Mommy Tips please!!!

[Rox.jea]

I was chatting the other night in the dis chat room & learned so much of what helps a mommy in WDW & what does not work. For example I thought it would be ok to rent a stroller untill one of the other moms told me that's not going to work when I'm @ Resorts & DTD. I never thought of that. What I'd like to know, I guess, is anything. I'm a new mom & I'm up for ideas & things you can't live w/o in WDW. My baby will be 15 months when we go. Are there any rides that are great for babies his age or rides I should skip? It's funny b/c when I 1rst started planning this trip so many people told me he'd be way to young & he's not gonna know what's going on. Well, let me just say that he DOES! He is now 8 months & has laughed hysterically @ Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since he was 3m! He has his favorites & Mickey is his #1. I'm thrilled about this b/c of this trip. He could care less about Handy Manny tho, as much as I hoped he liked it, not so much. But he loves Winnie the Pooh as well. It just amazes me how he knows what he likes, lol!! I think we made the right choice taking him @ 15m. Again if u have little tips anything, I'd appreciate ideas.Thanks Mommies!!

 

[2shortpeopleruleme]

We took our YDD when she was 23 months. She had a blast! I know your son will be a little younger, but he will still love it!

One of the things we did was wait to have her first hair cut. We had it done there! It was only (I think) $15.00 and the memory is priceless.

Have a great trip!

 

[luckyfin]

I think that you will find ou can take him on almost every ride. My daughter was 19 months when we took her and she even loved POTC and HM. It's not scary to her yet, she don't have that fear yet. I would start with an easy ride first, like It's a Small World, just ot be sure. Our DD wouldn't nap in the stroller at all, wish she did, so we needed to go back to the hotel every afternoon for a nap. Bring snacks, and lots of them! We also had luck with spray sunscreen. We would use regular sunscreen for the first applicatino and touch up with the spray throughout the day. There are a lot of great nooks in the parks to let the kids get out and run around a little bit. We preordered the photopass cd and I am so glad that I did. I didn't have to worry about messing with the camera whenever there was a photographer around and we got some great pictures.

 

[SandiKB]

You can always rent a stroller from an offsite company like Orlando Stroller Rentals, for the duration of your stay. We went when DD was 11 mos, and she did just about everything we did, we took a break each day, there is so much stimulation at the parks for the little ones.

Take cues from him each day, you may want to make rope drop one morning, but he may want/need to sleep in a bit later. If it were me, travelling with a little one like that, I would have a general game plan for each day, but not get terribly upset if there was a glitch. When we go this year, our youngest will almost be 3, we've only made one ADR and plan on doing QS the rest of the meals, so as to relieve the 'we have to be here at x time' factor, and just taking each day hour by hour.

Keep plenty of snacks/juice handy, a wet wash cloth in a ziploc is great to keep on hand, to clean him up, then you just go to the restroom wash it out and back in the baggie.

Most of all ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!!!

 

[jessicajdesigns]

I have taken my dd9 when she was 18 mo. any ds4 when he was 11mo. on their first trips. My third child will be going on her first trip at 6 months. I think its great taking a baby!

Here are my tips:

Bring his fav snacks along with you-will help keep some normalcy to it all

If he likes to be held sometimes then maybe a baby carrier of some sort would be a good thing.( Bjorn Ergo Baby etc.)Mine used these a lot while on their first trips!!!!!

If your child has a favorite blanket, buy a duplicate, cut it into smaller pieces so while on vacation its not to hot, nor will it be a big deal if one piece gets lost or dirty...there will always be another. (I hope that made sense)

Get to know where the baby care stations are in each park. They are a great resource! They even have some items for sale in case you left something back at your hotel.


Im sure there are more but my little ones are calling my name. I really hope you have a great trip!!!!!!

 

[alyssa810]

Here's another one for the baby care centers! We've been taking our DS since he was 12 weeks, and he's 3 and a half now. We've been through the infant carriers in the stroller (which was actually only his 1st trip), to the big travel stroller, to the light travel stroller, to now, the light umbrella stroller. We've always taken our own; it's easier for us when we're at the airport, resorts, and parks.

I recommend a decent sized basket for the extras - the diaper bag, snacks, sweatshirts, water for Mom & Dad. I also suggest something with a decent sized hood for keeping the sun off the little guy.

Our DS was also running at 15 months, and while we have one and never used it, one of the baby -forgive me - leashes/backpack things might be worth considering. He also enjoyed the play areas in the parks - the one at DHS can be scary though, with the caves etc, but the dig site at AK is a favorite.

