What rides have you took your infants on? Good/bad experiences? So many things have no height requirement at Disney, but what rides / attractions are most suited for the wee one? He will be 15 months old when we go.
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I can take my one year old on??
- Thread starter 12_Ears_Dad
- Start date
Tom
Beta Return
Ours will be 15 mos when we go next January. Anxious to see what others have to say.
We'll take him on anything we feel we can safely hold/contain him on. And we'll use FP+ to ride the big things we want to ride, by ourselves.
micknminnie
Active Member
We've taken our children as young as 6 months. There is a lot they can do. Just about everything in Fantasyland is rideable for a child that young. I've taken my little one as young as one on Pirates, and Haunted Mansion with no problem.
gooftroop5
Well-Known Member
We have taken our kids as young as 5 months. If it doesn't have a height requirement anyone can ride. I'll give a breakdown of my impressions of some rides. Feel free to ask about any others I don't list....
Animal Kingdom
We stayed in the stroller most of the time here, which is fairly easy to do since there is a lot of walking/viewing.
- Safari: We just made sure the youngest is always near the middle. It can get bumpy but I felt safe.
- Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki planet watch: Must take out of stroller, but can take stroller with you. No problems.
- Tough to be a Bug: This doesn't have a height requirement, but we never took our kids until they were a little older because of the effects.
- Triceratops Spin: Just like dumbo for the most part. If there is a restraint you must include the child in the restraint. We did this but I held on tight.....
- Nemo, Flights of Wonder, Festival of the Lion King: no problems.
Epcot
- Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Grand Fiesta in Mexico, Figment: No problems, just held tight on lap.
- The Land: No problems, but we sat towards the middle with child on lap.
- Ellen's Energy Adventure: Uh......when the kids were young they always fell asleep.....however, keep in mind this is a 35 minute attraction.
- All the shows: No real problems, except Canada where my kids just wanted to crawl all over the floor.
Hollywood Studios
- TTMM: This one is tricky with a young child, but it can be done. You can hold a really young child on your lap and attempt to "play". They can also sit in between the two players and just watch. My kids always wanted to take part when they were old enough, but we held them on our lap.
- Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets, Indiana Jones: No problems except for the Aliens scene on the Great Movie Ride. We were prepared so we had them hide their eyes.
- Disney Jr Live on Stage: DO IT! They LOVE it!
- Lights, Motors, Action: This one is SO LOUD that we avoid it even now that the kids are older (youngest is still only 5).
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid: This one is hit or miss for us. Sometimes the darkness and effects can be overwhelming, but sometimes they just sit on our lap and watch.
Magic Kingdom
There are so many attractions here I'll just talk about the ones we had issues with.
- Peter Pan: This freaked me out when the kids were really young because they have to fit under the lapbar which makes an even bigger gap for the other kid always riding with me.
- Haunter Mansion: Our kids always did ok with this one because we knew what to expect.
- Buzz: Same as TTMM.
- Dumbo and Magic Carpets: Same as Triceratops Spin.
- Philharmagic: We had an issue here once when our youngest was 5 months old. He was fussy and we sat in the back row near the exit for that reason. I stood up to "bounce" him and they asked me to exit the show. I completely understand, but shows like Philharmagic, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress that sometimes have a hard time holding kids' attention are hit or miss for us depending on several factors.
I know I missed a lot of things, but tried to hit the big ones. Let me know if you have any questions! Happy planning!
Animal Kingdom
We stayed in the stroller most of the time here, which is fairly easy to do since there is a lot of walking/viewing.
- Safari: We just made sure the youngest is always near the middle. It can get bumpy but I felt safe.
- Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki planet watch: Must take out of stroller, but can take stroller with you. No problems.
- Tough to be a Bug: This doesn't have a height requirement, but we never took our kids until they were a little older because of the effects.
- Triceratops Spin: Just like dumbo for the most part. If there is a restraint you must include the child in the restraint. We did this but I held on tight.....
- Nemo, Flights of Wonder, Festival of the Lion King: no problems.
