Standing in lines w/ a 10 month old-What are your secrets?

[wcduke]

Hi!
We are leaving for WDW in a little over 2 weeks and have begun to think about how we will handle our 10 month old daughter in long lines we encounter.
Basically, for attractions that have long lines where strollers are not allowed, how have some of you handled holding a 22 lb infant for an hour or more? I mean, we hold her at home for awhile, but your arms start to get tired after about 10 minutes. What if lines are an hour or more and we have no stroller in line? We have one of the backpack-type things where she can sit in a seat on my back, but then what do we do w/ that backpack once we reach the loading area? Plus, I would imagine the backpack would be pretty bulky to carry around all day at each park.

What are some of your secrets or tips of how to handle this? On a side note, there are only 2 adults to handle the "holding baby in line" chore, so even swapping her back and forth for an hour or more would still become tiresome.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[ainmama2001]

We did Disney for the first time with my dd when she was nine months old. We got a lot of comments on how it would be a waste because she was so young. TOTAL BS. First off, LIVE with the stroller. It will be your savior. We stocked up on Cheerios, Kix and Goldfish for long lines. Any type of favorite food. But, when we could avoid them, we did. She's almost four now and we find that that it actually is HARDER now in the lines then it was when she was a baby! Invest in the character meals. It'll save you a lot of time and aggravation later. Have fun!

 

[JRawkSteady]

Child-swap is your friend! This way you can go on adult rides! I would definitely reccomend asking for it. Also, unfortunately, strollers aren't allowed on most lines, so you might want to go to the parks early and beat that afternoon rush - (there will most likely be shorter lines) It's also September and kids are going back to school, so that's good for you.

A backpack shouldn't be too much of a hassle. I've taken them many times...most rides and attractions have enough room to store it comfortably.

 

[MissionMouse]

Child Swap
http://www.magictrips.com/parks/babyswap.shtml

 

[cleo]

If you are talking about attractions your nearly-2 year old can ride, why not let her stand for a while? She'll be ok if you distract her and keep her busy when you are not holding her.

I always took those tiny bottles of bubbles (like they use at weddings), which you can gently blow for her without bothering other guests in line (crouch down to where she is standing). There are also the old stand-bys of Patty-cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc. You can point out the interesting things you'll see as you pass through some of the lines, and then, of course, there is FastPass (your new best friend).

Take small things you would use to distract her in the car. There are some queues where she can sit on the floor (take a towel if you're worried about it). But you might be surprised at how well she could do standing on her own, even if you hold her part of the time.

 

[wcduke]

Thank you for all of your responses so far. However, even if/when we utilize the child swap, we would still need to wait in the regular line (which may be long in some cases) before using the "swap". So we will still need to have the infant in line with us for some long periods of time.

So, with that knowledge, does anyone have any secrets?

 

[wcduke]

If you are talking about attractions your nearly-2 year old can ride, why not let her stand for a while? She'll be ok if you distract her and keep her busy when you are not holding her.

I always took those tiny bottles of bubbles (like they use at weddings), which you can gently blow for her without bothering other guests in line (crouch down to where she is standing). There are also the old stand-bys of Patty-cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc. You can point out the interesting things you'll see as you pass through some of the lines, and then, of course, there is FastPass (your new best friend).

Take small things you would use to distract her in the car. There are some queues where she can sit on the floor (take a towel if you're worried about it). But you might be surprised at how well she could do standing on her own, even if you hold her part of the time.

She can't stand yet. She is only 10 months old.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Thank you for all of your responses so far. However, even if/when we utilize the child swap, we would still need to wait in the regular line (which may be long in some cases) before using the "swap". So we will still need to have the infant in line with us for some long periods of time.

So, with that knowledge, does anyone have any secrets?

I say go to the more popular rides first. The lines don't start getting ridiculous until about 11 - 12 - in MK Peter Pan's Flight and the Winnie The Pooh ride always have hour long waits by 11. Instead of figuring out a plan to hold the baby, just think of ways to shorten the wait times. Check out guide books or even online sites, they can help you figure out which rides to go to first.

Also Fastpass are your friends as well. You can utilize these for the most popular rides.

 

[RamseyTrio]

I've seen this done many times...

