Taking a 18 month old to WDW

[goofygolfer]

We have enjoyed WDW for years so we just bought in BCV. This will be the first trip for our daughter who will be 18 months. Do most people bring their own strollers and pack-n-plays. We are going for 10 days, so we will already have a lot of luggage. Can these things be rented at the resort? Also, any tips for doing WDW with a baby would be appreciated.

 

[zimboys]

This site lists what is included in each room or what should be. The pack and play is included.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=153&Itemid=138

Stollers are super from the parks but quite expensive especially for over a week. We took a umbrella stoller the last trip but the only problem with it was during nap time ours did not recline so the young child can not lay down.

Pack toys you don't care to loose, bring your own pain relivers, croccs, a silky blanket and plenty of cash to buy spinning light up toys and ice cream.

 

[unpaintedhuffheinz]

If your little one is like our 20-month old, the characters were the highlight of his Disney trip. He ran up to each and everyone of them, hugged them and was thrilled to see them. He "led" the Character parade in the Character Breakfast at Ohana, with Mickey holding his hand.

Plan on her napping in the stroller. You can't count on getting back to the resort for naptime. (Once you see them starting to get sleepy, it's too late!) In each park, we found quiet places where he could sleep in his stroller. Bring a stroller that reclines, so she can sleep well.

My wife and I would split up from time to time in the park. One of us would go see the things that the spouse didn't want to see, while the other stayed with the toddler. (Nap time is a good time to do this).

We parked our stroller at many different places in the various parks, when we wanted to carry our son with us on a ride, and no one ever messed with it.

Animal Kingdom's Africa section has lots of things for little kids to do. For example, some Cast Members in authentic regional costume come out and play drums, tambourines, maracas, etc... They hand out instruments and let the kids join in. Africa also has drums set out, for people to drum as they please.

In Magic Kingdom, go to Mickey's Toontown!

Try a Character Breakfast. Ohana's is great.

That's all I can think of now.

 

[5forDiz]

Our youngest DD was 16 months on her first trip. We took our own stroller ( her stroller that we used at home was rather heavy & cumbersome so we decided to purchase an additional, light-weight not too expensive reclining stroller to take along ). It was quicker & easier & more cost effective then renting a stroller at the parks each day and it was nice to have it with us at our resort too when sitting by the pool or just to stroll her around.

We used the resort's pack and play; we just took along her own sheets & blankets for it. The sheet mousekeeping would give for it is too large.

If you're travelling during months with high temps you'll probably want to get back to the resort from the parks by noon and not return to the parks again until evening when it cools down again; as much as we tried to keep her well hydrated & shaded the heat & humidity impacts little ones much quicker than older kids& adults.

 

[MILLZ]

Our daughter is 15 mths old and has been to disney 4 times already. I no i no we are crazy but anyway we chose to take the bigger stroller even though it was more of a pain getting it there being that little it was more comfortable for her. She could lay all the way down and sllep almost like normal. We have done the same with our 5 yr old and cant even count how many times hes been there but this worked out well for us. When he became about 2 we started using the umbrella stroller for him that worked out fine.

 

[jamie&Greg]

My dd is 20 months and this next trip will be her 7th - so I consider myself a dinsey w-some children pro

18 mo. is a good age! We always bring our own stroller cause you only rent in the park - and you might want it for the resort ect. But we NEVER bring the pack n' play. Just call downstairs and they will bring one up for you.

My biggest tip is plan arround nap time!! We are always back in the hotel by 11:30 so she can take a nap! My DD WILL NOT sleep in her stroller anymore - she just gets cranky!! Also, just slow down and let them enjoy what they want. She might not love the charcters or the rides but she might have just as much fun chasing the ducks in the MK, or eating ice cream stuff like that! Let them lead you sometimes - they love exploring!!! And make time for the pool!! Also, ALWAYS have snacks and maybe even pack her lunch - my dd isn't picky but she wasn't use to eating hot dogs ect. and there are only so many chick nuggets they can eat ;-0

Have fun!

 

[dopeygirl76]

We started being disney crazy when our older daughter was 2 1/2 and i was 7 months pregnant with our younger. They have been there every 6 months since!! Our last trip the younger was 18 months old - she was afraid of a few characters and absolutely fine with others depending on the mood she was in - and she is the VERY calm and laid back one. We have always brought our own stroller - the trip from the gates to the buses can be long at night with two tired girls - yes we take out sit and stand - the front reclines for the younger and the older has a seat plus we have storage space. We also use the pack and play but bring our own sheets. Bring LOTS of snacks for those grazing toddlers this has been a life saver!!

 

[thepops]

If you're traveling during very warm weather, you might want a clip on battery operated fan to keep the air moving in the stroller while she naps. Here's one, but I'm sure there are more out there.
http://www.batterysavers.com/Fan_Flex_Battery_Operated.htm

 

[BEASLYBOO]

The OKW GV's even have a wooden baby chair that you can strap the baby in, to be at the table to eat (just like in restaurants). I'm sure a call to the Lobby of any resort or HH can get you one in a jiffy.

 

[Jeremy&Susan]

Our daughter just turned two and has been to Disney three times already.

Recomendations we have are:

Definitely bring the bigger stroller so you can pack diapers and food for the baby in the stroller and save your back.

Pack light with clothes and do laundry in your room (or at the laundry if staying in a studio) every other day. Our family of two adults adn one child bring one large suitcase (clothes) and one small (toys).

Bring snack foods and the instant formula pouches that can make one bottle of formula per pouch. Makes feeding times in the park much less hassle.


Have fun and dont plan to do too much each day. One or two rides in the AM and maybe one more in the afternoon.

