Bringing First Baby To Disney!!!

[Laugh O. Grams]

O. K. Big question...my wife and I are expecting our first baby, a little girl, the first week of July, and of all the very important questions that we have (which crib?, bassinet or no?, Bugaboo Frog or Stokke Xplory stroller?, etc.), one of our most important decisions is "When is the best time to bring the baby to the World?!?!"? We are planning to come next February 2006, and believe it or not, have decided to forgo our annual summer trip, because...well, you know. But we're back with a vengance in Februrary. Anyone bring kids this young and how was it getting around, diaper changing stations in the men's room (yes, I am a liberated male), and the like?

 

[tommygirl79]

I think this is a valid question. I think that just about any time and any age is PERFECT for WDW!!!! Maybe the ONLY time I would forego it with children is when there would be a less than 1 year old in the dead heat of the Florida summer...and even then, there would be ways to do it without the baby being in the heat too much and too often. We just went in February with our 3 year old and 18 month old. It was their first trip and everything was awesome!!!! We would have taken them from birth but money situation just wouldn't allow it until this year. However, the weather was great during this time (ranging from highs in the low 50s to upper 70s) and the crowds were equally good. My advice: Take them whenever you're ready to have a great time!!! Wish we could go back already!!!

Best of wishes are your little one. They are the best thing in all of life!!! (Trying to decide whether or not to go for our third little musketeer (I want a boy for hubby!!!)

Hope all is well and if you have ANY questions about ANYTHING else...let me know!!!!

 

[Baloo]

Congratulations!!!

The best time to take your baby is after she's in a bit of routine,sleeping through the night etc.My DS Erich was 6 mths his first trip and no problem at all!

Disney World is very Daddy friendly!There are really nice Child Care facilities in every park.

I'm going to move this thread to the Family Boards to get you more help on the stroller etc. questions.

 

[Skroops]

We went Feb. with our baby for the first time. I had to talk my DH into going, he was thinking that we'd wait until he was 5. Not! I worked on my DH until I got an "okay, we can go!"
Our baby was 15 months old, and he loved it. He loved the music everywhere, and so much visual stimulation! We only went to MK, and AK, but the baby centers are awesome and are on the park map. They have everything there to buy for baby incase you forget something (we always forget one thing) and clean, bright areas to change your baby. There is also an area if your wife is breastfeeding, and an area for your toddler to run around a bit and sit at a toddler table! It is awesome.
I don't think your baby will be walking by then, but at Target they have a kiddie "leash" that hooked around the baby like a harness, and it works great. Maybe I was a little wierd, but I totally didn't want him to get lost when we were in the crowds, and he wouldn't always be happy in the stroller.
The pack-n-play crib that was in our FWC was great. I put a blanket tightly under the sheet so that it wasn't so firm. We loved staying at the FWC, because it has the separate bedroom, and is really quiet for nap time. We could enjoy hanging out in the living room/full kitchen during naps.
We had a wonderful time, and so will you!
One other thing I should mention, we visited WDW several times as a couple. We were suprised on how very little we saw when we brought our baby. It was super great to be there though. It is truly for all ages!

 

[homeschooler]

I took a 4 month old and had no other adults with me. We did great. I agree with the above that there is so much stimulation that the little ones just love. Bright colors. Activity. Music. Characters. They are just giant teddy bears to the babies.

Go and have fun.

 

[*Susan*]

We are bringing our 1st baby this May - she'll be a little over 6 months old. We're sooo excited!

We went w/some friends to DL a few years back with their 5 month old and had a great time.

Jan/Fed would be a great time to go esp because of the cooler weather.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

We are bringing our 1st baby this May - she'll be a little over 6 months old. We're sooo excited!

We cannot wait for her to come!!! We were in a little over a month ago for my wife's 20 week ultrasound and I asked the doctor if we could bring her home right then. With my "expert" eye, I could see she had all 10 fingers and toes, she looked done to me...why do we have to wait 'til July?!?!? The doctor doesn't understand that we've got to get this kid on the Dumbo ride ASAP in order for her to catch the Disney bug like the rest of her clan!!!

 

[*Susan*]

I am *really* looking forward to taking mine on Dumbo too!

 

[lclark0621]

We took DS for his first trip when he was 9 months old & it was perfect.

We are no schedule people, so that helped a lot.

DS slept when he was tired (in his stroller, on our shoulders or in the sling), we ate when he was hungry.

We did not do a lot of late nights, but we were able to see Spectromagic & Illuminations with him during the trip.

The changing tables can be a bit yucky (as most iin my opinion are). They are metal, so not very comfortable for baby. We always carry a blanket or something to lay on the table before we lay DS down. Works really well.

The baby care centers in the parks are wonderful.

Disney is much more magical with a baby.

 

[Nicolepa]

I think it is easier to take them when they are small because they will sleep and eat just about anywhere! And they can't run off and get lost!

We took our 1st at 7 months, and our 2nd at 5 months (dd was 2). I do have to say that 7 months was easier than 5 months only because at 7 months she could sit up a bit and not have to be totally supported by us. It got tiring to hold the 5 month old all day long. We also took him in September so it was hotter than all get out! He just nursed frequently and we did a lot of indoor, air conditioned rides (Small World, Pirates, etc).

 

[aimb]

The first time we took our son he was 7 months old. We went in April, and it was a great trip. He slept a lot but also really enjoyed all the sights and sounds. We had the stroller with us, but we mostly carried him around in the Baby Bjorn - which was GREAT because we could keep him in it on a lot of the rides, and if he was sleeping he wouldn't be disturbed. As for diaper changing stations, we mostly used the baby care centers - they were always clean and cool.

Congratulations and have a blast on your first family Disney trip!!

 

[jockey]

I am soo glad you asked this!!! We are expecting our fist baby mid September and have decided to postpone our next trip until Feb 2006 when our baby will be 5 months old! I have spent the last few weeks searching the boards for tips on travelling with babies!!!

 

[Nanu57v]

I've been looking forward to our Dec trip since I first found out I was pregnant. Our baby should be 9 months old, assuming she ever decides to come out! (My due date was Wednesday). We were supposed to trip on our own last Sept, but cancelled due to me not being able to ride all the rides. I just hope its warm enough to swim!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Thanks for the advice and congrats to all expecting Moms!!

Questions about the Baby Care Stations: We've heard from friends that there are air conditioned nursing stations with comfortable chairs for breast feeding Moms throughout the parks. We've heard that there is one next to the Crystal Palace at MK. Are these combined with the Baby Care Stations and if so, can Dads get in to change the babies, or is it Moms only?

 

[Kermit]

The nursing moms' section of the baby care centers (there's one at each of the parks) is separate from the changing area, so dads can get into the baby care center. I don't think that it's been mentioned yet, but I'd strongly recommend breastfeeding for any baby, but especially a baby who will be traveling. You won't need to worry about transporting bottles, bringing water the baby is used to, warming anything up, etc.

Nursing in the baby care centers can be relaxing, but it's not necessary. Your DW will be comfortable nursing anywhere by this point and will be able to nurse discretely throughout WDW. In our family, we've decided not to introduce solids to our babies until they're about 9 months old. When you do it that way, you can start with table foods and not have to worry about carrying around "baby food." Since you've already got a trip planned for your baby at 7 months, it's probably worth considering waiting at least until after the trip to start solids.

Congratulations!