1 y.o. at WDW

[Hollymom1229]

My niece will be be 2 weeks past her 1st birthday when we leave for WDW on September 29th. At the rate she's been going we expect her to be walking unassisted, but will also have the stroller. Any advice from those that have gone with a kid this age on what to expect, what she can ride, what she might enjoy? All previous trips have been all adults, so I have no idea what to expect.

 

[zaza]

Go to page 2 of this forum, close to the bottom, there's a thread about packing for a 1 yo. I posted a couple long replies there, based on our experience taking our 18 mo granddaughter in May. If I wasn't technologically inept, I'd know how to give you a link or be able to paste, but I can't =(

Then let me know if you have other questions you think I can help with.

 

[DVCMama]

Any advice from those that have gone with a kid this age on what to expect, what she can ride, what she might enjoy? All previous trips have been all adults, so I have no idea what to expect.

We took my dd last year just a week after her 1st b-day. It was a great trip and she really loved it! She loved the MK tame rides and liked most of the characters (as long as they were gentle in their approach). She seemed to just be in awe of everything for the first few days just taking it all in. After that she really opened up and had a blast. She did NOT like fireworks but that is all I can think of.....Have fun!

 

[stacy6552]

Our son was 11 mos old on his frist trip. She can ride anything without a height restriction on it. I recommend bringing a carrier (not a backpack) for her because she can wait in lines and sit through shows and even ride rides in it. The stroller cant go any of those places.

 

[tjlovespooh]

We took our DS for the first time this past May - he was 17mo & I'd do it all over again in a hearbeat
I heard from a lot of people who thought he was far too young to "understand" - but he LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the characters The first time he saw Pooh Bear at Crystal Palace was the most adorable moment I've ever witnessed! Of course he won't remember any of it, but I know I'll never forget - the entire vacation was priceless. Sure, he had a few meltdowns, but he does at home too (actually he has more at home).
In any case, here's some more info that may (or may not) be helpful:
-We too brought DS stroller - although he REFUSED to sit in it! Believe it or not, that little guy walked ALL OVER WDW!!! Also, be sure to have a rain cover for your stroller.
-We also went back to our resort each afternoon for DS to nap. He really needed it after all that walking, besides he's never napped in his stroller
-Do character meals - DS LOVED the characters and the meals gave him the chance to enjoy them without us having to wait in excruciatingly long lines to meet them. Characters were easily the thing DS enjoyed most on the trip - he thought they were GIANT stuffed animals (gave them hugs and kisses )
-DS loved MK best, he also enjoyed a lot of the rides at Epcot (more than we thought he would). Basically, we took him on almost every ride that didn't have a height restriction - I was nervous about him riding pirates but my nephew insisted we must give it a try. I was shocked that he liked it! I must admit though that DS seems to lack any sort of fear - he's a thrill-seeker in the making (much to my dismay).
-If you're flying, don't do a night flight! I can't stress that enough - by far the only bad decision we made about the whole trip. Between DS and the tot behind us, there was at least one baby screaming the entire 3 hour flight
I hope this info helps, if you have any questions feel free to PM me

 

[tjlovespooh]

Forgot to add - we skipped MGM altogether. We didn't feel there was much for DS to enjoy there.

 

[bkreitzel]

Our DD was one when we went w/ her and her 3.5 year old sister. It was great. She got her first haircut at MIckey's Barber shop. We stuck w/ princess and character meals which she loved. She liked the dumbo, pooh, peterpan, aladdin rides. the carousel. hated the theater things like the bugs life and fantasia type thing that are really loud and in your face. She liked animal kingdom alot and esp. the lion king show. loved riding the monorail. we did a nap every day. found the stroller to be PRICELESS. take or buy fruit cups , juice boxes and dried fruit. it was hard to find healty food/snaks. mmmmmmmm. also liked the small world ride. we let her stay up one night for the parade (our kids go to bed at 7 normally) other than the parade we kept strictly to normal nap and eating and bedtimes. we were so blessed b/c of that. there was only one day that we saw a tear. they were rested and comfortable instead of hot and irritable. we used the stroller to get to and from the hotel room to dinner, the parks, etc. we swam every afternoon after naps. trying to keep in mind that this vacation was for them we did not try to rush or do everything. i thought mgm was a waste for this age. and sea world was too, in my experience b/c we were only there a morning and all the shows were in the afternoon. the micky meal is perfect for this age.

 

[bkreitzel]

one more thing that helped us.
we used table toppers (these are disposable place mats that stick to the table) and disposable bibs. i took a box of snak size ziploks and in each one i rolled up a tabletopper, bib and antibacterial wipe. we just threw a handful of these in the backpak each day and were always ready for a meal or snak anywhere. we also took a over the door shoe organzier and hung it on the bathroom door...this organzied everything and we could find it at a glance w/out the counters being messy ... hair prettys, bandaids, sunscreen, glow necklaces, toothbrushes you name it.

 

[aesalsa]

My niece will be be 2 weeks past her 1st birthday when we leave for WDW on September 29th. At the rate she's been going we expect her to be walking unassisted, but will also have the stroller. Any advice from those that have gone with a kid this age on what to expect, what she can ride, what she might enjoy? All previous trips have been all adults, so I have no idea what to expect.

Hello, Hollymom1229 !


DD had her first WDW trip back in May at 14 months. It was great. Different, but great.

--Ava rode/experienced most rides/ attractions without a height restriction. She really loved IASW and the Nemo ride in EPCOT, so I suggest these as a "must-dos" with your niece. Ava also LOVED the Tea Cups--the faster they spun, the better!!

--The fireworks didn't bother her. Remember, each child is different.

--FIT IN TIME FOR A NAP AT THE RESORT. Or leave the park right after dinner. We assumed that Ava would just nap in her stroller like she usually does when we're out here at home. Not the case. We learned that after the first day. She wanted to see everything going on around her at all times, and she got so over-tired that she was just so cranky (really unlike her).

--Ava happened to love the characters that she met. I thought that since she was scared to death of Santa and the Easter bunny that she would not be happy near a Disney character. But she loved the mice at CRT (she rubbed the nose of one of them) and Balloo and King Louis (from "The Jungle Book" movie). See what your niece thinks of them from a short distance before making any decisions.

--BRING YOUR OWN SNACKS FOR HER. It's amazing how much this helped. I didn't have to waste time/money looking for a place to sell something healthy and in a small enough portion. In a small insulated cooler with an ice pack, I brought some of Ava's favorite; these are some examples that varied day to day: cheese sticks, yogurt, cereal bars, banana, graham crackers, bottled water, small juices. Also brought a couple of empty sippie cups to use and wash throughout the day.

--Remember to put sunscreen on her.

--Bring an extra change of clothes for her. Also bring enough bibs

--The following suggestion I took from another great thread: I went to the Dollar store before our trip and bought a few small toys and board books to keep Ava entertained during the flights and stroller time.

--Take advantage of the Baby care stations located in each park. We only used the EPCOT station on our trip. It was nice for Ava to walk around and play in the small play room. It is also a great break from the heat.

--A Mylar Balloon will work wonders.




I hope you all have wonderful vacation with your little niece !

 

[misricsmith]

MY DAUGHTER TURNED 1 WHILE WE WERE THERE
WE USED A BABY BACK PACK
AND SHE LOVED IT
COULD SEE EVERYTHING
WE TOOK IN LINE WITH US
AND NEVER HAD TO SEARCH FOR OUR STROLLER