For those who fly to WDW with babies...

[AJ1983]

Hey everyone! I have a question specifically for people who have to fly to get to WDW, simply because I think traveling via car with an infant may be easier, and don't want to "skew" my results.

My husband and I are expecting our first child, and are planning a vacation near the end of my maternity leave. We were originally planning on it just being the two of us, as my parents would be DELIGHTED to take the baby for a week. HOWEVER, I am thinking that once the baby is here, I may not want to leave them, but I definitely want a vacation.

We discussed an all inclusive because its probably the easiest thing with an infant, but we are already missing Disney and would really like to go back. I am wondering if there is a "better" age to take an infant? Would it be better to take a 4 month old, who is more portable, or a child 11 or 12 months? Or would it make a difference?Do you need more stuff at one stage versus another, for example?

Just looking for some opinions based on others experiences. For the record, I had always said I wouldn't take a child to Disney before they were 5...this is a huge leap for me haha. Thanks

 

[kamik86]

I think alot of this is going to depend on your baby so its hard to plan for now.

I have known kids thats would do amazing on a plane... I have flown many times where there were very small children on the plane and you wouldn't have even known there were there if you didn't see them get on.

However sometimes you have that child that whether they are freaked out being around so many people, their ears hurt, or whatever it might be that just freaks out and SCREAMS the entire flight.

Hard to know which one your baby will be.

 

[Jess_S]

It's really hard to answer this question because it depends almost entirely on the baby. We took my son to Disneyland at 12 months and had a great trip. At that age, he sat happily for long meals, was interested in the shows and atmosphere and wasn't walking yet so he was happy to be toted in a carrier. He was also sleeping through the night and waking up around 5 or 6, so we didn't have to worry about bothering our hotel neighbors with too much night crying.

At 4 months old, my son was still waking up several times a night to eat and my husband and I were sleep deprived zombies. Disney wouldn't have been fun for us. But I think my son would have still enjoyed the shows, characters, etc. So, for me, the correct answer is that 11 or 12 months was a great age for Disney and 4 months would have been just okay.

I have friends whose kids slept through the night by 4 months. I have friends whose kids don't have my son's attention span and wouldn't have been interested in the meals and shows we enjoyed on our trip. I have friends whose kids would have enjoyed Disney even more than my son did. Since your baby isn't even born yet it's really hard to know which camp he or she will be in.

As for flying, we had very good luck with our son. We made sure he was hungry before takeoff and landing so that we could be sure he was sucking a bottle at those times. That kept his ears from popping, which is supposed to be a big cause of unhappy airplane babies. The flight was a bit exhausting for me and my husband because we entertained our son with toys the whole time to keep him quiet. For long flights, he usually took at least an hour long nap. One thing I would never do again is a red-eye though. I booked one thinking my son would sleep the whole time, but he wasn't really comfortable since he couldn't stretch out and flop around. As a result, he took a short nap and then was just really tired and grouchy for the rest of the flight.

 

[BostonJP]

I've been to Disney with a 5-month-old and she did awesome. She slept the whole plane ride, loved the sun and all the visual stimulation at the parks and napped frequently in the stroller.

I also took my son when he was 1 and he was extremely difficult. Everything overwhelmed him. He refused to take naps until he got to that critical point where he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and he demanded constant attention.

Much of this, I'm sure, has more to do with their individual personalities than their age, but for what its worth I think a younger baby will be slightly easier to handle than an unruly toddler.

ETA: Jess_S and I posted at the exact same time, and it's interesting to read her response since she and I had the exact opposite experience with children of similar ages.

 

[AJ1983]

I think alot of this is going to depend on your baby so its hard to plan for now.

I have known kids thats would do amazing odiaper /srltane... I have flown many times where there were very small children on the plane and you wouldn't have even known there were there if you didn't see them get on.

However sometimes you have that child that whether they are freaked out being around so many people, their ears hurt, or whatever it might be that just freaks out and SCREAMS the entire flight.

Hard to know which one your baby will be.

Oh i understand that i was just wondering if there was an "average" best age...we will likely end up just doing an all inclusive and wait to do Disney when we are out of the diaper/stroller/nap stages

 

[teddygurl28]

I took my daughter on a plane at 6 months and flew by myself with her. she was amazing. mostly slept. she loves a pacifier so that helped with the pressure on her ears and I was able to give her a bottle and all was good. we are taking her to Disney when she is 16 months. im terrified of that flight- she is turning into miss independent and even with 4 adults I can see it being a long flight! I think with a younger infant you would need to plan a bit more- they may have a feeding schedule that would require more breaks etc. but are more portable and at that age their sleep cycle still may not be set so you can be out longer without really screwing things up. its doable, and if you search the trip reports board im sure you will find some that took infants and see how they handled. I don't think there is a wrong age to go to Disney. the only other thing you may want to think about is the time of year you are going. the hot summer months may be tougher on baby who cannot regulate body temp- but again its not impossible. just something to plan for!

