To go with a 1 yr old or not

[Goofybeachclub]

Looking for some feedback on if a 1 year old should go to disney world. I am all about it, while my wife is totally against it. Maybe i am crazy, but i think it would be a blast and just so everyones aware it will not be our only trip, my wife and i agree we will go every 2 years. We just dont agree when we should start going. Any feedback is appreciated!

If you agree with me, any advice how to convince the spouse?

Thanks!

 

[Marshmelo]

Personally, I would never do it. My DS is soon to be 8 and we are taking him for the first time. Now, if the trip would be solely for you and not for the child at all, then maybe...depending on how tolerant you are. Personally I think 1 would be the WORST age to take a child. Child will likely be afraid of EVERYTHING (rides and characters both), will be miserable in the heat, won't want to stay put in a stroller, will be cranky if regular sleep/nap schedule is off which it would likely be. If you and DW want to ride any rides that child can't, you would have to do ride swap and not ride together. Just out of curiosity, how are you picturing the trip? How would it be fun?

 

[Goofybeachclub]

Thanks for the feedback! What i should have mentioned in the post is my parents and 2 sisters (32 yrs old and 27 yrs old) would join us. I can see picturing us staying at the contemporary going to parks at rope drop for a couple hours then coming back to the hotel for lunch and naps then heading out in the evening to another park.

 

[sss]

Hi,
My girls just turned 13 (twins ) and my youngest is 10. We took the twins for the first time when they were 14 months and had a BLAST. We went during food and wine which was a fun way to take things slow and have frequent stops. If you adjust your expectations accordingly, it can be amazing fun and don't forget to take LOADS of pictures! Also, key is respecting nap time and sticking to their schedules ( nap, bed, and meal times for example) as much as possible. That will pay off in spades. At that age the girls were big fans of any boat ride and with all those grown ups around to help (we didn't have extra hands) you can probably squeeze In a ride or two that the baby can't go on! In terms of the characters, each one was different but as long as you go with the flow, and stay flexible it will be awesome. Today the girls LOVE looking at the pictures!
Good luck!

 

[JimmyBean42]

Any other kids going? So I've done both. We took our DS (was 6 weeks shy of 3 at the time so lucky me!) by himself and left our DD (7 mths old at the time) at home. It was a good call on that one b/c both my DW and I got to soak up all the excitement my DS had going the first time without one of us missing anything b/c we were taking care of DD. Then last year we took both DS (just under 4) and DD was around 1.5 years old. Don't regret a thing about that either. Certain things she obviously couldn't do so we did rider swap. And my parents were with us so if DD was napping in stroller, they helped and walked her around too. So both ways worked out well for us. As anyone with kids will tell you, a meltdown is going to happen sooner or later whether they are 8 months old or 13 years old. It happens, don't let it ruin your day. With that many family members going - if there are other kids going I'd absolutely bring your child. If it's only adults - well that is an entirely different debate b/c Adult-Only trips can be a lot of fun and also a completely different experience. Either way you're in the most magical place on earth so you'll have a great time.

 

[Marshmelo]

Thanks for the feedback! What i should have mentioned in the post is my parents and 2 sisters (32 yrs old and 27 yrs old) would join us. I can see picturing us staying at the contemporary going to parks at rope drop for a couple hours then coming back to the hotel for lunch and naps then heading out in the evening to another park.

Could it be that your DW is reluctant to go with your family members? Has she given you reasons why she doesn't want to do it?

 

[100AcreWood]

We have taken ours as young as 15 months. The challenge that time was how often she kept running away from us. It was tiring but we went during off season so that helped. Anyway, I would do it if you can go during a less busy time that isn't so hot. I was bad about not wanting to go on vacation when the kids were little because it's so much work. But there was no where I can think of going that isn't work with a toddler.

 

[msmama]

Just know that a trip with a 1 year old isn't about the baby, it's about you. Yes, they will do cute things and (hopefully) have fun, but they're not going to remember it.

