Tips for Disney with a 1 year old--no wet blankets please!

[harleyquinn]

1st off - Congrats!!!!

We went the last few days of Sept beginning of Oct in 08 when DD#1 was 15 months old. We are planning our next trip for DD#2's 1st birthday in May - before DD#1 turns 3 so that both girls are still free.

I would HIGHLY suggest you fly over drive. I could never imagine driving from Long Island to Orlando when my DD was 15 months we were stressing the flight - that was what 2-3 hours I couldn't imagine how stressful a 20 hour or more drive would be. Of course a lot of it depends on your child's temper - my DD is very well behaved but she is high spirited and likes to move around frequently so a long drive would not have been possible. It was hard to keep her in her car seat for 2-3 hours never mind for 20 something.

Tips:

Either rent a car or ship supplies or use something like garden grocer for snacks, milk, breakfast in the room - eating in the room for breakfast allowed us to get out sooner and less time sitting at tables eating.

We did the dining plan - and bought DD meals (she was free at family style and buffets) - it was easy to get milk in the parks by the time we went she was off breast milk and the occasional formula I used to supplement.

Take advantage of the baby care centers - SO much nicer to change DD in those whenever possible. Plus if you forget anything they have supplies.

I brought take and toss silverware and sippys which were easy to throw in my diaper bag and easy to wash or chuck if I needed to. I also brought cheerios with me in a ziplock which was easy to throw on her tray of her stroller if she got fussy - or easy to feed her at the table if her food took a while to get there.

Bring an old diaper bag that you don't care about - and leave it in your stroller - rather than trying to carry it around the parks. We just carried diapers, wipes, diaper cream if needed, and an inexpensive change of clothes for after she ran in the interactive fountains. Since it was an old bag with nothing valuable it didn't matter to us if anything was stolen - but nothing was touched all week.

Decorate your stroller - we got curling ribbon in bright lime green and other colors and decorated the handle of the stroller so that it was easy to spot in the mass of strollers whenever you parked it at rides.

Bring a comfortable stroller - DD actually preferred to nap in hers rather than back in the room - so a comfortable stroller with a good sun cover was a must. Also having a snack tray was helpful - b.c sometimes we couldn't find a high chair at the counter service places so we could just feed her in the stroller. We also brought a high chair cover since some of the HC's left a lot to be desired.

Ask your mousekeepers for a high chair for your room it made snacks and breakfast in the room easier since DD had a high chair to sit in.

Great tips!! Thanks so much!

 

[lessit]

I don't care at all about what she remembers--the trip is for my memories. I will not stop my life just because I have a child. I honestly don't consider the trip to be for her at all.

I guess that's fine and all but it sounds like you will be a new parent and this is your first trip as such - having been there prior as a newly married couple or single. If it works out, great - more power to ya. But, it's my (and many others) experience that bringing a newborn/toddler is a whole different ball game than going childless. It can be fun but it is also work and definitely different than your previous memories.

A 1yo needs lots of sleep and isn't interested in getting up early to beat the crowds. When they're tired there aren't enough fireworks in the world to keep them awake. They can only express discomfort by crying and need to be fed on their schedule (breastfeeding?). They're sensitive to noise, sun, and heat. They can't ride on many rides and don't care for a lot of the shows that you might like - meaning they'll fuss and you'll possibly have to leave something you enjoy. You'll become a pack mule hauling baby stuff around Disney and you and your spouse won't be able to ride together on those attractions that your little one can't. Keep in mind that the "value" resorts don't necessarily have refrigerators either and you'll end up paying twice the amount your accustomed to for diapers/food/wipes, etc..

All in all you'll probably have a memorable time but I do think you should be prepared for a different experience.

 

[Disflyer]

I don't care at all about what she remembers--the trip is for my memories. I will not stop my life just because I have a child. I honestly don't consider the trip to be for her at all. This isn't a once in a lifetime thing for us, we go every year. Of course if she doesn't handle it well, I'm fully prepared to spend the week by the pool.

You'd be surprised about how many people around here have gone with children this age and said it was their best trip ever. There are a TON of threads/trip reports and such to prove I'm definitely not the only one to do this and that we can have a great time.

First off, congrats on your LO!!! We are pretty much in the same boat as you although we are going this November when our DD will be 7 months. People all think we are crazy but honestly this trip is about or first family vacation than it is spoiling her. Is she going to cry, sleep when I don't want her to, not remember a thing? 100% yes to all of that but your memories as a new family will last your lifetime.

There are a lot of great tips on this thread.

