8 month old crying during attraction?

[goofy4wdw2]

We're taking our 8 month old DD for the first time in April. We will be avoiding any rides we think could be scary for her--i.e., anything too loud, etc.--so she's not scared and doesn't cry. We'll also avoid attractions when she's hungry or cranky. But what about infants crying for other reasons or out of the blue? I'm a little worried about her crying during an attraction and disturbing others around us and not being able to exit until the ride is over. Does anyone have any tips on this? Any experience with this happening? I don't remember ever hearing a child crying during an attraction (except the usual ITTBAB or HISTA when bugs and mice and snakes are meant to be a little scary), but I'm nervous my DD will. She's a very happy baby, but still has her moments! Thanks in advance!

 

[Gerweniel]

Wow, it is very considerate of you to put forethought into this! It really sounds like you are aware enough of your surroundings that you'll make great decisions both for the comfort of your child and the other guests around you.

I would only suggest perhaps having early evening ADRs at the restaurants in case your baby gets fussy during dinner.

Enjoy!

 

[Lesley]

I can honestly say I've never had a problem with this...we've taken 2 of our 3 kids to WDW as infants. Any time my girls got fussy during an attraction the attraction was loud enough to drown out the noise or they were happy to be nursed. But I don't think I can really recall more than once or twice that we had that problem while in an attraction.

That said, if you're hitting a fussy period take a break for a while. The worst we ever had was at Ohana when my older dd was 6mo and she became extremely unhappy...I had to leave the restaurant before my dh and ds. To be honest I think she was either teething or on sensory overload from everything during the day. It was a pretty late dinner...so perhaps the early dining suggestion would work. Then again, when she was a bit older she had a habit of napping late and we missed an early dinner ps because of it. As soon as you think you know what will work...it changes.

Anyway, if you have an incident where the baby is crying unconsolably leave the attraction if at all possible. Most theaters, etc...are possible to leave while in progress, particularly if your baby is so loud as to be a disruption (though I doubt this will happen...the attractions are LOUD) . See if you can get a seat at the far end towards the exit. If its on a ride, its likely to only be a few minutes before you can exit and if someone has a problem with a consciencious parent doing their best to help their child and be polite to those around them...that's their problem, not yours. Do your best to meet your child's needs above all and there isn't likely to be a whole lot of trouble.

 

[fran99999]

The only time I would get upset about a baby crying during an attraction/show. Is if the baby is obviously not happy/scared/just wants to leave and the parent stays just because they want to see the show. Do the parent swap for the attraction. I am sure the CM's would help. If the parent is trying to calm the child. what can U do. Sometimes kids just are not happy.

If the screech level hits an altime high I say take the child outside. I would hate to be someplace that was that scary to me and I am an adult. If it is just a temper this is how they learn they can NOT always have their way. I would rather deal with a screaming child than a spoiled adult.

 

[dbarker]

Fussy children never bother us. Rude adults....well, now that's a whole different ball game.

Your DD will be fine. Yes, she may have her moments. Who doesn't? Don't stress too much about her disrupting WDW. This will be her vacation too. She will have fun if you are having fun. If she starts crying during an attraction and you cannot leave immediately,...oh well. Soothe her the best you can and make it all better for her. There will be some people that aren't nice, but for the most part I think you will find that most people at WDW are very understanding and will try to be helpful.

Have fun.

 

[Emmaline Lola]

I have a 12 month old dd and have bring bringing her to WDW since she was 8 weeks old weekly!

Honestly, I find that the rides are so loud no one else hears her fussing! When she was younger and using a binky, I would give her her binky and that would keep her quiet--after she gave up the binky, if she was fussy like I said it is almost always loud enough that it doesn't bother others. But take the baby's cues before you ride to see what kind of a mood he/she is in.

I find that in movies/shows she ALWAYS want to leave/fuss or poops! I have had no luck seeing a full show since she was born--not that I mind, love my dd! I just make sure to sit at the far end of the theater by the exit doors so I can make a fast getaway! People are usually very understanding in letting you sit by the door, so you don't disturb them!

I admire your consideration of others, but remember it's your vacation too and you and your baby are entitled to ride the attrations too! 99% of the time, people are VERY understanding! It is WDW afterall! Enjoy yourself!! You will have a ball seeing the "world" through your baby's eyes!

el

 

[BlueFairy]

Helpful hints. I'm subscribing. We will try to seat near exits, for my own peace of mind.
And perhaps we shouldn't wean from the paci just yet.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and encouragement, everyone! I'm not as nervous anymore, and I think my DH will be somewhat relieved that people are understanding if the crying happens despite our trying to prevent the situation.