Have you traveled with your little one before or would this be the first trip? Are you travelers in general? You say you'd like to do Disney every 2 years would you do something the opposite years?

I took my son for the first time at 10 months old. He has no memory of it (obviously) but he had fun. He liked the characters, hugging pooh and tigger was the cutest thing EVER!! I wanted to travel with my son from a young age. Disney wasn't his first trip, wasn't even his first MAJOR trip. He's 7 now and has been to Disney World 5 times, Disneyland 2 times and is on his 2nd passport. Travel and Disney are important to me, so I made them important to him at a young age.

My feeling was always I have to parent somewhere, might as well be somewhere fun!! I can see that not everyone feels the same way though!

If you have reasons why your wife doesn't want to go though, we may be able to alleviate some fears if that'd be helpful!

 

[DisneyBrewingCo]

I go with my one year old every weekend. He absolutely loves it. He goes on every ride that he that does not have a height restriction and after we get done with the rides he claps.
There are some children that do not do as well on the dark rides but he does not seem to mind at all. He even likes Haunted Mansion...
He loves the character interactions and there is plenty of open spaces for them to run around. There are also play grounds all over Disney World that he can play at if you are comfortable with him playing on play grounds at his age.
I don't like the argument that the child will not remember there experience so there is no point in taking them.
My son already can say monorail, boat, and bus because we take him all the time. He also saw snow for the first time on Main Street USA, got his first hair cut at the Harmony Barbershop on Main Street, and met Santa for the first time. Where else can you have all of those experiences? Your experiences in lifem no matter what your age, shape who you are as a person. And that would the line that I would use to convince my spouse. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions as we literally go all the time with our one year old.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

We took our son for his 1st birthday. Of course it was for us more than anything but we did the first haircut package and dinner at Chef Mickey's and it was a blast. Our son loved everything at 1 but 18 months was a different story. We had the best time just watching him and you'll never know what they'll like. He laughed on some of the rides but the jewels in the ground in Adventure Land and the horse prints in NFL were the highlights of his visit.

 

[kcpinwdw]

we took our twins for the first time at 15 months and it was wonderful. They loved everything! We leave tomorrow for their 4th visit... and they just turned 3. THere is so much to do with infants at Disney world. Go at you kids' pace and you'll have a great time. And, oh, the adorable photos!!

 

[Patricksp]

I agree with MSMAMA AND 3DisneyFanz, we too took our son for his First Birthday to Disney. He sleeps with piglet and when we took him to Crystal Palace and he looked Piglet up and down got sooo excited about seeing Piglet in person, the look on his face was is this real, just seeing that was worth the trip. If you see my avatar, that's my son when we did a photo session, he had a great time. The only thing he did not enjoy was the First hair cut, he HATED it. Also kids under 3 are free. He had no problems with Pirates or HM. I would recommend getting ear protection for the fireworks.

 

[jacknsally19]

I took my DD for the first time at 12 months. She actually was a lot less nervous at 12 months than she was at 24 months. Anyway, we really enjoyed it and loved seeing things through my daughter's eyes. I liked WDW before having a child but once I had her - I really, really love it. I find it such a great family place and everything is so family friendly. Cast members are quick to help you out, every restaurant willing to accommodate your kids needs, the hotels are stocked with everything you can need. i will say that we tend to go at less crowded times - I am not sure I would enjoy it as much in the middle of summer

 

[daisygirl902]

We're taking our 13 month old in 2 weeks to Disney for 6 nights then on a DCL cruise! He met Mickey for the first time at 10 weeks old, and people told me I was CRAZY for planning that trip, but we loved it. Yes, the trips at this age are more for us than him...but to be forced to slow down and see things through your child's eyes is kind of magical in itself. We stayed at Bay Lake Towers last trip and loved having monorail access with a baby. Good luck making the decision - I'd say going with a 1 year old will likely be easier than a 2 year old...just my opinion though, others will likely offer a different side.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Yes, absolutely go. We went with a 9m old and it was a blast. It made me a little sad we hadn't taken the older one at a younger age (she was 3 her first trip). The 9m old loved Piglet at Crystal Palace and all the rides. It was very low key and minimal planning, and worked out fine.