 

[BigDogHU75]

We went to Disney when my DS was 22 months old. Prior to going, I was worried about whether he would like the characters, would we enjoy ourselves, how would his mood be, would he be teething, etc. When we arrived we had a great time. We had a large group with us but DS was going through an "I only want mommy" stage so he was clingy but I still had fun. In addition, we drove from MD to FL. My DS is fine in a car. He likes to travel. Traveling by car/van will depend on your child's tempermament and the same goes with visiting the parks. You will know your child's likes and dislikes and your child's developing personality (even though s/he may surprise you).

My advice:
1) As another poster stated, pack tylenol, motrin, sunscreen (for you & the baby) and oragel. Also, purchase a small first aid kit that you can carry with you to the parks. I got a Johnsons & Johnsons one from Target for about $1.
If driving down,
1)Pack the car the night before.
2)plan to stop every 3-4 hours to stretch your legs and take a bathroom break, snack break, etc. If you can, Switch drivers at that time as well so the burden is not all on one driver.
3) Stop at a hotel before it is your child's bedtime so you and your child can wind down. We stopped in Kingsland, GA which made for a short drive the next day.
4) Have plenty of snacks/drinks that you are able to reach while in the car.
5) It is good if someone can sit next to the car seat to keep the LO entertained. Again, we took turns. We would read books or play with toys/stuffed animals. I had a mix of old and new stuff that kept DS occupied. I also brought his favorite blanket that he used while he napped in the car.
6) Pack an overnight bag just for the hotel so you will not have to take the entire suitcase out of the car.

At Disney:
1) Like other posters have said before, try to stick to your LO's schedule. If your LO is okay with taking naps in the stroller then that is a bonus because you will not have to go back to the room.
2) Bring your own lightweight stroller with a basket underneath. Decorate it so it will be easy to identify. I used a colorful scarf and a ribbon. Make sure your LO likes it so test it out before the trip.
3) Bring a small diaper bag that can hold diapers, wipes, changing pad, extra set of clothes, snacks in take and toss containers or plastic bags, and bottles or sippy cups, etc.
4) DS loved the character dining and the characters loved him.
5) Remember to apply sunscreen and keep the LO hydrated.
6) Buy some sunglasses and a lightweight hat for the LO. Again test these out before the trip. My DS does not like hats so he would not keep it on. He does ok with sunglasses. I purchased the ones with the adjustable strap from One Step Ahead.
7) If you want to ride on rides that the LO cannot go on, take advantage of fastpasses and/or parent/child swap tickets.

Like I said, we had a great time. When LO was cranky we went back to the room and rested. I think that most parents have some idea of what to expect when taking a LO to Disney. We know that it will not be the same as when we traveled w/o babies/toddlers. We know that the LOs will not remember but who cares. Most don't remember meeting/taking pictures with Santa, the Easter Bunny, or whatever the first time they did it. A vacation at Disney with a LO is still a great experience nonetheless and if you plan it properly 9 times out of 10 it will go smoothly. Just enjoy yourself and you and your LO will have a good time

 

[WDW1st-timers]

First off, congrats on your LO!!! We are pretty much in the same boat as you although we are going this November when our DD will be 7 months. People all think we are crazy but honestly this trip is about or first family vacation than it is spoiling her. Is she going to cry, sleep when I don't want her to, not remember a thing? 100% yes to all of that but your memories as a new family will last your lifetime.

There are a lot of great tips on this thread.

I'm so glad that you have a great outlook on your trip. Don't let any negatives ruin your trip. I took in everyones advice good and bad and never let it bother me. I have excellent memories, pictures, movies and more and I would never trade that for a million years. To me seeing my daughter smile and interact is so worth it.

I'm not trying to take away this thread but I just want everyone to see how much a child at around 1 loves Disney just like everyone else.

This is a movie clip at Crystal Palace



THis is Kendyll playing with Mickey.

Even though we had our not so great moments (maybe 3% of the time) the other 97% totally was amazing. So I agree with your post Disflyer. You gave her some good advice!!!!!!!

 

[kevingg]

I have three kids 7,5 and 2 and we have taken them at almost every age starting at eight weeks old. We always had fun with our kids when we went. YES, absolutely it is a TON of work but as long as you are prepared you should be fine.

I always got the same response "why would you go when they are soo young, they never are going to remember" . I can't stand when people say that to me. It isn't only about them. I will always remember the first times we brought each one of our kids for the first time. It is so fun. It does get a bit harder if they have started to walk because you can't keep them contained in the stroller as much. I loved watching watch them with the characters at this age (1), since they usually aren't afraid (but don't be too disappointed if your little one is scared).

