We don’t want to deal with driving and parking everyday. We pack light and would share suitcases for each leg. I don’t mind the switch. The only issue will be if nap time needs to happen in a room. If I only do one switch, could plan a laid back resort spot or plan to ride the monorail a bit for nap time. It been forever since I’ve ridden it.
I would suggest…NOT doing that.
Sure. Take him on rides he will like. But, at that age, he will have zero memory if this trip other than photos and video later. So, be sure you do what YOU want to do as well. And, yes, I get that as parent/grandparents, there is joy in watching your kids have fun. But don’t sacrifice things you want in the process.
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A lot of these things are the same (for me at least), lol. I just want him to have a good time. I do have a couple things we want to do planned around places that a toddler can loose some time with an adult, if it looks like toddler won’t behave on it (LwtL/ Moana, Pirates/ TSI, things like that). Fun for him, memories for us watching him have fun is what I want most. I did give every other adult a choice to go or stay home based on this. They all want to experience GSs first time at DW. So we get what we want too. It will be a different trip for sure. Slower days, breaks, characters, animals, snacks, no or just a couple big people only rides. And some adults can go back at night and do things while an adult (probably me) is back in the room with sleeping kid. Gotta catch up on the forum some time 
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The only things I have that are must dos are the things I haven’t done or haven’t done while fully operational (RotR, GotG, Tron). I will throw $ at these, use RS, and try for ILL times that work the best- ideally last ride of the night (our night anyway).
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All great suggestions. One thing I didn’t consider is a 2 yr old having that much stuff.
What else is there besides a stroller, diaper bag and diaper necessities, clothes and a few toys?
We are taking our son in spring 2023, and he will be about 2.5 years at that time. We are doing a cruise then some parks/resort time, but that is the most I’m willing to consider in terms of shifting him around. Our son is SUPER active, and I don’t know how he’s going to take to the parks. I would not want the hassle of picking up and moving rooms three times, just knowing how much gear kids travel with these days. In terms of touring, I’m hoping since he’s an early riser that we’ll hit RD, take a 3 hour break around noon, return to the parks, and wrap up the day around 6. Back to the hotel or QS somewhere for dinner, then in bed by 8.
I also have zero idea if this is going to work in actuality. It’s impossible to know. So keeping things as simple as possible seems like the best idea to me. Flexibility is going to be the name of our game.
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Some 2 year olds are still in pack and plays, so if you’re bringing one of those you have that, the bedding, and a mattress (potentially). You might have day diapers, night diapers, and swim diapers. Our child is picky about food, so I can see us needing to bring him some reliable snacks, or order some when we get there, and they’d have to be packed from place to place. Loveys, blankies, souvenirs times however much. Sippy cups, medicines, bibs, disposable table mats, white noise machine… the list goes on and on. I’m just going by what we are currently into with our 1.5 year old.
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Hi, early December is such a nice time to go! You won’t have to worry about the summer heat so that’s good. Last month was my first time staying in a monorail hotel. This was a multi-generational trip and I had my elderly parents and two kids. Having the monorail was great because I didn’t have to fold the stroller. Going to MK and Epcot on the monorail was nice. You will definitely appreciate a monorail hotel so I would vote for Poly or Contemporary/BLT. Have you thought about staying there your whole trip so you don’t have to move? Rooms sometimes aren’t ready until later in the day and switching resorts is going to leave you “homeless” for several hours.
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As a mom of 5 kids ages 20 to 5 years, I have learned to love traveling without young kids because of all the stuff I don’t have to bring!
On my packing list with young kids…in addition to car seat and stroller and the usual clothing/toiletries:
1)medical kit with OTC meds we might need (including PR acetaminophen after the trip when DD2 got sick and refused to take oral medicine - because I tried bringing chewable tablets she wasn’t used to, and Disney only sells one weird brand of liquid she didn’t like), the oral syringe/cups they are used to taking them from, and thermometer,
2)basic laundry supplies in case vomiting or accidents necessitate a visit to the laundry,
3) our own portable crib because I don’t like the cheapo ones hotels often provide,
4) supply of snacks I know my kids are used to and will eat (if ordering from instacart etc bring an empty duffle bag to facilitate moving the groceries for split stay)
5) extra clothes including supply for if it is cooler/warmer than expected
6) pool floatie that my kid is used to
7) sleep items my kid is used to…their own pillow and blanket when toddlers, nightlight, and the white noise machine they all used when little (DD5 still does)
8) rain cover and blanket for stroller
9) Soft-sided cooler bag with huge stroller clips to hang it from the stroller to keep everyone’s drinks and snacks in (benefit of having stroller!)
10) Story books to read at night as well as the lovey, and toys they just “have” to bring.
Now that my youngest is 5 I can leave out the crib, pillow and blanket to sleep with but otherwise still have to bring it all. Much of it is lessons learned from past trip disasters, and some just my kids wanting what they are used to.
I would second the thought to move hotels as little as possible and don’t worry about folding the stroller if needed for transport, just have your stuff in bags that can be easily removed and replaced.
For napping in the parks, which is far easier if your GS will do it, be sure you have a stroller that reclines all the way back and has a huge shade to cover them. We rented one while at Disney once and loved it so much we bought the same model when we got home. It’s still making trips 11 years later.
Kids are all different and I’d caution you against making any strict plans until close to the trip when you know what GS’s temperament and sleep schedule/needs are at that time. As my Grandpa used to say, it will be “rule by the minority”!
