Can you tell me about WDW with a 10-12 month old?

[Disneyfriend]

We're heading to WDW this September with our DD-15, DD-12, and DD-11 months. I have taken an 18-month old to DL before, but have never taken a little one at this age.

Any tips? If I had to guess, she'll just be starting to walk at that point. She's 9 months now and pulling herself up onto things.

Let's see . . . I was planning to take our own stroller. I already have a little fan to attach to it. We're renting a full size crib and play zone from Baby's Best Friend for the hotel.

What was your WDW experience with a ten to twelve month baby like? I would love any input you can give. Anything that worked really well? Anything you would have done differently in retrospect?

Thanks in advance!

Disneyfriend

 

[Naisy68]

In 2002, we took our DD who was then 11 months. She did wonderfully. We used the baby care centers in each of the parks for diaper changing and feeding and some overall quiet time. At the one at MK, Snow White came in and sat on the floor and played with her. It was an unforgettable memory. I think it was kind of a fluke though because the care center attendants told me that it doesn't happen on a regular basis. If I were going to give you any advice at all, I would suggest to take things slowly and not push yourselves at all. Relax and enjoy seeing the magic through your little one's eyes. They have a whole different perspective I think. (If only we knew what they were thinking, right?) We went in early July so it was hot, I remember changing her clothes more often to make her more comfortable. It was nice having our own stroller that we could lay her down in. We kept her well shaded and hydrated. We also made sure she had a hat on which of course she didn't keep on her head very well so that was a challenge. We only let her out or down in shaded or grassy areas. She loved playing in the sand at CBR. I took a really cute picture of her there.

A lot of people said that she wouldn't enjoy it and neither would we if we took her there that young but you know what? They were wrong, we all had a very magical time and now we are taking her back in August for her 3rd trip. She's 5 now, the time really flies!!
Oh, one thing that makes a really cute picture is in DTD, at the World of Disney, they have all their stuffed animals stacked up. We sat her there amongst the Minnie Mouses and snapped a picture. It turned our really cute, now we do that every time.

Have a Magical Vacation!! If you have any further questions, don't be afraid to ask. By the way, the portable cribs they have at the resorts worked for us and didn't cost us a thing. We brought our own sheets though. Don't let her crawl on the floor in your room though because you never know what might be down there for her to find. We made that mistake and ours found a tag from clothing, you know the plastic ones that are kind of transparent. We caught it in time before she put it in her mouth thank goodness.
Have a Disney Day, Renee

 

[WDWCP_98]

We will be taking our DD to WDW in October. She will be 10.5 months old when we go. There has been some great tips from everyone. I would like to know what attractions/shows would be appropriate for a 10.5 month old. What has everyone's experience been?

We would also like to do a character meal. We've been to 1900 Park Fare at GF and really enjoyed that. Are there any others that you would recommend, CM's at the CONT??

We have been to WDW many, many times. But this is our first with a child. Everyone thinks that we're nuts but we can't wait

 

[shmoogrrrl]

My Daughter was 10 months when we took her to WDW the first time. I think the most important thing is sun block and do whatever you can to keep you kiddo cool. We had just gotten of the Disney Magic for a week cruise (which was great with a 10 month old except, as you mentioned, they are just starting to try to walk and the pitching of the ship made her fall so much people probably thought that we were beating the poor thing!) and she was a little under the weather. We ended up taking her to the Medical place at MK and she had a fever of 103! Some of it, I think was the weather, as she cooled down a bit when we got back to the hotel.

Lots of water and plenty of time to stretch and crawl/walk around a bit. I was surprised at how many things we could take Katie on at the Magic Kingdom, and she loved all of it. She also wasn't afraid of the characters at all so we got some really cute pictures before she started to feel bad.

Oh yeah, if you aren't supersticious, and haven't done it already by then, getting your wee one's first hair cut at The Magic Kingdom is pretty darn cool!

