Experience w/ 1 year olds @ WDW??? HELP.

[dsneygirl]

I think it depends on what type of parents you are .... which is hard to figure out now

But if you need structure, baby has to eat, nap, bath, etc at a specific time, house has to be quiet, you make all of his food- then it might be tough. (We have a friend who I just perfectly described, they brought the entire house to the beach for a week and ended up so stressed out because their routine was messed up.)

Very good point. What you described above was my SIL last Sept. She was rigid about her 11month old's schedule and could just not relax.

DH and I have a totally different approach to parenting. We took DS at 3, 5, 11 and 14 months and each trip was a blast. Like someone said you're changing diapers might as well do it at Disney. Also for an entire week all I did was focus on my family. I didn't have to cook or clean or worry about anything.

We enjoyed the sunshine and family time.

 

[alyssa810]

People post all the time about bringing their babies to WDW and IMO, it's all in what you make of it! We've been taking our son DS since he was 12 weeks old, and each trip he's appreciated it in a new way. His first trip was all about the lights and music; it was a short trip but we got a feel for what vacationing with a baby would be like. I got to check out the baby care centers- which are awesome- and learned not to leave my pump at home, even for a short trip!
As DS got closer to 1, he recognized songs and characters; he was walking when we took him just before his 1st birthday, so he was able to dance along with some of the streetmosphere...he really seems to enjoy the whole setting! (who wouldn't LOL!)
Now that he's 2.5, he knows what "disney weeld" is, and identifies the castle, knows characters, he really "gets" it...
When we're on vacation, we keep a loose schedule. Sometimes we're sleeping late so meals aren't the same time so naptime isn't set. We're lucky in that DS never had any trouble napping in his stroller.

 

[Coconuts]

I know I'm going to get flamed for my response.

First and foremost, I want to say that your trip depends on you and your child.

We took our youngest when she was 18mos and the trip was torture. I am not a rigid mom that needs to keep our schedule even when we're at WDW. My DD though is a handful to say the least. She is very stubborn, never wants to sit in the stroller, never wants to hold hands, and basically wants to do what she wants, when she wants! Our plane rides were nightmares, since she didn't want to sit in her carseat and she didn't like the motion(and doesn't like rides too much). All she did was scream for both flights. Sometimes it would take both me and DH to get her in the stroller(and we both barely did it) and then she would scream for about 1/2hr after she was in. She also doesn't like to sit at restaurants for very long, which made TS meals and HDDR trying.

We should have definetly waited to take DD until she was at least 3, but you know what it's like when the WDW bug bites you. We tried to tell ourselves that she would be distracted by all the goings on at WDW and be better, but she wasn't.

My point is that you need to know yourself and your own child. WDW isn't for everyone at that age, which we unfortunately found out.

I know it's impossible to know your child yet (BTW congratulations!) so I would wait to plan/book a trip until you do.

 

[Minnie*bell]

I know I'm going to get flamed for my response.

First and foremost, I want to say that your trip depends on you and your child.

We took our youngest when she was 18mos and the trip was torture. I am not a rigid mom that needs to keep our schedule even when we're at WDW. My DD though is a handful to say the least. She is very stubborn, never wants to sit in the stroller, never wants to hold hands, and basically wants to do what she wants, when she wants! Our plane rides were nightmares, since she didn't want to sit in her carseat and she didn't like the motion(and doesn't like rides too much). All she did was scream for both flights. Sometimes it would take both me and DH to get her in the stroller(and we both barely did it) and then she would scream for about 1/2hr after she was in. She also doesn't like to sit at restaurants for very long, which made TS meals and HDDR trying.

We should have definetly waited to take DD until she was at least 3, but you know what it's like when the WDW bug bites you. We tried to tell ourselves that she would be distracted by all the goings on at WDW and be better, but she wasn't.

My point is that you need to know yourself and your own child. WDW isn't for everyone at that age, which we unfortunately found out.

I know it's impossible to know your child yet (BTW congratulations!) so I would wait to plan/book a trip until you do.