Epcot
- Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Grand Fiesta in Mexico, Figment: No problems, just held tight on lap.
- The Land: No problems, but we sat towards the middle with child on lap.
- Ellen's Energy Adventure: Uh......when the kids were young they always fell asleep.....however, keep in mind this is a 35 minute attraction.
- All the shows: No real problems, except Canada where my kids just wanted to crawl all over the floor.
Hollywood Studios
- TTMM: This one is tricky with a young child, but it can be done. You can hold a really young child on your lap and attempt to "play". They can also sit in between the two players and just watch. My kids always wanted to take part when they were old enough, but we held them on our lap.
- Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets, Indiana Jones: No problems except for the Aliens scene on the Great Movie Ride. We were prepared so we had them hide their eyes.
- Disney Jr Live on Stage: DO IT! They LOVE it!
- Lights, Motors, Action: This one is SO LOUD that we avoid it even now that the kids are older (youngest is still only 5).
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid: This one is hit or miss for us. Sometimes the darkness and effects can be overwhelming, but sometimes they just sit on our lap and watch.
Magic Kingdom
There are so many attractions here I'll just talk about the ones we had issues with.
- Peter Pan: This freaked me out when the kids were really young because they have to fit under the lapbar which makes an even bigger gap for the other kid always riding with me.
- Haunter Mansion: Our kids always did ok with this one because we knew what to expect.
- Buzz: Same as TTMM.
- Dumbo and Magic Carpets: Same as Triceratops Spin.
- Philharmagic: We had an issue here once when our youngest was 5 months old. He was fussy and we sat in the back row near the exit for that reason. I stood up to "bounce" him and they asked me to exit the show. I completely understand, but shows like Philharmagic, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress that sometimes have a hard time holding kids' attention are hit or miss for us depending on several factors.
I know I missed a lot of things, but tried to hit the big ones. Let me know if you have any questions! Happy planning!
DisneyFanaticUK
Active Member
The TTA is the great choice, it was always the " go to" attraction for my parents to allow me and my younger siblings to cool off and have a nap when we were babies.
The Buzz Lightyear attraction might also be a good option, plenty of bright colours to enthral your baby!
The Buzz Lightyear attraction might also be a good option, plenty of bright colours to enthral your baby!
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
@gooftroop5 Great suggestions!
BigRedDad
Well-Known Member
For the most part, rides will be very limited except MK. You will be stuck with shows at most parks
DHS: Almost nothing
AK: KS?, Triceratop Spin
Epcot: SE, Nemo, Mexico
MK: Peter Pan, Pooh, Carousel, ISW, Tea Cups, Buzz, People Mover, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, Splash Mtn?, Dumbo
There are plenty of shows and other things going on at the parks. Make sure you know where the kid playground areas are. Those always help, especially the little areas with spray grounds.
DHS: Almost nothing
AK: KS?, Triceratop Spin
Epcot: SE, Nemo, Mexico
MK: Peter Pan, Pooh, Carousel, ISW, Tea Cups, Buzz, People Mover, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, Splash Mtn?, Dumbo
There are plenty of shows and other things going on at the parks. Make sure you know where the kid playground areas are. Those always help, especially the little areas with spray grounds.
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
Both our kids were still 1 when we took them and we had plenty to do. Of course it was more about our memories over theirs because they have no memory of the trip anyway. We took them on anything that had no restrictions and didn't have any problems. We tried to expose them to as much as we could with the planning videos and youtube videos of the rides so they would have some exposure before hand and that worked well.
DizneyPryncess
Well-Known Member
We took our daughter at 13 months, and we were able to do a lot of things! At MK, she loved TTA, Dumbo, Peter Pan, the carousel, WDW Railroad, Enchanted Tiki Room & Philharmagic. We opted to skip some things based on her personality, and that will differ from child to child. She didn't like the dark, so we skipped Pirates. She cried sometimes at things that surprised her, so we skipped Jungle Cruise (basically if she cried, we couldn't escape with her. We didn't want to ruin the ride for everyone if that happened.) Her favorite things were character M&G's. We didn't know what to expect, but she was all smiles & hugs when she met the characters, so we ended up prioritizing that. Wishes was also a big hit!
