Advice for November Trip with 1 Year Old

[TinkerbellMama]

I'm new to the boards here and new to parenting, my son is 3 months old today! We are going to WDW in November to celebrate his 1st b'day, my dh's b'day, my niece's b'day, and my mom's. I am looking for any and all tips from moms and dads who have btdt. Specifically, info on resorts (we are looking at ASMovies), Disney transportation with our own umbrella stroller (our regular stroller is just way too big and bulky to bring on the plane and lug around for a week yet we don't want to rent one, either), baby care centers, breastfeeding in public (I am not shy at all, just need suggestions on good spots to be discreet/shaded from direct sunlight), character encounters (scary to most 1 year olds??), favorite fun stuff in each park, etc. Also which water park is best for toddlers? My ds is a VERY social baby and does not have a problem with crowds even now. He just absolutely loves to see people and "talk" to them so that part I feel we will be okay with. We are also going the week after Thanksgiving to cut down drastically on crowds. Thanks for any info you can give me!

 

[LMC]

I have done WDW with a 6mo and did breast feed him and found plenty of shady out of the way places to sit and feed. We did go during the 1st week of May so parks were not crowded. If you are going Thanksgiving week then you will have a bit more crowds. Just cover up with a receiving blanket or something and most people won't even notice what you are doing. I had the right to feed my baby when and where I wanted so I did and didn't let it bother me.
We just got back from a trip to AsMo and IF you are going during peak Thanksgiving week, you may have a little bus transportation issues. AsMo is the last stop for THREE resorts (AsSports being the first stop) so sometimes the buses would be full and we would have to wait for another bus. Being last on the route means you get on full busses and have to wait for drop offs at two other resorts before getting to yours. If we do a value resort again it will be AsSports or Pop Century (if Pop is a value).

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Thanks for the information, we are actually going the week AFTER Thanksgiving, which I was told is very slow?? The one day I am worried about is the Sunday, the first day of our vacation, which is still the Thanksgiving weekend. We are planning to be in AK that day and go to Boma for dinner, and I'm hoping most people will be headed home that day instead of at the park/restaurant??

 

[Desnik]

First, welcome to the boards!
What an exciting time, new baby, first WDW trip!!

We have gone in Nov. a bunch of times and with our kids. DS was 9 months on our last trip in Nov. I do want to say that week after Thanksgiving might not be water park weather. We usually are there week before Thanksgiving and it is usually in the low 80's high 70's. By the time you arrive the temp's would be more in the high 70's. Might be too cold for the baby, eveyone is different, we like to swim only when it's hot, the kids will swim no matter what!


The baby care centers are so great! They have breastfeeding rooms, family bathrooms, any and all baby items you could possibly need. Changing tables, high chairs, t.v. with little tables/chairs and toys, coloring sheets, etc. It's a great place to unwind and refresh!

At 1yr. they usually are not scared of the characters. Of course some kids are scared but in my experience, it wasn't until 2.5-3yrs. the fear of the costume characters set in!

I think it's a great idea to bring your own stroller, we always do. There are umbrella strollers that recline. We bought the Kolcraft one. It is great and was only $30, it also has a sun shade and mesh bag for diapers and such. No hanging head during naps!!

As far as resort ASMo is great. As long as you don't mind bus trasportation to the parks. The resort is great for families and the price can't be beat for staying on property. However, we are spoiled and have only stayed in a Value resort once, for 1 night!LOL We like deluxe resorts for the bigger rooms and monorail or ferry access to the parks. Now we are DVC members, so it's home away from home resorts for us!!!

I think you will be fine and miss the Thanksgiving crowds.

I didn't breastfeed so can't help you on good spots to do so. I have seen so many moms breastfeeding everywhere at WDW! Most popular seems to be on dark rides!!

Your 1yr old will be able to go on so many rides and attractions with you. You will have a great time.

Be sure not to miss Playhouse Disney at MGM.

A helpful tip that helped me was taking my child to a local park to do a "test run"!!! It got them use to seeing characters and being on rides and crowds. Both my kids have been going to WDW since 9mo old! We go every year and we would take them to Hershey Park in the summer before our fall trip just as a test to see how they are handling things. It has really helped them have no fear of rides, crowds, even swimming!

Have fun planning and just read everything here on all the boards! By the time your trip comes, you'll be an expert!!

 

[ErinInCT]

Went in Sept with my 11.5 month old dd. She was a breeze!! She WAS scared of the non human characters (all the pics from Chef Mickey's has her in tears!). I was surprised b/c she is not shy either but something about those giant faces just scared her! We tried to keep to her normal routine as much as possible. We came back to the hotel mid day for lunch & naps & tried not to stay out later then 8pm. Most parks close then that time of year anyway! She did not mind the fireworks or any rides. She went on everything without a ht restriction. We brought a lot of snacks & toys to distract her if she got fussy but she was so fascinated with everything that we never had to use anything. I had stopped nursing by then so we just brought a bottle. I have heard lots of great things about the baby rooms, but they are so out of the way that it would be a drag to leave what you are doing to go there. Some of the rides are pretty long & your child will be a champion nurser & probably be able to eat in 10 minutes flat by then! Some of the rides (like TTA) are pretty long so you could probably nurse then, or during a dark show like Mickey's Philharmagic. But there are plenty of out of the way spots on benches where you could nurse discreetly. We used our baby bjorn (dd was not walking yet) to hold dd while we were in line. That was a godsend b/c otherwise my arms would be aching from holding her!! We brought our sit-n-stand (older 44 was 4) which was cumbersome but we rented a car so we would not have to worry about getting everyone & the stroller & a diaper bag on a bus! We rented points from a DVC member so we could have seperate rooms. Stayed at VWL 2 bedroom. It was great. It was especially nice to have the kitchen to make breakfast & lunch daily! It is really more affordable then you might think. Check on the DVC board.
You will have such a great time. Bring lots of film!!

 

[mjmcca]

Right after Thanksgiving is a great time to go all the Christmas decorations are up there are special events for the holidays too.

I have gone when my Ds was 9 months, when he was 19 months with DD who was 2 months, when he was 2+ and dd was 11 months. I have gone more recently with them also they are now 4 and almost 3


Each child is different. I would think about taking the more comfortable stroller for a younger child even if it is bulky. If you breast feed then you can do that anywhere. If you are still using formula I would use the powdered type and carry bottled water. ( thats what i did)