• Controversial Topics
    Several months ago, I added a private sub-forum to allow members to discuss these topics without fear of infractions or banning. It's opt-in, opt-out. Corey Click Here

Your BEST Disney World/Travel/Packing tips with a 1 year old?

WeLoveLilo05

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Hi All,
We have been to Disney many times before with our older daughter (I think our first trip was when she was 3) but we have never been to Disney or anywhere with a baby this young before. So, was wondering what are some of your BEST travel, packing, park, any helpful tip for our trip this September. She currently is not crawling (she will be 10 months beginning of June) so I don't anticipate her walking for our trip, but you never know. Another dilemma I have is she has a milk and soy intolerance so that means I will have to bring my own non-dairy milk with us since I don't think Disney sells coconut or almond milk (Not sure what she will be on, trialing stuff next month). So how do I keep it cold all day in parks? We are also driving down from Jersey (So car travel tips are welcome too! LoL) Thanks!!! We are staying at the beach club.
 
Hi All,
We have been to Disney many times before with our older daughter (I think our first trip was when she was 3) but we have never been to Disney or anywhere with a baby this young before. So, was wondering what are some of your BEST travel, packing, park, any helpful tip for our trip this September. She currently is not crawling (she will be 10 months beginning of June) so I don't anticipate her walking for our trip, but you never know. Another dilemma I have is she has a milk and soy intolerance so that means I will have to bring my own non-dairy milk with us since I don't think Disney sells coconut or almond milk (Not sure what she will be on, trialing stuff next month). So how do I keep it cold all day in parks? We are also driving down from Jersey (So car travel tips are welcome too! LoL) Thanks!!! We are staying at the beach club.
How old will she be when you go? When my DD was 17 months, I used a bottle cooler/carrier thing (insulated like a lunch box, but taller for bottles/sippy cups) and used gel freezer packs to keep it cool at the parks. However this trip I'll have a 13 month old and I'm seriously considering just keeping her on her formula or transitioning her to a toddler formula to make life a bit easier while we're there. Her Dr. said at 13 months it really wasn't a big deal either way, so something to think about.
 
do not know if they make in other nondairy milks but look for small lunch box size of shelf stable no refrig needed until opened. then you could just open one as needed and carry a few in backpack. your was able to use soy and even took to school as school did not have soy milk available
 
For the milk use one of the thermo bottles. They keep cold for up to 10 hrs. They even have individual size one with straws. I haven't found any stable shelf individual non-dairy milk that are plain. They are usually vanilla or chocolate. If that is ok than those would probably be easier.
 
My daughter went at 14 months and had milk protein intolerance. By that age, I just gave her a bottle of coconut or almond milk at bedtime and in the morning and she drank water the rest of the day. She has always been an excellent eater and didn't need to drink extra milk at that age.
 
For the parks I would say definitely find and use the baby centers! When the little ones need a change the baby centers are much nicer than trying to do it in a restroom. From what I recall, they were also cool and quiet enough for a relaxing bottle and a little down time without having to go back to the hotel.
 
I also used a small soft cooler for premixed formula when my daughter was 9 months. Bought 3 gel freezer packs and would freeze them over night. Each morning after packing what I needed in the cooler, I'd put the gel packs in, and then top the cooler off with ice from the ice machine. Kept everything cold all day.
 


Love the baby care centers. They were very, very convenient. You can always look to have groceries delivered to your room and see if any of them offer what you need. We just used Garden Grocer and had a great experience. I also second the thermos containers to keep the drinks cool.
 
In terms of packing, I would bring a few small toys for her to play with in the room. If you are planning on using the 'pack n' play' at the resort, I would strongly suggest bringing an extra mattress. My DD slept horribly on those things. At first, I thought it was not being at home but once I bought one of those she slept perfectly. Its like $20 on Amazon. I would also recommend bringing snack containers. We'd often get something for her that she didn't finish (grapes, crackers) and just stick it in a snack container for later.

I'd also suggest using a backpack diaper bag. I think its just a lot easier to handle.

