Vistiting WDW with 15 month old

[msprincess20]

YAAAAAYY 1st post! haha thought I'd celebrate that real fast!
I've been reading this sight for a couple weeks now and LOVE it, wish i knew about it sooner!
I'll start by introducing myself; My name is Jennifer, I live in Colorado and am a mother to an amazing 11 month old!

I've decided to bring her to Disney in April with my parents.. leaving the husband out of this trip.. he rather go on a cruise with his friends long story but he doesnt know what he is missing!!!!!

I would like to know if anyone has tips for her age group.. anything from keeping her occupied on the long flight to keeping her happy down there.
also is it really crowded the week of the 9th through the 16th?? and what is the weather like? I've been there 12+ times when I was growing up but always in July/August and havent been in 6 years.

Thanks in advance and I cant wait to get to know everyone on here!

 

[nemofans]

We took DS when he was 19 mos old & here are a few tips from our experience.

* Don't bother staying for the fireworks. The noise will frighten them.
* Use the baby centers for diaper changes or if you need extra supplies.
* Bring your own stroller.
* Characters will be scary to them so you may not want to book character meals. Although, little ones handle princesses better b/c they can see their faces.
*Bring familiar books/toys for flight as well as a few new ones & bring snacks too.
*We plan the flight at nap time so DS sleeps most of the way.
* Plan nap time back at the resort. It will help the rest of the day go well when the little one & you are refreshed.

That's what I have for now.

 

[zaneymax]

I took my daughter when she was 14 months old and had a great time! Make sure to find, and use, the baby care centers in all of the parks. It is a great place to feed, change or just chill out with a little one. You don't have to buy or pay for anything, and the workers there were so nice and helpful. This gave me a chance to cool her off or feed her without any distractions, while my DH and DS could go on other rides or attractions.

My daughter loved the characters, especially those in full costume - Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, etc. She was a character magnet actually! She would just wave and wave at the characters during the parades and throw kisses too. The characters always came up to her - we got such great pictures! We alternated the rides with the shows. Most of the time she would sneak in a nap while it was cool and dark. I can't believe some of the things she slept through!

We never went back to the room for a nap. Usually we found a spot to let her sneak one in. By the time we left the park, got back to the car, drove to the hotel, got to our room, and laid down - she was wide awake and we were ready for the nap! For example - at DHS, if you go into the animation building, there are characters there, but also a place for my son to run around and play on interactive computers. She just snoozed through it all.

Overall, go and have fun. I took lots of snacks and throw away sippy cups. I made sure to take breaks for her to toddle about and to change her diaper. We had a great time and made great memories too!

Have fun!
Gina

 

[brightspark]

Welcome to the dis...

We are going for the first time with a child in 2 weeks... DS will be 18 months. We are taking his ear defenders so that we can do the fireworks without too much trouble. It's taken him a while to get used to them, but he is happy to wear them now! http://www.amazon.co.uk/PELTOR-KIDS-GREEN-DEFENDERS-PR0TECTORS/dp/B0014DAH3W these are ours! Also just read somewhere that you can see wishes from the boat deck at the Grand Floridian and they have a music link so you can enjoy them to the music! Could be a good option..

DS also loved the full costume characters at a holiday we went on when he was 14 months... so we are going to book character meals - we can always cancel them if we find he hates the characters, but it will be harder to book them at short notice if it turns out he loves them!

 

[lizzyb]

We took DS when he was 15mths and he loved it.

Slept in the stroller, enjoyed the characters and rides. It was great!

 

[msprincess20]

Thank you all for your input. I'm going to try the nap in the stroller plan since as it is now she can sleep anywhere..I'm just going to know that I cannnot stick to any plan I make while she's with us and if I need to go to the hotel for naps I will.

I really like the ear protection idea, I hadnt thought of that part of it and I LOVE fireworks and would be a little sad if I didnt get to see at least 1 show


Now if only someone could have a tip on how to make the trip come sooner I cant wait!!!!!!!

 

[aksunshine]

I took my son when he was 16 mo! It was the most amazing and wonderful trip EVER! There is a link to my TR in my siggy, 2007- Magical Memories with Levi.

Things that I found:
-Levi didn't like fireworks, they scared him. So I didn't get to watch, b/c DH stayed with DD. He slept one night during Fantasmic, so I got to watch that.
-Levi did NOT like Face characters! At all! We went to CRT and he all but lost it! He LOVED Stitch, characters at CP were OK. He watched MMCH at home and when we went to CM he was in AWE!
-On the subject of naps.... A previous Poster stated it pretty well. By the time we rode the bus back to Pop, Levi was wide awake. He was VERY comfortable sleeping in his stroller. I had alloted for naps, though, it became DHs "thing".

