Tips and Advice for WDW with 14 month olds

[Bonnie36]

Hey all. This is my first post. I am a huge Disney fan, but have recently had kids and this will be my first trip back with my twins. They will be 14 months old when we go at the end of August. They just started walking, and eat all table food at this point.

I am trying to find out what you have as advice for me going. We will be staying at Saratoga Springs (where we've never stayed before) in a 1 bedroom villa to make naptime easier and for more space with 2 pack n plays. We are assuming we'll probably hang out mostly in Epcot and MK - with a morning at MGM (I can't get used to calling it DHS yet). This is a short trip - 4 nights. We will have our car since we are driving down. I have made ADR's for breakfast most days since that is our predictable time of the day.

Here are some questions...

-What were some of the favorite rides for other 14 month olds?
-Did you go back for naps? We're still on 2 naps per day so I was considering letting the skip the morning nap and going back for a long afternoon nap.
-That being said, its a long (time wise) trip back to the hotel for nap time. Do you suggest using our own car?
-Is there any problems with stroller theft at the parks? We have made the insane investment on a good double stroller, but it cost close to $500, so I would hate for it to be stollen.
-How much food/snacks/drinks do we need to bring into the parks? Do they have whole milk? I've never noticed the kids menus or even what it is. We eat pretty healthy food - fruit, veggies, etc. (To give a little perspective, they had their first french fry the other day)...we're not heath nuts, we just don't eat out much with the kids.

What else...anything you can think of to suggest, I would really appreciate. I'm so excited for this trip. It was totally spur of the moment just last week, so we are just starting to think about all the details.

Thanks so much for any and all advice!!!

-Bonnie

 

[MaleficentFan]

My dd was 13 months old on our last trip... and coincidently we also stayed at SSR. Take a deep breath... it seems overwhelming but you guys will have fun!

-What were some of the favorite rides for other 14 month olds? My dd was afraid of most of the indoor "dark" rides that had loud noise. However, she did enjoy IASW. Really I think a lot depends on the personality of your little ones. We found that she really enjoyed the parades and and shows... she had the most fun at the Country Bear Jamboree. It's hit or miss... try a ride... if it goes well, great... if they don't enjoy it it then you know to avoid the same type of ride. We didn't have any major meltdowns so we were comfortable with the "just try it" method. She also LOVED the Playhouse Disney show in DHS.
-Did you go back for naps? We tried two different plans for napping on our last trips. Our first thought was park in the morning and back to the room for an afternoon nap. That didn't go so well... dd didn't nap and we had a cranky child. What worked better for us was hang out at the resort in the morning (usually hit the pool), lunch and a nap and then the park. Again, it depends on your little ones.
-That being said, its a long (time wise) trip back to the hotel for nap time. Do you suggest using our own car? We always used our car... but that's more because I can't do the bus. It never felt like a long haul back to the resort.
-Is there any problems with stroller theft at the parks? Has it happened, yes. I've never personally had an issue. We had the carry strap and the shade embroidered with our last name to avoid a problem. Some people suggest bright, "loud" decoration so your stroller stands out from the others.
-How much food/snacks/drinks do we need to bring into the parks? Do they have whole milk? Yes, they do have whole milk. You have an advantage in that you're staying in a villa with a full kitchen... you can bring whatever healthy snacks you feel like shopping for. We didn't lug a lot of food into the park with us each day... mostly because we ate almost all of our meals in the room. Really, it boils down to how much you want to drag around all day. You can find some healthy snacks in the parks at various locations.

I would definitely recommend you make use of the baby care centers. They are a great place to get out of the heat and the hustle and bustle. And it's much easier to change a diaper on a full sized soft changing table than the smaller hard ones in the bathrooms. They have everything you could possibly need in a pinch.

Just take it slow... follow the lead of your children... they'll let you know when it's time to pack it in.

Have fun!

 

[Bonnie36]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice...

Here's another one...Did you just let the kids "run around" at times? Are there many nice grassed places where they can run/walk or crawl around? Another thing I guess I never noticed!

 

[natashag76]

we also have a little one for our trip - he'll be 16 months. unfortunately we won't have our own car, but we are definitely doing our nap times! asfar as walking and freeplay go, we've got a baby "leash" for any areas that are a little too crowded for my taste, but he can still move around independently when his tush is numb from too much sitting in the stroller! and then, of course, there's always grassy areas at the resorts. have a great trip!

