Lessons From My WDW Trip with a 7-Month Old

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Now that I'm back from 8 nights and 9 days in WDW, I thought I'd share some lessons I learned. As a longtime passholder who was traveling to WDW for the first time with a baby, I was kind of terrified I received a lot of advice (both on here and from friends and family) and thought I'd share what I learned during the trip itself for anyone else who may be preparing to travel to WDW with an infant:

• Plan for more time than you're used to for any rides, shows...or anything. THEN multiply it times three and you may have enough time budgeted for it. I thought I was building in more than enough time for things, but my husband and I soon realized that the actual time needed to do just about anything was still 3x what we thought. Even once we realized it we'd still stumble and not budget enough time later in the trip.
• Don't assume your baby will sleep in the stroller. I heard this one a lot, "Oh it'll be easy, she'll just sleep all the time." Okay maybe some kids, but not mine She would doze in there once in awhile, but to get in real nap time, we went back to the hotel for 4+ hour stretches. Plus, even if she had slept in her stroller, there's not much you can do with a kid in a stroller anyway!
• Don't just pack extra baby clothes when you head to the parks. We had dinner reservations at Trail's End our first night and as soon as we got there my daughter's diaper leaked all over me. Shirt, shorts - soaked. I ran across the way to buy a t-shirt but there weren't any shorts I could wear. For the rest of the trip, I packed at least a t-shirt with me in case of another leak.
• The Baby Care Centers are great (except DHS). I don't want to sound greedy, but I came to rely on the Baby Care Centers during our trip so my daughter (who gets super distracted while eating) could eat. The ones in Epcot and MK are fantastic, and the one in AK is okay. But the one in DHS is literally a closet. There is no CM there, people use it as a waiting lounge for guest relations, and it is impossible to do much of anything in there. I assumed the newer parks would have the best Baby Care Centers, but Epcot and MK are definitely the best -- by far.
• Let go. I don't think I'm OCD, but I do wash things and try to keep my daughter away from super gross stuff (like dirty cat litter - my cats are beasts! ). That being said, while at Trail's End my daughter promptly put her mouth on the table. I turned to my husband and said, "I'm going to have to let things go for a week aren't I?" And I did. She likely has a superhero's immune system after that week, because there were all SORTS of germs and random things that were in her mouth!
• Resist the urge to judge other parents. I've heard it from several people that my daughter was too young to take to WDW. But you know what? We slathered on sunscreen, fed her regularly (although she did eat less than she does at home - she did eat enough and was not dehydrated!), spent literally half the day back at the hotel for her to rest and recharge...and we STILL had a wonderful time. Still, I couldn't help but notice super tiny babies without an immune system there. Babies that were probably 2 weeks old -- and not just one. We probably saw at least 7 or 8 babies that were under a month in age during our trip. And my gut instinct was "that baby is too young." I suppressed those thoughts, though, because I don't want to be that mom who judges other moms. I was on the receiving end of that myself and don't want to do that to anyone else...even if I wouldn't make the same decisions for my own baby.
• Don't assume people will give up their seat on the bus. I would never assume someone would just give up their seat, and all but 5 or 6 times there were seats available anyway. But, there were a handful of times when I got onto the bus and there were no seats (we typically would wait for the next bus if we had to in those circumstances). In all instances, someone offered their seat. Well, one time I literally got the last seat on the bus, so that was nice. But also worth noting is that every time someone gave up their seat, it was either a woman or a little boy who did it, which I found interesting (and so appreciated). As a first-timer with a baby whose husband (and as a child, whose brother and father) always gave up their seats to the elderly or women with children) always gives up his seat, I was kind of surprised. Not angry or judging anyone, but I was a little surprised initially.

Any other parents out there with tips or advice?

 

[DisneyDaver]

Thanks for the tips. My wife and I are taking our kids for their first WDW trip (they will be 3.5 y/o and 13 months old at the time of the trip). Even though my little guy is a little older than your daughter, these tips are all very helpful.

I have a lot of friends that tell me their kids slept in strollers at WDW, but I'm having trouble envisioning it. My 3.5 y/o doesn't nap anymore so it is not an issue for her, but my wife and I will likely end up taking turns bringing our son back to the resort for an afternoon nap.

I've already been thinking about the "Let It Go" part ... it's going to be a challenge

 

[Giants14]

We made the trip over from the UK a few weeks ago - we travelled with my 20 month old daughter, 4 year old niece and 9 month old nephew.

This would be the first time we have travelled to Disney World with kids - we have been a number of times before but as many of you know this year's experience was crazily enjoyable. The reaction of the kids when seeing Mickey and the princesses etc will live long in the memory however we had a number of issues with customer service and a surprise non-child friendly experience.

