Advice for first time mom of 1 year old

[NikkiDis16]

Hi everyone,

I posted in the singles forum, but I figured I should probably ask here as well.

I'm a disney veteran, but it's been a few years since I've been on these boards (It will not let me update my signature till I've made 10 posts - a lot has changed). I'm a newly single mom, due to DV, and trying to plan my LOs first trip. She will turn 1 during the trip (If we're able to go - still in a custody battle with Ex). Even though I'm not 100% sure we can go, I've very type A and need to plan. It freaks me out that we only have about 2.5 months before the trip.

I've done disney a lot. But never with a LO of my own before. My niece went at 1.5, but I wasn't responsible for her, LOL. My parents are coming with us. Our dates are 5/11-5/18 staying at Pop Century for 2 nights, then switching over to All Star Music for the remainder of the trip.

Any advice, tips, or tricks? We're planning 4-5 park days, and 1-2 rest/hotel days. 2 days at magic kingdom, 1 at EPCOT, and either 1 at animal kingdom and 1 at hollywood studios, or just 1 day at either animal kingdom or hollywood studios. Still haven't decided. LO will turn 1 on the 14th, so that will be one of our magic kingdom days. We do not plan to see/do it all. Planning to take it slow in each park and get to whatever we get to. I have never flown with her, nor anyone this young and she is a very active LO. Hates holding still.

 

[rg35]

How long is your flight? That could wind up being the worst part of the trip if you have a kid who doesn't like to sit still. I don't have any tips there, as we didn't fly until our kids were 3.

As far as the parks and trips, the child will not remember any of it. Do what you can. Get some character meet photos so you'll have some mementos of the first trip. Other than that I wouldn't stress about planning too much. The only person who is going to care how much (or how little) gets done on this trip will be you and your parents, but as far as curating a plan for the benefit of the child I wouldn't really worry too much about that. I'd probably even cut back on park days. I don't think you really need two full days at MK with a 1 year old.

If you have any ADRs scheduled for her birthday, you can order a specialty cake (at additional cost) to be served at the restaurant. We did this for my sister's 20-something birthday at Crystal Palace a few years ago.

 

[Tink_83]

When I took my DD when she was 2 we just did everything she could do, I was OK with that since I’d ridden the other rides before and I really wanted to see her reaction on the rides... if you do that type of trip it makes planning easy because a lot of those rides are easier to get on (shorter waits, same day FP, etc.) Now if there are rides you absolutely have to do, now you have to plan on rider swap, etc. and that takes some effort. I’d say the first step is to decide how you want to tour (limited to rides she can ride, etc.) and from there decide how much you want to do. Pick must do items and then anything else you get to is just extra. Good luck!

 

[NikkiDis16]

How long is your flight? That could wind up being the worst part of the trip if you have a kid who doesn't like to sit still. I don't have any tips there, as we didn't fly until our kids were 3.

As far as the parks and trips, the child will not remember any of it. Do what you can. Get some character meet photos so you'll have some mementos of the first trip. Other than that I wouldn't stress about planning too much. The only person who is going to care how much (or how little) gets done on this trip will be you and your parents, but as far as curating a plan for the benefit of the child I wouldn't really worry too much about that. I'd probably even cut back on park days. I don't think you really need two full days at MK with a 1 year old.

If you have any ADRs scheduled for her birthday, you can order a specialty cake (at additional cost) to be served at the restaurant. We did this for my sister's 20-something birthday at Crystal Palace a few years ago.

Definitely not planning full days in the park. Mostly going to do half days or mornings and evenings with breaks in between. Just no park hoppers. My parents can't walk long distances, so we'll be very slow moving around the parks, which is perfectly fine with me. No must dos except fantasy land. I'm taking this trip slow and just going to savor her reaction to the lights, colors, and sounds, and hopefully a positive reaction to Mickey (she loves Mickey Mouse Club House and Roadster Racers, so we'll see. Lol)

 

[sponica]

I think the extra set of hands are a good idea. My 20 month old was freaked out by face characters, but loved all fur characters.

I went in early May last year, the crowd level was decent and it was HOT but not humid yet. That's the thing to be prepared for.

