Advice on going to disney with 18 month old

[caspersmom83]

I will be going to Disney with my 18 month old son in December. What are the attractions we should defenilty go to and the ones we should avoid?
Also has anyone used Fairy Godmothers or SuperSitters? If so who specificaly should we ask for.
Thanks for the help.

 

[DISLOVE]

Hi there... We took my daughter when she was 14 months oldlast year and we are headed this December with our now two year old.

Our must dos were The Living Seas at Epcot. Allison got a real kick out of the giant aquarium. She also really loved just wandering through Epcot looking at bugs.. the bushes.. etc. She absolutely flipped over Animal Kingdom although I don't recall doing any "ride" other than the train to Conservation Station. She loved all the animals and just poking around.

We found the most important tip was to prepared to walk at a snails pace and stop and enjoy the roses. Every rose. She took more interest in the "environment" than the rides or attractions. We also went back to the hotel and took a nap every day and swam in the pool most days. These were great rejuvenators for all of us. And call me crazy... but we stuck to her regular bed time of 7pm. It made for early nights for us but we felt so much better for her. And we were always ready to get up at the crack of dawn when she was rearing to go!

As far as Fairy Godmothers... I'm not a fan but not because of a bad experience. I just don't agree that its okay to leave my child alone in a hotel room with a stranger. I know lots of people have had great success but I just can't do it.

Whatever you do... just relax and enjoy things at the toddler pace.

Enjoy!
Kristy

 

[DisFam95]

We took our 17 mo old. We rode everything w/o a height restriction except we did not do shows..he has no patience for sitting still at that time. He honestly was not impressed with the rides but just sort of took it all in. Actually he kept falling asleep as soon as we got on many rides. We even did Haunted Mansion and nothing scared him. The safari was a little rough at the end so hold on tight. I'm not sure I would take a little one on it again but it is aloud. He had the best time w/ the little things, exploring the resort, dancing at Casey's to the piano player outside, character breakfast.

We used Kids Nite Out and had a great experience and we plan on doing it again. We used Eva Velasquez I think and she was great.

We never went back to the rooms because DS was such a great napper in the stroller. We used that time to wander or eat or sometimes we took turns w/ a Fast pass ride or shopped.

The absolute best thing we brought that I could not have lived w/o especially in lines was the ultra ez hip carrier from onestepahead.com. I just checked and can't find it on their website but i did see 1 at target from Playtex. It's way better than a Bjorn style carrier and best for older toddlers. It was perfect for standing in lines w/ our big boy. He would sleep in it and made it easy to hold him in lines.

carry plenty of snacks. He loved grapes and the hotel sold cups of them that we carried 2 a day, other fruit cups, crackers etc.

Have fun!

 

[Kendra17]

We just got back yesterday. My 16 month old loved WDW. SHe loved seeing the characters--especially Mickey and the Pooh and friends, and she loved every ride she went on. . .which was everything without a height restriction.

She never cries, though. . . she's the happiest baby, gratefully!

The only time she got fussy was during Cirque du Soleil. . . so, my husband stood with her near the doors and rocked her for a while. . .but, other than that, she enjoys shows and is interested in everything.

Since all the parks closed fairly early, we had her nap in the stroller and did baby swaps when necessary.

We also had a hard time pulling her out of the fountains and misters. . . she really enjoyed those, too.

Only thing I would change would be her diet for the week. Being off schedule caused her to be very picky about food. She would eat a fairly good breakfast--but less than when we're home--and a very good dinner, but she wouldn't eat lunch at all. Not a bit, although she snacked on some crackers. But, she did drink, so dehydration wasn't a concern.

 

[2dogmom]

We got back 2 weeks ago with my 17mo. She loved the shows we went to (Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas) and loved most of the rides we went on. Some of the darker rides, like TTA, she would fall asleep on. We went back to the room everyday for a swim and nap. If you have a way to make a grocery stop, I would recommend doing that. We bought milk, grapes, cheese sticks, etc for the room and asked for a fridge (since they are free now) so we had snacks in the room.

We never used a sitter though.

 

[HillPete]

All the previous posters took my ideas!! One thing I will add is to try out a sling for your baby. We tried the hip carrier and hated it, but were able to borrow a sling from a friend that worked great. Definitely shop around for some form of carrier for those times when the stroller must be parked. Now if only they would put cup holders on those things...

Have a great trip!
--H

 

[TJA]

We took our twin girls when they were 13 mos. and will be taking them again in a week when they'll be 19 mos.

One thing we find very important is that we bring our big, comfortable stroller from home. Our babies were very happy at the parks because they were so cozy and comfortable in their stroller. They each have a tray so that we could put snacks on it. And there is lots of storage underneath for the necessities like diapers, sippy cups, snacks, water, etc. Another benefit of a stroller from home is that our babies napped easily in it. The seats reclined and we shaded them with the canopies.

It is also fun to look for the child play areas in each park, the water misters and little fountains, and any place there is animals to look at. Animal Kingdom is a must for us because our girls are mesmerized with the animals.

We like to get them out of the stroller to let them walk around (holding our hands) and burn off some steam. Usually before naps and at night before bedtime.

Take lots of pictures and start a Disney photo album!

 

[mollyandsteve]

Hi there!

I just booked the other day with KNO. I was originally going to use FG, but my neighbors just got back last week and had used KNO. They requested someone young, fun, etc for their 6 yo. They received Jill. They really liked her. She came early to get aquainted - said "my name is jill, but you can call me Jilly Bean" They said she was great, and she sounded like a good fit for my crazy little man who is 3 1/2. I was afraid he would drive the ladies from FG to the looney bin. But if you prefer someone older, there have FG sitter names on this board.

Hope that helps!
Molly