Taking an 18 month old

[Cinderelley]

I am in the early stages of planning a big family trip. My grandbaby will be 18 months old then. Needless to say, it's been a long, long time since I've had to deal with a baby. We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge for convenience. What other tidbits can you guys throw me for making life easy with a little one?

[faline]

I'd suggest you check out the Traveling with Children section under Info Central which has quite a lot of good information.

Overall, I'd say you should plan on taking things easy and going at the child's pace. Disney World can be pretty overwhelming for a little one - all the different sounds, smells, sights, change of routine etc that a trip involves can stress a little one fairly easily. Stay as close as possible to the child's usual routine. Nap when needed. Get out of the parks for some down time when needed.

[momof3+twins]

I have 5 kids that I took starting at age 11 months....I know I'm crazy. So, first thing 1)rope drop...get to the parks at opening. Then get rides done before lines. 2) Afternoon Breaks. Take afternoon breaks and let them nap....and you too. 3)Go back to the parks after 4 or 5 and don't stay too late.
It can be done. BUT, it is also easier to go with older kids. I can really tell now that they are older that I don't get as tired as I did when they were little.
I also would take in lots of snacks. Use lots of sunscreen. Take a misting fan and your own stroller.

[1DisneyNut]

Get an umbrella stroller. They are much easier to manage, especially getting on and off the buses. The big strollers are a pain on the buses.

The first time we went with a stroller when our son was about 10 months old, we took the big stroller and I cussed that thing the entire trip. From packing it in the car at the house, dealing with it on buses, and then packing back in the car along with all the stuff we bought while we were there. It was a pain. After that we used umbrella strollers and it was so much easier.

[Cinderelley]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I didn't even realize there was a travelling with children section. My kids were all teenagers when we first started going.

Are there strollers to rent in the parks and then just carry the kid on the buses? We have to fly, and I'm thinking that trying to get a stroller on a plane would be a hassle.

Thankfully, I get to be Grandma - all fun, no stress.

[Cinderelley]

found the stroller info.

[VWL Mom]

IMO you're probably going to want to have a stroller at the resort as well as the parks. WL hallways can be quite long for an 18 month old, walking the paths with a stroller can also be a great way for the baby to relax, unwind, and sometimes even nap.

You may want to get a pair of water shoes for him/her. WL just opened a kids slash pad which looks like great fun for little ones. The beach can also provide some low key fun playing in the sand.

[Figment104]

We took DS the first time when he was 18 months old. I highly recommend having mom and dad bring their own stroller since being in the airport with an 18 month old and no stroller can be a pain, I still use one at the airport and DS is 3! We use a lightweight one that has full recline, specifically the chicco litway, love that stroller. Staying at the WL you are able to roll it right onto the big boats they use at the beginning and end of the day, but it would need to be folded up if you end up on the smaller boat.

Also, depending on their size, I would look into renting a full size crib from one of the places you can rent strollers and other baby equipment from. At 18 months, my DS was really too big for the pack n play and that's all that Disney has for the rooms. The other tip that I picked up from these boards is if you're flying to mail a box of supplies down, diapers, snacks, baby/toddler food, pouches. This was invaluable to us.

Aside from that we just took it easy, and knew we'd have to play it by ear a bit. DS ended up taking most of his naps in the stroller while we were in the park, but we still went back to the hotel for down time and to play in the pool. Also, really watch out and make sure they're drinking enough. I didn't think I'd have a problem with this since DS always seems to be thirsty at home, but before I knew it he was starting to get dehydrated, so just be very aware of that.

[DANAM]

Be as prepared as possible in parks. Wet wipes, ziplocs, snacks, change of clothes, sunscreen. Most people like to pack light. that isnt possible with a baby. I packed a ziploc bag with an extra change of clothes for everyday. I also made sure I had snacks and or any food my little ones were accustomed to eating. My son ate oatmeal every am. I made a bowl for everyday and just added hot water in the food court of the hotel. As everyone else said go at rope drop and keep them on as close to there normal schedule as possible. Oh and we forgot our stroller in the driveway of our house of all places. NIGHTMARE! We rented a disney stroller. It was a hassle. Bring a stroller from home. I am not a fan of a basic umbrella stroller. I like one that reclines. I have a nicer umbrella one and it folded the same but it was a normal height and reclined. I believe it was Jeep brand. Good luck and enjoy it. Our first trip we had a 1 3 (niece) and 4 year old. I was such a fun trip. I look back now that my kids are 10 and 13 and wish we could go back. They are no longer interested in characters and are more interested in rides Lol.

