can you really hold your baby on most rides?

[ammag]

so Ive read this before but wondering if its practical or something people always do? DS will be 15 months, too young to sit next to us but still a big handful. we can use an ergo carrier some of the time but hes heavy! lol. so do people really do rides while holding babies? any they allow but you should avoid anyhow?

 

[Disneychix]

Well, mostly you will be sitting on the rides so your DS can sit next to you or on your lap. The Pooh ride, Dumbo,Aladin's carpets-rides like this he should be able to sit next to you comfortably if you don't want him on your lap. Rides like Pirates and Small World I'd have him on your lap for optimal viewing and saftey.
All the shows you can hold him or put him next to you/in front of you if he won't sit on the seat.

 

[deegack]

Dd was about that age last time we went. She sat on our lap or next to us for every ride.

 

[Lilliputian]

I've taken a 15 month old. He did perfectly fine on all of the rides he was tall enough to ride. I did like using my Ergo-style carrier (I use a Sutemi, but they're almost the same), but I didn't need it for the rides themselves. I liked it in lines so that I could carry him much more easily than carrying him in my arms. He'd started walking at 13 months, and he was still likely to drop down and crawl while in lines (yuck!) or want to stop and look at things when we were going through ride queues without lines.

If the Ergo really isn't very comfortable, I'd see if you can build up your tolerance before you go if you have time and see if you can adjust it to make it more comfortable. I find that it's most comfortable if I wear them as high as I can. If you wear them too low, it puts strain on my shoulders and lower back. I'm not really a very strong person and practically never work out, but I've been able to wear my young toddlers 4-5 hours/day for many days in a row when we've gone to WDW. The last time we went, we had an 11 month old, and we stayed for a month. We went to the parks for more than 20 of the days we were there, and I wore the baby most of that time, but my back never hurt. Unless you have a problem with your back, you can probably adjust the Ergo and find a way that it's comfortable to you. If you do have a back problem, they come in sizes that fit husbands, too!

 

[Jacks2583]

we did not have any problems with rides with DD (8 months). We would either hold her on our lap, or sit her next to us with our arm around her, depending on the ride. She LOVED going on rides.

We took our Ergo, but she stayed in the stroller most of the time. We did use the ergo a few times, but not nearly as much as I thought we would.

 

[harrowgirl]

We brought DD at 9 months and DS at 7 months. Between the stroller, our Ergo, and carrying them, we were fine. I didn't do Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad or Space Mountain, but other than those, I rode pretty much everything else, with the baby on my lap or in the Ergo

 

[treemi01]

Yes, the baby can ride and yes you really can do it. If you think you can't, then you aren't picturing the right kinds of rides. He can sit in your lap or next to you. My kids have all been on almost every ride (except the "Mountains," Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, maybe 1-2 more) as babies. I have had a 4 month old, a 7 month old, a 13 month old, and an 18 month old on trips past, and we are bringing our will-be 8 month old in August. He will have a great time!

 

[Hannathy]

Anything without a height requirement is a go. There isn't anything that i wouldn't take a baby on, especially one that old.

I'm confused why you said he couldn't sit next to you? Don't understand that statement.

 

[ammag]

oh, I assumed he couldnt sit next to me becuse hes little? But I guess its a no worries thing! and you know how I will make using the ergo easier? ask DH to do it it does actually hurt my back a bit...but will work on trying it want to do the hip carry.

thanks!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

The trickiest part of holding a child on the rides is climbing in and out, not the riding itself.

At that age I preferred to use a loose sling to anchor the kids on my hip while getting in and out so that I had a hand free to grab the rail. (Of course, if you are always riding with two adults you can do the hand-off thing, but it can still get tricky when getting out of boats with a squirmer.)

 

[khertz]

We have taken DS to WDW at 12 months old and most recently to DL at 18 months. He did more lap sitting on the first trip, but this past one, he was fine sitting between DH and I. For some, we still put him on our lap to help him see better. I found when we were in the front row of some ride vehicles, especially the dark rides, he was not tall enough to see over the front of the vehicle so a lap was better. On stuff like the tea cups & Small World, he sat between us.

 

[mummabear]

I'm sure you can get something similar to these hipseats in the US: http://www.hippychick.co.nz/

 

[PosadaGirl519]

I had a special MK day just me (23w preg) and DD12m. I would park the stroller and lug my diaper bag/backpack along with DD in my arms. We did everything together since we had basically the same restrictions. I was able to maneuver in and out of just about everything unassisted.

Cute story: DD fell asleep in my arms while waiting on line for "it's a small world". She slept the entire cue, boarding the boat, riding the entire thing, disembarking, and finally woke up just as I was strapping her back in to the stroller LOL.

 

[latexscooter]

We started taking DD at 5 months (she's now going into 4th grade) and we always took her on every ride unless it was height restricted. We never found it difficult or challenging. The interesting thing is that she never experienced any fear or anxiety with any rides - not when she was a baby or now.

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

So glad you asked this because my daughter will be 16 months old (and I have two other children as well) when we go. Right now I think she'll be manageable...but you know how things can change in a few short months!

 

[ammag]

things certainyl do change fast...right now he is walking, tyring to run, all over the place he is so exhausting! I am a little fearful of him being a bit of a terror in october. Hoping he enjoys enough not to bother his sister though!