eek....8 1/2 month old at WDW

[jmkst58]

Help me. Help me. At the end of Feb. we will be bringing our 3 yo & our 8 MO OLD? Ughhh...what was I thinking?

Anyway...would you caution against taking the baby into any of the following?

Carousel
TTA
Buzz
Pooh
Dumbo
3-D shows
Small World
Tiki
Peter Pan
Country Bear
COP
Timekeeper
Jungle Cruise

Thanks! Any help is appreciated.

 

[Desnik]

Don't worry. Your 8mo will be easy, now the 3yo is another story!LOL!!! Trust me, I took DD when she was 8mo and just this past Nov took my DS when he was 8mo. At that age they stay in their stroller and just take it all in. Just keep the baby comfy and hydrated. Bring a sling or carrier to give the baby a break from the stroller. Remember to put a hat and sunscreen on the baby. Even in the winter the sun is strong. Bring your own stroller. Much more comfy and you'll need it around your resort. Also, you can bring the baby in the restaurants in the stroller, keep him/her sleeping or if he/she can't sit up yet. We did this with no problems. I have taken my kids at 8mo on all the rides you mentioned with no problem at all. DD would sleep through the 3D shows! What helped while in line and on the rides was the Baby Bjorn. It never hurt my back, and I felt the baby was safe in it on me on the rides. Does that make sense? You may feel that some of the 3D shows are louder than others so keep that in mind. I felt HISTA at Epcot was really loud, also Mickey's Philharmagic. Took DD twice it was so great but left the baby behind the second time. The Tiki room also gets loud. Use your judgement, you can always leave the attraction.

The reason why I made that comment about your 3yo is because when we took our DD at that age she wanted independence. She didn't want to be in her stroller and I was a nervous wreck over her walking and possibly getting lost. At this age DD started to get scared of the characters and wouldn't take pictures with them. Only liked the face characters. I missed the days when she would just quietly stay in her stroller enjoying the sights! My son this trip was an angel. He was so easy to have there with us. He was in awe at everything. He also said his first word at the MK!!!!(Momma) I guess it just depends on the kid. DD was 5 and a half and she has her own ideas on what she finds fun at Disney and we had a hard time at first with her thinking we were going to buy her everything she saw! We did have a wonderful time as usual and I wouldn't hesitate taking a baby.

Also, where are you staying? We were at the BWV and the fridge and micro were a God send!! Also the proximity to the 2 parks was great. We were also close enough if we had to leave a park early it wasn't a problem.

Have a great time and if you have any other questions ask away!!!

 

[jmkst58]

wow...great post desnik...Thank you so much for the info. You calmed me a bit...although my youngest is such a fussy baby...I'm still a bit scared. I think she's more normal when theres a lot of stimulation around her though...I'm hoping this trip will transform her....

Thanks for the hat, sunscreen, & sling tip. I knew I bought that Bjorn for a reason after all. My DH will be happy to know that it will finally be getting used.

I didn't have a double stroller so I went out & bought the graco one. I hope it's not too big/heavy....ughhhh. We're driving...so maybe I can throw the single stroller in too...for when the 3 yo doesn't need to use the stroller (around the resort?). We are staying at WLV for half & then moving to BWV for the other so I'm hoping the proximity & kitchen facilities will help save some headaches.

Other than that....I'm just worried about how the baby will take the rides/attractions. I'll definitely consider skipping Tiki. I don't mind skipping any of the 3D's except Philharmagic. I haven't seen it yet, & I heard it's great. Might have to try it...or make DH stay out with the baby. Maybe the 3 yo too She was mildly bothered at a few of the louder attractions last time we took her, but let's hope that's changed since last year. I was hoping that she may take to the characters a little better this year too, but seems I may be dreaming a bit. So at age 5...they still want you to buy them everything they see, huh? ughhh.

Thanks again for the info Desnik. Maybe I can tire the 8 mo old enough that she'll be too tired to fuss???

 

[riggins]

We took DD#1 for her 1st trip at 9 months and DD#2 got her 1st at 6 months. Here are my comments on the attractions you mentioned based on our experiences with babies:

Carousel- didn't do, but should be fine

TTA- ok

Buzz- this is ok for the baby, but if you're competing against your other family members, make sure someone else holds the baby- its hard to shoot at the same time.

Pooh- excellent for babies- they love the colors and music

Dumbo- another great choice for babies

3-D shows- we did Muppet Vision and Philharmagic . . . both were a little loud for baby, but not too bad.

Small World- the best for babies- again, music and color

Tiki- This is a toss-up . . . DD#1 cried during it, DD#2 seemed to enjoy it.

Peter Pan- good choice for babies

Country Bear- ok for babies

COP- closed on our trips, but probably ok

Timekeeper- didn't do this

Jungle Cruise- my babies enjoyed it

Hope you have a great trip!!!

