how young?

[scanmom]

a child has anyone here taken to WDW? My DS and his wife want to go with us during FD, but their baby will be 6-8 weeks old at that time!! I am very wishy-washy on the subject. There are times when I think it would be crazy, but times when I think, why not! Leaving the baby is not an option, DDIL won't leave the baby with anyone but us, especially for that long (4 night trip). She says she doesn't trust anyone else... not even her parents (which I totally understand- those people are more than a little weird). Anyway, I would like some opinions... too young, or go for it? It would be me, DH, DS and DDIL... no other children except the baby. TIA!!

 

[aestapa]

I was 6 weeks old the first time my parents took me.

We took our oldest the first time at 4 months. My nieces (5 & 7) were with us, and our little guy was by far the easiest to care for. It was the end of May and very hot, so we bought a fan mister and rigged it onto the stroller. He slept peacefully most of the time.

Since then we have added to the family and our two boys (5 & 3) have been 5 more times. Each time it is a different experience as they get older.

I wouldn't want to leave mine at that age either. We left them for one night when our youngest was 6 weeks with the grandparents (who are wonderful) and we missed them terribly. The house was waaay to quiet!

As a former 6 week old guest and a mom who took an infant...I say Go for it!

 

[GottaLuvMickey]

We are taking our daughter for her first birthday in September, but I used to work at WDW and I saw LOTS of babies all the time... I think the youngest I saw was 2 weeks old! You just really need to realize you're going to have to slow down a lot and be flexible to the baby's needs... But I'd say go and have fun!

 

[alyssa810]

Our son was 12 weeks on his first trip. He'll be making trip #7 next month.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Our youngest was 4 months old on his first trip, but 6 weeks would be about as young as I would have taken him.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Is this her first child?

I guess I feel as though there are so many unknowns at that point. If DDIL has a c-section she may not feel ready to be on her feet all day. If she has trouble establishing breastfeeding she may want more privacy to work on it. My LO had reflux and asthma and at 6 weeks we were just beginning to figure out what formula (he's adopted) worked for him, plus making the rounds of doctors, a few emergency room visits etc . . .

I think that there are many 6 week old mama-baby pairs who would do fine at WDW, but I don't know if I'd make a desposit on the assumption that it would work.

 

[monkeybug]

The only thing I would worry about with a baby that young and those huge crowds of people is germs, but I'm kinda' paranoid that way, so I'm probably overly cautious. My son got RSV when he was 2 weeks old and was hospitalized for a week, so I would say if you are planning on going during RSV season, than maybe that's something to consider with a baby that tiny??? (again though, I'm probably just overly cautious now because of that)
Otherwise I would think it would almost be easier in a lot of ways than with say an 18 month old who wants to run around, but isn't old enough to really listen. A 6 week old baby should be happy to just sleep and eat, and I would think that would be easier for Mom and Dad than a wiggly squiggly toddler with their own agenda!

 

[Colleen27]

The youngest I"d take a child to WDW would be 46 days. Why? Because I'd want the uncertainties of labor & delivery out of the way before putting out any non-refundable money!

I'd have been just fine traveling with any of my kids by 6 weeks, but you can't really know for sure how it will work out until the baby arrives. Given Disney's flexible cancellation policies, I'd go ahead and plan for them to come and change plans later if needed.

 

[5stljayhawks]

Think about it this way, the kid is not going to run off!! Ask to buy everything they see coming out of the rides, and provides a pass to get into A/C kids stations. I think you can even get an afternoon nap in if you try hard enough.

Heck I took my 6 month old to see Ariel(sp) and got extra attention....

Start program where you take thier picture in front of the same place every time you go. A life with disney.......

 

[EthansMom]

We took DD when she was 11 mos. old. I'm firmly of the opinion that WDW is great for all ages... and it's certainly set up well for families.

However, DD picked up pink eye (which is rampant in WDW according to the Dr. at the clinic there) and was miserable... poor thing. We've taken the kids pretty much every year... IMO, there was a HUGE difference in the kids' appreciation of WDW at about 4 years old. At that age, they were MUCH more involved and interested than they had been at younger ages.

Personally, when I have grandbabies, I would discourage my kids from taking the baby when he/she is very young and hasn't yet developed a good immune system.

 

[msmama]

I don't think How young is too young is a good question.

A better question might be - When will Mom be up for it?

I had an awful labor and eventual c-section and still couldn't do stairs or walk very far at 6 weeks postpartum. The baby would have been great at Disney at 6 weeks, but I would have been a mess!!

