Disney with an 8 month old? Tips or advice would be wonderful.

[michelleiada]

Just to give a little background, we are DVC members. We have two daughters, 26 and 25. The older daughter got engaged at Disney two years ago on our family trip. We were supposed to have a family trip this year, May 10-20th. It has been cancelled, for obvious reasons...ugh! Unfortunately, we won’t get back down there anytime this year. My daughter and her husband are now expecting their first baby, a baby boy, due the end of August. So we plan to schedule for May 2021. The baby will be around 8 months old. We haven’t done Disney with children for a longggg time, let alone an infant. I will probably get them their own 1 bedroom villa so they have the privacy they need with a baby. So here is what I’m wondering...what is it like taking an 8 month old baby to Disney. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers. They are AWESOME and there is one in each park.

Also, something I didn't learn until kid #3 (8 years after kid #2), invest in a quality umbrella stroller. We got a McClaren and I thought my wife was nuts when she bought it, but she was right. It's just so much easier getting on and off transportation. I could fold it up and carry it onto the buses with one hand without breaking stride - TOTALLY worth it! Keep everything in backpacks and don't load up the stroller until you get into the park. We draped a couple of ponchos over the stroller when rain was imminent and it worked great.

 

[michelleiada]

Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers. They are AWESOME and there is one in each park.

Also, something I didn't learn until kid #3 (8 years after kid #2), invest in a quality umbrella stroller. We got a McClaren and I thought my wife was nuts when she bought it, but she was right. It's just so much easier getting on and off transportation. I could fold it up and carry it onto the buses with one hand without breaking stride - TOTALLY worth it! Keep everything in backpacks and don't load up the stroller until you get into the park. We draped a couple of ponchos over the stroller when rain was imminent and it worked great.

Thanks, What is a McClaren stroller?

 

[Lumpy1106]

Thanks, What is a McClaren stroller?

mcclaren stroller

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

I’m not sure if 8 month old babies go in umbrella strollers. (I honestly can’t remember). Anyways, we travelled with our child when he was 6 months old and it was a great age. He was very transportable - he could nap while we were out and about. We used a baby carrier instead of a stroller. In FLA I would make sure Bebe stayed hydrated, had a hat, and sunblock.

 

[AirGoofy]

Our youngest was 15 months when we first went with her. The biggest tip I tell people is to re-think their Disney strategy. I like to go to the park from RD to close. That's not going to work for an 8 month old. So, plan time at the resort to prevent baby from getting cranky. We never went with grandparents, and it would have been nice to have that choice to leave our children them and take some park time for ourselves.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

We have a trip planned for this August and haven't decided if we are still going if Disney is open. If we are, we will have our 8 month old son with us. This trip was already planned as a mostly resort stay with a Halloween party thrown in. So far, I am planning on having a stroller fan so that he gets some kind of air circulation going in his stroller and utilizing the baby care center at MK. We will also take the baby carrier along but probably won't utilize it unless it's at night where it is a little bit cooler or walking around Disney Springs. Can't imagine the baby won't get hot if he's in the carrier for long in August humidity.

Anyways, I am following this thread to see what tips people offer!

 

[Spunky946]

Our first trip was when the kids were 4 and 8 months and I joke that was the easiest trip. Our dd at 8 months though was the easiest baby. She wasn’t crawling, so she was content in her stroller, ate almost anything and napped in the stroller too. we Were there with my in laws and they didn’t do the parks every day, so we stayed off site and did half day’s at the park.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I have 5 kids and have visited with babies a lot. I agree with knowing where the baby care centers are and take advantage of them. They’re great. Bring a comfy stroller that can recline so bAby can nap in it if need be. understand and take advantage of riders swap, so both parents can ride. Also it’s way easier to have all the baby stuff (diapers, wipes, formula etc.) delivered to the resort do you don’t have to pack it all. Take afternoon breaks if needed (we never did though, just had baby nap in stroller). Bring baby’s favorite snacks and food with you or have it delivered and bring into park, though if you forget it baby food is for sale in baby centers. Some babies are scared of characters, of so don’t force interaction. Keep baby’s schedule and routine as close as possible to regular one. And maybe you could babysit one night do parents can have a night out!

 

[Julie0315]

We took our now 18-mo-old son to WDW in August (10 months old) and January (15 months old). He had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the sights, sounds, tastes and movements on rides. I would echo others' posts to temper your expectations. We would normally go to the park from RD to lunch, then go back to resort for nap and pool, at the time of highest heat. Then we'd go back to the parks for a few hours late afternoon/evening. I carried him in a Bjorn most of the time during the August trip bc it was easier to navigate, including getting in and out of rides.

FYI in August we stayed at Bay Lake Tower, and the proximity to MK and monorail made a huge difference. I'd consider staying at a resort that's walking distance to a park.

And FYI on flights: I was able to bring as much milk and formula for him as I wanted onto the plane (this was in Newark airport). They tested each bottle but I prob had about 30+ ounces of milk with me. When I arrived at Bay Lake, the CMs also said I could go to the main Contemporary lobby so I could pump. The manager at the Contemporary check in area brought me to a private locked office, where I was able to pump (or nurse) since our room wasn't ready yet.

One thing I would change: he was not good at sit down restaurants. Too impatient. Counter service or family style/buffets (where he could get food immediately) worked out well.

And YES - make use of those baby care centers. Great place to cool down, regroup, nurse, change diapers or buy last-minute baby supplies.

