The first time we took our kids to Disney World, they were 4.5, newly 3, and newly 1. Some scoffed at us and said it was silly to take them to Disney World when they were too young to really be able to remember it later.
Y’all? Those who say that are at the wrong parks: the Grinch has no place at Disney World.
Because Disney World with little kids is absolutely magical. It’s still magical no matter when you take them and in fact, there’s a whole new kind of magic to discover when you go to Disney World with Tweens, but there are plenty of reasons to go when your kids are “too young to remember it.”
I’ll never forget when my 3 year old saw Minnie Mouse for the first time. We were at a dinner and he saw her walking out a door and heading across the room to where she’d be taking pictures. He slipped from my side and called “Minnie, Minnie, it’s me, Adam!” and he was the first child to reach her and she swooped him up in a giant hug. He didn’t want to leave her side.
Going to Disney World with small kids is finding the magic in the smallest things: putting on their first pair of Mickey ears or watching fireworks off the hotel balcony.
It’s the absolute joy in the rides and feeling transported to the land of make believe. You can barely see his head, but my 3 year old is driving his Daddy in that orange car. And that’s my 1 year old, entranced by It’s a Small World.
It’s seeing shows in the streets of Disney and getting completely caught up in them. My 4 year old was pulled into an activity with the Toy Story Army Guys (as he calls them) and in the middle of it, he asked them if their arms and legs come off (because sometimes that happened to his army guys at home). He’s the little guy in yellow.
The magic of Disney is that when we walked past the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” playground last Spring during the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, my oldest said “Mom, didn’t I ride an… ant… or… something like that when we were here before?”
It’s believing you’ll find the talking tools in Handy Manny’s toolbelt or that Lightning McQueen will vroom for you. (Or insert whatever magic your child’s favorite character possesses- they’ll find it and believe).
Disney World with little kids: it’s pure love, joy, and magic.
It’s creating family memories, knowing that kids grow up so fast and you’ll look back on your old photos some day, tears forming in your eyes, wondering where the time went. And you’ll be glad you have those magical Disney memories.
