Advice on WDW with an infant

[kennedy]

Okay... so I've been to WDW many times, with my family was younger, and then just my husband and me, and I always thought about that first time when I'd go there with my own child-- and now it's happening!! My husband and I will be bringing our infant son-- who will be seven months at the time-- to WDW this October. We plan to stay at the Boardwalk, and will be at WDW during the Food and Wine Festival.

I would love to get tips from any of you who have been to WDW with an infant. This will obviously be a very different way of doing WDW for us. Feel free to pass along any tips. Some preliminary questions I have are:

(1) Can you bring strollers into restaurants?
(2) Is it better to bring our stroller from home, or rent one at the parks?
(3) What rides have you gone on with an infant around that age?
(4) I've never stepped a toe in Mickey's Toon Town or whatever it's called in MK. I know nothing about it. Are there rides/attractions there an infant would enjoy?

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[mouselvrmom]

I would say that as a general rule you can not bring strollers into restaurants. I think some counter service you may be able to get away with a stroller depending on how busy it is, but I don't think any table service will let you bring in a stroller.

There are numerous stroller take vs. rental threads out there. I would do a search to hear all of the arguments. But I think the consensus is that with a child of that age you are better off bringing your own stroller that is comfy enough for your little one to take a nap in. However, the bigger and bulkier the stroller the harder it is to fold it up on buses etc.

You will have a great time at the boardwalk. It is really conveniently located with a lot of restaurants and epcot just a short walk away. That is one park that you won't have to fold your stroller up to go to.

As far as toontown. I don't think there are really any rides that your infant will enjoy. There is a little coaster, but your little one won't be big enough. There is mickey and minnie's houses that are fun to walk through. And at the end of mickey's house, you can meet mickey. That is something that your little one might enjoy. Around that age, my youngest loved all of the characters. She loved to touch their faces and hold their hands. She was really mesmerized by them.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip. I think as long as you keep your child rested and hydrated, it is one of the best ages to take you little one. There is plenty for them to look at as they are being pushed around, and they are too young to ask you to buy them things! :lol:

 

[Passport]

Will your child enjoy the experience?
I see parents struggling every week with their babies. The parents and the kids look miserable.

 

[happymom52003]

If you plan and have realistic expectations, you will have a wonderful time. It helps that you are already so familiar with Disney. There are alot of rides you can take your baby on....nearly everything that does not have a height requirment. The baby care centers in the parks are great...make sure you know where they are. I highly suggest bringing your own stroller because with a child that age you will want to have the stroller outside the parks as well. While you can't take the stroller into most table service meals, we have never had a problem taking them into counter service restraunts...not sure if they are officially allowed, but we have done it alot on all of our trips and never been told not to. Our youngest had just turned 12 months on her first trip and we had the most magical vacation ever. And regarding the above post...I also see plenty of parents with older children that look miserable! It has nothing to do with the childs age....it is all about proper planning, realistic expectations, and planning adequate rest time. Here is a link to some FAQs regarding taking infants. Have fun!

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/infant.htm

 

[ThinkTink721]

You can leave your stroller outside of the restaurant.
We brought our own last year & no one bothered it.
With an infant, I would be sure to bring a stroller where he can lay down if he wants to take a quick nap.

As far as attractions with an infant that age, I would recommend:

MK - Dumbo; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; Pooh's Playful Spot; It's A Small World; Peter Pan's Flight; Country Bear Jamboree; Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin; Monsters, Inc.; Transit Authority; Magic Carpets of Aladdin; Jungle Cruise; Pirates of the Caribbean; Enchanted Tiki Room (if he is not afraid of the dark); Wishes (if fireworks do not scare him); Spectromagic Parade; afternoon parade; WDW Railroad

Epcot - Nemo & Friends; Turtle Talk w/ Crush; Living w/ the Land; Exhibits at The Living Seas (aquariums, etc.); Journey Into Imagination w/ Figment; Illuminations (if fireworks do not scare him); Stars & Motor Cars Parade

Disney Studios - Voyage of the Little Mermaid (if he is not afraid of the dark); Playhouse Disney Live; Fantasmic (if fireworks do not scare him)

AK - Finding Nemo the Musical; Festival of the Lion King; Kilamanjaro Safaris; Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade

Toontown is a place where you can see Mickey's & Minnie's houses.
There is Donald's Boat that squirts water.
You can also meet some characters there (including Mickey) if he is not afraid of them.

