Baby's 1st trip to Disney!

[SafariTigger]

A new mom needs some advice!

My DH and I are taking our son to Disney for his 1st time about 2 weeks before his 1st birthday. We will be traveling with my MIL and FIL as well as my husband's sister, her husband and their 2 sons ages 5 and 2 1/2. We are staying at SS (my sister-in-law's home resort). My DH and I have done Disney a few times on our own and loved every minute of it. Of course this time will be quite different with our 1 year old with us. Does anyone have any suggestions for things that we must do or places we should go with him? Also, how about any tips for planning our time? We want to make this a vacation for us as well as our son, so we still hope to go out to dinner and see some shows and parades, but we don't want to overwhelm him too much. I'd love to hear what some of you have done to have successful family vacations with your toddlers.

Thanks!!

 

[nono]

Plan your dinners out and early! And plan nothing else. My .02!

Go with the flow all day, and then make sure the kids are eating on time. It will make your vacation if you can keep the children to a schedule at dinner. You will have fun. It will be very different than your other trips. We're going in a month with our daughter who will be 2, and I'm so excited about the little things -- like checking out the playground at the resort (to blow off steam and not have her run like a nut at the parks), stopping to see the little things, like her weeding a crack in the walkway in Disneyland last summer and handing the offending weeds to a CM...hearing her scream "EEEEEEE" when she sees Eeyore walk by....

 

[JimMIA]

I would take quite a different approach to your trip. I would have the mind-set that the three of you are going to WDW and the other relatives will be there at the same time.

Schedule is everything for a one year old, and your schedule needs to be your son's, which will be radically different from that of adults or a 5 year old. As mentioned above, getting meals at the normal times is the foundation I would build a schedule on. The more of his daily routine you can preserve, the easier the trip will be.

At one, your son will not understand much he sees, but he will be getting an overwhelming amount of stimulation -- the crowds, colors, sounds, smells, characters (both Disney and visitor), etc. That means he will tire much more quickly than he does at home and will need more frequent rest periods. I would not be concerned with what your son gets out of this first trip; I would strive to keep him in his comfort zone as much as you can so you can have a good time. If you don't, he'll have meltdowns and you'll have a miserable trip.

Also, plan on seeing MUCH less of WDW than you are used to. I know you're accustomed to the stroller and baby bag by now, but you're not accustomed to dealing with those on Disney transportation or in dense crowds. Things are going to go at a snail's pace compared to what you are used to.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[crazywig]

my kids are 3 and 1.

on our last trip in september, my dd had just turned one (although it was her 3rd trip to disney) and she's not one to sleep her in her stroller. we made a point to take a midday break to try and get her to nap, otherwise she would have a serious meltdown later in the day.

bring the most comfortable stroller you can. do not bring a flimsy umbrella just because it's easy to go on/off transportation. think about your child's comfort first.

request a full size crib. all DVC resorts have them.

like a previous poster said, keep them to their meal schedule. we do this and it keeps the kids happy. keep plenty of snacks and water in your bag.

we do manage to do a lot but we also skip a lot in order to let them play in playgrounds (toontown and the new 100 acre wood). and especially swim in the pool when we go in hot weather.

sometimes ds3 just likes to ride the train in MK. or watch the mini train in epcot's germany pavillion.

taking toddlers is not difficult, pack light, go with the flow and relax.

have fun!

 

[gamomof2]

My nephew went with us right at his 1st birthday. He seemed to enjoy:

Playhouse Disney - MK
The area with all the Winnie the Pooh stuff - MK
Safari at Animal Kingdom
Cinderella's carousel - MK
Country Bear Jamboree - from a distance (up close the bears scared him) - MK
Mickey/Minnie's country house - MK
He liked looking at the Tree of Life Animal Kingdom
Riding the train at Magic Kingdom

Definitely my sister had alone time every now and then when he would go to rest but she did have his own stroller with her (they also had a 3yr old along too) and he had plenty of his own stuff around to get comfy with.

 

[poohj80]

I am definitely taking notes! We are expecting our first child this year and have no WDW trips currently planned since we don't know when we'll/she'll be ready for her first WDW experience. I'm curious how young everyone has taken a child or what a good age might be for the first trip?

