Disney with an infant

[Sparrow624]

Well, a 1 year old. Thoughts? Concerns? Things I should think about other than her changing and or eating?

 

[Crystal824]

It isn't too bad. I took DD when she was 9 months old and again when she was 21 months. Keep in mind that your child may not like the characters at that age. My DD loved them at 21 months but was very afraid of them at 9 months. My DD loved fireworks at 21 months but was afraid of them at 9 months.

Do not rent the Disney strollers. Either bring your own or rent one. If you rent, I really like the City Mini. My DD was able to nap in it without any trouble. She usually doesn't nap in a stroller at home. Everyday after lunch she would ask to get the in stroller and she would nap.

Use the baby care centers for changing your child if you are nearby. Most of the bathrooms only have one changing table. The baby care centers have many.

Slow down and do things at your child's pace. This was hard for us, but if DD wanted to stand and watch the Gibbons at AK (which she did) we let her. I don't know when you are going, we went in May and it was very warm, and DD loved playing in the founatains at DTD and Epcot. I broght extra clothes and shoes just for that.

 

[detarica]

I have done this a couple times. Disney is a great place for babies as long as you don't push them past their comfort level. I totally second slowing down and enjoying the day at a leisurely pace.

Here's a BIG Disney secret from a annual passholder: you are not going to see and do everything that the four magical parks have to offer on one vacation. I have been more than 10 times to Disney World on weeklong vacations, and I have not seen everything yet. So, accept that, decide what is important to you, and take everything else in a leisurely pace. You are on vacation afterall. You can come back and see more stuff when the baby is older. Couple of specifics:

-There are great Baby Centers that are each park. Find them on a map and plan your diaper changes around being close to one when possible. They have very nice areas for changing. Small potties for potty training toddlers, and peaceful rooms for nursing or bottle feeding. The baby centers are also quiet, have slightly dimmed lights in nursing area, and cool. They can be an oasis for a overheated, over stimulated baby with needs to get a clean diaper, cool off, and eat in a quiet environment. I find them soothing in a crowded park and wish they had an adult version. They also have baby supplies there in case you are one of the hundreds of people a day who lose their pacifer...or forget to re-stock the stroller with diapers.

Food: Portion sizes of meals at Disney are large and most kids meals at Disney come with yogurt and grapes or apples. We could easily feed the baby off the plate our plates (me, my husband, and older daughter) without buying an entire meal for them. My other secret on food is to schedule on sit down meal a day and make an advanced reservation online. It is nice to walk out of a bright/hot/crowded park into a nice table in a cool room. Don't worry about taking a baby to any place inside a Disney park. They all have kid's menus.

Entertaining: The most entertaining thing at Disney for a toddler is the Electric Light Parade. Make sure you get a good place to see this one. My toddler completely went nuts the first time she saw this parade because Tinker Bell blew her a kiss. My favorite is to push the stroller right up to the rope in Frontierland near Pecos Bill's outside seating area. The parade ends near here and it is less crowded than around the castle. Another good spot is in the Liberty Square area.

Stroller: I would invest in a very lightweight stroller with folds easily, but can recline. The Combi Flare Lightweight Stroller has been our favorite. It is lighter than an umbrella stroller, but very confortable. You will be lifting the stroller a lot. Everytime you get on and off the parking lot tram, you will need to take the child out, fold it, and lift it on the tram. This can be very taxing if it is heavy or if you over pack the stroller so that it is difficult to fold. Also, before you get to disney, buy a spray bottle of water that have a fan on it. You can get these for half the price at Wal-mart and kids adore them on hot days. The cool things about strollers at Disney is that you can safely park them in stroller parking outside the attractions and not really worry about them. I wouldn't leave anything of huge value there, but the only thing I have ever had stolen as a plastic poncho...I guess they really needed it.

Stroller Poncho: If you take a stroller, do not go without a stroller poncho. You can get these at Babies R Us. This will keep a sleeping toddler dry and the seat to the stroller dry during one of the daily showers that replenish Orlando. Showers come up fast in Orlando. I have walked in an attraction under blue skies and walked out into a rain storm. Luckily, I left the stroller poncho installed whether there was a cloud in the sky or not, so the stroller was not soaked.

Water Parks and Pools: Kids love the Disney Water parks. Both parks have kiddie areas for toddlers to splash in. There are a couple of family slides at each park that are safe for babies who are not afraid of water and swimming. Make sure you carry swim daipers to use any pool or water slide. Some Disney hotels offer splash pads at the pools for toddlers. My fav is at the Caribbean Beach Resort. It is a huge pirate ship that sprays water in the air every couple minutes.

*whew* I think that is all I have for now. Babies love it there. Both my kids really woke their imaginations while they were there. I really don't know how to describe it.