Hey, all you can do is be honest right? I expected more comments like this for sure. LOL! My mother always tells me I NEVER let my parents eat out as a baby! I'd freak out @ strangers [even in WDW, strange people, not characters apparently freaked me out & everyone knew it] SO lets just say, I hope this little guy has his father's calm temper! LOL! I'll keep this is mind & just hope for the best!

 

[leshunlenese]

im so glad to hear positive feedback bc I will be taking DS as a first bday celebration even though hell be turning 13 months on our trip. i got the same thing that he will not remember and wht is he going to do and im like wht do u think. see the mouse and ride some rides..lol. im a disney nut and my family was going so why would we stay at home? Have fun!!!

 

[pixidustmom]

My DH and I took our 15 month old (at the time) grandson this last Dec. Yes it was work but it was worth it. We really enjoyed seeing him take it all in and he enjoyed the charaters all but Stitch. He got his picture taken with Santa too. He was able to sleep in the stroller and we kept things on his schedule pretty much. We even had a long plane ride coming from Las Vegas. Going was great coming home not so much. But it all still was worth it.
I'm taking him back again in one year and I am sure we will have some great memories with him again.

 

[merger]

We took DS last year when he was nearly 13 months. DDs were 7 and 5. He enjoyed most of it. There are great play areas in many parts of the parks and the baby care centers are nice too. Many naps in the stroller. The best part for us was getting his 1st hair cut at Harmony Baber Shop in MK (all 3 of ours had 1st haircuts there)!

 

[SCHBR'smom]

I have taken an 11 mo, a 12mo, and a 15 mo. All were wonderful trips. My DS at 11mo slept through most of it, but enjoyed the characters. DD2 at 12mo had a wonderful time. DD1 just came home from her first trip at 15mo. I did not pack enough extra clothes for her. She had a fun time, but didn't care for the characters. More terror than joy with them. However, my 12 mo old nephew was there, too, and absolutely loved the characters. We have pictures of him biting Mickey's nose. Different children react differently. Everyone still had a wonderful time on all the trips. I have never regretted taking a baby with us.

 

[Chikabowa]

We took DD1 when she was 14 months to Disneyland. She loved it in a completely different way than another older child might. Since then she's been to WDW twice, once at 2 and then again at 3, and I can tell you she LOVES looking at the pictures and totally remembers her trips. She'll go again this year at 4. However, this time we'll be traveling with DD2 for the first time. She'll be 10 months. Again, even though she won't remember it, I will. And it's sooooo stimulating to them. The sights, the sounds, the music, the smells. I wouldn't tell someone not to take their kids.

It is harder to travel with young children, but totally manageable. It's fun!!

Congrats on your first baby!

 

[*Seanaci*]

Congrats on the bundle of joy on his way!

And it's not a big deal really.

We took our DS when he was 14 months old. He LOVED it. He even LOVED the characters...which surprised us. The best part for us was just slowing down and seeing the World through his eyes.

That being said...here are some of the things we did in the 6 months (he was 8 months old when we started doing these things) leading up to our trip with him:

1) Watched a LOT of Disney specials
2) Showed him pictures of the characters
3) Generally just talked to him about it

All in all, I think it hepled. And now that he's 2 and a half years old, I KNOW that he remembers his 1st trip simply by the smiles on his face when we watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and they send the familes to WDW. It's a pretty amazing experience!

 

[E3yore]

We celebrated our DS first birthday at WDW. We heard the same "he will never remember" stuff but decided to ignore the mindless chatter. My son had a great time while we were there and even took his first steps in front of the castle (right near the statue of Walt and Mickey). My son learned about independence and had a wonderful time. My son loved meeting Pooh for the first time and the memories for me are priceless.

Enjoy every moment of being a parent.

 

[set1208]

You have so much help....don't worry! Hy DH and I took our three kids when they were 8,2 and 10 mos. It was a different experience but fun none the less. With all those people, you'll have no problems. You'll even be able to go on a ride or two!