Baby at Disney

[Megkel]

I recently found out I am three months pregnant (Long story short was told I cannot get pregnant without medical intervention about 4 years ago. Surprise! Apparently I can!) Our daughter is 7 years old and we are very seasoned Disney vets. Before we found out we told dd we would go to Disney World '14 probably over the summer. The thought was that we should be moving closer to Disney next year and we would just go during the summer right after moving. I know very ambitious. However now that we have this news I'm doubting the ability for us to do this with a 4-6 month old. However we will be closer for a few years and we have been to Disney about 15-20 times since my dd was about 4. We could go over a long weekend in Sept, Oct, or Nov.

Since we will be closer for so long (long in military life means 3 years ) should we postpone the trip till the baby is at least a year old or should I not be so concerned taking a baby to Disney? Is there anything I should plan for that I might not know? We started going to Disney when dd was 4.

 

[mrssam]

In our experience a 6 month old is much more pleasant than the 1 y/o to 18 month range.

Our first trip to DL was when DS was almost 6 months old and it was a breeze. He napped in the stroller or while being worn in the carrier, rode the rides on my lap happily or sleeping, was a champ at nursing in loud and unfamiliar environments. It was so lovely and easy.

Fast forward to second trip when he was close to 15 months old - completely different. He wanted more independence (own seat and space) and wanted to walk around which is great, except when you are in a crowd of fast-moving people. He was lot less patient with us in regard to naps and food. Not having words, but understanding words is super frustrating for anyone.

Obviously, every kid is different, but I would go when he/she is smaller. There might be times where you don't get to ride as a complete family, but that is the beauty of baby-swap, your DD will get to go twice and you wouldn't be able to ride all together when the new baby is around 1 anyways...

Congrats BTW We were in a similar situation 4 years ago with fertility issues and had given up hope for adding to our family. Haha thank goodness doctor's aren't always right, right?

 

[DISNEYWITHCHILDREN]

Personally I would prefer a 4-6 month old to a 1 year old. In my opinion, and I have been going to DW since my daughter was 9 months-1 ys to 2.5 yrs was the toughest. At that age it's much harder to reason about waiting on line, they get scared more easily, melt downs will happen, etc.
At 4-6 months you should be able to go on pretty much all the rides other than the coasters with the baby in a baby carrier. My daughter LOVES to tell people how she went on Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean at 9 months. She was asleep in a carrier. All 4 parks also have awesome baby stations where you can chill out with the baby, feed the baby, they even have a private nursing/pumping room. While I am all for nursing in public, and definitely did, sometimes I felt it was less distracting in the nursing rooms.

 

[lindsey]

We took granddaughter at five months. We did have four adults and grandson was five years. We had a great time.

 

[Princess Vespa]

The first time I took my daughter she was 5 months, my son was 3 at the time. She is now 4. I would take her at 5 months over any other age, lol! She slept in the stroller, slept in the carrier, slept everywhere. She was fascinated by all the lights and sounds. It was a great trip. Easily did everything with her and the 3 year old.

Only issue is I had to walk out of Phlharmagic because it was too loud for her.

 

[wiigirl]

We took granddaughter at five months. We did have four adults and grandson was five years. We had a great time.

 

[Spunky946]

We went for our first trip with ds 4 and dd 8 months and it was by far the easiest trip. We then went when they were z7 and 3 and 8 and 4 and going soon at 9 and 5. That trip was super easy. Dd slept, had no opinion and ate off my plate.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

In our experience taking DD at 4 months & DNephew at 18 months.... I'll take the infant stage any day. My only concern is the heat during the summer months vs. the off season, but otherwise it was MUCH easier to manage her at a younger age. Her meals were super easy & she didn't need to run around to burn off excess energy when she was bored with "older" attractions or overstimulated... she just slept in her stroller.

 

[3pletprincesses]

we brought our 3month old last year and it was great. We went in August and I had her in a wrap the entire time. I would go to the bathroom, soak my wrap in water and away we went. yes I looked ridiculous as I was always wearing something wet but who cares we had fun. I breastfed her pretty much every where. In the afternoon, we would go back to our room for the very hot part of the day and would chill at the pool or resort and went back after dinner. We did signature meals also everyday while she slept in her seat LOL It was by far the easiest part of the trip. I would do it all over again with an infant!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Since we will be closer for so long (long in military life means 3 years ) should we postpone the trip till the baby is at least a year old or should I not be so concerned taking a baby to Disney? Is there anything I should plan for that I might not know? We started going to Disney when dd was 4.

DD's first trip was when she was 8 months old..we're about to take her again at 15 months old. She's been fantastic at Disney!

