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There are other changes as well.
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I am a new mom to an 11 week old baby boy. We were originally planning to wait until he was 3 to take him for his first trip to Disney World but, now that he is here, that seems like such a long time from now! Mommy and daddy need their fix too! But I am still on the fence about taking him that early.
I was hoping to get some experiences from other families who have taken babies to Disney World around that age - the good and the bad, please!! This will be our first time ever with a kiddo in tow. We would be going around the end of September or the beginning of November of 2016.
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We took my daughter this past December. She was 23 months old. It was WONDERFUL. Some pointers to you. We went on purpose during a low crowd time (first week in December) and during lower temps. I think both of these factors helped a lot. Another thing, if you can, stay at a DVC resort. It was really nice to have a kitchen for breakfast and the added space was wonderful! We rented points and stayed at OKW. We also went with my husband's parents which I might also suggest if your parents would want to. It was really nice to have an extra pair of hands. Another thing you will want to plan on is taking a mid day break, not just for the baby's nap but for yours as well! One thing I would do differently is plan a down day or two where we could just hang out at the pool.
I planned that trip to a T and it was awesome. I hope you have a great trip!!
Both of my boys' first trips were for their first birthday. We had a great time and they loved the characters at that age and just looking at everything. It's a slower pace but still as much fun.
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Taking a kid at that age is MAGICAL to the extreme! Because they are so present, they live in the moment right? So to see them just in that moment with those characters and the experiences... I can't even describe how amazing it is.
With that said, it's been a couple of years since I've been to Disney with a teeny tiny one like that, but this is what I've learned (between my son and my niece):
1. bring your own food for him to nibble on. he can eat from your plate at restaurants, but it's nice to have his own snacks that you can pull out of the stroller and hand to him if he gets fussy.
2. the stroller is GREAT for toting all sorts of things around! you don't have to carry bags or anything! if you can bring your own, do that. the disney strollers are OK but having your own is invaluable.
3. with that said, there are some attractions that don't let you bring strollers in . the animation building in hollywood studios comes to mind. so if he's sleeping, you might want to skip that so he can keep napping.
4. breaks are so necessary. it's a great way to break up the day, get out of the hottest sun, and rest up.
5. take lots of photos and video. ok, confession: when i took aidan the first time (he was about 2.5 so a little bit older than your guy will be), his dad would not put the video camera down. it annoyed me at the time but now i am SO GLAD i have all that footage.
6. bring lots of changes of clothing in the park with you! babies do weird things like throw up, poop their pants, pee themselves, etc. aidan got sick and threw up, and we were running all over epcot to find clothing for a toddler--and strangely they had NONE. the shorts and shirt we ended up getting--they fit him until he was 7.
We are getting ready to go in 4 days with a 13 month old. If I can remember, I will come back on here and let you know how it goes. This is our first time taking her as well! We will have my parents, sister, and brother -in-law to help us too though.
6. bring lots of changes of clothing in the park with you! babies do weird things like throw up, poop their pants, pee themselves, etc. aidan got sick and threw up, and we were running all over epcot to find clothing for a toddler--and strangely they had NONE. the shorts and shirt we ended up getting--they fit him until he was 7.
You may even want a shirt for yourself. I remember my brother had to buy a shirt once because my son had spit up on him and we were going to dinner. He didn't want that smell so bought a shirt instead.
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We've gone with my son annually since just after he turned one. Every time is different, from what he'll eat to where he sleeps to what he thinks is fun!
At 13 months he slept in the packnplay in the bathroom (DVC one or two bedrooms have a very large master bath) and we brought all of his own food. Two years old was pretty much the same. We decided not to bring our carseat or stroller and used a towncar service (they have seats), the bus, and rented a stroller. I also used a sling carrier almost exclusively, even when he was two. Order some groceries, get a DVC room if you can, bring your parents if you really can (baby sitter!!), don't hesitate to use baby swap, go to a nicer meal, or just put your kid to bed early and enjoy sitting outside in the quiet for a few minutes. You'll be so happy you did.
You are making your memories too, not just your child's, and while Adam will not remember the first time he met Pooh I'll never forget they way he stood, with his mouth open, pointing and smiling as if he could not believe that the real Pooh was right there, moving. He ran to him, hugged him, giggled, smiled, and made Mama cry. That's why you go now and keep going later. This time he was four and hearing his laugh on Splash Mountain was amazing. He probably won't remember that either.
Thanks for all the info, everyone. Reading all this is made me so excited about taking him next year! I would love any more tips you all might have to share 😀
But I am still on the fence about taking him that early.
Hi there!
I'm not a parent, but I did meet my then 20-month-old niece Gwendolyn for the first time for breakfast at Chez Mickey. And, let me tell you, the wonder in her eyes at seeing the Fab Five "in the flesh" ...?
Believe me, a year and a half is old enough to enjoy Disney.
Granted, it was just one meal, not the parks themselves. But, still: she had a great experience, and the joy her parents (and grandmother) had WATCHING her reaction was awesome, too.
...
After that breakfast, we all headed over to DTD for the day. And "the day" ended up being until just about lunchtime; Gwendolyn was getting very tired by then, and though her behavior never slipped, she clearly needed to head home and get some quality time with a pillow and a blanket. (It probably didn't help that the only time I could get an ADR for that many (8 adults and 1 child) was VERY early, right at 7am, and they had an hour drive to get there ... so by then, she'd been awake for several hours already.)
