So we are having our first baby....

[Jon99]

My wife and I have been to Disney 3 times in the past 2 years and together we have fallen in love with the place.. Now we are having our first child (due date September 6) and while we thought we would be ok not going to Disney for a few years, a lot of people we know are going down and its giving us the itch... What should we do???? Whats the earliest you would take an infant??? Leave the baby with parents for a few days????

 

[Tinkrbell]

Our son made his first trip when he was 7 weeks old. He was so cute in that huge pool at Beach Club ( I was holding him of course) but he was just so little.

 

[minnie56]

Our friends joined us the Christmas before last and their firstborn son was born on September 8 (She is due again...this September 8th!!!)...so I guess he was around.....3 and a half months old?? He was perfect! Got some great pics with characters.

When mine were small...we took one dd at 15 months for the 1st time and the second dd at 7 weeks. Babies travel well...you may spend a bit more time than usual in the Gerber baby centre...which actually is a nice break away from it all....but it's easy whenever you take them!

You could also leave with the grandparents....we just didn't...where we went our babies went.

 

[cinmell]

Congratulations! We took our daughter when she was 22 months (this past September) and we had a great time. She still talks about the characters, the castle, rides and she can't wait to go back in 2 weeks.

 

[scanne]

Congratulations! I am offering your wife my sympathy for the third trimester during the summer months - I was there and it was HOT!!!!!!!!!

We are taking our son to WDW 8/10 to 8/17. He will be turning one on August 8, so we're going for his birthday pretty much. We are very excited to see the 'world' through his eyes! And he loves Winnie the Pooh, so we can't wait to see how he reacts to Pooh in the parks.

As long as you prepare to not go "commando" style, plan to stay on site, and take midday breaks, I think you will be fine! You should go right after New Years...low crowds, cooler weather. We're going in the hottest part of the summer, but I'm a teacher and I can only go in summer, Christmas or Easter.

Anyway, have fun planning and congrats again!

Also, check out the Disney for Families forum. You'll find lots of great info there!

 

[Trinity721]

Jon99, congratultions! What a blessing. My husband and I just had our first child in July, a beautiful girl She's about to turn 9 months, and we are taking her to WDW in just a few weeks.

I would suggest taking your child with you. Once you have the baby, you probably won't want to leave her behind. And if you do go without her, you might be too worried or you would just end up wishing she was there sharing the magic with you.

I travelled with my daughter out of state when she was about 6 weeks old, and then we drove from Virginia to Chicago when she was 4 months old. We didn't have a problem with her, she was patient as long as she was fed and rested. From what I've read about babies travelling, the best age for them to go is 4 or 5 months because they are aware of their surroundings, but not yet able to crawl around and get away from you.

Whatever you decide, have a good time. And enjoy your new little one!

 

[DisneyPoly]

Congratulations!!!!

We have four children and they made their first visits:

DS - 15 months
DD - 16 months
DS - 7 weeks
DD - 2 1/2 months


Disney is wonderful at any age. I have enjoyed watching all of our children enjoy Disney at different stages of their lives. There is nothing so precious as when your child sees Mickey for the first time close up. When they get to be pre-teens, they still enjoy the characters, but grow to appreciate the theme parks and the rides more.

Sometimes I think if it weren't for WDW, we wouldn't have so many pictures of our children growing up!

Best wishes!

 

[Tinks]

We took our second son when he was 5 months old...it worked out just fine. The MK has a baby care area by the Crystal Palace with rocking chairs for nursing and changing tables and diapers...it was very nice! Just plan on taking things a bit more slowly and you'll be fine. By the way, on that trip our 5 month old laughed and laughed and laughed at Piglet! He had a ball.

 

[CamColt]

Congratulations!!!
Our kids first trips were at 15 months & 8 months. I found 15 months wasnt much of a problem at all. My only complaint about 8 months was that he was still on baby food, and on a strict eating schedule. There were times when we had to stop in a park, find a bench,whip out that messy gunk and start feeding. But, it wasnt bad enough to stop me from doing it again.
The best thing about the young age is they will sleep wherever they are whenever they need to. Now at 3 & 6, my kids wont nap at all, even if they are tired.
Good Luck!

