I have an eight month old and live near Disney so we have taken him over to the parks several times. (Be prepared to get stared at a lot...people can't believe you would actually bring a baby to the Parks...relax, with a little common sense, you can not only bring a baby, you can have a great time with him, too!)
My first tip is to look for the Baby Care stations in each of the four parks. They are rather nice rooms that include changing tables, high chairs (Prima Pappa's), gliders and a play area. They provide a nice, cool, quiet respite from the hectic pace of the parks. You can go in for a quick diaper change, a feeding or a nap. There is no charge for use of the facility, but they do provide diapers, formula and other such supplies for a price.
My second tip would be to employ plenty of patience! It is great that you've been to the parks so that you already know how overwhelming they can be to even an adult. With the baby in tow, we usually only spend a couple of hours (especially in the heat of the summer!) and only go knowing we may come home before we've been on a single ride. We try to let his mood dictate our stay. It is no fun for anyone if the baby is too cranky!
Third, in addition to hydratrion issues, remember the sunscreen and a hat! Also, a little fan that attaches to your stroller is a great idea. Nothing will ruin your trip more quickly than an ill, sunburned baby who is hot and stuffy in her stroller! Also, along the same lines, bring her immunization records. IF she happens to get ill, it will be good for the doctor to have a copy.
As far as what our son enjoys in the Parks...at Animal Kingdom he loves the petting zoo, Stanley, the stegasaurus ride and the parade. At MGM, he loves the Playhouse Disney and the Bug's Life playground. He hasn't been to Epcot. At MK, he loves Fantasyland, the train, character interaction, the Tiki Birds and the parades. He's been to the water parks, as well, and really enjoys just sitting in the water (bring Swimmies) at Tykes Peak, splashing and people watching. Also, he enjoys DD shopping, especially the
Lego store and Once Upon a Toy. He also loves the character meals, although he thinks the characters should simply stay at our table and can't understand why they circulate around the room!
We've flown with our son only once, when he was four months old. We did the bottle during take-off and landing, as well, and it worked. We brought plenty of rattles, books, etc on-board and that seemed to help. If you have connections (which we did), remember the air in airports is very dry...after spending all day on planes and in airports, even our son's little eyes were dry, but he tolerated it well.
Sorry that I've gotten so wordy. I hope some of the tips are helpful. Have a Magical vacation to the World!
