How young is too young???

[scotth1224]

I pose this questions to all the experienced WDW parents out there. My wife and I are big Disney Fans and try to go to the world once a year. Last year we went to Disneyland and Paris Disney, but were last in WDW in Sept 2006 on our honeymoon.
We were just blessed with the birth of a son and I am wondering what people think is too young to take your child to the world. I am feeling major withdrawls and would love to go back in November 2008. My son will be 11 months old then....and i realize that he will have no idea what is going on. My plan was to take my parents as well so we could split our time between the parks and at the resort keeping little Liam.
So again, I pose my question...is 11 months too young? Should I just suck it up and wait (gulp) another year?????
Or is this doable????????

 

[tigsmom]

I've seen babies that looked as if they were just days old (mom didn't look all that great, if ya know what I mean :lookaroun ).

Its really up to you, just remember that the baby will set the tone for the trip. Work around his schedule, rest when you need to and take advantage of EMH and FastPass. We took our youngest at 18 months and she had a blast.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

I don't have kids, so I can't speak from experience, but I'll share some advice anyway...

Pictures of your child with characters or in front of the castle...those will be priceless down the road. Your son may not remember the funny look he gave when he first met Mickey, but you will, and you can show him the picture. In my opinion, those could be precious memories.

As an aside, for the love of all that's holy, please be sure to put a hat and sunscreen on your baby, no matter what time of year. I cannot stand seeing poor little babies who are A) not covered and B) sunburned. There is no excuse for a sunburned baby! (I'm not saying you would leave your baby exposed, I just had to get that out of my system ).

I think tigsmom has great advice that sounds pretty good. Also, you may not be able to do everything you do on a "normal" trip, but I think you're family would have a great time!

PS - I love the name Liam - too cute!!

 

[daliseurat]

You certainly can take your little son. You already have the right idea by bringing along your parents so you can split up and take turns. You are correct that he won't know what's going on all the time, but he'll probably enjoy all the stuff he sees. A couple notes of caution from my own experience...

Don't let the fact that a child that young won't react the way you hope all the time ruin your enjoyment of his first trip.

He will cry over things you don't expect. He might be frightened of the strangest things.

He may not nap because of all the stimulation, and become a very cranky boy.

You may find that you need to leave the line you've been in for 40 minutes.

He might ruin your meals.

He might just plain hate being there and being dragged all over the place.

By keeping these things in mind you can be ready to solve the problems. If you have your parents there and you take turns that will solve most issues. Everyone should get to enjoy the park with and without the baby.

And what is REALLY fun is just watching child's reaction to things. Things you may not have noticed.

I would suggest getting into the park for early entry and forgoing any night time activities with the baby.

Make sure you are armed with plenty of food, diapers, formulae etc. And make sure you know where the baby centers are.

Try to plan around your child. Some attractions that are pretty safe and enjoyable for them include:

Pooh's Playful spot
Mickey's Toontown fair
Walt Disney Railroad
Small World
Monorail
Carousel

There's a lot they can depending on the child. Try to figure out what bothers him. The dark? Loud noises? Big characters? You've been often so you know what to expect. I found that a child really slows you down, so really enjoy the slower pace and absorb the trip! And some kids that age are absolute angels who smile at everything. Just be aware that you will be a magnet for people who love little kids. So many people were staring at ours while she watch things. And so many people would talk to us.

Have fun.

 

[happymom52003]

My youngest was 12 months on her first trip. She LOVED it, and she did great the entire week. As others have said, you must have realistic expectations going into it. Keep your son on his regular schedule as much as possible, and take breaks. The baby care centers in the parks are awesome. There is really no way to know how he will handle the characters and the rides until you get there...some kids do fine, others freak out. We were lucky that ours loved everything....she went on all of the rides that did not have a height requirement....she even loved POTC and HM. BUT.....just a few months later at the age of 18 months, she was more scared of the darker rides and hesitant with some of the characters. Alot of kids get a bit more fearful around 1 1/2 years...stranger anxiety sets in. So I think you should go! I'm sure you will have a great time.

