WDW with an infant? A million??'s

[lil mermaid]

DH and I haven't been to WDW since May 2002. Needless to say, I am suffering withdrawals!

We are new parents to baby Madeline, four months old. I guess what I am wondering is - what are the realities of taking an infant to the World? Can you take babies on rides? Was it a fun trip, or was it difficult or stressful? If you did it, would you do it again? What would be the youngest you would take your child to WDW?

If we do this, we would go sometime next year - definitely not during the summer months.

We have been several times before, so we wouldn't really feel the need to "do everything" if you know what I mean.

I would love to hear anyone's opionions and experiences. DH is thinking she will be too young for several years...but I am not sure I would want to wait that long!

Also - I anticipate that I will be nursing Maddie until she is at least a year old, so any tips from you nursing Mommies would be very helpful.

thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Parkerpooh]

lil mermaid, we took our son at 10 months(wasn't walking yet) and we had a fabulous time!! In MK we took him on lots of rides, small world, winnie, buzz ect... He wasn't old enough to be scared and just looked around in amazement. We're not really the time schedule type so he just napped when he felt like it and we closed the parks every night. I wasn't breastfeeding anymore so we just did powdwered formula and mixed bottles on demand (no heating or refridgerating needed!).The child care centre in MK is fabulous, it's all carpeted so i was able to let him get out and crawl around for a bit. The only problem we ran into was sleeping at night. He wasn't used to sleep in the same room as us and hated the pack n plays so he slept with us most of the time which wasn't the greatest thing but we were all so exhausted from the parks that it didn't matter. Anyways, I'd definitely say GO,GO! The crystal Palace character breakfast was a hit too. We have some priceless pics of my son grabbing Tiggers nose ect... We are going again in Jan. ds will be 19 mths then and running like a
maniac so i may have a different report then!!! HTH, Jenn

 

[Bugsmom73]

DD was almost 15mos when we went, this time DS will be 13mos. GO!!! It was fun and DD really did not mind anything. I agree with the be prepared to co-sleep as well. I am still nursing DS and will be down there too. It was tons of fun and don't regret it at all. Make sure you have a good stroller, some extra clothes and have fun. Also there is a option called parents with small children swap, so basically you wait in line as a family, one of you gets to ride then the other. Make sure you tell the CM at the front and they will give you a laminated ticket of some sort. It was great.

 

[BevS97]

we took our dd last december, she was 12 weeks old - we had a great trip - she was quite happy whereever we went, and I would take a small baby again without hesitation.
We opted to stay off-site in an apartment so we had benefit of a kitchen and washer/dryer, but it is doable in a hotel room (although I think much easier in an apartment)

we are going back next month and dd will be 14 months, this time we have decided to stay onsite, so I will be able to report back on that experience! We took a trip to Holland recently and we all managed in a hotel room just fine, so I don't anticpate any problems,

I would just go when you want to go, if you can't take your baby to Disney, where can you take them? It's the most child friendly place I've ever been

 

[justhat]

We took my daughter twice at 3 months and they were both great trips, even though the 2nd trip was in June and soooooo much hotter and more humid than May. She's breastfed too so mealtimes were never a problem, we used the baby centers if we were near one, or we went into a dark, cool attraction and I would nurse her there. We went to Disneyland when she was 6 months and that was an even better trip since she was older and actually enjoyed it. At 3 months she was happy to be with mommy, but couldn't have care less about most things in WDW, though she did like the Tiki Room, Spectromagic, the Hall of Presidents (don't know why) and anything else with bright lights. At 6 months though she started jumping up and down everytime she saw a character coming near her, she loves 'kiddie' rides like Small World, Pinocchio (not in WDW, but it's one of those Fantasyland rides), Playhouse Disney, etc. We cosleep at home so we did it there too, but we did use the pack 'n play as a playyard, which was great for when I was showering, getting dressed, etc. She was using anything she could find to pull herself to standing on that trip so the pack 'n play was a lifesaver. We didnt' start any baby food until after we got back from the trip, so she was exclusively nursing then too. That was a bit more challenging as she was so easily distracted by rides, attractions, and in the baby care centers by other babies.

We're heading back to WDW in April, when my daughter will be almost 14 months old, and I can't wait for that trip when she'll really enjoy being there! I imagine she'll still be nursing then too, though less frequently since she's starting to eat cereal and baby food now.

PS, my daughter is a Maddie too, but her real name is Madison.

 

[Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo]

We took our first child when he was 10 weeks old, and our second when he was 6 months old. We had a ball, and I didn't feel it any bother as long as you prepare and pack well! The most important thingk I think, is to keep the baby/child protected from the sun. It would make me sick seeing babies sitting on a vinyl stroller seat with no shade. I always brought several receiving blankets, some big safety pins, and some clothes pins. We would rent the stroller, and immediately cover the bottom with a receiving blanket, and would keep the others handy to 'clip along the sides of the canopy to shade the baby from whichever direction the sun was coming. Always a full brimmed hat, and no bare legs.