 

[a11ie]

I took my DS when he was 14mo. My advice? PLAN.. and then do whatever you please. Know where changing areas are, look into which rides would be a good place to rest (Spaceship Earth in EC or people movers in MK).
I hate to say let your little one run the vacation but definitely let them set the pace. If you try to over do it you'll end up with a cranky kid and it wont feel like much of a vacation anymore.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Would love to hear all advise. Traveling in Nov. & Dec with our baby boy.

 

[Sparrow624]

This is all very helpful. Keep it coming!

Been to Disney 4 times with just the wife and I...This is our new challenge, haha.

 

[ElenaRN]

Last Dec was our first trip with DD, then 11 months.

We had to realize we were not going to be able to go on EVERY ride or do the whole park in the amt of time we used to.
You have to plan for unscheduled stops and detours. For example your one year old may want to spend 45 min looking at the ducks in the pond or the flowers in the garden.

My DD was terrified of the characters at that age, so don't force it.

Make sure you take some snacks, we love the baby food pouches that don't need to be refrigerated.

Just understand it's hard to plan with a one year old bc they are so unpredictable- at least mine was.

 

[minijenny]

My absolute favorite Disney trip ever was last October taking DS for his first birthday. Everything was slow paced, calm and so much fun. I was expecting some major meltdowns because of the heat or the crowds, but DS just loves people watching so WDW was great for him. Plus the weather fully cooperated with us- not too hot and no rain.

We did take a lightweight stroller with us, which was sometimes useful, but mostly DS toddled around or rode in the baby pack. I strongly recommend taking a baby carrier (I LOVE my Beco) because holding a wiggly baby who's eager to touch everything in sight is tiring even when the queue is only 5 min. Also, when I had him strapped in facing forward, I never had to remove him on any of the rides. The lap bars just went straight down over his legs and we could enjoy the rides without worrying about him jumping out.

Another bonus for the carriers is that if he was getting ready for a nap, I would strap him in, walk around for a few minutes until he conked out and then we could catch a gentle ride or show. He conveniently slept through Mickey's Philharmagic, Reflections of China, Muppets 3D, Ellen's Energy Adventures, and POTC. He was not a fan of our first POTC ride-thru.

Baby Care Centers are wonderful, but don't worry if you need to change the baby and don't want to trek across the park looking for one. The bathrooms are fine and I never waited to use the changing tables, even when it was pretty crowded.

His favorites were The Land, IASW, Flights of Wonder, Grand Fiesta Tour, Stepping Tones (in Imagination) and hanging out in Liberty Square touching all the pumpkins. Toddlers are great at Disney. Just remember they don't need to (and likely don't want to) see everything. If they find something they love, let them explore and enjoy. Those are the moments you will remember the most.

 

[Sparrow624]

Awesome advice! Especially the carrier, never would have thought of that.

 

[Bitsmommy]

I suggest that you get a tie that connects her sippy, bottle, whatever to her stroller. You can get them for cheap at Babies R Us. Anyway, we used that last time we went with our 9 month old and it was a GODSEND... no more chasing cups as they roll down the middle of Main Street because he thought it was funny! Or just because they can fall out from time to time.

 

[tpettie]

I'm wondering about getting Milk ??

we are staying at the AofA resort and wondering if you can get 1/2 gallon jugs to keep in the room fridge...

I know there are stores that will deliver stuff but that makes me nervous and then you have to be there to get it...

Does anyone know if you can take an electric pump as carryon onto the plane??

 

[Crystal824]

We have milk delivered from Garden Grocer. You can buy it all over WDW, but it can be pretty expensive to buy the individual cartons. If you do have it delivered, Garden Grocer will generally drop it off at Bell Services before you arrive and you just pick it up at check-in. Does A0A have mini fridges? You will have to keep it cold.

Yes, you can take a pump on as a carry on. I have several times.

 

[tpettie]

We have milk delivered from Garden Grocer. You can buy it all over WDW, but it can be pretty expensive to buy the individual cartons. If you do have it delivered, Garden Grocer will generally drop it off at Bell Services before you arrive and you just pick it up at check-in. Does A0A have mini fridges? You will have to keep it cold.

Yes, you can take a pump on as a carry on. I have several times.

yes there will be a fridge

With the delivery of stuff from a grocery how do they keep the milk cold at bell services?? we aren't getting into MCO until 6:30pm so it would be late check in. How does that work with the grocery delivery and perishables ??

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

yes there will be a fridge

With the delivery of stuff from a grocery how do they keep the milk cold at bell services?? we aren't getting into MCO until 6:30pm so it would be late check in. How does that work with the grocery delivery and perishables ??

All the resorts have walk in fridges where your milk etc., will be kept. We have taken the last flight out due to weather and everything was perfect.
No worries.