 

[MaleficentFan]

My dd did a bit of walking when we found places that were not so crowded. She had fun running around the Living Seas in Epcot checking out all of the fish. And Rafiki's Planet Watch was another good, less crowded spot for her to stretch her legs. We didn't hit any of the play areas. I know there is one in MK by Pooh... it was crowded with slightly older children running around so we stayed away since her balance wasn't going to allow her to keep up with everybody else! I don't know about the other parks though... hopefully someone else will have an answer to that question. We also took her on some walks through SSR... we "toured" some of the paths between buildings and the courtyard area near the main pool.

 

[monorailsilver]

-What were some of the favorite rides for other 14 month olds?

My kids first trip ages were 15 mo, 22 mo & 2½ so I had a bit of variety. They liked It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Aladdin, Jungle Cruise (although some parts they got a bit scared on), TTA, Buzz Lightyear, Mickey's Philharmagic (sp), The living seas, Image works, the Safari, Toy Story Mania. I am trying to think of what else buy my mind is zig zagging thru the parks.

-Did you go back for naps? We're still on 2 naps per day so I was considering letting the skip the morning nap and going back for a long afternoon nap.

My oldest, then 15 mo on her first trip, was still on the 2 nap per day bit. I did make the choice on that trip to skip the am nap (so then we were done with the am nap when we came home, I think). She was fine. We headed to the parks in the am, EMH too & then came back for about 1 for her to nap in the room. I go in the summer so I knew it was vital to get her in the cool room for a nap. We left a little before nap time so we made sure she didn't fall asleep on the way back. She did once on the way back from AK but she stayed asleep the entire time back to the room.

-That being said, its a long (time wise) trip back to the hotel for nap time. Do you suggest using our own car?

We stayed at the Poly & we primarily went to MK & Epcot so no it wasn't a long ride back. Even the 2 times we went to DHS & AK it wasn't bad. We just planned it appropriately (aka before melt down mode) & even if we thought we could squeeze in one more ride, we didn't take a chance.

We didn't have a car & I don't think I would of used it much. It is hot, the car would be hot & I can't imagine getting in a hot car in August being sticky & hot myself. So we rode the monorail, buses & boats back to the resort all in AC (well not the resort boat).

-Is there any problems with stroller theft at the parks? We have made the insane investment on a good double stroller, but it cost close to $500, so I would hate for it to be stollen.

Possibly but I never had a problem but who in their right mind would want my Graco single, my Jeep umbrella or my Joovy. They were not in perfect condtion when we went (well the jeep was).


-How much food/snacks/drinks do we need to bring into the parks? Do they have whole milk? I've never noticed the kids menus or even what it is. We eat pretty healthy food - fruit, veggies, etc. (To give a little perspective, they had their first french fry the other day)...we're not heath nuts, we just don't eat out much with the kids.

I only brought water into the parks. I wouldn't do milk as it will be hot & it might spoil. I think they have 2% or is it 1% & if you are worried about the whole milk under age 2 thing, they will be ok a few days with out it.

As for healthy yes there is healthy things around. Check out allears for the menus.

I do bring a few snacks for my kids as a just in case.

What else...anything you can think of to suggest, I would really appreciate. I'm so excited for this trip. It was totally spur of the moment just last week, so we are just starting to think about all the details.

I would say not to rush around. Enjoy the little things. If you can't get on a ride that you as an adult wanted to do the baby swap, no biggie. I had plans to do the baby swap when we just had my oldest but when we were there, I just didn't care if I rode Space Mountain. It was all about her.

 

[lillykat]

We went in sept with our DD who was 15 months at the time.

For us - DD took her 1-2 naps in the stroller. We tried to go back to the room (we stayed at the poly) but DD was excited and wouldn't settle down so we gave up on room naps. We would either walk around the parks with her sleeping or find a quiet shady place to sit and have a cool drink while she slept. This worked best for us. We DID however go back to the resort every day after lunch and worked in swim/sprinkler park time.

