best advice for taking 10-12 month olds

[addieh]

Hi,

Everyone here has been so great!! We have decided to take our DS on our Feb 9-16th trip. For now we are staying at the polly. He will be 11.5 months.

Everyone has given us such great advice on what to expect (the unexpected) and what to pack (patience)!!

I was wondering if we could start a thread of some more great ideas on what you do with your 10-12 month olds... (or around that age) at the parks.

Some of the great ideas so far:

Stay at a moneral resort --- done
bring his own stroller, that reclines --done
Play some disney movies so that he might reconize the characters--if I can get ds to stay still!
Play disney music a little louder than normal so that the music at the shows will not scare him
Take him on walks in the mall if he is not used to riding in the stroller--I will try this
Bring bottle water, and powder formula--done
Bring a baby sling--done

If anyone has any ideas I would be grateful.

Here is a question... Do you try to get your child to sleep and then sneek in for a sit down lunch hoping they will not wake, or do you go back to the resort and let them sleep in their own beds, and then return for lunch after a good nap?

I am guessing a lot will have to do with the childs personality, but I am just wondering what others do.


Thanks!

Andrea

 

[Jennifoofoo]

We were in Disney in November for our son's first birthday. Keep a snack box handy of cheerios, crackers, baby cookies etc. It was very helpful while waiting for our meals at sit-down restaurants. One afternoon, DS fell asleep in his stroller. We figured that we would try a sit-down meal. We went to Mama Melrose's and asked if we could bring DS in the stroller since he was asleep. They said no problem. We wheeled the stroller right up to the table and positioned it out of the way. He slept the whole time and "Mommy" had a relaxing meal without keeping the baby occupied!

Another evening, DS took a 4 pm to 7:30 pm nap! We decided to walk to the Boardwalk to look around. We put him in his pajamas. We ate at Spoodles. Again, we asked if we could wheel the stroller in since we knew that the baby would fall asleep before the meal was offer. They were hesitant, but said okay. We gave him his bottle and before our entree was served, he was asleep again! Another relaxing meal. The key is to be very flexible and go with the baby's schedule. We knew that since he had such a long and late nap, he wouldn't be ready for his normal 8 pm bedtime. We took advantage of the Boardwalk being so close to the YC and enjoyed a nice evening walking around and then eating a nice sit down meal.

Keep an extra pair of PJ's in your diaper bag on those evenings that run long. Just get the baby cozy with a blanket and keep enjoying your night! Our son had no problem being put into the crib from the stroller and going back to sleep. We just kept the room lights off and the tv on low.

I can also highly recommend character meals! We ate at four during our trip. Our son loved the characters! For a one year old, it was much better than standing in a line to just snap a picture. He got to play with them and he watched them as they made their way around the restaurants. Also, at this age, babies eat free! Enjoy and have a wonderful trip with your child!

 

[Ali]

we went to the parks last weekend, and boy was it HOT! My 9 month old son was very hot and sweaty in his stroller. so we kept changing his clothes to make him comfortable. We only went on one ride, the Killamanjaro Safari ride, and he fell asleep at the halfway point of the ride. He really wasn't interested in the characters, and I think we will wait for a while beofre we go back because he is at the age where he wants to crawl around everywhere, and he was confined to the stroller all day long. I think he had he most fun crawling on the folor at the baby centers. As for keeping to his schedule, we try to do that, but he seems to change evry day and we have to try to figure out what kind of sleeping night we're going to have. We were at the Wyndham, and they brought us a pack and play for him to sleep in. but they brought a real full sized metal crib when I asked for one. But Johnny decided not to sleep in it because he kept pulling imself up on the bars and hitting his head on the metal. So he slept with us instead.

I just don't think he had much fun this trip.

 

[catwho]

Taking an infant to WDW is a big YMMV thing. Some babies are miserable the entire time the others enjoy it. Alot of how much they enjoy it is based on parental expectation. If parents go with the mindset of "We are going and we are going to have fun at all costs" then the trip may turn out miserable. if they go with the mindset of "We are going and we are going to have fun and we are going to do it at baby's pace" then the trip tends to be more enjoyable for everyone. Our babies have loved WDW and I think part of it is because we don't try to make them keep to our schedule, but work what we do around their normal schedules.

If your baby is toddling, consider a pair of bells on his shoes. If he happens to wander off or gets in the middle of a throng of people, you will be able to find him quickly and easily. We've done this with our kids and it has worked wonderfully!

Utilize baby swaps so that you can still enjoy the "adult" rides. And when you go to shows, try to sit on the outside seats and ask ahead of time where the exits are if your baby starts to fuss. You can't enjoy the show with a fussy baby on your lap and no one around you can either. Everyone will be happier with the baby outside

Have fun!


36 more days til WDW!!!!

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Other ideas:
(1) Character meal(s)
(2) Character photos around the parks (DD loved to give them hugs)
(3) Fort Wilderness Petting Zoo
(4) Bring swimming diapers for the pool
(5) Bring a change of clothes and allow DS to play in the various fountains (Downtown Disney, Donald's Boat, and the area by The Little Mermaid photo area)
(6) If they like music - live performances at EPCOT's World Showcase (DD loved the Japanese drummers and German band)
(7) Do what you enjoy! Your DS will have loads of fun no matter what you do!

Regarding the sleeping question:
We went to WDW when DD was 13 months old. We brought our own stroller and she slept when she wanted to. She has a normal schedule at home but not for the trip.