1st Time WDW Trip with 11 month old

Catvondita

A Quirky Strange Girl in a Disney World
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
We are going in at the end of May for our first time with our daughter. We've been to Disney World so many times but this will be the first time with a baby. I'd read tips on how to plan and what rides to go on etc but not seeing a crazy amount on what well need to bring. What did you find were essentials to bring? I know we can bring own pack and play if we choose, well probably bring our own stroller since it reclines pretty flat and is easy to close up but what else will we need? Like we'll need to bring as lot of diapers and wipes I'm sure but we can't really bring an entire suitcase of just diapers and wipes right? Should we just go off property to a target to get some supplies? Or do an amazon same day delivery? What are some must haves that one wouldn't think of bringing?

thanks in advance!
 
I ordered diapers/wipes and had them delivered, easier than flying down with all the supplies.

Depending on if you're still breastfeeding or bottle feeding, bottles (or sippy cups if you've transitioned to those). Formula if you need it. I'd bring those microwaveable sanitizing bags for pacifiers/bottles/etc.

Large wide brim hat and sunblock
 
If you can uber to a store for some supplies & snacks, that may be helpful. Amazon Delivery is a little tricky, as you get a two hour window. If you are getting food delivered, you will want to be checked into your room already, so it can make for some waiting around the day you get there. We took our daughter for the first time at 16 months. We brought the stroller. We got a pack and play from the hotel. We brought our own sheet and pad for that. Bring some toys, but don't over do it. Don't forget a snack cup and sippy cup. We often forget those. Bring extra clothes into the park with you. They also have the baby stations in each park. They offer a nice play to get out of the sun and heat with your little one.

The biggest change from going with my wife to going with wife and baby was how much we could expect to do and how much time it would take. Take it really slow. Plan on coming back to the room for nap time, even if its just a rest. As a 2.5 year old in November, she got a little overwhelmed when we tried to stick it out in the parks too long. We've completely changed the way we do Disney. We used to go open to close, as many rides as possible, park hop, pound the app... Now... we do our fastpasses, see some characters, go back to the room for nap time. Head back out for dinner and if we are lucky, see the fireworks and go to bed. We've gone without the park hopping, as minimizing transportation time has become a key to happiness! Good luck, have fun!
 
My experience with kids is
2015: 2.5 yo, 8mo
2017: 4.5 yo, 2.5 yo
2019: 6 yo 4 yo 1.5 yo

  • Order perishables from Amazon to your resort but bring enough to last you a few days just in case. (Diapers, wipes, formula if you use it etc.)
  • Do not bring a diaper bag, bring a backpack. Shoulder strap bags will kill your shoulder after a whole day of walking around.
  • I used the resort pack and play, but that's your own personal decision.
  • Over the counter medication like Tylenol or whatever else you use.
  • I've both brought and rented strollers while I've been down there. That's up to you. Pros and Cons to both. I've also brought my own, left it in the hotel, and rented for the parks.
Regarding nap time at the resort, we never did it. We just did character meals in the middle of the day and the kids either napped in the air conditioning for an hour or so, or slept in the stroller as we walked the park. Once I'm in the parks I try not to leave, but again up to you. If the kid can sleep in the stroller it's a nice time to do shopping or just stop and smell the roses.

But the biggest piece of advice is plan your day around breaks/sit downs meals/shows and not around rides and attractions.
 
If you plan on going near the pool/splash pad, swim diapers....but i ordered those. Then sent the ones we didn't use home with my in laws (they have a pool and they flew SW so had extra luggage)
 
How many days are you going for? I was there for 5 nights with a 1 year old and was able to pack enough diapers across two bags of luggage - they really don’t take up very much room out of the package but I’m also a light packer. I also packed one unopened can of formula in the luggage which I was checking in and just made sure to wrap it in plastic just in case. I don’t know if your baby is on milk yet but I found it easier to buy milk in the parks then to carry pre-made bottles to the park. I saved the formula for when we were at the hotel which was fairly often since my daughter wouldn’t sleep in the parks. She’s normally fine sleeping in the stroller but I think there was just too much going on for her to close her eyes and sleep.

Only real advice I would give would be to plan for airport security to take longer as they will check all liquids that you bring aboard the plane and it’s only one person that checks so there’s often a backup with all of the kids that are traveling to Orlando.
 
