Bringing an 8 month old to WDW

[Antonio]

I posted this like 3 weeks ago but didn't really get a response but have any of you ever brought an 8 month old or around that age to WDW? If so how was your trip? Any tips or advice? Thanks

 

[CarolynFH]

I haven't personally, but many others have brought 8 month olds to WDW. Check out the WDW for Families forum on this website - you'll find lots of help there.

 

[jm106]

Tons of people go with babies, older and younger. I went with 10 month old. It was wonderful, he slept in baby wrap or Mei Tai. We took both so if one got wet I could still baby wear. Pack your own food in cooler and shove under stroller. Use a good comfy stroller that is easy to push, nice recline and sun shield.
We took him on all rides w/o height restriction. Very easy age to go and WDW makes traveling with little ones great. Its designed with every one in mind.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I have taken 2 of my children younger than that and just last week took my granddaughter,5 months old. It's on the tuff side but doable. My daughter didn't enjoy it last week with the baby but it didn't bother me or the baby for that matter. It's just harder to do all you may want in one day since you have to go on the baby's schedule and stop often. We stayed in a2 bedroom timeshare to allow room and quiet place for the baby. Not to mention washer and dryer came in handy as well as the full kitchen

 

[wdwlver]

I posted this like 3 weeks ago but didn't really get a response but have any of you ever brought an 8 month old or around that age to WDW? If so how was your trip? Any tips or advice? Thanks

Brought my daughter when she was 7-8 months old. That was one of our favorite trips. We spent afternoons at hotel for swimming but mostly so baby could nap. Rode all the rides she could sitting on our laps and the characters were so sweet to her. She was too young to be fearful like some older kids can be and those pictures and moments are priceless. She did sleep in stroller at times and we had some formula/baby food diapers etc delivered to our hotel on our first day. You will have a great time!! Enjoy!

 

[pachelbel9]

We brought our daughter when she was 8 months. It was a nice trip. She was in my Beco carrier most of the time, though she did nap in a stroller a few times. We rented a Baby Jogger stroller, but it mostly went unused. My number one tip would be to wear your baby! Going through the airport was so easy without a stroller. Honestly, you don't need more than what would fit in a backpack as far as traveling gear is concerned. TSA did not hassle me about bringing bottles of breast milk in my carry on (there have been horror stories).

I was doing a mix of BFing and bottle feeding, and no one gave me grief for BFing in the parks (maybe I have a "go ahead and try me" face). There are baby centers if you prefer to be behind closed doors. I personally did not feel like hauling across the parks to go to one. There are plenty of out of the way spots as well as dark rides (people mover!). I BF a couple of times in line (BoG and TSM)' but I don't think anyone even noticed since baby was in the Beco carrier while she was nursing.

Don't have any expectations. We didn't ride a ton of rides, but we had a great time nonetheless. A lot of downtime, but it was nice to not feel like I was trying to complete a checklist of rides for once.

We are planning to go again next year, and i'm guessing that going with an infant will be 10 times easier than chasing a toddler around the park.

 

[crazymomof4]

Went with our firstborn when he was 7mo.
I found it to be rather easy, so easy in fact that we brought his younger brother when he was 12mo.
Of course you have to adjust how you do some things but you do that anyhow when a baby is added to your life!
In addition to packing food, it might be helpful to, ahead of time, look at the online menus of places you plan on eating. There may be sides that you can order for baby. Applesauce, steamed veggies, etc.
Set aside some special toys (ones that hold interest longest) just for sitdown restaurants.

 

[soxfan040713]

Not to offend anyone on here, but just my opinion, babies that young should not be at Disney. Crowds, heat, noise, I'm not a parent, but that can't be healthy for a child that young. They obviously won't remember any of it, I feel it's an extreme waste of money for the parents since obviously the trip itself won't be the priority. Obviously to each their own, but I know sometimes I accidentally bump into or elbow somebody in front/behind me in line, god forbid it's a baby....

