First time with a kid (only 6 months old)

[PMC0849]

After several other non-WDW vacation plans fell through, we decided to just go to WDW next spring with our new baby, she will be only 6 months old during the trip. We settled on staying at Beach Club which we received a group rate for Dapper Day, over POR thinking the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS plus the added BW entertainment area would be more convenient for strollering.

As of right now are thought process is this trip will involve fewer rides, and more leisurely strolls through the parks, spending more time at Animal Kingdom, World Showcase, and Disney Springs than we normally do, well we do tend to spend the majority of our time in WS anyway.

My question is what advice or tips do people have for traveling with a young one like this? are there restaurants to seek out or avoid, or other things?

 

[dreamfinder]

Hate to provide useless info, but it will totally depend on your child. I've seen (and experienced) that some kids will thrive on noise and people around them and just people watch the whole time, and others can't stand the noise and excitement and prefer a quiet corner.

• Do plan on taking nap breaks/quiet time breaks as appropriate on their schedule. Either trips back to the resort, stroller walks around quieter resorts (IE walking to Contemporary from MK or around Boardwalk/BC/YC from Epcot/DHS).
  
• I do personally recommend an Ergo or other front carrier system to use in addition to/instead of the stroller. Our DS would quiet down in a heartbeat in that, especially for trips back at the end of the day and just sleep on the bus ride instead of having to be transferred to/from the stroller multiple times.
  
• Locate the baby care centers/other quiet places to feed/change/rest in park BEFORE you need them.
• Bring more diapers/formula/wipes/whatever than you think you will need. It's easier to leave them behind or bring back than it is to try to find a local store that carries YOUR brand and get an Uber/Taxi or to try to find a delivery service who can get it there in time.
• Get headphones for the baby, and have them get used to them at home. Even if you don't hang around for fireworks there are other things in park that can hurt their hearing, and it will also be a huge help if they are one of the ones that likes quiet in restaurants and such.
• Plan your day around their schedule. If they are an early AM baby, hit up EMH and then go back and rest. Be willing to adapt and change as necessary.

Just go with the flow and have fun. Enjoy it, they won't remember it, so you are the one making the memories.

 

[PMC0849]

Hate to provide useless info, but it will totally depend on your child. I've seen (and experienced) that some kids will thrive on noise and people around them and just people watch the whole time, and others can't stand the noise and excitement and prefer a quiet corner.

• Do plan on taking nap breaks/quiet time breaks as appropriate on their schedule. Either trips back to the resort, stroller walks around quieter resorts (IE walking to Contemporary from MK or around Boardwalk/BC/YC from Epcot/DHS).
  
• I do personally recommend an Ergo or other front carrier system to use in addition to/instead of the stroller. Our DS would quiet down in a heartbeat in that, especially for trips back at the end of the day and just sleep on the bus ride instead of having to be transferred to/from the stroller multiple times.
  
• Locate the baby care centers/other quiet places to feed/change/rest in park BEFORE you need them.
• Bring more diapers/formula/wipes/whatever than you think you will need. It's easier to leave them behind or bring back than it is to try to find a local store that carries YOUR brand and get an Uber/Taxi or to try to find a delivery service who can get it there in time.
• Get headphones for the baby, and have them get used to them at home. Even if you don't hang around for fireworks there are other things in park that can hurt their hearing, and it will also be a huge help if they are one of the ones that likes quiet in restaurants and such.
• Plan your day around their schedule. If they are an early AM baby, hit up EMH and then go back and rest. Be willing to adapt and change as necessary.

Just go with the flow and have fun. Enjoy it, they won't remember it, so you are the one making the memories.

This is great, we live in NYC so she is already used to noise and crowds, if anything wdw will be a relaxing change of pace for her, maybe we can get a recording of the 4 am garbage truck or 3 am arguing drunks to keep her calm.

They don't get too hot in the ergo in Florida? That's my concern with that. Good call on the diapers, probably should get a big box sent to BC before we arrive

 

[dreamfinder]

This is great, we live in NYC so she is already used to noise and crowds, if anything wdw will be a relaxing change of pace for her, maybe we can get a recording of the 4 am garbage truck or 3 am arguing drunks to keep her calm.

I do suggest sticking an app on your phone to do this. if you have an iPhone we like Sound Sleeper, but that's mostly relaxing sounds. One called White Noise does have a city streets option, and also lets you download other sounds beyond what it ships with. Both give you basic functionality for free.

They don't get too hot in the ergo in Florida? That's my concern with that. Good call on the diapers, probably should get a big box sent to BC before we arrive

Don't think our DS did, but I definitely got hot. = p We found it to be more that comfort level of being able to snuggle in when he was tired than anything else.

