Need Help!!! First time in wdw w/baby!!

[amdisney1107]

Please I need some advice on what other people have done to make their trip to the world just as enjoyable while taking a baby! My son will be a couple weeks shy of a year old and I don't want to leave him behind for 12 days. I'm nervous though. I've gone to wdw twice before him and had a great time, but I remember looking at people with babies and thinking they were nuts! Now I understand!! I'm too much of a disney freak to wait till he's older and too much of a worried mother to leave him behind that long.
Help!!! Any advise on how to make the trip just a little smoother?!?!?!

Thanks

 

[disneyohana]

I've never taken my dd to Disney yet but when she was 8 months and 18 months I've taken her to Wisconsin Dells to the Polynesian waterpark hotel. She had such a good time there. Actually, the younger she was the less scared she was in the dark tunnel w/pirates in the lazy river. Sorry I can't give any Disney advice. Just wanted you to know that for us it was still a great vacation. No problems.

 

[all4fun]

I found the tips on Allearsnet.com Infant & Toddler FAQ to be very helpful.

 

[INdisneyfamily]

My mom tried her best to talk me out of taking our 5 month old (who is now almost 13 years old ) but there was no way I was leaving her behind. I must say we did get some strange looks from people in Disney and I'm sure they were thinking we were crazy as well. I have no regrets! She did fine and the characters interaction with her was priceless. The best advice I can give you is get plenty of rest...maybe going back in the afternoons for a couple of hours to allow naps including on for yourself! It can be very exhausting with a baby!

 

[amdisney1107]

Thanks for all the good advice so far.

 

[Skippy24]

I took my youngest when she was 12 1/2 months and she had a great time. The music, colors the whole thing. We brought lots of her favorite snacks and when she needed a break we took one. We also headed back to the hotels in the early evening so that we could still have a similar nighttime routine.

You know your child the best and know when he's hungry or tired. Just be prepared and know that you will sometimes have to stop and take breaks. Also the bigger rides offer a child swap, if your interested and in Toontown theres even a little play area so if he wants to have a change to walk or crawl around a bit. You will all have a great time and make sure you take plenty of pictures.

 

[amdisney1107]

Thanks, this is very reassuring(sp?)! Anyway, I've been stressing about this for a while now. The last time I went to wdw my sister's family came and my niece was 1 1/2. She was pretty much miserable the whole time. She's kinda got that personality anyway so...
I know that he will be mesmerized by all the colors and sounds because he loves things like that. He's only 7 months now and he will sit and watch an entire baby mozart video. It's just that he doesn't like sitting in laps very well and I'm sure by then he will be walking or crawling...but plenty of breaks and rest! Okay, I can do this.

Thanks, keep it coming!!!

 

[mom2jcc]

I am very interested in this thread. We will be going in April with ds (7) and our b/g twins 14 months. I, too, will not leave them behind and we feel our older son deserves to go to WDW and doesn't need to wait until the twins "are old enough" to go.

I have made all of our ADR's around 5pm so we can do our normal night routine. We will be at the parks early and hope to have down time before dinner each day. We are bringing our own stroller so the babies will be comfy while napping instead of the hard rentals. I've learned from this website to be flexible when you bring a baby to WDW. So, I am prepared to have to go back to the resort (SOG) if needed during the day while dh stays with ds. Afterall, this is way better than leaving my babies at home.

 

[liznboys]

Our 3rd son was 11 months old on our Feb 2005 trip. That trip was 12 nights long, and we all got sick day by day with a stomach bug, BUT we still had a great time! And we went back 2 more times in 2005. On our next trip our 4th son will be 11 months old...can't wait! You just have to be very flexible, keep an open mind, stay calm when things get a bit crazy and don't plan too much. It's all about your mindset.

 

[Skippy24]

I would also suggest looking at what rides you want to go on or things that you know you want to do and take note if there is any height or age restriction. Plus it also gets you more excited about what you are going to be doing!

 

[amdisney1107]

Thanks everyone! This is making me excited instead of apprehensive about our trip!

 

[Desnik]

DD's first trip was at 9 months old and DS's first trip was at 8 months old. Those were the easiest trips!!!LOL Now they are 8 and 3 and it is alot harder. We have taken them every year and you will be surprised at how well your baby will do if you take it slow and go at his pace. Here are some tips:

1) Take your own stroller from home. One that folds easily, is lightweight, but that reclines for naps. Your baby will need a stroller at the parks and it's great for the resorts and DtD as well. The rental strollers are not comfy and do not recline. Your baby will be much more comfortable in their own stroller they are familiar with. Make sure it has a sun shade and you could also purchase a fan to attatch to it.

