Thinking of taking a 14 m.o. to Disney - what to do?

[Buggy's Mom]

My DH and I are planning our first "family" vacation with our son next month. He will be 14 months old, and we want something he will enjoy. We both LOVE WDW, but don't want to force it if our DS is too young. Would love to know if any of you have taken someone that age and if so what you did/what they enjoyed both in the parks and outside. Our son is a real mover, loves to walk and play. I really need you help convincing DH Disney is the place for us.

THanks!
Renee

 

[LKS]

I have taken infants and almost 3 yr olds to WDW, but never 14 months. I think you could do it if you don't spend too much time in attractions and allow plenty of down time for swimming, playgrounds etc.... It's just an awkward age because often they don't like being carried or in a stroller, yet they can't be reasoned with and are hard to chase through crowds. I have a friend whose 14 month old absolutely WILL NOT stay in a stroller and climbs out no matter how secured (Houdini?) She has already declared that she will not take him at this age.

 

[FTWFAN]

Our two youngest have been going to WDW since they were each 6mos old. We have never had a problem. They are 17mos apart in age, so they pretty much like the same things.
We just always take things a little slower now. We do not do commando Disney anymore. They are now 4 and 5 1/2. If the kids want to sleep a little later, that's OK. When they were younger we were always sure to bring a favorite toy or blanket in the stroller. This helped between attractions. Epcot was always a favorite for us because of the toddler water areas on the bridge going to the World Showcase. These were little shooting fountains where toddlers could play and cool off. Burn off a little excess energy. I always tried to keep a change of clothes and plenty of pullups in the stroller. During the hottest part of the day, we always tried to do indoor things--the Land pavillion, the Living Seas, places that had several things under one air conditioned roof. There are also fountains like above at Downtown Disney. My DH would watch the kids play while I got to do a little shopping. Then after wearing them out, we would quickly eat lunch and they would nap in our double stroller while DH, DD/12 and I could finish enjoying Downtown Disney.
At MGM they always liked the Little Mermaid show, a trip to Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground and Muppet 3D show. Throw in a character sighting here and there, maybe a character meal or two.
MK is fun, but remember that most lines are outside, so it can be a little tough waiting in long, hot lines. But the reward is watching your child's face as he/she sees all the magic for the first time. We always tried to do MK in the late afternoon. Our DS has always been early to bed, so he had never seen any of the nightly electrical parades at MK until last month.
It was just unbelievable watching his face. I watched him more than I did the parade!!
With an older child, we had to find a happy medium. We did the bigger stuff with her, so she had to tolerate the little things for her brother and sister.
So far, all has worked out great. They are getting bigger now and we are moving on to bigger and better things. DS rode the Tower of Terror and the RockNRoller Coaster last month while at WDW. DD/4 was upset because she wasn't tall enough for the coaster. She isn't scared on anything.
If you take your cue from your child, rest when tired, don't try to do too much in one day, let them have a little freedom(such as playing in the water) things should work out great.
Just remember, it will never be the same as when it was just yourself and your husband.
It is so much better now watching through the eyes of your child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AnnaE4]

My DH and I are going to WDW in November of this year with our DD who will be 15 months old at that time. I have had some people with young children tell me that they are going to wait until their children are older so the children can really enjoy WDW more. I know that my daughter will not remember this trip at all when she is older but this trip is really for me and my DH. I was pregnant when we went last year and I am ready to go back to WDW for a vacation. We used to travel quite a bit before our daughter was born and this will be her first real vacation!

I have gotten a lot of information off these boards about going with a young child and lots of families have fared very well. We are planning on taking it easy in the parks and will be hopefully prepared for anything. We know to take a nap in the afternoon and have planned to stick with our daughter's routine as much as possible.

And, my husband really needs a break from work and he loves to spend time with his daughter, so what better way to take a vacation than at WDW for a whole week!

I would love to hear about your trip when you get back!

Denise (88 more days!)

 

[ShirleyC]

I took our 14 month old to Disney and she had the time of her life!! We kept the planning simple and took it at her pace, which meant sitting under a shade tree to let her nap and returning back to the hotel early in the evening since she use to go to bed by 6PM then. We did stay at the Wilderness Lodge which provided easy access to the parks, etc.

I have to say that she was an exception in that she was talking in sentences and knew all of the characters by name at that age. We are planning a trip down next month and DD is now turning 3 and really excited. I now also have a 15 month old who we are not taking because he is just not ready for Disney. We tried some long days with him this summer at the amusement parks and zoos in our area and he is very much a baby - not too interested in anything for very long, won't sit still, etc. We decided that instead of taking away from DD's enjoyment, we will leave him with grandma where he will have a fabulous week and concentrate on DD.

