Parents of toddlers - WWYD?

[CameraGirl]

Ok, so we are just a few weeks away from our 8th trip to Disney world. ; Third trip as a family. ;D ; Kailey is walking everywhere these days and while she will hold our hands and walk with us a bit of time until she is comfortable, after that she will take off and run around the stores we do take her in. ; For the most part we do keep her in a cart and we will try our best to keep her in the stroller as long as she wants. ; But I know there will be many times during the trip that she will want to walk herself and I don't plan on forcing her to sit. ; My question is, should we get a harness so we can keep track of her? ; And we are totally not liking the idea of putting something our our DD to keep her close, but we also don't want to loose her or spend the entire time chasing her down either. ; Sean's mom is coming along too and I know she will just love the idea of walking with Kailey and we would encourage it, but there is no way she can keep up.


What did you do with your young toddlers? ; Did you just let them out of the stroller and run around? ; Did they stay with you? ; Do you know any alternatives to a harness so that we don't loose Kailey?

 

[amw]

My first-born would have been like Kailey. I tried a wrist harness one day ... one day ... I think it lasted 10 minutes. She was so irate about the lack of independence that she sat down in the store and screamed. She wasn't my screamer so I knew it wasn't for her. We didn't do Disney with her until 3 - no need for harness, but she also never needed a stroller and didn't get tired walking ... something good to look forward to!

My second daughter did WDW at 19 months, but she was a little more content to just sit in the stroller. She slept a lot too and was content as long as I get providing the snacks (raisins, crackers, juice boxes - I brought a lot into the park). The biggest problem I had with her was the airplane - she was furious she didn't get her own seat. And I'll admit, I was one of those parents that had to hold a screaming baby the ENTIRE flight. ; She's my happy-go-lucky child now ; ???

One thing I've noticed on my recent trips was that people have harnesses that look like stuffed animal backpacks. My eldest would have been thrilled to wear a bear on her back and probably wouldn't have noticed that I was constantly holding her tail! If Kailey likes stuffed animals, that kind of harness may work.

 

[realfam]

Our youngest, which will be 3 this coming january, ; will going on her 9th trip to WDW this december. ; She is also a very spirted child. ; We do have a leash for her (which she not crazy about), ; but we have found the last few trips since she will ride in her stroller for a while, want out for a while to walk (we are like hawks watcing over her every movement), and then she'll want to be carried for awhile. ; We have very seldom used the lease, but have it just in case needed.
I think with all the people, activities, and stimulation they want to stick close to mom and dad. ; We are always communicating back and forth to has her and never assume the other is watching (just good practice in large crowds). ; We have also found each trip to be a different experience with her. ; As she grows, she becomes more cognitive of what is going on. ; Presently she is aware that she is going back to mickey's house (thats what we call it, and she some times think she lives there too) and asks everyday when we are going. ; She will also always tell us when she sees a plane in the sky. ; The people are going to mickey's house....(very cute)
My advice Karen, ; spend a few bucks on a leash, have it with you just in case you need it (hopefully not, but your prepared) and just go with your instincts. ; It'll be fine.... trust me you'll watch her like a hawk. ; And remember, if there's one thing Disney is good at, that is dealing with families and children. ; Every trip you take with her will be different from the last and enjoy every minute because they grow quickly!
Hopefully we'll see you down there so the girls can have a play date, plus I believe hamham and family are planning to be there too. ; We can do a big old Disney Magic christmas meet.

 

[weemcp]

what about one of the backpack harnesses? This is what I used when Julien first started not wanting to be in the stroller - and it worked pretty well (his was a monkey, we bought it at walmart)

 

[Sheila Gallant-Halloran]

we've taken our 4 year old many times too (and our 11 year old many times when she was a toddler) - we just get a stroller, which she is more than happy to stay in - usually make her walk (holding hands) to get to the park, tire her out, and then she's usually quite content to ride - the leash thing never worked for us.

maybe mom and dad alternate holding hand duty?