Bring baby? Leave baby at home?

[Punzel]

We have a 3.5 yr old and an 8 month old. We were planning on bringing them both to DisneyWorld along with Grandma. But now Grandma has expressed interest in preferring to stay home with the baby while we travel to Disney with our 3 yr old.

Those who have done Disney with a baby, how is it? On the contrary, those who have left a baby back home while going to Disney, did you regret it?

 

[Granny square]

I couldn't leave my babies when they were little so I'd vote for taking the baby. They cracked me up at that age anyway. Fun to hang with

 

[zuzu310]

We will be in the exact same boat as you next year with a 3.5 year old and an 8 month old also. We have already made the decision to only take our 3 year old and leave baby home with grandma and grandpa. We did this for several reasons, but I think my son will benefit from having one last trip with just us and I think baby will be happier at home. When my son was 2.5 months old and 5 months old, my DH and I left him home with grandma and grandpa while we took a weekend trip and a longer trip (5 days) and it was the right decision. I know he wouldn't have gotten much out of those trips and he did just fine at home. So whatever you decide just don't let others make you feel guilty over it. My mom and dad left me at home with my grandparents once at 2 and took my brother to an amusement park when he was 6 or 7. I have no memory of it so it must have not been too traumatic.

 

[ElenaRN]

At 8 months it would probably be a decent trip, depending on what kind of baby he/she is.

We went on DCL when DD was 9 months and had an awesome time. Then took her to WDW at 11 months and it was a great trip as well.

We have also left her with grandma and grandpa for a few days so we could go to the Leap Year party. You will def get many strongly opposing views on this topic.

Will this be your 3yo first time to WDW?

 

[Punzel]

We brought our 3 yr old last year and she LOVED it. She still talks about the trip.
I'd consider putting this trip on hold until next year when our youngest is a little older, but we've already told our 3 yr old about it and she's of course looking forward to it. And who are we kidding, we'll most likely go to Disney again next year! We're hooked.

Our baby is a bit high maintenance, which worries me in terms of Disney. We'll all be in one hotel room, and she still wakes quite a bit at night so I'm worried about nights. She's also a screamer- when she's angry and when she's happy, so of course I worry about her disturbing others. The thought of leaving her at home makes me feel guilty, but the thought of bringing her is stressing me out....

 

[BeastsFlower]

We are going in less then 2 months. We decided right away that bringing our 6 month old is not a good idea. We have done disney with a baby before and it was a lot of work and really was not fair to him. He was stuck in the stroller all the time, his schedule was all off and it was just rough. We have a 7 yr old, a 4 yr old and a 6 month now. I will miss her like crazy but it is the best decision for our family. She will keep her schedule, get quality time with grandma & grandpa, and I know she will be having fun. We don't plan on going back again until she is older.

 

[dsneprincess]

I took both my kids really young and I have a 9 1/2 year age gap. We took DS10 and DS6months together. We all had a great time! DS#2 was not/is not as easygoing as his older brother and was a shrieked. He did fine in Disney and on plane. Disney is about the easiest place to bring an infant (maybe that's just me?). We took him to all 4 parks, both waterparks, mini golf and DisneyQuest at 6 months old. We were up early and out late in August heat and humidity. He slept like a rock at night. We did a sit down dinner at Chef Mickey's, no problem there either. I think we stayed at Pop Century.

 

[angelmom27]

I never leave my babies at home. They always come. Taking a baby is the easiest. I babywear and breastfeed so nothing to it. I have also taken babies who were on formula and eating baby food no big deal. Still very easy. So many products out there to make things easy. This Nov my new little one that will be born at the beginning of nov will be going at the end of nov for a one day trip. I have an extra ticket and have to use it up so me and my DD and the new baby will be going back for the candlelight processional. My 2.5 yr old DD will be staying home with her siblings for the first time this weekend. Me and my 8 yr old DD are going for NOJ. I always feel bad leaving anyone behind. For NOJ though I know what my kids can handle and it wouldn't be good to bring the others. Besides we are going back in May.

 

[4kids4karen]

I have four kids and would have no second thoughts leaving the baby with grandma. It is less stress for everyone and although you will miss the baby and not have the photo ops, you get to spend quality time with your other child. I think it is a win-win for everyone.

Disney is family friendly but the Florida sun and heat is not friendly to infants.

 

[daniele_ut]

Our 3 kids are now about to turn 9, 5.5 and 21 months. We went to Disneyland last year for Thanksgiving when the baby was 11 months old and it went really well - because he wasn't totally mobile yet and was happy to stay in the stroller. It would be much more difficult to take him at this age, so if we were going in the next year I would probably leave him at home. He isn't content in the stroller for long anymore. Our current plan is to go back to Disneyland right before he turns 3.

