Infants and characters

[AnnetteF]

For all of you who have traveled to WDW with infants, what was their reaction to the characters? We will be going in October with DD 7 mos and I am hesitant to bring her close to them in case she is frightened by them. Just wondering what other's experiences have been?

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Haven't been to WDW yet with DD but we've seen characters such as Chuck E cheese and characters at other amusement parks. She has been OK. I haven't handed her over to them just let them touch her hand and such. She looks at them like what the heck are you, but she has never screamed in horror, though like I said one of them has never held her. But she yells when anyone but me holds her. Take it slow and see how it goes, I hope you get some cute pics.

 

[kadaten]

Some love 'em and some are terrified!
The only way to find out how yours reacts is to give it a try

One trick....always hold the baby, and position her to the outside. So if Mickey's on your left, hold your baby on your right hip. That way she's not smooshed into this HUGE character, doesn't have to touch the big guy, and she can see that you're not frightened. Some kids don't mind looking or being near, but when you want them to touch, then they start freaking out.

I'd try not to surprise the kid with a character....don't let them sneak up behind them....that can scare a kid who is normally ok with the characters!

Good luck, and have a GREAT time!

 

[briannesmom]

We took my DD at 5 months and again last month for her first birthday. She loved the characters both times. She was a real ham in all of the pictures. The characters were great with her most of the held her or got down on her level to play with her. We went to an e-ride night in July and we were the only people in front of the castle with Chip and Dale. They sat down on the ground and she walked back and forth in between them, got some great pictures. Have fun!

Amy

 

[AngieBelle]

I've seen all different reactions- instant love, terrified scream, indifference....depends on the child. I suggest bring them up slowly to test their reaction. It pains me when parents shove their poor babies right into the characters' faces- no wonder they get so scared! Also, pleeeease don't book any character meals until you have confirmed that your child is going to be ok with them. (This goes for all children, not just babies.) At meet 'n greets, you can keep your distance if you have to, but at dining, the characters come right to your table.

 

[ahutton]

I didn't have a problem with my girls when they were under 18 months, but between 18-36 months - YIKES! We just let them set their own pace, the characters are great at stopping and waiving to see what kind of reaction they get before they touch or get too close.

 

[Annette_VA]

First off, let me say you freaked me out a bit because my maiden name starts w/ F & I used to always sign things "Annette F" so you username threw me - LOL!

We took my older DS when he was 11 months & he loved the characters! My younger DS will be just a few weeks over a year & I'm hoping he'll love them, too!

 

[AnnetteF]

Thanks everyone for your help. We will take it slow and see how she reacts. I definitely don't want to scare her or force anything on her. We aren't planning any character meals either. If it turns out that she likes them, we might try to go to one at the last minute if that's possible.

Annette_VA, sorry the username threw you for a minute. Funny thing is my name is actually Paula but I was always a big fan of Annette Funicello so my username is a tribute to her.

 

[syncer55]

My kids were terrified at first, but the second time they had more fun.

 

[KarenC]

We took our daughter when she was almost seven months old. She seemed to think the characters were just one more new thing in this crazy world we brought her into. She took them in, but was basically indifferent, since she had no real clue who Winnie the Pooh was yet.

It seems that right around two she was frightened by things like characters. I remember having to cancel a Santa I'd reserved for a Christmas party because she was terrified of Santa. A few months later she was fine again.

I thought our Disney vacation with an infant was great. We had a good time, and we weren't worried about ruining other people's vacations because we brought our baby along.

Have a great trip!

 

[RadioNate]

My son loved them as in infant but started to get freaked at about 2 1/2. He started being ok again when he was a little over 3.

I saw someone post that they haven't tried letting the Disney characters hold their child. I just wanted to pass along that Disney characters are not allowed to hold infants. It's actually quite difficult to do and can be stressful for the character. Little kids are usually more comfortable having mom and dad in the photo anyway.

 

[kimwim8]

DS was 8 months when he went last. He LOVED the characters. He bit their noses, pulled on their tongues, and couldn't stop smiling!

(look at the pic in my signature!)

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

Holly(8mos) last month

Dale terrified her...

But with Baloo later that same day, she seemed to be ok...

 

[huey duey & luey]

We took our kids when they were 8 months old. They were fine with all the characters.
Tara

 

[AnnetteF]

remyandhollandsmommmy and kimwim8, those were great pictures.

kimwim8, what a coincidence - I noticed on your countdown that your trip is 51 days away. So is ours (Oct. 10-17) and we're also staying at Old Key West!