How young to get'm started?

As a new father (with 2.5yr old girl and 5 week old son), I'm just counting the days until I can share my love of snow sports with my kids. However, when is it appropriate to put them on skis? I'd like some personal stories to help guide me. Lest I make some preventable mistakes. Thanks!

My 4yo jack has gotten as many days in the backyard on grass "tourning" as he has on snow. This is Dickie Hall's method. start with the x-c ski as a play tool/sandbox/garden tool way before they ever see snow. Put one ski on and walk around the yard/house have them one ski then days/months later give them two then give them snow later!!!!!

I'm on my third now, For me I trick them into thinking the mountains are always fun, and try to keep things intertaining. My Kid ski days are much different than pow days, and a lot shorter.
Young children have a pretty short attention span, some days we just make snow angles or look at the snow crystals.
Try to not get frustrated, with the little ones, they have no idea what a big deal it is to get them up on the hill, with all they crap you need to bring.
We mix it up normalley starting with shuffel,shuffel xc skis at the sled hill, than go on the magic carpet for a few runs, in down hill gear. I'll go on the lifts if she wants to. Pretty fun for a 3yo. I'm guessing by the time she's 10, she'll be ripping. Mom laughes when I talk about my daughters Quiver of used and free gear,

PS. she gets the sunny days.

Here's some vid of my 4yo Chloe skiing today at West. I got her on Karhu Kabooms at 2.5, real skis at 3.5, and now at 4 she can really ski. I cant wait to watch her grow up, it a lot of fun. Agree on all comments about the fun factor: keep it fun and they'll want to keep it up.....

Cheers,
Jon

We started our daughter at three.  We spent one day riding the daddy chair and the next day we started riding the lifts.  We started her with tip connectors and she used them all five time she skied the first year.  By four years old she was strong/coordinated enough to ski with out them.  At five she was skiing the terrain park and working on her parallel.

We put on 1 1/2 year old son on skis in May.  He didn't really like the fact that he was just getting the hang of walking and now he was sliding.  He did maybe 50 lineal feet of skiing that day.  This winter he is already saying "I be a skier."  I think he will be ready for a few short days this winter.

A couple of things I learned.
Kids get cold quickly and can go from fine to tears in less than one run.  You have be vigilant.  We have started putting hand warmers in her gloves at the beginning of the day.  She is also bundled up with a neck warmer and face mask.
They don't have great endurance.  My daughter has skied more than 20,000 vertical feet in a day, but never more than 5 runs without heading into the lodge.
Hot food or drinks in the lodge are in order on cold days.

Have a great time skiing with your family.
Robert

I'll second hand and feet warmers at the start of each day, even if you dont think they need it. Nothing worse than cold hands and they dont notice it til its too late....