My car tip is to drive at night. But, I tend to pack a bag of new things and just give her something whenever she is at a bit of a breaking point. Like some Little People, new Books, etc. Perhaps just stash toys away so that she 'forgets' and they seem new in the car.
 
We just got back from WDW with our DD who is almost three so older than what you're asking about but we took her when she was 18 months as well so that's closer. I can't help you much on the milk question because but I do have a few other kiddo tips that have helped us a lot. I just posted this in a post on another forum about how we organized our room at Pop so I'm going to copy and paste it here because having our room organized helped us so much having a little one with us. These are mostly tips that I accumulated on the boards myself but it kind of wraps them up.

On the side of the bathroom door facing the sink, I hung one of those shoe rack things for toiletries, sunscreen, meds, anything like that and it was a lifesaver. It kept all that junk easily accessible instead of in a bag but it was OFF the sink top. I got one of those things you hang from a closet rail to sort of make shelves and this gave us TONS of room for socks, underwear, t shirts and all of DD's clothes. There are only 3 small drawers in the dresser in the room so this totally saved us. I hung it all the way over on the end of the close by the safe. Next to that I had a pop up laundry hamper. Also AWESOME for keeping dirty clothes from being in a random pile somewhere. We used the rest of the closet for the few hanging things we had and there were plenty of hangers for us, although I had been prepared to ask for more if necessary. On the shelf above the hanging bar, we had a diaper box and three of those closet maid square bin things. In one of them, I had dishes (sippy cups, emergency nap pacis, cereal bowls, etc.). The second was kind of house keeping stuff (Lysol wipes, a Ziploc full of clothespins that came in handy, boxes of large and small ziplocs, grocery bags for poopy dipes, papertowels etc.) The third bin was for the stuff I needed to replenish our park backpack each day (gum, glow sticks, hand sanitizer, etc.). There was just enough room for those items and a few other small things to be stashed up there. On the counter next to the sink, I brought a small dollar store plastic tub with holes in the sides for dirty dishes and then I used that when I washed. I filled the sink with dish soapy water, washed, and moved everything to the tub, then emptied the sink and rinsed the dishes and tub. I had some cheapo dish towels that could hang on the edge of that tub when not in use. We also brought a small foldable stool so DD could wash her hands by herself. DH thought that was crazy but it was so worth it. Also a help was a small plug in night light for right by the sink for nighttime. In the two small cubbies in the "dresser" I used one for a diaper changing supply area (we are having some potty training issues so our doctor recommended we give her a break on the trip) and the other for swim stuff (towels, suits, floaties) after it had time to dry. One of the cubbies in one bedside table was filled with our snacks and breakfast stuff that didn't need the fridge and the other cubby was for the few toys and books that we brought along. I brought a power strip and plugged it in by the small table so our electronics tended to accumulate there but since it wasn't covered with too much other junk, this was okay. We rented a stroller from Kingdom Strollers (highly recommended!) and because of the king bed, there was plenty of room to park it in front of the window. Also, I brought a Minnie dress up magnet kit and DD could play with it on the back of the door while we were getting ready or otherwise busy. I'm not sure why but this really kept her entertained.

That's probably way more detail than you wanted but I was pretty proud of it. It was my opus. And it really made our week at Pop go much more smoothly.

So that was that. Another thing that worked for us was a little diaper bag/back pack strategy. We used a regular (actually my old college) back pack for a diaper bag but it can get full and heavy quickly. We learned to use large ziplocs to split out some of the things in the bag and then leave them in the storage thing under the stroller. We left these unsupervised so there is some trust there but we didn't have problems with it. I wouldn't leave anything valuable though. I'm talking things like extra diapers and wipes, a change of clothes and shoes, sunscreen, the rain cover for the stroller, etc. Then the backpack was lighter and easier to carry onto rides or into restaurants and we could return to get what we need from the stroller. Here's the trick to this though. To get on a bus or parking lot tram, you have to fold the stroller up which is a pain with all that stuff underneath. So we traveled with a clear bag they give you in the stores or food courts so I could quickly throw all the stuff into it and fold up the stroller. We would wait until after we went through bag check to take the stuff out of that bag because they can check it without having to open it and dig around. After bag check, I could quickly empty this into the bottom of the stroller and we'd be on our way until we needed something. I know we could have just taken less stuff but with kids sometimes it's better to feel like you're prepared for anything.

