Trip with a One Year Old

[Peaseblossom36]

Hello!

I've just started planning a trip to celebrate a first birthday in February 2022. I'm hoping for some tips or advice on things that I may not think about as this will be our first trip with a child and second trip I've planned (last time was our delayed honeymoon). We're currently booked from February 6th-12th at POP in a preferred room. Has anyone stayed in one of these rooms with a pack and play or crib? It looks like it may be a bit tight. We are very much go with the flow kind of people so are really planning on just following her cues as far as the day goes. So far we have Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom planned for most days with one day at Hollywood Studios and haven't planned to do Epcot. Other than MK and AK, I'm not sure what she would be able to do/see at the other two parks.

At the moment we have a rental car planned since ME won't be operating when we go (which is a bummer, we hate driving) but I'm still looking into other options. I would also love tips for flying with a child at that age. I'm planning on bringing her car seat and hopefully booking her a seat on the plane since I'm unsure she will want to be held for an entire flight.

Please tell me I'm not crazy for wanting to do this with a one year old I know she won't remember it but we will and she will have pictures to look back at.

Thanks!

 

[sponica]

I'm going with a 5 year old and a 20 month old, which seems crazier than a 1 year old....it's been a long time since I've stayed in those Pop rooms but if four 20-something college girls can cram a week's worth of luggage into what was 2 full beds at the time, I feel like a year old and pack n play is an upgrade!

The most important thing for you to know as far as sleeping arrangements is does your child need ABSOLUTE darkness to fall asleep? When we took my 20 month old, we had to stick the Pack n Play into the sink area of the bathroom at POFQ and mostly close the curtain so that it was dark enough for her to sleep.

Go where YOU want to go. At that age kiddos don't care about where they go. My 20 month old LOVED Epcot. If you're Epcot people, don't skip it because you don't think the kiddo will like it.

 

[Kerr84]

Do a grocery order with diapers, wipes, etc. so that you don't have to pack it all. If you can, stay at a resort that is convenient for nap time.

 

[saturn5]

I feel you. We just booked Feb 6-11 at Movies, my boy will be 17 months, i will have 2 nephews at 6 & 7 months, and my niece at 2 years old. This trip is with 25 people total too, I think I legally may be insane.

My plan was to drive, since I work graveyard so driving overnight for me is a piece of cake, and I can do the 16 hr drive from Houston to WDW while DS is sleeping...and I really don't want to deal with airline and car rental, as it would be cheaper for me to drive than buy discount airline tickets (domestic airline employee) and rent a car. I am ok with paying the parking fee's as it just makes sense for us...not sure what my in-laws are going to do But you bring up great points, where does one actually put a pack n play in one of these rooms???

 

[Random Ninja]

We took our DD to disney for her 1st birthday this past February and stayed at Pop. We put the pack n play in the bathroom sink area but she didn’t sleep well there. The room was just too different and she’s not a good traveller. I was glad we were only there for 2 nights because nobody slept well.

We’ve done all the parks with her, the joys of being semi-local. She likes the safari but not much held her attention at AK. The dance party was a hit and the new Mickey ride at DHS was too. I swear we watched fish in the tanks at Epcot f

I wish there were more areas for little ones to get out and run around. We found an out of the way area on the trail by the tree in AK and a walkway by the bathrooms in DHS but there really wasn’t much.

Best advice I can give is to plan breaks and then double the number of breaks you think you need. Bring plenty of familiar snacks.

 

[fairygagamother]

We took our DD to disney for her 1st birthday this past February and stayed at Pop. We put the pack n play in the bathroom sink area but she didn’t sleep well there. The room was just too different and she’s not a good traveller. I was glad we were only there for 2 nights because nobody slept well.

We’ve done all the parks with her, the joys of being semi-local. She likes the safari but not much held her attention at AK. The dance party was a hit and the new Mickey ride at DHS was too. I swear we watched fish in the tanks at Epcot f

I wish there were more areas for little ones to get out and run around. We found an out of the way area on the trail by the tree in AK and a walkway by the bathrooms in DHS but there really wasn’t much.

Best advice I can give is to plan breaks and then double the number of breaks you think you need. Bring plenty of familiar snacks.