 

[NJlauren]

We took my daughter at 10 months and had an amazing trip but think 4/5 months would have been easier. At 10 months she wanted to crawl and play and have more freedom then she would have at a younger age.

We flew with DD at 3, 6 and 10 months with no really issues, ship everything you need to your hotel even if you drive. I don't where your coming from but a short flight is usually easier then a long drive(for us). In terms of feeding if the baby is under 6 months and breastfeeding only, there is way less to bring with you, once you start solids there is way more to consider. If you formula feed then there will always be slightly more to bring.

Something to keep in mind is that most doctors don't recommend sunscreen for children under 6 months, so depending on the time of year that may make a difference to you.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We took our son in April when he was 3 months old. He did great!!! He slept for most of the flights, and he was just very chill in the parks. However, he is very chill in general. If you end up with a high needs baby, you might not have the same story.

Our older girls started going when they were 3 and 5 yrs old and we have gone annually since (they are now 8 and 11) and we always wondered why we didn't start sooner, so with our son...he was practically out of the womb and right into the parks!! LOL

 

[mandis77]

I flew to Disneyland from Michigan with a 4 month old and she did fine. I held her on the plane and nursed when she got fussy. But really, she slept most of the time. While we were in the park, we had a family member stay with her in the stroller while DH and I went on rides with our DD3. But our little baby was able to go on a lot of rides with us, we just held her. IMO I think a younger baby would be easier, since they sleep so much. I would think a child closer to one would get fussy and overwhelmed easily.

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

We went in February when DD was 10 1/2 months old. I had prepared myself for the entire trip to be difficult with a baby. It was NOT! I don't know if I lucked out or just seemed easy compared to what I expected, but it was fine. I was breastfeeding which made things easier IMO. She slept a little on the plane. I gave her a pacifier during takeoff and landing and then nursed her under cover once we were in the air. She didn't fuss the entire flight. The only difficulties I had the entire trip were with Disney transport and strollers. A couple times, there was standing room only and not everyone is generous enough to offer up there seat to someone with a baby. On one occasion we had to hold DD while standing on the moving bus.... Not easy or safe. The other problem we had was renting a stroller from the park and not having one after leaving the park. My arms were killing me after the first day from carrying her so much.

 

[kboo]

I have taken my DD#1 to WDW at 21 months, 2yrs11mos3weeks P), and 3yrs 8 mos. We are expecting DD#2 in December and are planning another trip in March 2016 when #2 will be 3 months old, and we are already considering another "end of maternity leave" trip in late spring before our annual passes expire!

When I was on maternity leave with DD#1 we traveled all over Europe and Brazil, and domestically, starting when she was about 7-8 weeks old. She's since been on countless flights and is a very experienced little flier! She's not an easy kid by any means, but I think if you want to go, you can certainly do it. DD#1 was BF'ed and we got around Europe mostly carrying her in a carrier (bjorn or ergo) and mostly eating in restaurants. It was actually a great experience! We nursed on take off and landing, and mostly she slept when she was really little, flights when she was around 12-24 months were actually the hardest because she was still a lap child but we all needed more space. It was actually much easier when she was really little. At 2yo and up things started getting a lot better again, and our last trip in May was the best yet. When they're that little, you can actually do most things most easily - when DH and I were in Europe, he'd put her in the carrier, walk around until she fell asleep, and then we would go have our grownup dinner while she slept in the carrier. I also have pictures of her sleeping in her stroller through the Louvre ... I actually think it's easier to travel (and fly) with a teeny tiny one while on maternity leave than to travel in the 12-24 month stage.

Now that I'm contemplating traveling with 2 little kids, I look back on all our travels with just one and marvel at how easy it was, LOL. With an infant you won't need too much gear and WDW is so kid and baby friendly, I highly recommend it. But no matter what you do, you'll have a great time!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

A 4 month old will be a lot easier than an 11-12 month old.

That said, if you're not nursing, seriously consider leaving the baby with your parents. Take advantage of the reliable, trustworthy child care they will provide and enjoy some time off with your husband.

 

[Lavitz]

I wouldn't hesitate to take an under 1 to WDW. The stuff you bring is about the same for both ages. I think a 4 month old would be slightly easier to handle, but the last 2 trips we've had an 11 month old with us and it was no problem. Have camera handy at all times, lots of people go out of their way to make great memories (I guess for the parents really lol) with little ones. Got some great pics 11 months of Cinderella's stepsister coming to play with DS during a parade while he was in the stroller, another performer from the sadly cancelled AK parade did the same with DD at same age, Piglet and DD touching noses and reaching for others at character dining etc.

I used to not like the idea of taking smaller kids too since they won't even remember it, but I change my mind. You'll remember it, you'll have the pics to prove it and they'll love looking at it later, and it's another fun trip to WDW.

 

[beckysko]

We fly from Toronto. We have been to WDW with a 4m, 8m, and a 2 year old. All had their pros and cons.

