was it "worth it" for you to go to wdw with a 1 year old (only child she will be 11mos)? +

[Lizziep83]

We took our son at 14 months and had a wonderful trip! Definitely get memory maker if you go. Utilize baby care centers and I always felt more comfortable finding family restrooms. We were lucky and my son would nap in the stroller mostly. There were a few rough patches (sometimes getting to dinner reservations was tricky), but it was well worth it for the memories. I definitely recommend memory maker and keeping lower than usual expectations and prioritize your must dos.

 

[TWK]

Personally I wouldn't. But I would at like 18 months.... The only reason I wouldn't at such a young age is because it is an only child. At 18 month I feel like it would be more fun for them and you. I know it doesn't seem like a big difference. Either way though, I don't think you would regret it if you do go

 

[TAPMD]

I've taken babies/toddlers to WDW, but not as an "only"--the trip was meant more for older children, with the younger one tagging along, if that makes sense. I would probably not choose to take a baby/toddler to WDW, especially as a single parent, since your DH doesn't want to go.

That said, a lot of people certainly do take very young ones, and have a good time doing it. So, if you want to go, and are aware of the limitations (some rides off-limits, schedule will be the baby's schedule, etc.), you'll probably have a nice time. As someone said up-thread, though, a lot depends on the child's temperament. If you have an easy-going kid, you should be just fine.

The one thing I think you should really think about and plan for is, the logistics of being a single parent on this trip. I know you're meeting up with your mother and sister, which will hopefully be a big help, but the baby might not take to them right away, especially if she doesn't have a lot of familiarity with them. I also think the idea of flying down solo is going to be logistically tricky--do-able, for sure, but just make sure you think it through, plan for any contingencies, etc. Personally, I'd buy the second seat and bring the car seat--it allows for a familiar spot for the child, as well as giving you a bit of a break. You should be able to gate-check your stroller. Think about juggling your baby, stroller, carry-on--might it be worth checking your luggage? That's just the type of thing you need to think through, way prior to actually boarding the airplane. Similarly, are you getting your own hotel room, or sharing? Would sharing work for the child you have?

Don't misunderstand--I truly think you can have a great trip, I just think that's it's going to be a different type of trip than you're probably used to.

I’d just like to add that you should think about getting the second seat for safety reasons also. If there is turbulence on the plane your baby will be safer in their own secured seat.

 

[sullyfam]

We took our youngest for her first birthday. We have 3 altogether. It was my husband and I and the kids. We had a great trip, lots of memories made but it was exhausting.

She was just at that age where she was crawling, cruising and "on the go" so the most difficult times by far was when she wanted to be on the move but couldn't be (on the plane, on the bus, in restaurants, in shows, in lines for rides, on rides). It's a tricky age in that sense because they aren't really tiny babies that are stationary but they aren't toddlers that can walk around freely yet either.

Surprisingly, she loved many of the rides we took her on. Magic Kingdom by far has the most entertainment and family friendly rides. She also did OK with the character meets. She liked some characters more than others. We did a lot of buffets so that we could pace our meals ourselves and be in and out as needed. We did rider swap with the older ones which they loved because they essentially got to ride everything twice.

One of us would hang out at a play area with her to let her do some exploring from time to time. She would nap as she wanted to in the stroller and either my husband or I would cruise around the shops or hang out somewhere with her in the stroller and the other person would take the older 2 on more rides. We were able to do some night time things because she would fall asleep in the stroller. We did take afternoon breaks but rarely did they actually coincide with her nap times.

They do have baby care centers but I never once step foot in them. All the bathrooms have changing stations and we never seemed to be near the baby center when I was ready to change her. I was still nursing so we just did that freely wherever. We brought lots of snacks/small toys to keep her distracted when needed. She also loved the baby first app so I would put that on my phone for her as a distraction.

It was a lot of fun but very, very tiring. We would get back to the room at night and literally pass out. Not only are you schlepping a stroller (folding and unfolding) and carrying a baby around, you're wrangling them the whole time and trying to appease them, keep the busy, keep them safe, yet still do some WDW stuff too. It was a lot of work.

Would I do it again? Probably not. But we will always have the memories/pictures and stories to tell her. You won't regret I'm sure but just set expectations accordingly.

 

[stephk1981]

I took DS at 2. It went smoothly, he liked some rides, was scared of others. We took DD for the first time at 6 1/2 months.....mostly because DS is 9 and used to going a few times a year. We are going for DD second trip in November, she will be 13 1/2 months old. Honestly if it were just her I may not go. My DH will only go with us once every couple of years, he got ' tired of Disney' after the first half dozen trips.
Obviously your DD won't remember this trip, but guess what!? YOU WILL!!! So, if this is a memory that you want to have with your precious DD, most definitely go If DH doesn't want to go, go without him. I always do. I Iike the trips DH goes on, but when I go on my own with DS and now with DD it is just as great. You will have fun either way. Have fun, and no matter when your DD first trip is, I hope it's magical and full of amazing memories that you will cherish!

