Baby's first WDW vacation

[maizey05]

Ok, so I'm thinking of planning a trip for myself, DH and DS. Thinking of going in January or Feb. because of the low park attendence and the cool weather. (DS would either be 11 or 12 months by then.) We always stay at a Disney resort. I plan to get the dining plan, once again.

My question is: Are those times good times to take a baby? We don't even care if it rains, (we're from the rainforest). Also, I'm a little concerned about making ADR's and the fact that we have to be flexible w/ DS's schedule (naps, feedings, moods etc.) What resort and places to eat would you recommend for us + baby?

[mook3y]

Ok, so I'm thinking of planning a trip for myself, DH and DS. Thinking of going in January or Feb. because of the low park attendence and the cool weather. (DS would either be 11 or 12 months by then.) We always stay at a Disney resort. I plan to get the dining plan, once again.

My question is: Are those times good times to take a baby? We don't even care if it rains, (we're from the rainforest). Also, I'm a little concerned about making ADR's and the fact that we have to be flexible w/ DS's schedule (naps, feedings, moods etc.) What resort and places to eat would you recommend for us + baby?

Hiya, honestly, no one is going to know how your DS will handle a schedule better than you.

Every child is soooooooooooooo different!

So long as you go with the realization that you need to be flexible with your schedules as much as possible. Babies get very stimulated by all the people, lights and sounds. So you should plan on some down time.

But again, depends on the kid. our son was fine all day long at DLR. He would sleep wherever when he was tired and was not fussy.
Our daughter on the other hand, if something was going on, she wanted to see what was up and would stay up to the point of having a meltdown.

Regardless, the memories you will have of spending time with your baby at WDW is going to be priceless. :D

[NLODisney]

I have gone several times with my friend and her son. Our first trip he was 6 months and we stayed at the Poly. Second trip 12 months we stayed at WL concierge. We have gone also when he was 2 and three and stayed at the Poly. When he was small he would sleep when he needed to either in the stroller or the front pack. The easiest places to eat with him when he was 12 months were buffets. He love Chef Mickeys, Trails End and O'Hana. His favorite rides were PP, SW, Pooh, and Buzz. He also liked the train ride at MK. We made sure to not try to do too much and spent alot of time at the resort. It's very magical in the World with a baby!

[maizey05]

I would be more wary of bringing him to WDW, however at 4 1/2 months, we brought him w/ us to Puerto Vallarta. He was great on the plane. He loved all the attention from passers-by and the sights and sounds. The heat was the only drawback...105! Needless to say, we stayed in the room most of the time, except to swim and eat our meals...then we'd venture out in the evening.

[Madame Leona]

Our ds went when he was 10 months this past December. It was so much fun. We don't make ADRs so I really can't help you with that. We would just eat when he was hungry and leave the park in the early evening for bedtime. His sleep schedule did change on that trip though. He would take several cat naps during the day instead of one long nap. We used that time to go on the adult rides and took advantage of the baby swap. We did find if he was too tired and crabby, a ride on the train in MK would put him right to sleep. Once we rode four or five time around just so he could get some decent rest. It was towards the end of the trip and I think he was ready to get home.

[illini]

I took an 11 month old and it was so easy. She napped in the stroller or her sling. Sometimes she slept through meals (except the character meals-- she perked right up for those!), so we'd feed her later.

For a resort, I'd figure out where you're going to spend the most time and pick a resort close by. Poly is great for direct monorail access to MK and Epcot. Lots of bus trips can be a hassle and involve waking up baby to get him out of the stroller (at his age, I'd bring your own stroller-- WDW ones aren't good for really young ones). Epcot resorts would be good if you spend the majority of your time there... just a quick walk.

[Madame Leona]

I second the previous post about bringing your own stroller. DS (15 months) had rental stoller envy so we rented one on the last day and sent our stroller with the checked luggage to the airport. He thought he was so cool when we got it, then he climbed in. The look on his face was priceless. He was one disgruntled little boy. Luckily we were only there for a couple of hours and not during nap time so I pretty much just let him walk the whole time.

[teambricker04]

We have taken our oldest to Disney (world and land) around 5 times since he was born. He is 2.5 now... I must say our easiest trip was when he was 10 months and we went to DL. He wasn't walking yet and still slept anywhere in his stroller. Our next trip he'll walk most of it and we'll go back for naps in the afternoon.

We also will be taking out baby who will be 5 months when we go to WDW. I think that Disney is the perfect place to bring little ones on vacation. Remember that you can do kid swap on the bigger rides, so you won't miss out on anything! Have fun!

[rt207]

I'm so glad to see this thread. I am also taking my son for his first trip in January and he'll be just about a year old. We already take the World at a snails pace before baby, so that won't be an issue for us, but I was just sitting here trying to picture him at WDW and wondering if he'll enjoy it (and afraid he won't) when I saw this thread. I'm feeling better about it again. Thanks!