Crazy Parents?!?

[mickey&minniealways]

I can think of a few reasons:

I met a woman on a bus that I was helping with her stroller and child who had an infant and young child... I want to say 2 1/2 with her. The reason was that her husbands entire family (20 something people total) all were going as a reunion. She said she would have perfered to wait until they were both older but as command perfomances for family go... Disney wasn't so bad!

Just from the number on this board that had trips planned then found out they were pregnant the other reason I may think of is you planned a trip for your 4 or 5 year old but hadn't told them yet, found out #2 was on the way and postponed so as to not go when you wouldn't be able to experience some of the childs first ride experiences. If you wanted until the child was no longer a baby... even at just like 2 the child would be 7 or 8 before they got to go... which by then won't really believe in the characters so if that was important I could see bringing a baby.

I don't mind babies at disney. I mind parents that don't take care of their childrens needs but babies in general are ok.

The original poster asked why a child under 4. That is ridiculous. My DD is 15 now. She has been going since she was 18 months. Loved the pools, splashing in the water fountains, the playgrounds. All the bright colors, sights and sounds. She used to sleep with a stuffed pooh bear every night. If you could have seen and heard her squeals of absolute delight when she spotted pooh in the magic kingdom for the first time. You can't put a price tag on something like that and I do not think I would want to even try. I hate to be like this, but if you don't like kids under 4 then find another place to vacation. Now I am going to stop because then I will get flamed to yelling at you.

 

[kristen584]

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!

It's relatively easy to have fun at The World with an infant. We have fun at home so why wouldn't we have fun on vacation?

For the most part babies have schedules or routines. I could follow my daughter's with eyes closed and ears blocked. I can estimate within 5 minutes of what time she's going to go to bed, wake up in the morning and need a nap. The same goes for meals (diaper change after each!) and snacks.

Did she need to eat when we were at Disney? You betcha! She ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with me. When it was snack time she had either goldfish or pretzels to munch on.

Did her routine get a little tossed with us being away from home? Yep. We managed. At home she goes to bed at 8pm; she went to bed at 9:30 at our hotel. She put herself on that schedule, stuck to it, and reverted right back to her regular one once we returned home.

Did we not get as much park time as we would have if she had been older? Mmmhmm. It didn't bother me though. We were there for rope drop in the morning, back to the hotel to nap from 12:30-2:00 and back to the park of our choosing by 2:45. And if she happened to not be feeling the park that day, we'd cut the day short and just hang around by the pool. I know I don't have a gigantic swimming pool in my backyard so even that was a treat.

Diapers need to changed. Babies need to be fed. Schedules need to be adjusted. Days might be cut short. Temper tantrums can come on with the bat of an eyelash. As a parent though I expect all of the above so I'm not surprised nor upset when something doesn't go as planned. It's all part of being a parent, IMO anyway.

Just because DD was only 15 months at the time of our first trip it doesn't mean that she and I didn't have a blast. She won't remember, that I know, but I'll carry those memories with me for the rest of my life.

 

[mrsr2ro]

Four months is actualy the ideal age to take a child under three. Between 3 - 7 months they are extremely easy. Mine were all already sleeping through the night by 3mo and did not mind sleeping in a strange place at all -- or in a stroller, or anywhere. At that age they should be on a flexible routine so most don't cry a lot or get upset by things. At least that is how my babies were/are. Once they are 1yo it's much harder -- they can get upset trying to go to sleep in a strange place.... you often need to book a suite/villa so they have a separate quiet place to sleep... you are better off taking afternoon breaks, they can be finicky about what they eat..., they throw screaming tantrums when they don't get their way or are hot or are overtired, overstimulated... the list goes on!!! So really in comparison - a baby is a BREEZE.

 

[daraddg]

the simple answer is when and if you have kids you will understand

 

[tyniknate]

Now I wanna have another baby and take it to DW when it is 4 months old - just because I can!!!!
Frankly anyone taking a baby to DW is none of your business!

 

[kakiegirl]

We took our DD for the first time when she was three and to us it was the perfect age. I remember she would wake up every morning sit straight up in bed and say we don't have to go home today do we? Now at 11 with 15 + Disney trips under her belt she is a Disney expert. However, before that first trip we had not came down with our Disney Obsession. If I had fallen in love with Disney before that trip I am sure we would have taken her when she was a baby. Maybe, that is the most simplest answer, the parents love Disney and they don't want to wait 4 or 5 years to go back and they also love their child and want to be with them. I know if I had a baby now, if that baby was healthy and no reason not to be in crowds that baby would be going to Disney World, most years more than once. We have always like to be on the go and my DD has always went everywhere with us. I didn't really find it a hardship going places when she was a baby, we changed her diapers in the stroller and when she got sleepy she napped (it didn't matter to her where she was).

