New mother w/ 10 month old planning a DW trip, I need some help!

[Trinity721]

Hi everyone,

Just wanna say it's good to be back. I used to visit this site all the time and post, but then I got so busy with school and the new baby

I'm planning to a trip to Florida in the beginning of May. My husband is stationed near Jacksonville (Go Navy!), and my DD and I are going to visit. We plan on driving to Orlando from Jax. just for a day. A visit to DW is a must!!! Anyways, she will be 10 months old by then and it will be her very first time! 4th time for me, and 2nd for my husband. I HATE being only able to pick one park, but our trip to Florida is expensive enough as it is so we are on a budget. So I have a few questions:

Would Magic Kingdom be the best choice for all of us? Husband and I love Epcot so much, and absolutely love the World Showcase... but don't know how much fun it would be for a 10 month old, so we though MK would be better for her. What do u think?

I'm a first-time mother, let alone a first time mother AT Disney World!!! How should I prepare. I mean I know to bring the essentials; food, toys, sunscreen... How else should I prepare?

I am so excited!!! I took my husband to DW for his first time 2 years ago, and now we are taking our daughter for her first time. It's something so special to us Any suggestions would be welcome!

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Welcome back, I am not a really good planner here I usually take WDW as it comes.. and just go with the flow....but I am hoping the experts here will hop on and give you some advice..


I was thinking here... and this is just me.. she is only 10 months...maybe you could spend some time at MK and go over to Epcot.......or was it you were only going to buy one park tickets...I know you said your husband is in the navy and stationed in Jacksonville.. maybe this trip should be for the two of you since she is rather young... I am not sure if it has been a while since you have seen your husband.. and maybe you would like to do something fun for both of you...

At any rate, have a wonderful time with whatever you decide.. and absolutely.. GO NAVY!!!!!!

 

[Gillian]

I think that the hardest thing with a 10 month old will be places where you can't take a stroller, because she can't walk. Epcot has several no stroller areas (the land, that health pavillion can't remember the name today, Living seas), so you'd have to carry her or use a baby bjorn type of thing. Also, any lines anywhere don't allow strollers. And you're carrying all your valuables in addition to the baby, so pack light!

Actually, pack light is my best tip. Take travel sizes of wipes, a few diapers in a zip loc bag, a disposable changing pad instead of a big one, etc. Minimize! We use a soft backpack plus a fanny pack for one or both adults. That's it! So when we have to fold the stroller (getting on busses or trams, going on the MK railroad) one person grabbed the baby, the other took the backpack & folded the stroller.

A 10 month old probably won't be afraid of anything, so you can go on all the small rides & have a blast!

 

[disneyvoice]

You are gonna gave so much fun!! As far as the best park to go to . . . with a baby that young it really doesn't matter. We took our son when he was 5 months old and he enjoyed the little things the most. He had just as much fun at AK as he did at MK. He absolutely LOVED the characters though. I would recommend doing the earliest possible lunch at someplace like the Garden Grill. Tell the hostess it is your baby's first visit and she will let the characters know. That's what the hostess did at Garden Grill for us. We had the first lunch seating so we had LOTS of individual time with the characters. They approached our son very slowly and let him check them out however he wanted. He grabbed onto their noses and fur (he even chewed on Chip's paw!!). It was great - we have the whole thing on video. Definately bring a video camera if you have one or get lots of pictures - you will cherish them forever.

I recommend bringing your own stroller. We bought a Peg Perego stroller that folds up really small and has several inclines on it - our son was very comfy the whole trip.

USE THE BABYCARE STATIONS!!! They are so wonderful that I was spolied by them and now I refuse to ever change our son in a public restroom.

WDW is great at that age because if they get tired they will just sleep in the stroller. More than anything I think our son caught the fact that mom and dad though it was a pretty special place. He laughed out loud for the first time on our WDW trip!!

 

[4greatboys]

Our on last family trip my boys were 15 yrs, 12 yrs, 2.5 yrs and 5 months. I think MK was the best park for the 2 little ones. There were more rides there that we could take the little ones on.

 

[carone0318]

I think at 10 months you could go to Epcot and your DD would love it. 10 months is perfect people watching stage and she would have a great time. Last yr when we went our ds was 16 months old, he had a great time at all of the parks. As for essentials, I will tell you the things that were great for our ds. Now we were there at the end of June and it was hot, beginning of May will not be as bad, so take that into consideration when you read my list. I definitely suggest a plastic stroller cover. If it rains, you will thank me! They are the greatest thing, not only will it keep your dd dry, but the entire stroller, including the basket that you store things in. Also bring an umbrella. If you park the stroller to go in somewhere, you will want the umbrella to keep dd dry again. I brought a portable clip on fan that I would clip onto the stroller when our ds would fall asleep in the stroller, to keep the air circulating and as cool as possible. Sunblock, I am big on sunblock for all kids. Bring a bathing suit, if you went to Epcot, you would get some great pictures of dd playing in the fountains. Have a portable softpak cooler, for bottles and snacks. My own little creation was a receiving blanket and safety pins to the sunshade on top of the stroller, when dd takes a nap, you can lay over the blanket to block the sun and it won't fall off because of the safety pins. Oh yeah, do use the baby centers, they are awesome. You can let dd down and she can crawl around and stretch her legs (psst it's air conditioned too.)

Have a great time!!!!

 

[milmore104]

I think you would do fine in EPCOT w/ your DD. If you and your husband really love EPCOT and really want to go there I would say go. We took our DD to WDW for her first trip when she was 13 months old. She had the best time at EPCOT. She loved playing in the fountains (it was some of the best moments we actually had the whole vacation). I don't know if your DD can walk but they have some great fountains on the walk way to the world showcase that are great fro kids to walk through.
Also there is the Living Seas your DD will love seeing all the fish.
There really is a lot more things to do. Really kids are quite entertained by little things. And the next time you go she an she MK when she's really aware of what she's seeing!

