leave baby home?

[rrsafety]

My wife and I have been to Disney twice without my daughter.

Once when she was two and another time when she was three (now that she is four, we are going with her in three weeks, yeah!!!).

My daughter stayed with her grandmother and grandfather while we went to WDW and that closeness she has developed with them lasts until this day. She thought of it as her own special vacation.

My two cents would be to go without the baby and enjoy your older kids while you can....

 

[mom-2greatkids]

I'm also with the minority. Because DH has a conference in Orlando we go every January. The first year we wend DD had just truned 2. The second year DD was 3 and DS was 4 months. At first we weren't going to go at all (a few months after 9/11), but decided to go at the last minute and left DS with his grandparents. Last year DD was 4 and DS was 16 months. After a lot of discussion we decided to leave him home again. We figured he'd be happier being spoiled by his grandparents the entire time than strapped into a stroller for a week.

We have no regrets, and would do the same thing again. This being said, DS's first trip is coming up next week. We can't wait to bring him!

 

[kimlooman]

Another vote for take the baby! We just went to Disney early December 2003 with our 6 year old boy and 4 mo. old baby boy and had a great time! We used our big stroller alot and have a great front pack for babies/toddlers from one step ahead that worked wonderfully. Our baby did many of the ride and attractions he could and when he was napping in the stroller we did alot of the fast pass and baby swap so our 6 year old rode lots of big rides. The baby did help us keep a nice pace at the parks so that we were not too exhausted but we did plenty and had a great time. We did return to our resort at some point each day for a nap or swim time. We are returning the last week in January with both boys, and infact my husband will be in meetings at Disney 4 of the days so I will be solo with the two boys. We will make the best of it and do the rides and attractions that we are able to do. I would rather take both of my kids even with the age difference than leave someone behind. Disney is for the young and the young at heart and everything is so geared to families it is a great place to be with babies and young kids. Good luck with all your plans and trip.

 

[Earstou]

Years ago, we left our 18 mo DS with his adoring grandparents. He's 10 now, and doesn't remember a thing about it. We've talked about that trip, and looked at the pictures and it doesn't bother my DS that we left him when he was little.
For us, leaving him was the best option. We were able to spend quality time with our other child. At that age our DS didn't travel well, too much stimulation, and he hated characters. Plus napping and sleeping in strange places was difficult for him.
You might want to wait to see what your childs temperment is before making the final decision.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We left our DS 18 months with both set of grandparents for 8 days in Dec. We took our DS9 and DD7. My children enjoyed having my undivided attention. That is something that they don't always get with a demanding toddler around the house. I feel that they deserved this trip without their baby brother.

It is hard having 3 children. I felt so refreshed and energized when we got home. I believe it made me a better mother. When we saw small children having melt downs we knew we made the right decision for us. We are planning on taking DS in Dec. '04 when he is 2 1/2.

Don't feel guilty if you leave the young one at home. My child was very well taken care of by his grandmothers. He became extremely attached to my FIL who rocked him to sleep everyday.
He still runs around saying, "Paw Paw."

Good luck with you decision,

Lori

 

[2minny]

I completely understand your dilema, and I know many friends that left their infant at home to spend time with the older kids. However, if you don't think you can have fun without your family "complete", Disney World is great for infants, there are diaper changing areas, breast feeding areas, rocking chairs in a/c. You may have to switch off with watching the baby, but it always worked for my family with a baby in tow. It was never a problem and I felt more comfortable having the entire crew together.

 

[sk!mom]

I agree that you should wait and see what kind of temperment your baby has before making your decision.
My Ds19 was an extremely content baby who we could (and did) take everywhere with us. He would ride in a snuggli happily and could sleep anywhere. My little princess (now 8) was an entirely different story. She was a terrible traveler. A trip to the grocery store was difficult because she screamed any time that she was in a car seat. She would not nap anywhere but in her crib, but tired easily and needed naps throughout the day as well as an 8:00 bedtime. She was much happier at home being spoiled by the grandparents that she saw frequently and was very close to (although I missed her terribly on the two trips that we took without her). WDW was out of the question for her until she was about 3. She doesn't remember being left behind, is very close to her grandparents, and her brother (11 years older) feels no resentment over trips missed because his baby sister was difficult.
So my advice is wait until you see what your baby would be most comfortable with and then decide what is best for your family,

 

[strawberryblonde]

I've taken a baby (2 mths old) along for a trip planned for the 3 year old older brother. No resentment from brother. I had baby in sling for most of the trip and DS3 walked or was carried by Dad. We would go back to resort for nap time so DS could nap but DD slept on and off in the sling and actually used "nap time" back at the resort for play time .

Didn't get back to a disney park until DD was 2. This time we took the stroller and the sling. DD took her nap in the stroller and DS got to rest his legs and ride in the stroller when I would carry her in the sling.

DS did go to Disney at 12 months old, but on that trip our focus was on him as we didn't have older children so I don't think that would apply to your situation. DS loved Disney and the characters (his fav was Mickey) at one though, your DD would be a great age.

You may get to do alittle less with the baby along, but I don't think you would notice. The slightly slower pace would benefit everyone, so everyone wins. Best wishes making your decision.