Disney with a six month old

[alicenwonder99]

We were there in Sept with our dgd who was 6 months old at the time. It was a breeze! She's such an "easy" baby, so we had no problems with her. The one thing I do recommend for you is to stay at a monorail resort. When you take the monorail, you don't have to fold up the stroller. Taking a Disney park bus with an infant is a royal PITB!!

Have fun.

 

[disneysteve]

Taking a Disney park bus with an infant is a royal PITB!!

It is also a big safety risk, since there are no seatbelts or carseats on the buses. We much prefer having our own car and driving everywhere we go. It is safer, more comfortable and more convenient than using Disney transport, especially when you have little ones to manage. I've seen quite a few kids get hurt over the years when a bus made a sharp turn or stopped suddenly and they slid off the seat or fell over if standing.

 

[tiggerbell]

I am so sorry, but this post is totally

I am trying to get ahold of the OP of this thread - disneygrl20 - and I've PM'd (hasn't opened yet) and she has no e-mail address attached to her profile.

disneygrl20 - You applied to be a member in Extreme WPASADI here on the DisBoards - well, your team is looking for you! We've been given until the 30th of November to find you...

PM me, e-mail me, find us in the Community Board (it's the Trip Reports team).

 

[MyTy]

Couple of quick questions for all of you who had travelled with infants. What rides were you able to do at MK and AK, and where in those parks were you able to find a place for your baby to take a nap? We'll be at WDW in about 2 weeks with our 8 month old daughter. We did read up on the baby centers, but it wasn't clear whether we could take our daughter in there for a nap.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Bangerang]

My understanding is that there are no napping facilities at the babycare centers. Here are some places we found for naps:

MK - Tom Sawer's Island. The downside is you are not allowed to bring strollers onto the island so you have to be willing to hold your little one.

We have also napped on the wooden walkway that goes between Liberty Square and Frontier Land. There is some traffic here but most people use it as a cut through so it's not as noisy as other places. Note: this is along the parade route which is quite loud. On the upside, if you time it right you have great seats for viewing the parade.

We haven't used it yet, but Faiytale Garden between shows looks like a good spot too.

Epcot - The garden behind the UK Tea shop in the World Showcase. It's mostly overlooked so it's nice and quite.

The area around Innovations West and the Fountainview Bakery. There are some nice indoor spaces here.

MGM - We found this the hardest park to find good napping places and eventually settled for the brick wall along Commissary Lane. In hind sight, the ABC Commissary in between peak dining times might have been a better choice.

AK - The covered pavilion across from the Flights of Wonder Theater. This is also a good spot for watching the afternoon parade too.

Any seasonally closed eating area. They are generally covered and quiet when not in use.

Our DS was almost 2 on his first trip so I don't know that I am a good reference for rides with an 8 month old.

 

[DisneyPhD]

My oldest 1st trip she was 8 months old. My 2nd DD 1st trip was 7 months old. We are just now as a family watching the video from May 2005 when DD was 9 months old. in fact we were just talking and this Jan with be my 5 year olds 9th trip to WDW! (Her 10th will be in May.)

I was just telling my DH I was so glad we took her then and took video.

Here is a vote for breast feeding and keeping it up for the trip. It is so much easier. Everything you need is with you at all times!

My best advice is bring a good comfortable but small stroller. Have a rain cover for it (just in case, but in Dec you shouldn't need it.) Dec is a good time of year to go (as long as it is before the Christmas rush.) Not much rain, not too hot but normally warm. It can get chilly though, so dress for it.

Bring some comfort things from home (blankets, a lovely.)

Really 6 months can be a great age to go. They can sit up pretty well by then.

Good luck with the pregnancy and child birth. Another thing about 6 months old is you have some time to get comfortable as a family and get to know your child before traveling with them.

 

[dsneygirl]

We took our DS at 3 months, we went across the continent to Seattle/Vancouver and 4 months and we are going back to WDW at 5 months. I agree with some other posters that a lot depends on the temperment of your child. Our DS is extremely easy going. We took him to MNSSHP and he fell asleep in the stroller at 7:30, slept through fireworks and 2 parades. I also didn't find it that much of an ordeal to bring all his stuff, not much more than needed for any day out.

Also we had no problem with Disney buses. Our stroller folded up small (Mac) and I certainly never did not feel safe. But if you are at all concerned than rent a car and use that.

 

[kohlby]

We ended up going when my daughter was 2.5 months old. It wasn't ideal, but it was an extended family vacation so I felt I had to go. It turned out to be easy with her except for the long car ride there. (It's 7 hours without kids for us, 9 hours with kids and reasonable stops - it took us 15 hours to get back!) We're going back in less than 2 weeks and she's 8 months old, so I guess it wasn't too bad! We went when it was hot the first time. Though the baby did fine, I wouldn't recommend that. Baby gear really isn't an issue for us. Though we do use diapers and wipes, I breastfeed, co-sleep, and use a sling. I highly recommend a sling. That way you don't have to bring a stroller. We did take a stroller in case my daughter needed it but she was fine in the sling. My 3 year old used the stroller instead. Carseats are going to be an issue for years and years, whether baby is 6 months or 4 years old. At 6 months, there's a chance she might be small enough for an infant carrier - which is much easier to lug than those big convertible seats.

So, my suggestions are: Use a sling, keep the stroller at home if you have one. Get a crib at the hotel or rent from an area service if you don't co-sleep. Breastfeed. Buy a diaper bag that's a backpack - not just for your trip, but for all your needs! I used a regular diaper bag for my first child and a backpack when I had #2. I should have started with the backpack. Do not start solid food until after your trip. The current AAP reccomendation says to start solids at 6 months or later. Things will be much easier if you wait until you come back! The baby centers are great for distractable babies who don't want to nurse when there's too much going on.

I'm not sure what will happen with my daughter's napping this trip - she's the most distractable baby I've ever met and I usually lie down with her on her twin mattress to nurse her to sleep. At 2.5 months, she would fall asleep in the sling. A sling doesn't give the typical sleep position for a 6 month old, but it is next to mom and that counts for a lot at sleep time for my kids! However, if this is your only child, then you can always head back to the room mid-day for baby to nap.

*My son would have been a terror to take to Disney before 2.5 years old. Temperment definately means a lot.