At Epcot, she liked Spaceship Earth. She hated Journey into Imagination because of the big boom in the final scene - completely freaked out. She loved looking at the dolphins & fish, and riding Nemo. And seeing IllumiNations. She also really enjoyed toddling around the World Showcase and taking silly pictures.
We only went into DHS to see the Disney Jr. show. I think we may have done Toy Story also, but it's vague. It was Christmas time so we saw the Osbourne lights. And we didn't go to DAK.
That's off the top of my head what I can remember that we definitely did. It was a great trip, lots of memories made! Hope you have a great trip as well!
At Epcot, she liked Spaceship Earth. She hated Journey into Imagination because of the big boom in the final scene - completely freaked out. She loved looking at the dolphins & fish, and riding Nemo. And seeing IllumiNations. She also really enjoyed toddling around the World Showcase and taking silly pictures.
We only went into DHS to see the Disney Jr. show. I think we may have done Toy Story also, but it's vague. It was Christmas time so we saw the Osbourne lights. And we didn't go to DAK.
That's off the top of my head what I can remember that we definitely did. It was a great trip, lots of memories made! Hope you have a great trip as well!
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
@gooftroop5 Great suggestions!
My feeling exactly!
Squigglove
Active Member
We'll be there for my son's 2nd birthday and I'm wondering about how much we'll be able to do.
I forgot about the Alien portion of The Great Movie Ride until it was mentioned above. My son isn't the type to cover his eyes, he has to be witness to every single thing. He's quite brave but he has his limits.
He was about 13mos old when I was playing a youtube video of the Disney Villains show, it was the first time he ever exhibited fear - when he saw the villain from Hercules.
I have every intention of taking him through the Haunted Mansion. I don't think it would phase him.
I forgot about the Alien portion of The Great Movie Ride until it was mentioned above. My son isn't the type to cover his eyes, he has to be witness to every single thing. He's quite brave but he has his limits.
He was about 13mos old when I was playing a youtube video of the Disney Villains show, it was the first time he ever exhibited fear - when he saw the villain from Hercules.
I have every intention of taking him through the Haunted Mansion. I don't think it would phase him.
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
The Great Movie Ride is enigmatic for kids --- some don't care. I don't think a single 2 year old will even notice the alien on the Alien section unless you point it out to them...they simply don't know at that age that "things pop out to scare them" -- but they ALL start screaming at the loud shootouts in the gangster sequence and the fire in the western sequence...
crosswagon
Member
There is a blog out there with some great information that breaks down each park:
We are taking our 6 month old granddaughter and my daughters are doing some early leg work for a trip with an infant!
http://disneyunder3.com/
We are taking our 6 month old granddaughter and my daughters are doing some early leg work for a trip with an infant!
http://disneyunder3.com/
boilerpicc
Well-Known Member
We took our daughter at 15 months (see profile pic). We went on everything that didn't have a height restriction. Here are some of my impressions:
Dumbo is awesome. Not so much for the ride, event though she liked that, but for the playground in the line. My daughter wasn't quite walking when we went, but she still loved it. There was a special section for toddlers, and she spent a good half an hour in there playing on a little slide. She would go down it, hang onto the side and "walk" herself back to the stairs, and then go down it again. I got to sit in the air conditioning and watch her
She hated Spaceship Earth. She was cool with all of the other dark rides, except that one. I have no idea why.
Small World, Cinderella's Carousel, and the Disney Junior show were the overall favorites. My daughter was/still is hugely into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so the Disney Junior show was a huge hit.
Toy Story Mania was the biggest pain with a kid. When we went on it, I was told that she either needed to be in a seat by herself, which she wouldn't do, or she could sit on my lap as long as we were both under the restraint. That put the gun at an angle that made it impossible to play the game. She liked looking at all of the colors, but it was kind of lame for me. We tried to do rider swap, but they wouldn't let us since there is no height restriction. Definitely recommend FP+ for this one, without a kid.
