WDW with child under 1?

[heatherfeather24]

Just starting to guage whether a trip to WDW is feasible for us next fall . . . By then, the kid (It's a Boy!) will be born and my WDW itch will probably be going full steam. But, he's our first and I'm accustomed to adults-only trips or trips with kids when I wasn't the mom in charge . Obviously, a baby is going to change things A LOT, but I'm just not sure how (as a practical matter).

So if you've done it . . .

1) Pros and Cons ?
2) Would you do it again?
3) Anything special to consider?
4) How much extra paraphenalia (i.e. cr@p) did you have to bring with you?

EDIT: I should also add that I completely understand that this trip isn't about making memories for a 9-month old (no way he'll remember anything), but more about finding a way to assuage the disney addict (anyone else think that WDW is a bit like crack?) in the meantime.

 

[puffkin]

We just returned from a week long trip with a 3 month old (our first too) and it wasn't bad at all. If you go in with a relaxed attitude and realize that the trip will be different than an adults only trip, you won't have a problem. I think that it also helped that we had been there in Decembe when I was 6 months pregnant, so we were used to going at a slower pace.

We brought our own stroller from home. The park strollers really do not work for infants, they are more designed for toddlers. I would invest in a good, light stroller. It was a pain dragging it on and off the busses, but so nice to have for the walk back to the room. Also, most of the restaurants did not have infant seats, and Brady was too small for a highchair, so they would let us take the stroller into the restaurants since it wasn't too bulky.

I carried two extra bags into the parks. It was a pain to get through the bag checks, but once inside, they were shoved under the stroller and it wasn't bad. One bag had diapers, change of clothes, changing pad, wipes, hat, sunscreen and a very light blanket. The other bag had bib, burp cloth and bottles and cereal (he was on cereal at that point).

The baby care centers in the parks are great. We used them a lot for feeding and changing him. They have tons of nice changing tables and high chairs and also supplies to sell. We usually timed our day that he would get cereal and bottle before we left in morning, lunch bottle in the parks, bottle and cereal back at room in afternoon, dinner bottle in the parks, and bottle in room before bed.

The resorts have pack-n-plays for the babies so we didn't have to worry about where he slept. We washed him in the sink at the resort. We washed his bottles in the resort sink each night. It wasn't too bad at all, just took a little more time. We brought most of our stuff with us, but you can also use a grocery delivery service to deliver bulky things if you don't want to pack it.

My mom went with us, and it was nice to have the extra hands, especially on the busses. One person would take Brady, another the bags, and another the stroller. We used baby swap on the big rides, so we all got to ride everything and have someone to go on with. But, it is amazing how much an infant can do at Disney! Basically anything that doesn't have a height restriction, the baby can go on.

Here is a list of all the extra things we took this time:
Bottles
Bottle brushes and dish soap
small bowls and baby spoons
Canister of baby formula (we had bottled water delivered)
Box of baby cereal
Package of Diapers
Small package of wipes
Swim diapers
Baby sun block
Blanket for the baby
Baby clothes
Disposable baby washclothes (Huggies brand)
Stroller
Changing pad
Clip on Stroller fan (lifesaver! I bought on ebay and everyone commented on it)
Ziploc bags (gallon size, I found a ton of uses for these)

Anyway, I hope this helps. We had a great time and it really wasn't bad at all. We saw and did plenty and the baby had a great time and really enjoyed the colors and sounds. It takes a little planning and organization, but travelling with an infant isn't bad at all.

 

[jenjersnap]

Invest in a sling. Baby Bjorns and Ergos are nice too and I recommend them highly also but a sling - after a little adjustment period - is the easiest, most portable way to carry the baby. Your arms won't get tired while you are waiting in line and the baby is secure during the rides. You can nurse discreetly while the baby is in it. My 2-yr-old still occasionally used the Bjorn or sling during our last trip in December.

My favorite is hotslings.com. You don't have to adjust and fiddle with it. Also, you might want to consider a sling made with solarveil fabric. It blocks all UV rays, yet is super light and breathable. My youngest loves it because he can see through that sling outside, finds it comforting I think. I bought mine on ebay from a mom who makes them. It was great quality and pretty inexpensive.

 

[DVC Mary]

We took our youngest at 6 months. I was suprised at how many rides were ok for him to go on w/ us. He was fascinated w/ the parades. He learned to truly wave b/c of the Tapestry of Nations parade. He loved the Fest of the Lion King show The characters were also very good about approaching slowly at the Character meals. He quickly became infatuated w/ them--especially Jasmine's sequined top.

We used the smallest Combi stroller & a backpack diaper bag from Land's End. Staying on property is a must for return trips to rest. It was great! Enjoy the magic of watching things from his eyes. It was a truly magical trip!

 

[mill4023]

He won't remember, but I bet he'll be full of smiles while you're there. We've taken ours to DL at that age and they loved seeing all the people, lights, parades, characters, attractions, etc. Our 9 month old was grinning ear to ear on Winnie the Pooh.

As long as you keep in mind that it won't be the same kind of trip and you'll need to be flexible, you'll have a great time.

If you are going with other adults, be sure to use the baby swap so everyone can still do the big rides.

 

[tmarquez]

We took DD for the first time when she was 10 months. It was great...much easier than when she started wanting to walk alot by herself! She was still sleeping plenty which let us have relaxing meals. She went on all the rides that didn't have a height requirment and wasn't old enough to be scared of anything. We kept her on her normal eating/sleeping schedule and I really don't think being on vacation affected her at all. She loved the characters, a few would even hold her on their lap. She loved the petting zoo at AK. She loved the pool! Lots of ice cream.

We had 2 problems. First was I only brought a couple of pacifiers...big mistake! We lost them. Disney sells 1 brand...it was the wrong brand...she popped it in her mouth, then got mad and threw it in the lake. The other is that we were giving her the ready to feed canned formula, and to save weight I got the powdered of the same brand. FOrget it...she would no way drink it. So we ended up having to drive off-site to get pacifiers and formula.

My advice is to go. Bring with you what you are already using at home, change is not always good. Take lots of pics...my DD (now 3.5) loves to look at pictures of herself when she was a baby at Disney.

Have a great time!

 

[oxfordcircus]

Another positive reply: we went in 05 when our youngest was about 10 months old. She did fine in the Disney stroller, but it would have been better to have a reclining stroller. She had a great time, and she'll "remember" it too since we watch the video from the trip all the time. You'll have fun too.