 

[WDWDreamer4]

We just got back from a week with our 4 children. Our youngest is 6 months old. She loves people watching so the carrier was her favorite place. She also loved rides. At 6 months they are so interested in everything around them and they aren't scared yet. So it is a great time to see the interest they have. Our DD loved the characters and the interaction with them. All the characters gushed over her and she loved it!
My recommendations are to utilize baby swap and still ride the big rides yourself. Enjoy all the rides without height restriction with your little one. Small World was definitely the favorite for all 4 of my children (ages 8,6,3 and 6 months) on this trip. And anything but the Carousel you can keep the baby in the carrier to ride.
I breastfeed so I would just find a bench out of the way to nurse. However there are the baby care centers if you need something more quiet. They were just out of the way for me. Though it was cold when we went so I did look for indoor spaces to nurse whenever possible.
Be prepared for them to be off their routine. DD didn't nurse as often as at home cause she was more interested in what was happening. She also didn't nap most of the day. Don't worry to much they will eat and sleep when they need to.
Pack a backpack for the park, put diapers and a small pack of wipes into a gallon ziplock bag. Then just grab that when you need to change the baby. Keep an extra set of clothes in another gallon bag. If there is an blowout then you have a bag to put the dirty clothes.
We took a sleeve of 86 diapers and used about half of those. Don't go crazy on diapers.
If you haven't started solid food, hold off until after your trip. Food before 1 is just for fun, so waiting till after 6 months isn't an issue. Not having to cart around baby food containers and spoons is well worth it.
We found the baby slept better when we used the infant car seat with the stroller during the day.. Not sure if you are flying or driving, but having that was a lift saver because it was a place she felt comfortable. And we could cover it to cut out to craziness so she could sleep.
Most of all take tons of pictures and enjoy yourself. Take the time to watch your baby's reaction to such a stimulating place. They really are amazing.

 

[Kristamouse]

We have taken each of our 6 kids as infants. Get a stroller Fan and the Aden + Anis blankets or any muslin/gauze Style. They provide some cuddle with our heat and work well as a drape over the stroller to make nap time a bit more peaceful. I also used the. as a nursing cover that wasn’t too hot.
Have a good hat with a brim to protect little heads.
Instead of packing a whole outfit just pack an extra cute Onsie to save space.
Hopefully your baby can sit up in a high chair to make meals easier otherwise you can use your stroller to feed them in. We have done table and counter service meals with our infants. At that age some of the character pics are adorable
Take ad vantage of rider swap to avoid waiting in line twice for attractions that baby can’t ride
Have a good vacation

 

[correcaminos]

We have taken each of our 6 kids as infants. Get a stroller Fan and the Aden + Anis blankets or any muslin/gauze Style. They provide some cuddle with our heat and work well as a drape over the stroller to make nap time a bit more peaceful. I also used the. as a nursing cover that wasn’t too hot.
Have a good hat with a brim to protect little heads.
Instead of packing a whole outfit just pack an extra cute Onsie to save space.
Hopefully your baby can sit up in a high chair to make meals easier otherwise you can use your stroller to feed them in. We have done table and counter service meals with our infants. At that age some of the character pics are adorable
Take ad vantage of rider swap to avoid waiting in line twice for attractions that baby can’t ride
Have a good vacation

Many sit down locations will not allow for strollers in my experience - explicitly so.

We've done WDW with a 5 month old and it wasn't too bad. We had a stroller and a carrier for the baby. The stroller could easily hold the baby food as well as diapers and such. We followed the baby's lead on many things. We were using a high chair at that point but sometimes falling asleep on my or my husband happened as well. Lots of light clothing.

We actually did quite a lot of rides, but they were all ones without height limits. We also were at the Beach Club and that was quite convenient location. We also requested a portable crib instead of just a pack n play and that was more comfortable to sleep on.

 

[Kristamouse]

Ours have slept in the stroller in Ohana, Hacienda Inn (Mexico table service, could have name mixed up), Be Our Guest, Whispering Canyon, Tony’s and Mama Melrose. Those are the few I can remember from the last few years...
We used our Ergo and LiliBaby all the time we just sized up to a Toddler Tula for our 2yo in January.

 

[Gabe1]

After several other non-WDW vacation plans fell through, we decided to just go to WDW next spring with our new baby, she will be only 6 months old during the trip. We settled on staying at Beach Club which we received a group rate for Dapper Day, over POR thinking the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS plus the added BW entertainment area would be more convenient for strollering.

As of right now are thought process is this trip will involve fewer rides, and more leisurely strolls through the parks, spending more time at Animal Kingdom, World Showcase, and Disney Springs than we normally do, well we do tend to spend the majority of our time in WS anyway.

My question is what advice or tips do people have for traveling with a young one like this? are there restaurants to seek out or avoid, or other things?

My DD was 2 months old for her first trip (brother 5 at the time) She loved it. She had her days and nights mixed up and Disney Trip converted to night and day and slept through the night a first for her Day 2 of our trip and ever after. Actually she seemed to enjoy the trip, not how we all do but with our entire family together, being held more than usually held in daily life. She did well on the boat rides, haunted mansion all those slow dark rides. Restaurants really depends on the disposition of your babe. She was oblivious. It was a great trip. The only issue I had was with other guests....frequent editorial question after 2 weeks of: You know she isn't going to remember WDW right?