We just returned from a trip with a 20 month & a five year old. While I waited for the others with the baby at HS we went into the courtyard across from Little Mermaid where the characters used to meet. Absolutely no one was back there because all those areas are currently closed. The sets where the Disney Jr characters met made a great toddler playground! He played freely for about 45 minutes & would have played longer. It also made for some fun & colorful photo ops!

 

[Rory607]

Not crazy! You can absolutely have a great time with a baby/toddler. My sons’s first trip was when he was one and we have wonderful memories! We also had a 4 year old, but honestly, the baby was so easy.

I placed an Amazon order before we went for diapers, wipes, formula, puffs, bottled water, etc. It was very helpful not to have to pack all of that stuff for the entire week. If you have a car you could also stop somewhere and get supplies. Ibrought a small thing of dish soap to wash bottles at night.

Is your little one used to sleeping in a pack and play? Our kids always slept fine because they were used to it from grandparents houses. I did bring my own sheet. Our kids were also fine falling asleep with light and low noise from the tv, but I brought their Scout dog because they were used to the bedtime music.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Pop is perfect for a pack and play if you only need the one bed. We left the other bed folded up most of the time. If your 1 year old is the only kid on the trip, it can be pretty magical. We went 3 weeks before my oldest turned 1. He loved the Magic Kingdom (Winnie the Pooh ride and Dumbo playground especially), and we enjoyed peaceful strolls in Epcot during his midday nap. It was an enjoyable trip at a slower pace than when we were trying to do the bigger rides. We didn't do any rides he couldn't go on. He also enjoyed the fountains in Epcot and the train in Epcot's Germany. We enjoyed the simple pleasures, sights, and tastes of the parks. The only issue was he had been still taking 2 naps a day, and he would try to resist nap #2 so he wouldn't miss anything. Peoplemover at night finally got him to sleep. Oh, and the Baby Care centers in the park were great!

 

[JFDIS]

We took our 4 yo for her first birthday and fell in love! We bought AP’s after that trip and now have a 2 1/2 yo who has joined the fun. We have never stayed at Pop but have put the kids in the bathroom/closet more than once. Whatever works. My advice for the parks would be to rope drop. Go early while everyone is happy then take a break. I really just want to say enjoy the age she is. You can always come back when she older and do different things. I’m getting sappy now thinking of watching my dd’s face while she watched the trolley show. Naps in the stroller are a good opportunity for you and your partner to enjoy some things for yourselves. Have a magical time!!!

 

[Specter]

We took DD when she was 10 months old and it was a great trip, just very different from what DW and I had experienced in the past, obviously.

Never stayed at that resort so I can't offer up much advise there. If your little one is on/still on formula at the time of the visit, we personally found the single serve packets fantastic for park feedings. We would pre-fill her bottles with water in the room and then throw a few formula packets into the diaper bag. We had previously tried one of the plastic, divided containers but for one, they're a bit bulkier and more importantly in our experience, the one we had popped open in the bag once and we said never again.

As someone else mentioned, take enough diapers/wipes/etc to travel but do a grocery order for the rest. Our visit was over spring break 2020 just before the shut down and we still were able to get almost everything on our order except extra hand sanitizer, which was a last minute add on after seeing the headlines at the time.

Midday breaks...they are your friend. DD travels well thus far in our limited experience and she even napped in the stroller, something that seems impossible with all of the sights and sounds there. But the one day that we decided to try and push through and didn't take a proper midday break she was done by dinnertime and just miserable until we got her inside and in her bed.

Epcot was actually not bad with her, she could ride Frozen, the boat ride in the Mexico pavilion, the Land, Spaceship Earth, and a few others and I think the new Ratatouille ride is all ages/no height requirement. Hollywood Studios was definitely the worst, she could only ride Midway Mania and the, at the time, brand new Mickey and Minnie ride. MK was definitely the biggest draw for her, obviously.

Good luck and enjoy the trip when it comes, we're starting to plan our return sometime next year as well.

 

[MamaMermaid]

You've gotten some good advice so I just wanted to pop in and say my son (now 3.5) has been going to the parks frequently since he was 3 months old - it's always been worth it to us!