I wouldn't take back our trip with Levi for all the trips and $ in the world. Have a wonderful time!

 

[bonoriffic]

There are a lot of variables that will alter what you realistically can do with a 15 month old, and you probably don't have the answers yet.

Will they be a strong walker by that point? Probably impossible to tell now.

Being able to run about changes many of the attractions you can visit such as Tom Sawyer island. Even something as simple as the line to the ride changes when they can walk as you can't bring your stroller along. The walk to Pirates of the Caribbean is fairly lengthy, and could be a fun sprint for them if there is no line and burn off some energy from being in the stroller. Or it could be a long way to carry someone.

Are they a good eater and can use sippy cups? A lot of this stuff will greatly impact what you need to bring and prepare.

But in general, a nap is key. Our 18 month old slept extremely well for naps and night time from being exhausted.

Do a character breakfast at Magic Kingdom. It allows you early entry without the crowds, and stroller rental is open early. You will also find out fairly quickly if characters are going to scare the pants off your kid. It might save you some lengthy waits at other character greeting areas that might not be worth it. I'm willing to bet the character from a distance are great, but up close will cause screams.

 

[glk2009]

We took our little girl last year when she was 16+ months and she LOVED it. Loved everything including the characters. Her favorites were Goliath (from Jo Jo's Circus) found at Hollywood & Vine and Chip & Dale.

We also used her stroller for nap and while she didn't nap as long as she normally would, it was enough to refresh her for the rest of the day. If you can, I'd bring your own stroller, then you don't have to deal w/ the rental and you'll know she'll be comfortable.

We're planning to go the last week in April and have been told by different Disney Vacation folks that spring breaks end April 10th, so the week you're looking should be ok. As for weather, when we were there last year (last week in April, as well), the weather was warm enough for the pool most of the time... in the 80's I think.

For the flight, our flight is shorter (from MA) but we bring lots of snacks and "new" toys to distract her. We lucked out that the flight was during nap time and she zonked out for part of it. =) Oh! Portable DVD player! We weren't big on TV for our LO until she turned 2, but it can be a lifesaver on the plane.

Try to plan some downtime... either at the pool or maybe starting your day a little later so that everyone has some time to decompress from the Disney craziness. =)

We loved Epcot for the sole reason that it wasn't as crowded and there is a lot of space for little ones to run around. At MK, Ariel's Grotto was a fan fave as our daughter ran around through the squirting water fountain while I waited in line to meet Ariel.

For the fireworks, we made reservations at California Grill and timed it so that we would be eating dessert at the time fireworks started and didn't have to worry that the noise would scare her. The look on her face watching the fireworks was priceless.

Enjoy your visit!!!!

 

[RedPanda]

No tips, but we're going to be there in late March-early April with our then-14-month-old, so I have a lot of the same questions! I can tell you that as someone who grew up in Florida, my answer to your question about the weather is "who knows?" -- but I do think it should be pleasant during that time. I'm planning to pack for warm weather, with some layering pieces thrown in for potentially chilly mornings/evenings. It's been a long time since I was in Florida during that time of year, though, and I don't think I've ever been to Disney then. I know it's going to be crowded the week we're going, since it's spring break for a lot of people and seems to be exactly when all the special offers are blacked out! (We're going as part of a big group trip with my husband's family -- so we don't have a choice as to the dates.)

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Disposables!!!! Bibs, spoons, sippy cups, changing pads... It sure beats carrying around dirty bibs in your bag!

Make sure to split your time between the stroller and some roaming... it's gets tiring sitting in the stroller all day. Also, consider using the "boring" rides (riverboat, train) as breaks. They are about 20 minute rides and you can sit while having things to look at.

Don't forget rain gear and sun gear!

I would pop in a local dollar store and see if there are any little things you can pick up as occupiers. We stocked up on glow sticks at the dollar store vs. paying for them at nighttime in the parks...

We kept a small lit flashlight thing (a sorcerer Mickey with lighted spinners) onhand in case DS got frightened after the sun went down and on the darker rides (HM, POTC).

As for characters, we talked up the characters so much DS was crazy with excitement. He was a little hesitant at first, but I think since we started with Mickey he did okay. Having an autograph book helped with the interaction. We scheduled 1 character meal at Ohana. If you decide to do a character meal, I was told if your kids aren't sure about the characters, sit them far from the end of the table AND you can gesture for the characters to stay back.

Have a great trip!