 

[jm106]

Not to offend anyone on here, but just my opinion, babies that young should not be at Disney. Crowds, heat, noise, I'm not a parent, but that can't be healthy for a child that young. They obviously won't remember any of it, I feel it's an extreme waste of money for the parents since obviously the trip itself won't be the priority. Obviously to each their own, but I know sometimes I accidentally bump into or elbow somebody in front/behind me in line, god forbid it's a baby....

AS nicely as I can reply- It is completely safe and not unhealthy. Babies are just people too, heat and crowds aren't an issue and it is not medically recommended to avoid. Parents do know how to keep their kids safe both at home and WDW. Thankfully we can do it with out others opinions.

No waste of money they are not charged for ticket or room stay plus I enjoy the trip as I do the other family trips we do (my kids went to islands and camping as well as a cruise) My older child has a chance to go and should not be told no because anyone else think its not ok.
But as you said, you arent a parent so we all make decisions when we have kids and if we dont, we live and let live.

AS far as remembering, we as parents share in the experience and my kids love photos of us as a FAMILY doing FAMILY vacations since time together is NEVER a waste. JMO.

 

[dvc cruiser]

we bought our DS at 7 months and had one of our best trips ever. Great pics took our time more then ever just walking around with him taking it all in and relaxing. We spent 1 days just visiting hotels we don't usually get to see and their gift shops and theming it was great. Just pack the stuff you need and enjoy the time with your little one out and about. One last thing I always hear people say taking small ones was that they will never remember it but to that I say I will never forget it.

 

[Fsudisney]

We have taken both of our kids as babies and young toddlers without any problems. Ours were shorter weekend trips since we live nearby.

Make use of each parks baby centers. They each have one and it is a great place to go relax, feed the baby, get out of the heat if you need to. You can breast feed there if needed, or they have rocking chairs to rock the baby if its going down for a nap.

We would often just let our nap in the stroller and they were fine! If you are going in summer months I would say be aware of the heat and take breaks mid day and make sure baby stays cool.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Not to offend anyone on here, but just my opinion, babies that young should not be at Disney. Crowds, heat, noise, I'm not a parent, but that can't be healthy for a child that young. They obviously won't remember any of it, I feel it's an extreme waste of money for the parents since obviously the trip itself won't be the priority. Obviously to each their own, but I know sometimes I accidentally bump into or elbow somebody in front/behind me in line, god forbid it's a baby....

While I would avoid the crowds and heat with a newborn, an 8 month old is just fine. The baby won't remember it, but they do enjoy it in the moment, and the parents will remember it. My son is 5mo in the pic below happily meeting Pluto.

 

[Antonio]

We are going in mid December so I'm not too worried about the heat. Thanks for all the responses. I'm new to this whole parenting thing so 1 more question, will the baby nap in the stroller while we walk around or will that be an issue?

 

[prudence64]

We are going in mid December so I'm not too worried about the heat. Thanks for all the responses. I'm new to this whole parenting thing so 1 more question, will the baby nap in the stroller while we walk around or will that be an issue?

That will be entirely up to the baby

 

[Ansky]

We brought both of our kids when they were about 8 or 9 months old. They were both fine. With our 2nd child at 9 months old he got a cold and was cranky for a couple days. But other than that it was fine. They each were taking multiple naps still a day. They would usually nap alright in the stroller for the first nap and then we would go back to our room in the early afternoon where they would get a 2nd nap where it was cool and quiet. As long as you pack wisely you shouldn't have much trouble. Every child is different though. Good luck. You will have a good time.

 

[afinnteach]

Both my kids took trips to Disney before they were 1. I think my daughter was around 8 months and my son closer to 5 months. I will admit we were on big family trips, so there were extra adults to help, but for me they were wonderful trips. I was so joyful to be in my favorite place with my beautiful children - those are memories I will cherish forever. My mom took my baby sister at 9 weeks. (Way back in the mid 70's) to this day she says it was the easiest vacation she ever took with us, lol!