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Jon99,

First off, congrats! Second, I hear you....

I am a hard core Dis fanatic, making at least two trips per year from PA since 1986. I talked my wife into joining me shortly after we married (alas, we fell in love not in Disney, but in Hershey Park, a cheaper cut of entertainment beef), and she became a fanatic-in-training in 2000. We'll be taking our fifth trip in 15 months in June, supposedly to "get it out of our system" because like you, we're expecting our first in September (21st, and it's a girl!).

Our issues: First off, after the birth, we'll be chewing up tons of DW's paid vacation. Also, during this period, we'll be chewing up tons of cash. Finally, with new responsibilities, we figured our spare time and paid vacation would be split between visiting grandparents and just sitting on the couch catching our breath. All this is besides the issue of "when is it appropriate to take a child to Disney," always a topic which seems to raise a discussion.

However......

In wanting to take my wife with me in June (I normally am speaking at a programmer's convention), I took the time off, to take our "last Disney vacation." The vendor asked me if I would, instead, speak at a private meeting in November. I mean hell, am I really supposed to turn down a free hotel room in Disney plus three days consulting fees? And DW will still be on leave then. And you can't expect me to be away from my newborn child for almost a week...

Our decision: In November, the crowds are light, the weather is not blazing hot, and certainly our newborn, while she won't understand Disney, will sense our happiness at being there. And equipped with PAP's, we certainly won't worry about "seeing everything." We can simply "be" in Disney as a family, and take it as it comes. We think it will be a wonderful time that we'll remember for years. Or at least until next June when I"m expected back down for business.

I'm thinking of writing a book called "My Last Trip to Disney." I'm fully expecting it to be finished upon my death and contain approximately a hundred chapters.

That's my decision, our little girl will go at six to seven weeks. What are you going to do?

Pat

 

[susy]

We didnt' take our so until he was 4yo (and we live in FL!)

We thought: he won't remember anything, a baby is just something extra to carry, blah, blah, blah...

Well, I don't have ANY pictures of my baby with Mickey!!!

I wouldn't dare suggest that you take the baby away from family during the holidays, but what about right after? January is a nice time to go. Nice weather, low crowds and the baby MIGHT be sleeping through the night by then (ha).

 

[PixieTink]

Many pediatricians caution against flying before a child is ready. See what your pediatrician says.

Also, if you fly, please take the baby for an ear check about 5 days before departure, if there are any symptoms of problems; an ear infection is no fun, but would be excruciating on a plane!!

 

[4greatboys]

First of all Congrats!! Nothing is better than Disney except sharing it with your kids. My little one was 5 months during his first trip. He was so good... Slept all night took in all the sights. I know he wont remember it but we have some great pics....Im a believer in they are never to young or to old. One of my fav pics is my 15 yr old in a headlock by Tigger.

 

[danders2]

I took my dd at five weeks old! Not only did we have a great time, but she started sleeping through the night while we were there (what a great perk!! ) I did take someone along to stay in the room with her during the hottest part of the day, but at night, she donned her hat and sunscreen and off we went!!

The best part about that whole trip (aside from her sleeping through the night) was that I have the most darling picture of Mickey Mouse holding my precious baby!!

 

[tjkraz]

Here are a couple pieces of advice from a soon-to-be second-time father.

First, I don't know what your current disposition is toward fatherhood, but I'd be shocked if both you and your wife want to spend any significant time away from your little one shortly after he/she is born. In addition to the emotional concerns, there are also physical reasons for keeping mom (and dad, to a lesser degree) nearby.

Second, remember that a newborn infant isn't going to know or care that you're "on vacation." Whatever his/her schedule is at home will likely stay the same in Orlando. Newborns typically rest on a 4-6 hour cycle--4 to 6 hours awake followed by 4 to 6 hours of sleep. That cycle CAN continue for weeks or months after birth. Some children will start sleeping through the night just a few weeks after birth, while others take MONTHS.

