Anyone here bring a 3 month to 3 and half month old to the world.

[bgraham34]

My wife and I want to make a trip in March/April with our first child who will be 3 months or so at the time. We go every year and want to continue doing so. I know many people have brought young kids and I would like some input. (Before anyone says anything i know the baby won't have memories of it but we will and will have cameras so that idea is off the table)

We know it will be a different type of trip and my MIL will be dragged along with us. My wife just wants to know what we should expect! Granted breaks and the like, but is it more than we would bargain for.

Thanks all.

 

[durangojim]

First time we took our son, he was 10 weeks, then 3 1/2 months, 9 months, a couple of times when he was 1, 2, 3, 4, and soon 5. Our daughter was 8 weeks, then 6 months, 9 months, three times when she was 1, and her second trip as a 2 year old is coming up.

Biggest tips, take it slow, use the baby stations in each park -- they can be a great place to relax, breast feed or bottle feed your little one. If you can, try to go back to your room during the hottest time of the day to nap. Basically take it at your own pace.

And take lots of pictures, your child may not remember these experiences, but you will, and it's great to show them pictures when they get older.

Have a wonderful time!:wave:

 

[durangojim]

Also, if your MIL is willing, maybe try to plan a nice evening out with your wife (if she likes that sort of thing). California Grill is a great place to eat, especially if you can time it right with Wishes.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

No tips because I was one of those hard-headed numb-skulls who refused to take the kiddos until they were old enough to walk the parks with no stroller support. Just wanted to stand up & applaud all of you who do take your babies & little ones. That's my only regret...that I didn't take my boys sooner.

 

[roaddogg6420]

I have not with 3 month old, but with 5 month old. Done it twice once with my son then again with my Daughter. My tips would be take it slow, take lots of pictures. One big tip if you take your own stroller is get a stroller umbrella. We have the one from Shadybaby, got it at amazon.com.

 

[YoungNY]

As I read this all I could think about was my last trip to Magic Kingdom, were a woman had her very young baby strapped to her chest and took her on the Jungle Cruise. That baby cried or more screamed the whole time. I couldn't enjoy myself. I love babies and support parents in all endevours, but after that, I swore I'd never take my childern to Disney until they were at least 3 years old or could walk around without a stroller all day or potty trained or all three. I just don't want to be that parent that everyone is staring at thinking "Can't you control your kid?" Especially at Disney world.

Anyway, my only advice is be curteous to others. If the baby is fussy, don't them onto a quite ride or show. Oh, and have fun!

 

[ErickainPA]

We took our son to the Grand Canyon and Vegas at 3 months old from PA. His first Disney trip he was 7 months old (I was pregnant with our twin daughters at the time), got his 1st haircut at the World and then at 10 months went to Disneyland. We took a slightly slower pace, but think that was more for me, since I was pregnant. Our son did well and we did go back to the room to rest each day, but again that was mostly for me, since my son could sleep in his stroller. I usually stayed with him while my husband went on certain rides he wanted to go on. He slept or just watched the lights on attractions. He did go on the Safari ride at AK. We didn't bring my mom along on that trip, but we did have her come with us on our girls 1st trip at 14 months old, since we just wanted to be able to go out for our anniversary and sometimes on different rides was just easier to have another set of hand to hold one of the wiggle worms while my husband and I each held one as well.

Have a great time and the pics are priceless that you will get. You will see such a change in a year.

 

[slappy magoo]

Our wee one turned 5 months old during our last trip to WDW. There were some things we did with her, but for the most part it was a lot of walk-through exhibits. With the exception of meals, we tried not to keep her in places when she was crying, and even during meals, one of us would often try to bring her to the side to keep the disturbance of others minimized. That's a thing worth remembering - your vacation coincides with a hell of a lot of other people's vacations, and just as you'd hope they'd be courteous to you, so too should you be to them.

As far as some practical advice, get your baby clothes with sunscreen built-in. Try to keep some kind of set schedule comparable to what you have at home, as much as possible. If your child is crying, duck out. If you're going to see shows or movie-based attractions, ask to sit by the exit. And if your baby really doesn't get in the swing of things (our daughter was miserable quite a lot for the first half of our last trip), consider keeping him/her in the room and rotating who's on baby detail each day. Our wee one was happiest (most of the time) when we were back in the room for afternoon naps and breaks. My wife and I would take turns going to the pool. Once in a while, my wife would let me go to a park solo, and when Id come back, she'd go to DTD.

Just do what you'll hopefully be doing all the time when the baby's born anyway - put his/her needs above your own.

 

[durangojim]

With regards to the sunprotection built in to the clothes, I totally agree. We had big floppy lightweight hats that protected our kids from the son, as infants and toddlers. I also agree about being courteous to others and removing a crying child from that attraction, but some kids have no problems at all, so don't let one bad experience color your choices for a completely different child.

 

[bgraham34]

Good to know all. My wife was just worried other people would not bring such a young child. As I told her before people bring even younger ones.

 

[durangojim]

Good to know all. My wife was just worried other people would not bring such a young child. As I told her before people bring even younger ones.

Also don't forget about rider swap if you don't mind going on a ride by yourself.