 

[Liddypool]

My husband and I took our son when he was 7 months old, and we all had a blast! My son loved the rides and characters, especially the princesses. He was a little charmer for them.

Because my son wasn’t walking, it was easy to alternate between our city mini stroller and ergo baby carrier. Naps were mostly in the carrier, so once my son fell asleep, we would walk around, soak in the atmosphere, or shop until he woke up. It worked really well for us. The most important thing we learned is to have realistic expectations - we didn’t see or do everything we normally would, but that’s ok because we still have tons of new stuff to share with our son when we return to WDW!

 

[tlmadden73]

I took my son for his first visit at 2 years old. He was old enough to walk/talk and really enjoy the sites. He doesn't remember much of that trip .. but WE do and it led to many more trips.

I took my daughter when she was 5 mo .. just because we wanted to go with a group of friends (my son was 4yo). Wasn't worth it for her obviously, but wasn't really hard. We had a great time.

We are going again in November because my daughter will be 2 (the same age my son was on his first trip) .. I expect it to be a blast (though challenging with 2 kids 4 years apart). She sings songs, knows characters and think she will find it magical.

I think at 1 .. my kids just weren't "aware" enough to enjoy it ... but it would have been a fun trip for the adults.

 

[pixie08]

YES!

We took our son at 13 months. It was so great. He had so much fun looking around and riding things like IASW. Just know your trip will not be like an adults trip. He still napped twice a day. So once was in the stroller in the am and the next was back at the hotel. We went when it was cooler in December so i was able to wear him a lot and he liked seeing everything that way. He also went in his stroller and precticed his walking.

He got his first haircut and that was just so adorable. He was such a cutie and all the Main Street characters were going wild over him outside the Harmony barber shop. The first character he saw was goofy and he started jumping in his seat when he saw him coming. He loved all the characters because he was already exposed to Clubhouse. He loved Disney Jr at HS and was bouncing and dancing around.

He won't remember the trip at all but he loved it and it made precious memories.We still show him the pictures from the trip now that he is almost 4 and has a few trips under his belt. He gets it and loves looking at them from when he was a "baby". So for us it was worth it!

 

[OpieDoodle]

My middle child actually turned a year old during one of our trips! Was it worth it as in will he remember it? No he will not remember it....but I WILL. I enjoyed spending that time with him down there more than anything and I wouldn't have changed it for the world. He watched mickey mouse clubhouse a lot so when he saw the characters he got very excited, he loved a lot of the rides that were super colorful and happy.

As far as nap schedule at that age they're super flexible and in most cases will drop in the stroller (or restaurants lol). I didn't worry too much about that, I did try to schedule fast passes around his normal nap time and we actually just found a shady place and let him nap a bit. My whole family went (my family, brothers family, and parents. My son and nephew were about the same age. I remember finding a shady place and just sitting there with my nephew and my son sleeping while my other family members caught a quick ride or two.

One complaint I had was the heat tho. My kid was CHUNKY so he was super hot. I saw a lot of people there with little clip on fans for the stroller, I highly recommend one of those!

Back to the original question tho, it was 100% worth it for me and I would do it again in a heart beat! I'm actually about to go back down next month and I will have our youngest being only 6 months old. I think as parents we often forget that this trip is also for us! Making those memories with my kids is amazing, even if they don't remember!

 

[MrsDuck]

My baby has been going to Disney regularly since he was 3 months old. It's wonderful every time.

 

[DazzleT]

I haven’t done disneyworld but I did do Hong Kong Disney (family needed to meet the baby). No regrets. My baby slept in a stroller so that helped a lot. If I had to do one of those crazy nap routines some parents do I might not have enjoyed it as much. Take a million pictures. Make a scrap book and show baby when she’s older. My dd likes to look at pics of baby her with the characters and the scenery.

The biggest negative for us was specific to being in China and was a problem we had every time we took her out of her stroller on that trip so not Disney specific. She probably drew larger crowds than the characters- random strangers would scoop her up, take a picture and then plop her back down. It was very nerve wracking for all of us- hilarious now but at the time, challenging. I can’t imagine anyone in the states picking up a stranger’s child so I doubt that would be a concern.

 

[familyman123]

I have taken a one year old three times. Once it was my wife, my one year old, and myself. Two other times it was with my wife and 3-4 children in total.

I wouldn't take a one year old for their sake. There are plenty of places that are just enjoyable to a one year that are cheaper than WDW. If you are looking for options to include with your husband that baby enjoys, I can say for certain that every one year old I have had loved the beach and the ocean.

But if you have the money to do it, and you like going, sure go for it. A girls trip can be fun. The one year old will look around, be cute, laugh, cry, and all the other things they usually do. Disney is a great place for adults to go with a one year old because it is so accomodating with children. Want to splurge on a fancy restaurant even though the baby spits up? - WDW is your place.