For those who bring babies to DLR...why?

[DharmaLou]

I'm sorry if my comment rubbed you the wrong way, but one cannot be expected to know everyone's personal history when commenting on a subject.

That's why you (a general you, not a you-you) need to consider that you're posting to a large group of people, not someone you know well and do your best to be as inclusive as possible.

 

[Niebz]

Actually, Pirates and Haunted Mansion were favorites when I had an infant. It was a nice sit down break where mom/dad could enjoy a ride together, and baby could be nursed to sleep. Sounds like the people a previous poster experienced were just rude people, baby or not.

Agreed. Our babies never cried on Pirates and it's a fabulous place to nurse or just sit down and let baby be lulled to sleep by the gentle movement of the boat. This thread makes me miss the days of travelling with just an infant - so easy compared to the 2 older kids (which will be 3 come February) I have now.

 

[lisachrystine]

Actually, Pirates and Haunted Mansion were favorites when I had an infant. It was a nice sit down break where mom/dad could enjoy a ride together, and baby could be nursed to sleep. Sounds like the people a previous poster experienced were just rude people, baby or not.

I agree. I started to respond to this earlier, but had to work (imagine that - work gets in my way of being on the DIS ). My first went on POTC at 6 months and was lulled to sleep almost immediately. My second went on at 9 months and loved it. I would be horrified if my kid screamed through the whole ride and would have done my absolute best to calm them (not enjoying MY ride either). It sounds like these people were not in tune with their child and would have been rude even if they didn't have a baby with them.

 

[mandagh]

My DD7's first trip was at 8 months. Her meeting Pooh for the first time is one of my all time favorite DL moments. DD5's first trip was at 9 weeks. I was on maternity leave so we could get away and do a mid week early February trip - low crowds. She doesn't remember it. I had to stop to nurse her pretty often. But again - the memories are very special. Especially big sister (then 2) introducing Pooh to her new little sister.

My son was 8 months old when I took him the first time. The trip was more for me than him. He had such a beautiful reaction to Pooh! I thought he might be scared. I held him up and Pooh turned around. My son reached out and hugged his nose! Anyway I never understood people that wait to take their kids. Even if my son doesn't remember his first trip I think it's made him comfortable with being there. He's been going his whole life and its familiar. Besides trips like that help little ones learn how to behave in public. He's 13 and begged us to take him in January...so we are.

 

[Meghatron]

Baby Care Centers make it easy to bring a baby to Disneyland. We are APs and DD was two weeks old on her first visit and DS three weeks old on his. The only problem we have is that we'd finally gotten to the point that DD didn't need a stroller at the park and now we're back at the beginning, LOL!

 

[RaceCar]

Babies will cry no matter where they are. You might as well be asking, "why take a baby ANYWHERE?" Babies may not remember things when they get older but their development is crutial during this time and their experiences matter. Disneyland is fun. When babies are awake they like to see what's going on around them. When they're tired, the sleep - no matter where they are. In a stroller, in your arms, they sleep. When they're crying they're often just trying to pass gass or letting you know they're hungy, or whatever. These things happen no matter where they are. Disneyland is a fine place to take babies and children of any age.

 

[Marc Jenks]

I get it. I ask that sometimes, but understanding it's more work for a family with one in diapers, every family and every person who loves Disney deserves their little space in the parks.

An individual (not you, OP) can be subjected to guests with double-wide strollers, kids that puke in line right where everyone steps, ECV's and wheelchairs, rude line cutters, etc. I think we all need to tolerate those who seem a burden to others around us while there, and also try to make their day better.

I am teaching my 3 little kids to be kind and friendly to everyone in line and around the parks. This next trip in Jan, we are starting a new tradition to try to make someone's day in the parks by giving a 1st timer a Pin, or giving FPs away (RAKs), etc. It is a wonderful thing to see the joy in someone's face and even more rewarding to be the reason for the joy.

