Traveling with a 14 month old - any tips!

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Our next trip our baby will be 14 months old. I haven't had a 14 month old in a long time! What should I expect taking a 14 mth old to Disney?

 

[dkfajr1]

Go with the flow as much as possible. Use the baby centers in the parks. Use rider swap. We've taken our youngest when he was 11 months, and 18 months. He did sleep in his stroller a lot, we had a stroller fan with mister that helped with the heat. Then he learned to squirt himself, without us knowing, he was nice and cool! haha. He got out of the stroller a lot to play at the play areas and I would wear him sometimes too. We also had small frequent meals/snacks, and changes of clothes. Have fun!

 

[Stitch2007]

Just got back with a 12 month old. The baby centers were great! Much easier to use changing tables there than in the regular bathrooms.

 

[Ltrainn03]

My middle child was 14 months on her first visit. She loved it! I definitely agree about the baby centers. They offer clean changing tables, restrooms, high chairs, and a other spaces to decompress in the air conditioning. Each time I used one, we were the only family or maybe one other family was there. Think about bringing a baby carrier, especially for long lines and attractions like Tom Sawyer's island. Don't push yourself/your baby too much. We always take a break back to the resort in the middle of the day. Most importantly, go with the flow!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Great suggestions !! Thank you all

 

[Jgeauxmo]

We went when my little one was 10 months then 18 months. He was/is obsessed with stickers so I loaded up our park bag with stickers for him to play with in line. Also bring in lots of snacks and juice boxes so you can easily distract him. The stroller was a life saver both times. At ten months I wore him most of the time. It was so easy because if he was sleeping they let me ride most things with him in the carrier. He was mobile last time and wanted to get down and run. Enjoy those moments. I have the best pictures of him chasing a balloon around at the magic kingdom just being a toddler.

 

[WDW_Firefighter]

As others have said, baby centers, rider swap, and a lot of SNACKS!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

As others have said, baby centers, rider swap, and a lot of SNACKS!

How exactly does rider swap work? There will be two children (one an infant) and two adults. So if one adult goes on with the child first time, when the swap comes, does the child get to ride with the remaining adult again? Not fun to have to ride alone if not.

 

[roseaster]

When my kids could walk I taught them how to tolerate being changed while standing up. It's a big help when the cleanliness of the changing table is questionable.

Bring your own full sized stroller that reclines so baby is comfortable and naps.

If baby takes a pacifier, pack extra. We lost one one year and couldn't find the "right" kind to replace it in the parks. My husband actually took a cab to a drug store to get one. It was ugly.

Don't forget swim diapers

If the baby only takes whole milk order some for the room (and get a fridge) it's hard to find whole milk in the parks. Also order shelf stable single serve boxes and freeze for the parks.

Let the baby run around as much as they can/want so that they sleep at night.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We just got back and took my 17 month old niece for her first trip. She had a blast! This trip really made us realize that there is no age too young for Disney.

My sister brought their own stroller that they bought specifically for this trip and it was perfect - it had a tray, reclined so the baby could nap in the parks comfortably and we had a stroller sign made and laminated to keep on the stroller. We also bought a stroller gate check bag for the stroller on Amazon, so the stroller wouldn't get damaged. That worked out really well and we were able to gate check it and had no issues. My niece loved being the stroller, but we made sure to let her roam around a little bit and in the lobby at the resort - she loved greeting people lol.

My sister packed LOTS of snacks and one of those great kids water cups that keeps the water cold for 12 hours. They sell Disney ones all over. We also brought a high chair cover for all of our meals. My sister is a huge germ freak and this was great and we just kept it under the stroller the whole trip and grabbed it when we ate.

We took afternoon breaks each day. We always did this before bringing a toddler to Disney, so this didn't change the way we do things normally. We loved spending time at the pool and just relaxing until heading back to a park in the evening.

We also made sure to bring a rain cover for the stroller. Thank goodness for this! It didn't rain as much as we thought it would for September. But one night in MK, it rained for hours, and the rain cover was a huge life saver! Whenever we parked the stroller to go in a show or on a ride, my sister covered the stroller with it, just in case a quick shower came through.

We booked an appointment for my nieces first haircut at Harmony Barbershop in MK. I would recommend this to all parents! It was the cutest experience. For $25, your baby will get a haircut, certificate, first haircut mickey ears and they give you a lock of their to bring home. It was quick, so we made sure to do it at park opening and the CM's were fantastic!

 

[WDW_Firefighter]

How exactly does rider swap work?

You with or without the older child, walk up to the stand-by line, while the other adult waits with the infant and or child. Tell the cast member that you would like to do a rider swap and I usually point to wear my wife and kids were sitting. You then take the pass, while waiting in stand-by, to the next cast member and they'll give you a paper fast pass ticket that will allow up to 3 people to ride again going through the fastpass line.