 

[DukeBombay]

My comments are more related to BCV than WDW as a whole.

If you are staying at BCV then you should plan on doing a character breakfast at Cape May Cafe. Right now it is Minnie, Donald and Goofy. It is a well done breakfast and is easier to get an 18 month old to then some of the other character meals.

I agree with others who say that you should plan on being back at the resort for the afternoon nap. My DD is now 3.5, but even on our last trip to BCV (March 12 - 22) we were back in the room to give her a nap. Sitting outside on the balcony at BCV while the kids are napping is quite relaxing.

Plan on spending time at Stormalong Bay. Now that the sand bar section of the pool at the west end is open again, it is the perfect depth for a toddler. They can build sand castles and walk around without knowing how to swim. The small slide in the ship might be too much for an 18 month old since the lifeguards will not let you slide down with your child. You should also get a life jacket from the poolside store. They are free for the duration of your stay at BCV.

Definetly bring the stroller. The walk from BCV to say the Boardwalk for dinner or to EPCOT is nothing for an adult pushing a stroller. Carrying a tired 18 month old from the International Gateway or from Spoodles back to the room after a long day would not be fun. You also need a stroller if you decide to do a water park (Blizzard Beach is great for young ones) or want to walk around Downtown Disney.

Take some time to go over to the Yacht Club gift shop. There is a large statue of Mickey driving a classic wooden boat that kids love to see.

Make sure you are at the pool at 4:15 at least once a day for the changing of the life guards. Kids of all ages love to get up to dance with the life guards.

 

[alice99]

orlando stroller rentals.com/

I rented a baby jogger one year I travelled alone with my 2 and 3 year old. When I got to the resort (off property) it was waiting at the front desk, completely wrapped in plastic, as if it had been sanitized. I left it there at the end of my trip and it was picked up by the rental company. This was HASSLE FREE.

It cost me (at that time) 60$. Airline wanted 60$ to check my baby jogger, so renting was a no-brainer.

I ran every morning with the jogger.

**The link above is just a link I got when I googled stroller rental orlando florida. There are other companies also. I can't be sure this is the company I used, my trip was 7 years ago.

I don't think I'm allowed to post a link - hence the spaces.

 

[goofygolfer]

Thank you all very much for your advice. Now all we have to do is endure the 6 hour flight.

 

[logan115]

Also, just slow down and let them enjoy what they want. She might not love the charcters or the rides but she might have just as much fun chasing the ducks in the MK, or eating ice cream stuff like that! Let them lead you sometimes - they love exploring!!! And make time for the pool!!

This could be the best advice EVER. We've taken DS (5) twice so far, when he was 3 and 4. He's yet to even go on POTC, Peter Pan, or Splash Mountain (much to my dismay ). However he LOVES things like Pooh's Play Area and the other regular "parks" within the parks (yep, flew 2000 miles to WDW and DS just wanted to go down the slides), and he's just as happy with the pools at POP as he is at SAB. The key point is to let them do whatever they want (within reason) so that they enjoy themselves and want to come back to WDW - forcing them on rides they don't want to do is not something you want to do.

You'll have a blast, but just remember that they're going to be in for a massive dose of sensory overload once you get thru the turnstiles, so take it at their pace and enjoy it. I know that over time DS ((and now DD (5 mos)) will eventually love or at least try all the rides, and so for us the key thing is just to make sure we don't "spoil" it by forcing them to do stuff they don't want.

That being said, it's also kinda neat that there's so much they haven't done yet, because over the next 5-10 years even if there aren't any new attractions added to the parks there will always be something "new" for them to try.

Question for the DIS crowd - in terms of counting "official" trips to the world, since DD was in DW's belly for our trip last year, does that count at DD's first trip to WDW ?

 

[lquiros]

I would highly suggest bringing a stroller. The one at the park are hard plastic and not very comfortable, not to mention quite pricey. I would recommend purchasing one online and have it delivered to your resort, so it is there when you check in. If you do not want to take it home with you, at the end of your stay, you can leave it at the front desk and Disney will donate it to a needy family.

Lauren

 

[Mickeyfollowers]

I took my son when he was 13 mts old. I used the packnplay they had and brought his blankets and I used one of those egg foam matteress covers and cut it to the size of the packnplay to give extra padding. We also took a soft cooler with drinks and snacks. This way we knew he wasn't eating and drinking alot of sugar, also saves money, a drink there is $2.50. I think you can call and request a crib if you think your child would sleep in that better and you can request highchairs for the room.

 

[Mickeyfollowers]

[/QUOTE] Question for the DIS crowd - in terms of counting "official" trips to the world, since DD was in DW's belly for our trip last year, does that count at DD's first trip to WDW ?[/QUOTE]

I went in 2001 when I was 3 months with my first DS and took him when he was two and I count that as one of his trips. I went in 2007 when I was 7 months with my second DS and took him Jan 2009, I always say that it was his second trip.

 

[SunnieRN]

A fantastic resource is the baby stations in the parks! There are changing areas, a room with a tv that plays disney movies and has high chairs and tablea. There is a darkened private room for breast feeding Moms and there is ice water and air conditioning!
The staff is great and we sometimes had to bring my grandson there to eat as he was too distracted to eat in the park restaurants.
They also sell baby supplies, just in case!

 

[Scott]

In most situations I can handle the Disney mark-up, but their stroller rental prices are absurd. I thought about renting a double stroller this March for my kids, but when I saw the price I almost fainted...it was more expensive then our rental car!

 

[logan115]

In most situations I can handle the Disney mark-up, but their stroller rental prices are absurd. I thought about renting a double stroller this March for my kids, but when I saw the price I almost fainted...it was more expensive then our rental car!

But the strollers are better for the environment..........