 

[shaylahc1]

I think that age is actually a great time to go to WDW. Usually at that age they have settled in to a solid routine, aren't savvy enough to be freaked out by the characters, and generally are just happy to be along for the ride.

The best piece of advice I can give is to ditch the stroller We carried our babies in slings or backpacks at that age and it worked out great. Just try and stick to their routine as closely as you can and be sure to bring along their favorite snacks, etc, so they feel more comforted. Other than that, and respecting naptimes, it should be a breeze.

Have fun on your trip!

 

[monymony3471]

My daughter was 10 months old last year when we went to WDW. She was wonderful. She loved the Character Meals. I let her crawl around the water kid play areas. She loved the pool. When she slept, we hung a mini fan from the visor of her stroller. We used all the baby care centers. They were so wonderful. A great place to cool down too.

She danced and had a ball at the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

She now has a facination with princesses and the castle. She calls the Castle, "My Castle". like she owns it.

 

[stacy6552]

Our son was 11 mos old on the first trip. Here's my list of must haves:

A front carrier. There are loads of places that the stroller can't go, that the baby can. The carrier is great for rides, like BUzz Lightyear and for shows. Backpack carriers dont work as well because you would have to take them off.

A rain cover for the stroller.

Stickey matts. These are presterilzed place mats that stick to the table, which is great for WDW and all the fingerfoods. I got mine at Right Start and Babies R Us, but that was 6 years ago.

A carseat totebag. This is priceless for getting the carseat around the airport.

one piece outfits. I got tons of these one sale just before our August trip for real cheap, they were great for the heat.

Shoes! I saw this little girl there last year and she was standing next to mom in bare feet and her feet were black! AND she was rolling a cigerette butt between her toes! EWWWW. Even if your tot isnt walking, find some shoes.

A big changing pad, just in case you need to do some changing in an unexpected place.

Still on formula? Enfamil makes (or used to make) great single serving powders that were perfect on the trip and not too heavy, like the cans of liquid. Also if baby isnt used to drinking it cold, get her used to it now, so you can feed her at will, without worrying about warming, while waiting for a show or something.

And I disagree with the above response, bring the stroller. One with a bag basket that fully reclines and has cup holders.

 

[Disneyfriend]

In 2002, we took our DD who was then 11 months. She did wonderfully. We used the baby care centers in each of the parks for diaper changing and feeding and some overall quiet time. At the one at MK, Snow White came in and sat on the floor and played with her. It was an unforgettable memory. I think it was kind of a fluke though because the care center attendants told me that it doesn't happen on a regular basis. If I were going to give you any advice at all, I would suggest to take things slowly and not push yourselves at all. Relax and enjoy seeing the magic through your little one's eyes. They have a whole different perspective I think. (If only we knew what they were thinking, right?) We went in early July so it was hot, I remember changing her clothes more often to make her more comfortable. It was nice having our own stroller that we could lay her down in. We kept her well shaded and hydrated. We also made sure she had a hat on which of course she didn't keep on her head very well so that was a challenge. We only let her out or down in shaded or grassy areas. She loved playing in the sand at CBR. I took a really cute picture of her there.

A lot of people said that she wouldn't enjoy it and neither would we if we took her there that young but you know what? They were wrong, we all had a very magical time and now we are taking her back in August for her 3rd trip. She's 5 now, the time really flies!!
Oh, one thing that makes a really cute picture is in DTD, at the World of Disney, they have all their stuffed animals stacked up. We sat her there amongst the Minnie Mouses and snapped a picture. It turned our really cute, now we do that every time.

Have a Magical Vacation!! If you have any further questions, don't be afraid to ask. By the way, the portable cribs they have at the resorts worked for us and didn't cost us a thing. We brought our own sheets though. Don't let her crawl on the floor in your room though because you never know what might be down there for her to find. We made that mistake and ours found a tag from clothing, you know the plastic ones that are kind of transparent. We caught it in time before she put it in her mouth thank goodness.
Have a Disney Day, Renee

Renee,

Thanks so much for all your input! Wow . . . Snow White playing with your dd at the Child Care Center . . . what an awesome memory!!! Were you able to get any pictures?