Good nap rides: Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, TTA, The American Adventure, Kilamanjaro Safaris (weird, I know!). The Safari ride put her to sleep every time. She's a great car sleeper, and the bumpiness of that ride just knocked her out.
Dumbo is awesome. Not so much for the ride, event though she liked that, but for the playground in the line. My daughter wasn't quite walking when we went, but she still loved it. There was a special section for toddlers, and she spent a good half an hour in there playing on a little slide. She would go down it, hang onto the side and "walk" herself back to the stairs, and then go down it again. I got to sit in the air conditioning and watch her
She hated Spaceship Earth. She was cool with all of the other dark rides, except that one. I have no idea why.
Small World, Cinderella's Carousel, and the Disney Junior show were the overall favorites. My daughter was/still is hugely into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so the Disney Junior show was a huge hit.
Toy Story Mania was the biggest pain with a kid. When we went on it, I was told that she either needed to be in a seat by herself, which she wouldn't do, or she could sit on my lap as long as we were both under the restraint. That put the gun at an angle that made it impossible to play the game. She liked looking at all of the colors, but it was kind of lame for me. We tried to do rider swap, but they wouldn't let us since there is no height restriction. Definitely recommend FP+ for this one, without a kid.
Good nap rides: Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, TTA, The American Adventure, Kilamanjaro Safaris (weird, I know!). The Safari ride put her to sleep every time. She's a great car sleeper, and the bumpiness of that ride just knocked her out.
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
I'm here right now with a 7 month old. So far, it appears Small World is the biggest hit with him, followed by Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo. oh and he was mesmerized by Jungle Cruise tonight, we sat right by the captain
He slept through Haunted Mansion and loved Peter Pan tonite, whereas the first night he sort of dozed through Peter Pan.
I did TSMM with him in my arms, and my score wasn't so great, 138, and he appeared to like it too. Voyage of the Little Mermaid was a hit for him. Planning on finishing all the rest of the rides at HS this Thursday, which is our Frozen day
I'm really feeling sad I'm missing all the mountains since they won't let me rider swap with his 10 year old sister, lol.
Haven't done any M&G so far. But the few character dining meals we've done have been cute. Little stinker has shown a preference for Minnie over Mickey.
We've pretty much stuck to arriving at the parks around 7pm and leaving around midnite. That way the heat doesn't do us in.
Never thought I'd do WDW by myself with 2 kids and an infant.
He slept through Haunted Mansion and loved Peter Pan tonite, whereas the first night he sort of dozed through Peter Pan.
I did TSMM with him in my arms, and my score wasn't so great, 138, and he appeared to like it too. Voyage of the Little Mermaid was a hit for him. Planning on finishing all the rest of the rides at HS this Thursday, which is our Frozen day
I'm really feeling sad I'm missing all the mountains since they won't let me rider swap with his 10 year old sister, lol.
Haven't done any M&G so far. But the few character dining meals we've done have been cute. Little stinker has shown a preference for Minnie over Mickey.
We've pretty much stuck to arriving at the parks around 7pm and leaving around midnite. That way the heat doesn't do us in.
Never thought I'd do WDW by myself with 2 kids and an infant.
We're on our way to Disney right now. This will be my 10 month old's 10th trip. We have taken her every month since she was born.
She's done nearly every attraction without a height requirement except some of the more "adult" shows. She's a squirmer, so the various films around World Showcase would be a nightmare with her! Shows are really the only things we struggle with. Even the Frozen Singalong was exhausting because she would not sit still. Everything else she's done multiple times since she was a newborn with no issues.
We are only 1" from hitting the first height marker (32" for the Speedway!). Though I think she will hit the height long before I'm ready to take her on it. She'll try and climb out of the car.
She's done nearly every attraction without a height requirement except some of the more "adult" shows. She's a squirmer, so the various films around World Showcase would be a nightmare with her! Shows are really the only things we struggle with. Even the Frozen Singalong was exhausting because she would not sit still. Everything else she's done multiple times since she was a newborn with no issues.
