Disney with a 10 month old. What worked for us

[hcox31]

just sitting here on our last night at disney and thought I'd post about our experiences with a 10 month old and a five year old.

BUSES:
-having a carrier (we have an ergo) was invaluable for the buses to and from the parks. The drivers can sometimes take corners fast and it was easiest to hold onto my DD with her in the ergo. Having the stroller ready and collapsed before getting in line and while at the bus stops was good too. I would take my son (age 5) and my DD in the ergo and my husband would take our backpack and the stroller on the bus. Buses at the end of the day can be busy but thankfully people gave up their seats for me with the baby in the carrier but I was prepared to stand with her if needed.

In the parks:
-stroller was a must obviously. We only had a single and my 5 year old son did just fine walking around. We just took lots of sitting breaks.
-use the rider swap so both adults can ride the rides
-again the ergo on tame rides and in lines and shows was invaluable
-stroller naps
Were No problem for my dd thankfully.
-bring a change pad since change areas were a marble slab in the bathrooms.
-there were change areas in the men's bathrooms too

Restaurants:
-we always wiped the tables and high chairs down before using them. We found the high chairs weren't always cleaned well.
-be prepared to leave strollers outside restaurants. We rarely if ever saw one inside.

In the hotel:
-we created a place just for the pack n play where it was dark. Having blankets that smelled like home in the playpen helped.

 

[HCinKC]

THANK YOU!!! This is so helpful. We are going with our kids in a few months, and they will be 10mos and 6yrs. I had decided on the single stroller and Boba, so I am glad to hear it worked well for you. Not sure where you stayed, but we are in a moderate. How did you create a dark space for the pnp?

Again, thank you so much, and I am subbing in case you add anything else!

 

[Jenna319]

Thanks for the tips! Were bringing our daughter for Halloween who will be 1year. I def plan on bringing a carrier!

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

Great tips! Will be going 3 kiddos in October, 7yrs, 5yrs, and 6mo. Planning on taking my Ergo and a small stroller.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Thank you.

Did it look like you could snap the bassinet attachment onto the pack n play provided?

We will be there in April with our 10, 8 and 3 month old.

 

[pixiemama91]

Thanks for the tips. We are going in October with a DD5 and DD 6 months and plan to bring a single stroller and the ergo carrier. Glad it worked out this way.

 

[AlexisMaxMommy]

Thank you.

Did it look like you could snap the bassinet attachment onto the pack n play provided?

We will be there in April with our 10, 8 and 3 month old.

The one that we were provided did not have a bassinet attachment. I'm not sure that I would trust the support of one of those from the hotel anyways.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Thank you for these tips. I am keeping an eye out for threads like this as we have a one year old now and it's been four years since we've done Disney with a baby/toddler in tow, so me and DH are trying to reacquaint ourselves with ways to make taking such a big, involved trip with such a little one a smooth experience again for everyone in the family.

 

[anpeck]

Thanks for posting these tips! DH and I are taking our DS in October and he will be 13 months old. I'm a FTM and although I've been to Disney 5 times in the past 4 years I know this trip will be unlike any other I've been scouring the boards the past few days for any tips I can find regarding Disney with a 1 year old so this was great. Thanks again!

 

[kelseyjoxo]

I so wish I had worn my LO when he was 13 months on our trip. I plan to wear him this time in our Tula at age 3. He is very wiggly, so I am hoping wearing him in lines and on buses will make the trip easier. Thanks for sharing!

 

[kelseyjoxo]

Thanks for posting these tips! DH and I are taking our DS in October and he will be 13 months old. I'm a FTM and although I've been to Disney 5 times in the past 4 years I know this trip will be unlike any other I've been scouring the boards the past few days for any tips I can find regarding Disney with a 1 year old so this was great. Thanks again!

Definitely get a stroller fan! We got one for $7 on amazon. Also, plan to go back and take a break. Our LO slept a couple of times a day every day, so we didn't need to, but it's still a good idea to plan for it. He was exactly 13 months on his first trip!

 

[anpeck]

Definitely get a stroller fan! We got one for $7 on amazon. Also, plan to go back and take a break. Our LO slept a couple of times a day every day, so we didn't need to, but it's still a good idea to plan for it. He was exactly 13 months on his first trip!

That's a fabulous idea, thank you! I never would have thought of that. He is a super happy baby in the morning and is used to getting up early so we are thinking we will hit rope drop and get in as many rides as possible before heading back for a break. I am so excited for this trip!

 

[kelseyjoxo]

That's a fabulous idea, thank you! I never would have thought of that. He is a super happy baby in the morning and is used to getting up early so we are thinking we will hit rope drop and get in as many rides as possible before heading back for a break. I am so excited for this trip!

That is what we did. Since we didn't go back to our hotel, we usually only stayed until about 6 every day. Our LO absolutely loved it. We are Visa members, so we got the exclusive meet and greet. LO couldn't walk, so Mickey and Pluto CRAWLED on the floor with him. Greatest thing ever.

 

[anpeck]

That is what we did. Since we didn't go back to our hotel, we usually only stayed until about 6 every day. Our LO absolutely loved it. We are Visa members, so we got the exclusive meet and greet. LO couldn't walk, so Mickey and Pluto CRAWLED on the floor with him. Greatest thing ever.

I'm hoping we can get in Wishes and that it doesn't scare him but his bed time is usually between 8 and 9 so we will see. He is almost 5 months old and squeals with delight with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on the TV so I am hoping he recognizes some of the characters. I would love to hear more about your trip! I've had so many people say "why are you going when he won't remember it?" but my answer is that WE will remember it and we will have pictures to show him when he is older. We are Visa members as well so I will have to look into that! Awww, that is so sweet! I have heard that the characters are really great with LO's.

 

[kelseyjoxo]

I'm hoping we can get in Wishes and that it doesn't scare him but his bed time is usually between 8 and 9 so we will see. He is almost 5 months old and squeals with delight with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on the TV so I am hoping he recognizes some of the characters. I would love to hear more about your trip! I've had so many people say "why are you going when he won't remember it?" but my answer is that WE will remember it and we will have pictures to show him when he is older. We are Visa members as well so I will have to look into that! Awww, that is so sweet! I have heard that the characters are really great with LO's.

Feel free to send me an email with any questions you might have. I love talking about Disney, so I don't mind one bit!

 

[hcox31]

We didn't take mid day breaks either. Luckily my daughter had some short cat naps in the stroller. My son was pretty good for 4-6 hour stretches in the parks, with breaks for meals and parades etc all of our days were rope drop-3/4pm. we only had one late night in MK for wishes but we didn't actually go to MK until after lunch.

My DD was awake (no crying) during the fireworks but then fell back asleep on the walk back to the bus.