 

[Desnik]

riggins: great point about Buzz!!

jmkst58: Your very welcome Glad I can help. I also wanted to add that both my kids slept like logs through the night!! They were so tired and so were we! Another thing, if you only take one stroller with you anywhere always bring the Baby Bjorn. By the end of the day my 5yo was so tired we had to put her in the stroller and the baby in the Bjorn! Oh, and if you use the buses I found it easier to have the baby in the Bjorn and have the stroller folded up while we were waiting. Saves time for everyone. You picked great resorts and with the kitchen facilities it can't be beat!

A side note: I have a feeling DD will be 25yo and still wanting me to buy her everything she sees!!LOL I think she may be a bit spoiled!! We did give her her own Disney dollars to spend each day to help her learn about money and how much things really cost. This really worked well. She had $5 a day(yes there are things you can buy for $5!)and if she didn't use it on one day she had more to spend the next. Of course we bought her a few other "presents".

 

[jmkst58]

Great info. Thank you both so much.

 

[bethnburke]

We took DS when he was 11 months. He loved the rides like Its a Small World, Peter Pan and Pooh, and loved the carousel but hated Dumbo. The shows were also long for him so we made sure to sit by an exit so we could leave if he started to cry. He made it through half of Country Bears and about 2 minutes of Its tough to be a bug - it is way too scary for most little ones - I wish someone had told me that before we did that one.

 

[jmkst58]

Thanks for the dumbo warning bethnburke....

My DH suggested keeping the baby out of the shows all together too. I'm beginning to agree...we should probably try to...if at all possible.

THANKS!

 

[tw1nsmom]

You really just need to play everything by ear. Every child is different and I would hate to see you miss shows when your child might love them. My advise is to try one out and make sure you are seated near an exit so that one parent can leave if the baby acts up. She just might surprise you though and love all the colors/sounds. That's what happened when we took our twins when they were 9 months old. They loved everything! I think they were especially happy to always be cuddled by Mommy or Daddy. I've been a stay at home mom and when they were little they had to take turns being in my arms.

 

[jmkst58]

9 mo twins at WDW? Wow...congrats on that! Congrats on raising twins all together. I would've loved twins, but I don't think I would've been able to take care of 2 at the same time. whooo. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Great advice & I will follow it. THANKS!

 

[bethnburke]

be sure to plan some playtime for your 8 month old. When we went with my DS he really needed some time to get out of the stroller and crawl around. We spent a lot of time at the play area near Mickeys house.

Surprisingly Universal has some great play areas that my DS loved - Curious George, Fifal, Dr Suess and the Popeye boat.

 

[Gretchen]

A word on fussy babies:
We took DS 8 months to WDW last December. He was the world's fussiest kid. I could elaborate, but sufice to say if the kid was awake (all the time) he was cranky about something. That having been said, he was wonderful at WDW, on the plane, everywhere we took him. He would hang in is carseat/stroller system and have a party....it was a really fun trip. He slept in his carseat at home (reflux) and we did get him a pack and play at the hotel, but he slept in his carseat/stroller in the vanity area of our room at the WLodge. He would fuss if he was hungry (who wouldn't?) and otherwise had a good trip. Now he is 21 months and we are going next Sunday. I'm kinda afraid! Don't know what to expect....speaking of fussing, gotta go!
Gretchen

 

[disneymama73]

Our oldest child was 6 mos. the first time we took her to WDW, and she was a breeze! Our second child was 4 mos when we took her (oldest was 2 at the time), and although she had severe reflux, she was also a breeze unless she was vomiting all over the place. LOL! We are going back in Oct. of this year and our new baby will be about 3 mos. (older girls will be 3 and 5).

I agree with what everyone else said - babies are easier than toddlers! Just go slow, don't plan on seeing everything, take advantage of the baby care centers and FASTPASS.

Also, we didn't do any shows. Both of the girls got too fidgety when they were really little. I remember my younger daughter when we went to see Festival of the Lion King...I thought she was going to flip out sitting still all that time. But any ride that involves movement was great!

Be careful of the Buzz ride - give your infant to whoever is sitting on the INSIDE of the ride. I was holding our baby once and sitting on the outside, and when the CM closed the door, the joystick hit my baby right in the middle of the forehead. Just an FYI...

HAVE FUN! It will be easier than you think!

 

[ahutton]

If you go to the Studios - both DDs loved Playhouse Disney but our 3 year old would rather ride ToT than see Little Mermaid again.

Lots of great advice already given. We did find that we did great with one single stroller during the day. If the older one wanted to ride then little one took a carrier break or when a bit older sat on shoulders while her sister rode. I did take 2 strollers in the evening. I found they enjoyed being out but after a day in the parks DD was too tired to walk in the evening much more than a short stroll.

As for fussy/reflux stuff - my little DD has severe reflux also. She did great at WDW. You can request a regular crib if the pack and play doesn't work - they will provide one. You can then use an extra pillow under the mattress to give it a bit of incline, which helped.