Okay, Experienced Parents...Talk to me!

Seabasealpha1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So,

My kid isn't even hatched yet...I'm not even sure what we're having (I find out this Monday 10/21).

I've read online where you can take babies (like, we'll call "baby" up to two years old here) with you to the parks... I'm shooting for October of '15...and I guess the question is...how do you go about it? Do you strap the kids to the front of you, do you go stroller? Do you half and half it? Is it worth taking them down there (I live up north so "down there") and what kinda like strategies are involved? Rides? What rides and how does that go? Do babies cry hard-core on Pirates of the Caribbean? Stuff like that? Is October suitable? How to handle family that question your choice to take such a young child? Extra expenses of doing so?

I apologize if this is a way wide question or if someone has already brought this up...just let me know! It's a good two years off until we leave, but I'm trying to plan a bit as I save up the coin for the trip? Would just like to factor in as much as I can!

You're all awesome! Thanks!
 
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jonabyte

Active Member
Weather wise, October could be nice but also warm. We took our 1.5 old son in August a few years back - worse time ever :eek:
Just kidding, it was very hot and muggy, the pools were great and we went every day and most times twice a day. In the parks he did not really enjoy himself, it was hot, muggy and we waited a lot (if I were to do it again, I would stick to the shops, just keep moving and expect not to do a lot of the rides) and he could not do a number of the rides. He did the people mover and loved it.
It's the non-ride things you need to do, ride the monorail, go to the shops, dtd, pools and you can still have a fun time. Oh and we drove down so we took our own stroller.

Others may have a different experience than I did.... kind of depends on your child and the number of people going with you.
 

Disvillain63

Well-Known Member
Congrats! We just got back about a week ago and took our 1-year old GS. Riding things like HM and PotC were not an issue; he did really well. The main problem was character interaction. He like to look at the characters and would wave to them, as long as they were at least 6 feet from him...any closer and he would cry and reach for one of us. He slept well at night and loved the pools as a break. Tried a few TS and he did well, as long as there was entertainment and it didn't take more than 40 minutes. CS...Cosmic Rays was good, because it had entertainment...otherwise, he just like to keep moving and experiencing new things.

October is nice, but can be warm. You'll probably want to divide the day up...be at the parks early (cooler and less crowds), do baby swap if there are rides that the toddler can't go on...also go on Fantasyland rides (the toddler can go on most of them...only the Seven Dwarfs & Goofini will be off limits...leave around naptime (if toddler can make 3pm parade, leave after that and rest) and rest/pool...maybe come back to the park in the evening for fireworks (didn't bother GS but we saw them from Liberty Square) and parade.

Enjoy your new bundle and all the build-up to its arrival.
 

Clowd Nyne

Well-Known Member
We have three 4 and under and we go every two years. This past time my dd was 4, my ds was 2 and my dd was 1. We used strollers because carrying the kids all day is rough on your back, and lets face it we didnt pay all this money to have a sore back. My kids ride everything that there isn't a height restriction for from POTC to TSM. They love the parks and can't wait for 2014. We do dining plan. The sit down meals scheduled before or after nap time provide a great break for everyone. We ride the mountains and other height restricted rides whiles the kids nap. (Dont forget about the rider swap provision). Snacks in the mom bag are a must. We also have a pin trading lanyard for each kid with a bunch of pins to trade that we buy on the cheap on EBay. Since every ride dumps you into a store have the child find the cast member and ask to trade a pin. This cuts down on the gimmies and you get to meet people from all over the world.

And spoil your kid while you are there!
 

buseegal

Active Member
we are heading down in Aug 2015 with what will be a 20 month old. h will ride anything that has no height reqirement that his older brothers are. as his next older brother did when he was 15 months. older brother lovedall of the rides
 

Britt

Well-Known Member
We took my son when he was 9 months. We did stroller AND I had a wrap/sling for him as well. I did 1/2 and 1/2, although I sweated my a$$ off in the Moby, thats for sure. haha. My son didn't cry hardly at all, unless we were sitting at dinner and he didn't have food in front of him (his first ever solids were AT WDW at O'hana. We dont start solids until 6 months and he was 3 months early, so it was perfect timing). Having him in the sling/wrap kept me very in tune to him...when he was hungry, thirsty, needed a nap, needed to nurse and so on. Rather than the stroller where you dont notice until they're THERE and they're frantic.

Just take it slow, enjoy them and their first trip and TONS of pics.
 

cfry06

Well-Known Member
I love the memories we have with our son. Taken him 3 times under two so far - first time he was 9 months - and taking him again two more times before he turns 3 in Feb. I would recommend a lightweight stroller that reclines ( we really like our Chicco Liteway). Our guy napped almost everyday in the stroller. We also love the free white noise app on our iPhones to help! Plan to take it slow. A few hrs downtime for nap in the resort has helped us tremendously, more so as he got older. He has been on every ride practically except for anything with a height requirement and has yet to cry/get upset on one...although we have done Haunted Mansion each time with him sleeping on our shoulder :). Oh I take that back- he did cry in A Bugs Life! Def scary for little ones! Buzz, Pooh, Nemo, Aladdins carpets, Dumbo and the carousel have been his fave attractions thus far.

The hardest part for us with him younger has been meals. Tip : while CMs don't love strollers in a restaurant, if baby is sleeping in the stroller they will allow you to roll the stroller right up under the able. We didn't know this at first and used to wake him up - which he didn't love :/.

Also would suggest paying $15 at babies r us for a rain cover for your stroller. Makes baby dry, comfy and in style if you get caught in a FL shower!
 

cfry06

Well-Known Member
We took my son when he was 9 months. We did stroller AND I had a wrap/sling for him as well. I did 1/2 and 1/2, although I sweated my a$$ off in the Moby, thats for sure. haha. My son didn't cry hardly at all, unless we were sitting at dinner and he didn't have food in front of him (his first ever solids were AT WDW at O'hana. We dont start solids until 6 months and he was 3 months early, so it was perfect timing). Having him in the sling/wrap kept me very in tune to him...when he was hungry, thirsty, needed a nap, needed to nurse and so on. Rather than the stroller where you dont notice until they're THERE and they're frantic.

Just take it slow, enjoy them and their first trip and TONS of pics.
Oh yes - lots of pics!! We love taking one of our son each trip at the sword in the stone!! Fun way to track his growth!
 

SAV

Well-Known Member
Just keep in mind if you are thinking of using a sling or carrier like that, the temperature outside, combined with your temperature and having the baby up against you. It will probably get really hot for all involved. We brought our own stroller/Travel System with and used that. It is comfortable for the baby and is something they are used to. Yes it was a bit bulky to travel with, but totally worth it to me.

Definitely bring a sheet/towel to drape over the stroller for nap time. Those little fans you attach to the stroller look to be a great idea as well. We just used those sprayer fans though. The rain cover is probably worth it as well.

It's tough to say much about rides since that is totally dependent upon the child. Some handle things differently than others. But from the parent perspective, you can always do the child swap so both of you will get to ride things, just separately. Whatever you do, don't take the baby into It's Tough to Be a Bug...way too loud and intense.

And you may just have to skip the fireworks and night time festivities for that trip. It's better to keep the baby on their schedule than to try to get them on your schedule. I know from bad experience.
 

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
I took my DS at 14 months and my DD at 2 months. We delayed a fall trip because of being too far along and waited until my maternity leave was almost up to take two weeks in Disney with our now family of 4. I used mostly an umbrella stroller with the 2 month old, she could squish herself nicely in there which seemed to keep her content. DS I used a Disney stroller as he learned to walk the day before his first trip. Yep, I would do it all over again. Best of times.

One of our members recently posted 2 trip reports with her small baby, 2 trips by 12 months to WDW. I'd read these, she has some great ideas and demonstrates how to adjust your WDW trips from a couple to a family. Funny and her hubby is an excellent photographer.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...a-and-well-just-about-everything-else.871436/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ent-us-to-wdw-2-birthdays-trip-report.874063/
 

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
Our youngest was 1.5 when we first took her, with a 4 y.o. and a 7 y.o.. I think you may not have the same benefit as we did and other posters did above in that the youngest patterned her behavior on what she saw her sibs doing particularly with the characters. Definitely shy and wary of oversized animated characters but we have a video of her at Chef Mickey's kissing Minnie. We did less rides, more pool, and baby-swap where prudent. We did less TS, more CS, and few nighttime stuff. Definitely no fireworks as all the kids didn't like the noise even though it was muted, they expected the worst from past fireworks shows we had been to. Enjoy and take lots of pics. Our youngest does not remember the visit but enjoys the photos we show of her first visit.
 

Boardwalker

Active Member
So,

My kid isn't even hatched yet...I'm not even sure what we're having (I find out this Monday 10/21).

I've read online where you can take babies (like, we'll call "baby" up to two years old here) with you to the parks... I'm shooting for October of '15...and I guess the question is...how do you go about it? Do you strap the kids to the front of you, do you go stroller? Do you half and half it? Is it worth taking them down there (I live up north so "down there") and what kinda like strategies are involved? Rides? What rides and how does that go? Do babies cry hard-core on Pirates of the Caribbean? Stuff like that? Is October suitable? How to handle family that question your choice to take such a young child? Extra expenses of doing so?

I apologize if this is a way wide question or if someone has already brought this up...just let me know! It's a good two years off until we leave, but I'm trying to plan a bit as I save up the coin for the trip? Would just like to factor in as much as I can!

You're all awesome! Thanks!
You do like all the rest of the park goers who have kids that can't walk. You push them in a stroller with a scowl on your face (because both if you are having a terrible time!).

I kid! Wait until they are out of diapers. 4 was my first son's visit. It was freaking awesome!
 

KLR

New Member
We took our son at age 1 in Sept and again the next year at age 2 in late Oct, and both times ended up in a heat wave (or an unusual for Florida heat wave!). But both times were just fine. We did kid-swap or single-rider lines for adult rides and took him on most of the "family-friendly" rides and shows. He was hesitant around the characters (did OK with the "face" characters like Alice in Wonderland). We never used a sling (too heavy at that point), just the stroller. The 1st time he napped a lot along the way, not as much the 2nd time. You'll have a better sense of their schedule as trip time approaches, but October is generally a good time because you're not fighting the school-break crowds.
 

DizneyPryncess

Well-Known Member
We took DD at 13 months and 19 months, and are planning her third trip at 2.5 years. We loved both trips with her so far, but we definitely toured on her schedule. We had to start taking her nap times and feeding times into consideration and plan around that.

One thing I learned is that every kid is different, and you have to get there and experience it to see what will work for yours. My daughter was a stroller girl, she never would go in a sling from day 1. She loved characters. She was a good walker at 13 months, so she would go up to the characters on her own. We spent a lot of time with characters since she decided she liked them. We were fully prepared for her to not like them though, and then we would have skipped characters.

We weren't sure about rides either, but after riding Figment, we realized she didn't like the dark or loud noises. So we skipped other rides based on that discovery. The 19 month trip was different. She still loved characters, but was way more interested in attractions, so we were able to do more on that trip. Also, she was eating more foods that we eat, so mealtime was much easier. We didn't have to pack as much food for her, we could order for her in restaurants.

Utilize baby swap, and the baby centers, whenever you need to. Both are very convenient!

I just think you have to play it by ear when you get there, and see what your little one is into! It's a learning experience, but an amazingly fun one I thought! I am counting the days til our next trip! :)

One last thing, congratulations!!! :inlove:
 

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
#1... Awesome! Congratulations!

If I'm doing my guesstimate correctly, your baby will be around 20 months? We took our son to Disneyland at around 18 months; our daughter went to WDW at around 18 months, 21 months and 24 months (it was a good year that year! ;)). I think that age is awesome. They're old enough to do a lot of stuff, but they're not old enough to be scared of things. In my experience, kids haven't learned that they should be scared of ghosts or pirate skeletons or other atmospheric things like that yet. My son rode rides like Mansion and Pirates happily until he was around 4-5... then he learned to be scared by things. He doesn't like riding rides that he rode when he was a little baby.

Try to find mascot characters around your town so you can see if your baby is scared of them. Best to know before you go!

How to explain it to your family members that don't like it? By the time your baby is that old, you'll be so used to people feeling the need to second guess your parenting... you won't even notice anymore!
 

awoogala

Well-Known Member
So,

My kid isn't even hatched yet...I'm not even sure what we're having (I find out this Monday 10/21).

I've read online where you can take babies (like, we'll call "baby" up to two years old here) with you to the parks... I'm shooting for October of '15...and I guess the question is...how do you go about it? Do you strap the kids to the front of you, do you go stroller? Do you half and half it? Is it worth taking them down there (I live up north so "down there") and what kinda like strategies are involved? Rides? What rides and how does that go? Do babies cry hard-core on Pirates of the Caribbean? Stuff like that? Is October suitable? How to handle family that question your choice to take such a young child? Extra expenses of doing so?

I apologize if this is a way wide question or if someone has already brought this up...just let me know! It's a good two years off until we leave, but I'm trying to plan a bit as I save up the coin for the trip? Would just like to factor in as much as I can!

You're all awesome! Thanks!
We waited until they were older- 3 and 7. (but at the time, we were not sure we could afford more than *1* trip to wdw!) Anytime there was napping, it happened in the stroller.. I have never gone back to the hotel during naptime- that was the time for us to go on the rides with child swap while she napped! I brought an excellent jogging stroller.. Mountain.. reclines, steers with one hand.. plenty of sun coverage.
When mine were under 8 mths, I strapped them on in a sling pretty much 24/7. By 8 mths, mine were running across the room, so then, I strapped them on so they wouldn't run/climb out of the stroller. Also made nursing in public super easy- no one even looks at you sideways when they are in a sling, and you are walking around. I found it to be way easier then the rigamarole of in and out of strollers/carriers. Especially when the weather was warm- they make lovely mesh slings that are way lighter then stroller material.
In Disney, I would have brought my sling and a stroller. I have done other parks when the litlles were little. Mostly, I gave up on all the big rides, but I had a high needs baby. With my second, I could have passed her to the husband and gone on a coaster if I so desired.
On very slow boat rides near me, I have taken a baby in a sling, and no one fussed. I have no idea if Disney is ok with that, however.
 
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Marijil

Well-Known Member
Just don't be too married to your plan....spent the better part of one whole day with my now 15 year old in the Animal Kingdom baby center....we just kept switching off to have fun with the older one.......not the kind of parent swap you want.....
 

smurphy28

New Member
We took our son a couple of days after his first birthday. We flew from Canada, so up north, and it was totally worth every minute!

We decided to just bring an umbrella stroller because of the flights. It was light and easy to manage. While in the parka, he stayed in it. We took him out and to go on rides and to let him walk freely in quieter areas of the park.

It is amazing how many rides are baby friendly, and he loved all of them! Anything with bright colours and music was a hit. His favorite was the Lion King show at AK.

Onsite transportation worked well for us, and we ordered all of the baby food and formula from Garden Grocery. What a great service! Our food was in our room when we arrived and we did not have to worry about packing it in our suitcase.

We went went at the end of May, so just before the summer season started. Thanks to the food in the room, we were able to carry lots of water around and mix formula at the parks. This helped keep our little one hydrated and healthy in the hot, humid weather he had not really experienced before.

We had a great time and made lots of special memories. Obviously, he wont remember, but they are memories we will cherish forever. If you have any other questions, just let me know!
 

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