The youngest you would take a kid

plutoismyhero

Active Member
Original Poster
So im slowing trying to convince my wife to take our baby girl to Disney this year. Was born in December so would 9-10-11 months be too early?
 

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Depends on what you think the baby will get out of their first trip.

IMHO he/she is far too young. Our daughter was 23 months on her first visit and was able to experience new sights and sounds and ride some of the attractions for young children
 

ML11

New Member
So im slowing trying to convince my wife to take our baby girl to Disney this year. Was born in December so would 9-10-11 months be too early?

We took my daughter at 10 months. Now is she going to remember - no. But we have pictures and she enjoyed it tremendously. She was so excited whenever we ate with the characters. She loved the parades. We went to MNSSHP. It was the best to see her face!
 

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
They won't remember that early, but going to wdw with a baby that young is quite easy. We are actually taking our daughter on her first wdw trip this May and she will be 7 months old. Mind you we also have a 4 and 6 year old who have been going since they were about 10-11 months old for both their first visits.

I would highly recommend to go during a slower time of the year though. That way you can take t easy going through the parks with the baby and not wait in hour plus lines for all the rides.
 

popcenturylover

Well-Known Member
We took our youngest at the age of 8 months old. We actually rode alot but, took it at a slower pace. It actually is one of my favorite trips because we didn't plan any adrs & went with the flow. Of course, we had help from our older children who were 15 & 17 at the time. (when they weren't off doing their own thing!) They won't remember it, of course but, you will & hopefully will have many pictures to look at after your trip. So, enjoy!!!
 

NormC

Well-Known Member
Out of diapers and able to walk a bit. Every child develops differently but I always wondered how much of a vacation is it if you have all the work involved with infants that are not even going to remember anything. My youngest was 6 on her first trip.
 

Figaro928

Well-Known Member
If you can convince your wife, then do it. Does anyone ever regret a trip to Disney?

Here's a big sell point for me: You guys have been on the exhausting endless new parent rollercoaster together with a new baby for the past few months. Go, not only for your daughter, BUT YOURSELVES. You made it through the hardest part of parenting (until she turns 13) What better place to celebrate surviving this than the place that makes YOU feel like a kid. Of course your daughter wont get it. Or remember it. Or wrap her arms around you saying "oh thank you daddy" . But she will be in awe of it all - and you'll be in awe of her being awe. Let's all be honest, trips to WDW with babies are not for the babies alone - they are for the parents - and so what?

Go. Go get your daughter a pair of ears. And then get a pair for your wife and yourself, and give each other a high five.
 

RachelElizabeth

New Member
Tiny babies (up to walking age) are probably good. 5 years old is the magical age for us. Not used to a nap everyday, can walk and stand for long periods of time. Can understand, somewhat, that we aren't going to buy everything we see. But still little enough to be amazed by almost everything.
Not to judge, but most of the meltdowns I see are tired 2-4 year olds who just can't be good anymore :)
 

Lucky

Well-Known Member
Kids are all different. Often people want to give advice assuming all kids are like their own were.

We first went when ours were 5 1/2 and 4. We never used strollers and never stopped for naps. They never took naps at home either. But I know what worked for us wouldn't work for a lot of families.
 

Figaro928

Well-Known Member
I will also say, if you are debating between 9 - 12 months, I would personally opt for closer to nine months. My sisterinlaw took her little guy when he was 13 months during the busy season. He just figured out how to walk and immediately wanted to RUN. When he was awake it was harder to keep him confined to the stroller because he was just gaining that sense of independence and exploration. YOu have to figure that when exploring the parks, a kid that age is going to be mostly either held or in a stroller. For a wildman like my nefew, that just wasn't going to fly. Again, every kid is different, but a small something to consider
 

Disneydreamer23

Well-Known Member
I took my dad at age 16 months were going back this year she will be 2 1/2 I am pregnant and we go every september so in 2016 I will be bringing a 10 month old! My did loved disney and universal we went for 2 weeks!
 