Thanks for any help you may offer!

 

[CharlesTD]

Our kids have been going since the age of about 8 months old. We didn't really change our park schedules much other than more frequent stops for feeding the baby. They would just sleep in the stroller our kids can sleep anyplace without a problem. Use kid switch for the rides and attractions it works great in conjunction with past pass.

 

[crazywig]

I'm curious how young everyone has taken a child or what a good age might be for the first trip?

my oldest went at 8 months on his first trip. my daughter took hers at 4 months. those trips weren't for them, but for us as a family. my 3.5 yr old probably had the most 'fun' on our last trip 4 months ago. (wait till he finds out on friday where we are headed).

it is easier when they are not walking

 

[SaratogaShan]

it is easier when they are not walking [/QUOTE]

I agree!!!!
I have taken both of our kids when they were babies and it was no problem. Make sure they are fed and bring a comfy stroller for naps. My son was 5 months old and still nursing when we went this past July. He travelled much better than my 3 1/2 year old!!

 

[poohj80]

Good point! Maybe I'm worrying about this a bit too early.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

My daugher was 5 months old when we went this past September. It was a totally different trip than we were used to but completely wonderful!

The Baby Care centers are awesome and having a 1BR villa was perfect for vacationing with a young one.

Here is a link to my trip report complete with pictures and tips/tricks/insight for traveling with a baby:
http://staff.kings.edu/mfpriebe/amelia/6months/disney01SUN.htm

We're taking her back right after her first bday this year. We cannot wait!

 

[nicolem]

We took DS to Disneyland at 12 months and to WDW at 17 months. Both times he LOVED Playhouse Disney Live - he didn't know all of the characters, but he enjoyed the music and the puppets and the dancing. He also liked the Little Mermaid show at MGM. Come to think of it, he liked every show, even the 3D ones (though he wouldn't wear the glasses). He liked Dumbo, Aladdin, and the carrousel, but those are probably the only rides where he expressed any real excitement. Other than that, he seemed perfectly content on the rides, but not overly enthused. He's not yet to the age where he's scared of the dark, so we had no problems with Haunted Mansion or Pirates or Snow White. He enjoyed the 100 Acre Wood playground this time, but when we went to Disneyland he wasn't yet walking, so playgrounds didn't mean much to him.

We used Snack Traps for his snack foods, and made sure we had a variety (Veggie & Fruit Puffs, Cheerios, Kix, dried fruit, etc.) on hand at all times. We also took disposable bibs, placemats and changing pads, which worked out really well. We also took juice boxes and mixed them with water in his sippy cups (he drank milk in the room and at meals, but I didn't want to carry warm milk around in the backpack).

I agree with the previous poster about a comfy stroller. We took an umbrella stroller to Disneyland and it worked fine, but he was obviously much happier in his regular, full size stroller - plus, it has a basket big enough to hold all of his stuff, as well as the miscellaneous stuff we picked up along the way. It WAS a pain to get on and off the bus, but DH and I agreed that the inconvenience a few times a day was well worth it.

We bought DS a balloon on the first day to attach to his stroller, and it kept him occupied for days, both in the room and at the parks. Other than that, he didn't pay any attention to souvenirs, so we didn't buy much for him.

It seems like most of the cast members carry stickers, and they pass them out randomly to kids. Don't be shy about asking for a couple if your DS is getting restless. Playing with those stickers kept our DS calm several times while waiting for a bus!

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[Disneymooners93]

Our two oldest were just over 1 and 2 years old for our first family trip to Disneyland. They both absolutely loved it. We heard, "Don't take them that young, they won't remember it". It ended up being the best time DW and I ever had, just beating out our honeymoon at WDW. Watching the two kids excitement for the entire trip will last us forever!!! Besides they did remember it for several more trips to DL, and are now more Disney-nuts than mom and dad.

Our kids were mostly stroller bound with many breaks. We tried doing the room resting during the day but that did not work that well, our kids would not take naps on command. They did do naps in strollers quite well, when they were ready. This allowed me to do some "Daddy-rides" as well, although learn all about "babyswap". For this trip the best time for them was late night (9pm-close). It was cool, less crowded, and they were well rested.