BlueFairy- we call it a paci, too! Everyone we know calls it a binky and look at us funny when we say paci...but that just makes sense to us because it's short for pacifier. Glad to hear we're not the only ones!

 

[disnutt]

I'm (un)fortunate in that my kids always had their breakdowns standing in line. If they weren't up to behaving in the attraction they let me know right up front.

I've never been bothered by crying children at Disney unless they are my own. If your DD starts crying and someone looks at you funny they are probably looking over in sympathy (or in my case relief that it isn't my kid crying!)

 

[fran99999]

Yup and if anyone give U the look. Just tell them to "get over it" or ignore them.

I may look on thinking I wish I could help but..... After 10 kids you know sometime they just have to cry and fuss.

Have a good vacation all of U.

 

[gris gris]

Hi, when our DD was 4 months old we went on a big family trip. We were all in line at Animal Kingdom for a show (Bug's Life maybe?) and she was crying and crying in line. It was dark inside and noisy. My in-laws kept telling me she'll be fine, just stay in line, etc....well when we got inside the theater she cried even worse so we left before we even sat down and waited outside for everyone else. I probably should have just left while we were in line. But then again Disney is a kid's place and people should expect some crying! When she was about 6 months old she discovered her blanket - and used that to soothe herself. I wish she had something like that at 4 months (she didn't like the pacifier). I would have stuck the blanket in her mouth to suck on and she probably would have stopped crying! She still does this now and she's 3!

Anyhow I wouldn't worry about it too much. She also freaked out the entire time we were at Rainforest but I was starving and dealing with some post partum so we kind of just passed her around the table or walked around with her. It was so loud in there I don't think anyone heard too much of it.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I wouldn't worry. IF your baby gets fussy, there will be plenty of Mom's around you that have ( I AM SURE) been through the same thing! Don't stress about it, just give her hugs and cuddles and be assured that we have all been there!

 

[lillygator]

I wound't even worry about the early ADR's either....my DD's usually slept through dinner in a "car seat" or stroller at that age and were no trouble at all. I think the only "ride" DD had a problem with fromt he get go was Mickey's Philharmagic...it is SO LOUD!! It scared her without even seeing 3 d anything. I had to take her right out.

 

[tylersmommie]

We were there last year with DS (8 mos) and he just went with the flow. Our children often feed off of how we act and react accordingly. So just have fun. A good portion of the guests are parents anyway, and have gone through the same thoughts and will totally understand.

We actually took DS on quite a few rides - he was great - no tears, not once. Yes something could spook them, but do they really know what's scary yet at that age? Just make it fun! (Of couse we are leaving a week from today with our DS who is quickly approaching the terrible 2's - we'll see!)

Have fun!! Hakuna Matata!

BlueFairy- we call it a paci, too! Everyone we know calls it a binky and look at us funny when we say paci...but that just makes sense to us because it's short for pacifier. Glad to hear we're not the only ones!

PS - we call it paci, too!

 

[Selket]

I can say it is doable to get out of the shows if your child is crying and doesn't stop (I had to do this with my 3 yr old when it scared him!).

I agree with the other posters - if you're on a ride and hit a crying jag just don't get flustered! We've all been there done that if we have kids. It is rather natural I've discovered for folks to turn and look. I don't think it means that folks are upset but when you hear a kid crying it seems like we all the tendency to glance and see that everything really is o.k. (kid isn't lost or hurt, etc) and then go on about our business.

I can't even think of a time that a baby crying on a ride wasn't drowned out by the noise of the ride itself - the sound in the rides seems very directed at your own cart so outside noise is hard to hear.

Have fun!

 

[las3888]

We went last fall when DS was 8.5 mos old. He was a little more frightened at rides that we expected. I guess I didn't realize how LOUD so many rides are (and have to be). You are best sticking to most of the kiddie rides at MK (as we found out when day 3 or 4 we finally made it to MK!). The worst was The Movie Ride at MGM. We couldn't get off. He never full-blown cried but whimpered and whined quite a bit. You just cope and comfort him as best as you can and soon enough the ride or show will be over!

Our worst problem was that DS isn't a stroller napper so we felt that by the time we got ourselves packed up and ready to go to a park, by the time we got there, we had 45 minutes to walk around until it was nap time or bedtime again. I would still take him again at that age though. He blossomed - learned to crawl, drink form a sippy cup, wave, and got a Disney tooth, all this while he was down there...must be the Disney magic!