My son as been since he was in my belly!! ;) His first official time going he was at 16 months. He was able to walk and stand on lines, was old enough to hug and interact with the characters and enjoy all the rides! He loved it and was actually SO good, even on the 16 hour ride down!!!! Kids might surprise you! He's gone every year since being born, and he looks forward to it every year! Enjoy!
 

Kit83

Active Member
We took our eldest to DLP at 18 months, did he enjoy it yes can he remember it no ! We had a great time taking him and he enjoys seeing the photos . In hindsight it was hard work and not a lot of things got done due to naps etc but worth every moment for us .

If you ask me I would say wait as long as you can before you go for their first time, or until they are 5 or 6 for them to get the most out of it , just remember to go around the parks at their pace .

Don't worry too much about their age for the first time I was 18 when I first went to WDW :jawdrop:
 

Tinkerfan4ever

Well-Known Member
I would say go for it! We took our youngest just after her second birthday, but I wouldn't hesitate to bring a younger child.

You just have to manage your expectations. If you plan on going park commando all day long at the parks, with no naps, you will probably regret it. But if you take ques from your child, take breaks as necessary, go at their pace, eat when they are hungry, I think you will have a great trip.

And as others have said - she probably won't remember it after the fact, but will have a great trip while you are there. And YOU will definitely remember it, so have a good time!
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
No time is "too early." While I'd characterize any trip before your child is a toddler as being "for the parents, not the child," that's certainly no reason why you shouldn't go. If you want to go and are willing to shift your touring schedule to accommodate your baby, then by all means, do it!

That being said, we restricted ourselves to inexpensive short trips and "staycations" while our children were infants and toddlers. We didn't take them to WDW for the first time until they were 4 and 6 -- the earliest point after they were both potty-trained, and both able to walk 4 hours without a stroller. (It helps that my children are both tall for their age, and hyperactive.) We didn't want to spend Disney-level money and fly halfway across the country to be encumbered with constant stopping, whining, meltdowns, or a clunky stroller and diaper bag and feeding supplies and all the related accoutrements, which although a God-send to some, would have been like a figurative albatross around our necks, as we enjoy traveling light. We did, of course, shift our schedule to ensure that the kids wouldn't be exhausted or over-stimulated (we tour in two "sessions" each day -- rope drop to lunch, and 4pm to 9pm, with a 2-3 hour nap for the whole family in between), but we were really happy with how well the kids did, and grateful that we hadn't attempted a Disney vacation much earlier. For our family, that was the perfect time to take them.
 

love disney

Active Member
So im slowing trying to convince my wife to take our baby girl to Disney this year. Was born in December so would 9-10-11 months be too early?
We took our little one when she was six months old. Obviously she won't remember it, but we have great pictures of her there, and we actually had a great time (fortunately her grandmother came along which enabled us to go on rides together while she watched the little one). We went at a slower pace than we used to, but had a great time...

HOWEVER, after the measles outbreak my wife and I said that if we have a second child we would wait until after the first rounds of vaccines. As first time parents we didn't even think of the fact that some people don't vaccinate their children, and this is especially true of foreign visitors who might be on different vaccine schedules than here in the US, might have diseases more prevalent there than here, etc. (note, this is not a knock on foreigners, just pointing out that there are differences in disease prevalence, vaccine schedules, etc.). Now the likelihood of our little one catching something like measles is slim, but we decided if we have a second one just not to take the chance. Just something to consider.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
There is no right age. What it all comes down to is if you are willing to do what it takes for a kid that is "X" to enjoy the experience.

You are on their schedule not the other way around. Ignore that and you are just as likely to have a meltdown from a 12 year old as you would a 2 year old.

The whole 'they will not remember it" argument, it is complete BS. Children's experiences begin to imprint on their brain and shape who they are from the moment they are born. Sure, they might not be able to tell you that they remember the trip they took when they were 2, but that experience along with every other one goes into shaping who they are.

My youngest child's first trip to WDW was at 10 days old and it was an incredible trip. So were the 10-12 trips per year she went on for more than a decade after that.
 

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