Our main issue was the lack of hot water available at the baby centres for my nephews bottle - he is 9 months old and still gets a number of bottles throughout the day. Baby Centres in 3 out of the 4 parks hot water was broken and we were told to pop into a café or restaurant to get hot water. We were then told that it is against Disney policy to give out hot water - this was a grown frustration as some establishments were helpful and gave hot water no questions asked, while others refused.

Starbucks in Epcot - gave us hot water knowing it was for a baby's bottle one day and a few days later they refused. My sister in law stated this and asked you will give me hot water and a teabag for my tea if I pay 2-3 dollars but you cant give me a cup of hot water for a baby's bottle - we have had this issue with the past week ' the cast members response 'we cant trust you not to give the hot water to your child and how well have your complaints worked for you so far'. After speaking to the manager, he directed us to Guest services to raise it with them, they offered us a fastpass but nothing was noted or done.

There were a number of issues throughout - which we questioned ourselves, is Disney becoming less child friendly?

 

[Master Yoda]

Having been through 3 kids that were all pretty much raised at WDW, I can say that your advice is spot on.

We did however get lucky with kid three who was at the parks regularly much more than one and two when she was an infant in that she would sleep anywhere. I don't think she ever made it all the way through a single Tarzan Rocks! show.

 

[Master Yoda]

We made the trip over from the UK a few weeks ago - we travelled with my 20 month old daughter, 4 year old niece and 9 month old nephew.

This would be the first time we have travelled to Disney World with kids - we have been a number of times before but as many of you know this year's experience was crazily enjoyable. The reaction of the kids when seeing Mickey and the princesses etc will live long in the memory however we had a number of issues with customer service and a surprise non-child friendly experience.

Our main issue was the lack of hot water available at the baby centres for my nephews bottle - he is 9 months old and still gets a number of bottles throughout the day. Baby Centres in 3 out of the 4 parks hot water was broken and we were told to pop into a café or restaurant to get hot water. We were then told that it is against Disney policy to give out hot water - this was a grown frustration as some establishments were helpful and gave hot water no questions asked, while others refused.

Starbucks in Epcot - gave us hot water knowing it was for a baby's bottle one day and a few days later they refused. My sister in law stated this and asked you will give me hot water and a teabag for my tea if I pay 2-3 dollars but you cant give me a cup of hot water for a baby's bottle - we have had this issue with the past week ' the cast members response 'we cant trust you not to give the hot water to your child and how well have your complaints worked for you so far'. After speaking to the manager, he directed us to Guest services to raise it with them, they offered us a fastpass but nothing was noted or done.

There were a number of issues throughout - which we questioned ourselves, is Disney becoming less child friendly?

You can most likely blame the American legal system and the unfortunate fact that the average person is an idiot for that.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disney...d-sues-over-burns-from-meal-at-magic-kingdom/

 

[Giants14]

I understand the policy and the reasoning behind it but it was the tone and sarcasm that was a big issue for me.

I think it is ridiculous that they will give you a cup of hot water when you pay for it and there's no questions asked, it was the 'you cant be trusted' - it was making us out to look stupid and incompetent - 'yes, we are going to pour this scalding hot water down out child's throat'

 

[kimberlymautz]

We took my son when he was 7m and he did surprisingly well with sleeping in his stroller.

Thanks for the tips. My wife and I are taking our kids for their first WDW trip (they will be 3.5 y/o and 13 months old at the time of the trip). Even though my little guy is a little older than your daughter, these tips are all very helpful.

I have a lot of friends that tell me their kids slept in strollers at WDW, but I'm having trouble envisioning it. My 3.5 y/o doesn't nap anymore so it is not an issue for her, but my wife and I will likely end up taking turns bringing our son back to the resort for an afternoon nap.

I've already been thinking about the "Let It Go" part ... it's going to be a challenge

I would plan to take a nap (or even just some quiet time) at the hotel mid day, even though your 3.5yo doesn't normally take naps. We took my daughter and niece two years ago (2.5 and 5 at the time) and neither normally napped however we had to go back to the hotel every day for one. Sometimes they'd nap, one day we just went to the pool, and some others we would just turn off the lights and let them watch a movie, but the whole day in the parks proved to be too much for them. The first day we tried to power through even though they were starting to slow down around 1pm, but by 3pm there was a full blown meltdown so we had to head out.
Obviously you know your kids best and with any luck he'll power through and won't need to head out, but I'd plan for it just incase. (I know I never thought we'd need a break)

Also, I would suggest getting your youngest used to bottles with room temp water if you'll be using formula at all. I learned with my daughter that getting warmed water isn't always easy (we were at a carnival once and she refused her bottle and just screamed until I got to a bathroom and held the bottle under the hot water for about ten minutes to get warm enough), so I weaned her off the warmer water until she just got room temp and instantly went to it with my son. Makes life so much easier and I don't have to go out of my way to get water for him, I'll either pre fill the bottles or I'll have a water bottle with me.