2) Get your baby use to sleeping in a pack n play before you leave. WDW resorts all have pack n plays in the room for babies to sleep in. Some kids aren't use to that and don't do well sleeping in an unfamiliar place. We got the kids use to the pack n plays ahead of time and it worked out great.

3) Take it slow and realize that this trip will be different than ones in the past. You will not be able to see everything. You will not be able to do comando touring unless you want a very unhappy baby! There are plenty of rides and attractions to take the baby on on your lap. Seeing and touring WDW through a babies eyes is priceless. Take time to enjoy the little things.

4) Get a guide book and pick out your must sees before you get there. Have a good plan and know where you will go on which day.

5) Plan for some down time. Kids love the resort pools.

6) Be ready for your plans to change at the drop of a dime! Kids are unpredictable so be prepared to leave the park if you have to.

7) Take advantage of the baby centers at each park. You can feed the baby in there, let him color and watch some toons on the tv just for a break from all the stimulation and crowds. Also it's a great place to cool off, change a diaper, and relax for a few minutes! They have baby food and toiletries for sale, a full kitchen, high chairs, changing tables, restrooms, etc....

8) Bring any favorite toys from home with you. If your baby uses a pacifier, bring extra of his favorite kind!

9) Ship diapers, swim diapers, wipes, and baby food down to your resort ahead of time.

10) Your baby may or may not be walking yet, but you'd be surprised, most kids that age are happy in their strollers just taking in all the sights! The characters also always give babies special attention!

That's all I can think of right now. If I think of other tips I'll post them. You can also do a search on these boards with this subject, it has been talked about alot in the past and there is some really great advice out there.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[amdisney1107]

Thanks Desnik! This was just the information I was hoping for!

 

[LynnTH]

My DS first trip to Disney was also just a few weeks of his first Birthday. It was great. He had just started walking also. He was mostly in the stroller or sometimes walking with us holding his hand. We would go to the park in the morning when he woke up (which was usually early anyway) and stay til just about close (we were there in Feb so they closed earlier). He would take naps in his stroller, which allowed us to keep on going. He loved the characters at that age and we have some great pictures of him with them. We also took our own stroller on that trip as it reclined for him to sleep. So, don't worry - you will have a great time.

 

[amdisney1107]

I was under the impression that it was difficult to take your own stroller from home. How do I go about doing that because that would be perfect. He's already used to taking naps in there and it can hold alot.

 

[all4fun]

I just bumped up this old thread:

Disney Babies:Let's compile our best tips for the under 1 set!!!

hth!

 

[all4fun]

I was under the impression that it was difficult to take your own stroller from home. How do I go about doing that because that would be perfect. He's already used to taking naps in there and it can hold alot.

Why would it be difficult?

Are you driving or flying? If flying, you can gate check the stroller, that way you can use it all the way up to the plane.

We fly (cross-country) and have always brought our own stroller. The park rental strollers just aren't that comfy for infants & younger toddlers who might be napping while in the parks and also, we would have spent a small fortune on rentals for the number of days we've spent in the parks w/ds.

There is an alternative to renting from WDW though - www.abbf.com has rental strollers that are the regular kind. If you really don't want to bring your own you could check that out.

hth!

 

[Desnik]

amdisney1107
I'm so glad I was able to help with my tips!

Bringing your own stroller is so easy. We just did this on our flight with Jetblue in May.(we had always driven in the past) We were able to board the plane first because we had DS in his stroller. We kept him in it through the walkway to the plane door. We had gotten a gate check tag with a receipt. We folded the stroller up and gave it to the attendant. When we exited the plane it was there waiting for us as soon as we exited the plane! It was great and so easy. It is such a huge plus to have your own stroller at WDW. Believe me it isn't fun at the end of the night to carry a heavy, sleeping kid from the bus to your room!!!

 

[amdisney1107]

I'm sorry, yes we are flying.
That's really awesome! It sounds so easy. One question, Desnik..what do you do about shuttle service? We are staying offsite.

Thanks again and again for the great advice!!!

 

[Desnik]

We are DVC'ers so we are always onsite. Last time we used Disney's Magical Express to get to the resort then Disney transportation to get around the parks. The 2 times we stayed off site we drove down and had our own car. I would recommend renting a car. Off site transportation to the parks can be a hassel. I would really recommend staying onsite, but if your plans are already set, then head over to the Orlando board and transportation board here on the DIS. You'll find a ton of the info you are looking for on those subjects over there.