If you have any specific questions I'm happy to share more details too. Enjoy!

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

We took our now 18-mo-old son to WDW in August (10 months old) and January (15 months old). He had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the sights, sounds, tastes and movements on rides. I would echo others' posts to temper your expectations. We would normally go to the park from RD to lunch, then go back to resort for nap and pool, at the time of highest heat. Then we'd go back to the parks for a few hours late afternoon/evening. I carried him in a Bjorn most of the time during the August trip bc it was easier to navigate, including getting in and out of rides.

FYI in August we stayed at Bay Lake Tower, and the proximity to MK and monorail made a huge difference. I'd consider staying at a resort that's walking distance to a park.

And FYI on flights: I was able to bring as much milk and formula for him as I wanted onto the plane (this was in Newark airport). They tested each bottle but I prob had about 30+ ounces of milk with me. When I arrived at Bay Lake, the CMs also said I could go to the main Contemporary lobby so I could pump. The manager at the Contemporary check in area brought me to a private locked office, where I was able to pump (or nurse) since our room wasn't ready yet.

One thing I would change: he was not good at sit down restaurants. Too impatient. Counter service or family style/buffets (where he could get food immediately) worked out well.

And YES - make use of those baby care centers. Great place to cool down, regroup, nurse, change diapers or buy last-minute baby supplies.

If you have any specific questions I'm happy to share more details too. Enjoy!

I'm an exclusive pumper and might still be pumping in August. I wanted to ask if you know whether the baby care centers will store expressed milk for you so that it remains cold?

 

[Julie0315]

Hi @CookieandOatmeal I'm afraid I don't know but I believe that the answer is no (this 2018 blog seems to confirm the 'no'). Because we were in a DVC studio, our room had a fridge and storage to keep all of my supplies in, and we went back and forth to the room throughout the day. Typically I would just bring the milk he'd be drinking for the next few hours, kept cool in an insulated backpack with a gel pack.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

@Julie0315 Thanks. I figure that it would most likely be a no since they probably don't want to be responsible for it. I think I will bring all my ice packs and use them when needed to keep things cool. We are DVC too so we will definitely have a fridge.

 

[Julie0315]

@CookieandOatmeal FYI because we were also in humid Florida walking around/sweating a lot - my water intake had a big effect on pumping results. After a day or so I realized I had to drink water like it was going out of business.

It was also very convenient to order soft food/baby 'pouches' from Amazon Prime delivery to our room to have with us for snacks, etc. for the baby.

 

[michelleiada]

Great advice from all of you. This is our first baby in a long time wow we are out of practice. Thank you again!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I'm an exclusive pumper and might still be pumping in August. I wanted to ask if you know whether the baby care centers will store expressed milk for you so that it remains cold?

even if they would i would not trust using it as you can not be sure who touched while there and neither can they. if they would store for you they would have to for anyone

 

[The WDW 3]

Leave it home

 

[My Grandpa]

IF this is your FIRST Grandchild ..... all the time spent with her/him at WDW will be heaven on earth with a touch of magic.
Yeah, yeah kids ... you go to the parks we'll take care of our little dumpling.
Don't forget to have an Infant Overnite ... great bonding time.
Sure kids, you guys need a rest we'll take our little pumpkin for the nite. Who knows, you might get a Disney Grandbaby.
As GrandParents ... we learned that Age 5 is AWESOME~SAUCE.
No Matter What .... You're Gonna Have Fun!!!

 

[YesterDark]

I've done quite a few small kiddo trips:
2.5 yo, 8 mos
5 yo, 3 yo
6yo, 4 yo, 1.5 yo

This depends on napping, sleeping at night, and breast feeding. I've seen some mention of a few of these suggestions, so I'll just repeat and bolster them:

• Plan downtime every day. We did character meals as a way to sit down for 1-2 hours every day.
• Get a stroller so the baby can nap comfortably and with enough cargo space.
• Plan downtime every day. (So important I said it twice) Do a lot of shows/meals/parades etc.
• Use the baby care centers for air conditioning and privacy needs.
• You can do a full day at the parks, but you have to do it differently. The max would be 50% of the activity of a full day for 2 adults.
• With so much help, plan expectations as parents and grandparents to take "shifts" or turns with the baby so no one person feels overwhelmed.
• All the other Disney prep rules apply 2x.
• Plan resort days to recover if you're doing longer park days.

When we went down in '15 with the infant, it was not too shabby. We were a party of 9, my sister and her family had a 3 yo and 8 mos baby, we had similar aged children and our mother was there. We were able to do 8-10 hour park days but with plenty of relaxing with lunch and dinner sit downs and shows. Not a lot of walking, not a lot of waiting in line.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Never, ever, ever leave your resort without at least one full change of clothes! For the 8 month old... if you mess up yours, you are on your own. LOL. If you must use that full change of clothing, let it be a signal that it is soon time to head back to your resort.

One silly night, just watching a parade, DGS had the messiest movement of his young life. As he wiggled happily in his stroller, the mess spread in both directions. His socks were spared, but nothing else. Horrible to clean him up and worse when we realized there was nothing for him to wear. He left the park kind of swaddled in his father’s sweater.

That same DGS spilled hot chocolate all over his only pants (3 yrs later) at MVMCP, but I was able to quickly find a lovely, albeit pricey, pair of Mickey fleece pants. Again, the only time of the trip without full backup clothing.