Babies in the World

[IloveJack]

Dh and I really want to go back to WDW next Christmas. We haven't called to make ressies yet, but that's the plan. However... We're also hoping that my doctor will clear us to start a family early next year. (I have diabetes, and my blood sugar has been out of control lately, too out of control to get pregnant.) I'm really hoping that we'll have a baby by Christmas of next year. :baby:
My question is this: How young is "too young" for a trip to Disney, in your opinion?
Would you take an infant? Or would you just wait until they were at least "toddling"?

[BigRedDad]

Just my opinion. It would be an age decision. The question is how young is too young to go to WDW? Also, there could be a million things that would cause you not to go with a newborn.

My DW was in a similar situation as you. Heart condition, borderline diabetic, forced bed rest, etc. It will be a job in itself on your end just to get through the pregnancy. Then the health of the child before, during, and afterwards.

My suggestion is to plan and reserve the trip, but approach it with an extremely open mind. The likelihood of you going will be slim. Your first concern would be to the health of the baby, then yourself, and way at the bottom of the list you will see "Trip to WDW".

[Strmchsr]

If you do a search on here I think you'll find lots of threads about peoples' experiences taking infants. Many have done it just fine. In fact, due to the baby's portability and the fact that they'll fall asleep anywhere some parents find infants easier than toddlers.

My one HUGE caution about taking infants is that Disney has tons of people. That means tons of germs. By taking a very young infant into that situation you're bombarding a very young body with a lot to handle. If you're nursing that's not as big a deal since the baby's immune system gets a boost from your own, but it's still a consideration. For a bottle-fed baby, especially, that can be a lot to handle and you end up with a sick child. Plus, you need to think of how you'll feel at that time. If you have to go on bed rest for part of your pregnancy you may not be physically up to the tons of walking at WDW.

Other than that worry, there's not a "right" time as long as you go in with proper expectations. The child is not going to remember any trip before 4-5, but you will and you can have lots of great memories with any age child. If you go with a younger child just keep in mind the trip is more about you and the child is along for the ride. As the child gets older the trip becomes more theirs.

[illini]

Well, I like BRD's idea of approaching it with an open mind. First, you don't know when you'll get pregnant and could end up with a 2 week old... or being 8 months pregnant at that time. Next, you don't know what the baby's schedule, personality, or health will be. If the baby comes early (always a strong possibility when diabetic), there will be more concerns about the immune system and thus more concerns about large crowds. Chris made excellent points on this issue.

I'm really one for taking babies/kids at any age. It's just harder to make that decision before baby arrives, especially not knowing what age s/he may be and any concerns. But in general, it's definitely doable.

Best wishes and lots of :pixie: coming your way!

[Tick-Tock]

My one HUGE caution about taking infants is that Disney has tons of people. That means tons of germs. By taking a very young infant into that situation you're bombarding a very young body with a lot to handle.

I've posted before on other threads that I caught whooping cough either at WDW or on the plane down just a couple of years ago. Babies aren't vaccinated for it until about two months old, and it can be fatal. I wouldn't take a baby younger than two months.

[January-2007]

If I were you I would book a room only and not get my hopes up too high. If I wasn't pregnant by then, we would go, if I was, or we had a newborn, we would wait. DH doesn't want to take a baby to WDW, the youngest we're talking about is 2 years old. That's why we're getting in all these trips now, pre-baby! Got to have that stored up Disney magic... :mickey:

[Disney Doll]

If you're planing to try for a pregnancy early next year, I wouldn't schedule a Christmas trip. Too much is still unknown. It may take you a few months to conceive and you never know how tough the pregnancy may be for you. Newborns are a lot of work and you never know how long it will take to settle into a routine. Plus, I wouldn't consider going with a tiny one because their immune system may not be up for a germ exposure like a public theme park. I am currently pregnant and we will be missing our annual Feb trip next year. We decided to wait and go in October instead when the baby will be a year old.

[gtpooh]

There's a lot to consider here, and since you don't know how old the baby would be, I think it's very hard to plan. We took my 11mo DS to Disneyland in July, and will be taking him to WDW in November (when he'll be 15 months old). Even with an 11 month old, there were lots of limitations with bringing a little one. If you were to bring a very young child, you may be nursing and need to find a place to feed the baby every 2-4 hours depending on your child's schedule. If you're not nursing, you'd still have the feed the baby quite often, and even though the baby sleeps, clearly s/he won't get anything out of it. Like others have said, I'd plan but have the ability to cancel depending on the circumstances as you won't know how you feel about it until after you have a baby anyway. Good luck!

[tyandskyesmom]

Skye was in the world at 2 months old. Tyler (5 1/2 at the time) and I drove with her and my SIL and her 3 and 1 year old from Chicagoland area to Georgia for a family wedding and then down to the World from there. I was nursing and it was in June.

You will have to decide if you feel comfortable enough with the baby when the time comes. I say plan it as if you three will be going (not a package though because you are penialized for late cancellation) and count on going. I am in the opinion that the younger they are, the easier they are...especially on the first one!

Go, take tons of pictures and enjoy being a family in the World. If for some reason you do not feel ready, then cancel and book a trip in the following year or whenever you think you will be ready. I think you'll be ok! And good luck!


109 more days!!!

[SAHDad]

I would probably advise against taking a newborn (less than 3 months or so) the WDW, not just because of immunization/exposure issues, but also because you would still be recovering from pregnancy and childbirth.

I would say either make reservation for Christmas, but don't start actively trying to conceive until mid-year (so you are still in the first or second trimester - pretty sure most ob/gyn don't want you flying during the third trimester), or wait until you have a fairly definite due date, and then make reservations for about 6 months after that.

Oh, and good luck!