 

[HollyL]

Years ago, I had the same thought process as the OP. Fast forward 15 years, and now I am a Mom of a 4 year old son and a 20 month old daughter. The first time we took our son, he was 7 months old. We even flew clear across country (from Washington D.C.) to go. Why? Because we were meeting my family (who live in Arizona) there for a few days. It was a great trip. My son was young enough to be carried in the baby bjorn most of the time, or nap in the stroller, and we were able to take him on most rides. For the faster rides, my Mom or Dad watched him while DH and I went on Space Mountain or another non-kiddie ride. Sure, my son may not remember it, but he was happy while there, his older cousins enjoyed spending the time with their new baby cousin, and we have some great family photos from that visit. A few years later, we went again, when our daughter was 9 months, and our son was 3 and a half. Our son definitely remembers, and our daughter was very happy chilling in the bjorn and taking in all of the fun sights and sounds. It was a great trip, and we went back less than a year later. To be honest, at 18 months, our daughter was a lot more work than she was at 9 months, and we have decided to wait until she is at least 3 before we all go back again. However, I would like to take just my son along on a Mommy and son trip, maybe for his 5th birthday- as a surprize.
It's a hard concept for non-parents to grasp, and something you may not realize until you become a parent.
Also, I was taken to Disneyland as a baby (we grew up in Northern California) and I loved looking back at the family photo albums and seeing the pics of me at Disney as a baby and the characters hugging me. I may not remember it, but I am sure that my parents do, and those pictures were fun to look at years later.

 

[HollyL]

I get it. I ask that sometimes, but understanding it's more work for a family with one in diapers, every family and every person who loves Disney deserves their little space in the parks.

An individual (not you, OP) can be subjected to guests with double-wide strollers, kids that puke in line right where everyone steps, ECV's and wheelchairs, rude line cutters, etc. I think we all need to tolerate those who seem a burden to others around us while there, and also try to make their day better.

I am teaching my 3 little kids to be kind and friendly to everyone in line and around the parks. This next trip in Jan, we are starting a new tradition to try to make someone's day in the parks by giving a 1st timer a Pin, or giving FPs away (RAKs), etc. It is a wonderful thing to see the joy in someone's face and even more rewarding to be the reason for the joy.

You sound awesome! This world needs more people like you. It's a sad thing that so many children are being raised these days without learning basic manners or caring about others.

 

[HollyL]

The steep drops probably aren't appropriate for someone that young. Our kid is two, and we didn't even think of going together on Pirates. We did ride Mad Hatter's Party, and our kid had a blast. However, the spinning is similar to stuff we do together playing. I would think the drops would be very disconcerting to a young child.

My 18 month older daughter LOVED the drops on POTC. The first time she went on that ride, she was 9 months old, and was just wide eyed and in awe. She loved seeing all the sights and hearing all of the sounds. We kind of tested her on shorter rides to see how she would react, and she was always very calm on the rides. If we had any clue that she would freak out, we would not have tried taking her on a long ride like that.

All kids are different. It is a shame though when the parents are rude and inconsiderate.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I nursed my youngest DD on POTC at 6 months old.....its still her favorite ride.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I get it. I ask that sometimes, but understanding it's more work for a family with one in diapers, every family and every person who loves Disney deserves their little space in the parks.

An individual (not you, OP) can be subjected to guests with double-wide strollers, kids that puke in line right where everyone steps, ECV's and wheelchairs, rude line cutters, etc. I think we all need to tolerate those who seem a burden to others around us while there, and also try to make their day better.

I am teaching my 3 little kids to be kind and friendly to everyone in line and around the parks. This next trip in Jan, we are starting a new tradition to try to make someone's day in the parks by giving a 1st timer a Pin, or giving FPs away (RAKs), etc. It is a wonderful thing to see the joy in someone's face and even more rewarding to be the reason for the joy.

I used to do the same thing when my two were little rascals. I would get them the glow necklaces (before you could buy them for $1 at Target) and an extra one each, or get one of those spinning toys, and tell them to find a child who didn't have one and looked like they weren't going to get one and give it to him/her. My kids and I enjoyed the smiles the other kids would have.