Have a great trip!

 

[buseegal]

Now that I'm back from 8 nights and 9 days in WDW, I thought I'd share some lessons I learned. As a longtime passholder who was traveling to WDW for the first time with a baby, I was kind of terrified I received a lot of advice (both on here and from friends and family) and thought I'd share what I learned during the trip itself for anyone else who may be preparing to travel to WDW with an infant:

• Plan for more time than you're used to for any rides, shows...or anything. THEN multiply it times three and you may have enough time budgeted for it. I thought I was building in more than enough time for things, but my husband and I soon realized that the actual time needed to do just about anything was still 3x what we thought. Even once we realized it we'd still stumble and not budget enough time later in the trip.
• Don't assume your baby will sleep in the stroller. I heard this one a lot, "Oh it'll be easy, she'll just sleep all the time." Okay maybe some kids, but not mine She would doze in there once in awhile, but to get in real nap time, we went back to the hotel for 4+ hour stretches. Plus, even if she had slept in her stroller, there's not much you can do with a kid in a stroller anyway!
• Don't just pack extra baby clothes when you head to the parks. We had dinner reservations at Trail's End our first night and as soon as we got there my daughter's diaper leaked all over me. Shirt, shorts - soaked. I ran across the way to buy a t-shirt but there weren't any shorts I could wear. For the rest of the trip, I packed at least a t-shirt with me in case of another leak.
• The Baby Care Centers are great (except DHS). I don't want to sound greedy, but I came to rely on the Baby Care Centers during our trip so my daughter (who gets super distracted while eating) could eat. The ones in Epcot and MK are fantastic, and the one in AK is okay. But the one in DHS is literally a closet. There is no CM there, people use it as a waiting lounge for guest relations, and it is impossible to do much of anything in there. I assumed the newer parks would have the best Baby Care Centers, but Epcot and MK are definitely the best -- by far.
• Let go. I don't think I'm OCD, but I do wash things and try to keep my daughter away from super gross stuff (like dirty cat litter - my cats are beasts! ). That being said, while at Trail's End my daughter promptly put her mouth on the table. I turned to my husband and said, "I'm going to have to let things go for a week aren't I?" And I did. She likely has a superhero's immune system after that week, because there were all SORTS of germs and random things that were in her mouth!
• Resist the urge to judge other parents. I've heard it from several people that my daughter was too young to take to WDW. But you know what? We slathered on sunscreen, fed her regularly (although she did eat less than she does at home - she did eat enough and was not dehydrated!), spent literally half the day back at the hotel for her to rest and recharge...and we STILL had a wonderful time. Still, I couldn't help but notice super tiny babies without an immune system there. Babies that were probably 2 weeks old -- and not just one. We probably saw at least 7 or 8 babies that were under a month in age during our trip. And my gut instinct was "that baby is too young." I suppressed those thoughts, though, because I don't want to be that mom who judges other moms. I was on the receiving end of that myself and don't want to do that to anyone else...even if I wouldn't make the same decisions for my own baby.
• Don't assume people will give up their seat on the bus. I would never assume someone would just give up their seat, and all but 5 or 6 times there were seats available anyway. But, there were a handful of times when I got onto the bus and there were no seats (we typically would wait for the next bus if we had to in those circumstances). In all instances, someone offered their seat. Well, one time I literally got the last seat on the bus, so that was nice. But also worth noting is that every time someone gave up their seat, it was either a woman or a little boy who did it, which I found interesting (and so appreciated). As a first-timer with a baby whose husband (and as a child, whose brother and father) always gave up their seats to the elderly or women with children) always gives up his seat, I was kind of surprised. Not angry or judging anyone, but I was a little surprised initially.

Any other parents out there with tips or advice?

we had one who was oppsite of yours with naps. fell asleep on way back to resort and wouldn't sleep any more. stroller naps were only ones he would take at WDW

 

[winstongator]

One of my most vivid memories traveling with my daughters was on a plane, just me and them. Younger one (1 at the time) cried the whole flight from NC to FLL. We land, and I feel this rush of fluid on my leg. Her diaper leaked. I got up to deal with it. Flight attendants yelled at me, but I had pee all over me, so idgaf. A change of shorts would have been nice.

My daughters still touvpch everything at WDW...and then touch heir mouth. I imagine all those germs...I should start bringing wipes & sanitizer again.

I judge every once in a while, in my head. My last trip I made sure to heed my own judgement. At international gateway one night I saw a dad force his compl yell exhausted son to walk back to their hotel. My rule - when kids are exhausted, stop pushing things like that. Of course, the next night we were there and my daughters were exhausted. I remembered and let them ride the boat. I walked and after disembarking they snuck behind me and scared me.