You know your child best and what they will and will not tolerate. If you keep your planning simple and take it at their pace, then you shouldn't be disappointed. We really felt our DD was ready at 14 months and know that DS is not ready at 15 months but he will be more than ready for the next visit late next year.

Good luck!!!

 

[jlima]

You'll need to realize that you can't do all the things you want to!! We travelled with a 16 mo old & a 7 yr old in July. We were going on a 7 day Disney Magic cruise with family (that my mom paid for) and it didn't make sense travel all the way across the country without going to the parks . . . but here's my tips:

-Be prepared to spend more money for extra conveniences. We rented a mini van, which cost about $100 extra over 5 days; and we valet parked at the Dolphin every day ($10/day) for the convenience.

-Try the daycare options available, for a night out. We utilized a Kindercare in-room sitter for one night (for the Illuminations fireworks cruise; he was just too little to appreciate it and I didn't want the loud fireworks to scare him & for him to cry & disturb others around us); and the Kindercare childcare center on the day we went to IOA (just too hot, and he will not stay in a stroller) Cost was $42/day for the Kindercare center, and approx $60 for the in-room sitter.

-you can't bring strollers into Quest (he wouldn't stay in it anyway), so I stayed at the room while DH & DS7 went.

-E-ticket night was just too late of a day for him; I stayed at the room (& packed) while DH & DS7 went

-the Tike's Peak area of Blizzard Beach was PERFECT for him!! He absolutly loved the water spraying out of the walls & out of the concrete, and splashing in the water.

-the character breakfasts (we did 1900 Park Faire at the GF, and also on the cruise) were a big hit; he loved all of the characters he saw and I have a priceless photo of him with Gepetto.

-use the baby swap for rides you both really want to go on. We did for the Rock & Roller Coaster at MGM & also the TOT. But take your little guy on Small World - our little guy was like a deer in headlights & just loved it.

A WDW vacation was not my first choice for a vacation!! But we made the best of it and had a wonderful time. Hope this helps.

 

[dandelion]

Shirley, our story is just like yours. Dd went at 15 mos. (and 6 mos. and 3 yrs, 4 yrs ... now planning her 5th trip) and was excellent, even though she had a cold at the time. We also took her little brother when he was 6 mos. , but arranged for grandma to watch him for a week when he was 18 mos. That trip was centered around a conference for dh, and I knew I couldn't keep a 4YO and an active toddler happy on my own. It just wasn't right at that time.

That said, I'd go along with ftwfan and jlima's suggestions. We found the character meal at Garden Grille especially good, the characters there really seem to thrive on little little ones. And the kid play areas at both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are great.

Renee, you said your little guy is a mover, so be sure to give him time in all the play areas around the parks: Donald's Boat in the MK, the "Honey I Shrunk ..." playground in MGM and the fountain areas in Epcot (bring a change of clothes!) Buffet meals worked well for us, but always have your toddler snacks along no matter where you eat. Little tummies can't wait too long and I know my ds is most cranky when he's hungry.

September is still HOT in Orlando, so be sure he always has enough juice/milk/water. Sometimes you don't realize how hot the poor kids are, strapped into the stroller and that much closer to the sizzling pavement.

He's too little for autograph books, so be sure to get lots of photos of him with his favorite characters. In my experience Chip 'n' Dale are usually GREAT with toddlers, even sobbing ones. And Pluto too, who knew to get down and act like a doggy instead of being a big tall furry man.

Have a great trip!

 

[kkers]

We took DSs (who are now 4 and 6 ) when they were about 14 months old. Now, we will be taking our daughter who will be just under 14 months in February. We have a great time every time. They seemed to be in awe at everything going on - which at Disney is a lot! Both our boys were usually pretty content in the stroller, you just need to be prepared to alter your plans if needed. We all know children are unpredictable, but they're unpredictable at home, too. They reason we love Disney so much is that there is something for everyone and that includes 14 month olds! I know that they won't remember their first trip, but we as parents will. We will always remember the looks on their faces the first time they saw Mickey. (which unfortunately sometimes is a look of terror at first...)

So, take the advice in the other posts about good activities for young ones, but most of all just have a good time! If it wasn't any fun with babies, we wouldn't be planning it for the third time!

 

[R4racing]

We took our DD at 14mo, she really seemed to have a good time. She was and is a very flexible, laid-back child. She wasn't too sure about most of the characters though. We let her walk quite a bit on New York street at MGM and the nature trails at Animal Kingdom and pretty much anywhere else it wasn't crowded. She really didn't care too much for the Donald Duck boat with the water at Magic Kingdom, but I think that may have been partially due to the bigger kids that were in there. She loved watching the fountains and fireworks and Parade of Nations. We did have to leave Muppet Vision shortly after it started as she didn't like it and was very vocal about it.