MVMCP and babies

[maizey05]

:mickey: Have you taken your baby to the Christmas party? If so, how did it work out? Our little guy will be 10 months when we are thinking about going. The main reason for the trip is the Christmas party and lights. I'm not sure if it would be too stressful for our DS with all the sensory overload, late nights at the parks etc. If you have experiences, or advice please let me know. Thanks

[Strmchsr]

I don't think the party will be sensory overload, except maybe the fireworks. It depends entirely on how high strung your baby is. Every child reacts different. The important thing is how well your child does "off schedule." Some children are very adaptable, but some if you take them to the MVMCP and get them off schedule that will ruin your entire next day. So, the basic answer is that, no, in general it is not innately overwhelming for a baby, but every child is different so only you know if it's right for your child.

[Mousefan29]

Our son was 7 mos old when we went to MVMCP in Dec. He did okay, although he does NOT like fireworks. So, he and Grandma went into some shops for that. Otherwise, he found the whole thing quite entertaining.

My advise: if you go to the MVMCP in the evening with a baby, don't schedule much the day of or the day after. The day after the party, we slept in, hung out at the resort, and headed to Epcot around lunch.

[Goes4FastPass]

I just spent a park day with an 11 month old. Did he tolerate riding in the stroller? Yes, and we made efforts to do things he could participate in. He did fine and deserves a reward.

As a person who has taken a 11 month old on a park day I want to say we were considerate of him - but I don't want to kid you and say we did it for him. He's a much-loved part of our family but the truth is, we adults wanted to go so we took him with us and made allowances for his needs.

I really believe your local mall has a much Christmas lights and decorations as a baby can appreciate but if want to go to MVMCP and take your little guy I hope you have a great time. We were sitting at dinner and my DIL said, "It's a shame he (the baby) won't remember any of this!" and my DW raised her glass and said, "No, but we will. And we have pictures!"

[disneyboundagain]

Our son was 10 1/2 months old when we took him to the MVMCP last year. We spent the entire day (started about 10am) in MK, including dinner in the Castle. Both our son and DD3 were very routine oriented. We were very unsure about the late evening. It ended up being an absolute blast for everyone. DD took a nap in the early evening, unfortunately it was during dinner. As for DS, he absolutely loved the fireworks and the lights. In between the lights and the fireworks, he slept in his stroller. I would suggest taking a large beach towel. We used it to cover up the front of the stroller while he was napping. It works great for sheltering him from the noise and lights, as well as keeping his eyes off of everything else, allowing him to nap without being distracted.

This will be DD4 (by Dec) 3rd trip to DW. Will she remember the trips, probably not. Did it provide 2 solid weeks of family bonding that is otherwise impossible while dealing with the stresses and obligations of "life" at home, ABSOLUTELY!