1 year old too young?

[Mickey'sMainMami]

Ok everyone, I need to know this. My husband and I want to go back to Disney when we have kids, I figure I can possible hold out just until our first born is one. we usually like to go in Sept, Oct, or Nov. Preferrably in September which is still really hot. Do you think it is too hot to take a 1 year old? Thanks!

 

[Princess Roo]

I don't think so. We took DS when he was 15 months in July. We made sure that he drank lots of liquids and kept him shaded in his stroller, but he had a BLAST! (And so did we. )

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Nope. We went one September and my dd was 8 months old. It was fine. We made sure that everyone drank alot, dressed cool, and got stroller fans. It was fine!

 

[feedindy]

We went when our middle DD was 16 months old and she was fine. She loved it so much more than I thought she would. I just figured she'd be along for the ride, but she had an absolute blast! She had a cup of water all day long to keep cool, but we went in April when it still wasn't super hot.

 

[chiefdragon]

DH and I took our DD when she was 1 and she loved it...was somewhat scared of Goofy, but other wise had a great time.

 

[TJA]

We took our twins to WDW in early Nov when they were 7 months old, then again in in May when they were 13 months old. No, it was definitely not too young. It was GREAT. These being our only kids, we went at a super slow pace (baby pace.....) and saw so many things we had never noticed before. We brought our baby bjorn carriers and went on every single ride w/o a height restriction with the babies attached to us. We have fabulous sit-down meals when the babies would fall asleep in the stroller.

And we did not mind the heat because we could take plenty of breaks in the afternoons. We had plenty of cold drinks and brought our heavy-duty stroller from home that had a strong canopy to block out the sun for the babies. Oh, and 50 SPF suncreen, of course.

 

[Ratpack]

Not at all, DS went when he was 5 months old and DD went when she was 6 months old and each was in July. Just keep cool liquids available and use the shops for shade and cooling off if needed. The memories are great. We have one photo we treasure of Mickey holding DS at 5 months old.

Also the baby care centers in each park are the best.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

No, No, No. I mean, really. You will be at Disney when the child is one, and then again when he/she is 2, and again at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on anyway..so what difference does it make!
lol

My dd was 3.5 when I finnally talked DH into taking her .She was a tall 3.5 (already 42") so we were really lucky in that respect.

 

[all4fun]

We started taking ds when he was 13mos old. We would have probably taken him sooner had it not been for health concerns (he was premature and we didn't feel comfortable taking him to the mall, much less on an airplane to WDW until he was older). Anyway, like pp's said, we just took it at his pace, and it was nice to not power thru the parks as we had in the past. You definitely see things in a different light when you go with LO's! It was great, and we wouldn't do it any differently if we had the chance. I do admit though, that our first trip back with him was more for us than for him. I'd say he probably enjoyed himself more as he got more mobile. His trip at 17mos and 20 mos when he was actually walking were the best. My favorite part was the interaction with the characters. He really loves them.

 

[waltskids]

We have taken DS at 3 months and he will visit WDW again at 7 months and for his 1st birthday in November. Lots of drinks, sunscreen and shade and you will be fine. We were very surprised how much fun we had on our last trip (It was our first trip with a child and we didn't know what to expect). We have some beautiful photos too. You will have a wonderful time, just take it slow and enjoy every minute.

 

[jenny_disney]

We first took our DD in December, just weeks after her 1st birthday and there were no problems.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would go.

I noticed that you are in Philadelphia? We were there a few years ago in the late Spring, and it was boiling hot! I'm sure that's not *normal* weather there, but I wonder if you have hot summers...if so, I don't see it as being all that much different...

 

[PiperPizzaz]

We took Ds when he was 11 months and it was in August. We had a great time. He LOVED the characters. The hardest part was making sure he got enough sleep. He was starting to get run down by the end of the week though.

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

Thanks for all the posts. My Dad jokes that the trip will be more for me than for the baby, and I tell him that's right, but I have been so many times that I don't mind if I miss things, because we can always go back when the baby gets older and do more. I just love Disney, and what better place to be with my child and hubby than at Disney. I know the baby at 1 years old probably won't remember much, but that's just more of reason to go back when he/she is older!!

 

[Benducci]

Not at all! My youngest went when she was 6 months old. She had fun. If it is hot, be sure to hydrate frequently & stick to the shade. You might want to wander back to your room for an hour or so in the hottest part of the day.

