2.5 Year Old and Sea World

Snacks,drinks,change of cloths,unbrella for shade. camera for the memories. And nerve little one take a lot out of you when they get tired been there lol

At that age all my daughter wanted to do was play in the water. In San Antonio they have a bunch of little squirting fountains and such for the kids to play in. Bring dry clothes!

I would pack LOTS of snack bags and a small cooler if they let you. Try to avoid nap time but if you can't go to a show at that time so he can sleep or tilt the stroller back in the shade for a quick nap.

LEt me telly ou first - I take a small lunch bag of snacks for my daughter - and I even take drinks - but NOTHING that require straws. They do not allow plastic straws in teh facility. So - another idea we came up with are the Sunny D single servings - then you can refill them with water from the fountains. Take non-persishable snacks though - I took the gerber yogurt drops or cereal bars crackers and so forth. Try not to take everything in your purse. Take as little as you have to - credit/debit card and id and cash - chap stick is good too. Take your own stroller it possible and it has a basket on it - otherwise you can rent one for hte day for about $15. As far as the daily nap.... right before nap time - take him to the small kid zone water park by the shamu roller coaster - let him run around for the 10 minutes and get cooled off then dry him off and let him rest in the stroller while you take a breather as well - they have some shaded areas - I bet he falls asleep for you.
Good luck - I took my 4 yr old for the first time this year and we have already been three times and still havent seen the whole park.... I hope if you intend on going more than once you buy season passes..... its well worth the price. and in the end you save more money than you realize.
Have fun!

There's a 'secret' free beer area- it's near the Dolphin Encounter, at the Budweiser Beergarten. It's air-conditioned, there are tables to sit down at, and the beer is cold and FREE. You asked for survival tips- that is ours!

Last year we took our 2 year old twins. It was actually a great expericence. Things that we took were of corse the stroller, leashes (i am not really sure what they are called, but you can find them in the children section. they have little animals on them), and lots of snacks. What's great about sea world, it's a great thing for them to watch, lot's to see, so it keeps them occupied. When they got tired of sitting, we would let them walk with the leash so we still had control. My boys actually took about an hour nap in their stroller and that gave my husband and I time to relax. I hope I helped juust a little! GOOD LUCK!

Hi! We just took our son, same age as yours, to Sea World. It got sooooo hot that we were all done by 2pm. We went back to the hotel and he took his nap. You can go back in the evening as they have night shows after 6:30pm if you want. Sunscreen, water. We used a light wieght umbrella stroller and was able to fold it up and take it in to the shows with us. We did not do any water activities so we packed very light.

You have already gotten tons of advice. I only have a few things. Get there when they open and do the most important things first. It starts getting crowded about two hours after they open. If you don't do the roller coasters and the water sprinklers then you can do the whole park by afternoon. We usually leave by then when everyone is tired and cranky. Maybe your kiddo will pass out in the stroller for a short nap or you can take a break under a tree for at least some down time. About a stroller: All the shows you have to leave your stroller at the entrance unattended. If you have an umbrella stroller you can fold it up but it gets to be a pain when you have stuff packed all underneath in the basket. Don't bring too much stuff to cart around and nothing too important as you will eventually start just leaving the stroller at the entrance with most of your stuff. Water is a must. Have fun!

We took our son when he was 3 and 4. He had a great time. Get there early. Go feed the dolphins first (if you wait til later they are not hungry). Bring your big stroller. Leave your towels and extra clothes in there when you go to a show. We never had a problem with any of our things being bothered. We just carried a backpack/diaper bag with us. Have a great time!

Let me just say that is not just for SeaWorld, but for anyone taking a toddler/baby in a stroller. I fully realize that it may be too much for your trip...however, I learned that wrapping an "icepack" in a towel for the stroller really works. When my DD was 7/8 months, my husband wanted to jog (in a stroller,of course) with her. In Texas, its just plain, TOO HOT!! I would wrap those "freebie" icepacks they give you at the hopital to keep formula cold. I would wrap those in thick towels and, voila!...no more sweaty cranky baby!! Its just enough to keep 'em from sweating, but not too cold to freeze 'em. Simply wrap them in a towel and tuck behind their backs....it worked for us.

Good luck and Have Fun!!!

