[MickeyRon]

Okay... we have a made a decision to leave our 20 month at home with her grandma... we can't afford to bring grandma with us :madmad So we are leaving the 20 month old with her...

Our 5 year old is now questioning if this is a good idea... she loves her sister, but we are concerned with the park hours that there is not time to take a break in the afternoon and therefore would be very difficult to take the 20 month old.... insight please!

I don't want to feel guilty!:cry:

[charlene]

Our last trip in 2000 my son was only 9 months old and we left him at home with his grandma. 10 days.

My middle child was only 3 and she was pooped most the time. And the child swap was difficult then.

This time around we can afford to bring grandma. So all 6 of us are going. Its not like you wont go back again. We all know addicting Disney is. I would just go and have a great time.
NO GUILT.

[mickaholic4077]

rengland,please don't feel guilty. Does a 20-month old really remember going to Disney? I sometimes think bringing a child that young is more for the parent's enjoyment than the kids.(Sorry,parents out there,I don't want to offend anyone,but I just don't think kids that young remember going).

[Belle's Momma]

Don't feel guilty.
But if you do decide to bring your little tot along, I'm sure you all could still have a great trip. Your 5 yr old may feel shortchanged a bit, but if she wants the baby to come then maybe you should bring her along. Who knows she may adjust well and nap in her stroller. Still you will have other opportunities to bring the little one later. Either way I'm sure it will be fine.

[LRTJS]

No, I don't think you should feel guilty at all. I agree with Mickaholic that there is no way she will remember whether she was there or not! We did take DD when she was 18 mo. old and she had a good time but she definitely doesn't remember it. There was once while we were at Epcot that the heat and tiredness finally got to her and she had one screaming fit! Take her next time and enjoy things with your 5 year old unless it is really going to upset her to leave her baby sisiter.

[disneydana]

Please don't feel guilty. If you do, then I probably should too. We are going in Oct. and I'm leaving my 19mth old home with granny too. My other DD's are 4 and 6, and I thought we could do more with only them there. Next trip, my youngest DD will be able to do more and will really enjoy the trip then. I just wanted to let you know you are not alone.

For all those that said she won't remember it anyway--I took my youngest DD last trip when she was 2 months old. She was fascinated with It's A Small World. Now you're telling me she won't remember it? LOL! I just know she will!;)

[DisneyTeacher]

I do not feel like you have any reason to feel guilty. Your little will not remember it and will not feel left out. You will have many more years to include you daughter in family trips. WDW has to be hard with a baby. In July we saw babies of all ages and I did not judge the parents for taking the kids but the little ones may have been just as happy at home with grandma.

The time with grandparents is so important, give grandma time to enjoy that little girl.

[MickeyCrazy]

I went to Disney when I was 6 or 7 and I remember very few things about it. When my little ones get atleast 8 or 9 I plan to take them. I saw so many little ones grumpy and fuzzy the times I went. So don't feel guilt you will be glad.

[Dana]

Nah! You shouldn't be feeling guilty. You will have your hands full with a five year old. Tell your five year old this is her "special" trip with Mom and Dad. Next trip intend to take the whole bunch. It will be a wonderful trip for all of you. The next time around the baby will be ready to get more from the whole vacation. Please don't feel bad. The baby won't remember hanging with grandma for a bit. I think grandma may enjoy the time alone with the baby anyway.

[trishb]

I'm going to share a different perspective with you...we took our 21 month old in January. We also took grandma, but we will leave her out of this...she was not always with us.

Our little boy at 20 months only wanted to run free. We went at off-peak times, so it was possible to have him out of the stroller. We modified our touring to include rides and attractions that he could do with us. We planned to take a break and nap every day, but he always fell asleep in the stroller. So we had no need to go back to the room. As far as baby swaps, we never did them. While our boy was napping, Dh and I would split up and that was when we would enjoy the attractions our boy could not. We both took turns staying in the room with him, and gave the other free time. It was tough, but very rewarding. We have priceless pictures and memories from each of our visits.

I respect your decision. I know that it must have been hard to decide to leave your little one. Dh and I take a break from our family every now and then for a night. But, we simply could not imagine leaving our little boy for that long. A family vacation for us, includes the whole family.

