Disney at Christmas with a 1-year-old

[PrincessEmily6024]

This is my first time traveling to Disney World with a child, who will be 16 months at the time. I have gone as an adult to Disney World many times and even a few times at Christmas, so I know what I am getting into crowd wise. What advice do you have for me and ways to make the trip special with a 1-year-old? Any advice and ideas welcome! We are going December 21-28th.

 

[jacknsally19]

I took my DD for her first time around Christmas too. The great thing about taking a child that young - is that just being there is special. My daughter LOVED seeing the Christmas trees decorated when she was that young. I would suggest checking out the resort decorations like Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary. The dancing lights at HS were a huge hit. She also really liked the storytellers at Epcot. I couldn't get a photo with Santa Claus at our local mall but after hearing Pere Noelle in France tell holiday stories, she happily took a photo with him! Finally, its nice to let your child notice things and explore rather than rushing from ride to ride. I experienced so much more of the little things when I started taking my DD.
I think you will have a lovely time!

 

[JanetPlewa]

We took our first family trip last year the week before Christmas. I had a 4 year old and 18 month twins at the time. One of the things I did was decorate their stroller with tinsel, bows and even battery operated lights. It gave the stroller a fun festive look, but also made it easy to spot in the stroller parking areas! We got soooo many compliments and it made for some great pictures while watching the parade because all of the characters came over to it! We also really enjoyed getting our pictures taken with Minnie & Mickey dressed up in their Christmas outfits and Goofy dressed as Santa (all of which were at AK).

 

[MSSANDRA]

One suggestion I have is to try using a carrier for your child instead of a stroller during the most crowded times in the park. It can be so crowded that getting a stroller through those crowds can be difficult and can be overwhelming to a toddler to be so surrounded by people . Carry plenty of food for her to avoid long waits when she is hungry. I agree that she will just be thrilled with all the sounds and smells and sights of Christmas.

 

[PrincessEmily6024]

Thank you for the advice! I really like the idea of decorating the stroller my little man loves everything lights so I think he would enjoy Christmas lights on his stroller. We are really excited about this being our first family trip with a child around Christmas time. It should be really special! Are there other things like the storytellers around the world showcase that your 1 year olds have enjoyed. He also loves sully! is there a place where he can meet Sully? I think he would love meeting lots of characters