Hope this helps!
Have a wonderful trip!
:wave:

 

[Jessie&Buzz]

I think it depends on the resturant as it if you can take your stroller. I took ours into Garden Grill in the Land and the Princess breakfast in Norway in 2003. The Land one was a little harder to do because the CM at the door tried telling me I wasn't allowed to have it in there, which normally you aren't (would bring a snuggle type carrier for Epcot if you have one) but we asked at the resturant and they said it was ok. She finally let me after this was explained. Now that I think about it I had my dd's in Crystal Palace in 1998. I'm sure things have changed since then. Neither of mine could sit in high chairs when we were at WDW when they were infants.

There are baby care centers in each of the parks. They offer a place to relax and get into the a/c. They have a room for nursing moms if you are one and a room with changing tables. I suggest using them. Make sure you take extra clothes just incase of messes. Ziplock bags come in handy for the messy clothes also.

Most of all pace yourselves and have a great time! That age is fun there. My kids took everything in. They were 5 and 6 months for their first trips.

 

[Summitplummet14]

I think your son would love Mickey's Toontown Fair and Fantasyland, mostly because they are designed for young children. Toontown Fair is the perfect place to meet and greet with characters, and Fantasyland is the perfect place for child rides,

Hope this helps and hope you, your husband, and son have a great time!

 

[ljs1691]

We took our youngest at 6 months and didn't have one problem. We brought our stroller since the car seat fit onto it, that way he could nap whenever he was ready. We just didn't have crazy expectations of being able to hit every ride, every show, and every parade. I'd say the most important tip is to go at a leisurely pace and don't get disappointed if you have to skip something. If you go knowing that you shouldn't try to keep to a schedule, you will be fine.

Do NOT expect to have the same experience with a child that you had when it was just you and your husband or you will be very disappointed. Kids are great and you can expect every visit to WDW to change now with your childs age.

There is plenty of stroller parking outside the restaurants and we never had any problems leaving ours.

Our little one rode everything with us that didn't have a height restriction and he was mezmerized.

I would suggest skipping Toon Town until your little one gets older. You can't take strollers through Mickey or Minnie's house anyway.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

p.s. - our next trip we will leave the kids at home, but we have no regrets about going with the little one.

 

[nicnic]

When we took our infant daughter to Disney, we didnt take an umbrella stroller, we took her buggie which you are able to fit the car seat inside, this way if she was asleep during night time meals (wich was most nights) we were able to just carry her into the restaurant and place her on the seat next to us. I know they are a lot bulkier but they are more comfy for little ones and I saw quite a few people with buggies like this with small infants.

 

[WDW-LUVR]

(1) Can you bring strollers into restaurants? NO
(2) Is it better to bring our stroller from home, or rent one at the parks? Bring one from home. you will want it if you go DTD and to and from the buses, at the end of the day it seems like the way a hundred pounds.
(3) What rides have you gone on with an infant around that age? I brought my infant on all they would permit me to.
(4) I've never stepped a toe in Mickey's Toon Town or whatever it's called in MK. I know nothing about it. Are there rides/attractions there an infant would enjoy? Toon Town is for toddler - up really. he might like the bright colors and all the action of the people, but as for rides, none. For meeting the charactors my family doese the charactor dinning, less lines.

 

[WDWEric]

Will your child enjoy the experience?
I see parents struggling every week with their babies. The parents and the kids look miserable.

I don't think the the OP wanted sarcasm for an answer, How old are your kids and how young were they when u first took them?

 

[WDWEric]

I think it depends on the resturant as it if you can take your stroller. I took ours into Garden Grill in the Land and the Princess breakfast in Norway in 2003. The Land one was a little harder to do because the CM at the door tried telling me I wasn't allowed to have it in there, which normally you aren't (would bring a snuggle type carrier for Epcot if you have one) but we asked at the resturant and they said it was ok. She finally let me after this was explained. Now that I think about it I had my dd's in Crystal Palace in 1998. I'm sure things have changed since then. Neither of mine could sit in high chairs when we were at WDW when they were infants..

When we were there in April we were not allowed to even bring our stroller into the land pavilion, I even got yelled at in the Seas because I tried to bring our stroller into it ( The seas was near empty too) I did it anyway because my youngest son was getting heavy and was tired of carrying him!