Your little one can ride anything that doesn't have a height restriction. Our DS loved the lights and music on the rides from the first trip and only enjoyed them more as he got older.

We also took plenty of breaks, whether it was to sit and people watch for a while, or even to go back to the room for a while, or even to take a ride anywhere.

Have fun and enjoy your upcoming trip!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

How about bringing a cheap umbrella stroller to use on non-park days? You could use it for exploring resorts, DTD, etc. Then you can rent a larger, more sturdy stroller at the parks. You could rent a stroller from an off-site company, but remember that you would have to fold it up and take it with you on the buses.

 

[Marionnette]

Keep
Him
Hydrated!​

Oh dear, did I shout that? Yeah, I did. So very, very important to do. Little ones cannot let you know that they are suffering from the heat until it's almost too late. Keep a sippy cup of dilute juice and refill often.

 

[nchulka]

Bring disposable bibs. You don't want to be carrying around filthy cloth ones for a week, or rinsing them out. Get a box of disposables and throw them away after every meal

 

[bearlyanne]

I respectfully disagree with pp who mention that you should rent a stroller onsite. Please bring your own. It will prove invaluable in the airport and you can gate check it as you board the plane.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Do not be surprised if he is scared of the characters. Many kids that age are, no matter how familiar they are with them. Once they are life-sized, it's a huge difference. If you're planning on doing character meals, make sure he sees a life-size character before that so he knows what to expect. Being trapped in a restaurant with a terrified child is no fun! Also...for my youngest he was not afraid of the head characters but was absolutely terrified of the face characters. There are videos that show the characters as they look at the parks that can really help with this. they are Sing-a-long videos and you can find them online pretty easily.

TAKE THE NAP! You will all need it. A minimum of 1.5 hours in air conditioning in the middle of the day will refresh all of you and make the trip much more pleasant.

Plan to give him down time. There is so much sitting (in the stroller, on the rides, in the lines) that they need time to decompress and run around. He will likely be walking, if not running, by then! They need time to just be kids. This was the biggest lesson we learned on our first trip with our first child. Find a child safe play area....plan for letting him run around the hotel room, let him get down and explore.

good luck and have a fabulous time!

 

[tjmw2727]

My younger dd's first trip was at 16 mos and she had a blast, her language exploded and she asked for "more boats" when she wanted to ride something !
She rode everything without a height restriction and love them all, thought the haunted mansion was funny - didn't know enough to be scared

I used a sling for lines, you can't bring a stroller into the lines or some of the pavilions at Epcot. I brought my own easy to fold but fully reclining stroller so she would be familiar with it an could nap.

A clip on fan was a life saver for breeze in summer and white noise when sleeping.

A soft sided cooler with milk/formula, baby food an snacks. Check out the baby care centers at every park - you can bottle feed or breastfeed there if you wish (don't have to though) and just take a break.

Another great site in addition to the dis - allearsnet.com has a great section on traveling with babies/toddlers that you may find helpful.

 

[akl-fan]

My DD ( 11 months) loved it last year. We took lots of Dis advice and took a light weight umbrella stroller and we got on just fine. We took her back at 11 each day to the resort for a nap. Without this I think she would have been really cranky.

 

[NaLisa]

My DDs are a good bit older, but I've seen LOTS of very happy babies at WDW. Yesterday at Epcot there were numerous toddlers running around in the fountains having a blast. Bring swim diapers! Plan to let you baby have some time out of the stroller running around.

 

[bekkiz]

At 18 months, my twins loved Dumbo/Triceratops Spin the best. The LOVED running around the Living Sea. The Playhouse Disney Show is a big hit too.

As you're introducing more and more solid foods between now and the trip, make sure to try the things that are easy to find at WDW (mac&cheese, grilled cheese, apple slices, grapes etc). If your baby likes those things before you go, you won't have to stress too much about what to feed him. Also, bring a bunch of the squeeze pouch fruit/veggie purees. They make a great and clean snack in lines etc, and it's an easy way to supplement all the kid food with some produce. We like the Plum Organic brand, you can find it at Babies R Us or Target usually.

 

[jennk1425]

Mine was 18 months when we took him the first time. He loved watching the ducks all over the place and I got some of the best smiles from him just being able to get that close to a live bird.

We rented a storller from Orlando stroller rentals. They have the Baby Jogger City mini, which is really easy to fold up for the buses and fully reclines for him to nap. I also agree with the Clip On Fan!! Get a $5 one at Wal Mart or something (They are $25 in the parks) and it will save you all.

