Tips for WDW with A 1 yr old

[DISLOVE]

My husband and I are disney veterans and have waited long enough for our return trip to disney. We are going in early December and will be flying from NH (about 3 hours) Allison just turned 1 and is almost walking (surely she will by then!).

We are planning on taking our cues from her. We'll take many nap and meal breaks. And she'll be in bed at her normal 7:30 every night. ABSOLUTELY NO IN ROOM SITTERS (don't get me started again!)

What tips and advice can you give me about things we should bring with us, what to avoid, restaurants with healthy kid options etc?

Thanks!

 

[cinjam]

We took DS on his 1st visit when he was 14 months old. We had an excellent time.

1st - we took his car seat on the plane. He knew it was his & knew he had to stay buckled in. To him it was a long car ride. Ours is about a 2.5 hour flight. He slept most of the time. On our ped's advice we gave him a dose of a decongestant prior to the flight because he had a small cold the week before & she said we'd want to eliminate any fluid in his ears prior to flying. The ped told us the landing is harder on the ears than the take off. And that we should have him drink something (get him to swallow) during take off & landing. We tried to give him his sippy cup on take off, but he would have nothing to do with it. He slept through the landing.

All the small toys I brought to entertain him during the flight couldn't hold a candle to the vomit bag (great puppet), the little snack they gave out & the phone attached to the seat in front of him. Those three things entertained him the entire time he was awake!!

We brought our own stroller & gate checked it. He stayed in the stroller most of the time while we were waiting to board the plane.

We had a towne car take us from the aiprort to the room and we did the grocery store stop. I bought parmalot milk, peanut butter & jelly, a loaf of bread, box of cereal, bag of pretzels, sippy boxes of juice, diapers/wipes, case of bottled water, favorite DS snakcs, etc. We brought a collapsable cooler, which we kept under the sink area. Refilled the ice everyday (cheaper than renting the frig). I bought the diapers so I wouldn't have to take up luggage space. I knew about how many we'd go through in 9 days and bought a bit more than that. We took home the left overs.

We stayed at AKL. We brought our own pak-n-play sheets & blankets from home. I bought lysol wipes & cleaned everything he would touch thoroughly. I got down on my hands & knees when we 1st got in our room and scanned the floor for garbage missed by housekeeping. I came up with a bunch of peanut M&Ms and a bottle cap.

We made sure we brought his favorite (smaller) toy & his teddy bear (something he cannot live without LOL!!).

We tried to keep the same schedule as at home, but towards the end we pushed his bed time to about 10:00 to let him see the fireworks & electric light parade (which he LOVED). We let him set the pace. One day we spent about 2 hours letting him chase ducks in epcot...that's what he wanted to do at that moment DH & I sat on a nearby bench and had a ball just watching him.

We all took a naps in the afternoon if we went back to the room. Some days DS would fall asleep in his stroller, which I thought he wouldn't do! We'd find a quite bench, put our feet up & have some ice cream.

We stayed for 9 days on that trip. I brought clothes for 5 days & did some laundry mid-way through. That was my attempt to avoid overpacking.

We took DS on any attraction that did not have a height restriction. We went to several character meals, but 1st observed characters from afar to see if he'd be frightened. He wasn't. He saw pooh from afar and was tickled beyond anything I've ever seen.

That's all I can think of for now!

Enjoy your trip!!! I am so jealous! We are missing our trip this year because I am pregnant (which is a GOOD thing!!), but I am planning on returning in February 2005 when the new baby will be one & DS will be 4...can't wait

 

[scanne]

We recently returned from our DS's first trip. He turned one the day before we left. We brought his car seat and stroller - checked the stroller at the gate which was VERY easy! Our son slept all the way through the flight going to Florida (about 2 hrs. 15 minutes) and we had ******** pick us up. We did the supermarket stop to buy diapers, snacks, milk, etc. We rented a fridge at our resort (WL) and they didn't charge us for it. I guess we got a little pixie dust on that one.

We did many character meals. Our son, too, was enamoured by Pooh and especially Eeyore. Our son napped in his stroller and also fell asleep in his stroller in the evenings. It was nice to be at WL because when we left MK, we didn't have to fold the stroller on the boat. We spent most of our time at MK (of course).