I brought sippy cups and had whole milk in the room (we did a grocery shop since we had a rental car). I tried to find box milk (stop n shop by us has whole milk in small 8oz juice boxes and we used to use those for DD before she had lactose issues) but they didn't have any in the store my DH and my parents ended up in. In the parks I think we could only find mostly low fat or 1% maybe 2% but I could be wrong. I used that just for meals and gave DD water in the parks in her sippy cup when she got thirsty.

I brought a banana in our stroller and zip lock bag of cheerios and puffs. I could just pull a handful out and put it on her snap tray as needed along with a sippy to drink.

We decorated our stroller with bright lime green curling ribbon and silver ribbon etc all over the handle of the stroller it made it SO much easier to find in the sea of strollers. We had several parents comment on how much easier our stroller was to find in the masses and how they wished they had done the same.

I brought an old diaper bag and filled it with diapers, wipes, changing pad, and one older change of clothes. We left it in the stroller and made sure not to put any valuables in it in case someone walked with it. It made it so much easier and MUCH better than having to lug it thru the parks.

I got a pocket size travel doodle (about 4 inches wide) and it was perfect - the pen is attached to it - and is small enough to fit into a small bag or pocket. It was perfect for those times when lines were more than a few minutes long or the food was slow to arrive at our table. It kept our DD entertained for short periods.

DD was walking at 10.5 months and by the time we got to disney she was running around. She REFUSED to listen - (and still does to some respect) but she wouldn't hold our hands and always was saying OUT OUT OUT. I got a monkey backpack where you hold the tail leash - but never used it b.c she would run and it would pull on her so I just put it away. If your kids are walking and you worry there were a lot of people with them - better to keep them safe then have them squeeze somewhere where you can't reach them. So that might be an option. We kept DD in the stroller as much as possible and then used the playgrounds and interactive water areas to let her get out some steam.

Rides. She went on everything that didn't have a height restriction. She LOVED pooh, IASW, pirates, HM, dumbo, buzz, etc. Shows were hit and miss. She enjoyed the tiki birds, and all the 3d movies (I didn't take her to Honey I shrunk the kids) but refused to wear the glasses.

Her favorite parks were MK and EPCOT and AK - she didn't really care for HS. She liked clubhouse disney show BUT you sit on the floor and it was hard bc we ended up way up front and it was hard to explain to her that she couldn't run up on stage - as she was too excited and just wanted to hug mickey etc. I would skip HS in the future for us and focus on the other three.

Oh if they haven't had their 1st haircut yet - we took our DD and she LOVED it! They gave her a TON of mickey stickers (she never sits still and sat quiet as could be the whole time) a certificate, a 1st haircut minnie ear hat, and a lock of her hair.

 

[MamaCoog]

Here are some questions...

-What were some of the favorite rides for other 14 month olds?
My DS (who was 14 months at the time of our trip) LOVED its a small world! That was the biggest hit but he rode pretty much everything he was allowed to and seemed to enjoy them. He fell asleep in the line for Haunted Mansion and slept through the entire ride. He liked Pirates of the Caribbean and the Nemo/Living Seas ride. He also enjoyed DAK alot! He loves the zoo and animals so he was happy just to look at all the neat animals.

-Did you go back for naps? We're still on 2 naps per day so I was considering letting the skip the morning nap and going back for a long afternoon nap.
DS is and always has been a really good stroller napper so he would just fall asleep whenever he was tired. I think he might have slept more in the parks than he was awake during the time we were there. He also fell asleep everytime we set foot on a bus. He loved riding the busses but he couldnt resist the rocking motion and fell asleep. Between all these little naps, we never really had to go back to the room to nap. We also never got up super early (usually up around 7 or 8) and we took our time eating breakfast at the food court.

-That being said, its a long (time wise) trip back to the hotel for nap time. Do you suggest using our own car?
We are in GA so we are also within reasonable driving distance and always have our cars. One of the things we love though is that once we unload the car, we dont see it again until we are packing up to leave. We love the convenience of WDW transportation and one of us not having to drive all week. In all our trips, we have only gone off property (to eat) once. Its nice to know that its there IF you get sick of the transportation or want to go somewhere else but we usually dont use our car.