Just be prepared to take it slow with a lot of down time. As far as the rides go my husband and I are not huge thrill riders, so most of the rides we would do we could do with the kids. My husband and I had been many times and if there was something we absolutely wanted to ride then we just switched off--no big deal!

I agree with the baby care centers, they are great, especially in the middle of summer, I took my eight week old (at the time) in the middle of the summer and it was HOT! You just need to make sure you keep her WELL HYDRATED!! That is the most important thing, kids this age become easily overheated. I also used the baby carrier but in the middle of the summer it isn't ideal.

Two things I ABSOLUTELY recommend for the hot summer months are:
stroller fan and sunshade for the stroller. These were lifesavers. We would clip an umbrella (the kind you can clip on a beach chair. I think you can get these at walmart). I would clip it on to the front bar that went across and so no matter where the sun was the baby was always covered. It stood straight up. Even if you have a regular sunshade attached to your stroller, it never seems to cover the seat all day.

The other is the stroller fan, I think you can get these at walmart as well. We would clip it to the stroller and aim it straight at the baby (the neck bends). We would keep it on all day and it was amazing how it would keep her cool. periodically we would wet her down with a wet face clothe that we brought along and in combination with the fan it cooled her down tremendously. SHe was much cooler than we were that is for sure.

HTH

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

We were there last year with our DS 3 and DS 8 months in August. Here are some things that worked great for us. We ate the majority of our table service meals for breakfast and lunch as our sons are early risers. We took our time and enjoyed rides and shows with the boys. We let the boys dictate our schedule which worked out well. We familiarized our sons with the stroller well ahead of time. We had clip on battery powered fans that we used to help keep the boys cool. (Got them at Wal-Mart for less than $5.) We also used the misty fans to help keep them cool.

Keep a diaper bag in the basket of the stroller stocked with whatever you'll need. It helps to have things handy. Our sons had a blast at Disney World, and our 8 month old rode everything his big brother rode without height restrictions. He loved it. Not all babies are scared of the characters or rides. My sons both loved them!

Have a great trip! You will start seeing Disney magic a whole different way with children!

Dawn

 

[harleyquinn]

I guess that's fine and all but it sounds like you will be a new parent and this is your first trip as such - having been there prior as a newly married couple or single. If it works out, great - more power to ya. But, it's my (and many others) experience that bringing a newborn/toddler is a whole different ball game than going childless. It can be fun but it is also work and definitely different than your previous memories.

A 1yo needs lots of sleep and isn't interested in getting up early to beat the crowds. When they're tired there aren't enough fireworks in the world to keep them awake. They can only express discomfort by crying and need to be fed on their schedule (breastfeeding?). They're sensitive to noise, sun, and heat. They can't ride on many rides and don't care for a lot of the shows that you might like - meaning they'll fuss and you'll possibly have to leave something you enjoy. You'll become a pack mule hauling baby stuff around Disney and you and your spouse won't be able to ride together on those attractions that your little one can't. Keep in mind that the "value" resorts don't necessarily have refrigerators either and you'll end up paying twice the amount your accustomed to for diapers/food/wipes, etc..

All in all you'll probably have a memorable time but I do think you should be prepared for a different experience.

I appreciate your concern, and I will definitely keep it in mind. She's not even here yet, so who knows? She could be a very sensitive child or hate being in the car or a million other things and then we can change our minds.

Everything else you said is true, but I'm thinking of all of the GOOD things that can happen on the trip and ways to avoid the things you speak of. Again a LOT of people take litte ones around this age and manage to have an amazing time.

I'm definitely not expecting this trip to be ANYTHING like the trips we're used to with the exception of understanding what WDW is like in August.

 

[harleyquinn]

Thanks so much for all the advice and encouragement. Keep it all coming!!

 

[greengeen]

My tip is to wait until your child is three or four. But that's just me (parent of four sons, 42 trips to WDW).

P.S. The 17 hour drive will be worse than any WDW challenges. It's pretty harsh on a one year old.

 

[ScrapperBelle]

Maybe our experience was just different from everyone else's....but I wanted to say again that we had a blast taking a 1 yr. old!

True, not all children are alike. Some are more difficult/fussy than others, but our granddaughter was really great overall. Whenever she wasn't, it was our fault for not sticking to her schedule.

August is brutally hot, but you just have to go with a different attitude and plan on seeing less. At 1 yr. old they don't know the difference between the MK and the hotel...so just plan lots of down time and you'll be fine.

As for the drive, it took us 13 hours and our little one was perfectly fine. It usually takes 9, but we made plenty of rest stops to give her breaks from the car seat. A couple of breaks for nice meals, a couple of breaks for a snack at McD's and a few minutes on the playground make a huge difference in travelling. If you can fly, I'm sure it would be easier and faster, but we were able to bring everything we needed with us. That is a personal decision for your family, just wanted to let you know that we managed the drive down just fine.

