To go with a 1 yr old or not

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

1 is an easy/great age to take.
Now 2....that is another story! lol.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

Do it!

We took our son for his first birthday too - and it was his second trip (went at 7 1/2 months).

My son actually started walking on his own at Disney, last day of the trip in the Boneyard at AK. How's that for a Disney trip memory?

He had a blast meeting all the characters (he's very familiar w/Mickey and the main ones), going on the rides, and loved watching the parades. Fireworks were the only thing he was scared of.

It was such a great family experience for us on both trips that I was able to convince my husband to get FL Resident Seasonal Passes. We will start using them in the fall for Food and Wine when DS is 1 1/2. I'm also planning quick trips for early Dec. to see the holiday stuff and his second birthday in the spring (we are fortunate to live only a few hours away).

 

[HM]

I'm with your wife.
I don't want to go to a theme park and have to worry about changing diaper, nap times, diaper bags full of baby stuff, strollers, etc.
We waited until our youngest was 4 and oldest was 6. Perfect for us.

Other people are obviously happy with taking babies, but it's just not for me.

 

[khertz]

We took my son just after he turned 1 and it was a fantastic trip! He had a blast, and we had so much fun making memories with him. It is definitely not the same as taking a trip just adults, but as long as you manage your expectations, it can be a totally fun trip! I wrote a TR (link is in my signature - November 2011) and read plenty of other TRs of people taking toddlers to get tips before we went. He has since been on several more trips: DL at 19 months, WDW at 2, 3, and 3.5, and we are about to go again with him for his 5th birthday and DD will be going on her first trip at 11 weeks old.

 

[Lisaloo]

My kids are 12, 14, 15 and 17 and have all been to WDW as infants/toddlers. At a year old they were incredibly easy to travel with! DH was reluctant with our first because "he wouldn't remember it", but he changed his mind and the pictures are priceless. We had a ball. We went every year for a while and now we go every couple of years. Each trip is very different as they mature and I truly cherish those baby trips!!

 

[MrInfinity]

Just you and your wife and a one-year-old? Sure, if you want to. Nuttin wrong w it. I would probly wait till closer to 2 tho.

We've done it both ways. But when we went w a little one, we also had older kids. Then when you split up, you are taking your older kids on something interesting while the other does something w the baby. If it is just the 3 of you, there is really no way to ride anything together. Single-rider every time. We had fun going to Disneyland when our oldest was about 2.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

You should go.. convince her! We waited until our 1st daughter was 2. She was a handful as a baby. Before her we went to disney 9x but we didn't go when she was 1 because she was up every 3 hours and she had a texture adversion and vomited often when fed. I wasn't ready for a vacation with her. However, looking back i wish i had! Those are priceless times. When she was 2 those memories at Disney are my treasures. She didn't go this year b/c we had our 2nd daughter. So now our 1st will be 4 and our new baby girl will be 13 months. I wouldn't want to wait for our 2nd to be 2.. then our 1st would be 5! We had the best time with her at 2 on vacations.. we also did a cruise, and a Sesame Place vacation with family.. it all went perfectly. I will never be able to have memories of our first being 1 at Disney.. as hard as it may have been, we should have just went! This time, we are taking our 13 month old and our 4 year old. It will be awesome. If you're planning every 2 years now, then go for it while they are young.. they grow fast.. don't wait. We are planning 1/2 day at the parks, and 1/2 at the resort.. have a full recline stroller for naps, and sleeping, our FP+'s and we're all set. -oh and it is soooo true that the older ones are more work than the baby. The baby is just along for the ride. The 4 year old is so much more work.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We've gone to WDW with ds at 5mo, 13mo, 15 mo, 2yo and 3yo and we all had a blast. He may not remember the trips but he's always had fun in the moment and has always been fine with the characters, rides and parades. The one and only ride he did not like was the Haunted Mansion.

 

[Crispity]

We have taken DD at 14 months, 22 months, and 2.5. Neither DH nor I were Disney "people" before we took DD at 14 months (neither of us had been since we were kids). The only reason that we went to begin with was that the in-laws offered us the free use of their Orlando timeshare (offsite), and we decided we might as well check out Disney while we were there. Well, seeing DD react to all of the sights (and especially the characters!) was absolutely magical, and we were hooked!

I think if you are going to take a very young child on a vacation, Disney is one of the best places you can possibly go. A Disney trip is certainly not relaxing, but parenting young children is never relaxing! What Disney offers you is non-stop entertainment, which is amazing for young children, because YOU don't have to constantly come up with ways to keep them entertained. I also agree that the younger they are, the easier it is! Our last trip with 2.5 year old DD was definitely a challenge (defiance, meltdowns, etc.), but she was so mellow on the trips before she was 2 - just enthralled with everything and so happy to be there. And the pictures are priceless!