 

[scarlet_ibis]

The only thing I would worry about with a baby that young and those huge crowds of people is germs, but I'm kinda' paranoid that way, so I'm probably overly cautious. My son got RSV when he was 2 weeks old and was hospitalized for a week, so I would say if you are planning on going during RSV season, than maybe that's something to consider with a baby that tiny??? (again though, I'm probably just overly cautious now because of that)

Ditto! WDW is a cesspool of childhood illnesses. My DH has come home from our last three trips with pink eye (twice) and pneumonia (once). If they decide to do this, take hand sanitizer and use it religiously before ANYBODY touches the baby.

And, for everyone's sanity, get them The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp, and use his baby-soothing method. I wish I had known about that book with my first, but we used it with the next two and they are seriously good sleepers. That baby is still going to be up every few hours to eat, and the parents are going to be exhausted (and you are, too, if you're sharing quarters).

 

[AMB1]

We took our 10 week old in February. We had a wonderful time and have no regrets. We were also traveling with our 3-year-old and both sets of grandparents. I had lots of people to help me (we had connecting rooms with my parents). The baby went on a few rides and sat through a couple of shows, but most of the time she was asleep in her stroller and somebody sat with her (I didn't think it was fair to constantly wake her to go on rides). We went at a very slow pace and had a very relaxing family vacation.

A few things to keep in mind:

(a) She was expected to be 12 weeks old for the trip, but was 14 days overdue. Your grandchild may actually be 4-6 weeks old if he/she doesn't arrive on the expected date!

(b) We took a fully reclining stroller so baby wasn't subjected to hours in a carseat/travel system (bad for their spines). I also had my sling. I added a huge sunshade to the stroller -- you really have to protect them from the sun.

(c) We went during the cooler season so baby would be comfortable.

(d) We stayed in a monorail hotel so we could easily dash back to the room to take breaks.

(e) The Baby Care Centers were fabulous for getting baby out of the noise and crowds. They have great changing facilities and nursing rooms.

(f) Plan on doing laundry at your hotel -- babies generate tons!

(g) We found table service meals surprisingly easy with baby. It was a nice break to sit down, get baby organized and have somebody bring us our food. Many of the restaurants have infant highchairs (bring a blanket to cover them) and the hostess WILL let you bring your stroller into the restaurant for a baby who can't sit yet (just remember to include the baby in the person count when booking your ADR's).

If your DDIL feels up to the trip and you are willing to go slowly and help with the baby -- go for it!

 

[DaddyTo2Girls]

We decided to go with a 4 year old and a 6 week old. Everyone told us we were crazy, but the baby slept most of the time and never gave us problems. She went on more rides than we thought possible. It was maybe our best vacation ever and we would definitely do it again.

 

[stacy6552]

Mine Field Alert! Don't go there, Granny. .....just my 2 cents.

 

[naomi78155]

We took DD when she was 11 mos. old. I'm firmly of the opinion that WDW is great for all ages... and it's certainly set up well for families.

However, DD picked up pink eye (which is rampant in WDW according to the Dr. at the clinic there) and was miserable... poor thing. We've taken the kids pretty much every year... IMO, there was a HUGE difference in the kids' appreciation of WDW at about 4 years old. At that age, they were MUCH more involved and interested than they had been at younger ages.

Personally, when I have grandbabies, I would discourage my kids from taking the baby when he/she is very young and hasn't yet developed a good immune system.

I totally agree with this. There are so many "things" a baby can catch.

 

[styron]

Not to offend anyone else, this is just my opinion. No way would I take a newborn into those kind of crowds, especially with a lot of kids running around. They haven't even gotten any vaccinations at that point and who knows what kind of colds and viruses kids tend to have, too. I wouldn't do it.

 

[Eoywin]

I wouldn't - partly because that is really young, but mom might not be up to.

I had a c-section and I was just getting back to normal 6 weeks postpartum, but there is no way would have been able to do Disney

 

[miprender]

I would wait... we took our ds when he was 10mths which is about the age I would recommend. A newborn baby has too many unknowns and Disney just has too many people and all their germs. Plus the mother really needs sometime to recover. Disney is a fun but exhausting vacation.

We just got home yesterday and on the ME bus, a kid ran off the bus and puked in the garbage. My DD said she saw some on the floor too We are just praying he just had an upset stomache.

 

[disneymamaof2]

We took our son when he was 2 months and my daughter was 10 months her first trip, we didn't have any major problems.