Advice for taking a 11 month old

[Disneygal4life]

I've been offered the opportunity to go to a conference in Orlando in May for my job. I'll be taking DH and DD (11 months at that point) with me and we wanted to go ahead and stay a few extra days and go into the Disney parks. I've been to Disney several times and even went last year while pregnant so I know the lay of the land so to speak but everything changes with having an infant along. To those of you who have taken an infant along and had a good time, can you offer some advice to a new Disney mom? What parks would be best if we just had two or three days? What rides would be best to go on with the baby? Anything to avoid or anything that is a not miss? I know that she obviously won't remember this trip but I think we could still have a good time as a family. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[alyssa810]

We took our DS at 12 weeks, and again just before he was 5 months old. He ended up getting a little tummy bug on the 1st trip, which led me and him to fly home a day early, which stunk. When we went earlier this month we had a blast! We're DVC members and we stayed at the AKV, and I sprayed down the pack-n-play and high chair with lysol, which I didn't do before. I also brought a crib sheet from home. I'm not a germophobe clean freak, but after he got sick last time, I decided not to take any chances. I frequented the baby centers in the parks- they are awesome for nursing moms and any other kinds of feeding, as well as for diaper changing and anything you may have forgot at home or in your hotel room.
I would say MK is a definite for you- any fantasyland ride will do! We took our son on POTC on the 1st trip, which he seemed to enjoy, but the lines were too long when we were there last. He also loved the train, and just strolling around- the lights and music were great for him. Where your baby will be a bit older, you might be able to do more. At AK, he slept on most of the walking trails, and we passed on the safari. I did take him on the triceratop spin, which he seemed to like; at the studios, we didn't do too much with him, just the great movie ride and sounds dangerous. Last time, we did see beauty & the beast, but he's too small for playhouse disney so we didn't do that. At Epcot, we did living with the land, nemo, spaceship earth, maelstrom, the ride in Mexico, universe of energy, and lots of strolling around. I would say your best bets would be MK, Epcot, and AK, but if you're hopping, you could do half days at the studios & Ak. Have fun either way!

 

[frtchr]

We took our 11 m.o. DD in December, and she loved it all! She rode pretty much everything she was allowed to ride. We went to MK, EPCOT, and DHS, but we didn't do AK that trip. We spent most of our time at the MK just walking and letting her enjoy all the new sights. Her favorites at MK were Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, it's a small world, Cinderella's Golden Carousel, and the TTA.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[mrstomrice]

Our DS was 11 months in August when he went for the 1st time. He loved everything that he could go in in MK...Indy Speedway, all of Fantasyland, POTC, and Aladdin. He really loved the characters...he was truely in awe of them! We also got his first haircut at the Harmony Barbershop...free ears to go along with it!
In AK, he loved the safari and trails. I think he liked the Nemo show...wait, maybe he slept...we liked it though!
EPCOT becomes somewhat of a pain b/c you can't even bring the stroller in to many of the buildings in Future showcase...a bit of a hassle with having to carry him!
In HS, he liked Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast's show, the parade, the characters...this was our hottest August day, so we cut this park short and went swimming!
It will be a great trip! Be sure to use the Baby Care centers in each park...a lifesaver!

 

[stacy6552]

Our son was 11 mos old on our first trip. Here's are the best tips I got.

Bring a baby carrier that isnt a backpack. There are plenty of places that baby can go that the stroller cant. It was great just to strap our son on for lines, shows and rides.

Bring "Table Toppers." These are presterlized mats that you can stick to any table and put finger foods on. Those were great for an eater of that age.

Shoes! I once saw an itty bitty girl standing in her bare feet rolling a cigerette butt between her toes. YUck!

 

[tanyaandallie]

My biggest piece of advice is to take it at your baby's pace and don't try and do too much. An over tired baby is just not worth it.

My 2nd piece of advice is to invest in a good baby carrier. On our trip when my ds was 20 mos, he spent a large majority of his time in our Beco Baby Carrier. At 11 mos, your child would fit perfectly in a soft structured carrier. They are backpack style carriers. I'm not sure why pp said not to use a backpack style carrier. Maybe she is talking about a framed backpack style carrier. Soft structured carriers like the beco, Ergo, Patapum or a mei tai work great for an 11 mos old!

 

[disalver]

We chose to leave our daughter at home when we traveled with older children (she was around six months old). She stayed with family. She swears she remembers and has yet to forgive us!

Go for it! If your child is at all sentimental, they will thank you for the early contact.

Our daughter's first trip was at age two. We took a stroller and I used a harness so that she could walk around. Some people yelled at us. They thought using "a leash" was disrespectful to the child. Our daughter loved it. She says what she remembers of the parks was when she was allowed to run in the harness.

I guess you win some and lose some. For all the potential hardship, again, go for it! Just know that at such a young age, you will have second thoughts no matter what you do.

Don't know if I can receive replies.

I'm still earning my Mousing privileges.

 

[MissyDVC]

We just came back last week and we had our DNephew 9 months with us. He did great! He loved all of the characters and he went on Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, IASW, Snow White, all the fireworks shows including Fantasmic. he loved the lights and sounds and had smiles for it all. It was wonderful seeing things his way and we made sure that we did things for all ages including him. I definitely think that he had more to observe in the MK. Enjoy