 

[mrsr2ro]

I want to add though that I don't have a problem taking a trip without a baby either. This year I'm going with my mom and my two boys (6 and 4), the two girls (2 and 6mo) will be staying home with DH. It's a whirlwind 3 night trip to WDW in early December. Last year we went at the same time -- that time it was my DH and I, our three kids - 5, 3, and 1, at the time (I was pregnant), and my parents too. We had a fantastic time. There is so much to do at WDW for all different ages / travel styles. On that trip we did a lot of shows, parades, fireworks, and character meals. All things that my 1yo at the time LOVED and we had so much fun watching her enjoy it. My dad said his favorite part of the trip was watching her enjoy WDW. On this next trip -- my mom and I hope to catch more of the rides/attractions we missed. Then next year I plan to go back again with my mom, dad, and the two girls (who will be 3 and 18mo by then) to have another "slow" paced trip. My DH doesn't have the Disney bug and is ok with this. We travel as a family to other locations 2x a year so one or two trips apart isn't the end of the world. It doesn't mean I love my children any less or shouldn't have had them in the first place.

 

[locolala]

We might possibly be taking DD to WDW next month, when she's 4 months old. The reasoning? My DH might be deploying in December, for a year. We want to take the time to go on a fun family trip so that he has those awesome memories to take with him to the desert. We had planned to go this time next year, but if he's gone obviously we won't be able to do that. It won't be that much of a hassle.. I breastfeed, so no bottles required. 6 diapers will easily get us through the day and her clothes don't take up much room. Toss that in a diaper bag with our water bottles and camera, put it under the stroller. Easy peasy. She can sleep anywhere, through any noise and light levels. I think it'd be fun to go with her.

 

[boxer]

So, this post is to see how many people I can make mad. Just joking! But, seriously, here is my question: Why do you parents take your 4 month old children to Disney World? If you have two children and one of those is older, then either wait until your little baby gets older OR leave your 4 month at home. I just don't understand this. Maybe you crazy parents can explain this to me?

Because at 10months they do not fit in the overhead compartment (like they do at 4mos) on the airplane, which means you have to spend more money on plane tickets, which then means less money on souveniers.

 

[tallen429]

The first time my DD was on a transatlantic flight, she was 9 weeks old. By the time she was two, she had been to seven countries. She spent her first birthday walking on the beach in Malta. Travel with an infant certainly has it's challenges, but it's not that bad. Sometimes you just can't miss the opportunites. And now both my DD and middle DS are amazing little travellers. They are better in cars, on planes, in lines and in hotels than most children I have ever met.
Also have to mention that when we took her to DLP, she was about 16 months old and she hated it. She was terrified of the characters, the noise, and the crowds....Taking her to WDW at 3 years old was a totally different story!

 

[Kerpgh]

I never took my children when they were that young..only due to $$ and sanity sake..but we took my 2 year old and 5 year old...everyone thought that my 2 year old was too young..but I didnt want my 5 year old to miss out

He was at the perfect age this year...everything was magical and Mickey mouse was really Mickey mouse...wouldnt think it to be fair to him to wait until his sister was older..

We made it threw even when my 2 year old threw her shoes out of the stoller in AK..ha ha..it was a perfect trip and glad we did it

Just sad that I cant convince my husband to go next year..he said we should shoot for 2012...which is way way too long for me!

Just my two cents

 

[Flamingomo]

Because at 10months they do not fit in the overhead compartment (like they do at 4mos) on the airplane, which means you have to spend more money on plane tickets, which then means less money on souveniers.

I didn't have to buy plane fare for my 10 month old. he is going to sit on our laps.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Didn't read all the responses as the thread is so long now but in answer to the orginal questions - my DD was 9 months old and DS was about 5 on her first trip - I don't know why I wouldn't take them As you can see, we go a lot and I've got wonderful memories of things we did at each stage of their lives. DD was so easy and happy on that trip, she strolled and slept and played. I've got pictures of her at CP with awe on her face while petting Pooh's, just one memory - I don't really get NOT taking them.

Now we didn't tire her out, let her get dehydrated or sunburned - she was perfectly happy and well taken care of, they both were. There were times when we split up a bit to do different things, sometimes DS went with me and sometimes it was the other way around.

If a family plans only one trip while they have kids at home, or even only a few trips, I can see wanting them to remember it - but I like doing different things each time with them as they grow. Unfortunatley my DS has now topped out at 14, he'd rather go to Universal - so enjoy it while you can!

 

[heatherwillmom]

First, I think this is a strange thread for several reasons. It is no one's business why parents take their kids to WDW. It is easy to see that many pp do not have kids especially the op. If you were parents, you would realize that we love our babies & want to be with them. I could have never left a 4 month old at home. That is absurd. Although my kids did not go to WDW until their were 3, I would have had no problem taking them as babies. We went on many other family vacations & they did well. Kids that are taken a lot of places as infants, generally are better travelers as they get a little older. Sure there are some "crazy parents" out there, like the man who attacked a bus driver with his baby, but I truely feel he is the exception rather than the rule. I think the op just wanted to start an argument.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I think the op just wanted to start an argument.

No he didn't.

 

[heatherwillmom]

No he didn't.

We all have our opinion

 

[boxer]

I didn't have to buy plane fare for my 10 month old. he is going to sit on our laps.

I know this....it was a joke, and a response to an idiotic thread asking why people would take a young child to DISNEY of all places. It is not like you are taking a 4mos old to Jamica or Vegas.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

This thread really doesn't provide any kind of useful theme parks planning information, so I'm closing it here.