A final note...as for her being "too young". Treasure every day you have with her and every opportunity to do things for and with her. We lost our oldest son 18 mos. ago (he was 18) in a car accident. I am looking right now at a huge collage of Disney photos I made after he passed. I would not trade anything for even one of those precious moments. Do as you wish with your family. As long as you enjoy each other everything will be fine. In a few short years you won't remember the little annoyances you'll have on the trip...all you'll remember are the good times.

 

[cnjmom]

We went a few weeks ago. I have three kids--DD5.5, DS3 (turned three during our trip) and DS13 months. DH and I joked that DS13 months was the easiest of the three on this trip. My older two bickered a lot about water bottles and who mom was going to push in the stroller (we had our double and a single with us), etc. DS13 months just sat and took it all in.

I only skimmed the other responses, but I can see you have received some good advice. I was also cautioned by my extended family not to take DS13 months, but I am glad we did. He is a pretty good natured baby, and he loved, loved, loved the character meals, and the characters responded in kind. We even pushed the limits and stayed out past his bedtime. It wasn't our intention, but we just moved pretty slowly AND it was pretty darn hot, so we didn't cover that much ground. We did get back to the hotel for a nap most days, and that helped keep everyone sane.

One thing that no one warned me about is the leaving of the stroller behind and having to hold a child who doesn't stand alone for an extended period of time. DS is almost 27 pounds, so that got old pretty fast. If you can wear your baby while waiting in line, that would probably be easier until it gets too hot for you to wear her.

We had groceries and diapers delivered. I did bring some of each but it was nice having those delivered.

I say go for it.

As another side, we've done very long drives with all three kids at various ages (we live in the Northeast and my ILs live in Knoxville, so it's about 850-900 miles one way in the car). That wouldn't deter me, either.

Have fun and enjoy your early days with your baby as well as your trip to Disney.

 

[cnjmom]

I went back and looked for a thread I participated in before my trip, since you said you had difficulty finding them. This one was helpful.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2198614

 

[NJAmanda]

We took our first trip to Disney as a family in March when our daughter was 3 and our son was 8 months. We had a blast! So much so that we returned in September when daughter had just turned 4 and our son was 16 months. It was super hot and we had an even better time than the time before! We did drive and since my son was not a great car rider at the time we actually drove over two and a half days and made the drive a little trip. We drove during nap time and night time and never over did it or pushed it too hard. We left at nap time on Wed and arrived Friday morning to check in. We did the same coming home. We did fun things along the way and just took it easy. If you have the time I would recommend this. It really helped.

He did a great job at meals-characters, slept in the stroller, and loved the rides and the whole experience. I would say go for it! Make changes as you go as your baby needs and just enjoy it together. We had a blast and are going back with our kids-now we have another- in Dec and the youngest will be 8 months again. We can't wait!

 

[la79al]

We went in March when DD was 10.5 months old. Granted we just spent one day at Epcot and one day resort hopping but it was a lot of fun. We have the most laid back baby in the world though. She doesn't really have a schedule so we had no issues with staying up late, missing naptime, wierd mealtimes, etc. We brought our stroller that has the best recline, best shade and most storage. We also brought a blanket to cover the stroller when she finally fell asleep.
All this being said, now that DD is walking/running, I don't know if she would be as happy about being in the stroller so much. At this point, we would probably have to adjust our touring plans a bit more and bring more distracters for in the stroller. We are taking her in December when she is just over 19 months and I am anticipating it being a lot more difficult than it was when she was 10.5 months. Her expressions and what she picks up on at this age are priceless though (we're training her to put her arms up over her head and say weeeee. I can only imagine how cute this will be on Dumbo), why would we avoid taking her just because she might not remember it?
Our car ride in March was 17 hours and we drove straight through. We left about an hour before normal bedtime and only stopped for gas. She doesn't STTN anyhow, so when we stopped for gas, I would nurse her back to sleep. By the time she woke up in the morning, we stopped for breakfast and a little stretching break and then I sat next to her in the car to play with her a bit until she took a nap. We went back and forth on the idea of flying but we both have had issues with our ears while flying and didn't want to take the chance.

 

[Sherry76]

We are taking our little ones for the first time this September. My youngest just turned one in June, so I will let you know how it went! Look for my trip review in October ) I highly suggest flying, it is cruel to take a one year old in a 17 hour car ride in a car seat! Completely miserable for the little bundle! Tell DH to take the sacrifice for his little babe.