[Aurora]

All good tips. I too recommend taking your own lightweight stroller. Usually the airlines will let you check the stroller at the gate and they'll have it ready for you when you get off the plane.

Especially since you're staying at the WL, I would really recommend taking the midday break for the baby nap. No, not recommend. Urge. A well-rested baby is a happy baby, and that will make everyone else happy too.

If you're going at a hotter time of year, make sure they're wearing a hat or cap to shade the face; as an added bonus, you can soak the cap in a water fountain to really cool them off.

Also, accept that you will need to go at a much slower pace than you are used to, and that you won't be able to see everything. So I would pick out what you would most like to experience before your trip; that way you won't face the disappointment of missing a favorite. When we traveled with our tiny ones, we planned as much as possible in advance, and when the trip came, we were prepared to ditch some of those plans when it was necessary.

Have a wonderful trip! There is something very special about taking WDW at a slower pace because of little tykes.

[azcavalier]

Pretty much what everyone else said. I would say to get a cheap umbrella stroller. Folds up easily, it's comfortable for the kids, and you can just keep everything in a backpack that you hang on the handlebars. Seriously...less than $30 at WalMart. We used to actually buy them in Orlando on our way in to the resort, and we'd often give it away to someone at the end of our trip rather than take it home.

[Cinderelley]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I want to make the trip as fun for everyone as possible. It will be quite the balance between making it enjoyable for my daughter with her baby and all the other adults. I think the smoother I can make it for the baby, the closer I am to that goal.

I didn't realize you can use the stroller in the airport. I thought it had to be checked with the baggage. Good information to know.

What about the flight itself? Is it better to go red eye and do the flying while the baby is sleeping?

[FantasmicJ]

Great advice so far. I would add to definitely take a look at the maps to see where the Baby Centers are in each park. They are really a nice, calm place to change diapers, refresh, cool off, etc.
I would echo the comment on snacks. With our last 2 trips we bought our boys containers that had a rubber top on in which they could stick their hand in and pull out the snack. If you dropped or turned it over nothing would fall out. They were constantly using them! Each morning we would fill them up with an assortment of goldfish, cheez its and other snacks like that.
If you are going in a time of year that can be rainy, I would recommend buying cheap ponchos to cover your stroller with in the event of a sudden rain. We were saved coming out of Finding Nemo the musical by doing this on one trip.

For flights, we typically like to leave in the morning so that we get to WDW with time to do some things at the parks (especially with FP+ now). We've had success on flights with young kids by bringing DVD players, iPads, etc. We've also tried buying a small new toy for them to play with the first time on the flight. For ear-popping purposes we've brought bottles/cups of milk and/or suckers to keep them swallowing during the ascent and descent. You can bring milk through security as long as you declare it, they will inspect it.

Overall, just being aware of the child's needs and being flexible is my biggest advice. You will love seeing the parks through their eyes.

[Simba 1]

I have 4 children 11 and under, and have been taking them almost each year since the oldest was 2. I can't imagine a trip when I won't need strollers and backpacks full of supplies! So I agree with what everyone else has said previously. I have one other thing that works for us. We like to have one sit down meal a day. We usually make that meal lunch, rather than dinner. It's personal preference, but since we're all up early, by lunch we are getting tired, hot, and worn out. It's great to get inside air conditioning and recharge with food. Usually the youngest one will nap too (we've always been able to bring the stroller to the table since it was small). After that we hit a few more attractions and then back to the room for a rest. I find my kids are ready to go again after a rest and don't want to sit still for a sit down dinner, so we either grab snacks or counter service somewhere. As for cribs - someone mentioned renting a full size one. You might want to check with your resort. We stay in a villa (normally Old Key West), and they have full size cribs. You just have to call housekeeping and they will bring one to you. It's a metal frame (no dropping sides) on wheels. We've used it for a three year old and it's plenty big. Have a great time on your trip!!

[Cinderelley]

Taking notes. Thanks everyone.