-Is there any problems with stroller theft at the parks? We have made the insane investment on a good double stroller, but it cost close to $500, so I would hate for it to be stollen.
I was worried about this too because I had just purchased a new, fairly expensive stroller before our trip. If you have a common stroller like a Maclaren, I would definitely suggest marking it with something bright/colorful so that it stands out in a crowd. Also, put your name and info somewhere only you/your party know where its at in case it is stolen or lost. We have a neon lime green Joovy so it stood out in the stroller parking and I think it would have been hard to blend into the crowd if stolen. The CMs may move your stroller when spaces open up so make sure you look around before freaking out because I got scared a couple of times when I had trouble finding ours.

-How much food/snacks/drinks do we need to bring into the parks? Do they have whole milk? I've never noticed the kids menus or even what it is. We eat pretty healthy food - fruit, veggies, etc. (To give a little perspective, they had their first french fry the other day)...we're not heath nuts, we just don't eat out much with the kids.
We purchased whole milk from the food court at our resort but I didnt look at the parks for it. I brought a few snacks like goldfish or teddy grahams and juice boxes for DS but I dont think he really needed them. Kids meals are pretty much the same all over WDW so they will be eating alot of mac n cheese or chicken nuggets but you usually have the side options of fruit like grapes (which I cut up/peeled), apple slices or apple sauce. If he didnt eat these at a meal I would just stash them in the bag for a snack later. For your twins, they could probably share a meal if neither are big eaters. DS never could come close to finishing a whole meal and he has always been a good eater.

What else...anything you can think of to suggest, I would really appreciate. I'm so excited for this trip. It was totally spur of the moment just last week, so we are just starting to think about all the details.
I would suggest recording some of your trip. They will vaguely remember the trip but my son LOVES to watch the dvd home movie of our trip and he definitely loves looking at the pictures. You may also want to look into pre-purchasing the Photopass cd since it is a little cheaper if prepurchased. I didnt know about Photopass until our 2nd day and I wish I would have known sooner because I never get to be in the pictures with my family since Im always the one taking the pics. We got a ton of pics and lots of the whole family together finally. It was worth the money to buy the cd so I could print as many of them as I wanted and share them via internet/email. Buy a good stash of cheap rain ponchos from Walmart so you arent stuck buying them at the parks in a down pour. They were like $10 a pop! Check out CVS for some clip on fans for the strollers.

Just have fun and enjoy your trip!! Take it slow and do what you can and save the rest for the next trip!

 

[Mrs D]

First let me say To the Dis!
Our first trip with little ones was last Sept when DD was 14 mo. and DS was 3. I'll try to share my experience so you can decide what's best for your family. We stayed at Villas of Wilderness Lodge and hit each park.
- DD loved most Magic Kingdom stuff, especially Fantasyland. IASW was #1 fav, Pooh, Dumbo, Carousel, Pirates, Toontown Meet & Greets, TTA, The Seas w/Nemo. She did not like Philharmagic and had to be taken out (too loud).
- DD was still doing 2 naps, but we decided to go back to the room after an early lunch for naps. Overall it went well, but DD feel asleep on the way back every time and ended up sleeping in the stroller in the room (I wasn't going to dare try to move her). For us it seemed as soon as DS feel asleep DD woke up. Next time I will attempt letting her sleep in the stroller the whole time (but I won't be there in Sept next time either).
- I don't recall seeing whole milk at the parks. Since you have a villa I'd suggest making a grocery store stop or having a grocery deliver. Have your milk in the room and just drink water in the parks. It will be very hot when you are there and will need to keep them hydrated (more on heat later).
- Strollers can get stolen/pilfered. Disney is not exception. It is not common, but I'm not sure I'd bring a $500 stroller. Maybe you want to invest $100 in a basic double jogger even if you sell it when you return home. I too brought a cheap diaper bag and kept on only diapers, wipes and other non valuables in the stroller. My rain cover was taken from my stroller on our last full day at the World. But we never used it once the entire time we were there despite Hurricane Ike breezing by us while there (mostly rained during naptime). I guess I call that money well spent.
- I brought a soft sided cooler and soft reusable freezer packs into the park with a few bottles of water. Of all the snacks I brought my kids liked the dried fruit best while there. There are tons of healthy snacks and meals if you do your research. Allears.net is a great place to check that out. Each park has a fruit stand and you can get fruit cups at most places.
- If you will eat at any restaurants, buffets are a good choice. There is no charge for children under 2, they can each get their own plate of any food they choose and there's lot of selection. I never had any buffet charge for a milk for DD while there (we were not on the dining plan that time). My kids both loved The Biergarten in Epcot Germany best. They loved watching the band and danced for hours on the dance floor. It was our favorite experience. We also did Chef Mickey's; DD did not the characters getting too close. She liked them from about arm lengths distance.
- It is going to be hot. Be prepared for it We bought clip on fans at CVS. They have a bendable gooseneck and soft foam blades. I've seen them in Walgreens this season. I bought misters with a fan but DD didn't like those. She liked a plain mister without a fan. We also put a wet washcloth in the ziplock in the small cooler. Prefect for cooling off. Bring LOTS of sunscreen! I like the spray on kind becuase it's fast & easy. Just be sure to coat them until you can see it. However I use lotion on the face, neck & ears. I like Neutrogena Fresh Cooling mist spray. It doesn't leave you feeling sticky. Keep everyone hydrated! Take breaks in AC! I also got a Kiddopotamus RayShade for extra sun protection on my stroller. I loved it. Be aware that afternoon showers are common. You might want to bring a rain cover for your stroller.
- Here are where there are play areas in the parks (some are water): MK- Toon Park & Donald's Boat, near Splash Mt., Pooh;s Playful Spot, Tiki Guys by the Tiki Room. Epcot- Mission Space, Test Track, Figment (inside), UK Hedge maze. AK- Maharajah Jungle Trek (water?).
- We were there for 4 full days with 2 travel days. One day 3 DD just could get up and hit the ground running. She woke up, ate breakfast and fell asleep as we were puttin gon sunscreen & shoes. Fortunately because we were traveling with extended fam, My Mom stayed back with her while the rest of us headed out. But, be flexible to what the kids needs are.
- Have a magical trip!