Does she have an alternate vacation idea she wants to do instead?

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I would do it. Especially since you are going to go every 2 years. Are you planning on having more children? If so, maybe this is the only time you can take your first and it be just them. There is so much for little ones to do and see and the pictures and memories are priceless. We went this summer with DS when he was just shy of 3 and several people talk about him not remembering it. But, how fun to look through pictures of your kids in the same places at WDW and see how they grow! We also want to have another and I wanted to take DS before we had another so he could have a trip that was all about him.

 

[MrPTato]

Looking for some feedback on if a 1 year old should go to disney world. I am all about it, while my wife is totally against it. Maybe i am crazy, but i think it would be a blast and just so everyones aware it will not be our only trip, my wife and i agree we will go every 2 years. We just dont agree when we should start going. Any feedback is appreciated!

If you agree with me, any advice how to convince the spouse?

Thanks!

This sounded just like us, but reversed. I didn't want to go with such a young child, but she wanted to. We love Disney and I caved in...wasn't hard though. DD was 9m on her first trip. We didn't have any issues at all. We were able to go on everything she could go on and she wasn't scared at all. We did do the Haunted Mansion, but she was sleeping in her carrier. I would agree with another poster, don't go for the child, only go if it is for you guys. Fast forward to when she was 17 months and she was more interactive. She loves Pooh so we went to the Crystal Palace for lunch and she loved it! She now knows about Doc and Sophia so when we go in January, she will have that much more fun when we find them

The second photo is a happy face when she saw Pooh in the distance.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I took my DS on DCL by myself (single parent) for his 1st birthday and we had a BALL. DS lit up every time he spotted Mickey or Minnie on the ship! Now, EVERY TIME he sees Mickey or Minnie Mouse, he points and smiles. When he looks at our cruise pictures, he gets so excited. Now, he knows Donald Duck (from pictures in his Clubhouse books). So, when he sees Donald Duck now, he points and smiles.

I'm taking him (by myself) on his 1st trip to WDW in December. He will be 19 months. I can't wait for him to see Mickey and his pals again! I'm going to try to get at least 3 character meals reserved during our 9 day trip, so he can have some personal interactions with them and not have to stand in line for character meet and greets.

I'm taking DS (by myself) on a Disney Alaskan cruise next summer and I can't wait! DS will be 2 years old when we go to Alaska. My son will see the world throughout his life...starting at a very young age. He spent his 1st birthday in the Bahamas and on a Disney cruise ship. How cool is that?

Kids don't remember their 1st birthday parties; however, that doesn't stop parents from spending thousands of dollars on food, clowns, ponies, bounce houses, etc. for their 1st birthday party.

I don't hesitate to travel alone with my DS. In fact, I prefer it! Heck, I take care of him alone at home. Taking care of him alone on vacation is easy! We are creating memories together that are ours and ours alone.

What are your wife's reasons for not wanting to take your 1 year old?

 

[Mousemommy1]

I would absolutely do it!!

We waited until our girls were 3 and 5 until their 1st trip and kind of regret that. Now we have a son, and his 1st trip was when he was 3 months old. It was a blast!!

We can't wait until next years' trip, and he will be 15 months old.

 

[ajwolfe]

Wouldn't hesitate a second to do it!! The first time my oldest went he was 2.5 and the first time my youngest went he was about 18 mths. Both were absolutely great ages to take them. They are 8 and 12 now and still love going but are trips are evolving; it's not as much about the magic and believing in the characters as when they were little. They still absolutely love going and suggest it for every trip we ask them about but there was something about seeing the stars in their eyes and excitement when they were little. I will forever hold those memories near and dear (and so does DH) even if they won't remember them.