Going to the parks with a baby..???

[Ms.Disney]

Hello,
I am 33 weeks preganat. I am due Jan 6th. DH and I were thinking about taking a trip to the world in Sept. 09. My son will be 8 months old. I was wondering if its to young. We dont want to go and the little one be miserable the whole time. I mean if we went I know we would take breaks everyday. Also we are AP holders so we like to spend alot of time at the resort.

I would just like other parents opinion that have been to the parks with infants. I just cant help but think maybe we should put off the trip till the fallowing year.

[missymouseworld]

The baby won't be too young.....we drove from NJ to Florida with our 6 month old, 6 year old and 9 year old. At the parks, there are alot of rides you can go and hold the baby on your lap. We would push the stroller and he would sleep and eat when he needed to and then we would carry him otherwise. We stayed off the spinning, turning, fast rides, but there is so much more you can do.

I say enjoy it now, because the next time you go, the baby will be walking probably and then you will be chasing him/her instead, which will be harder.

ENJOY!

[dfamasb]

My twins went at 9 months and my youngest son went at 6 months. My only concern would be the heat...we tend to go when it's cool so we don't have to worry about that. Midday breaks are essential to keep everyone happy

[jennsky]

The first time I went with my daughter, she was 8 months old as well. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I wore one of those Baby Bjorn things to make it easier holding her in the lineups. We held her on our laps (or kept her in the Bjorn) on the rides. Obviously she couldn't come with us on the wilder rides, but they have the baby swap, so you still can do the rollercoasters, etc. if you really want. Take advantage of the special Baby Centers at each park....they're great for getting out of the heat and changing the baby's diaper, giving her a bottle, etc. The baby will totally take in the atmosphere too. I have videotape of my daughter on IASM and she was so excited! She was so wide-eyed and still to this day (she's 2 1/2 now) she talks about that ride. She also loved the Winnie The Pooh ride....same thing about wide-eyed and checking out everything. Obviously you have to take the parks at a different speed than you would without kids, but it's still fun. Have a great time and let me know if you have anymore questions! (Oh ya...for the record, I'm pregnant right now too...28 weeks pregnant...and we're planning our next Disney vacation when this little guy will be about 9 months old, so we were obviously not scared off from travelling with a baby the first time. Good luck with your pregnancy!)

[Ms.Disney]

This makes me feel better about going, we dont need to go on the big rides. As I said we are AP holders and go to the parks all the time so one trip with out the "fun" rides will not hurt us. I just wanna take him on the kiddy stuff (my favorites) and we will make sure we go half days at the parks. Maybe we will go in Oct. so it may be just a tad bit cooler aswell.

[illini]

I agree with the others. Don't worry about it. We took our youngest at 11 months and it was so easy with her.
I'd recommend a carrier in addition to the stroller. It will make standing in line much easier on you.

[Peterpanflight]

we took our daughter when she was 4 mo old, we are going next week for a week for Thanksgiving and she is now 9 mo. Im pregnant again with my second due in June and we plan to go next Nov with both of them. I m a huge disney fan and i would never not go thinking my child was too young. We actually just became DVC members too!

[DisneyKings]

Our youngest was 8 mos on her 1st trip. I would suggest an ergo carrier--I find it much easier on the back than a baby bjorn. You can also nurse in the ergo while walking b/w rides. I would put DD in the stroller for longer walks, otherwise just keep her in the ergo on the rides/lines--she would just snooze whenever she got too tired & always seemed secure & happy! Take advantage of the baby stations too. Congratulations!

[Disney Doll]

We just took our 12 month old in October and it went very smoothly. He took a short morning nap in his stroller each day and then a longer afternoon nap back at the resort. The baby centers are awesome and we used those a lot. It was nice to just have a quiet place to get away from all the park chaos every now and then. We definitely went at a slower pace than we would have normally, but honestly it was kind of nice to have a reason to slow down and be more relaxed.

[Buttercup]

My son's first trip was when he was 7 months old. My daughter's was when she was 4 months old. It was fine.

Do a search on similar posts on Intercot and you'll find lots. Many people have asked what you're asking now and you might find some more helpful replies!

[Roland]

Uhm, as a non parent who is kind of sensitive to kids, infants seem to fair best when the temperature is down.

A LOT of kids scream because of the summer heat and September is still quite warm and can get very hot!

It starts to cool down in late October and stays nice and cool until mid-December. January can actually get cold...brrrrr....

Just thoughts from a non parent...