Margaret:)

My daughter is 17 months old and walks everywhere she does not like to be in her stroller for long.

I bought a harness for our bayhouse b/c she loves to shoot off and start running. This is our first summer with her walking and I was so scared she was going to fall off one of the docks or balconies.

I ended up trying the harness out at the zoo (which we frequent often) one day. She loved it and I loved it. She could go anywhere she wanted and I did not have to chase after her.

I will say I use to hate seeing kids on those things but it is completely different when you are not having to chase her and keep up with everything else.

We took our 2 1/2 year old during spring break. She had a lot of fun. They had a sesame street show that she loved. We had to get to the shows early or there was no place to sit, so it was hard for her to just sit there for 30 min waiting for the show to start. Hopefully since it is summer it wont be as busy. Just make sure to pack lots of sun screen and water. The water park wasn't open when we went so I am sure that would be fun for a 2 year old. Good luck and take lots of pics.

Go early, bring snacks and be prepared to leave whenever the meltdown hits and it will sooner then you think.

We had a similar situation with our young son but we had one that was 5 also. Daddy took the 5 year old earlier to a sea camp and they met us after nap time. Our 3 yr. old and I swam in the a.m., took an early lunch and nap and he was ready to do the rest of the day at sea world starting about 1. It worked beautifully for us all. The boys both crashed on the way home about 7:30. There was NO WAY it would have worked otherwise for us. Have a wonderful time!

All the previous advice is excellent. Since you are pregnant too, you should both probably take a nap mid-day! You'll need it! The great thing about the parks here is that you can leave and return on the same day without paying parking/entrance fees twice - just keep your parking receipt and get your hand stamped when you exit.
So I would recommend getting to the park right when it opens (or before) and going until about 1pm. Then leave (get your hands stamped), unwind, get out of the sun, and get your nap, and then return around 5pm or so to catch the night shows.
Oh, and wear COMFY SHOES! You will be walking ALL DAY!

Have fun :-)

If you have season passes, don't try to do/see everything at once. If your son enjoys being at the water park and he's happy, just let him enjoy that as long as he wants to be there. Get there by the time the park opens, plenty of suncreen, towels, extra clothing, swimming diapers (if not potty trained), plenty of snacks and juice/water. I packed peanut butter/jelly sandwiches for us (parents) to snack on while he ate his snacks. If you plan to rent a locker to store items, take quarters for that.
My son, 2 yr old, would only last about 5-6 hrs until he started getting cranky and we would leave. By the time we got home (we live about 4 miles from Sea World) he would be asleep in his car seat.

Have fun and enjoy the experience. Make the day about your son and all will go well.

God Bless,
E.

We took my son last year, when he was 2. Sunblock, bottled water and baby appropriate snacks are what we found most needed. I also brought a hat, which he wore MOST of the time and a blanket to cover up the stroller while he slept.

i'd suggest taking a thermos with water. You can always refill with water at a water fountain. You aren't allowed to bring in any of those little pouches or juice boxesto drink out of. The little straws pose a potential animal hazard. If you have any of those little snack bowls fill them with his favorite snacks.Shorts not pants, sunglasses or cap if he'll wear it. Lots of sunscreen, water diapers if he's not potty trained! you can always call ahead of time to find out what you are or aren't allowed to take in with you. Oh and don't forget your camera!! (: have fun!

We just went this past weekend with my 22month old!! :) Let's see.... it was triple digit temps. so lots of sunscreen even if you don't go to the water park. If you have a wagon instead of a stroller you might want to consider that. That's what we brought and it was nice!! We brought an insulated water bottle for her so water would stay cold (she has a klean kanteen), and also for me and my husband nalgene bottles and just filled them up at the water fountains. That way we didn't have to buy water to drink. Hats are a must especially for your little one. Very cool clothes and sandals. My daughter just laid down in the wagon and napped that way for about 1 hr and 15 min. as we strolled around (which I was actually surprised!!) Schedule out your shows before hand so you know where you want to go and when. Get there 30 min. early because it fills up and watch out not to sit in the splash zones unless you want to :) Have fun!!! :)

I took my girls last summer when they were 4 and 2 (a few months past both their bdays). my 2 yr old was able to sleep for a little while when we went to see the 4-D movie. it's indoors and very cool in there, just make sure to have a towel to cover him if he sleeps, b/c water shoots out of the seats in certain parts of the movie =)
I say make sure to bring a good sun hat for him, sunglasses if he will leave them on, water-proof sunblock, a change of clothes in case he gets too soaked (but when we watched the Shamu show, we sat really close on purpose to get soaked b/c it was so hot out! we were dry within a couple hours!). bring a water bottle or sippy cup so he can drink plenty of water! I guess that's about it! don't forget your camera =D have fun!