Personally I love Garden Grill for breakfast with a little one. It's mellow and laid back, and the food comes to you.

 

[rongarbutt]

My DD turns 2 on May 10th, we are staying at POP Century 6-9. We will leave good vibes around for your trip!

I've taken two trips with my daughter under 2. First time we took mommom and they did their own fast passes while DW and I did thrill rides. Second time it was just DW, DD and me. The second time we did one coaster in four days. I much more enjoyed watching my daughter have fun the second time, rather than trying to hold on to my old disney lifestyle of open to close and as many rides as possible.

Flying: Depends on your carrier, we use Spirit and get to check carseat, stroller and bring an extra diaper bag for free. Ask what you can bring. Two flights she slept, two she stayed awake. We had Little Mermaid on the ipad for her to watch, as well as some little figurines to play with.

Transportation: One time we used disney transportation, the next time we rented the car. Hard to wait around for transportation with a little one when you need to get somewhere in a hurry, but totally doable.

Park Hopping: Great idea not to park hop with little one, unless you absolutely have to.

Character Meets: We did plenty of character meets both times, used fastpasses for Mickey & Minnie in Town Square Theater, Cinderella and Ariel.

Fastpasses: We made fast pass reservations between 10:30-2:30. We tried to get to the park as soon as we could, but there was no rush for a 9am ride. We did our last fast pass around 2 and then it was nap time.

Dining: Most table service restaurants will make a plate for LO. LO can eat off your plate at buffets. There is plenty of mac and cheese and chicken fingers everywhere. LOL.

Which parks: We have been able to spend a good 6-8 hours in each park, no problem. Your plan sounds good, but even going to AK for a couple of hours and back to the hotel would let you see a couple of characters, triceratop spin, safari, and walk through the zoo exhibits. HS has vampirina, doc mc stuffins and Sofia. Mickey in his roadster racer comes out for the Disney Jr Dance party, but my DD at 1.5 was barely interested in that attraction. MK is awesome for little one and EP has a good balance between little ones and grown up things to do.

Naptime: First trip she was just barely 1, more for mom and dad to enjoy. We went back to the hotel for naptime around 2 and then back out for dinner. It took a lot of time with transportation. Second time around, we gave her some milk and reclined the stroller and she napped some days and not the others. If your LO can nap in the stroller, try that. A good place to nap in MK is behind the Christmas shop across from Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. The map shows a place to take your dog. Some benches back there and mostly quiet, I believe Mary Poppins does a meet and greet there.

 

[CaLuCa]

you will be fine! You already have a huge advantage of knowing the parks and their layout. You'll notice that some of your favorite things will not be hers, and vice versa. My kids at that age LOVED (and somewhat still do) Living with the Land. Big fat yawn from me! But they thoroughly enjoy it. It would be great if her grandparents can join. Always having another pair of helping hands is nice.

 

[katyjeka]

I think you will have a great trip with her. Traveling with a one year old can be difficult but its a great way to prepare you for the day you travel with teenagers!!! Take it slow and enjoy some pool time with her. An afternoon break swimming at your resort will really make a difference in your day. Have a great time.

 

[ramee]

Lots of good advice. We went when my son was 14 mo but the trip was mostly for my 4 year old.

He was content to take it all in from the stroller a good bit of the time (We went in August though and it was too hot to run around much). He was easy and just went along for it.

Have a sippy cup for water. Snacks. Fruit and veggie squeeze pouches.

Everyday I packed a bag for the parks with a couple diapers. Ziplock of wipes. Change of clothes. Sunscreen. Glasses and hat.

Bring an extra pair of shoes into the parks. Mine lost a shoe on the way to a queue and I didn’t notice until he was squirming to get down and stand in line with us. So I put him down, but then I heard people behind me comment on how he didn’t have shoes. Fortunately we found it by the stroller when we got off the ride.

I agree that traveling back to the hotel was too much. Our best day was the entire day at Epcot. And they napped in the stroller when they wanted on all the days but never at the hotel.

Bring diaper cream. I had left ours in the hotel room but regretted that after he kept having poopy diapers on day 2 probably from all the new park foods.

He just had a morning and nighttime bottle at that point. I brought a little basin, brush and soap to wash those. Had a case of water to mix with his formula.