We are only 1" from hitting the first height marker (32" for the Speedway!). Though I think she will hit the height long before I'm ready to take her on it. She'll try and climb out of the car.
scubasteve
New Member
my kids take naps on a small word its funny. they can go on bunch of rides just use you better judgement and you good to go as for non height rides
thumpersmom
New Member
We took our daughter at 14 mos. (A few notes to consider, she's not afraid of the dark at all, doesn't really mind scary things, and loud noises barely phase her, she was just pretty much beginning to walk and absolutely ADORES music and disney characters)
The biggest hits for her were:
Character Greetings in every park- she literally cried when we would take her AWAY (and dive out of our arms waiting for them trying to get to Mickey, Minnie etc..) Her second word though was "ickey" for Mickey so that should explain a lot.
MK
Top rides/attractions
Buzz Lightyear - we literally rode 3-4 times. She loved holding the laser gun and pressing buttons and spinning the car.
Dumbo - she actually loved watching the train go by next door and the music while waiting. The play area was actually a little difficult for her as she was still pretty "toddler-y"
The Carousel
The Little Mermaid
The Enchanted Tiki Room
Electric Light Parade (LOVED, loved, loved!)
Cinnamon rolls at Gastons and Dole Whip in Adventureland (yes, this was totally an "attraction" to my food loving child)
Good Rides/attractions - Everything went fine, she liked them (just wasn't necessarily bouncing off the walls excited like she was on the "top rides")
Small World
Peter Pan
Winnie the Pooh
Aladdins Magic Carpets
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean (just hang on to the little one tight during the drop)
Tea Cups
WDW Railroad
People Mover
Philharmagic surprisingly kept her interest well.
OK attractions - A little squirmy
Country Bear Jamboree- We thought she'd like this more but forgot how not so catchy the music was.
Princess and Tinkerbell greeting- the actual people weren't that interesting to her. We have a picture of her looking at Cinderella with one raised eyebrow and it is the funniest thing ever.
Haunted Mansion - we went on too close to nap time
Animal Kingdom
She LOVED the Festival of the Lion King. A little squirmy waiting. We requested to sit near an exit just in case she started crying or something and we had to leave and they were totally accommodating (great way to get a good view btw) but once the show started she was enraptured!
Love the Safari Expedition too.
The Mickey and Minnie greeting had almost no wait.
Seeing the animals was fine, but she mostly fell asleep and napped in her stroller.
Rafiki Planet Watch was a hit (and the train ride out there too). She loved petting the goats and the snake too! She also loved Rafiki and watching the kids interact with the Chip and Dale sing along.
Was totally unimpressed eating at Rainforest (which surprised me)
We totally forgot all about the triceratop spin, and had to miss our Nemo FP as she was asleep in the stroller.
Her favorite part though was sitting on the Elephant statues right when you got off the train at Rafiki's...go figure?!?
EPCOT
Rode Imagination, Mexico, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land and even got through the American Adventure and France movie with no problem. She loved looking in the tanks at the Living Seas and the Nemo ride went smooth. She threw a FIT though waiting for Turtle Talk and we had to make a fast exit before it started. We got stuck in the back of the room and she couldn't see and all the kids had already filled the seating area up front and so I think she was mad that all she could see was the back of grownup heads and nothing was going on yet. Never could stay up late enough with her to catch Illuminations. Maelstrom was closed already when we went.
She was totally cool with riding around in the stroller checking out all the shops too.
We did the character meal at the Garden Grill here too and they were really accommodating with the little one. They even brought her the kids meal dish and cupcakes even though she was under 2 and we weren't even paying for a meal for her. It was reasonably calm too the way the tables are laid out in a circle there.
Studios
Playhouse Disney was a hit, but I had to work really hard to keep her from running all over the room before and during the show. The open carpet just said "run" to her. ugh.
The muppets was fun, but of course she wouldn't wear the glasses.
TSMM was fun but obviously we really couldn't play the game.
