Disney w/ 1 year old in December 2004?

[sweetypie925]

Hi, I'm new here but I have some questions for those of you who have brought an infant to disney. We are planning a trip for December 2004 the first week. My daughter will be a year old by then (she was born 11/16/03). This will be the 3 rd time for my husband and I in disney. The first time we stayed off site, and last time was for our honeymoon a year ago when we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. next year we plan on staying onsite at disney and my MIL and neice will be with us. Here are my questions:

--Do I need to buy a separate plane ticket for the baby? If she sits on my lap, how do I entertain her for the ride? Do I need to call to make my reservation so they know she will be riding on our lap?
-- As far as food goes, do i need to buy food for her to keep in the room, etc. i know disney doesn't have the best food for kids. What will she be eating by then?(I'm a first time mom)
--Should I bring our big stroller we use (Graco Quattro Tour) or buy an umbrella stroller? I have a baby bjorn but she may have outgrown it by then.
--What about packing? How many diapers, wipes, etc.? Is there a place to buy these things?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Teresa

 

[Barb D]

First of all, congratulations on your new little Sweetie!

Second of all, Disney is a blast with a 1yo. My DD is about to go on her fourth trip, and she's 4. (We usually only do a day or 2. This time it's two.)

As for all the baby stuff...

You don't HAVE to buy her a plane seat at 1yo, but I would if I were you. It's safer for her, and more comfortable for you. Plus, you'll want her carseat when you get down there anyway. I don't know how you make a ressie for a lap baby, since I always bought my DD her own seat.

For food, I would stop at the grocery store when you get there and buy whatever baby food you're using at home by then. The little plastic tubs of apple sauce are awesome. By then she'll be eating Cheerios and some table food. You'll be able to share some of your food with her. Also, buffets will be free for her, and they always have some kid-friendly choices (mac and cheese, etc.) It'll be a piece of cake.

Bring an umbrella stroller. It'll be so much easier on buses, etc. We found an umbrella stroller that reclined and had a canopy. I think it was a Kolkraft. (We don't have it anymore. It got lost somewhere.)

I used a baby sling with two of my three kids. They are very versatile; in fact I could still carry my 4yo in it if I needed to. I would HIGHLY recommend something like that. You can't take strollers in lines, and a 1yo could get VERY HEAVY VERY FAST if you didn't have something to help you support her weight. I also use my very sturdy hip pack as a little seat to help balance her weight a little. Here's a link to the kind of sling I used: http://www.parentingconcepts.com. I'd actually recommend getting it now so that she'll be used to it.

You can buy diapers etc. at WDW, but at a PREMIUM price. Again, I'd recommend a grocery stop to stock up when you get there. Or pack a bunch in an extra suitcase, and fill the space with souvenirs for the return trip. You'll know by then how many you'll go through.

 

[BevS97]

we just got back with our baby (3 months), and she flew as a lap baby - you still need to buy her a ticket, they cost a minimal amount (about £20 over here) but she will need one. Just tell them you want to book an infant ticket without a seat.
We will probably take her again next October when she will be 13 months, and I am undecided on the seat vs lap baby, it will be much more comfortable with an extra seat, but it's not routinely done in the UK and it's quite hard to get an airline to agree to the carseat.

If you will just be using buses, then I would get an umbrella stroller that reclines - the recline is really important as she will still need a nap or two, and they are not comfortable napping upright.

I totally agree on the sling, we used the Baby Bjorn loads on this last trip, and will be taking some sort of sling (probably a hip hammock) when she is 1. There are many many places a stroller cannot go (however, I discovered after carrying Molly around Mexico, that this isn't one of them, because there was a stroller park inside Mexico for the boat ride - wish I'd realised that before I'd parked mine outside and toted her in on my hip...)

Bev

 

[Jaime]

Hi, we are going to Disney with our 20month old in 3 weeks.
When we booked our airline tickets we were told our children under 2 are free travelling on your lap as long as we travel in North America. We were also told that when we board the plane if there were any vacant seats they would give her one. When we travelled last summer when she was one we were given three seats together when we got on the plane. She only had to be in my arms for takeoff and landing. You will have to inform the airline that she will be travelling with you for safety reasons.

When we went on vacation this summer by dd was 13 months. She ate mostly of our plates. She had lots of teeth and was eating alot of different foods. We kept some baby food in her diaper bag for emgergancies and brought snack food like cheerios for her. We noticed that she averaged about 5 diapers a day. For this trip we are bringing our diapers with us. We have also noticed that children under 3 eat free at the buffets in Disney so we have a few character meals booked. We also find it easier to take and umberalla stroller with a small backpack on back. The baby stations in the theme parks sell supplies if you run out when your in the parks.

Have a great trip, and congrats on your new baby!

