...so take care of yourself. Then my parents gave us tickets for Christmas (2006) when my daughter was 2 1/2, my son was 1 1/2, and I was 4-5 months pregnant with the third. Both kids loved the park, but with my 1 1/2 year old, the lines were hard because he didn't understand why were "waiting" in line, so we had to hold him...which is very tiring (strong, heavy, and mobile kid). So then my parents gave us tickets the following Christmas (2007), and we made sure we went before my third was mobile so sitting and sleeping in the stroller was easy and my husband and I took turns taking the older two (now 3 1/2 and 2 1/2) on the rides that my third could not go on. So when 2008 Christmas came along, my mom asked if we wanted Disneyland tickets again, and we decided to wait one more year so we would not have to hold my now strong, heavy, and mobile 1 1/2 year old through the lines. So my oldest is always asking when we get to go back to Disneyland because she loves to look and the pictures and I tell her we have to wait until her baby brother is older. So totally understand wanting to go before you have 3, but I remember that age being a little difficult because of having to hold them. But then there is only one baby now and 2 parents to share the holding. So have fun!!

We are a Disneyland family and we have taken our kids from 6 months on. It definitely depends on you and your child. My kids loved Disneyland at a young age. Being pregnant, remember to drink lots of water because you'll be on your feet for a long time. If you are interested in signing up for a Disney Visa card, there are a few benefits. I think when you sign up you get $15 credit. You also can get free stroller rental, up to 2 strollers/day. If you go to California Adventure, there is a special Meet N' Greet from 10:30-noon everyday, only for Disney VISA card members, where you get free 5x7 photo with whatever character is there. You also get a 10% discount on different restaurants. Since you are planning on going this weekend, you can probably call to sign up. Here is the website: http://disney.go.com/visa/today/index.html

Have a great time!

LOL he will not remember! Do you remember anything from when you were 18 months old??? But take a ton of photos- in years to come as he becomes familiar with disneyland he will love seeing pictures of himself there as a tiny tot.

But he will enjoy it and have a great day and you will too, seeing it all again through his eyes. My 23 mo. old did not like any of the rides where you go in a car that disappears inside a house and all the images are thrown at you- too "in your face" (eg Mr. Toad)... even Winnie the Pooh, where the characters are familiar and friendly, was too "intense" for her liking. But Small World, which moves nice and slow, was great for her. She loooved Dumbo, Carousel, Casey Jr. Train. She just liked toddling around the castle and stuff too. There is a little petting farm with Goats behind Thunder Mountain that we spent a lot of time at. ToonTown was also a hit where they can play in Goofy's house and Minnie's house. As a prego, you can go on all those kids rides. And watching the parade, seeing the characters and taking pictures... you can do a lot of fun things at Dland that don't even involve rides. Have Fun!!!

Disneyland is pretty much all family rides. I have 4 sons and we all did the Disneyland thing at different ages and stages. Your baby is way too young to remember a Disneyland trip, long lines (doesn't matter time of year) I don't get much pleasure of waiting over an hour to get on a ride and will sleep or be miserable the other half of the time. Just my opinion but at this age a true waste of time and money.

I have been taking both of my boys since they were just a couple months old. We have had season passes for the past couple years and our whole family loves going to Disneyland. Your son may not remember his experience, but he will sure enjoy the time that you are there. There are lots of rides you can take him on and that is safe for your pregnancy such as Small World, Nemo, Jungle Cruise, Train, Buzz Light Year ride, Dumbo, and everything in Toon Town etc. My only suggestion is to go on a week day to avoid the long lines since toddlers have little tolerance for waiting too long. A couple rides have fast passes which we use everytime we go for rides like Buzz Light Year and Autotopia. I would say go and have fun!

Hi. We've taken our son, who is now 21 months old, to Disneyland twice; the first time was when he was just 13 months old and the other time was when he was 19 months old. He had fun on both trips but naturally had more fun the second time around as he was able to appreciate the theme park's attractions better since he was older. Try taking him to the Enchanted Tiki room. When my other kids were little (they are now 11, 16, and 21), we always did the Tiki room first because 1) it's close to the entrance 2) there are no lines and 3) I've always felt that the show puts you in that festive, 'happiest-place-on-earth' mode.