 

[TJA]

We took our baby twins to WDW when they were 7 months old, 13 months old, and we're going again soon when they'll be 19 months old!! I have some thoughts for you:

> Consider staying at a monorail resort or an EPCOT resort. We stayed at AKL the 1st time with our babies and we were completely exhausted because of the bus transportation (folding and unfolding the stroller each time getting on and off the bus.....ugh...) We stayed at CR the 2nd time with our babies and could just leave the babies in the stroller when getting on and off the monorail -- what a difference! Plus, you can walk to MK from CR.

So were we stressed/exhausted from our WDW trips? Yes, when we stayed at AKL. But definitely no when we stayed at the monorail resort.

> Bring a comfy stroller from home. Our babies took naps whenever they felt like it because we brought our graco duo glider from home. They are used to that stroller and we can recline the seats back and put them in shade. Also, they each had a little tray for snacks and toys.

> Yes, you can take your baby on any ride w/o a height restriction. We took our girls on almost everything in Fantasyland. We brought the baby bjorn carriers and stored them under our stroller until it was time for a ride. Then we put the girls in the carriers and went on rides with them securly fastened to us. They loved the colors, lights, music, and sometimes fell asleep too!

We are like you -- my husband and I went to WDW several times before our twins were born. I just could not wait to go after I had the babies, so we ventured there when they were 7 mos. old. We have no regrets about it -- in fact, they are very precious memories. I have pictures all over my house from that trip. Also, when they are that young, it is still somewhat of a vacation for the adults. We would slip into a good restaurant in EPCOT when the girls were sleeping in the stroller for a nice dinner. Most of the time, the girls never woke up, so we enjoyed good meals without little interruptions! The restaurants are very good about letting you take the stroller right to your table. I think you should start planning your trip -- you won't be sorry!
Debbie

 

[lil mermaid]

Thanks, you guys are great! We are thinking now of going on a Disney cruise in May - so maybe we will just spend a couple of nights in WDW to hit the Magic Kingdom. I think we will have to choose one of the monorail resorts to make it easier.

Thanks again for all the awesome tips.

justhat - Maddie is absolutely adorable!

 

[justhat]

Thanks! I bet yours is too!

We also went on a Disney Cruise with my daughter in June when she was almost 4 months old and I loved it. We're going on a Princess cruise in December and I really wish it were Disney instead. It really was the perfect ship for little ones. We used Flounder's Reef twice and it was a nice service to have. (We would have gone more, but it was way too crowded on the 2nd night so we cancelled that night and only kept it for the night we went to Palo. I thought it was a great place for young ones, and only really had one complaint, that we asked them to page us if my daughter cried but they didn't and when I came to pick her up she had finally cried herself to sleep in her travel swing, and was doing the sniffle cry when they've been crying for a long time. She was only 3 months and it was her 1st time without us, so I really didn't want that. If she had been older, different story. But they really seemed to like her and the staff memebers were all very nice. I think they just wanted us to enjoy our night out.) The Mickey ear was nice for her to 'swim' in, and anywhere we went there were plenty of other kids so we never had to worry about being loud or anything like that. She loves water so the pools at WDW were great too since the ones at our resorts were zero entry, so I dind't have to go in very much, but she still was in the water.

I also agree with TJA. We stayed at AKL and the GF and it was much, much easier at the GF. It was especially nice if we just wanted to go to Fantasyland in the morning then come back after an hour or go at night to see Spectromagic or the fireworks. We could just get on the monorail or boat with her in the Baby Bjorn (of course, now it's recalled Baby Bjorn Recall ) and take a diaper and wipes and we were set. Went back to the room quick enough that we didn't need to bring the stroller. We kept a thin, white receiving blanket draped over the Bjorn to keep her arms and legs out of the sun and then put a sunhat on her. Very easy way to travel.

 

[BevS97]

deleted cause I got my facts wrong

 

[TJA]

So then your baby will be approximately one year old when going on the cruise? That should be a great age. We did the Disney cruise pre-kids and did not pay much attention to how enjoyable it would be for babies. I'll bet there are a lot of things to keep them occupied and happy.

A little off-topic here, but thanks, justhat, for the baby bjorn recall link. I went to the site and fortunately, my carriers are not affected by the recall. They were the best things we took to WDW, besides our double stroller.

 

[andriade]

We took DS when he was 9 months old. I was nursing him too at the time. We had a ball! Yes, he can go on a lot of rides. MGM was great since there were a lot of shows he could attend. He wasn't nursing all day but only at meal times and the last feeding right before bed. The baby care centers may be your best friend. I was not a enormously comfortable public nurser. I did get desperate during a couple of shows and nursed during the show in the dark. The baby care centers are not always convenient.

Things I learned were:
1.Take your own stoller that your baby is comfortable with.
2.Bring your baby's own blanket from home. I now bring my son's comforter.
3.Pack a lot of finger foods for the baby to work on during meals.
4.Make sure YOU drink a lot of fluids. Keep up your milk supply.
5.Take breaks in the afternoons and give them a good nap.
6.Remember that the baby is FREE at WDW!


We are going again in Nov. and he will only be 19 months old. We're doing it again so it couldn't have been that bad. Book your trip and enjoy!

 

[justhat]

No problem. I found out about it accidentally (saw a flyer when I happen to pass by the Bjorns in Buy Buy Baby on Friday, and area I usually don't pass by anymore since I already have one) so I thought I'd pass it along since it doesn't seem to be well announced. So glad I filled out my registration card since they didn't notify me anyway!