 

[PintoColvig]

You will take your infant child just about every other place so why not to WDW? As long as you take care to keep your child safe and comfortable, go ahead. We took our 3 month old to DL this summer. Had we not, we would've deprived my 6 year old and 4 year old (as well as their father!) Take the kid this year and the next and the next!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

The biggest question that YOU need to answer is - are you planning on going to WDW for you or for Liam ?

At 11 months he is way too young to remember anything about his upcoming trip and will be a waste of time taking him until he's older - however, at 11 months a baby will easily settle into your routine while you enjoy WDW.

So who's trip is it

 

[amandagibbins]

i say go for it i was also on honeymoon sept 06 and because we aldready had our son who was then20 months old we brought along my mother in law so we could still go on rides it worked out well and i have a new little boy who will be 11months wshen we go in september and we cant wait to introduce him to Mickey and friends the mil is coming on this trip too he is a very placid baby just like my other son so i think he will enjoy it were just going to take things easy iff thats possible at the world:animwink: and as for whos trip is it??? its a family trip so enjoy wdw with your family!

 

[Laura]

There is no "too young", especially that time of year when the temperature is nice. If you were wanting to bring a 2 week old in July you'd probably be a little nuts though. :lol:

Just remember that when you bring a baby to Disney you won't be able to have the same type of trips you had before the baby. It requires a lot more time getting ready in the morning (packing the diaper bag, getting the baby dressed and fed, etc.) and then you will also have to lug a huge diaper bag of supplies around the parks with you. It will get to be tiring carrying the baby and the diaper bag through all the lines. You'll have to visit the attractions on the baby's schedule instead of yours, skipping a lot of the best ones, or switching off (which means more time sitting around in the stroller for the baby). And don't forget after waiting in line for 45 minutes its inevitable that the baby will have a diaper blow out and you'll miss the ride. :lol:

With that said, your 11 month old will probably have a really good time and enjoy the long walks each day with so much to look at.

Our first trip as a family was when our kids were ages 1 and 2 and boy it was ever exhausting, but it was a really fun trip anyway.

 

[JDM]

The biggest question that YOU need to answer is - are you planning on going to WDW for you or for Liam ?

At 11 months he is way too young to remember anything about his upcoming trip and will be a waste of time taking him until he's older

I couldn't have said it better myself....I know many folks will say otherwise, but my advice is: unless you live close enough to go frequently, save your money for a time when he will actually care--AND REMEMBER!!!

(And yes, I am a parent, and yes, I did wait to take my child)

 

[tigsmom]

Re Read the first post, he wants to go back. Its a family vacation and you take the family...babies and all.

 

[mousefan1972]

You would be amazed at how much an 11 month old could enjoy WDW. Our son was 13 months on his first trip, and he loved it! As others have mentioned, just be prepared to take breaks and go at a slower pace than you did before you had kids. Have fun! :wave:

 

[amandagibbins]

:sohappy:remember disney is magical for all ages there is no age limit on FUN!

 

[Gorjus]

The biggest question that YOU need to answer is - are you planning on going to WDW for you or for Liam ?

At 11 months he is way too young to remember anything about his upcoming trip and will be a waste of time taking him until he's older - however, at 11 months a baby will easily settle into your routine while you enjoy WDW.

So who's trip is it

They are going for themselves of course and that is a good thing. The family does not have to revolve around the child. The child must learn to adapt. If a child remembering something is the only reason for doing things, then why kiss and hug the child or buy it toys to play with or talk to them if they never will remember. Life is a progressive learning experience.

Infants are the greatest at WDW because they don't whine. They only cry when they need something. Also, they tend to sleep when needed without having to go back to the hotel.