 

[Kerr84]

We've taken my daughter when she was 6 months and 15 months. Now, we are taking her at 22 months. Our first two trips were great! Honestly, the 6 month trip was a little harder than the 15 month trip but that was because we were in a group and I was dealing with breastfeeding. When she was 15 months old, we got a king bed and she slept between us. We are going to try a crib this trip if we can get one. She won't sleep in the pack n plays. If they don't have a crib, she is just going to sleep in-between us in the king again.
Our plane rides have been eerily successful so far. We downloaded her favorite videos on a device and she happily sat there and watched them. Lots of snacks and a few of the flights timed perfectly with nap time. I am more worried about how she will do this trip since she is older and much more mobile/vocal. I have read to bring some new toys that they have never seen.

Since you are already bringing her carseat, you could easily uber/lyft to the hotel and not get a rental car. Or schedule a private car. We never use a car once we are on disney property so it would be expensive for us to rent and pay for parking.

We honestly had the best trip in October when she was 15 months. She loved running around and looking at everything. She loved the some of the rides, shows, and food! You will have a great time. Just know you will be going slow. Breaks are your friend. Order groceries like wipes, diapers, favorite snacks, etc. so you don't have to pack it. Have fun!!!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hello!

I've just started planning a trip to celebrate a first birthday in February 2022. I'm hoping for some tips or advice on things that I may not think about as this will be our first trip with a child and second trip I've planned (last time was our delayed honeymoon). We're currently booked from February 6th-12th at POP in a preferred room. Has anyone stayed in one of these rooms with a pack and play or crib? It looks like it may be a bit tight. We are very much go with the flow kind of people so are really planning on just following her cues as far as the day goes. So far we have Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom planned for most days with one day at Hollywood Studios and haven't planned to do Epcot. Other than MK and AK, I'm not sure what she would be able to do/see at the other two parks.

At the moment we have a rental car planned since ME won't be operating when we go (which is a bummer, we hate driving) but I'm still looking into other options. I would also love tips for flying with a child at that age. I'm planning on bringing her car seat and hopefully booking her a seat on the plane since I'm unsure she will want to be held for an entire flight.

Please tell me I'm not crazy for wanting to do this with a one year old I know she won't remember it but we will and she will have pictures to look back at.

Thanks!

you mention pictures my daughter made a photo book years ago for grandson who was even younger than yours. he did not remember the trip as such but he sure could tell you who the baby was and what he did on that trip. also since you say you guys do not like driving at WDW look into paid car services there are a number besides the rental car. would still buy her a seat and use her carseat on plane. also on most planes a carseat has to be in window seat not in the middle. also in carry on pack a change of clothes for her and both of you. nothing worse than being stuck on flight and have a leaking diaper or throw up on you and only baby has change of clothes. one last thing if you are not using a noise machine with her for naps/sleeping I would start one now to get her used to it. very hard to get resort room quiet enough of child is used to quiet sleeping. have a great trip

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We took DD when she was 10 months old and it was a great trip, just very different from what DW and I had experienced in the past, obviously.

Never stayed at that resort so I can't offer up much advise there. If your little one is on/still on formula at the time of the visit, we personally found the single serve packets fantastic for park feedings. We would pre-fill her bottles with water in the room and then throw a few formula packets into the diaper bag. We had previously tried one of the plastic, divided containers but for one, they're a bit bulkier and more importantly in our experience, the one we had popped open in the bag once and we said never again.

As someone else mentioned, take enough diapers/wipes/etc to travel but do a grocery order for the rest. Our visit was over spring break 2020 just before the shut down and we still were able to get almost everything on our order except extra hand sanitizer, which was a last minute add on after seeing the headlines at the time.

Midday breaks...they are your friend. DD travels well thus far in our limited experience and she even napped in the stroller, something that seems impossible with all of the sights and sounds there. But the one day that we decided to try and push through and didn't take a proper midday break she was done by dinnertime and just miserable until we got her inside and in her bed.

Epcot was actually not bad with her, she could ride Frozen, the boat ride in the Mexico pavilion, the Land, Spaceship Earth, and a few others and I think the new Ratatouille ride is all ages/no height requirement. Hollywood Studios was definitely the worst, she could only ride Midway Mania and the, at the time, brand new Mickey and Minnie ride. MK was definitely the biggest draw for her, obviously.

Good luck and enjoy the trip when it comes, we're starting to plan our return sometime next year as well.

we had a horrid time with resort napping with 17 month old. could not keeping him awake on trip back to resort. screamed for 2 hours while everyone else tired to rest. could hear him at other end of hall with door closed. after that found that stroller naps worked best for us. if fact that day he fell asleep as we got to dinner and slept thru. had you buy him something later where he would have eaten free at dinner with rest of family

 

[Peaseblossom36]

I'm going with a 5 year old and a 20 month old, which seems crazier than a 1 year old....it's been a long time since I've stayed in those Pop rooms but if four 20-something college girls can cram a week's worth of luggage into what was 2 full beds at the time, I feel like a year old and pack n play is an upgrade!