 

[kim929]

We brought our 3 yr old last year and she LOVED it. She still talks about the trip.
I'd consider putting this trip on hold until next year when our youngest is a little older, but we've already told our 3 yr old about it and she's of course looking forward to it. And who are we kidding, we'll most likely go to Disney again next year! We're hooked.

Our baby is a bit high maintenance, which worries me in terms of Disney. We'll all be in one hotel room, and she still wakes quite a bit at night so I'm worried about nights. She's also a screamer- when she's angry and when she's happy, so of course I worry about her disturbing others. The thought of leaving her at home makes me feel guilty, but the thought of bringing her is stressing me out....

I think you saying the baby is high maintenance is the key. You will not enjoy yourself when your constantly worrying about the baby's behavior and other guests.
If grandma is willing to stay home with the baby, I would take her up on it.
Will you feel quilty leading up to the trip, yes.
When you get there it will melt away. Why bring the baby knowing their behavior will disrupt everyone else. Go enjoy the trip with baby at home. Next time you go hopefully they will be out of this stage

 

[bigbabyblues]

I would have taken the baby, but ours were both easy. I wouldn't take grandma, though. It stresses me way too much to travel with anyone that doesn't live in our house. How long is the trip?

 

[mousehunter3]

Would you feel more stressed about taking the baby or leaving the baby at home? There's your answer.

 

[Spunky946]

We went when ds was 4 and dd 8.5 months. It was a great trip. She was an easy baby though. We did half days and she still got her naps.

We then went back when they were 7 and 3 and 8 and 4 and in a lot of ways that first trip was easier even with all of the stuff. Dd is pretty opionated

 

[lovemygrowingfamily]

Next August we will be taking our 8 month old, 4,6,8,10,almost 11 and 14 year old. The kids are excited and can't wait to show the baby everything even if he won't remember it. We would never leave any of our kids behind because its a family vacation for us. Plus a baby will be a walk in the park compared to my autistic, sensory processing disorder, severe anxiety, selective mutism 10 year old.

You just need to decide whether you are having a family vacation or a part of the family vacation.

 

[marykatmp]

We have taken all three of ours before when they were babies and couldn't imagine having a family vacation without them. It is not easy to take a baby anywhere, but in my opinion it is easier with a baby than a toddler. Disney is totally doable with a baby. We love using the baby care centers.

 

[Disneyaddictz]

We have a 3.5 yr old and an 8 month old. We were planning on bringing them both to DisneyWorld along with Grandma. But now Grandma has expressed interest in preferring to stay home with the baby while we travel to Disney with our 3 yr old.

Those who have done Disney with a baby, how is it? On the contrary, those who have left a baby back home while going to Disney, did you regret it?

This topic comes up everyday, IMHO no one can answer this for you. Some have very strong ideas about the topic but you know your family and what your expectations are for your trip. Having one on one could be pretty special for all of you, but will you enjoy it to the fullest without baby? Just consider yourself and family and consider the pros of taking him and the pros of him staying. Don't worry your little one won't need counseling if you leave him. Rofl

 

[luvmy2babies]

I brought my son at 10 months and he was great. My daughter was 7 so quite a few people suggested me leaving him, but

1 I was still nursing at night
2 His sister would have had a fit
3 He had already traveled and traveled well
4 We already ate out in restaurants once a week
5 I had never left him for even one night so 6 was not going to happen
6 He naps well in a stroller

You have to consider the length of the trip and whether you can handle leaving the baby for that long. How much experience do you have being separated overnight? What kind of traveler the baby is plays a big factor. I’m guessing having grandma along was going to add more flexibility to the trip for the baby; so now if she doesn’t want to go, it may be better if the baby stays behind in your case.

I haven’t done separate trips with my children yet, but I’m sure I will with the difference in their ages. Just not to Disney. That’s an all-in trip for us. And on these threads, I always say consider how the older sibling might feel for either scenario. Most think the older child would be thrilled for the alone time with the parent(s); however my daughter threw a fit when someone just joked about us leaving ds behind.

I don’t see where you said when you were going. Heat was not a factor on my son’s first trip because we went in November. I think it hit 80 once during our trip. His 2nd trip to Florida was at 21 months and in October. We didn’t do Disney in summer until he was 2.5. I wish you the best with your decision.

 

[SweetMissy]

I wouldn't leave the baby for one simple reason, I breastfeed and wouldn't have the patience to pump throughout the day and wasn't the worlds best pumper to leave a weeks supply of milk behind, lol. I would take the baby. When we went last year our baby was 4 months old and he did great! He loved all the sights and sounds....at 8 months I would imagine your baby would too. It's a great age IMO. With taking our kids are various ages, I think it's harder to take a 3 1/2 year old then the baby, lol. Good luck deciding!

 

[RainK]

We took our then 15 month old and 3 year old before. I personally could never leave my kid at home. It's all or nothing with me.

I get that it'll probably be easier without the 8 month old, but I would not leave my child at home.

Heck, I won't go on vacation without either of my child now....and they are school aged.