[kakn7294]

We took our DD at 13 mo and my niece and nephew when they were 6 and 5 mo and all were fine. We didn't do any breaks, even with the summer heat, and they slept in their strollers when they were tired - a great time to baby swap and ride the big stuff. We kept them shaded and used the attractions, shops, and restaurants to cool down when it got really hot. I think as long as you have a baby that isn't rigidly stuck on a schedule and you keep them cool and hydrated, you'll be fine. All of ours were very flexible and we were able to have a great time! Congrats!!!

[dolphinmickey9170]

Kathy is totally right. We took our DGD at 7 months, again at 15 months and then again at 19 months and then finally at 23 months. She was awesome each time. We didn't stick to any specific schedule for her. She slept in her stroller. I highly suggest you bring your own stroller. The park ones are too hard and uncomfortable, plus being a hard plastic, they got hot or really cold. We didn't really take breaks during her first three trips. She ate as usual, napped as usual (just in her stroller), we did rides that she could do when it was time for a nap, and she usually drifted off while on the ride, then we put her back in her stroller and she slept for a few hours while we walked around and snacked.

We packed her bag each night. I would have clean bottles that I would put the formula powder in and bring 16 oz bottles of water (unrefrigerated) and would make a bottle as needed. No need to heat up the water, think about it, the hospital feeds the newborns room temp formula, so would you. I also bought the small bottles of baby juice and put a nipple and cover on it so it was a quick drink, then put the nipple and cover in a ziploc and disposed of the baby bottle in the plastic recycler bins in the parks. This worked great for us. I would bring a ziploc bag with jar food and spoons and a bib. When we sat down to a meal, we would feed her food from the jar and when our food arrived, she would feed herself a bite or two of our meal, with assistance. I also brought ziploc bags with a change of clothes, this way if she was to soil her clothing or something got spilled, I could seal it in the bag and not worry about the smell or anything else getting on any other item in the bag. We also packed her diapers and a travel case of wipes in a ziploc bag. We kept the bag in the bottom of the stroller. Having the items in ziploc bags makes it easier for the security folks to check the bag quickly. I also bought the disposable spoons at walmart and didn't have to worry about keeping the spoons. It's like $2 for a package. If they were lost, thrown, it didn't matter.

Just remember, keep the little one cool, comfy and hydrated and all will be great. You'll have a great time remembering this trip, even if they don't, you will have pictures to show them when they get older.

Have a great time and congrats on the little one.

[diz_girl]

8 months is a great age to take a baby. They are not high-maintenance like a newborn and they haven't yet exerted a will of their own like a 1-year old. It's a really fun age, so you should have a great time. Just try to keep the baby out of the mid-day heat.

[momof3+twins]

My middle son was 10 months on his first trip and enjoyed every minute. Keep on HIS schedule and you should be fine. My only suggestion would be to wait a month until October. It really makes a difference in with the heat and sun. We didn't need sunscreen at all on our October 08 trip. My fair skinned twins didn't even burn. Although I won't recommend sunscreen with a baby! Don't rent a stroller,they are too much money.

[Jasper]

Your son is only too young if you don't keep an eye on him to be sure he isn't getting overheated or anything.

[Belster]

My DH and I just went with our three kids DD11, DS3 DS8Months. We had a fantastic time! I think if you go into it knowing that the trip is going to be different then when you went without your son, you will do fine. I will say I have enjoyed taking my kids at any age, you notice different things with each age group.

[ariel326]

It will be a great trip, the child cannot run away from you, will sleep whenever it wants, and if you breastfeed you can do it just about anywhere. My son was 3 months his first trip, and it was so nice. If you breastfeed, besides baby stations there are so many places to feed, shows, TTA, Universe of Energy, smoking areas of parks are usually set out of the main pathways with benches and when I fed there not one person even came to smoke. It was a very pleasurable trip, enjoy it, when they are 4 and 8 yrs old it will not be a quiet and peacful.

[Georgesgirl1]

Congrats...we are due just a few days apart from each other! DH and I considered going around the same time next year, and only decided against it b/c my husband wouldn't have enough vacation time left.

This past trip I really watched families with kids of all ages to see what ages seemed like they were having the most fun. It seemed like the families with young babies were having a good time b/c the babies weren't trying to run away from them or wiggle out of the strollers as much as the older babies and toddlers.
I think taking a Baby Bjorn or sling sounds like a great idea and I saw a lot of moms and dads carrying babies through the lines that way. My only concern would be what someone else said...make sure your little one doesn't get overheated.

[Natazu]

We're bringing baby Alex at 6 months in December. We plan to make good use of the baby stations and of course, Grandma!