Crazy Parents?!?

[Yngpreacherman]

This is an honest question:

How do you have a fun time with a baby at such a young age (Under the age of 1)? They can scream at any moment and probably won't stop unless you figure out what they want, if you do. They would probably need to be changed and fed a lot and they will probably wake you up in the middle of a night to be fed or changed. And they need naps.

That doesn't sound like fun to me. Please tell me what you do to make the vacation enjoyable when all that happens. I understand that it's wonderful to see your child smile when they see Mickey Mouse and all that, which I think is adorable, but I don't understand how you can enjoy a vacation when a baby has a lot of needs that keep you from riding rides and stuff like that. I wouldn't leave the baby at home, but I'd postpone a trip til they are at least 1 or 2. I've never had a baby so I don't know how different a child can be between a few months old and 1 and I'm rarely around babies.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

My point exactly!

 

[Figment_Fan]

People go on vacations for many reasons. A lot of people plan Disney vacations well more than a year in advance. Life happens in that time, even babies get born.

Babies experience a lot more than we give them credit for. They bond, they learn about their parents and parents learn about them. As learning is somewhat state dependant (emotional that is) - if you're in a good mood when learning something, be in a good mood when you have to exercise that knowledge. As Disney creates good moods, good environment to bond as a family. (Of course, in college I used the theory to justify that I needed to drink beer before a test, as I drank it while studying. My psych professor who taught the theory, liked that application, but disallowed the follow through).

I did not take my children until they were 2 1/2. This had more to do about timing. We also went when my wife was 7 months pregnant, trooper that she is, in late June yet. As a family, myself, DW, and DS, we used the environment, including all the cups, keychains, etc., to determine a name for the baby. My DD is still proud of the fact that she was named at Disney. She also considers that trip to be her first. I don't know if a pre-born counts in your question.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Kathy C]

For all of those who say..."to each his own..." give me a break. How far are you going to carry THAT logic? I didn't see anybody making that wonderful argument when the foreign man threw his baby on the bus a while back. No, I am not saying it is the same thing, but I am saying that "to each his own" logic argumentation is a joke.

Folks, I am not mad about it-lol, I am just asking. Taking a child on a vacation is not the same as taking a child to Disney World. Lots more walking and activities. I am just asking a question.

I agree - to each his own! You're not paying for my vacation and if I want to take my infant to WDW so be it. My son is grown and we're leaving in ten days to trick-or-treat w/Mickey and our granddaughter who will be three in January. This is her fourth trip; she was ten months old on her first trip and the pictures and memories really are priceless even when she was ten months old! I wouldn't take a four month old to Disney in the heat of the summer but that's me - if it works for others and that's the time they can vacation as a family I say go for it! All just my opinion of course. . .

 

[chartle]

Actually this thread doesn't seem like a discussion, more like the Monty Python skit where the guy pays for an argument.

No it isn't.

 

[Channyn]

We go to Disney as a family vacation. If a baby is part of our family, then baby comes too.

This is our main reason. We do not vacation without our children. Maybe one day, but not now. For me, 4 months old is way to young to leave with someone.

We have taken a 12 month old and a 18 month old to Disney...they were the easiest ages...and they loved watching everything! They will not remember the trip first hand, but I have the memories and pictures!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My point about the man throwing the baby is simply that if we can argue "to each his down" on this situation, why not on that situation. Only pointing out a inconsistency.

The thing is that people were taking offense to your tone and were trying to defend people who do take their infants to Disney based on the fact that you were sounding antagonistic, even though you say you were just doing it tongue in cheek. Of course, "to each his own" isn't a great way to stimulate the discussion, but it wasn't really an answer to the question.

 

[kglenn]

i haven't done this however recall getting really ugly looks when our family went on a riverboat tour in alaska (the majority of the people were from cruise line tours )... well, we went b/c we lived there at the time and wanted to do something with my family while they were there visiting... it simply wasn't a big deal to us. was it odd for them to see a baby that small on what they considered a vacation... obviously but for me it wasn't really out of our comfort zone. i'd assume that would be on the same level... being at disney may not be that big of a deal for them? maybe it's best for their timing? i would definitely assume they didn't feel crazy doing it. if they can safely & happily swing it... more power to em!

 

[Yngpreacherman]

This is our main reason. We do not vacation without our children. Maybe one day, but not now. For me, 4 months old is way to young to leave with someone.

We have taken a 12 month old and a 18 month old to Disney...they were the easiest ages...and they loved watching everything! They will not remember the trip first hand, but I have the memories and pictures!

Now that is a good answer! Thank you for not getting mad and dealing with the actual topic. lol

 

[FlightlessDuck]

No it isn't.

Yes, it is!

 

[Yngpreacherman]

Yes, it is!

Hey! Come on now...to each his own...