[iluvwdw]

Originally posted by trishb
I'm going to share a different perspective with you...we took our 21 month old in January. We also took grandma, but we will leave her out of this...she was not always with us.

Our little boy at 20 months only wanted to run free. We went at off-peak times, so it was possible to have him out of the stroller. We modified our touring to include rides and attractions that he could do with us. We planned to take a break and nap every day, but he always fell asleep in the stroller. So we had no need to go back to the room. As far as baby swaps, we never did them. While our boy was napping, Dh and I would split up and that was when we would enjoy the attractions our boy could not. We both took turns staying in the room with him, and gave the other free time. It was tough, but very rewarding. We have priceless pictures and memories from each of our visits.

I respect your decision. I know that it must have been hard to decide to leave your little one. Dh and I take a break from our family every now and then for a night. But, we simply could not imagine leaving our little boy for that long. A family vacation for us, includes the whole family.

Trish, I have to say that I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with you on this one! We just went in October and our son was 22 months old. He was watching the Disney Vacation Planning DVD for at least 6 months before he went. He never watched ANYTHING else on TV except that video! (I can recite the darn thing by heart now, but that is another story).

My son had the most wonderful time! I NEVER, EVER saw him that happy and excited! You should have seen his face when we went into the MK and he saw the castle for the first time...he pointed to it and said his version of the word "castle" to me, all excited...he remembered it from the video! We had meals with characters, he experienced great meals, we went on great rides, saw great shows....WE HAD A BALL! And so did he...I would never leave him at home if I were going to WDW. Although he won't remember it completely, the time we were there he had a wonderful experience that made him VERY HAPPY and it made me so happy in return! You should see the pictures and the video...all he did was laugh and laugh and laugh! He absolutely loved the characters and wouldn't let them go!!!

We planned on taking breaks every day, too. However, most of the time, he just slept in the stroller when he needed a nap and we didn't have to go back to the resort! We took turns riding the bigger rides, and that was fine with me!

Everyone makes their own decisions, and of course I too respect your decision. But personally I could never leave my son at home for that vacation...especially since it's WDW of all places! We are going back in December for 6 days and then again in Feb for almost a week...I wouldn't think about going without him! He will love it even more! I plan on sharing Disney with him for the rest of his life, so I might as well start now! He went for the first time when he was 7 months old and he LOVED it then, too!!!

:heart

[jeannej]

Nope, I wouldn't feel guilty at all. Just enjoy your trip.

jeannej:D

[llama]

Don't feel guilty at all. Just think of all the quality time Grandma will spend with her. I just asked my 20 year old if she remembered going to Disneyland when she was four and she said - kind of. Have a wonderful time with your 3 year old. Look at it this way, both kids are getting undivided attention from someone they love. And by the time your next trip rolls around, both girls (and maybe grandma) can go.

[DisneyAnne]

Okay... I have done both. In 1998, we had an opportunity to go to WDW with a convention my hubby needed to attend. At that time, #1 son was a month shy of 5 and #2 was 25 months. We left #2 with a sitter we lovingly called pseudo-mom. I am not going to say that there were no feelings of guilt, but I knew that if I took #2, #1 would not have been able to enjoy his trip since I would be taking them by myself. So, I justified it in my head.

Fast forward to 2002... our entire family went including our 4-month-old daughter. She was great...slept through the monsoon and everything. This year, she was 15 months when we went in May. It was still a good trip, but she wanted out of her stroller the entire time. It was hard. We stopped alot and had to put her back in her seat...yada, yada... but honestly, it was nothing we wouldn't have experienced even if we had been in our local mall.

I guess my point is this... there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I don't feel like anyone should feel guilty whether they take their toddlers or not. Every family has to meet their own needs at that time and that includes everyone on the trip including the toddlers and the older children. Go on your trip and enjoy yourselves... I feel certain that there will be many more trips for your #2 daughter.

[mmouse67l]

We simply put off our Disney trips until our son was old enough to come with us. It was not easy but I wanted to be able to share it with him. To me it was worth the wait.