I would recommend small/medium sized collapsable strollers, with a underneath basket to store all the things you'll need. Umbrellas are too small, while a full size stroller will be too hard to take on transportation.

Our youngest went to Disneyland at 2 weeks old and he was super easy (of course we were pros by then). Carrying the 6 year old for his first non-stroller trip was the problem.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I agree with the previous poster about a comfy stroller. We took an umbrella stroller to Disneyland and it worked fine, but he was obviously much happier in his regular, full size stroller - plus, it has a basket big enough to hold all of his stuff, as well as the miscellaneous stuff we picked up along the way.

I agree, too! Deciding to take the larger comfier stroller was one of the best decisions we made about that trip. Amelia was so much more comfortable I think in it than she would have been in a smaller stroller.

 

[get_us_to_WDW]

My dd was 9 mos at her first visit and ds was 18 mos. We went at the kids pace and didn't try to do marathon days in the parks. We returned to the resort every afternoon for a swim and a nap. If you plan on eating at table service restaurants, buffets are much quicker - less time sitting in high chair waiting for food to arrive. I always tried to bring small toys or items for my kids to play with during meals. I once brought a small tea set - it seemed to curb my son's desire to grab all the "real" cups, utensils, etc. I also brought Minnie and Mickey puppets one year. The kids enjoyed these and they attacted a lot of attention during character meals!

 

[JodyTG]

Here's one very specific tip for you: Do not take the baby into The Land to wait for baby swap on Soarin'. That place is not big enough to handle that many people and it was awful, especially since no strollers are allowed.

Stay outside with the baby in the stroller and whomever rides first can ask for a rider swap ticket. We learned this the hard way and it worked much better when our son stayed outside and in his stroller.

 

[SafariTigger]

Do not take the baby into The Land to wait for baby swap on Soarin'...whomever rides first can ask for a rider swap ticket.

A couple of people mentioned baby swapping, I thought that just meant taking turns waiting in line. Is there more to this that I don't know?

Thank you everyone for the advice. I will certainly bring his regular stroller. It sounds worth it. He does sleep very well in it, so hopefully that will help. I'm happy to hear though that you guys have had great vacations for yourselves, as well as, the kids. I got quite worried when my sister-in-law returned from Disney last year after taking her 4 yr. old and 1 1/2 yr. old and she told me that they ate at a few Character meals but that was it. Everything else was done at the counter service at POFQ (where they were staying). She said that the trip wasn't about her or her husband and that eating out wasn't even a consideration. That just didn't sound right to me. Oh, also thank you to Crazywig, I didn't know that I could request a full size crib. I thought that only a Pack N Play was available. He will sleep much better in a regular crib if we can get one.

Thanks everyone.

 

[phyllisnnj]

my kids are 3 and 1.

request a full size crib. all DVC resorts have them.

Crazywig,

When do you make your request? Have you requested a full size crib at OKW or SSR?

When I made reservations for this coming August at SSR, I requested a full crib and was told that SSR didn't have fullsize cribs only the pack & play. Member services stated that only DVC Resorts that share property with a Disney Resort (like BCV, BWV & WLV) can borrow the full size crib from the Disney Resorts. Did I receive incorrect information?

Thanks

 

[SnowWitch]

I am reading this thread with great interest. We cancaled our Disney portion of our vacation this past July because our daughter was only 2 months old and felt the heat would be to much of a challenge. We have 2 trips scheduled this year, the first being a two week vacation in July when she will be 14 months old. Our boys were 3 before each of their first trips but with the age difference in our kids we wanted to take a few vacations with all of us before the boys start heading for college in a couple of years.

So our plan is to pretty much let Anna-J dictate the pace. A few extra magic mornings to allow her to ride the Fantasyland rides but other than that take it easy. Mandatory midday breaks at the pool and regular naptimes. Hope all goes well.

 

[SaratogaShan]

Snowwitch,

A tip for you if you are going in July...It is super hot. Take a mister fan for your little one and put ice water in the bottle. This kept my 3 year old and my 5 month old comfortable. I let my 3 year old wear hers and I tied one to the baby's stroller. Don't forget extra batteries. Also, make use of the baby care centers. They are quiet, clean, and a great place to cool off.

Shan