 

[Bonnie36]

Wow, thank you so much. This is all wonderful advice. I can't wait to go and see how they do. Its going to be a totally different trip - but wonderful just the same.

 

[WDWorBUST]

DD's first trip was at 13 months and if I could only give you one piece of advice it would be to go at the kiddos pace. That trip was all about her. She wouldn't nap in her stroller so we would go back to the room to nap. She loved the Living Seas in Epcot (still does actually) and she went on everything that she was allowed on and didn't have a problem with any of them.

 

[Carri]

We just got back from first our trip in June with our four kids, our youngest being 15 months old. One thing that I brought with us that was a life saver was a battery operated fan that clipped to the stroller (from Walmart) . She was really good about napping in the stroller, but it was SO hot when we were there and the fan was great! Her favorite ride hands down was Small World! I think that's a must for all toddlers!

 

[staley7580]

oh how FUN!!! I have no advice for you, but I just wanted to say that our first trip with our twins will be in May, when they are 14 months old. So I want to hear all about your trip!!

 

[micheleq]

Hi and welcome to the DIS!

My younger DD was 18 months on our trip and we also stayed at SSR, so here are my suggestions...

What were some of the favorite rides for other 14 month olds? My DD loved everything!
-Did you go back for naps? We tried, but she never napped in the room. She'd fall asleep in her stroller or on the bus back to SSR.
-That being said, its a long (time wise) trip back to the hotel for nap time. Do you suggest using our own car? Yes. It's a solid 15-20 by bus from MK to SSR. We didn't have a car, but with two little ones it might be easier for you.
-Is there any problems with stroller theft at the parks? Minimal -- mark your stroller with a luggage tag or get the top embroidered with your last name if you are worried. I used luggage tags and wrote our name on one of the legs with a sharpie. There are a few threads about decorating your stroller. That being said, don't leave valuables in the bottom of your stroller -- use the park delivery service to send purchases back to your room.
-How much food/snacks/drinks do we need to bring into the parks? Do they have whole milk? The kids meals have lowfat milk I believe and you can buy fruit all over. I did a grocery order for our room from garden grocer for milk, breakfast foods, Cheerios, etc.

SSR is great -- there are two playgrounds for kids to run around, the main pool is zero entry and has a sprinkler area, and the Grandstand pool also has a sprinkler component. Grandstand is the first bus stop, so I rec. that area if you are going to us the buses at all.

Have a great time!!!