Disney with a baby?

[KinLan]

My family is taking a cruise in March but we would love to also go to Disney World within the next year. No one in my family has ever been to Disney World before. I would love to go in December for Christmas or January but I'm just wondering if I'm reaching to far. I'm due with my third in August. Is it a good idea to go to Disney with a 4 or 5 month old? My other children will be 12 and 4 by then. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[btk2333]

We are taking our ten month old twins in two weeks but we don't have any older kids. I would think you will have a hard time managing the very different needs of your three kids. The baby will need to take it easy while the older two will be go go go.

I would necessarily rule it out; however you will need to do your homework and really plan things out- especially for a first trip. We have been dozens of times before so we have a good idea of how to get around, the policies, the food, and if the babies are too grumpy we don't mind just taking it easy at the hotel.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You might want to rethink the proposed time of your visit. Christmas/New Years is the busiest time of the year at WDW. You would probably enjoy your trip a lot more at a less busy time.

 

[SweetMissy]

January would be better and not the 1st week. BTDT and the crowds were horrible! Crowds are bad around Christmas too. Our now 3 year old was 4 months old for his 1st trip and he was so easy! He nursed, slept and hung out in the carrier the whole time. It's the older kids you need to worry about, lol. We're planning on this October for our next family trip and our new baby will be 4 months old and I don't have any hesitation at all. Have fun!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We took our 8 month old last year. My hubby and I spent 50% of our trip split up. He kept the baby at the hotel for naps and stuff and I went with my older child to do theme park stuff. Which worked out great bc my hubby is not a ride or theme park guy. We met up for meals did some rides together but if the baby got fussy or needed a nap my hubby took him back to the hotel. It was tough but doable. It was also rough when we needed a baby care center. There's only 1 in each park and we usually needed it when we were at the other side of the park. We still had a great time though and are going back in April with my soon to be 20 month old sprinter lol...its going to be a totally different feel than before lol

 

[Lincolnshire]

We took our then-4 month old the first week of December. I thought it was a great age - she slept wherever she happened to be and was very easy. Taking a 2 year old is WAY harder. But I would try to avoid the peak holiday crowds if you can. With lower crowds we were able to take our stroller into almost every restaurant, which helped a lot.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are taking our son in April. He will be 3 months old. Our older girls are 10 and 8. We go so often that we aren't really worried about how he will affect our touring, since every trip is different. And they survived our August trip with me being a miserable 20 week pregnant lady.

We expect to have to make adjustments in traveling with an infant, but we will use rider swap and such to make things easier. We all can't wait for his first trip to Disney!

 

[staceychev]

Last time we went, DD1 had just turned five and DD2 was four months old. It was a piece of cake, mostly because I wore her in a baby carrier most of the time, and was able to nurse her right in the carrier (we didn't do any bottles with her until she went to daycare a few months later, so I didn't have to worry about that).

We did a few ride swaps, and generally, it worked out great. She was young enough that she didn't need hardcore naps--she just slept in DD1's stroller or in the carrier whenever she needed to doze off. In the afternoons, we went back to the hotel, and DH and DD1 would hit the pool, and I'd chill in the room and read (or nap!) while DD2 slept. It was a great trip.

 

[Crystal824]

We took our oldest daughter when she was 10 mo. We had no issues. In fact, she was easier to deal with on that trip than the next one when she was 21 months. We didn't have any older children. With older kids, I think everyone will still have a good time, but occasionally someone will have to wait with the baby while other experience attractions. Good news, is you can use rider swap and the older children can ride some attractions that the baby can't twice (once with each parent). there are many attractions at WDW that everyone can do together too.

I think everyone would have a great time, but they have to go in to the trip with reasonable expectations. Babies do slow you down.

 

[theyoungs07]

We have had kids around the 6 month mark for two of our trips and will again for our trip in April. Obviously you'll have a stroller, which helps you carry all of the baby gear. Look into a carrier like an Ergo for when you want to take the baby out of his/her seat and let them look around. My wife loved being able to feed the baby on the longer dark rides or shows...they always made for a good time to relax and let the baby eat.

The look of wonder in a little baby's eyes when they are in Small World or some other bright and fun attraction is priceless!

Having your little one will also allow you to use baby swap, which will allow all the big folks to ride a ride and swap the baby out, essentially without waiting in line twice. It is an "advantage" that is very useful and fully supported by the CMs.

The characters love babies! I have pics of my now 7 year old when he was just about 6 months with big lipstick marks all over his face from the princesses at Akershus...we love it!

You will tour slower than commandos, but you can slow down and enjoy the World just as much.

 

[newfangled]

My family is taking a cruise in March but we would love to also go to Disney World within the next year. No one in my family has ever been to Disney World before. I would love to go in December for Christmas or January but I'm just wondering if I'm reaching to far. I'm due with my third in August. Is it a good idea to go to Disney with a 4 or 5 month old? My other children will be 12 and 4 by then. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Having kids with vastly different needs is a tough balance. And since this is a first it would be a shame not to really share the full experience as a family.

I know it's expensive....but I think the BEST way to experience this in your situation would be to bring a family member who can babysit for a few hours at a time (is there a grandparent or cool aunt you trust in the picture?)? You could enjoy the park as a family for that time and discover things with your older kids (allowing them to go go go!), and then you (perhaps taking turns with the spouse) could go back to the room to check-in, feed, etc. ...And the whole group can be together for dinners, shopping, etc..

It just requires flexibility on your babysitter's part...and recognition that vacation experiences are gravy for them and they may not see much this trip. And you'll need to be ok with being pulled away from time to time to deal with baby's needs. Resort location may be key for this trip as well.

 

[tinklvsu]

As long as YOUR comfortable having one that young out and about, then I say you are fine. The baby will sleep, and will be preoccupied with so much going on, it'll probably be the easier child to keep up with ......

 

[pigletgirl]

Having kids with vastly different needs is a tough balance. And since this is a first it would be a shame not to really share the full experience as a family.

I know it's expensive....but I think the BEST way to experience this in your situation would be to bring a family member who can babysit for a few hours at a time (is there a grandparent or cool aunt you trust in the picture?)? You could enjoy the park as a family for that time and discover things with your older kids (allowing them to go go go!), and then you (perhaps taking turns with the spouse) could go back to the room to check-in, feed, etc. ...And the whole group can be together for dinners, shopping, etc..

It just requires flexibility on your babysitter's part...and recognition that vacation experiences are gravy for them and they may not see much this trip. And you'll need to be ok with being pulled away from time to time to deal with baby's needs. Resort location may be key for this trip as well.

Babies can be very unpredictable. It's hard to say how they will do/what their sleeping pattern and behavior is like. It would be priceless to have someone to watch him/her while you tour especially when it is hot. Babies can get dehydrated easily and that is no fun! It also gives you a chance to reconnect with your older children too. You don't want to forget them either!

 

[amygphillips]

We took our baby at 12 weeks in October and she was so easy! We also have a 7 and 4 year old. We loved our trip and we got a ton done. We never went back to the room during our long days. She slept in a stroller or ergo carrier. No problems at all. We used rider swap and my two older children loved riding twice on rides baby couldn't ride.

 

[laughinplace199]

We've taken our kids at all different ages. My youngest's first trip was at 5 months and our older kids were 7 and 5 at the time. It was one of our best trips!

He was a really easy baby and just went with the flow, ate and slept when he needed to. I brought a stroller and a carrier so I had options as far as "containers" for him.

I'd really think about the time of year that you visit. Christmas is insanely crowded and January, although less crowded, will have several ride closures, shorter park hours, and unpredictable weather. My favorite times to go are April (NOT near Easter though), October, & November.