Everyone is waiting in line, child starts to get restless, one parents takes child and meets back up later on once the remaining parent is close to the front of the line.

That way you or your hubby could rest your arms and put her back in the stroller for a bit if you have a really long wait.

I've never heard of anyone complain IF it's only 1 adult and an infant. Now if it's more than 2 people "cutting" then that's a whole different ballgame But most people, especially at WDW, understand the waits are hard on young kids

 

[tjmw2727]

Our frist trip my dd was just under a year and not walking well and I used a baby bjorn front carrier in lines. My SIL has a really nice sling and used it often for our Feb trip, she wore my neice a good part of the time. I highly recommend a sling or front carrier for the lines and other places where a stroller isn't allowed.

Using Fast Pass you should not have to wait in many lines -esp for hours as you mentioned in your post. Hit the parks at opening and then use FP wisely. My dd's rode everything in the parks without a height restriction at that age and loved it.

Also - re babyswap. In our experience during a Feb 05 trip with my neice we did not have to wait in line with the toddlers to use babyswap. Simply tell the CM at the entrance to the queue that you would like to do the "rider swap" and they will give you a rider swap pass, baby must be with you to get the pass. This pass allows for the second parent (rider) to return with up to two others and ride later in the day. So the first parent rides while the other parent takes the non rider to another attraction, rest, play or snack etc. When the first parent is done you can meet up and then at some point that day the second parent can ride the attraction using the rider swap pass and the fast pass line.

HTH
TJ

 

[addicted2disney]

Are the lines really going to be that long in 2 weeks? I haven't been there in September, but I thought Ive read its a great time to go with lower crowds since the kids are back in school. You wont be able to take the stroller in any lines.. well.. you can take them part way on the Safari and then the CM's take them and park them in the stoller lot for you. Im thinking it wont be as bad as you are anticipating.

YOu can only child swap on rides with height restrictions... so really, thats limited.

 

[Mycroft]

Just refuse to stand in lines . Many people have had success with Tour Guide Mike
http://www.tourguidemike.com. If you follow his recommendations you will have a less stressful, more enjoyable vacation with less waiting in lines.

That being said, TGM does require a little pre-trip work on your part. There is a lot to read on his site, but it is worth it.

 

[minniedisney1]

The lines should not be bad at all after LD. We have gone at that time of year several times, and often we were able to ride the same ride 2-3 without getting off. I would invest in a Baby Bjorn or similar carrier. They are lighter and easier to get on & off rides with. You would not even need to take it off on the ride. Just take the baby out. Have a great trip!!!!

 

[J. Galt]

Totally understand the 22 pound, 10 month old concerns. We also had a chunky monkey baby (her height is finally catching up to her weight at 3 years here (she is really tall for her age) and she finally looks "somewhat" slim). We developed very, very strong arms and backs. When we took her at 8 months (she was probably around 20.5 pounds at the time), we avoided lines like the plague. We didn't use a backpack or Baby Bjorn because honestly, I tipped over with her in those (but I'm short... my husband had better luck with the backpack, but the Baby Bjorn was out of the question).

Try the Unofficial Guide to help you avoid long lines (and touringplans.com). Shows are a great bet, especially if you can slip in at the last minute or so. I'll be honest... we didn't get to ride every ride... but hey, who really does when you have little kids (unless you are total commando). On the upside, no one threw their back out or came home with a hernia.

Good luck!

 

[DisneyMom5]

Get there at opening, less crowds less wait. Then when it starts to get crowded, use fast passes for the whole family (kids under 3 don't need one.)
I use my sling more at WDW than at anywhere else. I put her in the sling for the whole ride, so I don't have to hold a wiggling infant on my lap. I put the sling on so she is sitting on my hip.
This worked with both a 10 mo (now 2) and with our now 1 year old.
She will love it. My 10 mo loved small world the most!

 

[crl]

I highly recommend a sling or front carrier for the lines and other places where a stroller isn't allowed.

Ditto!

 

[lisadisney2003]

When we took our DD2 at age 9 mths., it was difficult. But, if you are going in Sept., the lines should be minimal. If we did have to wait very long, we just took turns holding her. Our DD could not walk either. I really don't remember it being a real problem. I am more concerned now that she is mobile and has the personality of a 2 year old - if you know what I mean.