Tell me about your trip with a 1 year old???

[shoppingbou]

Hello fellow Disney lovers!

I need your help! We are planning our Disney Honeymoon for this September I can't wait!

Of course, we'll be bringing our DS with us! He will be 13 months old at the time of the trip.

Please, tell me about your experience with a kid this age? The rides, the child swaps, the naps, the diaper changings? What did he eat? What did he drink? How did you keep him entertained during meal time at Table Services?

THANKS!!!

Julie

 

[jacksmomma]

We just got back from a week at POFQ with our 18 month old. We took a set of grandparents with us so that really helped, but all in all things were better than I thought they would be.

Rides: He rode anything that did not have a height requirement, this includes HM and pirates. He loved ISW and Dumbo. Luckily, we did not have to do any ride swaps, but I have heard they are pretty smooth.

Naps: Our son napped in his stroller just fine. We took a Mia Moda stroller. It is like an umbrella but the back reclines a bit. We never had to waste time going back to the hotel for naps!

Food: I took a lot of snacks (granola bars, cereal, crackers) for both our son and us. Otherwise he ate off of our plates. He is a great eater and is not picky so we could give him what we were eating. He is lactose intolerant so I did have to call ahead to have milk available for him, but once again, no problems.

Packing: I packed my son's clothing in ziplock bags. I packed a complete outfit in each bag. It saved packing space in the luggage and when we were getting ready every morning we did not have to dig for things that matched. I also packed a "basics" bag for each day. In the bag was diapers, a bib, cup, paci, and wipes. It was so much easier to pack the diaper bag each day.

Just allow more time, period. Expect everything to take longer than it did pre-baby.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

My DS was 15 months when he went for the first time. It was obviously a little more difficult with all the baby equipment, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! One of the best things we did was bring more formula into the park than we figured we would use - and we definitely ended up using it! I saw lots of hungry babies on the bus rides back to the resort who needed a bottle but were out. DS drank milk and formula (we used the Nestle one for 12-24 month olds), ate well from our plates generally, and I packed lots of snacks (the requisite cheerios of course). He is a fruit nut, so a lot of times I would order him the fruit platter if they offered one and he would eat a bit of our food, and a lot of the fruit. Child swaps work quite well. DS found all the rides interesting, enjoyed the activity and the colors. A definite must is the nap in the middle of the day. Not only does baby need it, but you will too! And something I missed out on until this last trip were the Baby Care Centers in each park! DON'T MISS THEM! They are usually by the first aid centers, and are wonderful for changes as well as taking a break while in the park. They are quiet, calm, cool, with a TV, changing stations, and little tables and chairs. Wish I had sought these out when DS was younger! DS was/still is an "ants in the pants" kind of guy, so he was difficult to entertain during table service meals. We ended up doing a lot of walking around the restaurant until our food came. But also, he slept during a fair share of them too! We also found Table Toppers really helpful at this age (those plastic peel-and-stick placemats that you throw away). DS liked to set down his food anywhere but on his plate, and I felt better with the placemats there for that!
Go and enjoy your honeymoon! If you go with the mindset of "follow the whims and schedule of the baby" you will have a wonderful trip!

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

we went awhile back when DD was just over 1....the ride/single rider thing wasnt bad

she went on ALOt of stuff at the MK

the stroller was nice to carry stuff in

the only issue...she HATED the characters...screamed/cried/kicked when we even went by one(even cinderella) so that was no fun, but there were TONS of GREAT memories

overall it wasnt bad

 

[Tara8595]

Good thread - just the info I'm looking for. I'll be going when mine is 14.5 months.

I see a lot of 'not bad' and 'we got by' and 'we managed'. I don't think I want to have that type of experience - are most people who took their kids at that age glad they went? Would it be better to wait? Is there anyone who thinks it was a fabulous trip and they wouldn't have missed it for anything?

I booked bounceback for 8/28-9/2, but I'm on the fence about keeping the reservation.

Please post more details those of you with experience!!

 

[SandrainNC]

We went in November and my youngest was 16 months. He did great except at the restaurants. He loved the characters and he was fine on the rides (except for Dumbo type rides - he did not like those at all). He was fine on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates though. Go figure. Anyway, he was bad in pretty much every restaurant we went to. If he didn't get his way (wanted to hold a wine glass, wanted to beat on the plates with his fork - stuff we could not let him do), he had a fit. We had to remove him at almost every place we ate (except character meals). Would I take him again at that age. Yep. The dining was our main problem and this coming trip we are only eating at noisy places. He did get sick (febrile seizure in our room - scared us to death!), but other than that and the eating problems, we had fun. And we are going back in June!

He ate regular food and I carried sippy cups in my backpack for him.

He also took naps in the stroller since it was a cooler time of the year and parks closed earlier. This trip we will be taking breaks back to the room.

Sandra

 

[labdogs42]

We had a blast when we took our son at 15 months and 18 months old. We took the big ol' Graco Quattro Tour stroller and he napped in it every day without fail. We had the Kiddopatomus Ray Shade for extra shade and comfort (this thing is THE BEST -- get one!) during naptime. We followed his lead, getting up when he woke up (no wake up calls for us, made sure he got as much sleep as he needed), taking him to "boring" attractions when naptime neared (e.g. Hall of Presidents, Spaceship Earth, Carousel of Progress) and he'd usually fall asleep in my arms during the attraction and we could then transfer him to the stroller. Sometimes he would just pass out while we were walking around (e.g. World Showcase).

