Planning for first trip with a child

[tinkerjo]

My older 2 were 8&6 our first trip and I feel they missed out on soooo much (but we didn’t have the finances back then and DH had never been so he didn’t “get it” yet) That being said, I think I would try and avoid that 12-24 month age in the parks. All they want to do is get down and walk and they are so unpredictable. Meltdowns are almost a sure thing daily. My personal opinion is under a year non walkers or after 2 and preferably potty trained. We always went every 2-3 years after our first trip and it does make good travelers starting young.

 

[Rory607]

We took our oldest do DL at not quite two years old. It was so much fun! Then we did our first family WDW trip when they were 4 and 1. I convinced my H we needed to celebrate our younger one’s first birthday there, lol. We made wonderful memories even though he obviously doesn’t remember it. He loves looking at pictures of himself with his Mickey cake and meeting characters.

One thing to consider is that she will most likely be mobile by that point, so she probably won’t be content in the stroller all day. You need to build in time and find safe spaces for her to crawl or walk around if she’s walking. It’s definitely possible to have a great trip, but adjust your expectations. We took my mom with us to help with the kids and it was nice. It allowed us to do rides the kids couldn’t do and have an extra set of hands.

 

[ak517]

How fun!! We took my son when he was 4.5 months old for his first trip to WDW. We're DVC and seasoned pros, but the last time I was in the parks I was pregnant so our priorities were characters (for my son) and thrill rides (for me)! Everyone has had such great advice already, but I will add a few more:

1. Bring help! I could not have managed without my mom. It allowed my DH and I to go to Jollywood nights and a re-planned date night at Citricos. Next time we go without her, we may hire a local babysitter for a day/night.
2. Put an AirTag on your stroller. We use a travel stroller and I had so much trouble finding it in the sea of behemoths in the stroller parking areas.
3. I would reconsider any meals that are buffets which sadly are most character meals. Perhaps at 16-17 months old it will be easier, but I didn't even make it to the buffet at Crystal Palace because I was focused on baby.
4. Schedule a Capture Your Moment photoshoot!! And do all the photo pass stops!!
5. I already can't recall if you noted the month you'll be there, but I highly highly recommend avoiding the summer season. It is HOT and I can't imagine doing that with a child. Everyone is already cranky from walking more than they're used to, being in a crowded theme park, and standing in lines for everything from rides to the bathroom, that I wouldn't recommend adding heat and humidity on top of it.

And finally, have so much fun!!

 

[WaltsMartini]

I am a lifelong Disney fan; the first trip with a kiddo is like the first Disney trip all over again!

I will echo other posters that there is a sweet spot for age - I think ideal is either “blob phase” when they can’t go anywhere and you can tote them around, or waiting until they are 4. Lines, the bus system, long plane or car ride - if it’s not something you want to do with a toddler in your everyday life, it won’t be much more pleasant at Disney.

I do feel a Disney cruise could be great for this age. Iasw nursery so you and your spouse can get some alone time, lots of access to characters, etc.

If you do decide to Disney park it, I’d say take the list of what you’d like to do and cut it in half. For our son’s first trip when he was 4, we spent over an hour in the Dumbo play area. For your arrival day, don’t make plans - kids are usually wiped out. My son slept through all of Epcot on arrival day!

If you can swing it financially, staying at a monorail resort will make your life SO much easier. Character dinners or latest lunch seating after nap time will allow you to hit the rides in the am and then take your time with the characters for your meal. Use your LLs to prioritize character meetings and skip the lines. My daughter still talks about meeting “‘Punzel” and that she was the nicest girl ever Whatever you decide, it will be magical!

 

[bakerworld]

We waited until our youngest was 4y before their first WDW trip and this was a mistake for our eldest who was 10y. She'd been asking to go since she was 6y but I just had our youngest. Truthfully by 16 months, if you have a good babysitting option, you could use the break.

The year our eldest had her baby I accosted every young mother with a stroller to ask if they'd preferred having their baby with them or should we offer to babysit so our eldest could take their 9y (step GD) to enjoy WDW. Every single young mom I asked chose the babysit option. They took us up on our babysitting offer so the 9y could enjoy her Princess experience and then returned with both when the baby was almost 3y.

Advice: take it easy & read your child (its ok to cry a little when you buy the tickets because you won't get full use of them - LOL). If you go in the hot weather (May to September) please don't bake your kid in the sun. Beware of sunstroke (body tremor, sleepiness, nausea - we had this happen to our youngest at 6y). DH pointed this out to a group at Epcot. The group was pissed. They got a bucket of ice from R&C, poured it on the kid and resumed the party. Buy children's sunglasses and use them (most astigmatisms are sun damaged eyes).

 

[etzmn123]

We took our daughter in December when she was about 16mo and we’re taking her again in May when she’ll be 21mo so clearly it wasn’t an awful trip

A few things: the Disney jr dance party at HS was magical for our daughter. Her face was lit up the whole time and she had SO much fun. We’re planning to do it twice on this next trip.

I brought a Tushbaby for holding her in lines since you can’t have your stroller and it really saved my back. Highly recommend that or another similar type of carrier.

Lots of snacks to eat in the park! She was too distracted to eat much in some restaurants so plenty of stroller snacks were clutch.

She did NOT nap in the stroller. We were walking around seeing allllll the other kids napping like but she was a trooper and hung in there alright without many meltdowns even on the no nap days. Again, high value snacks are key here.

We use a Slumberpod in the room for sleeping and it’s awesome. And a sound machine.

 

[rhenkt]

Took my son at 18 months and it was the best week of my life. Pure bliss. It can be done with careful planning and a lot of luck.

My only tip: try to keep them on a routine as close to home as possible. Wake up, nap, meal times, bed time. The closer to home the better things will go for you.