how young is too young

[Huck Sawyer]

We are wondering how young is too young to go to wdw. I'm pregnant right now, and have been on bed rest for 2 weeks. I'm not due until the middle of may so I have a long haul and a lot of time on my hands. DH thought I could plan a WDW trip for us as a new family to keep me entertained. What age do you think is okay to take our little one for the first time to wdw.

I was thinking next Jan/11 so the baby will be 8 months is that too young for us to enjoy a trip? or should we wait till the next year?

 

[dburg30]

That's up to you. The nice part is that you could cancel up to 45 days before if you are doing a package, or even later if you are doing a room only reservation. I'm sure at that point they will start to recognize things, but of course, they really wont remember it. But make sure you have a camera and do lots of pics / videos of the first time they 'see' Mickey etc etc. I know that my nieces and nephews start noticing 'people' that early, so if they watched for example, mickey mouse clubhouse, they would 'know' it was mickey they were seeing.

Plus under 3 they are 'free' anyway. IMO, you'd just have to play it by ear and see how they were reacting to stuff. Some of my nieces / nephews grow up in more 'quiet' homes, while others have older siblings / parents that are on the go, so they are used to 'loud and crowds'. If it's more quiet, you may want to hit a local festival or some fireworks as it gets closer to time to see if they are ready for 'up close' etc.

But that's my no kids, only young relatives ideas...

 

[RMulieri]

I think it is a personal decision.If you go understanding that the whole trip will surround that 8 month olds needs and care then go for it.Babies are portable.But they do need alot more rest and stops than you do.As long as you know this in advance and prepare for it, then go for it.

 

[mbcary]

I agree that it is completely up to you and your family. I think it's a great idea to plan to help keep you entertained. I constantly plan even if I don't have a trip scheduled! I personally think you should go for it!!

 

[GiGi30]

My experience with a 4 month old was not a great one. It was September-hot and humid. I had a 4 month old, a 2 year old, and we went with a group of 10 family members. I basically was able to ride one ride and have to go find a baby care center to nurse every 2-3 hours. I felt my whole trip was walking back and forth to there. We also made sure both kids got their daily afternoon nap, so afternoons were a wash out. Luckily, my Mom offered to keep my son one afternoon while I rode a few things.

I wouldn't do it again, and personally, I wouldn't take a baby under 1. I know every parent and child are different, though!

 

[dalt01]

who are you going for.........if yourself.........anytime...........if for the child..........well............7 comes to mind.........if you want them to remember it that is............... i have seen more toddlers screaming their heads off when approached by a 5 foot stuffed toy than you can shake a stick at.

 

[TDC Nala]

I've seen babies in the parks that appear to be about a month to two months old. I would imagine it'd be easier for someone local to bring a child that young - but I think out of town visitors do it also. How many older children are you bringing, and will there be enough adults to make sure the older children get to do some rides and run around the parks, while one parent primarily cares for the infant? If it's just you and your husband and the baby, then you don't need to worry about anyone else - you can plan everything around the infant's schedule.

 

[figmentgirl]

I totally agree with Dalt01. If you go for yourself then do whatever you feel you can accomplish. If you are going for the child then 6 or 7 would be the absolute youngest. I may get flamed for saying this but a 0-5 year old child will not remember the experience as an adult, and at that age children are happiest when they have a routine they can rely on.
That being said I would do what YOU want. Many parents cannot handle having their Disney vacation usurped by a crying baby, while others are just happy to be in WDW with their young one. It's different for each of us.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

My experience with a 4 month old was not a great one. It was September-hot and humid. I had a 4 month old, a 2 year old, and we went with a group of 10 family members. I basically was able to ride one ride and have to go find a baby care center to nurse every 2-3 hours. I felt my whole trip was walking back and forth to there. We also made sure both kids got their daily afternoon nap, so afternoons were a wash out. Luckily, my Mom offered to keep my son one afternoon while I rode a few things.

I wouldn't do it again, and personally, I wouldn't take a baby under 1. I know every parent and child are different, though!

Yes, I agree about not going when it is hot/humid. Our first trip when the girls were small was in Feb. and we had a great experience. If our first trip had been in the summer I don't think we would have loved WDW nearly as much as we do now!

But I had to wonder why you walked to the baby care centers to nurse each time I would have gotted tired of that very quickly!

 

[The Expert]

Our standing rule with the nieces/nephews has been minimum age of 5. They can get around on their own, ride a good chunk of the rides and are aware enough to really get something out of the experience. That said, we have friends who have taken younger kids and even babies, so to each their own.

The only thing to keep in mind is, the younger the child, the more you and your group need to be on the child's schedule.

 

[pinkerbell]

we took DD6 for her first birthday and every yr since we have taken dd 3 every yr starting at 9 months (22 months between them) and they love it. Dont wait until they are too old to believe in the MAGIC of disney ` dd noticed snow whites voice was different from the previous yr at age 4!!!!! ~ yes she still has memories of trips from years past, things that she remembers and i had forgotten until she jogged my memory!
There really is no telling how they will act during any month because 5 months can be great and six not so good or vice versa. @nd daughter we have pic's of all over the world taking her nasp in the stoller as she needed them, even up to this past trip and she will soon turn 4. Our older daughter hasn't really napped since she was 2! consider the tim of yr you will go because stollers can be hot and make for unhappy little ones. Go with an open mind at it will all be good- set your expectations low! you can only go up from there

Regarding nursing, the BBC is not the only option for nursing I have nursed all over the parks VERY discreetly. I cannot imagine only nursing at the BCC's that many extra miles per day.

