The First Time

What age should one introduce their children to a Disney Park? If I were giving an umbrella answer that covers it all, I would say “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE EARLIER THE BETTER.” But then I would counter with, “you know your children better than anyone. What can they handle?”

My daughter was 15 months old the first time we took her to Disneyland. I had my worries that the characters would freak her out. She’d cry all the time and we’d just be miserable. But then I also had thoughts of how could this be? She’s MY child. Surely she won’t be afraid of my most favorite place in the world. She will love it just as much as I do. I’ll admit that I got lucky because let’s be honest, you just never know. Little kids react to things in all sorts of ways. They’re figuring out the world around them that looks huge and unknown. A Disney Park can be a little overwhelming.

But…

If I were giving advice to parents of young children, I would still say GO. Go when they’re little and here’s why:

Children 2 and Under do not require admission to enter. Disney is expensive. Here’s your chance to try it out on them. Take them when they’re FREE.

And remember:

1. Set reasonable expectations. Some attractions ARE scary. They may not want to go on them. Are they already afraid of the dark? Then avoid dark rides like Snow White, Pinnochio, Pirates of the Carribean – which small children CAN ride but can really scare them. I remember going on Pirates when I was little and screaming bloody murder the whole time. That’s no fun for the child. It’s no fun for the parents and it’s NO FUN for everyone else within earshot. Don’t force your kids on rides that they will remember 50 years later. Thankfully I wasn’t scarred for life as it’s now one of my favorite rides but the core memory is there. I remember.
2. You might not end up on any of the adult rides…. like, AT. ALL. Take other adults with you so they can be with your child while you get to experience the thrill rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc. Take advantage of child swap if there are only two adults so you can take turns. Or be prepared to take up residence in Fantasyland and Toontown. I will say that if you love Disney parks in the purest of ways, those rides won’t matter because seeing the park for the first time through your child’s eyes is magical. When we went the first time, we didn’t ride one attraction that she wasn’t allowed to ride and I did NOT miss it. While she won’t remember her first visit, I always will. There is only ONE first time.
3. Take advantage of low trafficked, quiet places to rest. Let’s face it, you’ve paid a lot of money to go there. When I spend THAT MUCH, I want to get as much out of it as possible. That means rope dropping and if I can still walk, ending the day at closing. That’s a lot. But I want to milk it for all it’s worth. But with little kids that is hard. Taking the hour to leave the park in the middle of the day just to get back to the room, spending that hour + taking naps and then another hour getting back into the parks eats up a lot of your time. We would always find a quiet place – which when Michaela was small was over back behind Thunder Mountain. There weren’t a lot of people over there. It was relatively quiet and it was a great place to enjoy the ambiance and people watch. Michaela would stretch out in her stroller or on the park bench and she’d take a nap. It worked great. But there is a caveat… it’s easy when you only have one kid, like I did. Larger families may benefit from leaving the park all together vs staying and resting there. This is a personal preference based on what your family can handle, of course. So do what is best for them. This way always worked for us.
4. Don’t forsake the experiences… Disney parks are more than just rides. They have shows and experiences that are kid friendly and a great way to slow down, get out of the heat, and recharge. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is an oldie but goodie. The air conditioning is stellar. The room is dark and it’s a good 10-15 minutes that you can snooze if you want to. Ol’ Abe won’t mind! Turtle Talk and the Sorcerer’s Workshop in Disney’s California Adventure are awesome! If you must ride but also need to rest, Small World is 15 minutes of air conditioned bliss – unless the song drives you nuts. It doesn’t for me as surprise! This is another core memory because I can remember this ride being a favorite when I was very little. Another fun ride that takes time and eases the throbbing in your feet is the train. I have made several roundtrips at a time on this ride. They won’t kick you off. If you want to ride it 5 times around the park to rest, have at it. But if you do, know that you’ve just taken a 2 hour journey!

I loved our first trip to Disneyland. Everything about it was magical and I think that it was because we went with the flow. We went to soak up all the other things that the park had to offer – the theming, the food, the character experiences. I wouldn’t trade the look on my daughter’s face for anything. She became a Disney kid on that trip.

My First Time… 1973.

30 years later I would take my daughter for the first time in 2003. See the pictures here.