Babies first visit

[Mellymoo]

Hi all. I am heading to Disney in October with my husband and our baby who will be 9 months old by the time we go. Can anyone share their experiences, hints or tips for getting the most out of our trip with a baby on board. Thanks all

 

[FrozenDuck]

Bring shoes for your little one, as people have had mixed experiences with whether cast members will allow babies to ride/enter barefoot.

Have a stroller that reclines flat for naps, and with a generous shade cover. We love the City Mini stroller, you can rent them locally and have it delivered to your resort.

Have fun, don't stress, and go with the flow

 

[tinkerbesh]

Know where the baby care centers are located in each park (1 per park). Don't feel like you have to trek across the park just to go there, but stop in when your near one. Nice quiet cool places to change diapers, nurse/feed, etc.

 

[UConnFan]

Dumb question - I know babies are free to get in, but do they need any sort of magic band or ticket? Or do we just just walk in with the baby.

 

[Jarmo]

Dumb question - I know babies are free to get in, but do they need any sort of magic band or ticket? Or do we just just walk in with the baby.

Just walk in with them

 

[ElenaRN]

The one tip I always give is a baby carrier. I loved my Ergo for when my DDs were little.

 

[UConnFan]

The one tip I always give is a baby carrier. I loved my Ergo for when my DDs were little.

Did you find it too hot? Did you bring a stroller too? Was the baby able to nap?

I have crazy ideas of going with just a carrier (although having a stroller at the resort just in case) and taking turns holding the baby. I would think it would be easier for the babe to nap in a stroller, though.

 

[kayemgi]

Bring shoes for your little one, as people have had mixed experiences with whether cast members will allow babies to ride/enter barefoot.

There's a tip I hadn't seen before! I love these boards. I always learn something new, no matter how much Disney information I have stored in my brain!

 

[Mellymoo]

Bring shoes for your little one, as people have had mixed experiences with whether cast members will allow babies to ride/enter barefoot.

Have a stroller that reclines flat for naps, and with a generous shade cover. We love the City Mini stroller, you can rent them locally and have it delivered to your resort.

Have fun, don't stress, and go with the flow

I really didn't realise this. My husband actually told me not to bother trying to buy summer shoes for him as we are now setting autumn clothes in the shops but now I will make sure I hunt down some summer shoes for him.

Thank you everyone so far for tips. Please please keep them coming!!!

 

[TravelingTotMom]

We took our son at 7 1/2 months for the first time, so here is my advice from personal experience:

-A front-facing carrier: I love my Ergo too, but I bought a front-facing carrier specifically for the Disney trip (I think I found it at Ross or on Amazon for around $25). It was great for waiting in line, getting on and off rides (not having to hand off the baby), and it allowed the baby to sit comfortably on my lap and see everything on the ride, without worrying about squirming. Definitely didn't have as much support as the Ergo, but we only used it in lines/on rides.

-Stroller: Definitely take a stroller! And I agree about one that reclines/has a good shade cover. My son kept to his normal nap schedule and took two naps in the stroller (maybe try this at home before if he hasn't slept in it before). On this trip we just did a day at the MK and were there from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

-Backpack instead of a normal diaper bag: We bought a regular backpack to use for the trip, and it was so much easier than our regular bag. Wear it waiting in lines, and never any issues with taking it on rides/into shows.

-Mom/Dad rides: While the baby is napping, do some rides you and your husband want to do. For more popular rides with longer lines, like the mountains, make FP+s around the baby's nap time. Also take advantage of baby swap - otherwise you are sitting around waiting for the baby to wake up (b/c you can't take the stroller into any of the indoor shows).

-Memories: Get your baby his/her first pair of mouse ears at the Chapeau on Main Street with their name on it. We did this before his first meet with talking Mickey at Town Square.

-Best rides: At the MK, our son most enjoyed Dumbo, Small World, the parade and meeting the characters.

 

[Momof3WDW]

Be flexible. My older two had no issue napping in the parks. But my 3rd is a different story. She prefers her naps to be laying flat in a crib in a cool dark room. Our trip coming up will be interesting as we navigate those waters of either going back to the resort (which we have never done in the middle of the day) or letting her not nap. The older two don't nap at all so taking them back mid day is not the best option for them.

Take a stroller and a carrier. As a PP said use the carrier on the rides and in line. Then you have your hands free and are not trying to chase a squirming toddler. The stroller will be helpful with naps and just giving you a break from carrying. Even last year when we took our then 4 week old DD I still used her infant seat/stroller to give me a break. Though she only weighed 7 lbs at the time the carrier did get hot. Plus it was good for her to stretch out a bit.

Backpack diaper bag is a must. So easy to throw on your back to take on to rides or into the bathroom for changing. Keep all changing essentials in a ziplock bag (or you can buy a changing clutch) so they are easy to grab and go change.

Take lots of pictures. As my kids are getting older they love to look through our photos. They love the photos of when they were babies on all our different adventures. Disney pictures are their favorite.

Check out the menus of QS and TS so you have an idea of where to eat if you child is picky. Though at 9 months I don't think you will be feeding a lot of table food. Remember snacks can be used on al a cart (sp?) items such as uncrustables and popcorn, but so much more.

Watch the parade. My kids love the parade even from a young age. So many colors and sounds and characters.

 

[kimbe21]

Both of my boys got their first haircut at Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street. It was a great experience, complete with a set of Mickey ears and their hair wrapped with pixie dist and Mickey stickers!

