Disney with a 9 month old!

[hansel1]

I would like to know what people's experiences have been while taking their younster to disney. My son will be 9 months old and I would like to take him on many of the rides that MK has to offer as well as other NON - THRILL rides for the other parks.

Did you hold your child, take the baby carrier onboard or harness the child to you (pack that hangs on your front or back)?

I've got the travel plans down and will be taking our large stroller with us to all the parks for convenience.

I know that rides like splash mountain has the child swap, but what rides allow your child on without restrictions?

 

[mouselvrmom]

We held our little one when she was around 11 months old on our laps for the most part. You can bring you little one on most of the rides in MK with the exception of Indy Speedway and the other thrill rides- SM, BTMRR, SM, I'm trying to think if there is another one in MK. I think basically any of the rides that doesn't have a height restriction on, you can take your child on. Our little one did all the ones she could and really loved them!

 

[Jarienn]

We were at MK in June with our 14 month old and she did far better than we expected. Basically, you can take an infant on any ride without a height restriction, but you have to hold them. They don't allow any harness restraints. As for child swapping, we were traveling with friends so we didn't have to use that feature, but we saw other parents doing it. Best advice I can give is to check with the cast member outside each of the attractions and see what their policy is. I saw some giving out fastpasses and others were having them wait by the exit. I think it depends on the boarding areas of each attraction. And as for strollers - we brought our daughter's Graco stroller and were so glad we did. The Disney park strollers worked great for our friends with older children, but our daughter would have been miserable. Having her own stroller made her more comfortable and since the Disney strollers don't recline, it was much easier for her to take a nap in her own stroller. It was a pain getting the stroller to the parks, but our experience once we got there made it worth it.

 

[PeterPan1985]

My advice!

Disney is not a "vacation" in the normal sense of the word. It's a lot of walking, a lot of frustrating lines, and with a baby, it can be hell.

My best advice is to take it in stride. If you've been to Disney before, which I assume you have, just take in as much as you can, without running around and driving yourself crazy. WDW can overwhelm even the most seasoned traveler, so make sure you pace yourself.

 

[joshwill]

id avoid mission space

 

[coltow]

We took ds in August 2004 and he was 9 months old. We only went to MK with him. He did everything he could: Jungle Cruise, POTC, HM, Pooh, Buzz, TTA, train, and toon town stuff (small world was under rehab). We tried Philharmagic, and he hated it, it's very loud. Most rides he just sat in my lap.

The key is to go slow. We had other family members with us so we could pass him around in the lines. He did better than I thought in the lines, he was just so curious about the surroundings that he wasn't cranky at all, even in the heat.

We took our Graco stroller and he was plenty comfortable and slept fine in it it was a tad bit bulky for the buses, but we made due. Make sure to bring a towel with you to the parks. We draped it over the top to help reflect the sun and put it on the seat when he wasn't in it so that the seat and buckles didn't get hot.

 

[Fievel]

We took our daughter at 11 months, and it was a learning experience, but something we never regretted. We went to the parks early after eating breakfast (kids are always happier after being fed), and then went back to the hotel in the afternoon, where she either fell asleep in the stroller, or in the room in her pack n' play (we were close enough to the pool to pack a monitor).

At night, we were totally dictated by her. But as she was just learning to walk, she was enjoying the wide open places to run, and the baby harness came in handy when she got tired, as she would usually snuggle in and fall asleep.

We were lucky enough to have our in-laws along, and my mother in law doesn't like thrill rides, so she'd entertain her while we rode e-tickets. However, to be honest, as it was little Fievel's first trip to WDW, we had more fun going on rides like dumbo and Peter Pan - watching them through her eyes. Maybe it's the dad in me, but that meant more than anything in the world.

The only thing I regretted was my choice in stroller. This year we are definitely investing in a jogging stroller that pushes a LOT easier than a standard graco or umbrella stroller.

