How to Make Memories at Walt Disney World

By: Beauty and the Beast Diva

What is the perfect age to bring your children to Disney? Being a Disney enthusiast, I’m asked this question regularly. I usually respond with “any age”, to which people quickly snap back with “but they won’t even remember it”. Maybe I’m lucky, because I get to go to Disney at least once a year, and some people wait their entire lives to go once- to those people I say maybe 5 or 6 years old, but to those that intend on going more than once in their child(ren)’s lives, why wait?!

I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but I’ve been to Disney with 3 out of 4 of my nieces and nephews before the age of 1. I’m a new Mommy and my daughter already has 3 trips planned in her first 15 months of life. Yes, three trips. What about the memories you make as a parent or a family member? I will never forget my nephew’s face because he happened to learn how to drink from a straw while in Disney, or dancing with my nieces and nephews at the Disney Junior show, or when I changed my nephew’s diaper right before going on It’s a Small World, and being only 20 years old, not knowing what I was doing, he ended up peeing around the diaper through his outfit, and onto my brother-in-law causing both of them to need an outfit change, which resulted in my brother-in-law buying a Mickey shirt and wearing it for the day! Needless to say, it was a very memorable day.
Here are my tips for making memories even if your little one won’t remember it!
1. MAKE A SCRAPBOOK- Lucky for me, my husband and sisters photograph everything, the food, the happy times, the restless and exhausted times, the candid, the planned character pics, and so on. You name it, we’ve captured it. Take notes, yes actual notes, of things that happened throughout the trip, and write them down so your little one can one day look back and read about all the events, good or bad.
2. SOUVENIRS- My nephew had his first haircut at the barber shop on Main St. USA, and afterwards, he only wanted his haircut in Disney (Side note: One of his first words was Disney AND he wants to be a Disney animator- we created a Disney Monster). Regardless, he has a pair of “My First Haircut” Mickey ears and a certificate from the barber shop- all included in the price of the haircut.
3. MAKE IT A YEARLY THING- Disney time stamps everything! You can find tons of merchandise with the year of your trip on it. You can buy an ornament with the year on it and then use a sharpie to write all of the major events from the trip right on the ornament. You can also get a frame or magnet with the year on it with a picture from that year and continue doing this every time you go.

4. REMIND THEM- We constantly remind my nephew of the situation right before we go on It’s a Small World, so now when he is in line for the ride, even at 9 years old, he mentions it and has a good laugh that he had an accident all over Daddy. Or how my niece, now 5 years old, was in Disney at a mere 3 months old but hardly saw it because she was in her stroller under a sunshade- she always has a good chuckle counting how many times she’s been to Disney, but reminding us that she didn’t really “see” it the first time.
5. PICK A PLACE- My sister parked her kids in their stroller in front of a bench with a view of the castle behind them on their first trip and snapped a picture. She continued to do this trip after trip, and now they are 8 and 9 years old and she has pictures of them literally growing up in Disney World. I intend to do this with my daughter as well!
6. MAKE A TRADITION- My husband and I were engaged in Disney, Honeymooned in Disney, and then 6 months later “Mini- Mooned” in Disney- at each trip we went to visit Richard at the Grand Floridian. On our next trip our daughter will be with us! We can’t wait to take her to visit with Richard! Whatever you choose, find something to do, and do it each time you go- Your trip won’t be complete until you go ahead and “do” your tradition.
So why wait until your kids are a certain age? You have memories to make yourself. Seeing Disney through your children’s eyes at any age should be an incredible experience! Good luck and don’t be nervous!