The only thing we didn't do a lot of were longer shows that didn't have easy exits e.g. The Great Movie Ride, Universe of Energy, as kiddo can get unpredictably squirmy and we didn't want to be stuck if she wasn't having any of it (e.g. throwing a fit. lol)
The biggest hits for her were:
Character Greetings in every park- she literally cried when we would take her AWAY (and dive out of our arms waiting for them trying to get to Mickey, Minnie etc..) Her second word though was "ickey" for Mickey so that should explain a lot.
MK
Top rides/attractions
Buzz Lightyear - we literally rode 3-4 times. She loved holding the laser gun and pressing buttons and spinning the car.
Dumbo - she actually loved watching the train go by next door and the music while waiting. The play area was actually a little difficult for her as she was still pretty "toddler-y"
The Carousel
The Little Mermaid
The Enchanted Tiki Room
Electric Light Parade (LOVED, loved, loved!)
Cinnamon rolls at Gastons and Dole Whip in Adventureland (yes, this was totally an "attraction" to my food loving child)
Good Rides/attractions - Everything went fine, she liked them (just wasn't necessarily bouncing off the walls excited like she was on the "top rides")
Small World
Peter Pan
Winnie the Pooh
Aladdins Magic Carpets
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean (just hang on to the little one tight during the drop)
Tea Cups
WDW Railroad
People Mover
Philharmagic surprisingly kept her interest well.
OK attractions - A little squirmy
Country Bear Jamboree- We thought she'd like this more but forgot how not so catchy the music was.
Princess and Tinkerbell greeting- the actual people weren't that interesting to her. We have a picture of her looking at Cinderella with one raised eyebrow and it is the funniest thing ever.
Haunted Mansion - we went on too close to nap time
Animal Kingdom
She LOVED the Festival of the Lion King. A little squirmy waiting. We requested to sit near an exit just in case she started crying or something and we had to leave and they were totally accommodating (great way to get a good view btw) but once the show started she was enraptured!
Love the Safari Expedition too.
The Mickey and Minnie greeting had almost no wait.
Seeing the animals was fine, but she mostly fell asleep and napped in her stroller.
Rafiki Planet Watch was a hit (and the train ride out there too). She loved petting the goats and the snake too! She also loved Rafiki and watching the kids interact with the Chip and Dale sing along.
Was totally unimpressed eating at Rainforest (which surprised me)
We totally forgot all about the triceratop spin, and had to miss our Nemo FP as she was asleep in the stroller.
Her favorite part though was sitting on the Elephant statues right when you got off the train at Rafiki's...go figure?!?
EPCOT
Rode Imagination, Mexico, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land and even got through the American Adventure and France movie with no problem. She loved looking in the tanks at the Living Seas and the Nemo ride went smooth. She threw a FIT though waiting for Turtle Talk and we had to make a fast exit before it started. We got stuck in the back of the room and she couldn't see and all the kids had already filled the seating area up front and so I think she was mad that all she could see was the back of grownup heads and nothing was going on yet. Never could stay up late enough with her to catch Illuminations. Maelstrom was closed already when we went.
She was totally cool with riding around in the stroller checking out all the shops too.
We did the character meal at the Garden Grill here too and they were really accommodating with the little one. They even brought her the kids meal dish and cupcakes even though she was under 2 and we weren't even paying for a meal for her. It was reasonably calm too the way the tables are laid out in a circle there.
Studios
Playhouse Disney was a hit, but I had to work really hard to keep her from running all over the room before and during the show. The open carpet just said "run" to her. ugh.
The muppets was fun, but of course she wouldn't wear the glasses.
TSMM was fun but obviously we really couldn't play the game.
The only thing we didn't do a lot of were longer shows that didn't have easy exits e.g. The Great Movie Ride, Universe of Energy, as kiddo can get unpredictably squirmy and we didn't want to be stuck if she wasn't having any of it (e.g. throwing a fit. lol)
ScarletBegonias
Well-Known Member
These are great to know. My DD will turn 15 months on the trip!