We drove so we were able to bring his pack and play to sleep in. I had a knock off dock a tot pillow he was use to sleeping in as well. I don’t think anyone had trouble sleeping after long days at Disney tho!

There are baby centers in case you needed anything.

Have fun!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hi everyone,

I posted in the singles forum, but I figured I should probably ask here as well.

I'm a disney veteran, but it's been a few years since I've been on these boards (It will not let me update my signature till I've made 10 posts - a lot has changed). I'm a newly single mom, due to DV, and trying to plan my LOs first trip. She will turn 1 during the trip (If we're able to go - still in a custody battle with Ex). Even though I'm not 100% sure we can go, I've very type A and need to plan. It freaks me out that we only have about 2.5 months before the trip.

I've done disney a lot. But never with a LO of my own before. My niece went at 1.5, but I wasn't responsible for her, LOL. My parents are coming with us. Our dates are 5/11-5/18 staying at Pop Century for 2 nights, then switching over to All Star Music for the remainder of the trip.

Any advice, tips, or tricks? We're planning 4-5 park days, and 1-2 rest/hotel days. 2 days at magic kingdom, 1 at EPCOT, and either 1 at animal kingdom and 1 at hollywood studios, or just 1 day at either animal kingdom or hollywood studios. Still haven't decided. LO will turn 1 on the 14th, so that will be one of our magic kingdom days. We do not plan to see/do it all. Planning to take it slow in each park and get to whatever we get to. I have never flown with her, nor anyone this young and she is a very active LO. Hates holding still.

Don't load yourself down with a ton of one use baby accessories.

Do not pack a gigonda backpack to enter the parks; if you need a something the baby center will carry it and you'll still have a use for the same items left at the hotel. Better for your back or navigating a stroller and by this time you probably know how many diapers, baby wipes,etc, you need within a specific time frame.

Don't load up on expensive character meals until you know how your child will react to them; many children that age are confused/ afraid of the characters so maybe start with character meets or just observing them to gauge you child's personality.

Try to stay as close as possible to the LO's regular sleeping schedule. Sleep deprivation is annoying at any age.

Have fun and enjoy this time as you'll never have it exactly the same no matter how many children you have.

As a side note, BTDT and threw the t-shirt away after being a single mother for a long time. When I get current news about the ex now I still guffaw 40 odd years later. He should wish his older age was as...serene as mine. As the French say revenge is a dish best served cold.
HTH.

 

[Lilsia]

I would give you the same advice as I would to anyone taking a small child... Go at their pace, make sure they get enough sleep, keep giving them liquids throughout the day so they do not get dehydrated, same with food. Feed them decent, healthy food because you are what you eat. Just take it slow, if they want to stand there and look at the ducks for 20 minutes, let them. Trying to over schedule kids is where the issues come in. And you should be able to take your child to WDW. It is usually just leaving the country that the other parent has to have a say in. Good luck.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Dont know what airline you are on, ask for the bulkhead seating it's at the front row and there is more room to move around.
I prefer my McClaren umbrella stroller it folds fast to get on transportation, easy to carry upstairs as needed.

Best of luck with everything. Hopefully your x will be calmed down so you can all enjoy your trip.

 

[Lilsia]

Dont know what airline you are on, ask for the bulkhead seating it's at the front row and there is more room to move around.
I prefer my McClaren umbrella stroller it folds fast to get on transportation, easy to carry upstairs as needed.

Best of luck with everything. Hopefully your x will be calmed down so you can all enjoy your trip.

But most airlines reserve those for those with medical need. Plus, you have to stow away your bags during takeoff and landing. I prefer to have the bag handy at all times.

 

[MNMomof3]

Not sure if you’ve already done this, but a great memory is getting your LO’s first haircut at WDW! We brought all three of our kiddos to WDW during their first year, and each got their first hair cut there! It’s pretty reasonable (under $20 when we last did it three years ago), and they give you a Mickey ears hat, give you a certificate, and wrap their first hair up with pixie dust! No they won’t remember it, but you will!! My kids still look at those cute photos of their special first haircut! (Along with all the other sweet WDW pics when they’re so sweet and small!)
Have the BEST time!!