The most important thing for you to know as far as sleeping arrangements is does your child need ABSOLUTE darkness to fall asleep? When we took my 20 month old, we had to stick the Pack n Play into the sink area of the bathroom at POFQ and mostly close the curtain so that it was dark enough for her to sleep.

Go where YOU want to go. At that age kiddos don't care about where they go. My 20 month old LOVED Epcot. If you're Epcot people, don't skip it because you don't think the kiddo will like it.

Thank you! That makes me feel a lot better about the space in the room! Our last trip we ended up in an accessible King room at POFQ so looking at the pictures of the POP room had me worried about space So far she doesn't seem to need absolute darkness but I will work on keeping it that way. We're really planning on just following her lead, we've only been together the once as adults and even then we were pretty laid back.

I feel you. We just booked Feb 6-11 at Movies, my boy will be 17 months, i will have 2 nephews at 6 & 7 months, and my niece at 2 years old. This trip is with 25 people total too, I think I legally may be insane.

My plan was to drive, since I work graveyard so driving overnight for me is a piece of cake, and I can do the 16 hr drive from Houston to WDW while DS is sleeping...and I really don't want to deal with airline and car rental, as it would be cheaper for me to drive than buy discount airline tickets (domestic airline employee) and rent a car. I am ok with paying the parking fee's as it just makes sense for us...not sure what my in-laws are going to do But you bring up great points, where does one actually put a pack n play in one of these rooms???

WOW! I hope you have a great time! We've thought about driving but I'm not sure I want to spend the 18-19 hours in a car, at this point she's not a huge fan of being in the car (hoping that changes). It's still something we're thinking about though and since we have to wait on Southwest fare releases we have plenty of time

We took our DD to disney for her 1st birthday this past February and stayed at Pop. We put the pack n play in the bathroom sink area but she didn’t sleep well there. The room was just too different and she’s not a good traveller. I was glad we were only there for 2 nights because nobody slept well.

We’ve done all the parks with her, the joys of being semi-local. She likes the safari but not much held her attention at AK. The dance party was a hit and the new Mickey ride at DHS was too. I swear we watched fish in the tanks at Epcot f

I wish there were more areas for little ones to get out and run around. We found an out of the way area on the trail by the tree in AK and a walkway by the bathrooms in DHS but there really wasn’t much.

Best advice I can give is to plan breaks and then double the number of breaks you think you need. Bring plenty of familiar snacks.

Hopefully she travels well! This will probably be her first time travelling since there isn't much around us. She enjoys animals so we were thinking she would like the animal trails, she would probably like fish too so we'll have to look into that! Thanks! I also wouldn't have thought about making sure to have familiar snacks.

Not crazy! You can absolutely have a great time with a baby/toddler. My sons’s first trip was when he was one and we have wonderful memories! We also had a 4 year old, but honestly, the baby was so easy.

I placed an Amazon order before we went for diapers, wipes, formula, puffs, bottled water, etc. It was very helpful not to have to pack all of that stuff for the entire week. If you have a car you could also stop somewhere and get supplies. Ibrought a small thing of dish soap to wash bottles at night.

Is your little one used to sleeping in a pack and play? Our kids always slept fine because they were used to it from grandparents houses. I did bring my own sheet. Our kids were also fine falling asleep with light and low noise from the tv, but I brought their Scout dog because they were used to the bedtime music.

She is used to sleeping in a pack and play, she was in the bassinet insert in hers until last week when we switched to a mini crib. I'll have to make sure to periodically use the pack and play. We use a white noise machine so will definitely make sure to bring it along.


We will for sure be ordering diapers and wipes, we wayyyyy overpacked for our last trip so the less luggage this time the better!