Our lttle guy also enjoyed the Dumbo ride, the Casey Jr Circus Train, the Carousel and, since he's a bit of a daredevil, the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin was a thrill for him. I thought he'd be scared but he was laughing throughout the whole thing! He also liked exploring Toon Town, going in Minnie's House and all that. There's a lot of great picture opportunities in that part of Disneyland. I also think that Small World would be great for your son. Though we havent gotten on that ride since it was renovated because the lines are always too long. :-(

As we all know, all babies are different and what my son may have found enjoyable, your little one may not. However I am sure he will enjoy his first Disneyland trip and I am positive that you will enjoy this adventure with him as well! Have a good time!

Hi J M,
I first took my son around that same time. You are limited in what you can do with him but he'll have fun and you'll quickly learn if he likes rides and people in Disney costumes. I suggest going really early when they open and go straight back to the kids rides behind the castle and to Toon Town. They have a Peter Pan ride, Dumbo, Carousel, Circus Train, It's a Small World. In Toon Town go to Mickey's House or Minnie's House. You can actually meet the characters there. Take lots of snacks with you and a stroller. If you go on the Disney website it will give you a map of the park with the rides that are appropriate for kids your son's age. You can also do some of the less scary grown up things like Tiki Hut (which my 6 year old loves!), Steam Boat, Autotopia, etc.

Hope this helps!

J M

I believe your youngster is too young, there are guidelines for how tall, weight minimums, and the fact that you are pregnant could be an issue for some of the rides. The kiddie rides may work for your youngster, but there will be many things to consider. The rules would be something to consider, like calling ahead and see if your youngster will be able to go on any rides. The shows, animal petting sections could be all your youngster can go to, but it would be better to contact the park and ask them.

i just took my 17 month old boy yesterday. We were there for about 3 hours-just after his nap. He went on the train ride with us, the jungle book play ground and then we had lunch. we walked around and went on the tea cup ride, got our picture taken and our boy was done. I think he just enjoyed being with us, and would have been just as happy at the local park. But we wanted to give him that 'memory' (through the photos) for later in life. He definately would have appreciated it more if he was older, but we had a nice time and have no regrets! And he was so tired he sat quietly for the 2 hour drive home.

We're going to Disneyland this weekend too...tomorrow. We go all the time and my two and half year old grandson has been there tons of times. He actually asks if we can go. He enjoys the characters and children centered rides.

The one piece of advice that I didn't see on here is handwashing. Disneyland is dirty because of the millions of people who visit there. No matter how much cleaning they do, with that many people there during the day, people who are starting to become ill or recovering from an illness, will leave germs every place they touch. It is imperative that you and your son wash your hands very very often. Anytime he or you touch places that other people touch on rides, handrails, doorhandles, etc, wash his & your hands. Just take along some wipes and use them every so often. That's the best way to make sure neither of you bring home a cold or flu virus from your visit to the park.

Have fun!

Someone was taking a 3 year a few weeks ago and asked a similar question. Maybe check out the MamaSource archives, there were some great tips there. I love the Baby room on Main Street where the cast members are dressed like Mary Poppins. On his back place a sticker, that you can get at Town Hall, with a spot where you can put all of his grown-ups' cell phone numbers. Also put a sticker on his jacket and special lovey item because if that falls you want them to be able to get it back to you quickly. Enjoy the street musicians and open areas so you don't spend all your time in lines. Bring a blanket to cover the stroller so he can shut out the noise and take a nap. Bring some favorite familiar food. Go to the Mickey hedge near the Main Gate and the Train Station or The Mickey and Walt Statue or someplace else you know is a permanent part of Disneyland and take his picture, and then each time you visit go back to that spot and take another picture and that way he can see his many visits and how he grew up. Have Fun.

LOL, been there, done that, will NEVER do it again with kids that can't walk and carry stuff and are not taller than the minimum height for the majority of the rides. It was NOT worth it. They can't go on most rides, your pregnant and can't ride rides... Your hubby will do a lot of riding ALONE... Good Luck!!

Do yourself a favor and wait. There is no way your son will remember, and I think it's way to overwhelming, both visuall and sound wise for a kid that age. Even though he gets in free it's still going to be a small fortune - your tickets, food, etc. We were there recently and my 8 year old son commented on the high number of "little kids" in meltdown mode.

Your son will NOT remember being at Disneyland (in his own memory) but since you said you are taking lots of pictures and if you continue to show him these pictures through the years and as he grows up, THATS what he will remember is what he visualizes in the photos.