 

[danicaw]

I am going to be in your shoes next January when we take our then 9 month old to WDW.
We have heard that baby carriers work great in the parks. Like a front pack (Snugli or BabyBorjn type)
My 10 month old niece just got back from weekend at DisneyLand and they said it was a lifesaver. They were able to take her on rides in the pack that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
Plus made it easy to get on and off the rides.
So, we are planning to take a front pack of somesort with us along with a stroller.
Have an awesome trip. You will all have a great time.

 

[Trinity721]

Thank you everyone for your replies! It's helping a lot, and I'm growing more and more excited.

Yes, I only get to see my husband once a month (if i'm lucky). Sometimes not for two months. I saw him last 2 weeks ago, and won't see him again until our trip in May. I know it would be nice to have some alone time, but there's just no way I'm going to Florida without our daughter He is so anxious to see his little girl.

We have a stroller that folds up very easily. I'm going to look into buying a snugli carrier. Thanks for all the tips! Will definitely use the baby stations. And I already bought her the cutest little bathing suit, so maybe we will check out those fountains. You know what, it really doesn't matter where we go as long we're doing Disney

One more thing, a friend gave me her park hopper ticket for one of us to use for a day (what a great friend!). Is it going to be a problem that it's not in my name (her last name is on the back)??? Do they check id's or anything? last time i was there they didn't, but the ticket says that ticket and ID are needed. She was also wondering if there is a way to check how many days are left on it, without actually using it?

Thanks again for all the great replies, and I would certainly welcome many more!

 

[crazyforgoofy]

Use the baby swap on rides you can't take your little one on. So even though you and hubby won't ride together at least you'll both get to ride and not have to stand in line twice.

I agree with those who've said go to the park that makes you and hubby happy. Your little one will be happy wherever Mom and Dad are and will enjoy seeing things from the safety of your arms/stroller/snugli. There are lots more characters at EPCOT WS now than ever before too. Bet she'll love the ride in Mexico, too.

As for the parkhopper I doubt they'll check. But, you can get discounted tickets through SOG or at your husband's base. My step-son is a Navy man stationed at Kingland, GA. Go NAVY!

Have fun and enjoy the time with your fella and your little one.

 

[Muffinish]

We will be in WDW in mid June with our 11-month-old DS...our little ones are very close in age! It will be DH and DS9's first trip, too, and I haven't been since 1980. I am loving all the tips and advice on these boards; keep it coming!

I just ordered the coolest thing from onestepahead.com...it's a hip-slung carrier with storage under the seat! Our little linebacker was 10lbs at birth, and at the rate he's growing he'll be pushing 30lbs when we're in the parks. This thing looks great:
Pack N Ride

I know we'll all have wonderful trips!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Sounds like a wonderful way for the three of you to spend quality time together. I think that which park depends on what kind of day and what kind of memories you want from that day. I agree that a 10 mo old will be just as happy with her mommy and daddy walking around Epcot as she will be at the MK. I would take a front carrier if she is not to big and let daddy carry her places her stroller can not go. Epcot will be a calmer quiter time to just be together. MK on the other hand would be so cool for her first visit. The pictures with all the characters, her first Dumbo ride, a character meal with pooh. All would be priceless. You can't go wrong either way.
As far as the tickets go I don't know if you can do this or not. Legal and moral issues aside, I would be sure you had money to buy one day hoppers if that becomes an issue. I think that WDW should offer free tickets for families in your situation but thats another thread. Have a wonderful day and God bless your husband and all our brave men and women serving our country.

Jordan's mom

 

[Trinity721]

It's much too hard to go to Orlando and only visit one park... even though our budget is a bit tight, I think we may be able to manage an extra day at DisneyWorld. If not, then I think we may just end up visiting Epcot. We're trying to work out the details.

I'm hoping I can use my girl friend's park hopper, but if not it won't be an issue. I don't have a problem buying a ticket. But it can't hurt to try I guess.

I agree. I think whatever we decide to do, as long as we're at DW the memories will be priceless. Thanks for the tips! I know going to DW with a 10 month old is not all fun and games, but I know a majority of it will be

 

[susy]

I don't think they will check id's. Be prepared to buy a pass, though. I would go to Epcot and maybe make a PS for the ice cream social at Garden Grill (I think it start around 3?). It will be a great and inexpensive way to get your child's picture with Mickey and the gang.

Bring a lightweight stroller and carrier- Snugli is not a good brand. You wil have to splurge for a Baby Bjorn. Nobody I've known (including me) ever had luck with the snugli. try to find a good carrier at a consignment shop or try to borrow one.


Rain gear is a must and try to pack as lightly as possible. They do have lockers, so you can bring a bag with extra clothes, etc-just in case.
Have fun!
On behalf of our country-Thank you so much for your sacrifice! I don't know if I could manage alone without my DH. I know I couldn't!

 

[Trinity721]

Thanks, I didn't know that snuglis weren't very good. I'll look into the baby bjorns.

Still not sure if we are doing one day or two days, but I'm trying to convince the DH that we MUST do at least 2 But I think when things fall into place, we will be able to do both Epcot and MK.

Thank you everyone for your replies. Thank you also to those with kind words and support for me and my military husband. These days, it seems that we aren't always met with comments like that (but that's a whole 'nother topic, on a totally different website!) Those kinds of comments really make my day It is a tough sacrifice, and it is tough to be apart. But our precious moments together erase all time and space that ever came between us. This trip means more to me than anyone can imagine.