 

[Peaseblossom36]

Pop is perfect for a pack and play if you only need the one bed. We left the other bed folded up most of the time. If your 1 year old is the only kid on the trip, it can be pretty magical. We went 3 weeks before my oldest turned 1. He loved the Magic Kingdom (Winnie the Pooh ride and Dumbo playground especially), and we enjoyed peaceful strolls in Epcot during his midday nap. It was an enjoyable trip at a slower pace than when we were trying to do the bigger rides. We didn't do any rides he couldn't go on. He also enjoyed the fountains in Epcot and the train in Epcot's Germany. We enjoyed the simple pleasures, sights, and tastes of the parks. The only issue was he had been still taking 2 naps a day, and he would try to resist nap #2 so he wouldn't miss anything. Peoplemover at night finally got him to sleep. Oh, and the Baby Care centers in the park were great!

I forgot about the trains! I'm sure she would love those! She really loves Winnie the Pooh right now, she has prints of characters in her room and loves talking to them. Thanks for the reassurance about Pop! The pictures must make it look smaller than it is. We honestly picked it because of the pools, since it seems to have the best options for a little one

you mention pictures my daughter made a photo book years ago for grandson who was even younger than yours. he did not remember the trip as such but he sure could tell you who the baby was and what he did on that trip. also since you say you guys do not like driving at WDW look into paid car services there are a number besides the rental car. would still buy her a seat and use her carseat on plane. also on most planes a carseat has to be in window seat not in the middle. also in carry on pack a change of clothes for her and both of you. nothing worse than being stuck on flight and have a leaking diaper or throw up on you and only baby has change of clothes. one last thing if you are not using a noise machine with her for naps/sleeping I would start one now to get her used to it. very hard to get resort room quiet enough of child is used to quiet sleeping. have a great trip

That's what I'm hoping for with pictures! We sprung for memory maker since it's a longer trip than our last and we would like pictures of all of us.


Thanks everyone for all of the great advice and reassurance! We're both very excited about the trip, especially since we had to cancel two DCL trips in the last year. So we're hoping this one will hold out! I've already had some negative comments from my family so it's good to hear positive feedback from people who have done it. For anyone who has flown with a car seat, how are they installed? Is there a latch system on planes or do you use the seat belt somehow? I imagine it's in the manual? Sorry if that's a silly question!

 

[Specter]

Thanks everyone for all of the great advice and reassurance! We're both very excited about the trip, especially since we had to cancel two DCL trips in the last year. So we're hoping this one will hold out! I've already had some negative comments from my family so it's good to hear positive feedback from people who have done it. For anyone who has flown with a car seat, how are they installed? Is there a latch system on planes or do you use the seat belt somehow? I imagine it's in the manual? Sorry if that's a silly question!

We took DD in a car seat because she was too small for one of the harness contraptions that they make that have a weight requirement. With ours at the time, a Chicco, you used the seatbelt and fed it through slots on the seat base, then buckled it in like normal on the other side.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I forgot about the trains! I'm sure she would love those! She really loves Winnie the Pooh right now, she has prints of characters in her room and loves talking to them. Thanks for the reassurance about Pop! The pictures must make it look smaller than it is. We honestly picked it because of the pools, since it seems to have the best options for a little one



That's what I'm hoping for with pictures! We sprung for memory maker since it's a longer trip than our last and we would like pictures of all of us.


Thanks everyone for all of the great advice and reassurance! We're both very excited about the trip, especially since we had to cancel two DCL trips in the last year. So we're hoping this one will hold out! I've already had some negative comments from my family so it's good to hear positive feedback from people who have done it. For anyone who has flown with a car seat, how are they installed? Is there a latch system on planes or do you use the seat belt somehow? I imagine it's in the manual? Sorry if that's a silly question!

no latch system but in your manual there should a way to do with seat belts

 

[Sleepeeyoyo]

We went as a family when our kids 11 months old...so no you're not crazy for talking a 1 year old. You've gotten a lot of great tips already, I recommend packing an extra set of clothes for you (a shirt) and the baby if you have a spitter. Depending on your child you may or may not need to go back to the hotel in the middle of the day. My kid always napped great in her stroller and woke up in a good mood. Great thing was, after a day at the park she slept like a rock at night! For the flight (and park) lots of snacks. I also suggest getting familiar with the location of the park baby centers, some are nicer than others. But it was a great place for us to escape the crowds and heat, give the baby a changed diaper and take a bit of a break.

 

[fairygagamother]

Speaking of baby care centers, the MK one is very tricky to find since it’s moved! It’s almost in a secret location over close to Carousel of Progress. I had to have help from a CM to find it!