I’ll hear parents saying stuff like ‘stop crying’, ‘just listen’ and other greats. I feel like asking, ‘do those work for you? When I say them, they never work for me.’

 

[Dizneykid]

Now that I'm back from 8 nights and 9 days in WDW, I thought I'd share some lessons I learned. As a longtime passholder who was traveling to WDW for the first time with a baby, I was kind of terrified I received a lot of advice (both on here and from friends and family) and thought I'd share what I learned during the trip itself for anyone else who may be preparing to travel to WDW with an infant:

• Plan for more time than you're used to for any rides, shows...or anything. THEN multiply it times three and you may have enough time budgeted for it. I thought I was building in more than enough time for things, but my husband and I soon realized that the actual time needed to do just about anything was still 3x what we thought. Even once we realized it we'd still stumble and not budget enough time later in the trip.
• Don't assume your baby will sleep in the stroller. I heard this one a lot, "Oh it'll be easy, she'll just sleep all the time." Okay maybe some kids, but not mine She would doze in there once in awhile, but to get in real nap time, we went back to the hotel for 4+ hour stretches. Plus, even if she had slept in her stroller, there's not much you can do with a kid in a stroller anyway!
• Don't just pack extra baby clothes when you head to the parks. We had dinner reservations at Trail's End our first night and as soon as we got there my daughter's diaper leaked all over me. Shirt, shorts - soaked. I ran across the way to buy a t-shirt but there weren't any shorts I could wear. For the rest of the trip, I packed at least a t-shirt with me in case of another leak.
• The Baby Care Centers are great (except DHS). I don't want to sound greedy, but I came to rely on the Baby Care Centers during our trip so my daughter (who gets super distracted while eating) could eat. The ones in Epcot and MK are fantastic, and the one in AK is okay. But the one in DHS is literally a closet. There is no CM there, people use it as a waiting lounge for guest relations, and it is impossible to do much of anything in there. I assumed the newer parks would have the best Baby Care Centers, but Epcot and MK are definitely the best -- by far.
• Let go. I don't think I'm OCD, but I do wash things and try to keep my daughter away from super gross stuff (like dirty cat litter - my cats are beasts! ). That being said, while at Trail's End my daughter promptly put her mouth on the table. I turned to my husband and said, "I'm going to have to let things go for a week aren't I?" And I did. She likely has a superhero's immune system after that week, because there were all SORTS of germs and random things that were in her mouth!
• Resist the urge to judge other parents. I've heard it from several people that my daughter was too young to take to WDW. But you know what? We slathered on sunscreen, fed her regularly (although she did eat less than she does at home - she did eat enough and was not dehydrated!), spent literally half the day back at the hotel for her to rest and recharge...and we STILL had a wonderful time. Still, I couldn't help but notice super tiny babies without an immune system there. Babies that were probably 2 weeks old -- and not just one. We probably saw at least 7 or 8 babies that were under a month in age during our trip. And my gut instinct was "that baby is too young." I suppressed those thoughts, though, because I don't want to be that mom who judges other moms. I was on the receiving end of that myself and don't want to do that to anyone else...even if I wouldn't make the same decisions for my own baby.
• Don't assume people will give up their seat on the bus. I would never assume someone would just give up their seat, and all but 5 or 6 times there were seats available anyway. But, there were a handful of times when I got onto the bus and there were no seats (we typically would wait for the next bus if we had to in those circumstances). In all instances, someone offered their seat. Well, one time I literally got the last seat on the bus, so that was nice. But also worth noting is that every time someone gave up their seat, it was either a woman or a little boy who did it, which I found interesting (and so appreciated). As a first-timer with a baby whose husband (and as a child, whose brother and father) always gave up their seats to the elderly or women with children) always gives up his seat, I was kind of surprised. Not angry or judging anyone, but I was a little surprised initially.

Any other parents out there with tips or advice?

This is really good timing to read as I'm about to take my baby (under 12 months) and preschooler later this month. I am germaphobic and so worried. I'm a homeschool mom so my kids haven't been exposed to much and I'm so stressed that this is a mistake to go. I'm glad you had a good experience. Did you get to take her on rides? What time of year did you go?

 

[buseegal]

This is really good timing to read as I'm about to take my baby (under 12 months) and preschooler later this month. I am germaphobic and so worried. I'm a homeschool mom so my kids haven't been exposed to much and I'm so stressed that this is a mistake to go. I'm glad you had a good experience. Did you get to take her on rides? What time of year did you go?

babies can go on any ride without a height. requirement. more for your preschooler take a pic each morning so you can look at what child was wearing in case you get separated. we are not homeschoolers and we take a big group. group ranges from baby to senior adults. we always have a great time