 

[NewfieFan]

I just took my 14 month old to WDW in June, I had alot of questions too. I'm going to repeat what everyone else has said here and recommend that you take your own stroller. Make sure it can recline (for naps) and folds up small (that's if you're using Disney transportation). You will need the stroller in more places than just the parks (renting strollers only gives you access to them in the 4 parks). The rented strollers are not suited for small babies either. I had no problem taking both of my umbrella strollers (yes, I took two small children) into any counter service restaruant. Also, the small strollers are easier to move around in the shops at Disney as well. You cannot take your stroller into any of the pavillions in Future World (you can take your stroller into most areas in World Showcase, though) You cannot take your stroller into any queue area! This can be difficult with a young child. I'm sure you've heard of the parent swap, well sometimes my husband and I just found it easier to take turns going on rides than to drag (i.e. hold) our baby through the lineup. (Of course we only did this if we had FastPass or if it was a really short line, otherwise we'd spend all day going on one ride.) If you have a baby carrier I'd consider taking it, even if just used for lineups and pavillions where you'd have to carry your baby around.
In terms of appropriate attractions you may have to make that call. Some babies are thrilled with lights, singing, loud noises etc., whereas others can be over stimulated by the sights and sounds. Just follow your babies lead. My baby loved It's a Small World and Festival of the Lion King (she even clapped).
To make a long story short... go at your babies pace, keep him/her fed, well hydrated, and rested. Your baby really doesn't care about anything else!

 

[NewfieFan]

It has nothing to do with the childs age....it is all about proper planning, realistic expectations, and planning adequate rest time.

Amen to that!!!

 

[Princess Ariel]

We went in May with our 3 kids (8, 3, 1 1/2). My youngest loved it! There was so much to see. He loved IASW and POTC. Baby swap is great, so we did not miss any rides. We brought our own stroller (a double) and had no trouble. In fact you can roll it right onto the monorails kid and all! We had reservations about bringing our youngest, but we are glad we did. In fact we are going to DL in November. Have fun!

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

If you plan and have realistic expectations, you will have a wonderful time. It has nothing to do with the childs age....it is all about proper planning, realistic expectations, and planning adequate rest time.

Remember Kids pace ... Not parents pace. If you don't you will learn.

Just another reminder that the characters look HUGE to infants. My oldest was 13 months for his first trip and wanted to be no where near ANY character.

 

[Greenlawler]

Will your child enjoy the experience?
I see parents struggling every week with their babies. The parents and the kids look miserable.

Funny, when our second son was an infant he was great. We had a great week! Maybe were the exception (that would be a first). Why should famalies not get to enjoy Disney with a child?

We have been multiple times with small children and have always come back. My best advice is rest rest and more rest!

 

[DrewDAK5150]

Here are some excellent rides to bring an infant on: World of Motion, The Swan Boats @ MK, Dreamflight, If you had wings, Mission to Mars, River Country Kiddie Pool (the kiddie pools at the Disney Inn and The Treehouse Villas are also fabulous,) and The Hall of Presidents Starring Aerosmith.

 

[morgan22]

We just visited in July with our 11month old and we all had a wonderful time.
We paced ourselves each day and didn't expect too much from her - to be honest, it was so hot that she practically slept most of the time - at least October won't be stifling.

With regards to attractions she was great on most things we took her on - we only struggled in theatre attractions - i had to leave American Adventure and only got through Muppets because I gave her my 3D glasses to play with. She's at the stage where she wants to stand all the time so mostly I had her stood on my lap, pirates, El rio, land - even on the safari which was hard work I can tell you - so bumpy!!

She loved the water parks and her favourite ride was def. Buzz Lightyear - she had a great time playing with the lever and spinning us round!!!

My best advice is pace yourself and don't expect too much - we queued 30mins for her to meet Winnie the Pooh only for her to fall asleep in her stroller as we got to the front of the line .... we were lucky, we were there for 2weeks so had time to take it easy.

Have a wonderful time x

 

[Master Yoda]

(1) Can you bring strollers into restaurants?
(2) Is it better to bring our stroller from home, or rent one at the parks?
(3) What rides have you gone on with an infant around that age?
(4) I've never stepped a toe in Mickey's Toon Town or whatever it's called in MK. I know nothing about it. Are there rides/attractions there an infant would enjoy?

(1)In counter service you can, table service you can not.
(2) For an infant I have found your own stroller, especially one with a integrated car seat, is the best option. Another addition to arsenal that I can recommend is one of those harnesses that either you or your significant other can wear on their chest. Preferably one that will allow your baby to face either forward or backward. It is especially handy when riding attractions.
(3) You can do physically do pretty much any attraction that does not have a height limit. You will want to of course adjust that based on your child's tolerances. If he freaks out in the dark then dark rides might not be the best idea. I had my youngest at WDW at 10 days old and we did every attraction at MK save the coasters, Splash Mountain and AE.
(4) For an infant Toon Town would be a great place to pictures with the characters but that is about it. A toddler would have fun at the play grounds but it sounds like you are not quite to that stage yet.