WDW with a 10 1/2 month old

[Jen0522]

My family will be traveling down to WDW in July with our 10 1/2 month old. I wanted to see if anyone had any tips or suggestions for traveling with this age specifically where are good places for him to crawl around and where are good places to eat that have table food suitable for the beginning eater. We have been down when he was 5 months old so rides, strollers, carriers and nursing I feel comfortable with. Thank you any tips you have!

 

[msmama]

My first trip was when my son was 10 months old. He was walking already though. There were some out of the way places in WS at Epcot where he could stretch his little legs (probably okay for crawling, too).

The Dinosaur boneyard at AK was a big hit, too (the ground is soft there). There used to be a little play area over by the exit of Splash Mtn (not sure if it's still there).

My son was never into baby food so he always ate what we ate, pretty much. There were plenty of places where I could get veggies or plain pasta. He did eat his first french fry on that trip. If someone had a burger we'd give him little bits of burger and bun (we were both dairy free at that time and we had no issues).

I did like buffets at that age because I didn't have to order myself something that I knew he could eat.

 

[DisneyMooners2010]

We took our daughter at 9 months and had so much fun! I ordered some baby food pouches from diapers.com and had them shipped to the resort (along with diapers and wipes). With free shipping it worked great. I took a couple of food pouches with us just in case I couldn't find items she would eat. We also used those Take 'n Toss spoons and disposable table toppers. We put the food directly on the table topper since she was throwing plates at that age. It worked really well, plus I didn't worry about germs. I agree that buffets were probably the best for us becuase there was always something that she'd eat. Servers at every restaurant were very accomodating though, so I wouldn't have hesitated to ask for unbuttered noodles if we needed them.

I would agree that the play area by Splash Mountain would be a good place for your baby to crawl/play around. We found that DD actually was so busy people watching and having fun riding in her stroller, that most of the energy-burning-off took place in our hotel room at night. We let her play on the bed. I thought of putting a sheet down on the floor for her to crawl on, but we didn't need it.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

Each park has a baby station where you can nurse in air conditioning, change diapers (which you can do at every bathroom too, of course), and has a playroom for little ones to crawl or toddle in. They have rocking chairs if you want to rock them to sleep also.

 

[whositsandwhatsits]

At MK there is the Laughing Place underneath the rail road tracks in Frontierland.
The Dumbo queue is awesome for little ones who are not yet walking. And, if hot, you can dash about Casey Jr. Splash and Soak in New Fantasyland. And, you may want to consider Tom Sawyers Island if it's not too crowded.

At HS we go into the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Its soft and fun.

At AK, there is the Boneyard.

Epcot, we found that hanging out around the aquariums was nice. It's cool and give the kids something to look at. During F&G fest there is a playground that is just fab.

 

[Miumiu4me]

My then 8 month old went crazy for Boma. Buffets usually have some sort of mush babies can eat.

I've let my daughter crawl around at the character building at Studios before. Animal Kingdom has a huge baby center that she likes to toddle around in (they all have baby centers but that one has the nicest one).

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We are working with our now 10 month old, then 13 month old on walking, but we ordered a Monkey Mat as a backup for crawling space. We are working on big girl foods too, but I'm still worried. She loves those Ella pouches, but I'm not sure how I could warm them up at a restaurant. Doing it at a baby care center is not an option, because she wants to eat with us.

 

[pixie08]

I have no advice, but I am tuning in because I plan on taking my LO next year at around 11 months.

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

My son was 11 months on our last trip. It was an awesome age. He loved seeing everything and when it got to be too much (ie. the haunted mansion) he would just go to sleep. We brought our ergo baby carrier as well as a stroller and he took a lot of naps on his daddy's chest. As far as places to crawl, I second the aquariums. My son was pulling up and loved standing at the trains in Germany and on the deck of the Liberty belle in the Magic Kingdom.


We also happened to be there during food and wine and their was a Disney Visa Lounge. We would stop there anytime we were in Epcot and give him some time to crawl around.

For food, we never did baby food. We had a 3 year old as well so he often shared her kids meal sides. The kids meals come with choices like grapes and apple sauce. I am sure you can request those separately. You are always able to carry things in as well. Baggies of cheerios are a lifesaver! Buffets are great because they are free and you can always find fun things. He loved some sort of cracker from the Tusker House lunch buffet. (We did not have any big allergy concerns so I didn't worry too much)

Have fun!

 

[pixie08]

Maggie, thanks! I was thinking of bring the Ergo and the stroller as well so I am glad to hear that worked for you.

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

I was listening to a podcast and they said something that reminded me of your question. At the Tagerine cafe at epcot, they have hummus as a side with some meals. You can just go and order it even though it isn't on the menu. It comes with some pita or bread for dipping. This was a lifesaver one evening! The podcast also mentioned that Sunshine seasons has cheese and fruit plates you can grab and take with you.

Don't be afraid to ask anywhere. If they sell it with something, you can probably get it by itself too.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We ordered a Monkey Mat to take on our trip. It just got delivered and it is awesome! Fits in a tiny bag, but is large enough to give her some crawling room when laid out! We can use it for parades too. She should be walking by then, but we want to be able to give her crawl space if still needed.

We booked Teppan Edo specifically for her. At 10.5 months now she can eat chicken, rice, noodles, and veggies, so hibachi is perfect for her. We are also doing a lot of buffets. I'm also planning on taking some shelf-stable pouches as backup, as well as the usual snacky type foods.

We each get 2 free checked bags, so she is getting a suitcase full of diapers and food for the way down, which will be replaced by souvenirs on the way home.