 

[Bitsmommy]

My youngest went at 10 months old. I would do it again. It was great. He was great! And he enjoyed it Just slow down and don't try to go through the parks all renegade.

 

[MissMet]

Go for it! At that ages he's completely free, so why not?! I'd rather be at WDW at a slower pace with my one year old, than not at WDW. We're taking two one year olds, a three year old & my pregnant self (with an additional 5 adults) in Oct & we can't wait! There's tons for the one year old to enjoy. Go for it!

 

[luvmy2babies]

My son's first trip was at 10 months. It was more about his 7 year-old sister; but he had a great time. I didn't have a spouse to consult as I'm widowed. I'd want to address the concerns she has fully; because it really doesn't matter what we say about how great Disney can be for a baby.

 

[tinkerbesh]

Go for it! We brought DS for his first trip at 11 months, stayed at Pop, and it was fabulous! He loved it and we loved it. The only thing he didn't enjoy was Peter Pan (bc he couldn't see our faces in the dark). It was just me, DH, and DS, and it worked out just fine. We came home for bedtime every night (so no fireworks), and the days were easy and fun.

If you have the ability to stay at Contemporary, I'd highly recommend that. Our most recent trip was there (when DS was 2), and the proximity to MK was fantastic.

 

[Miumiu4me]

Personally, I would never do it. My DS is soon to be 8 and we are taking him for the first time. Now, if the trip would be solely for you and not for the child at all, then maybe...depending on how tolerant you are. Personally I think 1 would be the WORST age to take a child. Child will likely be afraid of EVERYTHING (rides and characters both), will be miserable in the heat, won't want to stay put in a stroller, will be cranky if regular sleep/nap schedule is off which it would likely be. If you and DW want to ride any rides that child can't, you would have to do ride swap and not ride together. Just out of curiosity, how are you picturing the trip? How would it be fun?

My daughter has been going since she was 3 months old. The only ride she's been consistently afraid of is Prates and she loves all the characters. I had no issues taking her to Disney when she was 12-20 months. She was well behaved and stayed in her stroller. When she hit about 21 months she wanted to walk more. She's two now and she won't stay in her stroller and does get a bit cranky . . . but she still loves going. I personally think it's easier to take a 1 year old than a 2 year old - although it really depends on your baby's personality.

 

[owynn]

we are going in 8 days with my 14 month old son. We know we are not going for him, but to make memories for us with him. We are looking forward to slowing down our pace and relaxing and just enjoying spending time together as a family.

 

[BabyHabs]

I took my 20 month old in March and she absolutely loved it. She was a little scared of the characters if they were too close, but LOVED the rides and all the sights.

 

[ELSA711]

We did it with 2 of ours at that age and had a blast! But we are frequent visitors.

 

[kboo]

We took our DD when she was 1yr 9 months and we had a great time - it was the same thing - my parents and adult sister and SIL were there, so we actually got to do a lot of grownup stuff since my parents stsayed back at the condo in the evening and DH and I went out with my sisters, and earlier in the day we'd head out early and do stuff with DD and meet up with the other grownups later. And we did all sorts of variations of rider swap so DH and I actually got a fair bit of time together.

in 2014 we took DD the week before she turned 3, which was a great time just the 3 of us - saved a ton of $ on tickets and meals, she loved meeting characters and princesses, and she definitely remembered the trip. We had 1 meltdown the whole week. Interested to see others' experiences since we are going again in March when I'll be on leave with DD2 (3 months) and DD1 will be 4.5. My parents are coming along again, but my mom is slightly disabled so we won't be able to rely on them as much as we did in 2013, but it will still be fun.

 

[FargoBear]

We took our 18-month-old son. We had some great memories with him on that trip, but also some I'm sure we'd like to forget. We were debating whether to go, and the point was made about how much they'll remember about the trip, which in the longterm will be virtually nothing. But I liked what one poster on the boards said, which was basically: well, YOU'LL always have those memories. And to be honest, we had a great one at Hollywood Studios when we rounded a corner and saw Minnie standing all by herself, and our son pulled his hand away and ran into her arms.

Now, all that aside, there were meltdowns. And even in November, the heat got to him at times. We've gone once a year since then and each time seems to get better and we have more fun, especially when he hit the magical 40-inch mark and was able to go on more rides.

 

[TiffDisney2015]

Do you have to make a Adr for a one year old