If I were you, I'd probably wait on the trip until she was 5 or 6 months old at least - not because of Disney, just to give time to adjust to having another little one in the house, see how feeding is going (whether breast or bottle), get sleep adjusted and such. Aside from that, though, go and have fun!

If you end up taking her as a baby, look into getting a good carrier like a ring sling or a Beco Gemini or Kinderpack- something that she can use when she's little and a bit when she's older as well. DD rode a few rides in her beco on our last trip, and we will probably wear her even more on this trip (barring the heat!)

 

[RachaelA]

They may be a bit "harder" at 12-18 months, but at that age they can actually participate in stuff. I would rather watch my kid run up to Mickey and dance to the parade then have her sleep in the stroller for basically the entire trip.

Now if you can do multiple trips, then I'd take her as much as possible

 

[Angel Ariel]

They may be a bit "harder" at 12-18 months, but at that age they can actually participate in stuff. I would rather watch my kid run up to Mickey and dance to the parade then have her sleep in the stroller for basically the entire trip.

One of the most precious memories I have of DD is her smiling and giggling when Mickey played peek-a-boo with her the first time she met him (8 months).

I am looking forward to her being awake more on this trip (as she's down to 1 nap/day), but she definitely didn't sleep through the whole trip at 8 months either.

 

[RachaelA]

One of the most precious memories I have of DD is her smiling and giggling when Mickey played peek-a-boo with her the first time she met him (8 months).

I am looking forward to her being awake more on this trip (as she's down to 1 nap/day), but she definitely didn't sleep through the whole trip at 8 months either.

The OP mentioned 4-6 months. There is a big difference between that and 8 months IMO.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The OP mentioned 4-6 months. There is a big difference between that and 8 months IMO.

I don't disagree...but there's also a big difference between 8 months and 12-18..that's what I was trying to highlight for the op. I felt 8 months was a perfect first visit window because she still wasn't mobile, but she was more interested in her surroundings and participating than she was at 6 months.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would plan a November trip to get the baby close to 6 mo old. That way he is starting to sit a bit, has more immunity and vaccinations in place and the weather is just about perfect. Adjusting to being a big sister might be a bit tough after 7-8 years and this trip can be all about her. Baby is too little to know or understand. Celebrate her being a great big sister!!!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We took my nephew in July, he was 2 months old. He was a perfect angel and didn't mind it a bit. I carried him in the baby Bjorn and he napped in his stroller. He could ride with us on almost all the rides. Obviously, every baby is different and my nephew is a little I also have a friend who took 3 out of 4 of her kids to Disney as babies and didn't regret it.

Edit to add: The baby care centers are AWESOME! We used them the whole trip

 

[Trip planner]

We brought our 10 week old and it was a breeze. I nursed him so we didn't need to pack food or sippy cups, etc. Traveling with him at 8 months was trickier because we had to bring baby food. I think 18 months would be way trickier. That is a tough age- the child is mobile but doesn't understand what is dangerous. At 18 months both my children were getting into everything.

 

[starsweeper]

Congratulations!!! We adopted our two older kids due to 5 years of infertility. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was 6-weeks pregnant with #3 on our last trip to WDW in 2010.

I would much rather take a 4-6 month old to WDW than an older baby. We have a 1.5yo and I'm nervous about how she will do this October, even though she is usually a very happy, easy-going little thing. She is a little shy and wants to be held when strangers talk to her, etc. so all the people may be overwhelming for her. She's also very independent and may fight us on standing in lines, holding hands, etc. At 4-6 months, you could wear your baby in a sling. I used them while living in Guatemala with my kids when they were between 4 months and 9 months in age. The motion of you walking usually rocks them to sleep and you have both hands free. Just be sure to practice at home a few weeks before going to WDW so baby can get used to the sling.

 

[froggygal1301]

Congratulations!!!

I will be in a very similar situation next year Baby #2 is due in April and I'm hoping for a Sept/Oct trip where he/she should be around 6 months. It seemed like the perfect time for me because, like other posters mentioned, 12-18 months was a much harder time for us with DS bc he wanted to be independent. A wobbly toddler wanting to walk in DW sounds like torture! I don't think we will brave it again until the baby is at least 2.5-3. 6 months sounds great!

Good luck!

 

[Megkel]

Thanks everyone! I have an ultrasound tomorrow but at my appointment yesterday my doctor said she thinks I'm further along than they originally thought! Instead of 12 weeks I'm probably around 19 weeks! It's just one surprise after another lol

I really appreciate everyone's replies it really does make me feel so much better. He/she might be further along than I thought and if I can wait till October then the baby will be about eight months. I love the weather in October and the crowds are so light. Hopefully I can convince DH that two days out of school really isn't that bad!