 

[coconutprincess]

Every child is different, but I say go for it!

 

[disney_dreaming_mom]

While we have taken our son since he was 3 weeks old to Disney, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for everyone. I think all families and all children are different. We have friends who thought we were crazy for taking our son as young as we did... but our son loves Disney characters (especially Mickey Mouse and friends) and talks often about wanting to see "the fireworks over the castle". He still talks about his birthday dinner in Mickeys castle (he calls Cinderellas castle Mickeys castle). With that being said, it also depends on what you want out of your vacation. We have just found that as far as a vacation where there is something for everyone to enjoy nothing can compare (for us) to Disney I think that you should definitely go when you think it is best for your family. The baby care centers are great and the ME makes transportation so convenient.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I totally agree with Dalt01. If you go for yourself then do whatever you feel you can accomplish. If you are going for the child then 6 or 7 would be the absolute youngest. I may get flamed for saying this but a 0-5 year old child will not remember the experience as an adult, and at that age children are happiest when they have a routine they can rely on.
That being said I would do what YOU want. Many parents cannot handle having their Disney vacation usurped by a crying baby, while others are just happy to be in WDW with their young one. It's different for each of us.

I mostly agree with you, but the first time I went my younger sister had just turned 4, and she does remember a lot of that trip and other than needing a stroller, she wasn't too bothered by anything (we went in June, and we stayed off-site so there was no going back to the hotel mid-day--this was even before they'd built the mods, let alone the values!).

But I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a baby (or toddler) because YOU will enjoy seeing the baby's reaction to everything! But I also think that you won't know your baby's personality until after he/she is born, so you won't be able to tell until fairly close to the date how calm/fussy/scared/happy he/she is.

 

[Dee77]

I think anytime after the baby turns 1 would be a good time to go. It is very enjoyable as parents to see your childs' reaction to all things Disney!! My DD was @2 when we went last year and she talks about it all the time, this is helped by the photos and memory book I put together. DH and I were shocked at well she adapted to changing up her routine and that she (for the most part) went with the flow of what was going on. We were there with my in-laws and she had her cousins there too so we had extra resources to rely on if she had a meltdown which thankfully didn't happen. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and have fun planning your first family trip to Disney!!!

 

[henry72]

Congrats! Sorry to hear you are on bedrest though...anyway, I took DS at 19 months and he had a great time. I probably wouldn't take a baby under 6 months old but I am not one of those who says you need to wait until the child is "old enough to remember it". I think it is quite doable at 8 months and the weather would be much better than waiting until the baby is 1. Or you could delay it another year and go in Jan. 2012 when he/she is 20 months old. The decision is basically yours and what you are comfortable with. Just remember that it is totally different traveling with an infant/toddler.

 

[Disney/Universal Fan]

My experience with a 4 month old was not a great one. It was September-hot and humid. I had a 4 month old, a 2 year old, and we went with a group of 10 family members. I basically was able to ride one ride and have to go find a baby care center to nurse every 2-3 hours. I felt my whole trip was walking back and forth to there. We also made sure both kids got their daily afternoon nap, so afternoons were a wash out. Luckily, my Mom offered to keep my son one afternoon while I rode a few things.

I wouldn't do it again, and personally, I wouldn't take a baby under 1. I know every parent and child are different, though!

I think the mistake here was to go during hot and humid September with a 4 month old and a 2 year old.

 

[sharibrat]

My son was 9 months when he first went (our daughter was 3 at the time). He loved it! There is so much for them to just look at!

I will say this......we were counting on him being content in the front pack, sling, or stroller (we had all along for variety). Our kids were early walkers...so little did I know, after 2 days in a stroller he wanted TO GO. I found it challenging to find places to let him down.

Thank goodness for Pooh's Playful Spot in MK, that was perfect for him to crawl and toddle around. However, depending upon when you go, that might be gone

Good luck!

 

[la79al]

We took DD in March when she was 10 months. It was great. She has always been a super flexible stroller napper so we didn't have any problems trying to work around her schedule. We made a few trips to the baby care centers to change diapers but I had no problem nursing in some of the darker/less crowded attractions. We took a small blanket and clothespins to drape over the stroller and she had no trouble napping in the stroller when she got tired. We stayed at the park open to close and DD did fine. The only difficult part was that I ended up missing out on most of the bigger rides while DH rode by himself. We knew this would be the case and I really didn't mind as it usually gave DD a few minutes to stretch, get a quick snack, etc. I say January would probably be fine. At the same time, we are headed down again in 2 weeks and I am reaaly excited to see DDs reaction to everything. This trip will be harder though as DD has been walking for awhile now and is not in love with the stroller or the word no.

 

[Huck Sawyer]

to answer the question of how many we would be traveling with it would just be DH, baby and myself.

I woldn't book until we knew for sure how good a traveler our new little one is. We will learn that in September when you go out to the west coast to visit DH side for a month. I will book right after that trip if all goes well.