We will be flying with our little 1 yr old grandson in September and I was just curious if you bring a car seat for then to sit in on the plane? We got a seat for him, but don't know how he will stay sitting without a car seat.

 

[ercrbc]

We're taking our baby for his first b-day in Oct. Well, the trip is not really for HIM, it's for my 4yo. I went at 4 and I want her to be able to see WDW at that age as well. This thread is full of great advice!

I would never had wanted to take DD at 12mo. She was a very different baby and would have hated being in the stroller and all the people. DS is a laid back, happy guy who I think will do just fine. I have a bunch of character meals scheduled and I know he'll LOVE meeting all the characters. We're staying at the AKL and will go back for naps, downtime, ect. My DH is a big one for downtime too

Great video of the 1yo and Pooh Bear! Such a cute video, made me even more excited about our upcoming trip

 

[DisneyGuess]

We are planning on doing the same thing. My youngest DS will turn 1 while we are in Disney in Feb. I think it's a great family vacation & it isn't as if you will never go again! I took my DS7 when he was 13 months old & we had a blast so I'm definately looking forward to our trip with the youngest.
You've gotten a lot of great tips on here & I am saving them for myself.

My only tip, that has been mentioned already but I wanted to expand on: having diapers, wipes, sunscreen, tylenol, etc shipped to your hotal ahead of time. Diapers.com is a wonderful site! It has become my best friend with our new baby. They have everything you may need, diapers, wipes, swim diapers, sunscreen, baby meds, baby foods, etc & will ship it to your hotel. Shipping is free as long as you spend $49 & shipping is super fast. I always have my order within 2 days. I would definately look into them for that kind of stuff, then you don't have to worry about packing those items which will save room & you won't have to pay inflated prices once you get there.

I'm not a ton of help but I did want to throw that out there! Congrats to you on your LO!!

 

[harleyquinn]

This is so great!! I really appreciate all the advice and hearing about others experiences!!

I hope anyone who has specific questions about the overall topic will chime in--don't worry about hijacking--I'm sure your questions will help me too.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

We leave next week for our trip and I have scoured the boards for every possible tip and read through every trip report I could find where people took toddlers.

We will be driving from NJ with our 1 year old (her birthday was yesterday!). I plan on bringing a picnic blanket for when we take breaks at rest stops. Many of the rest stops along the way on 95 have picninc areas (http://www.i95exitguide.com/restareas/index.php) and instead of making our daughter sit at a fast food place (which I think she would find just as confining as her carseat) we plan on eating our meals on the picnic blanket that way she can roam around a bit and stretch her legs.

We also just purchased a Protect-a-Bub stroller shade. My daughter is fair skinned and we have to gob on sunscreen very often to avoid sunburn and unfortunately her skin is soooo sensitive that we can't just buy Banana Boat or other brands of baby sunscreen, we have to buy the uber expensive kind for super sensitive skin (at $20 for 3oz!!!). The stroller shade attaches to any stroller and offers UPF 50+ sun protection.

I am bringing some of her favorite foods from home. Although my daughter could easily eat the foods at the buffets, I don't want her eating too many unfamiliar foods (we don't eat out a lot) so that she doesn't have many tummy problems. Think how you feel when you eat on vacation, you usually indulge a bit and the food is prepared with more salt and fat than you do at home, so just as it may cause you some stomach discomfort it will make your baby uncomfortable as well. Something as simple as a pancake or french toast could easily have 2x the amount of fat than the same item you prepare at home. So for some of our meals, our daughter will have oatmeal with a banana or pastina, things that can easily be prepared with just a cup of hot water that waiters don't mind bringing us.

People think we're nuts and we are wasting our money, but we don't plan on being in any park between 12 and 6. We scheduled our in-park breakfasts (all character breakfasts) on non EMH mornings at 8:05 or 8:15 so that we can (a) be in the parks near rope-drop time, (b) take advantage of her happiest/non-cranky time of the day, (c) have a good 2-3 hours before she gets tired (she's a non-stroller sleeper) and (d) before it gets crazy hot (we're going in July becuase I am a teacher and it is the only time I can go). We will nap and then play in the pool and hotel for awhile, eat dinner and then head back to the parks from about 6-8 at night so DD can be in bed by 9. That is stretching her bedtime a little, but we won't be doing that every night. We also plan on picking up fast passes for a few rides while we are there in the morning and then using the FPs when we return to the park at night. We think we only need to see Spectromagic/fireworks just once while we are there. It is something I would like to see on multiple nights, but it just won't work for DD's schedule so it is one of my sacrifices for the trip, but I don't mind too much.

I hope you have a great time with your little one!