WDW with an 8 month old

[goofy4wdw2]

For those of you who have traveled with an infant approximately 8 months old, please tell me your experiences with touring the parks, enjoying attractions (for both the adults and the infant), dining, and schedule/napping/nightime sleeping. This is our first trip with a child and I'm sure will be a big adjustment, but we're also excited to take our daughter to WDW! Thank you in advance!!

 

[3littleHalls]

On our last trip to WDW our youngest was 9mos. She(at the time) was a very laid back, happy girl. We got up, did breakfast, did a park until lunch time then went back to the room for naps. After nap time, snack, back at the park til dinner, then she was pretty much done. She is a big sleeper and would be asleep by 8pm. We had a lagoon view so the older two could watch the fireworks from the room. When we went there was some wait time in the lines and she did fine. Helps to have cheerios on hand. She did fine with the stroller. We are taking the Hip Hammock this time to help with the lines and attractions where you can't have a stroller. Have a great trip!

 

[stinkerbell2009]

Our DS's were of various ages there first 3-4 trips. They are 15 months apart and both would sleep in the stroller or DH and I would hold them in lines. No problems with them being so little. They were both fairly happy babies so staying put was not a problem.

The only big problem I had was trying to take pictures of DD with characters while trying to hold a baby. Didn't work well and I would have to put him down to do it.

 

[BlueFairy]

I'm in the same boat. Will have a 10 mos. old DD. Can't wait to hear lots of tips. Thanks. I do plan to take a sling because of the line waiting and holding her on the bus when stroller must be folded.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thanks so much for your replies, and I can't wait to hear more!

 

[utahkennedys]

We took dd when she was 8 months old and she loved it! We never even left the parks because we took our Peg Perego Pliko Stroller which reclined and has a big sunshade. We would stroll around in the shady, quieter places we could find in the afternoon, and she would sleep for 1.5-2 hours while DH and I got a cold drink, sat down, people-watched, etc. We figured it would take way, way too long to get back to the resort, get settled, etc. It worked out great!

We were surprised by how few rides she was able to go on to -- it seemed like only the "adult" rides didn't work, but the parent swap worked great!

I wouldn't hesitate at all. Our next dd is due in a few weeks and we plan to take another trip in the fall!

 

[goofy4wdw2]

utahkennedys- you say you were surprised how few rides she was able to go on...can you elaborate on that? what few rides could she go on versus rides she couldn't go on (other than the obvious ones with height restrictions). thank you!!

 

[traci]

We took our 8 month old and 22 month old last Septmeber. The 8 month old was even more easy going! She was so laid back and just in awe most of the time. She rode Small World, Peter Pan, Buzz, Winnie the Pooh, ate at CRT, Chef Mickeys, 1900 Park Fare, Crystal Palace, dh and I did parent swap on the "adult" rides. Swam every day! It was truly a great experience! As for naps we would go back in the afternoons and swim and then nap. No problem there. At night everyone was always so tired we fell right to sleep. I packed plenty of diapers, formula and baby food. Put little toys in a back pack for the plane, and when we checked into our resort dumped them into a drawer where the babies knew where to find them. Whenever we had down time in our room they would go to their drawer and get their toys out.
Have a great trip! We have already booked another for late October!

 

[lulu71]

We just got back. My DD, 7 months, was perfectly fine on all the rides, in restaurants, etc. Here's some tips:

-We brought DD's stroller in all the restaurants an pulled it up to the table with her in it so it was like she was in her own chair at the table. Now my stroller is not huge, and is kind of tall, so this worked well for us.

-I love the baby care centers. I much preferred using these for diaper changes than the plain old restrooms. Many times there was a line for the changing table 4 people deep, so it was quicker to hike to the baby care center. Plus they are so clean and have a few changing tables lined up with thick paper liners you can use.

-We had no problems with rides. We took her on anything that didn't have a height limit and she was just fascinated. We went on It's a Small World more than we would normally because she was so excited on this ride.

-We lined up for parades early and she napped while we waited which worked out great.

Have a great trip!

 

[Schucraig]

We took my son when he was 9 months and he did great! he loved sitting in his stroller and watching all the sights. He took naps in his stroller when he needed to. He loved the rides, what's not to love!

 

[Dewy]

We went in October 04 with our 8 month old son and had a great time. The key for us was planning. Realizing that this would be a much different experience than our previous 3 trips that were go, go, go. We had a nice breakfast by the pool of our resort, WL, every morning followed by a long walk (baby in stroller of course). We would then go to one of the parks for a few hours and return for some quite time by the pool and a nap (our sone was not a good stoller napper). Dinners were planned early so our son could be in bed by 8 - 8:30.

A quick list to consider:

Know where the baby care ceters are in each park before you go. They are cool and quiet areas to feed and change your child and escape the heat. We were impressed at how clean they were.

Schedule your time on paper...I know it's vacation but it worked well for us. Pre-baby we always got caught up in the attractions and rides and spent long tiring days at the parks, something we could not do with our son.

Take along one of those fanny-pack sized insulated bags and keep an emergency supply of water and snacks in it with a couple of wash cloths. The parks can get hot fast and you don't want to wait in a line if you notice that your child needs to cool off fast.

Pack lots of extra's if you have the space. Food, diapers, and, toys. There all available at Disney but cost a lot more.

Consider renting a car, it allows for a quick get away from the park if you need it. It cuts down on your travel time to and from the parks. Also, it's much, much faster to get from one resort to another for dinner.

Understand that most rides will be off limits to your child for safety reasons. Our son still had a great time taking in the sites.

Have a great Disney and family experience.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

We went in October and our little princess was just turning 5 months old during our trip. It was AMAZING!!!! I used the baby care centers a lot, since I am breast feeding. She is such a good girl, she really didn't have a meltdown of any kind at all! We are going in December and she will be a year and a half. I can't wait!!!!

We took DS for the first time when he was 7 1/2 months old and it was also wonderful!!!!!!!! We love going with our kids and have the best time! We find that we never really HAVE to go back to the hotel for breaks. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. We take it day by day!

GOOD LUCK! You will have a fabulous time!!!!