I love your idea about the photo op among the Minnie dolls at DTD; I never would have thought of that!

And I know what you mean about people thinking we're crazy to bring the babe. I just know we took our middle daughter to Disneyland at 18 months, and my favorite memories of that trip are:

~seeing her watch the Lion King parade and being absolutely enthralled with it;
~dd being fascinated with the monorail, which she called the whooshy-doo because of the sound it made; and
~dd loving our hotel room porch because of all the birds that landed there

It was definitely the "little moments" that made it special for her and for us. I know she won't remember it, but we will - and thank goodness for cameras and camcorders.

Thanks again,

Disneyfriend

 

[Disneyfriend]

We will be taking our DD to WDW in October. She will be 10.5 months old when we go. There has been some great tips from everyone. I would like to know what attractions/shows would be appropriate for a 10.5 month old. What has everyone's experience been?

We would also like to do a character meal. We've been to 1900 Park Fare at GF and really enjoyed that. Are there any others that you would recommend, CM's at the CONT??

We have been to WDW many, many times. But this is our first with a child. Everyone thinks that we're nuts but we can't wait

Hi and welcome to the DIS!

Sounds like we'll be there just before you. Here's a great source of info on taking babies and toddlers, from Deb's site:

Infant and Toddler Info for WDW

I know there are many attractions, especially in the Magic Kingdom, where your baby can go too . . . Dumbo, Peter Pan, Small World, Carousel, Jungle Cruise, etc.

We're going to several character meals, including Chef Mickey's, though I don't know how our baby will react. We're going as much for the rest of us as for her! DD-15 really wanted to start our trip off with CM's, for instance. Actually, I think baby will enjoy the characters. We're showing her the Disneyland sing-along video to try to get her used to what they look like. My guess is that she'll still be too young to be scared of the characters - that seems to happen later, when they're older.

Anyway, have a great trip!

Disneyfriend

 

[WDWCP_98]

Thanks for the welcome!

Originally posted by Disneyfriend
We're showing her the Disneyland sing-along video to try to get her used to what they look like.

Disneyfriend what a great idea! I think I'll be heading to Target today to see what I can find.

We've made breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey's and lunch reservation's at the Crystal Palace. We can't wait to see how DD will react to the characters.

Originally posted by Disneyfriend
I know she won't remember it, but we will - and thank goodness for cameras and camcorders.

I couldn't agree more

 

[Disneyfriend]

My Daughter was 10 months when we took her to WDW the first time. I think the most important thing is sun block and do whatever you can to keep you kiddo cool. We had just gotten of the Disney Magic for a week cruise (which was great with a 10 month old except, as you mentioned, they are just starting to try to walk and the pitching of the ship made her fall so much people probably thought that we were beating the poor thing!) and she was a little under the weather. We ended up taking her to the Medical place at MK and she had a fever of 103! Some of it, I think was the weather, as she cooled down a bit when we got back to the hotel.

Lots of water and plenty of time to stretch and crawl/walk around a bit. I was surprised at how many things we could take Katie on at the Magic Kingdom, and she loved all of it. She also wasn't afraid of the characters at all so we got some really cute pictures before she started to feel bad.

Oh yeah, if you aren't supersticious, and haven't done it already by then, getting your wee one's first hair cut at The Magic Kingdom is pretty darn cool!

Thanks for responding. I'm sorry that your dd got sick/overheated while at WDW. That must have been really scary!

What do you mean about being superstitious? Is there a superstition about the Main Street barber shop? I was actually considering getting her first hair cut there . . . did you do that? I'm actually not at all superstitious, but now I'm just curious.

Thanks again,

Disneyfriend

 

[Disneyfriend]

I think that age is actually a great time to go to WDW. Usually at that age they have settled in to a solid routine, aren't savvy enough to be freaked out by the characters, and generally are just happy to be along for the ride.

