13 month old girl at wdw?

lyle21 · #1 04-09-2008, 05:12 PM

we're finally taking a real family vacation (w/ dh) in december to wdw. my 4.5 year old boy is a pro, has already taken three trips thanks to a destination wedding and a wonderful grandma. he was a little over 2 years old for his first trip which was fine, but a 13 month old? tell me what it will be like, prepare me for the challenges. what can a 13 month old do at wdw? tell me all about it, the good and the bad.

Strmchsr · #2 04-09-2008, 05:38 PM

Prepare to take things slower. Use baby swap to do rides. Above all, don't push your baby beyond her limits. If she needs a quiet nap go back to the room or one of the baby stations in the parks. Don't force her to go to characters if she's scared. It's really all common sense stuff, but, amazingly, that sense often seems less than common at WDW. You can still have a great trip with a 13 month old. Just don't put too many expectations on her and don't try to go as if the baby isn't there. She may or may not want to interact much, but she'll have a blast just looking around and seeing all the sites. You can still take her on some rides, like Pooh or IASW, just not everything.

BostonChic · #3 04-09-2008, 05:44 PM

My first son was 18mo on his first trip;this time we're taking both sons(6&12mo)
We took alot of afternoon breaks for swimming/resort time.I always try to find shady spots to give them icecream,drinks and snacks and to reapply sunscreen.DS#1 was not afraid of Mickey at all,but some kids are;its up to the child I guess

They really won't remember but its still a fun time

kakn7294 · #4 04-09-2008, 06:03 PM

Our DD took her first trip when she was 13 mo old and it was a great trip. We did have to move at a much slower pace and work around when she ate and slept but she was such a good baby and loved everything, especially Mickey. We never took breaks, she slept in her stroller and that's when we chose to ride the "big" ticket attractions using baby swap. I do recommend taking advantage of the Baby Centers and at that age, your own stroller might be best. It's also a good idea to take some small toys and such to entertain baby in line and attractions. We were always prepared to leave any line or attraction (shows) where she became disruptive, but it never happened.

Buttercup · #5 04-09-2008, 07:10 PM

Kids that age are great to take to WDW!
We took our son when he was 7 months old, then when he was 18 months old, and a couple times since then as well.
We're going down next month and this time we're bringing our 4 month old daughter!

Just make sure you've got a comfortable stroller and your little guy will be fine. They're very portable at that age and can basically go on any ride (except the thrill rides of course

). So don't worry about it!
Enjoy yourselves, take advantage of the baby care centres and have fun!

Dyanna · #6 04-10-2008, 10:03 AM

We returned from WDW this past Oct with DD age 10 months. We took our own stroller with us & spend the each entire day at the park with no going back to our room. She did just fine the entire week. She slept in the stroller when she got tired & used baby swap when needed. She just loved taking in all the sights & sounds. Enjoyed it so much we are going again this coming Nov when she will be 23 months.

lyle21 · #7 04-10-2008, 01:08 PM

thanks for the input. sounds like a 13 month old will be very similar to a 2 year old.

by the way, he will be 5 and a half in december. will he need a stroller too?

teambricker04 · #8 04-10-2008, 04:12 PM

I have two DS... 3yo and 10mo. We have taken them to Disney at various ages and at about 10mo to about 14mo they still napped so well in their strollers. After my oldest was walking a lot, he didn't like sitting in the stroller as much and wanted to run away ALL THE TIME! Yikes!

Our 3yo will still ride in the stroller at Disney, but only some of the time. Mostly he walks until he gets tired. I would say if your eldest can walk through the airport to maybe rent a stroller only if he needs it at Disney or take a small umbrella stroller for him.

We have a graco double and we are considering getting a double that folds up smaller for our trip next month.

Jasper · #9 04-10-2008, 04:32 PM

The other posters have covered most of my suggestions save one. . .since you have two children that will have very different tolerance to the parks you may want to consider the possibility of one of you taking the younger one to the baby station or resort for a nap while the other one takes the older child on a few more attractions. Of course this all depends on the kids and how they react to doing things with only one parent. Of course you may also find the older one needs a nap as well and then you all can go back to the resort.

Taja · #10 04-11-2008, 02:12 PM

I'm not a parent, so take my advice with many grains of salt. Everyone has given you excellent advice.

The one thing I would advise in preparation for your WDW visit is to socialize your little one as much as possible. I've observed family and friends who have different philosophies about their children interacting with non-family members, and those who interact with the people outside the close-knit family/friends circle seem to do best at WDW--and in other social situations.

We took a 14-week-old young man with us in December and he was very well socialized. He could sleep anywhere (and did). He loved attention, but didn't demand it--he was fascinated by the sights and sounds around him. Obvious difference in ages, but theory still applies.

As I said, an observation from a non-parent! *LOL*