 

[FreeThinker]

My DD turned 1 the week before we went, in May. My tips are to bring a sling. I was able to use it to get her to sleep if she was really fussy, or nurse with it, or even just holding her in line. There were several rides that she slept thru in the sling. For food, make sure you pack plenty of snacks. I had some of the freeze dried apples w/ Disney charcters on the package that were a big hit for her. Otherwise she just ate some of whatever I was eating. I had a good bib, and also the disposable bibs. I would take one change of clothes, diapers and wipes, try to keep the amount of stuff you pack in and out down if possible (we also took drinks and snacks in each time). I just used a backpack instead of a diaper bag, there were more pockets and you could organize it better. We didn't do any ADRs b/c I wasn't sure how she would hold up, and I wanted to be able to eat QS when she needed to. We didn't stay on-site, so we just ate a couple of meals at Disney anyway, we ate mostly at the house. Early starts were important for us, and getting everyone in bed early so we could get up the next morning. WE only stayed late one night to was fireworks over the castle, the other nights we had the kids in bed by 8-9, and were always up early the next morning.

Allow for plenty of downtime, keep your priorities straight (have FUN, no schedule), make a loose list of things you'd like to do in each park, and just try to hit those handful of items.

 

[hipporina]

We just got back with our 7 month old and it was wonderful. He loved everything, especially the characters and music.

I absolutely agree with the recommendation to get a good carrier before you go. I wear our little one all the time, and my go to carrier at home is a ring sling for its ease and portability In the parks, however, I used my Beco Gemini because it is more comfortable for long carries and doesnt restrict my arm movement. He spent as much time in the Beco as in his stroller. There are many times when you can't use a stroller (in lines, in the future world pavilions, etc) and the carrier is invaluable! I never had to take him it of the carrier for a ride and it enabled him to nap whenever he wanted to.

We had 9 park days and I only used the baby care centers twice. Once in HS when I was afraid he wasn't nursing long enough and wanted him to have a calm place to eat and once in the MK when we were already on main street. Most of the time, it was just too inconvenient to stop what I was doing and trek across the park. The rest of the time I just nursed him wherever we were and changed him in a bathroom or his stroller as needed.

 

[hipporina]

Forgot to add, the half gallons of milk at AoA were about $3 I believe and there is a fridge in the room. We got milk for our big kids for breakfast. Yes, it is way more than what you pay at the grocery store, but it wasn't horrible.

 

[5stljayhawks]

make sure you diaper bag is well stocked. it costs if you forget something or run out while in the park. Also First Aid folks are great and helpfull, just keep an eye out for baby stations or look on a map ahead of time.

Sunscreen and good stroller. if you are bringing your own, you may want to tie some sort of string/ribbon/marker to identify when you come out of rides. Just will save you time as strollers do move spot when you aren't around.

 

[tpettie]

We just got back with our 7 month old and it was wonderful. He loved everything, especially the characters and music.

I absolutely agree with the recommendation to get a good carrier before you go. I wear our little one all the time, and my go to carrier at home is a ring sling for its ease and portability In the parks, however, I used my Beco Gemini because it is more comfortable for long carries and doesnt restrict my arm movement. He spent as much time in the Beco as in his stroller. There are many times when you can't use a stroller (in lines, in the future world pavilions, etc) and the carrier is invaluable! I never had to take him it of the carrier for a ride and it enabled him to nap whenever he wanted to.

We had 9 park days and I only used the baby care centers twice. Once in HS when I was afraid he wasn't nursing long enough and wanted him to have a calm place to eat and once in the MK when we were already on main street. Most of the time, it was just too inconvenient to stop what I was doing and trek across the park. The rest of the time I just nursed him wherever we were and changed him in a bathroom or his stroller as needed.

Thanks for that were going in 55 day with a group of 25 we will have 1 4month old 2 1year olds then they range from 6 -19yrs with 8 adults

I was thinking sling for the 1yr old would work best and a carrier for the infant. Mom is expressing so we will have to work out taking all that with us to the parks and giving her time to do that.

 

[Figee17]

I brought my DS when he was 8 months, 13 months, and 20 months. He was great all three times and I had a blast looking at things from his perspective and at his pace (I was always a go, go, go Disney person before baby!) His FAVORITE thing was the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show at Fort Wilderness, smiled, laughed, and clapped along the whole time. He also loved teh "jumping water" near Imagination in EPCOT...jumping water, a water fountain, and the monorail all in one place, he was in heaven. I used the baby centers extensively, even buying baby food there on one occasion. Expensive, yes, but not outrageous and SO convenient if you run out/forget. We are planning our next trip for Feb. 2013 with DS who will be 2.8 then, my niece who will be 3 and my nephew who will be 1 (first trip for those two)- can't wait!! Oh yeah, plan for some pool time too if the weather cooperates - a definite favorite!