Take the child now for goodness sake. Take the child to see the characters, especially the princesses before stranger anxiety sets in. The beautiful smiles as they look into the princesses faces make great photos for their photo albums. You may never get Liam to see another princess again till he is 21.

My sister's kids started going to the parks when a few months old. Auntie went along to babysit while Mom & Dad and later, as years went by, older siblings went on height restricted rides. Sad moment 2 years ago: while I'm always wanted I'm no longer needed. All children are over 48" and no longer afraid of any of the rides with the exception of one or two at AK. And at 16, 11, and 8, they can wait outside by themselves.

Yes, adapt your plans if they child becomes miserable and needs a break, no one in the family should be miserable (unless they brought it on themselves). Also, remove your child if he is becoming a distraction or annoyance to other guests. Otherwise, enjoy the time.

 

[Master Yoda]

Providing you understand that you will have to follow your sons schedule and not your schedule than no age is too young. If you still want to do parks commando style then you need to wait quite a while.

 

[BRER STITCH]

All this talk about infants at WDW is silly!

Everyone knows nobody under 7 should be allowed in.


:lookaroun

 

[happymom52003]

If a child remembering something is the only reason for doing things, then why kiss and hug the child or buy it toys to play with or talk to them if they never will remember.

Thank you for pointing that out. I've never understood that being a reason not to take a family vacation to WDW. No one ever says don't bother taking your baby or toddler to the beach, or to a park, or a zoo, or any other fun things that families normally do because they are too young to remember. Why should WDW be any different? Alot of people say it is a waste of money.....well, that is a personal decision for each individual family to make based on their income level, budget, and personal values on how they think their money should be spent. I think it is fine for a family to decide for themselves if they want to wait and spend the money when their children are older. But I've never understood other people telling a family that they are wasting their money and time by taking a baby to WDW. I'm sure we all do things in our everyday life that someone out there would consider a waste of money. How we choose to spend our own money is a very personal decision. And I'm sure someone will snap back at me that everyone is entitled to an opinion, which I understand, and I agree. My point is that I think it is fine for someone to give an opinion about what worked for their own family, but I think it is wrong to flat out tell someone else they will be wasting their money and time.....that is for them to decide themselves

 

[joelleharbert]

We took our then 8-month-old daughter to WDW in Sept. 04 and I can honestly say she whined and cried and complained less than half of the older kids we saw standing in line with their parents (and that includes my own two older children! :ROFLOL We just knew going in that if she got fussy or needed naptime, we had to leave and go back to the hotel for a break. The pictures we have from that trip are priceless seeing her face when she met the characters. And maybe it is just the sentimental mom in me, but I think alot of the characters made a fuss over her because she was so young. Chip and Dale were absolutely wonderful with her and I think it was Eeyore and Tigger at AK that really made her smile. So, in my opinion, GO and enjoy yourselves!!

 

[MichWolv]

I took my son when he was 8 months, again at 18 months, 30 months, 40 months, 48 months, 52 months, and 55 months.

The 8 month trip was easy. He slept most of the time, looked around some, and we did a lot of baby swaps. It was nice to be in a place that was so stroller/baby friendly. Aaron didn't know what was going on at all, but the trip was fun.

Gradually, on future trips, he started to know more of what was going on and make more demands for what to do. Strangely, the 30 and 40 month trips were somewhat difficult, because he was aware enough to be scared and overwhelmed by things, but not in control enough to know how to handle it. We had a couple of breakdowns on those trips, and they were trying at times. Even reduced the time in the parks because of it. The bright spot, though, was that he loved Blizzard Beach. For him, I think it was more understandable and being outside helped.

And now, he asks us all the time when we're going again. He can go all day without stopping and without getting crabby, although we usually make him take a rest anyways.

My point is that no age is too young for you to have a good time. But you may go through a few years where you need to let the child dictate the schedule, the attractions, and other things.

 

[palmage]

I think 72-84 months is a good age.....