Just back from a trip with a 9 month old and 5 year old

[emilyrachael]

I just got back from a trip with my 9 month old and 5 year old. I thought I'd post here in case anyone had any questions. We stayed at BLT and did MK, AK, and EP. We used MinnieVans, Rider Swap (not at FOP,) and frequented the Baby Centers (for nursing and diaper changes.)

I took 1 stroller, so my 5 year old was walking. We did let him ride on the way back to BLT from MK at the end of the day while we carried the baby. He was completely stroller free at AK, but it did affect how we toured. We skipped a FP+ at Navi since we were across the park and instead took a break to have a snack - which was a great decision for us.

 

[Brian Minter]

Thanks for the information. I will have a 4 year old turn 5 while we are at the park when we go, did he ever get so pooped during the latter part of your trip that he couldn't walk? I know the first few days are easy, but those little legs have to go twice as fast as the adults.

Also, did you go back in the middle of the day for naps or did the 5 year old do okay without? I know all kids are not manufactured the same, but this will help me decide if we break for 2 hours for a nap or not.

 

[blistex]

I went with an almost-3 and a 4.5 year old last year and neither kid used a stroller any day - dad had to carry the littlest one back to the car every night (she fell asleep just about instantly) but other than that they both did great! I think it depends a lot on how much they're used to walking - ours walk a mile every day because our driveway is a half mile long, so they're well-conditioned. The first trip the oldest was 3.5 and he also walked the whole time then.

We did plan to rent a stroller they but they both refused and since they didn't give us any trouble, we decided to save the hassle.

Regarding naps - with littles we've always headed back to the room mid-day. We get to the parks early, then break around 11 and either eat there then head back or head back and eat at the resort/room, and then we go back to the park around 2 or 3. Gives the youngest a chance to nap, and everyone a chance to enjoy some down time and air-conditioning!

 

[wendlle]

We're headed to WDW in 7 months and our kids will be 3.5 and 10 months. We took our older DD when she was 18 months so we aren't expecting it to be too much different with a 10 month old. We do lots of sleeping in the stroller, we bought a double stroller for this trip 3.5 is too young to walk all day long.
We didn't use the baby centre last time but think we will this time, might be a nice place to sit and let the kids sleep in the cool air.
Are there people and kids of all ages in there? Was it busy in there?

 

[Brett Wyman]

Our kids are 2 and almost 5. They have been to the parks 4 times already, starting when our youngest was 9 months. We LIVE out of our Baby Jogger Double Tandem. They ride in there any time the adults are walking. Have snacks in there. Sleep in there. And it's our pack mule as well. I can't imagine doing the park without it.

 

[emilyrachael]

We're headed to WDW in 7 months and our kids will be 3.5 and 10 months. We took our older DD when she was 18 months so we aren't expecting it to be too much different with a 10 month old. We do lots of sleeping in the stroller, we bought a double stroller for this trip 3.5 is too young to walk all day long.
We didn't use the baby centre last time but think we will this time, might be a nice place to sit and let the kids sleep in the cool air.
Are there people and kids of all ages in there? Was it busy in there?

There are all ages in the baby centers. They even have a TV room where the older ones can take a break and watch cartoons. The nursing rooms are separate and only moms/babies. The center at MK gets pretty busy, but the ones at EP and AK were pretty empty.

 

[emilyrachael]

Thanks for the information. I will have a 4 year old turn 5 while we are at the park when we go, did he ever get so pooped during the latter part of your trip that he couldn't walk? I know the first few days are easy, but those little legs have to go twice as fast as the adults.

Also, did you go back in the middle of the day for naps or did the 5 year old do okay without? I know all kids are not manufactured the same, but this will help me decide if we break for 2 hours for a nap or not.

We did rope drop and would end our day around 3/4 pm instead of doing a midday break. I know my 5 year old would not have napped. We did make sure to have snack breaks, which really helped. He did get pretty tired later in the afternoon a few days, but we made sure not to walk too fast or to criss-cross the park too much during the day. He still even spent a good deal of time running around the play areas like Dumbo or Tom Sawyer Island!