WDW with a 1 year old???

[indymom1]

Good morning everyone I have two sons one who is almost 7 and one who will be turning 1 in late April. Due to the cost saving codes from Mousesavers we have started to think about taking our family to DW for a vacation June 19-21. I am hoping to hear from other families who took small children who would be willing to give me their pros and cons and if they would do it again. My DH is really trying to get me to do this but I am worried about the 1 year old with the heat and that time of the year. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated

Kathy

 

[KathyR]

The first time we took our kids they were 3 years and 14 months old. It was very hot that year, and we managed to have a blast including the 1 year old He really loved looking all of the things around him! He was VERY easy to keep busy while we were there. I was slightly worried before going, but it turned out that there was plenty of stimulation for him in each attraction. The scarey ones like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean did not even bother him. All it took was a smile from Mom, and he was at ease

As far as touring goes, we just went early in the AM and took a break during the hottest part of the day (12-2 or3PM)... heading back out to the parks around 3 or 4 PM to park close.

As far as the heat goes, just make sure to bring lots of water into the parks for the kids, and they should be fine. Most attractions are in air conditioning, but most of the walking is in full sun.

The water and breaks are the 2 most important things I can stress.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

 

[stacy6552]

we went in august one year when our children were 6 and 11mos. we had a great time! the baby was a great age because he was along for the ride and didnt complain or care about all the stuff his brother did without him. here are my tips....

take afternoon breaks so the baby can nap and you miss the worst of the heat and crowds, then go back in the evenings and go until you drop.

get yourself some table toppers from right start or babies r us. these are presterilized mats that sitck to the table, so the baby can eat finger foods easily, you dont have to worry about germs or dishes.

go to sportbaby.com and buy their backpack. its the best out there with wet pockets, insulated pockets and the best cahnging pad out there (attached!)

take a stroller with a big basket and cup holders. get a rain cover for it and cover it any time you leave it unattended. should it become soaked by a sudden rain, diapers are great for drying it out.

take your baby carrier. the baby can go on tons of rides and lots of places that the stroller cant.

give baby tons of water, you cant spot dehydration or sun poisoning on babies until they are really bad off.

HAVE FUN!

 

[Tink]

We took both of our DD's just before they turned 1. They were fine. Napped when they were tired and ate when they were hungry.

Our family, like the others, went back to the hotel to nap in the afternoon. This really helped. Even on our 12/02 trip, our elder DD was 3 (almost 4). She needed the rest also. Once everyone was rested, we headed back to the parks and had fun and usually our dinner. No tantrums since the kids were refreshed.

The baby centers are wonderful. We went there to change diapers and feed the little one her baby food. The rest of the time she picked off of our plates.

We had Graco lite strollers that had baskets and cup holders. It really does make a difference. Security never said anything about the cooler bag with formula, food and snacks.

Have fun

 

[SandraC]

We took our ds to WDW for his first trip when he was 15 months old. His second trip, he was 2.5 years old. (My dd was 4.5, 7 and 8 years old for her three trips.)

KIDS ARE SOOOOOO PORTABLE!

I took food that he loved and would not spoil. By 15 months he was only breastfeed once or twice a day and liked sippy cups with water in the parks. It gets hot and kids need water too. I thought he would fall asleep in the parks, but he wanted to stay awake and enjoy the fun! We took daily rests at the resort. Sometimes at 11am, sometimes at 4pm. When we took late rests, ds would nap from about 3pm-5pm. We would go back to the parks and see the night time parades and fireworks. He slept great in the resort crib too. I don't think there is a perfect age ~ actually ~ I think all ages are perfect for WDW! S

 

[ShaneV]

The first time we took our son was when he has 17 months old and we had a great time.

One suggestion I have and it really depends on the kid, is dont go thinking your going to be able to do EVERYTHING there is to do. This is almost impossible without a child. We went knowing we would miss some attractions and we took it slow and did what our son wanted to do also.

At one point while going through Epcot one of the trees with really large leaves had lost its leaves on the ground. Our son decided he just had to pick the leaves up off the concrete and put them in the grass where they "belonged". So we took the time and let him spend 30 minutes there "cleaning" the area. So just take your time and enjoy!

 

[Alice28]

We just came back with our 5 year old and 20 month old. I think our 20 month old had a good time, and we had a great time watching him. He LOVED the characters, esp. Pooh, Tigger and Minnie Mouse. He enjoyed all the rides we could take him on...be prepared to do lots of baby swapping if you like the faster rides. This eats up some time, but it's ok- esp if you have fastpasses. And like previous posters have said, you won't get to do everything, make sure you go back in the afternoon for a rest, and have plenty of snacks, water, etc. Hopefully your kids like to sit in strollers- Joshua does not, so that got tiring sometimes. We would have to carry him often or he would simply have to throw a fit for 5 minutes in his stroller until he calmed down. I ended up renting a stroller one day, cause for some reason he can wiggle out of the seatbelt in our stroller- he couldn't in the Disney strollers, so that was good.

 

[Magic2000]

All three of my girls had been to Disney by the time they were about 15 months old! They each loved their trips - and we had fun with them.

As the previous posters said - take your time. Enjoy everything with the baby.

If you're going in the summer, bring the mister fan and let him play with it. It still keeps my little one occupied for quite a while, since we're usually waiting for the older ones to ride the "mountain" rides!

Go - it will be lots of fun!!!