The best piece of advice I can give is to ditch the stroller We carried our babies in slings or backpacks at that age and it worked out great. Just try and stick to their routine as closely as you can and be sure to bring along their favorite snacks, etc, so they feel more comforted. Other than that, and respecting naptimes, it should be a breeze.

Have fun on your trip!

Oh, thank you so much for your encouragement! I was hoping it might be a good age. We found that our first two kids were actually more scared of the characters at about 3. They're almost too young to know better at 10-12 months!

I will definitely try to bring her normal snacks. And we're planning to bring both a stroller and a baby carrier. DD is a skinny little thing (17 pounds now, probably 18-18.5 pounds on our trip), so we can still put her in a front carrier for short periods of time without it killing our back. I was thinking it might be nice for the lines and rides.

Thanks much!

Disneyfriend

 

[Disneyfriend]

My daughter was 10 months old last year when we went to WDW. She was wonderful. She loved the Character Meals. I let her crawl around the water kid play areas. She loved the pool. When she slept, we hung a mini fan from the visor of her stroller. We used all the baby care centers. They were so wonderful. A great place to cool down too.

She danced and had a ball at the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

She now has a facination with princesses and the castle. She calls the Castle, "My Castle". like she owns it.

Oh, thanks for sharing the very cute pictures! I'm so glad you had such a great experience. I need all the encouragement I can get! I do already have that mini fan for her stroller - hopefully it will keep her cool!

I do remember using the Baby Care centers when my first two were little. They are awesome! So peaceful and serene . . . hey, too bad they don't have them for adults! Seriously, I'd be all over that!

Looks like you're going again soon. Have a wonderful trip!!

Disneyfriend

 

[Disneyfriend]

Our son was 11 mos old on the first trip. Here's my list of must haves:

A front carrier. There are loads of places that the stroller can't go, that the baby can. The carrier is great for rides, like BUzz Lightyear and for shows. Backpack carriers dont work as well because you would have to take them off.

A rain cover for the stroller.

Stickey matts. These are presterilzed place mats that stick to the table, which is great for WDW and all the fingerfoods. I got mine at Right Start and Babies R Us, but that was 6 years ago.

A carseat totebag. This is priceless for getting the carseat around the airport.

one piece outfits. I got tons of these one sale just before our August trip for real cheap, they were great for the heat.

Shoes! I saw this little girl there last year and she was standing next to mom in bare feet and her feet were black! AND she was rolling a cigerette butt between her toes! EWWWW. Even if your tot isnt walking, find some shoes.

A big changing pad, just in case you need to do some changing in an unexpected place.

Still on formula? Enfamil makes (or used to make) great single serving powders that were perfect on the trip and not too heavy, like the cans of liquid. Also if baby isnt used to drinking it cold, get her used to it now, so you can feed her at will, without worrying about warming, while waiting for a show or something.

And I disagree with the above response, bring the stroller. One with a bag basket that fully reclines and has cup holders.

Stacy,

Thanks for taking the time to write out all your tips! They are great!

I am definitely bringing both a stroller (that reclines) and a front carrier. I honestly think they will both be nice to have for different circumstances.

I still have to get my stroller rain cover. I don't think I would have thought of it if I hadn't seen it recommended here on the DIS. Do you have any specific recommendations? I have a P3 stroller that has a zip-in rain cover available (separate purchase). I wasn't sure whether to get that or just get a nice generic rain cover.

The sticky mats are a great idea . . . I'll have to look for those.

I'll have to think about the shoes. Do you have a recommendation? They have those Robeez type soft shoes now that look great. I haven't tried them, though, because I don't think they were around when my first two were little.

Thanks again for the great info!