When people ask why take kids so young to Disney when they are not going to remember it, I always say, the trip is not really for them, it is for me. I remember the fun time we had & I can show them the pictures and tell them all about it. Disney is really for the kid in everyone.

 

[rejobako]

Our family always enjoys going in sweltering September, because there are no crowds in the parks. I agree with most of the other comments. If you're armed with a shaded stroller, lots of water, and are sensible with planning your time to include respites in AC'd restaurants and rides, your 1-year-old should have no problems. In the meantime, your family will probably have a much better time of it, because you won't be trying to navigate a stroller through an ultra-crowded park, standing in lines with him/her, waiting for seating at restaurants, etc.

 

[becky_AK]

We are taking our son in September & he will be 11 months old. We're goning to have a stroller fan, lots of sunscreen & take lots of breaks as needed to sit in the shade or go back to the resort. I think it should be fine & I'm sure he'll enjoy himself.

 

[Kahana-ri]

Nah. We are going to take our boys in November and the baby will be just eight months old. He may not remember anything, but I am sure he will be happy to see the sights. Besides, we have to take advantage of the fact that he will be free for the next three years.

 

[snoopy5386]

we just got back from a trip for my DD's 1st birthday. We went because my DH also had a conference to attend during this time and the conference happened to be in Orlando. SIL, MIL, and FIL went with us as well. The trip went well, I had a lot of memorable moments with DD, but she didn't really enjoy it as much as I would have hoped. She clung like glue to me the whole time, no one else could hold her, I couldn't leave her side for 5 seconds, it was hard. Any thrill rides had to be done while she was sleeping or I had to sneak away and hope she didn't notice I was gone. My arm was about to fall off from always being the one to hold her while in line for the rides. She was scared of most of the rides, she wanted to nurse through most of them. Don't get me wrong, there were some things she really loved, but overall, there were lots more tears during our trip then there ever are at home. Also, she isn't walking yet and it was hard for her to not have any crawl time, she was being held or in the stroller the whole time. By the end of the week she was rebeling and I had to let her crawl around on the ground outside peter pan and inside the living seas. If we have another, I wouldn't take them again at this age. If you are really jonesing for a trip, I would suggest going around 5 months, I think that would be a great age, baby isn't mobile yet, not eating solids, and will sleep anywhere. If you can wait, I would say 18 months might be a bit better. We are planning for next fall or winter so DD will be 2.5ish

 

[brergnat]

I have to agree with the above poster. 1 is sort of an annoying age to take a baby to a place like WDW.

I have two kids. The oldest is 2.5, youngest just turned 1. We live 15 min from Disneyland Resort and have AP's and go very often with both kids.

The one year old has been very difficult to take to DL in the past couple months and our time there has been more stressful than fun. We mainly go for the older one, who LOVES DL (always has), but his little brother can be sort of a downer (I mean that in a joking way). He is a very moody baby, has been teething molars for 2 months and has been VERY cranky and sleepy (growth spurt at 12 months). We have taken less day trips to DL for the past 3 months overall and I have taken my older DS alone while DH stayed home with the baby since I can get SO much more done when it's just me and older DS.

At one, babies HATE being confined to strollers. Our oldest walked at 10 months and he hated strollers even more than our 1 year old (who is not walking yet) does. In general, they don't like to be confined for more than about 10 minutes at a time. If your 1 year old is already a good walker, it's no problem to let them wander until they get tired once in awhile.

On the other hand, if you still have a crawler, you can't just let them crawl alongside the stroller, or put them down anywhere. They get amazingly dirty and if the ground is hot, they will burn their hands. In addition, I am "blessed" with a baby who finds nothing wrong with putting EVERYTHING into his mouth, so I have to watch him like a hawk. It's a full time job, I tell you.

Another thing is the lines. You basically have to hold them, and you can have a small one year old, or a huge one. My first is a tiny kid...short and skinny. My youngest is a HUGE baby. He is almost 33 inches long and weighs 25 pounds at 12 months! Carrying him for more than 5 minutes is a burden and a half, plus add in he is always squirming to get down.

If I were you, I would plan the trip for when the baby will be less than 9 months old. 6 months is a good time to go. If you cannot do that, wait until the baby is at least 18 months old. At that age, they are more "toddler" than "baby" and are walking around and being more interactive with people and things in general. They seem to have more fun exploring.

We are waiting until our youngest is close to 2 before we attempt our first trip to WDW. In the meantime, we have DLR, and after only a few hours there, we're beat down exhausted!!!