Try to keep the baby on his/her eating, nap & sleep schedule. Everyone is happier when baby is fed and rested!

As already stated, the Baby Care Centers are amazing! Air conditioned, clean and great place to spend some time to regroup!

Have a great trip!

 

[ElenaRN]

Did you find it too hot? Did you bring a stroller too? Was the baby able to nap?

I have crazy ideas of going with just a carrier (although having a stroller at the resort just in case) and taking turns holding the baby. I would think it would be easier for the babe to nap in a stroller, though.

I didn't find it hot at all and we usually go around Sept/Oct. We brought a stroller also. Both of our DD are terrible sleepers, so neither one really napped in carrier past 5-6 months. They both napped in the stroller regularly.

 

[jacknsally19]

For shoes, may I suggest Robeez or a cheaper knockoff. I find these were a lot easier to deal with at that age and these were adequate shoes for WDW.

I would only bring a carrier if your kid uses it at home. I brought mine and since my daughter was over it by 6 months, I didn't use it at all. She was very mobile and curious so I think she just hated that it limited her movement (funny bc months 0-3 she was only happy in a carrier!)

I packed a small lunch box filled with toys that were nice for her while she had downtime in the room. I also found it really useful to print utensils for use in restaurants and small containers to keep snacks in.... We'd end up with cereal or applesauce that she didn't eat & at that age it's useful to have snacks on hand at all times. So we would save things in those containers.

I think what's really awesome about going with babies is that they notice things that you would likely never spend time on.... My DD was fascinated by the light up sidewalk in Epcot... So it's kind of cool to just pay attention to what catches their eye and take it in. I never noticed the light up sidewalk and now I always watch it. speaking of Epcot, I found it to be pretty eye catching for little ones between the aquarium, all of the fountains and the random muscical acts.

Also, try and do at least one of the character spot locations. I managed to get some great pictures of little one being just delighted to see giant stuffed animals. I have an adorable one with her kissing Donald! I had no idea what she would think of them but I have some wonderful memories! In fact, her first steps were walking to meet chip n dale.

Enjoy

 

[daisygirl902]

We took our ten week old last year and are taking him again in 3 weeks (at 13 months). We learned to be flexible, use the baby care centers (they are amazing), and just soak it all in differently. I love that we could ride most rides with him in the carrier (although I found we used our ergo less than I thought we would...we used our rental stroller way more). We didn't stress about missed park openings, we just took it at his pace. This trip will be very different though, because his pace has definitely changed! He's a busy little monkey now...so we'll see how different my tips will be in a few months

 

[Grace W]

Get their first pair of Disney Ears! Lots and Lots of pictures! you will have a great time!!!!

 

[btk2333]

Bring shoes for your little one, as people have had mixed experiences with whether cast members will allow babies to ride/enter barefoot.

Interesting- we brought our ten month old twins in February and definitely did not have shoes for them... no one said a word to us about them on rides or otherwise.

I don't think we used the baby care centers once (just usually were too far away to use them).

We much preferred table service to quick service- it is much easier to have a meal when you have a table and server than trying to find a table and get set up at a quick service venue (with Be Our Guest being the obvious exception). Kids had a great time at Sanaa, Yachtsman, 50s Prime Time, Le Cellier, Cape May breakfast and Akershus especially.

Staying at Beach Club Villas (we are DVC) made transportation easy as you can walk to two parks.

We had a City Mini and baby carriers. I loved carrying the babies around- my wife preferred them in the strollers, personal preference; however, once my daughter knew that I would carry her she was NOT satisfied in the stroller anymore.

Daughter loved fireworks- son hated them.

Flights were easy enough if you are flying- TSA precheck is worth its weight in gold IMO. Our kids slept pretty much the whole flight (and still do to this day).

All in all a great trip and bringing them back at 21 months in November and 23 months in January

 

[Mellymoo]

Wow so many wonderful tips!!!!

I have been getting him used to the baby carrier as I stopped using it for a while and he seems to love it so it will be going in the case!!

Great idea about the backpack I will be doing this and the idea for the zip lock bags!!!

I love the idea of the lunchbox filled with toys.

We have a very long flight as we live just outside of London UK and being his first flight I am so hoping he will be ok. If only he knew the magic he will be experiencing for 2 weeks.

We have booked every other day at a table service restaurant to help keep his feed times and habits kind of normal but plan to take plenty of snacks with us through the day.

I didn't realise just how many rides he can go on so this is great!! He doesn't get scared with loud noises so hoping he enjoys the fireworks and parades but I do think him being in the carrier for these would be a great idea.

We are new to DVC and this us our first visit using our membership so any tips on getting the best of out that with a baby would also be greatly appreciated.

Once again thank you so much to all of you that have responded

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

Disposable bibs and little plastic spoons.

I took DS on his first Disney cruise for his first birthday and was very surprised that they didn't have small utensils for the babies. So, I was glad I had my own.

I'm taking him on his first WDW trip in a few months, so I don't know if they have utensils for the babies there; however, bringing your own will ensure you have them.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

Know where the baby care centers are located in each park (1 per park). Don't feel like you have to trek across the park just to go there, but stop in when your near one. Nice quiet cool places to change diapers, nurse/feed, etc.

Can you take your stroller in the baby care centers?

Are there private areas for breastfeeding or is it one open room for nursing moms?