 

[PMC0849]

Well, as it turns out, several women in my wife's office will be going on maternity leave during these dates, so she was asked if we could change things. So now it looks like we might be going in October with a 1 year old

 

[ELeigh]

Well, as it turns out, several women in my wife's office will be going on maternity leave during these dates, so she was asked if we could change things. So now it looks like we might be going in October with a 1 year old

One is my absolute favorite age (out of 1,2,3 and 4 so far). I thinks a perfect time to go as they aren't really walking yet and happy to sit in the stroller and you will find that the majority of the rides (excluding rollercoasters and the like) will work. The character interaction with a one year old is just priceless. I have never taken a child younger than one but I am fairly confident this will turn out to be for the best!

 

[NelleBelle]

I know this thread is older, but others may find it helpful. I found that Hall of Presidents was a great place that was cool to nurse baby and take a nap (both of us)! Its too bad Ellen's UoE is no more...that ride was awesome for nursing/bottle feeding baby and taking a snooze! We took a carrier for our DS (he was only 4 weeks old at the time) but found it was way too hot for both him and me. Loved baby swap! We absolutely loved doing all the rides that we could together. Our oldest son was 15 months and he took his naps in the stroller (don't think we ever went back to the resort unless it was to swim). We took pj's and changed him at his bedtime and he went to bed in his stroller. We stayed for EMH and had a great time. It also helped that we had Grandma with us, so that when we did baby swap, there was always someone to ride with.

 

[DisneyDaver]

One is my absolute favorite age (out of 1,2,3 and 4 so far). I thinks a perfect time to go as they aren't really walking yet and happy to sit in the stroller and you will find that the majority of the rides (excluding rollercoasters and the like) will work. The character interaction with a one year old is just priceless. I have never taken a child younger than one but I am fairly confident this will turn out to be for the best!

Interesting. We are going to WDW this fall with our to be 3.5 year old daughter and to be 13 month old son. We were debating whether to leave our son at home with my in-laws, but seeing your post makes me feel better about our decision to bring him with to WDW.

 

[ELeigh]

Interesting. We are going to WDW this fall with our to be 3.5 year old daughter and to be 13 month old son. We were debating whether to leave our son at home with my in-laws, but seeing your post makes me feel better about our decision to bring him with to WDW.

Yes bring him! Unless your daughter is a daredevil (and tall for her age) chances are she isn't able to do too many rides that your son can't do and even if there are a few that's what rider swap is for and she can get double the rides

 

[DisneyDaver]

Yes bring him! Unless your daughter is a daredevil (and tall for her age) chances are she isn't able to do too many rides that your son can't do and even if there are a few that's what rider swap is for and she can get double the rides

Barnstormer and maybe Mine Train (it will be close) are probably the only that she can do ride and he can't. How would she get a double ride with rider swap? Wouldn't she go with me or my wife while the other waits with our son, and then with rider swap the other parent would ride alone? Do they let her join both parents?

 

[ELeigh]

Barnstormer and maybe Mine Train (it will be close) are probably the only that she can do ride and he can't. How would she get a double ride with rider swap? Wouldn't she go with me or my wife while the other waits with our son, and then with rider swap the other parent would ride alone? Do they let her join both parents?

I believe they will let her ride twice so that both parents can experience the ride with her. Haven't done rider swap yet but from what I read in trip reports it sounds like they Will let her ride 2x EDIT: confirmed here she will be able to ride twice, once with each parent: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/

 

[NelleBelle]

I believe they will let her ride twice so that both parents can experience the ride with her. Haven't done rider swap yet but from what I read in trip reports it sounds like they Will let her ride 2x EDIT: confirmed here she will be able to ride twice, once with each parent: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/

This is correct! We did rider swap and my mom would swap with either me or DH, then the 2 adults would ride together either with our older son (or without if he didn’t meet the ht requirement). I think you can do this with up to 5 or 6 people in your party (don’t quote me on that 100%, but am pretty sure I read that somewhere here years ago). But we absolutely did it with more than just me and DS swapping with the other adults in our party!

 

[tcherjen]

After several other non-WDW vacation plans fell through, we decided to just go to WDW next spring with our new baby, she will be only 6 months old during the trip. We settled on staying at Beach Club which we received a group rate for Dapper Day, over POR thinking the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS plus the added BW entertainment area would be more convenient for strollering.

As of right now are thought process is this trip will involve fewer rides, and more leisurely strolls through the parks, spending more time at Animal Kingdom, World Showcase, and Disney Springs than we normally do, well we do tend to spend the majority of our time in WS anyway.

My question is what advice or tips do people have for traveling with a young one like this? are there restaurants to seek out or avoid, or other things?

How do you get group rates?

 

[PMC0849]

How do you get group rates?

If you go for dapper day you can get a group rate. Check out the website www.dapperday.com