So, my advice would be: plan for downtime every day; head back to your resort, either for lunch or right after, to give him a chance to take a nap. Once he's rested and ready for more, you can head right back to the park(s). If he's not quite tired enough for a nap, maybe some playtime in a quiet corner of one of the secondary pools - or one of the splash-and-play spots - should both cool him down, and tucker him out enough to sleep.
Also ... maybe, come July 4, see how he responds to fireworks. Know beforehand if you need to avoid them, or if he's fascinated by them.
My youngest was 11 months on our first trip, and his brother was 2 (the oldest was 5).
1. Plan on touring a lot slower, and taking mid day breaks. We went in July and the heat forced us to make these breaks each day. It was wonderful because we kept our little guys close to their regular nap schedules and it helped us cool off too.
2. The resorts are awesome with little ones. We had an actual crib at the Contemporary, and they gave us a high chair to use in the room after our Mousekeeper saw me trying to balance the little guy on my knee while feeding him.
3. Others have said to pack extra clothing changes - I always packed outfits in a zip lock bag - kept things dry during the random rain AND gave me a place to put messy clothes so the rest of the bag didn't get messy.
4. The Baby Care centers are amazing! A great place to take distracted little ones so they can cool off, to change diapers, and they have cozy nursing areas too.
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Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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5. take lots of photos and video. ok, confession: when i took aidan the first time (he was about 2.5 so a little bit older than your guy will be), his dad would not put the video camera down. it annoyed me at the time but now i am SO GLAD i have all that footage.
On this point? 500% agreed. No, wait, I forgot a zero in there ... that should be five thousand percent agreed!
I snapped pictures like a madman the whole time I was with my sister and her family. Indeed, my sister LOVED this one (linked indirectly, because it's too big to put in-line):
... if I were to be going to Disney World with a 12-to-36-month-old? I think I'd be mounting my GoPro video camera to the stroller, set to a nice steady time-lapse (say, a full 4K resolution, one picture every 5 or 10 seconds) ... and aim it at the wee one. I might even add other cameras, to catch what s/he was looking at, and try to synchronise all of the cameras to the same time-lapse setting.
So, yeah. I agree MUCH more than completely with your DH's video-always approach.
On this point? 500% agreed. No, wait, I forgot a zero in there ... that should be five thousand percent agreed!
I snapped pictures like a madman the whole time I was with my sister and her family. Indeed, my sister LOVED this one (linked indirectly, because it's too big to put in-line):
... if I were to be going to Disney World with a 12-to-36-month-old? I think I'd be mounting my GoPro video camera to the stroller, set to a nice steady time-lapse (say, a full 4K resolution, one picture every 5 or 10 seconds) ... and aim it at the wee one. I might even add other cameras, to catch what s/he was looking at, and try to synchronise all of the cameras to the same time-lapse setting.
So, yeah. I agree MUCH more than completely with your DH's video-always approach.
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We took our girls for the first time when they were one and a half and two and a half years old.(they are 13 months apart). It was work but totally worth it. Just take it slow and go by their schedule. Do not skip naps(my girls were good about sleeping in the stroller) and make sure to keep them hydrated and fed. Nothing worse then a hungry cranky baby. Its OK if you only go on a few rides and spend the rest of the day walking around and watching the ducks. Seeing your baby's face when they are happy and in wonder is priceless.
My husband and I are going to WDW with our DS,DDIL. and 19 month old granddaughter in October. This will be our first time to go with her. The information here has been priceless. Our son was 4 years old the first time we visited WDW with him so the toddler visit is going to be new to us and them. I am anxious to hear any other tips from those who have gone before.
We took our daughter when she was 18 mos old. It is work but worth it. We went back to the hotel for naps everyday. She slept in the pack-n-play in our room. We tried the bathroom area first thinking she was used to sleeping in her own room but she actually slept much better once we stuck the pack-n-play against our bed. We brought our own sheets although they do provide them. Bring snacks and more diapers than you think you'll need. Most of all be flexible. There were a couple of days she was just in a bad mood. She lasted only a few hours at the parks. One of us stayed at the park with DS and the other took her back to the hotel for some pool time, a quiet lunch, nap, and then met back up at the park later with everyone in a better mood. Yes that meant I missed most of DHS, DH missed most of AK, we ended up canceling a TS dinner and going CS instead, and I missed out on our dinner at Coral Reef because she was in non-stop meltdown mode and we needed to get her out of there lol. But the good memories outweigh the bad. She loved all the rides including Pirates of the Caribbean. She laughed through the whole thing. The first time she walked up stairs by herself, no railing, was outside Hollywood and Vine while we were waiting for our ADR. I'll remember that every time I walk past that spot. I'll never forget her grinning ear to ear and clapping during the opening ceremony for MK. She won't remember but we will. (My signature pic is from that trip at 1900 Park Fare.)
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(It probably didn't help that the only time I could get an ADR for that many (8 adults and 1 child) was VERY early, right at 7am, and they had an hour drive to get there ... so by then, she'd been awake for several hours already.)
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