DS was a little hesitant about the characters at first, but he warmed up to them as the week wore on. At first, as long as we were with him, he was OK, so we have a lot of pictures of all of us with the characters from the beginning of the week. Then, by the end of the week he was running up to Mickey and giving him hugs -- it was great! Oh yeah -- another lifesaver was my maya wrap sling. AJ wanted to be held a lot and the sling was great for lugging him around.

Let's see, what else? He mostly ate what we ate and lots of snacks that I packed for him. We took those disposable sippy cups with us and they were great. I took the disposable kiddie spoons and forks, too. We also rented toys from A Baby's Best Friend for him to play with in the room. They might not have been necessary, but they were nice to have to keep him from constantly trying to play with the phone!

 

[PrincessPoohsMom]

DD has been twice, at 5 months and to celebrate her 1st birthday. We're going back in April (she'll be almost 19 months).

We've had great trips. I'll add the disclaimer that my family has been going to WDW for years, so there isn't any pressure about not getting to ride/see anything in particular. We're able to go with the flow for the most part. We do have a plan laid out well in advance about which park to visit each day, and an idea of the top 3-5 attractions/shows we really want to shoot for in each park, but beyond that we just go with DD's schedule & mood.

We always try to stick to her usual schedule as much as possible. Things don't always work out perfectly on time (that's traveling) but we do our best not to push her too far. That does mean taking time out of the middle of the day to head back to the resort for a nap & pool time. As a PP mentioned, you might find you need that recharge time just as much as your little one!

DD is extremely curious and loves to people watch, so entertaining her in restaurants has never been too tough. For squirmy ones, character meals can be great. Or try places like Coral Reef in Epcot or Sci-Fi Dine-In in DHS. They have theming that will likely keep little ones occupied. Eating at outside tables can also be great if the weather's not too hot. For the most part she's eaten off our plates, although we have ordered her some kid's meals when we've suspected she's particularly hungry. I do always bring snacks and things like cups of applesauce and cereal bars.

I've never utilized the Baby Care centers, but I've heard nothing but great things about them. When it comes to diaper changes, I use a tip I picked up from another DISer: Every morning I make up several changing kits. I take a gallon size ziplock bag, put in a diaper, a few wipes (I stick these in a sandwich bag), and disposable changing pad. Then when DD needs I change I can just grab a kit and head for the nearest restroom; no need to drag in the stroller or the big diaper bag.

I definitely recommend bringing your stroller from home, particularly if it reclines. You never know when your little one might need a power nap after just an hour or two in the park. Be sure to bring a rain cover if you have one; there's nothing worse than coming out of an attraction to find a little FL cloudburst has soaked your stroller!

The past two trips with DD have been some of the best trips we've taken. Having a little one does force you to slow down and really take a look around at all the little things people miss while commando-touring. (And hey, we used to be that way too!) Just watching her face as she looks at the castle, or hugs Tigger, or waves at the dolls in IASW, is absolutely priceless. I know that she won't necessarily "remember" these trips, but I always will. I say while you can take them at an age when riding the bus to the park is a novelty, there's no school schedule to worry about, and hey, they don't need a ticket, then do it!

 

[Tara8595]

Bumping - hoping for some more posts!

 

[misricsmith]

Zoie was 1 year to the day when we went
we used a baby backpack much nicer than a stroller,
she got to see all and did not have to worry about
running over toes.
She really like liberty tree taven with the characters
and ohana dinner show
they even brought her a cupcake for her special day.
She went for a nap each afternoon.
either with me or dad.
took the other kids to a park or for a swim.
Got rid of the bottle while we were there cause we did not
pack enough liners.

 

[PEANUT1]

Going with a one year old is really easy....now 18 months is a little harder. We went with our then 13 month old and she stayed mostly in the stroller and baby bjorn. She was only 20 pounds so the carrier worked well for my husband.

It is really hot in September so just take lots of AC breaks in shops or indoor attractions. They have baby stations in all of the parks to unwind and calm a cranky baby. (they also have diapers, formula, wipes and all things you'd need for a baby, for a fee of course).

Many people will wonder why you would bring a baby to disney bc "they won't remember" but truthfully, the memories you will make you will remember for a lifetime.

 

[shoppingbou]

THANKS!

Please keep the great tips coming! I've shown this to my fiancé and he is as excited as I am about all your great posts!

 

[emmababy]

We went when dd was 9 months, 12 months, and this trip she will be 19 months. We had a great time. She went with the flow most of the time. She loved IASW. We did the parent swap for big rides and that went great! We had garden grocer deliver food, milk, diapers,snacks, etc.. You can't find whole milk in the park, so we would put hers in a cup and put it in a soft side cooler to take with us.

A couple of tips I learned from this site.
Buy a fan that hooks onto the stroller
Take breaks to nap and go to the pool
Bring a baby floatie for the pool
Bring a stroller cover for rain storms- we need this often
If doing night attractions, bring his pj's with you to change him in
Take lots of pics!! Bring a 1gb memory card
Get a baby backpack/diaper bag- It hooks to the back of the stroller and makes for easy loading/unloading. When we parked to stroller, one of us held the baby, one had the backpack on. VERY EASY!

Each morning I would load up 2 or 3 diapers, snacks, milk- enough for that trip to the park. Then I would reload for night time. Made the bag much easier.

We had a wonderful time and the trip was very easy. At that age they go where you go and don't have that big of opinions! Have a great trip