The characters scared him, except for Tigger and Pooh, do we did a Crystal Palace breakfast. it went pretty well, considering.

There is a great place in Pinochio's Village Haus in the corner with a window overlooking small world. It was dark, cool, and relatively quiet. A great place to sit for a nap or to breastfeed.

As for rides, he loved Small World, TTA, Philharmagic, and the carousel. Fantasmic scared the bejezeus out of him, but he didn't mind POTC or HM.
Have fun! There is no way he is too young for Disney, especially if you enjoy it.

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

As you can tell by my signature, DD has been a few times she she was 7 months old. I was really nervous on our first trip, but, I got some awesome tips from other mommies here that we ended up extending our trip 2 extra days!

Here's a few:

Bring a lightweight umbrella stroller. You will have to drag (lol) this thing in buses, the lighter and smaller the better. I ended up getting a great stroller on Schnoop.com, we got a Silver Cross Micro that came with a stroller bag for $39.99, shipping included! It retails for $159.00 and it's a great travel stroller.

Get a shade extender for the stroller! We got a Rayshade, that has been a lifesaver,it keeps the little ones out of the hot Florida sun.

Rain cover for stroller. Ponchos work, but, a rain cover does a much better job

Disposable bibs, sippy cups, changing pads and spoons

Place diapers, changing pad, diaper cream, wipes on a Ziploc bag. When you have to change your little one, it's so much easier to pick up the bag and go. I keep mine in the stroller basket

Use the Baby Care centers to change them, to feed them and to give the baby a break from a hectic day!

Got more tips, but, I have to pick up DD from preschool. I'll try to give you more when I come back!

 

[Rox.jea]

Do not be surprised if he is scared of the characters. Many kids that age are, no matter how familiar they are with them. Once they are life-sized, it's a huge difference. If you're planning on doing character meals, make sure he sees a life-size character before that so he knows what to expect. Being trapped in a restaurant with a terrified child is no fun! Also...for my youngest he was not afraid of the head characters but was absolutely terrified of the face characters. There are videos that show the characters as they look at the parks that can really help with this. they are Sing-a-long videos and you can find them online pretty easily.

TAKE THE NAP! You will all need it. A minimum of 1.5 hours in air conditioning in the middle of the day will refresh all of you and make the trip much more pleasant.

Plan to give him down time. There is so much sitting (in the stroller, on the rides, in the lines) that they need time to decompress and run around. He will likely be walking, if not running, by then! They need time to just be kids. This was the biggest lesson we learned on our first trip with our first child. Find a child safe play area....plan for letting him run around the hotel room, let him get down and explore.

good luck and have a fabulous time!

LOL how funny! I literally have "Disneyland Fun" sing-a-long songs in the DVD for my son as I type. He has the campout & beach party too. He loves the Winnie- the -Pooh rumbly in my tummy song lol!!! I'm on that one. But a great tip for all parents! My niece loved them when she was little,now she's 13. =)

 

[dumbo_buddy]

my son is 21 months old as has been to disney at 7 months, 15 months, 17 months and 19 months! (we bought a DVC contract that had a TON of extra points so we just HAD to use them!). these trips have been wonderful! your little one will have a great time at 15 months. just take it easy and let him guide you. if he wants to play, let him play. if he wants to relax in the stroller, take that opportunity to baby swap some of the big rides! the baby centers are WONDERFUL and so nice for a little break. in fact, the baby center in epcot is a favorite of my sons. they have some toys and we spent hours in there playing! hahah. (hubby and i split a frozen margarita while we watched him play hehe).

have a blast!

oh, and the stroller? just take one with you. your little one will be used to it and it's just SO easy to have in the airport, at the resort, at the parks, etc

 

[Rox.jea]

My younger dd's first trip was at 16 mos and she had a blast, her language exploded and she asked for "more boats" when she wanted to ride something !
She rode everything without a height restriction and love them all, thought the haunted mansion was funny - didn't know enough to be scared

I used a sling for lines, you can't bring a stroller into the lines or some of the pavilions at Epcot. I brought my own easy to fold but fully reclining stroller so she would be familiar with it an could nap.

A clip on fan was a life saver for breeze in summer and white noise when sleeping.

A soft sided cooler with milk/formula, baby food an snacks. Check out the baby care centers at every park - you can bottle feed or breastfeed there if you wish (don't have to though) and just take a break.

Another great site in addition to the dis - allearsnet.com has a great section on traveling with babies/toddlers that you may find helpful.

I love that she asked for "more boats" That is just priceless.