Also, we went to Disneyland when I was PG (I also have twins plus two others) and good luck on them letting you on the rides...I was super disappointed that they wouldn't let me on them but they even had signs saying if you are pg that you can't ride the rides...but maybe they'll let you on the little kiddie rides...which are probably the only ones you'll be on with your little one? But I felt like for me, it was kind of a waste as far as me having fun on the rides because I wasn't allowed on them.
Don't want to sound so negative and I understand you wanting to go before you have your next babies...but I'm wondering how much fun you'll have? Take care and have a good time if you decide to go.

First of all congratulations!twins will be fun!:) I'm 27 weeks pregnant and have been to Disneyland multiple times with my 4 year old with&without my husband during this pregnancy. We have been bringing her since she was 1 and she loves it. Fantasyland and the buzz lightyear rides are perfect to go on when ur pregnant. I stay away from the Mr toad ride because its a little too bumpy. Also CA adventures bugs land and monsters Inc rides are great too. Your little one will enjoy it but may knock out early. I always go early before the crowds and I never go on Saturdays cuz its super busy. We have the so. CA annual pass which is blocked out in July but we don't mind since that's the hottest month of the year and we can go for a few hours and not have to feel like we have to stay the whole day. So it is the perfect time for all of you to go before the twins come along. Have fun and best of luck to you!

I took all three of my kids not too long ago, the boys were 18 months and almost 3 (daughter was 7). My youngest had a wonderful time! Some people say that he was too young and will not have any memories, but so what? I have ALOT of memories from that trip =} And also ALOT of pictures, both the smaller kids LOVED to see all the characters from TV, and the enjoyed all the rides that they went on, and all the shows, the fireworks, and all the other experiences Disney offers! My only suggestion is to stick with naptime! Around lunch we would head out of the park, find a decent meal that was less then what you would pay for IN the park, take a two hour break at the hotel, then head back for the evening fun! This helps with kids not having melt downs and it also helps the grown up kids too =} Have a wonderful, make memories for yourself to share with you child and take lots of pictures. I took the same trip with our daughter right before we had baby #2, kind of like a big 'Welcome to being a big sister, good bye to being an only' event.

Well he can actually go on any ride really with a parent, with the exceptions of the rollercoasters (ie; splash mountain, space mountain, matterhorn, big thunder mountain.) You can go on Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, or any ride that doesn't have a sign posted cautioning expectant mothers.

We go there quite a bit, and my son just truned one 3 weeks ago. His first time was when he was like 3 months old, and he started riding rides when he was about 6 months, because we found out he can go on almost any ride as long as he's supervised. Hope this helps. Have fun!

He won't remember it. But, he'll have a good time. all the rides in fantasy land will work for prego and baby. Plus, Pooh, the train, buzz lightyear, submarines, autopia, rockets (but you may not want to climb in)small world, tiki hut, pirates, haunted house, jungle cruise, the river boat. Fantasy land rides are really long, so i actually stear clear on crowded days, but the lines for everything else i mentioned are usually much quicker. have fun, bring water and snacks and a stroller. use the baby care center-end on mail street on the right.

and we go to Disneyland all the time, I went into labor at Disneyland, it was #3, so I was fine. But, you can definitly do it while pregnant.

Hi there,
I have an 18month old and I take him to disneyland at least once a month. Whether hell remember or not I dont know, but he has a good time lokking at the characters and going on the rides. He and you can go on all the kiddie rides (of course) also Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, Small worl and definitly the train. My son is very timid and he seems to enjoy everything we take him on. Except for the 2nd drop on Pirates, that freaks him out a little but he enjoys the rest of the ride. Hope this helps, have a great time at Disneyland. Congrats on the twins...

Kids this age, can also be "afraid" of all the characters in costumes.... and the noise.
AT that age, my kids were still afraid of Santa at the Mall, of the Easter Bunny at the Mall, of Chuck E Cheese.... and they screamed and just wanted to leave.
My daughter, also, just HATED the crowds and noise... it was too over-stimulating for her.

Each child is different. But just something to think about.

Good luck,
Susan

The Bug's Life Fair area (not the "It's a Bug's Life" show, which will be too scary for him) in California Adventure is geared to toddlers. Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (Cal. Adv.) also had toddler areas with a wading creek and slide. Tom Sawyer's Island is great for exploring with no lines. Most of the Fantasyland rides will be great for you. Don't forget It's a Small World and the Nemo submarines. :) Toontown also has toddler friendly stuff, including the chance to see Mickey (behind his house in the movie barn.) The shows and parades are all short enough to keep the attention of small ones. Just remember to take it easy, and if need be go back to the hotel for a nap or time in the pool.