We went a couple of months ago when my daughter was a little over 3 and my son was a little shy of 1 and I would recommend LOTS of sunscreen, a hat and lots of snacks. We also brought bottled water. We froze the bottles the night before (pour out a little of the water before freezing so the bottle doesn't explode) so that they would stay colder longer in the heat. We have a sit n stand stroller that you can add an extra seat into and we did that for my daughter later in the afternoon and she was able to take a nap in there. The heat will wear them out pretty fast, so count on him getting tired. I agree with the others that say to get there when it opens. It's not as hot and you can set the pace of what shows you want to see and when. We went to the water park one day too and my daughter really liked that. She wasn't big enough for any of the rides, but she loved the wave pool and the kiddie play structure. We went to the Penguin Encounter to cool off. It's dark and cool in there and not very loud, so my daughter and son were both able to rest in there where it was cooler and dark. Just wear comfy shoes, light clothing and lots of sunscreen and be prepared to sweat! Have fun!

I love Sea World. My teens won't go there anymore, but I love it and will still go with hubby or by myself.
You may not have to skip the nap. When he wipes out in the stroller and falls asleep you and hubby can go to some of the shows. They are fantastic shows and run all day at various time. Or "Beer School" when he falls asleep! That's a great place.

He can nap while you 2 do some things and then son will be ready to go again later!

You don't say if you live in or near SA. If so, upgrade your tickets to the season pass. It's only about $5 or $8 more to upgrade. We did this a lot. That way if the little ones make it for 4, 5 hours then that's it.....don't stretch it to try to make a full day.
Go back on your season pass a couple weeks later and start with all the things you didn't get to the first time. Season passes at Sea World run thru fall, too.

Lorene gave you very good advice. The one thing I think you should also consider is getting there early. We always plan to be there before the park opens. One time we waited till noon and we had an hour wait in the car just trying to get the parking lot! Then you end up parking way out there. Don't forget the sunscreen! Good luck.

Bring your own water...the lines can be very long sometimes. Bring a bathing suit because they have cute little kids water area.

We took a hand held fan that squirts water...it was a life saver and kept us cool (you can buy them at Walmart/Target). Children get over heated quickly so we stayed very close to the indoor places (restarants/gift shop) to go into every hour or so. The water park there is nice too and great place to cool down in the afternoon. My son, now 4, ended up taking a long nap in his stroller at Sea World so my problem was getting him to bed that night!! :)
Have a wonderful time and just don't try to cram too much in...it's very crowded and HOT HOT HOT so just relax and go with the flow!
-Elizabeth

We have been taking our son to Sea World since his 1st birthday. He loves it!Many times he has napped in his stroller. If he does-go to the penguin exhibit-it's dark and there are many sleeping kids in there.

Be sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen. Our son eats every 1-2 hours so I usuaaly bring alot of small snacks.

Be sure to visit the dolphin feeding tank-he loves it. Don't be suprised if the Shamu show scares him a bit at first-but he'll be in awe!

Be sure to bring some swimming stuff. They do have the water park-but go there early-entry fills up quick and the line gets long. There is a splash park in the Shamu's Happy Harbor area that is great for getting wet and letting them play. We spend some time in the Happy Harbor area so he can run and play some.

Have fun. We were there 2 weeks ago and he had a ball. We usually stay overnight and split our visit into 2 days but it's doable in 1 day for sure.

Wipes, hand sanitizer, change of clothes for her, sunscreen, bag of frozen grapes, couple of waters. Wipe her down and make sure she is dry, comfortable, and fed b4 you put her in the car to go home cause she will pass out. Have a great time. If you have a season pass go get the coupon book. They have 2 for 1 food coupons to feed the animals in them and my kids love that. Have a great time.