We also brought our own pack n play sheet, but found the one that mousekeeping provided was just fine. Our son wasn't walking while we were there, so he pretty much did what we did. We took him on all the rides that don't have restrictions and he loved everything. He slept through fireworks and parades and Fantasmic! but loved the shows like Festival of the Lion King.

We're taking him again in February for 5 days. Actually I'm taking a choral group to perform in WDW and he and my DH are coming along. He will be 19 months then and I'm sure it will be a completely different experience! But go and enjoy yourselves and enjoy watching your little one experience the magic. I don't think there is anything better!!!

Hope this helps!

 

[becka]

Thanks for relating your experiences. DS will be just days shy of 20 months when we go in February and your posts really make me feel even better about going at his age. I just know we will have a great time and I can't wait to experience WDW through him eyes.

 

[mommyflower]

We took our ds at 18 months and did similar to scanne & cinjam. One thing I did that was helpful was made up prepacked baggies of meal time tools. I got disposable bibs, disposable place mats, bendy straws, plastic spoons (without rough edges), and individually wrapped handi wipes. I made up a baggie for each meal and put two or three baggies in the diaper bag when we left the hotel room. I did this because my ds wanted to eat on his own but was not able to use a spoon or fork well yet. So we put the plastic place mat on the table and put his finger food on it. That kept him happy while we ate. Bendy straws are just so much easier for little ones to use and I don't remember getting this in the parks. Everything was disposable when we were done with it so we didn't lug around dirty bibs and such. It was just something that made it a bit easier for me.

I'm sure you'll have a great time. You already have the right idea about following your dd's schedule while your there. Good luck!

 

[cinjam]

mommyflower - excellent idea on the prepacked baggies of meal time tools. I just may borrow that one the next time we go with the new baby!

 

[always dreamin']

Originally posted by mommyflower
[B...I got disposable bibs, disposable place mats, bendy straws, plastic spoons (without rough edges), and individually wrapped handi wipes. [/B]

This is an excellent idea! Where did you get your disposable placemats? I've been trying to find them with no luck!

Has anyone taken their own pack-n-play or are Disney's pretty clean?

 

[becka]

Originally posted by always dreamin'
This is an excellent idea! Where did you get your disposable placemats? I've been trying to find them with no luck!

Yes...please tell me where you guys find them because I have have zero luck finding them around here for months. They would be good for the trip but also for when we go out at home.

 

[cinjam]

I found disposable place mats at Toys R Us. They also have them at One Step Ahead. Here's the link:
One Step Ahead Table Toppers

 

[cinjam]

Has anyone taken their own pack-n-play or are Disney's pretty clean?

We've used Disney's at AKL & CBR & both were acceptable. I brought my own sheets though. I also brought lysol wipes & wiped the whole thing down - just to make me feel better

 

[ahutton]

The only thing I would add to what is above...

If your child is mobile at all (crawling, walking, cruising...) take some time as you make rounds in the parks and let them get down and explore. The baby centers are wonderful for that. DDs have always needed some time to decompress and between the cartoons, crayons and toys they really left there revived.

 

[ineedpixiedust]

We just returned from WDW with our 15mo DS. One tip I'll add to the rest is: take an extra set of clothes for the baby and pack a unisex tshirt for the adults! There are so many ways for a little one (espically a mobile, rambunctious little boy) to get wet or dirty! Also, you might want to toss a bathing suit for the baby in your diaper bag. There are a lot of "wet" play areas for kids, and my son just loved them. Also, make sure to watch the Spectromagic parade. DS was soooo excited about this! He'd watch for a minute or two, then turn around and look at us with a big grin, clap his hands and squeal! Also, you might want to request a highchair from your hotel. We didn't stay at Disney, so I'm not sure if their hotels offer this or not, but it sure was nice to have one in the room! Just take it slow and have fun!

 

[mommyflower]

I got the disposable placemats at Babys R Us. They had Sesame Street & Blues Clues. Toys R Us probably had them too. I'm glad some body liked my idea. Some of my family members thought I was over doing it a little, but I always felt like I had everything I needed. I really like to be organized. I hate that scatter-brained feeling when trying to get ready to go out with a little one. Another thing I remembered I brought was a snack. I got little individual packs of cookies, crackers, or cereal and carried them around. I found they really helped when we were sitting waiting for our food. Well good luck to everyone! We leave in 53 days and I am now in that pre-packing planning mode. I'm so excited!!!