All I can suggest is let you son dictate the pace - I think you'll enjoy a little slower pace. I took a LOT more pictures than I usually do, and many of those will be keepsakes for years. Any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Mr_Tom_Morrow]

i had a 10 month old with me my trip a month ago did MK and epcot,had no problems in either park,did child swap where necessary,for louder attractions(Mickeys Philharmagic,Big Bang on Ellens Energy Adventure)we brought ear plugs,i think the only thing that was a concern was the very end of JIYI with Figment with the quick strobe blast so we just covered her eyes..other than that we all had a blast

 

[Cara1210]

We have traveled with our children when they were as young as 2 months. It is no problem at all, as long as you let your child dictate what, when and how much of everything that they are willing to do. My kids went on everything that didn't have a height restriction, and as others have said, the only things that they don't seem to enjoy are things that are very loud. Bringing your own stroller is a great idea, we always bring our own, and after watching other parents who didn't you'll be glad that you did! Just take it slow, take breaks and have a great time!

 

[Cole'sMom]

We just got back with our 10 1/2 month old in May and it was perfection. He loved every second of everything-he is a very easy-going baby. He loved the attractions, parades, lights, meals, I am talking everything! We held him on the rides and he was fine. I would recommend a stroller that reclines, sippy cups for cold water-babies overheat very easily, a washcloth you can wipe him down with during the day. We took it easy, but he napped in the stroller, in the room, wherever he wanted. Like I mentioned earlier, he is very easy-going, but we stayed in the parks well after his bedtime, he snoozed, didn't put up a fuss and we put him in the crib back at the resort without any problems! We took him when he was 10 weeks old as well, so we had the previous experience. We are taking him again in September-he will be 14 months. The memories, pictures and videos we have from the first trips are amazing. He loves Pooh already. We did a character breakfast at Crystal Palace and he was entranced by the whole thing! Babies get more out of it than may people think. We took him on all the attractions that he could go on, even POTC. Have a great time, take it slow and you will be amazed at what entrances your little guy!

 

[hansel1]

I want to thank everyone for their comments.

We have a disabled son that we took on vacation 2 years ago, so I bought a rather expensive stoller that had oversized wheels just for our upcoming vacation. It has all the bells and whistles, pockets galore...it even has speakers that you can plug your ipod into. The only problem is that he is a "hold me" baby. He hates his car seat and stroller. He is now a little over 2 months old, so maybe he will grow out of that.:shrug: If not, I think we might have some problems.

We bought into DVC boardwalk villas so that our dealing with a stroller on the bus will be limited to transportation to animal kingdom.

The earplugs are a fabulous idea. I forget how loud the disney shows can be.

We will be staying 10 days, so hopefully that will give us enough time to wander through the worlds at our leisure.

 

[ThinkTink721]

I would like to know what people's experiences have been while taking their younster to disney. My son will be 9 months old and I would like to take him on many of the rides that MK has to offer as well as other NON - THRILL rides for the other parks.

Did you hold your child, take the baby carrier onboard or harness the child to you (pack that hangs on your front or back)?

I've got the travel plans down and will be taking our large stroller with us to all the parks for convenience.

I know that rides like splash mountain has the child swap, but what rides allow your child on without restrictions?

None of our kids have been that young on a WDW trip, but we have taken other trips when they were about that young.
I would either hold the baby or strap him/her to you on the rides.
The stroller will be helpful when he/she is ready to nap.
Just remember, you can't take the stroller on the trains (the ones inside the parks).

I think he/she could ride these w/ you:
Dumbo
Cinderella's Carousel
It's A Small World
Peter Pan's Flight
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Nemo & Friends at Epcot
Living w/ the Land at Epcot

Shows he/she may enjoy:
The Country Bears Jamboree
Voyage of the Little Mermaid at MGM (gets dark at times)
Playhouse Disney Live at MGM
Turtle Talk w/ Crush at Epcot
Nemo the Musical at AK
Festival of the Lion King at AK

Don't forget about the parades!

Hope this helps!
:wave:

 

[Disney MDACK]

We took our 8 month old dd and it was a great experience. We made sure we kept the pace slow but it worked out great. My wife always held her on rides. She loved it! She also went at age 20 months and that was more challenging than when she was 8 months old! LOL