 

[tracyandalex]

we first took our daughter when she was 4 months old. she seemed to enjoy herself. we used the baby stations at all parks, but they are not all created equal! we took the opportunity to introduce her to characters in the hopes of avoiding future freak outs and so far it has worked well. DH is now almost 2 and has met the characters 4 more times freak out free. she really enjoyed small world and the light parade. i think your experience depends on your child we were blessed with a happy, low maintenance baby so that helped a lot. i know lots of folks like to leave the parks for a break, but we never have. we let DH fall asleep in her stroller then take advantage of the single rider lines while she;s napping, but again this depends on your child, not all children will fall asleep at a theme park! we did bring our own stroller and i do recommend that especially with a young child. she already gets excited seeing the pics of her first trips so remember to take lots of them. have a great trip! :wave:

tracy

 

[sarajo]

We took our first child when she was just 6 1/2 weeks old. She and I both did fine, but we did tackle the parks at a much slower pace than before I had kids. We took a lot of breaks, and usually went back to the resort mid-day for a little quiet time and "de-compress from stimulation" time. Utilize the baby centers... they can be a life-saver in the midst of a crowded park!

Second child went when he was 8 weeks old... did as well as his older sister. #3 was older- 10 months... again, did very well!

Be prepared for many people to roll their eyes at you for bringing a young child to a place like Disney World. We've experienced that on many more occasions than I care to think about, but my children were well behaved during the attraction/ride, and usually those same eye-rollers would make some comment to us at the end about how well the kids behaved.

Make sure your camera has loads of memory/film. You can get some really wonderful pictures of your baby w/ various characters. We did that, and would hang the pictures up in the kids' rooms. That way, they can see the progression of their life with Disney!!

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

Bgraham, we took our daughter at age 14 mo's and if i had to do it all over again, i would do it in a heart beat.

This is one of those topics though that's extremely subjective. It depends on the child, it depends on you and of course your tolerance. It of course depends on your expectations going in to the trip as well. Obviously, you can not expect to do the trip commando, or going straight from 7 am to 11 pm non stop. If you think your child has the temperment, give it a shot! The best tip i ever received were on these boards courtesy of several members.. Slappy and MasterYoda being among them. And that was to always try and head back to the room mid day and settle things down and take naps. We did this every day of the trip! You have to be willing to part with the parks for a few hours, but it's worth it. After naps we would all shower and dress and it allowed us to return to the parks the rest of the evening, everyone in pleasant moods. We kept her out until 11 some nights, no issues.

If you go and expect to take your child from 7 am to ?, it's going to be disaster.

 

[DisneyDeb13]

Brought my second son when he was seven weeks old. My other son was 5 and daughter was 3 at the time. We did Magic Kingdom only on that trip and stayed outside the park. But that was a long time ago.

It was an easy trip as I nursed the baby in all the dark shows and the comfort station at MK was quiet and comfortable for feeding and a place to take a needed break.

Go for it. My son always brags to people that he went at seven weeks old and he is proud to show the pictures

 

[Jarienn]

We took our girls ages 3 years and 3 1/2 months to WDW in December. It was our older daughter's 3rd trip. She was 15mo old the first time we went, but we traveled with friends who were willing to trade kids so we could do rides. On our trip last year, the best thing we did was bring our own stroller. We thought about renting one but our little one was so much happier with her own. We went without using the infant seat in the stroller because it made it much easier to fold getting on and off the trams. Our stroller had a 5 point harness so she was perfectly snug in it. The best thing we found though was infant formula that came in single use packs similar to the way Crystal Light is packaged. One premeasured pack makes a 4oz bottle and they're so much easier to carry in the diaper bag than a can. Both Enfamil and Similac sell them 16 to a package. If your baby will be using formula, they're a breeze to use and less hassle at the airport if you're flying.

 

[bgraham34]

Thanks all. It looks like we will go hopefully the first weekend in March.

 

[Biff215]

Enjoy your trip! Our daughter has gone four times before she turned 2; at 6 months, a year, 16 months, and 23 months. We've had our share of meltdowns and brief embarrassment, but overall we had great experiences that were well worth it.

If you're flying, be prepared with plenty of things to keep the baby busy, especially in the event of a delay. We also bring our own stroller and have had a lot of success with that. We rented a car half of the trips with her, and found this to be a lot nicer when needing to get back to the resort for a nap or bedtime. The only hassle with that is bringing the car seat.

As others have said, take it slow, take tons of pictures, and enjoy Disney in a whole new way you've probably never experienced!

 

[Larry Mondello]

We brought our youngest son when he was 3 months.
He's 19 now and claims he doesn't remember a thing.

 

[nicole3874]

We took our daughter at 3 months old and had a fabulous time. She slept most of the time in the stroller and I used my Baby Bjorn a lot too. Any time she would get fussy, I would put her in the Baby Bjorn and she immediately fell asleep. We also had our 3 & 5 year olds with us . Just take it easy. Don't push the day. Stop to use the Baby Care centers at least once or for every feeding and diaper change. It is a nice change for the baby to be held and they have rocking chairs for you to calmly feed her in peace. We enjoyed our selves very much. Just take into consideration your baby's schedule when making dinner ressies. We made them too late in the evening and had to take turns walking her around until she fell asleep.

Don't listen to anyone who tells you she is too young. The vacation is well worth it for you if you are a disney fan.