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Not much that’s 100% necessary BUT this will fluctuate greatly depending on how your daughter wants to pack and if she’s more of a minimal packer or not. At 2, I would prefer to bring our own swim gear - puddle jumpers are bulky. Sound machine. Sippy cups/small cutlery maybe.
It doesn’t seem like it should be alot but I always was shocked with how much I’d end up packing for trips when my kids were young.
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I really want IG access for EP days and HS days w/o bus. Hate bus. I can manage a split stay but I will bump down to 1 transfer. If the weather was warmer we would do BC but DH loves the BW area. I would prefer Poly over Contemporary but this isn’t a last trip deal by any means. So if all I can get is Contemporary I’ll be ok with it. We go every couple years average. And it’s a goal to stay at every WDW resort little by little.
If IG and HS walking access is priority for you, I’d consider staying at BC or BW for the whole trip. We did BC last time and the buses to MK were easy.
The pool floats and noise machines and sippy cups are definitely on my list of things to bring that take up space. Plus I bring kid friendly sunscreen, separate from my own. I hate checking bags on planes, but I haven’t been able to avoid it with the littles yet - now that we’re fully potty trained in this house, though, I think we’ll do carry on only for a quick upcoming weekend trip to Atlanta…
That said, even if you pack minimally for a toddler, they somehow still manage to strew their belongings in every corner of their room. Every time. So it’s not like you can actually live out of a suitcase and just zip up when it’s time to move.
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I thought you were asking what to bring to the parks for him.
We always traveled light in the parks with our kids. Our poor oldest, he was 3 on our first trip with kids, and he didn’t even get a stroller! That baby walked for 12 park days :D. For the youngest, we took a small stroller with a sunshade and cupholder (my kids are old enough that the smaller strollers didn’t always have cupholders, lol), a few diapers, travel pack of wipes (you can buy these at the baby care center if you NEED more), sippy cup with water, and a little plastic bowl with cheerios or some little snack in it. Maybe a hat, depending on the time of year you go and if he will wear it. We didn’t allow toys to go to the park because if they lost it, it wouldn’t have been a good day.
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Ill probably be packing all his stuff (and DD will probably ask me for a list for herself 
)
No swimming, too cold
Added to list. Thanks for that intel! I’m sure I would have though sippy cup eventually but toddler size silver wear is great!
We are pretty minimalist packers, DH and I. DD to an extent as well. DH and I did 5 days in Dec 2020 out of 1 large suitcase and a backpack.
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DH and DD want an MK resort for MK days. We may not be in the park for fireworks.
Also I really don’t like the bus situation at BW. So it will probably be 3 days EP resort for EP and HS and 4 days MK resort for MK and AK. I can handle that.
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I will admit I had high maintenance babies, not for lack of trying to change them! They did not tolerate being off their schedule very much and needed to nap in the room. To this day my husband and I marvel in envy at the kids passed out in the parks in their strollers!
As far as “stuff”:
They both by 2 did not sleep well in a pack in play so we rented a real crib, we also needed a sound machine to help drown out the strange noises of a hotel, plus the sounds of the others in the room. They had blankies and a stuffy or two, lots of food items/snacks we wouldn’t have been able to get in WDW, books because they were part of the bedtime routine, toys, diapers, wipes, lotion, sensitive skin body wash/shampoo, sunscreen, hats, small fan for the stroller, stroller, soft sided cooler for packing drinks/snacks, sippy cups, bibs, more clothes then I packed for myself (though at least they are small!), night light, I always brought infant Tylenol and a syringe in case. I also brought coloring, stickers, little things to keep them busy on the plane.
We also loved villas with younger kids. Put them to sleep in the bedroom and unwind in the living room, plus the kitchen and laundry are huge. Babies/toddlers go through so many clothes!
They travel so much lighter now thankfully, though my 5 year old did have a small rolling backpack that I let him pack himself for our last trip. He filled it with cars, trucks, dinos and action figures.
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Good point! I was thinking of getting a few cheap toys for each day. Small stuff you typically let your kids plan with for a week then it hits the trash/recycling.
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someone’s little one here packed the foyer rug if I remember correctly!
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I agree that minimizing the number of hotels would be best. If you are sure you want to do two locations, I love the idea of BW and Poly/Contemporary.
I admire that! I am the opposite, I’m afraid, so take this with a handful of salt. Here are some things that we brought when DD was 3.
- stroller rain cover
- battery powered lights for stroller (superfluous but fun and it does make it easier to find at night)
- Hook on baby toys for stroller
- Kid specific toiletries: kid nail clippers, kid’s toothpaste, toothbrush cup, Aquaphor, baby Tylenol/motrin, baby (rectal) thermometer and water based lubricant, kids vitamins
- safety door handle covers (so the kiddo can’t open the door while the adults sleep)
- Folding step stool so that they can reach the sink more easily
- Glow sticks, necklaces (again, superfluous but fun!)
- Kids’ headphones (for plane ride)
- disposable toilet bowl covers (made perching on public toilets cleaner / easier for my potty training kiddo)
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I agree about cutting the 3rd stay. Ours (admittedly it included an off-property in the middle) was way more stress than I’d ever want to do again.
If he’s not in a pack and play you might need a bed rail. You can get from the hotel but it can often take a while to get them to the room. Something to consider.
On the packing list topic, we found a battery powered clip on fan for the stroller really helpful. Especially since our kiddos were more stroller nappers.
For character breakfast timing, it might depend on how early he gets up and usually eats. My kiddos are usually up pretty early and need to eat pronto. So restaurant breakfasts were more like second breakfast. 
We also enjoyed Storybook Dining for an early dinner.
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