Have you taken an infant to Disney? Tell me all about it! Did you have more than two people so you could go on rides? Did staying at a Disney property make things easier? What parks did you go to?
Have you taken an infant to Disney? Tell me all about it! Did you have more than two people so you could go on rides? Did staying at a Disney property make things easier? What parks did you go to?
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
I've been 15+ times but never with an infant! I've stayed off site and on, and prefer on. I love staying on site as you can hop on the bus mid day to go back to your room for a nap/swim/lunch and easily go back to the park in the evening. If you stay off site though you can usually get a good price on a villa with a kitchen, living room etc if space is important.
You can baby swap for the rides if there are just two of you without having to wait in line all over again.
DH and I are headed there in April and are undecided if we will take LO who is 5months... I'm thinking we will leave her at home with the grandparents and get one last trip with just DH and I...but I can't wait until she's old enough to "get" the magic of Disney!
Have fun!!!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I have read that the new fast pass system and the bracelets make it worthwhile to stay on property.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
we went with her when she was like 20 months old and it was great. Not an infant though. I'm sure its totally do-able especially if its a nice time of year (October - May).
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
@MrsH: What month are you going? I would avoid the summer if possible.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
We're going this September to Disneyland with a baby around 5 months! So excited. My whole family is going and like my mom and sister don't like the roller coaster rides so I am sure they would help with the baby if I wanted to go on one. We are staying at the California hotel or something like that and I think that will help if we have to escape for naps or something. HOnestly I don't really care about the rides, I am just excited to dress up my baby everyday in cheesy Disney themed costumes...
pomegranate / 3791 posts
@char54: Yes, I would agree with everything you said!
I have also never been with an infant (we don't live close and I can't justify the cost on a baby too young to enjoy it - and honestly I'd be bummed about how much I'd have to skip) but I've visited tons of times and worked there for a semester in college. Staying on-site is more expensive, but they are almost always running deals, and the convenience of hopping on the bus to go back to the hotel in the middle of the day is awesome. Plus the whole vacation just feels more magical when staying on-site
Some things to keep in mind:
- You will absolutely need a stroller unless you're baby-wearing (even then I prefer the stroller for breaks from lugging everything around, plus it offers baby more shade.) The strollers Disney World offer pretty much suck for babies, they're hard plastic with no storage space, but there are many stroller rental companies that will drop your stroller off at your hotel for you, just make sure to set it up in advance.
- Disney does everything BIG, and it can be overwhelming to a baby, so honestly I'd keep my expectations low. Some kids handle many of the rides well and take it all in stride, but pretty much every ride/show has it's dark moments that some babies and toddlers can't handle regardless of if they're technically big/old enough to ride it or not.
- An infant probably isn't going to care too much about what parks you visit, but I'd be least likely to recommend Animal Kingdom - it has the least amount of air conditioning and shade compared to the rest of Disney World. If you do go there, I'd make it a quick trip. and obviously I'd recommend Magic Kingdom - totally classic and has the most baby-friendly rides, plus some quiet shows if baby is getting overwhelmed.
pomegranate / 3872 posts
We brought LO to Disneyland when she was 8 months. We were in CA for something else so we just spent the day there. Tickets are free for under 3 years old so that's not an issue. I use the ergo all the time but we brought the stroller so we didn't get too hot and do LO could see everything. She had a blast! We went on a bunch of rides all together (they can go on anything without a height requirement) but honestly her favorite thing was just walking around and seeing everything and all the people. She napped in the stroller for a bit and I nursed her and the little baby lounge on main street. People thought we were nuts for bringing her but we all had a great time.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
We took DD when she was 18m. It was just DH, me and DD.
-We went to MK, Epcot and HS. Stayed on property and were at the parks open to close.
-We used rider swap on a few of the "thrill" rides (Space Mountain, Tower of Terror) but she was able to go on everything else with us.
-We used our Ergo instead of a stroller. It was great not having to go back to stroller parking all the time plus if she fell asleep we could still do things. At the end of the night we were able to squeeze onto the monorails or boats where we wouldn't have been able to with a stroller.
-We found places to just relax and get out of the crowds included: Wedway People Mover, Hall of Presidents, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Spaceship Earth, American Adventure.
-We hired the babysitting service they offer one night so DH and I could attend the dinner show at the Polynesian and then enjoyed extra magic hours at MK so we could ride things together (Splash Mountain mainly).
-Every park has a babycare center that has a place for nursing/pumping moms (we also used this for me to rock DD when she was very fussy). They also have nice changing and feeding areas (plus I think they have a place to store pumps/breastmilk but that may not be accurate). They had a small play area and sold some baby care products (not too overly priced).
pear / 1642 posts
@MrsH: I'm local to Disney and have been taking K since she was 5 months. She LOVES going and we absolutely love taking her!
I would suggest staying on property for convenience. It's really nice to not worry about trying to get in and out of the property.
If your LO loves the stroller or is a good stroller napper, than it's great for shade and to hold all your stuff. Honestly, though, I prefer to wear her while there. It's just easier for me personally to not have to keep track of a stroller.
As for parks/rides: we've been to all 4, but Magic Kingdom by far is the most infant friendly. Infants can go on *almost* any rides in that park. I usually only go with DH and LO, so we do baby swap if we want to ride anything not baby friendly.
As mentioned above, the baby centers are great! Take advantage of them!
Lol, this is getting long, so I'll stop, but feel free to ask any other questions! We go once a week
honeydew / 7667 posts
@MrsRoo: awesome! Thanks, I will likely hit you up with some additional questions sooner or later
pea / 6 posts
We went to magic kingdom when LO was 7 months old. We had a great time. We did not stay at a disney property ( to save some money and stayed at a villa nearby instead with a kitchen and washing machine/dryer!) and rented a car. It didn't affect our experience at all. He napped in the stroller and went on almost all the rides with us. Echoing what some others have said, we also wore him while standing in line.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
Bump! DH and I are taking our LO to Disney World in early May, and she'll be 10 months old. We are staying off-property immediately next door to the parks, renting a car, and spending 2 days - 1 in Epcot, 1 in Magic Kingdom.
Any more tips y'all can think of for myself and original poster @MrsH: ?
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