Places to crawl? - Poly and Parks

[Marthasor]

Hi everyone - we are leaving for WDW on Sunday with our DS1 who is crawling and cruising and on the go, go, go!!! I am very concerned about him being stuck in his stroller all day and our room not being big enough or safe enough for him to really get around. We are staying at the Poly and am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for any safe places I can let him out and crawl around at the resort and in the parks as well. I know of Pooh's Playful Spot ( I think that's what it's called?) in MK, but am clueless about the other parks. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Let him crawl around the room. You'll also have some pool time so that will be good too. Any of those playgrounds imo are too wild for little ones that cannot run.

 

[Lstar311]

In MK there is another play area in Toontown that my DS1 liked. There is also the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area in DHS. Yes, there were older kids there but I stayed right by my son and he was fine.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

I would bring outlet covers and let him crawl around the room. If you find the floor isn't vacuumed well enough, call housekeeping and they will come do it again. The kid-friendly playgrounds aren't really all that safe to crawl around in, since there are a bunch of other kids playing and they might not notice your little crawler. You could also go to the Baby Care centers and let him play on the floor in there for a while (there is a room with a TV that has enough floor space for crawling).

 

[Marthasor]

Thank you all so much for the advice!!! I am going to run out and get some outlet covers tomorrow and will take a look at the playgrounds and make a decision when we get there. I will definitely take advantage of the baby centers, too! Thanks again!

 

[Astro Orbiter]

There's a tiny kids playground at MK in Frontierland - kind of under the train station. If you head towards the bathrooms in that area you'll see it on the right. It's designed for the under-3 set.

Pooh's playful spot is usually pretty calm over to the left, by the little bridge and water spouts.

Ariel's grotto may be quiet. There's rocks to cruise on and foam to fall on.

ToonTown's playground is always wild. The gazebo at Minnie's house is usually quiet if there's no character there. Donald's boat can be crazy or quiet.

At AK there's quite a few quiet spots (I think they're intended to be viewing spots for Tree of Life) off the main paths. There's also one cave-like spot where there's like an aquarium viewing area.

At Epcot, I've heard there's an outdoor chess set in the UK - seems like it would be good for a little one to explore if no one's playing.

DHS I can't think of anything, but it's our least-visited park. I think of that park as concrete!

 

[NotUrsula]

We swear by convention hotels for travel crawl space. We just walk down to the convention area and let baby crawl/toddle in the corridors when nothing is in session. IME, they are always carpeted and always very clean when not in use, because they are always being shown off to meeting planners. (Now, by clean I mean that the carpets have been shampooed and vacuumed of anything that could be swallowed; I'm not concerned with carpet cleaner or the general threat of having been touched by shoes.)

This is also a good alternative when baby won't quiet down to sleep and you need to tire him out somewhere where he won't disturb sleeping guests. Many's the time that I've let my kids run laps in empty convention center corridors at midnight after a long car ride.

The closest ones for you would be at the Contemporary and GF, though you could also do this at CSR, BW, YBC, or S/D.

You can also let them crawl on the resort lawn spaces, but you might want to bring cut-off socks to ward off grass stains. I believe that the grassy areas in the parks are pretty much keep of the grass, but they don't seem to mind too much at the resorts as long as you are not running/jumping and being destructive to the turf.

 

[goofygal531]

BABY CENTERS!!

When DS4 was 11 months, we would spend a good 1/2 hour in them. Our favorites are Epcot and AK. Epcot is not as modern or new as AK, but almost always empty. He loved crusing around the kids table and playing with the toys.

AK's is my all time favorite! It's so beautifully decorated and the CMs are just the sweetest old ladies. The kids room is nice and colorful and they always have a great movie on.

We still make an effort to pop in those two baby centers. Not just for diaper changes, but for family breaks. We love the family bathrooms and the kids just really need that 10 mins to unwind. It's amazing how excited a few toys make them!

Becareful around those above-mentioned in park playgrounds. There are a lot of older kids in them that are not always considerate of babies. Your safest option is inside the baby center's play room.

Oh, we always buy my little one a WDW soft rubber mini-basketball and some WDW matchbox buses. He loves to play with them on the floor in the room.

Bubbles and Ringpops are great for just before a tantrum!

 

[DCbride]

Just remember to bring shoes for your LO. When DD was 10 mo we were told by sever CM that if she was on the ground she needed shoes due to all the pins around. At EPCOT she wasn't allowed to visit with the characters until I found DH with the stroller and her shoes.

Have fun!

 

[Dannielle_1]

If your DS is cruising, let him push the stroller around too. I let my DS do this when he was 10mths and he loved it... See pic...

We let DS get down in a lot of different places. We'd just look around for a quiet out of the way spot.

Our favorite spot was in Epcot in the France pavilion. Off to the right, sort of behind the perfume shop is a quiet little courtyard, hardly anyone there, ever. I also let my DS crawl around in the American pavilion, where the Voices of Liberty sing. Nice big open spaces off to the sides. Another great cruising place was inside the waiting area for the China movie. Lots of long benchs. Just go when the movie has just started and you'll have the place to yourself.

We did go to some of the playgrounds, but they are busier so we stayed right beside DS while he explored, keeping our eyes open for him. Make sure you check out the dig site with your DS. My DS loved the texture of the "sand". Just be prepared to change his diaper and shake him out.

Just look around and be aware of your surrounding and lots of options will be evident. Have a great time!!!