 

[Windy City Heather]

We took our daughter the week she turned 14 months. She was eating all adult food by then but I still packed some gerber graduates for her along with snacks. We packed our own diapers. Along with swimmers for both the hotel pool and the water play areas at Epcot and Magic Kingdom.

I purchased a kolcraft stroller just for this trip. I got it from sears for about $40.00. We saved over renting and it is now our favorite stroller. It reclines but not all the way. It was enough for naps. It has a basket underneath and a canopy.

I did not buy a separate seat for her. You do have to let the airline know both before you go and again at the check in counter that you have a lap baby. They ask her name and age. If there are any open seats they usually do everything they can to get the babies in them. We brought our car seat with us to the gate in case she got a seat. She got a seat both coming and going. If there is not a seat open they gate check the car seat. At that age I think I would have been o.k. with her on my lap. She is now 17 months old and I am dreading her being a lap baby for our next vacation in 3 weeks (keep your fingers crossed there is an open seat). We also used the car seat for the trip from the airport to the hotel and back.

I also took my sling but hardly used it.

One more thing I learned. Normally strollers are not allowed in the restaurants unless the child is sleeping or about to go to sleep. After learning this we booked all our nice meals around nap times. We got to enjoy a nice meal without her enteraining her. When she woke up she shared our meal or I would open a gerber graduates for her.

We could only get milk in the mornings at our hotel. Also, we could only get 2% on the airplane in the mornings. We flew American and they do not carry milk on there evening flights.

 

[bethnburke]

We took DS when he was 11 months and are going in 2 weeks with DS (now almost 3) and DD (10 months). Children under 2 fly free if you hold them on your lap. I have done this a few times and it has worked out ok for me. If you make your reservation on-line there is a place to enter the information for a lap child. No matter how you book your ticket you will need to tell them that you are bringing a child under 2 with you. I made sure to bring some of his favorite toys and blankey for the flight as well as milk and some snacks - goldfish, cheerios, crackers, etc. The one issue I had on the plane is that there are no changing tables in the bathrooms. Make sure to change your DD before you board the plane and hope for the best! We had a blowout mid flight and I needed to change DS on the tiny bathroom floor - no fun for anyone!

At one DS was eating table food so he just ate a little bit of whatever we were eating. We stopped at Publix on our way in and picked up a lot of snack food and breakfast food - DS loved frozen waffles at that point - diapers, wipes, milk, etc. It ends up being more expensive than bringing your own but in the end I think it is worth it not to have to lug all that stuff with you on the plane.

For stroller last time we brought our heavy Graco stroller and it was a huge pain. This time we are buying an umbrella stoller - The Chicco Caddy - which I have heard good things about. I just cant imagine carrying our Graco stroller on the buses this time. It is just too big and heavy.

For the carrier it completely depends on your child. DS had outgrown the Baby Bjorn by 4 months old and DD is still in hers at 9 months. We are definately bringing it with us since it is easy to pack and she sleeps better in there than in the stroller.

You will have a great time with your DD. At one my DS loved WDW. He was fascinated with the parades and the characters and enjoyed most of the rides. MK was definately the most fun for him but he also loved the parade and all the animals at AK.

 

[deb305]

We took our DS just after his first birthday last year. What fun, we saw WDW from a entire new perspective. DD 4 loved it because we slowed down and she could see more. With 1 yr old we noticed the flowers, fountains, lights etc more than before. World showcase became a adventure, we stopped for all of the wandering performers in each land because 1 yr old loved the music. Animal Kingdom was his favorite. Rides did not mean anything to him yet, he was happy with everything else.
At 1 our DS was a more adventurous eater than the 4 yr old. He learned to eat fish and chips, lentils, taboli (sp), sauerkraut, creme brulee, rice noodles etc. WDW has great food for kids. Most character meals had yogurt, fresh fruit, and pastries. Also a lot of the carts sold juice, fruits, etc.

He's two now, and will almost be three when we go in Oct, so its back to comando mode. Drats

 

[SuzyB]

I just got back from a trip with my 9 month old and 3 year old.. As other have said you dont have to buy a seat for the year old..I decided not too and was very lucky in that both flights the planes were nearly empty and I was able to use his carseat. He slept most of the time.. Be sure to bring the birth certificate.. Sometimes the airline needs to "verfify the age" as some try to get a 25 month old on for free.. Obviously at a year the baby wont lool like a 2 year old but my 9 month old age was checked on the way back...
As far as a carrier I brought a hiphammock.. www.hiphammock.com I love it. I found the bjorn was heavy at year.
Suzy

 

[BevS97]

The one issue I had on the plane is that there are no changing tables in the bathrooms

this must depend on the plane, because we have always had a table that flipped down from the bathroom wall - now I have to admit it wasn't brilliant, but it was better than the floor

Bev