 

[Emagine]

I thought these so called Crazy Parents took infants just so they could nurse in public there and give Crazy Complainers something to fuss about?

Honestly though, we have been going each year since the kids were in diapers and can be pleased in the fact we worked our vacation around us and did not care about other ppl judging like this. If they would rather judge us for our choice then they lost site on their own vacation. As much as I appreciate being fit into someone thought while they on vacation, I really do not care. Rather it is Disney or the Beach people still vacation with small children.

 

[JayCee35]

So here is an answer from one of those crazy parents. We went to Disney when one DD was 3 and the other was six months. We had a great time! It was a lot more work for us, and we probably didn't see as much as we did the year before when we went with one child (then 2, which also makes us crazy I suppose). No DD won't remember sucking on Mickeys nose, or laughing on it's a small world, but we will. She's two and a half now, and loves looking at pictures when she was a baby and we went to see Mickey Mouse. We were there again last month and she asked me yesterday if we could go see Mickey and Minni! So we think it's worth it.
We go on family vacations as a family. And since we all love Disney here we know that family means "no one gets left behind"

 

[chartle]

Yes, it is!

No it isn't.

I give up, you already have used the largest font size so there is no point going on.

Oh I forget to add.

 

[disneymom0104]

We took our 6 month old in Sept. Why not? My girls are 8 and 6, we had been planning this trip for 2 years. It was no big deal. Yes, I had to push a stroller and carry a diaper bag, but again- no big deal. I do that everywhere I go. Disney was no different. When he needed to nurse I took him to the Baby Care Center, when he needed to sleep he did so in his stroller or during our break in our room. He is not a fussy baby and did not bother anyone else, so I don't know why anyone would care whether we had him there or not. My girls had a wonderful time, my husband and I had a wonderful time. That is all that matters

 

[mouseaddictoldschool]

Hey! Come on now...to each his own...

Hey, preacher boy, if you're going to insult my answer, call me out. This is my last post in here because, frankly, I came to the DIS to get away from internet crap like this.

I did not, however ask for a full list of things you happen to do that I disagree with so I can lambast you for it...sheesh!

Tell you what, don't take your young kids(if you have them) to WDW. Fair enough? I won't insult you for doing whatever it is you do that I don't like(like start fights).

Man, this guy really brought out the worst in me good thing we go to WDW(with our 10yo and 14yo) in two weeks so I can relax! Oh, and take pictures of babies, too!!

 

[patty57]

No it isn't.

Good one.

 

[mom of princessx2]

Can't quite understand why "To each his own" is a joke yet you completely agree with "Each family will do what is best for them"
They mean the same thing

We went when our youngest at 12 months. She rode in the stroller, napped and loved everything she saw. Much easier than when they were 5 and 3. When they are older they still cry, throw fits, don't want to be in a stroller, and run. It was much easier when they were younger but I am a parent and I roll with the changes!!

 

[SDSorority]

DH and I have had this same discussion (for the most part).

We don't think that we'll bring kids until they're old enough to remember it- like, 8ish/10ish years old. That said, who KNOWS where life will take us. Does this mean that we're not going to go to disney after we have kids for 8 years?! I don't know if I can handle that. BUT, I don't want to deal with crying, melt-downs, and run the risk of me hating my trip.

So, interesting question. I would have worded it a bit differently since you can't really portray intended sarcasm over message boards very well...

 

[WantToGoNow]

I've been to Disney twice with young babies and those trips were just as much fun as the pre-baby days and even now that they are a bit easier. My babies were a part of my family - if we took a family vacation, baby went too. I've never even considered it a possibility to go on vacation (anywhere) without my child(ren).

My ds9 went to Disney his first trip at the age of 6 months. Would I have purposely planned that - no. We have to plan our trips a couple of years out because we don't have the money for spur of the minute trips. The trip was planned and partially paid before I found out about him. The trip went on - he did great, we had fun, we rode everything we wanted to and we even went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure that trip as well. Did he eat, sleep, dirty his pants and cry - absolutely, but he would have done all those things at home too.

My dd6 spent her 1st birthday at Disney. Does she remember it - no, but we sure had a good time and she loves looking at the pictures that were taken. On this trip they were 3.5 and turning 1 - it was challenging with 2 little ones but given we have 3 adults in our family (my oldest dd is 20 years older than my youngest), it was doable. The only problems we really had was she was terrified of the characters (easy to avoid) and she wanted to walk instead of ride in the stroller - she just started walking 2 weeks earlier so you know how slow she was. The simple way to solve this was pick her up and carry her.

I personally believe the younger the child, the easier the trip. I just experienced a trip a year ago with another family with a child that was almost 3 - omg is all I'm going to say about it (now I took my own dd just before her 3rd birthday and had no issues whatsoever).

 

[chartle]

Good one.

Thank you I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitress.