WDW with a 7 month old?

[Disneykidder]

After just coming home a little over a week ago, my husband is already talking about us going again next summer. (Now, I am the Disney fan in the family...not him.) Anyway, although I would normally jump at his suggestion, I have my trepidations due to the fact that we will be having a baby in late Jan...which will make our child about 7 months old when we visit. We also have a son who will be 5 1/2 next summer.

So, my questions to all of you who have taken infants are...basically...should I? I will also be nursing. Any advise, suggestions? Anything would be appreciated. We want to book our trip soon if we are going so we get the resort of our choice and can start paying it off. (Wilderness Lodge first timers) Can we even take infants on the bus? Is the busing wait short at WL?

Thanks in advance for any input you can give.:wave:

 

[PrincessK]

For my wedding in WDW, my nephew was 7 months old. His parents just took it slow and easy with plenty of breaks. Jake loved the character breakfast and gave Eeyore a big hug and kiss. Tigger was a little too big for him. I know that a lot of face characters played with him, and my father-in-law still comments about how Jake got "lucky" with a princess. (Pocahontas tickled his feet and showered him with kisses after a chance run in.)

He did get a little overwhelmed with the crowds at MK and DHS, but absolutely loved the AK, and people watching at the Boardwalk.

Honestly, I think his parents took their cues from him, and once they realized what park he loved most, kept going back.

I hope this helps!

 

[GrumpysWife]

We recently stayed at Wilderness Lodge (end of July/beginning of August) with our two sons 2 years (almost 3) and 5 months. I would say you should be fine taking a 7 month old. The wait time for buses was never outrageous and, depending on where you are traveling, boats are also an option. I would recommend taking a stroller and the Baby Bjorn Carrier Air. The Baby Bjorn Carrier Air is lightweight for the heat and keeps your arms from getting tired while waiting in lines or walking in areas where strollers are not allowed. There are similar products priced much less expensive than the Baby Bjorn product, but nothing we found could compare in quality and/or keeping the baby cool. Each park has a Baby Care Center where you can nurse in private (or change diapers, take a break from the heat, etc.) - just plan to be in those areas around feeding times (or have your spouse take the older child on a ride, etc. while you go nurse). Just remember to slather the baby in sunblock (50 or higher) and wear a hat.

Have a great time!

 

[thrupaytonseyes]

I definately think you should! My 15 month old has been there twice already. Once at 3 months and once at 10 months. We had a great time and so did he. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge on our last trip. We took the boat when going to MK. Had a car so I can't tell you about busses to the other parks. But it was easy on the boat. I nursed as well. As I have stated in the 2 threads I have added below, I recommend a sling rather than a Bjorn, especially when nursing. You can breastfeed with the baby in the sling and a blanket over you if you want a little more coverage...I did! I got my sling at Target and it comes with a dvd of how to use it for all the different ways you may want to...baby laying down, on the hip, nursing, etc. It was super comfortable and my son seemed comfortable as well. Your own stroller, definately. And make sure you have a rain cover for it! Any other questions, feel free to ask. I had a great experience with my DS and love to help others have it as well.

2 threads talking about this are:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=333092

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=272013

 

[slappy magoo]

Just remember to slather the baby in sunblock (50 or higher) and wear a hat.

Have a great time!

You may want to talk to your pediatrician first before using sunblock on a baby. Ask about specific brands, too.

FWIW we have a baby that will be 5 months old when we go in December. Being December, sun won't be quite as much of an issue, nor will heat (probably) but we still intend to be careful about the times of day we go to parks. For the most part, the trip is more aboutv soaking up the holiday atmosphere for the first time.

There are clothes & bathing suits thay cover babies & children with built-inv sunblock. Might want to look into that.

 

[Disneykidder]

Thanks for the info...I even read through every single post in those 2 threads.

My main concern is nursing and the heat...it will be the end of August. I don't want to let my son down but i'm really not sure.

 

[thrupaytonseyes]

I went at the end of Sept and it was still pretty hot. I nursed him. I did pump at night and bring a bottle or two of the breast milk, but mostly I nursed him. The baby care centers are a great place to do this. They are air conditioned and have rocking chairs. I nursed inside attractions too, as you have read on the other threads. Also, at 7 months you can give the baby a bottle or sippy cup with water if you feel he/she is getting rather warm. Stick to your regular feedng schedule and supplement with water or fruits and veggies(they contain water) in between. At 3 months I couldn't do this with my guy but at 7 months you will be able to.

 

[lac628]

My son is 2 1/2 y/o and he has been to WDW 12 times. His first visit was when he was about a month old. We live here in FL, so we avoif the hottest months (July/Aug), but we have gone during the summer. The best thing we got was a clip on stroller fan. We got ours from One Step Ahead, but they don't sell them anymore. Last I looked, you can get them in WDW. It really helped him stay cool, esp. while napping in the stroller. We also made sure to bring a blanket or towel to drape over the stroller during naps.

Here is DS while napping, you can't see it, but the fan is clipped to the hood of the stroller...

here is a pic right after he woke up, you can see the fan...

 

[disneydiva72]

I have done it with a 12 month old and it was rough, Im not going to lie, it was rough.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I say go for it. While your child may not remember the trip, think about the precious memores and pictures you will have.
Like others have said: breaks, water, sunblock, hats, etc...

 

[tikiman]

We took our son to Disney at 5 months and it was a much slower pace than normal but that was fine. We had to switch off on rides. We would use the single rider lines. Just take it slow and in a way we enjoyed it more since you are not going so crazy in the parks. You sort of take time to smell the roses. I don’t know that WL would have been my choice with an infant. Since it was our first stroller experience we tried to avoid having to fold it up all the time. The Polynesian works best for strollers since you have so many transportation options. The small boat from the resort to the MK could be a problem since you cannot roll a stroller on but the TTC is right next to the resort so you can roll right onto the big ferry. Also the monorail to the MK and Epcot you can roll right onto. It is great to have the zero entry so you can hold the little one in the water with you and not have it be deep. Having that easy access to the parks also helps when we have to get back to the resort quickly.

Well besides my opinion on where to stay I would say that it will be different going with one that young but it should still be fun. Our son only got to go on a few things but he loved looking at everything and now that he is 3 ½ he still remembers all those things he got to see. His favorite thing is the monorail.

 

[Susan Savia]

Both of our children began their visits to Disney World as infants and I wouldn't of changed a thing. Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers.
______________________

Next Trip - January 2009

 

[SAV]

The only concern I would have for you and the baby is the August Heat. As long as you keep the baby...and yourself well hydrated, you should be fine. As many have stated, take advantage of the baby stations.

There are enough places to go to keep cool, but you have to make it a point to go and cool off. The pace is going to be slower, for sure.

 

[leosmummy]

My sons first visit to the world was just before he turned 6 months and that was in early June, we did everything alot slower than what we had previously and took alot of breaks during the day, but i was a fanastic holiday for us all the Childcare centres are excellent, especially the one at Disney Hollywood Studios in my opinion

 

[626]

We went with our son when he was 7 months old and had no problems at all! He loved meeting the characters and didn't fuss or cause any scenes the whole time. Of course, now he's about to turn one and I don't think I'd want to take him at the moment, but 7 month olds are much more managable!

 

[KC82271]

Go for it. I did it with a 10 month old, but had she not been a preemie, she would have been there earlier. You just have to take it at a slow pace. As long as your husband is willing to run rides with the oldest while you breastfeed, you should have no problem.

Enjoy!