A good stroller and baby carrier are essential. We used a backpack for a diaper bag, so anyone could carry without feeling "weird". Also, a rain cover for the stroller was really useful. I over packed with baby clothes the first time, don't forget there are laundry rooms at resorts. Good luck and have fun!

 

[tinkerbesh]

We are here right now with DS who will turn 11 months in just a couple of hours -- and having a fabulous time! Lots of great tips on these boards already, so I will add just a few things--

• you won't know until you know (what your particular 8-month old will be like), AND even what you think you know may change during your trip (for example, since arriving here DS has learned to pull himself up to standing, and his nap schedule also shifted... but fortunately he's taking great stroller naps!)
• take time to stop and smell the roses / experience the magic / see the world through their eyes
• it's not all about the rides anymore (for example, today we spent half the day at MK and only went on 1 ride... but the rest of our fabulous time there included DS's first haircut, interaction with CMs, enjoying entertainment, watching him watch other children...)
• oh, and hope you'll ignore the negativity earlier in this thread.

 

[tinkerbesh]

Not to offend anyone on here, but just my opinion, babies that young should not be at Disney. Crowds, heat, noise, I'm not a parent, but that can't be healthy for a child that young. They obviously won't remember any of it, I feel it's an extreme waste of money for the parents since obviously the trip itself won't be the priority. Obviously to each their own, but I know sometimes I accidentally bump into or elbow somebody in front/behind me in line, god forbid it's a baby....

As you said, that is your opinion about what you think babies need. But as you can read from some replies here, many of our babies beg to differ.

Our DS loves crowds. When he's awake, he is fascinated by people - and some so much so that he laughs and reaches out to them. When he's sleepy, the white noise of a crowd helps soothe him to sleep.

We live in a similarly hot & humid climate, and we don't glue our doors shut for the summer. Our northern friends also don't glue theirs shut in the winter. Your post seems to state that no one should live in most of the country if you believe extreme climates are unhealthy for children...

You are not raising a child. Yet you are projecting how you believe we should raise our children.

So is it your opinion is that children should not have any experiences ever until they can retain a memory? What about hugs from mommy or daddy- if they can't remember if they were hugged, should they get hugs at all?

What about a free trip to a local park? Is that ok because it wouldn't waste money, or still not ok because the child wouldn't remember it?

As you said, "to each their own." As you can see, my decision for my own is quite different. And the reason we chose Disney for our family vacation this year is because we knew our family would love it. We are having wonderful experiences, we have fun-filled and smile-filled days seeing things through our son's eyes, and we are all having a magical time!

 

[siskaren]

Not to offend anyone on here, but just my opinion, babies that young should not be at Disney. Crowds, heat, noise, I'm not a parent, but that can't be healthy for a child that young. They obviously won't remember any of it, I feel it's an extreme waste of money for the parents since obviously the trip itself won't be the priority. Obviously to each their own, but I know sometimes I accidentally bump into or elbow somebody in front/behind me in line, god forbid it's a baby....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE30QyKxtUY

 

[soxfan040713]

I'm obviously in the minority and will most certainly get hammered by this post, however I am entitled to an opinion, so here it goes. First off, this does not apply to everyone and hopefully you agree that some parents think their baby is a personal trophy. They bring him or her along so they can get everyone's attention about how adorable their "precious little angel" is. Newsflash, not everybody cares nor should they. They don't take their baby for the baby's enjoyment, they take it for their own. In doing so, they're completely unaware and ignorant of how their baby might be an inconvenience to others. From the plane, to the next door room, waiting in lines, on the rides themselves, restaurants, etc.. Maybe it's not bothering you, but for others who paid good money to enjoy these experiences at Disney, a screaming baby will most certainly ruin the atmosphere for most. I obviously 100% get WDW is catered towards kids and families, that being said, good parents should be able control their toddlers so the above annoyances are prevented. Babies are the other hand can't exactly be told what to do. I just don't see the reason to take a baby to WDW, just my personal opinion, I respect everyone else's but wanted to add a perspective from the other side.