I found with the 4m it was easy because they were portable, didn't care where they slept (so plane, stroller, all good), and were light enough to wear in a carrier (like a Beco). The annoying things were that the baby didn't sleep through the night, so I would be super tired...and you have more frequent feedings and changings requiring more stops in your day. But...no other food needed to pack/bring.

8m old was fine for nighttime sleeping, but would get antsy and want to crawl around - with very few places to actually do this. Also need to bring more baby food items, since solids had been started. Also more choosy about naps, and sometimes wouldn't nap in a loud/sunny place (that's just my kids though, they like the usual home routines and are not that flexible about napping). We would head back to the resort after lunch for a nap, swim, crawling break before hitting the parks again for dinner.

I'd be hesitant about an all-inclusive just because i'd be paranoid about any health issues/water etc in a tropical location. If you want the 'best of both worlds', what about booking at an all-inclusive type resort, like Coronado springs or Beach club? Then just do a leisurely park experience...do the mornings, enjoy your resort in the afternoon, and parks in the evening when it's cooler.

Another option (we're trying out) is a Disney Cruise...then you get some relaxing time for yourself, because they have the onboard nursery, but you get the whole disney experience thing. With mat leave, you have your pick of cheap cruising times.

 

[HeatherL1985]

The best time will be anywhere between sleeping through the night and when they want to try to walk everywhere. The trouble is you're going to have a hard time finding that zone until you're in it!

For example, my kid slept through the night at 3 months and didn't start pulling himself up until 12 months...my best friend's son slept through the night at 6 months and started walking at 9 months.

you will need just as much gear at 12 months as you would at 2 months if not more since they will start playing with toys more as they get older.

Tips: Sucking on bottles will help babies with ear pain on the plane, plan to take mid-day breaks and use a much slower touring style overall. Touring with a baby/toddler is full of seeing the little details you've always sped right past to get in line for a ride.

Good luck!

 

[craigkerstiens]

Another vote for bringing the little one along. We traveled a good amount with our daughter both around 3/4 months and near the 1 year mark. There's trade-offs to each. At 3-4 months you may be zombies due to not getting a solid 6 hour stretch of sleep. At 11 months you're going to have to cater much more to their schedule of nap time and other, where as at 3-4 months when they're tired they can just sleep anywhere.

A couple of tips for flying:

Feeding the baby during take off and landing will help naturally ease the pressure on their ears.
If you're in a row of 3 people book the one on each side and leave the middle open, it may end up getting booked but about 50% of the time we did this it wasn't. Of course if someone is in that middle seat they'll happily trade for aisle/window.

 

[Momof3WDW]

We took at 4 month old and a 2 year old on the plane in 2012. I nursed the baby so she wasn't an issue and actually slept most of the flight. The 2 year old had his own seat and was just thrilled to be on the plane. We had an ipad with movies for him and kept the baby occupied when she was awake. We have very laid back kids though.
As for the best age, I think any age is the best. You just have to work around their schedule. I would never travel on vacation without my kids, though I know not everyone feels that way.
My big suggestion if you decide to take the baby around 4 months is invest in a good baby carrier. I found my children did better when I carried them instead riding in a stroller. They slept more regularly and were more relaxed. However a stroller is needed for those times you want to put them down.
We now only drive, as a family of 5 it is expensive to fly. Remember when you fly you are limited to your luggage and will have to gate check a stroller (which goes under the plane). Also if you take a car seat, but don't have a seat for the baby that will need to be checked also. The few times we did fly with a child under 2 we didn't buy a seat, but took the car seat hoping for an empty seat to use it. I would say 50% of the time we were successful.

 

[wdwbride2005]

Traveling with a 4 month old will be easier behavior wise. The baby will just want to be in her carrier or stroller and be "along for the ride". Napping shouldn't be an issue. A 1 year old will show more interest in where you are, but will probably want time to play and explore, not spend a lot of time restrained on rides or in a stroller. We took dd at 4 months and 15 months, and we had more fun seeing her reactions at 15 months but both trips were great.
Also, IMHO flying is a million times easier because dd is not a big fan of her car seat and hasn't been since she was born!

 

[MissMet]

We took our 3 month old to universal & it was so easy. I wasn't nursing though, so formula made it super simple. Taking our (will be )12 month old to WDW and I already know it'll be much more "work" than when he was three months. It depends on the baby, but at that age all they do is sleep & eat so very easy to manage in the parks, on the plane, etc. Now, he's at 10 months, he wants to explore, crawl... he's not just content to sit for longer periods, etc. I can only imagine how much worse it'll be in two months. I'd highly recommend traveling with them younger.

 

[my2lovedisney]

I would totally go for it. When we went for the first time my son was 8 months. He did wonderful! Had a bottle on the plane, slept the whole ride. Loved the characters. He was super easy and an absolute joy. He was still waking in the middle of the night before Disney (which is why we decided to wait until he was 8 months) even at 8 months..but the first night in Disney he slept the whole time and from there after. Must've been magic I think at 4 months it would be easy, aside from the baby waking at night.