How many days are you going for? I was there for 5 nights with a 1 year old and was able to pack enough diapers across two bags of luggage - they really don’t take up very much room out of the package but I’m also a light packer. I also packed one unopened can of formula in the luggage which I was checking in and just made sure to wrap it in plastic just in case. I don’t know if your baby is on milk yet but I found it easier to buy milk in the parks then to carry pre-made bottles to the park. I saved the formula for when we were at the hotel which was fairly often since my daughter wouldn’t sleep in the parks. She’s normally fine sleeping in the stroller but I think there was just too much going on for her to close her eyes and sleep.

Only real advice I would give would be to plan for airport security to take longer as they will check all liquids that you bring aboard the plane and it’s only one person that checks so there’s often a backup with all of the kids that are traveling to Orlando.

We're going May 15 landing afternoon (not going to the parks) and leaving the 23rd (Saturday) :)

Baby girl is on formula and unfortunately she can't tolerate the power ones and can only do the ready to serve liquid ones. Should I plan on bringing those and only using them in baby center? Just worried about those bottles spoiling in the heat after they are first opened. Unless I maybe plan on bringing some to baby center but have 1 or 2 on me when its too much to make our way there and just throw out whatever she doesn't finish.
 


We brought my daughter for her first visit at 12 months and my son at 13 months for his first time.

I packed an extra small suitcase just with baby supplies like diapers, wipes, sunscreen, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, etc.

Here are some things I also liked having ...

Disposable diaper mats. I liked putting my changing mat on top of a disposable paper mat so that we didn’t pick up any germs from the tables. The baby center changing tables are really nice with paper rolls, but I liked having disposable mats for the regular bathrooms.

I packed a small drawstring bag that stayed in our stroller. It had extra diapers, wipes, outfits, etc. Nothing super valuable in case it was stolen. That way I could just put one or two diapers at a time in our backpack so we weren’t carrying around stuff we could just go back to the stroller for.

For your ready made formula, I would bring a cooler for peace of mind.

I liked having this to avoid losing bottles and cups from the stroller - my kids dropped them or knocked them over a lot so something like this is helpful. https://www.amazon.com/BooginHead-S...older&qid=1579032925&sprefix=booginhea&sr=8-5

A cheap stroller rain cover - we had a very nice one that was stolen on our trip a couple years ago which was a bummer. We only buy cheap ones now.
 
We took our son to Disneyland at 11 months. We are NOT overpackers at all, so that's a caveat. We didn't bring a diaper bag into the parks. I had a Kavu crossbody bag which I kept a few diapers and a small pack of wipes in. At 11 months, I didn't feel like he "needed" bottles (he was on a specialty formula too) and particularly not on a hot day. He had one at the hotel in the morning and maybe another at night back at the hotel- honestly can't remember. Knowing that he was at the age where pediatricians seem to recommend switching to sippy cups anyway and phasing down on formula, we used that trip kind of as the impetus to just go for it and give him sippy cups of water during the day- just brought one cup and washed it out as necessary. So bottles stayed entirely in the hotel room I'm pretty sure. 11 month olds are usually pretty great with table food by then and I found there was always plenty I could put on his plate at our snacks/meals to keep him fed and happy.

You could absolutely bring a small bottle bag cooler. SkipHop makes some that are inexpensive and I found them to keep things relatively cold. Likewise, if you want to pack lighter, they make a cool diaper clutch that is changing pad/wipes/diaper holder all in one and it's super lightweight.

We brought diapers but I wouldn't stress about that. If you run out, you grab more. I'd imagine there's somewhere on property you can get a pack of diapers at WDW right (resort gift shops? Does anyone know)? If it meant paying $5-$10 more, I was fine with that. Likewise, I didn't bring changes of clothes for him. I figured he was way past the age of spitting up and if he did get truly filthy messy, they sell clothing (spoiler: he never did).

I found the stick sunscreen (BabyGanics makes one but I know others too!) easiest at that age.

Enjoy your trip! He was so easy to travel with at that age- we took his brother to Disneyland at 18 months for the first time and I'd say that was WAY harder than 11 months!
 
Our essentials were:
- Rain cover for stroller
- Crossbody backpack with a couple diapers, pack of wipes, changing mat, diaper cream, and a couple snacks that went with us everywhere, including rides as you never know when you'll need a diaper change and the stroller isn't nearby
- Extra diapers, set of clothes, sunscreen in basket of stroller, along with a receiving blanket to drape over the stroller between the canopy and the handles or tray to block out sunlight when sleeping
- Sippy cup with strap to attach to stroller

Other important things (though not brought to the park) were favorite blanket and stuffed animal for sleeping at the hotel, swim diapers, and a couple small toys for the plane.
 