Disneyfriend

 

[stacy6552]

Well, let's see....

get any rain cover that conveniently covers the stroller. We left our on the stroller but pulled back, which was great when we were sitting on Dumbo waititng to start and the rain started. A very nice man pulled it down for us at our request. I highly reccommend that you cover it when you leave it unattended. We came off Buzz Lightyear and hadnt heeded this warning and it was soaked. Backup tip: if it does get soaked, disposable diapers are great for drying it to put your baby back in after a suprise like that.

As for shoes, look for ones she wont be able to get off very easily, so definately not ones with room to grow. Old Navy has cute ones, and Target.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Thanks for responding. I'm sorry that your dd got sick/overheated while at WDW. That must have been really scary!

What do you mean about being superstitious? Is there a superstition about the Main Street barber shop? I was actually considering getting her first hair cut there . . . did you do that? I'm actually not at all superstitious, but now I'm just curious.

Thanks again,

Disneyfriend

It wasn't too bad. They were very nice. Gave her some Tylonol or Motrin (I can't remember which, now) and we sat in the baby area until she cooled down. It was close enough to the end of the day that we just left soon after. Just remember lots and lots of liquids!

Some people believe that you shouldn't get your child's hair cut for the first time until they are one. Obviously, that wasn't a problem for us! We aren't superstitious either. I looked for the pictures of Katie having it done, but I can't figure out where I stuck them on my computer. They gave us a lock of her hair, they gave her mickey ears that said "First Haircut" and a certificate marking the occasion. They also let us take lots and lots of pictures.

We got her hair cut last year too, and plan to get it done again in two weeks. Obviously she doesn't get all that stuff each time, but the pictures make it worth while!

 

[Disneyfriend]

It wasn't too bad. They were very nice. Gave her some Tylonol or Motrin (I can't remember which, now) and we sat in the baby area until she cooled down. It was close enough to the end of the day that we just left soon after. Just remember lots and lots of liquids!

Some people believe that you shouldn't get your child's hair cut for the first time until they are one. Obviously, that wasn't a problem for us! We aren't superstitious either. I looked for the pictures of Katie having it done, but I can't figure out where I stuck them on my computer. They gave us a lock of her hair, they gave her mickey ears that said "First Haircut" and a certificate marking the occasion. They also let us take lots and lots of pictures.

We got her hair cut last year too, and plan to get it done again in two weeks. Obviously she doesn't get all that stuff each time, but the pictures make it worth while!

Sounds like great fun! I'd really like to get her first haircut there if at all possible. What a nice memory!

Wow, I see from your ticker that you leave soon. Have a really wonderful trip!!

Disneyfriend

 

[2excited2sleep]

What a great thread!

DH and I will be taking our 10 month old to WDW the first week in October. I have picked up many great tips from everyone. I was starting to second guess our trip. We have been to WDW numerous times as teens/adults and know what to expect. But this will be our first time doing WDW with our DD. Now that I hear about everyone's positive experience I can't wait to take her.

We will be taking DD to MK. We have park hopper's from a previous trip and might consider taking her to AK. I can't wait to see DD react to all the characters. We have the disney channel on all the time so she's familar.

We will be staying at Pop Century. We considered the family suites at ASM but thought we would stay their once we had more kids.

October can't get here fast enough

 

[Disneyfriend]

What a great thread!

DH and I will be taking our 10 month old to WDW the first week in October. I have picked up many great tips from everyone. I was starting to second guess our trip. We have been to WDW numerous times as teens/adults and know what to expect. But this will be our first time doing WDW with our DD. Now that I hear about everyone's positive experience I can't wait to take her.

We will be taking DD to MK. We have park hopper's from a previous trip and might consider taking her to AK. I can't wait to see DD react to all the characters. We have the disney channel on all the time so she's familar.

We will be staying at Pop Century. We considered the family suites at ASM but thought we would stay their once we had more kids.

October can't get here fast enough

Have a great vacation. I'll just be missing you as well. Too bad we couldn't have all gone the same week; it would have been fun to have a 10-12 month old meet up!

Disneyfriend

ps - Additional tips are welcome! The more help and encouragement we all get, the better!