If you said that you were a second or third time parent, I probably wouldn't be so single-minded in my personal opinion. But as a first-time parent, you probably don't have much idea of what you're in for--as was the case with the rest of us the first time around.

I would STRONGLY recommend not making any plans until after the child is born and you BOTH feel that you are really prepared for it. As many have indicated, there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a newborn with you on vacation, but I would just recommend a bit of caution.

 

[Trinity721]

IMHO, I think anyone who posts should always respect the opinions or ideas of other posters. I know that topics like this can result in personal attacks and all kinds of opinions on parent-child relationships and child-rearing. No one ever agrees, and it gets ugly sometimes. So let's just all get along! We are all just trying to be helpful here...

That being said, Jon99 din't even specify the exact date that he was planning to go. It could be months after the baby is born for all we know. And his leaving the baby with parents for a few days was just a suggested question, maybe when the baby would be older. I don't think it's fair to just assume that Jon is going to do all these things. I'm sure the reason he posted was to make an informed decision. Let's not make conclusions about his disposition to being a father, he obviously sounds excited!

Jon99 I would take into account what tjkraz said about baby's schedule, and perhaps waiting until the baby is born to talk about a trip to WDW. LIke I posted earlier, I had my first-born 9 months ago. THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE BEING A PARENT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! At least not enough words... The first 1-2 weeks are sleepless, exhausting nights. Rewarding in the end, yes. but it does take patience and getting to know your baby. My DD was up every 2 hours for the first few weeks. Also, like tjkraz suggested, see how your wife feels. For me, the recovery stage was WORSE than actual labor! It's painful, and healing from that experience takes time.

As for leaving the baby behind to go to WDW, I wouldn't suggest that. I don't think it would be bad if you had your parents with you when you went, and you and the wife had a few hours to hit the parks on your own (everyone has a differing opinion on this idea, so beware). But i think once you have your little one, you won't want to spend a second away from her or him.

I think the best idea is to wait until your baby is born, and then when you feel she is old enough to handle being out take her along. I promise it will be an experience you will never forget. Once he or she is born, you will know if they like being taken out. DH and I started taking our DD to the mall when she was 1 week old (of course, by this time I had cabin fever and thought I would go nuts if I didn't get out of the house!!! ) BUt ever since then she has loved going out with mommy and daddy, and enjoys all the new things she sees. I know it's hard to get rid of the Disney itch, but for the time being I would suggest waiting until the baby is born to see how you and your wife feel.

Sorry so long! I hope that helps.

 

[Spartan]

My wife and I took our son when he was 16 months. We took a short, 4-night trip when he was around 8 months, but he stayed behind with Grandma & Grandpa. Some things we considered when we decided to take him were:

• His walking ability - We wanted him to be able to get out of his stroller and not have to be carried the entire time. (He enjoyed walking behind the stroller and "pushing" it.
• The weather - We wanted it cooler, so we picked early December
• Feeding - We didn't want to mess around with baby food
• Characters - We didn't know how he'd react to the characters, but we were hoping he would be old enough to pick them out and go up to them on his own (we actually had to avoid the fuzzy characters later in the trip because he wouldn't want to leave them)
• Sleeping - He was a terrible sleeper (up late, slept in late no matter what we tried), so we were hoping to get into a more regular sleep pattern

For the most part, everything worked out and it was our favorite trip to date. I'm sure it would have been fine at an earlier age, but for us that seemed to work out best, plus we had been wanting to see the World at Xmas. His second trip was at 21 months, and by that time he was beginning to get a little nervous on things and hated the fireworks.

It was kind of funny in that the short trip we took when he stayed behind was supposed to be to relax after months of sleepless nights, but instead turned out to be a "scouting" trip for the next one. We visited resorts we thought we would like to stay at with him, and some rides to see if we thought they would be scary for him. It wasn't the original intent of the trip, but actually worked out really well as we had never gone before with a small child in mind.