Same here trip at 7 mos no problem, trips at 15 mos & 17 much more challenging. Trying again at 22 mos. Wish me luck! Lol!

We had an easy time at 20ish months. I'm honestly dreading the one this year...she's a head strong 3.5 right now.
 
We had an easy time at 20ish months. I'm honestly dreading the one this year...she's a head strong 3.5 right now.
😔 I know all kids are different so who knows, but I thought by 3.5 we’d be good to go! Who knows! I do think I have a good plan for this trip though so crossing my fingers! Good luck!
 
My son’s first trip was at 12 months. I took lots of diapers spread out between a couple of suitcases and our carry-ons. I packed more than enough formula as well. I hate feeling like I’m going to run out of something, so I’m sure I overpacked. I took less clothes for myself and the kids to make room for everything and did laundry halfway through our trip. Luckily my H doesn’t pack very much stuff😂

I took one day’s worth of bottles and a small bottle of dish soap so we could wash them each night. We went in the winter, so sun wasn’t too much of an issue. But I would make sure to take sunscreen (and make sure you know your baby’s skin can tolerate it before you leave) and a sun hat. I used lightweight swaddling blankets to cover the stroller without overheating him. Disney at they age was so easy! We had a 4 year old, too, so he just went with the flow. Both kids napped in the stroller and we didn’t really do midday breaks.
 
We found that my daughter didn't sleep well in the pack n play - it was too hard. We had to add an extra mattress to the pack n play for her to sleep in it. They aren't too pricey on Amazon so you might want to just have one delivered to the hotel.

Also, I would just bring some extra snack containers to carry 'left-overs' Like we'd get grapes or cereal that she didn't finish and just put the extra in a snack container for later.
I often bought those ready made formula bottles - that you just opened and then stuck the nipple on. Maybe you could have those delivered to the hotel (?) They were shelf ready.

Also, bring a small first aid kit to carry - especially if you have a little walker.
 
Both of my boys went at 11 mos. They are now 4 and 2. At that age, they still drank formula and I made sure to always have some with me. There were times I made a bottle while on a ride to calm my older son, who had stopped breastfeeding at that time. My youngest drank formula but still breastfed a bit so I did both. The baby care centers are a great place to change diapers or clothes, use a bathroom, or buy any supplies you forgot. They have the basics like baby food, diapers, etc. Definitely bring swim diapers for the pool. If your trip is long enough, you may want to have a large box of diapers shipped to your resort. Most of the time I packed all my diapers in our luggage, though. Bring a ziploc bag in your diaper bag so you can seal up any soiled clothing. Be prepared for your baby's eating habits to change. I thought my guys would eat the same table foods they had tried at home, but no such luck at the Disney restaurants for us. My oldest survived on milk and goldfish one trip. It was all I could get him to swallow. I would use the Disney pack n play. I have never received a dirty one, but that is a matter of preference. I would bring your own stroller simply because you will need it in the airports. My boys were always very happy to nap in their strollers when they got tired. Resort breaks didn't really work because they would fall asleep on the stroller ride to the bus stop and then be awake by the time we got back to the resort. Every baby is different. Be prepared for anything and everything! Mine did great at that age. Try a character meal; usually they are good with characters at that age and it becomes more dicey as they enter toddlerhood.
 
We also did a food order and had diapers, swim diapers, baby wipes, snacks and bottled water delivered so we had it in our room the night we arrived. Saved so much packing space.

I packed my child’s outfits in large zip lock bags, and learned to take two with me on park days. Having the bag gave me a place to store wet and stick clothes back to the room. I learned to take two because my DD loves stopping at the splash pads and ended up soaked at least once daily.

the snacks ended up being important. The weather was so different for us from home that it made DD more picky on her food. It helpedhaving things that were familiar to eat. I swear she lived on grapes and goldfish the weeks we were there.

Our first trip with a toddler, we learned to take our time and stop to just let her look, play and watch. There is so much happening there that it can really be overwhelming for little ones. Don’t be afraid to find quiet out of the way spots to just get away from all the stimulation. You will be surprised at all the little details you discover that you. Ever have before, especially if your little one is walking by then.

oh, and if you do have a walker, we loved having one of the little animal backpack leashes for ours. She wanted to be out of the strollers moving and exploring, and the leash let us give her some freedom of movement with out worrying about losing her in the crowds. Also helped keep Mom and Dad alert as to what she wanted to do 🤪
 

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