 

[deb305]

We took DS 13 months in January. Our 2cents:
- Take your own stroller, hopefully large enough for naps. DS took lots of mini naps. Sat higher up own stroller, park rentals are low to the ground and impossible to restrain the child in them.
- If you have a rental car and are staying on site, consider driving to the parks. We did this to avoid folding up big bulky stroller for buses. Also the storage space on the stroller let us take in extra clothes,food, bottles etc. We stayed at a monorail resort so only had to drive to MGM and AK. Get to the park early or else you have a long walk from parking lot. DH and I alternated who got to push the stroller vs who rode the tram.
-We ate in restaraunts while DS napped. Mid afternoon most of WDW restaraunts were able to seat you with out priority seating.(of course this was January)
-Go slow. 1 year olds see the park from different prospective. The sight of Mickey elicited the same enthusiasm as a lizard crossing the path.
- Take advantage of the shows, DS loved Playhouse Disney, Lioin King at AK, wandering musical groups at any park, etc
-Avoid lines, Avoid lines, 1 year olds have the patience of a knat (sp).
-Frequent the play areas in all the parks, be sure one of you is with them at all times though. In order of fun for DS tops was Boneyard, then HISTK at MGM, Toon town (Mickey/Minnie house, and small playground).
- 1 year olds love animals, AK was his favorite park, hands down!

Bottom line, commando touring and 1 yr olds don't mix. We enjoyed the slower pace. I may not have been able to ride many rides, but DS responses to everything brought the magic back to WDW.
Enjoy!

 

[deb305]

OOOOPS forgot the biggie. If you are staying on site, the Deluxes and maybe the moderates have metal cribs, that put the child on a little higher level than the beds. Get one if you can. That way the little one is not in a draft, and they can see what is going on, less scared.

 

[ksycourt]

you can get the disposable placemats at walmart!

 

[gillis95]

Great tips...LOVE the pre-pack meal baggies idea..I've added it to THE LIST!!! Our DS will be 18mo and we're hopefully going with another couple and their then 4.5mo. My parents keep telling me to cancel the trip that it's a waste of time ...I keep telling her Disney is FOR kids and we've done everything at WDW ourselves and this is just to get away and watch him have fun. Her response is just to take him to the zoo..he won't remember...oh that ticks me off..anyway.

I'm excited again reading your posts about the fun and excitement with the little ones. I just bought a new lightweight Graco Citylight stroller for the trip. It's very lightweight, more compact but still lots of room, good basket, cup holder, reclines. It was one that was suggested on this board and I'm pleased with it. I've put my bigger one in the garage and just use this new one now.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Originally posted by gillis95
Great tips...LOVE the pre-pack meal baggies idea..I've added it to THE LIST!!! Our DS will be 18mo and we're hopefully going with another couple and their then 4.5mo. My parents keep telling me to cancel the trip that it's a waste of time ...I keep telling her Disney is FOR kids and we've done everything at WDW ourselves and this is just to get away and watch him have fun. Her response is just to take him to the zoo..he won't remember...oh that ticks me off..anyway.

I'm excited again reading your posts about the fun and excitement with the little ones. I just bought a new lightweight Graco Citylight stroller for the trip. It's very lightweight, more compact but still lots of room, good basket, cup holder, reclines. It was one that was suggested on this board and I'm pleased with it. I've put my bigger one in the garage and just use this new one now.

gillis95,
Oh how I know what you mean about your Mom. I wasn't going to tell my MIL that we are going in Jan til after Christmas. I went in early Dec 2001 and left DH and 2 kids home and then went last Oct with DD while pregnant and left DS with DH. I just didn't want her to worry or to get my reluctant DH to change his mind. But then I found out my SIL is running in the marathon while we are going to be there so I figured I had to tell MIL since everyone else knew. She was NOT happy. How are you going to get to the airport in January? You'll have to bring snowsuits! UGH...I want to go on vacation with my family. My DD remembers last year's trip and even if they don't remember we will have fun together as a family. I just hope DH will relax and have a good time. He didn't want to travel at all when we first met but then I turned him into a good traveler now I need to turn him into a family traveler.

I just can't wait to see my son & baby at Disney.

Now I'm on the search for the perfect lightweight double stroller.