We drive from Kentucky so I have a little experience with that too. I second the driving at night thing. My husband is a paramedic and works 24 hour shifts so he's used to that. We let DD watch DVD movies or listen to Disney cds and if it's dark out, she's way more likely to fall asleep. We usually try to eat on the road and then I change her into jammies and she'll usually drift off pretty quickly. I have a little pillow I can prop her head up with after she's drifted off because I hate watching it flop to the side for hours.

I mentioned it above but some sort of magnet toy is great in the room because the doors are metal. DD doesn't care much about the magnets on our fridge at home or anything but was obsessed with it in our room. Go figure!

I hope that helps. Good luck!
 
Sounds like your daughter is the same age as my youngest. My DD will be just shy of 14 months when we go at the end of Sept this year.

We also drive, but from PA. I would suggest driving at night also. More likely to fall asleep. DVDs and toys is a must. We do a combination of new and old (that they haven't seen in a while). We actually pack a cooler of picnic type foods and stop for meals at rest stops and visitor centers. These places have a lot of grassy areas to let the kids run around also. Although you said your baby may not be walking yet so this may not be as important to you at this time.

The backpack diaper bag is a must for us. So much easier to cart around.

Try to get a baby carrier, if you don't have one, so while waiting in lines you are able to comfortably hold your daughter. something that you can use as a hip carrier may be more comfortable.

My son has a milk intolerance but we were able to do Soy which Disney offers in their restaurants. However I do believe there are the non dairy drinks available like PP mentioned. Definitely soy options, so I would bet on other options as well. Also looks like Disney might offer Almond milk and Rice milk for those with milk and soy allergy. Wouldn't hurt to ask everywhere you go.

We always liked the Take n Toss cups, we would wash them a night and after the trip was over get rid of them. And if one got lost, which usually happened, then it wasn't the expensive sippy cup we used at home.

Since you have a car I suggest buying breakfast stuff for in the room. This saves time and money in the morning. We also buy snacks that we then take into the park, apple sauce pouches, fruit snacks, granola bars, nutrigrain bars, animal crackers, etc These are great for those little ones that need to snack throughout the day. Since your daughter doesn't get a dining plan it is also a good way to save money instead of buying a meal. My children as toddlers were very picky eaters, still are.

Baby care centers are awesome for cooling off, even in September.
Take tons of pictures and enjoy!
 
We took our twins when they were 10 months old. My best packing tip is to plan your outfits ahead of time and put everything (socks, onesie, shirt, pants, whatever) into a gallon zip lock bag and squeeze all the air out. Then you can just pull out the bag and have everything you need right there. We went for 5 days and I packed 7 days worth of clothes and always kept an extra change for each of them in the diaper bag.
 
We have brought a collapsible drying rack to use to hang clothes ... between swimsuits, clothes getting wet in rain, sweaty stuff, and things that get stained and need to be rinsed out, there is never enough room to hang stuff to dry. It was very useful our last trip. We also bring a step stool, which is great to not have to help with hand washing every time. Our first trip was when our younger one was 9m old, it was a great age. His eyes about popped out at the characters at Crystal Palace. Have fun!
 
Heading to WDW in 9 days with 3 month old twins, just dh and I. Not the same as your situation, but I can tell you what I am planning (hopefully it works! lol). We will have two single strollers. I bought thin light cheapo backpacks from ikea (5 bucks each or something!). One will have the extras (bottles, clothes, umbrellas, binkies, sun lotion, etc , plus the stroller "parts" fans, rain covers, clip on toys). The other bag will have the "active" stuff (diaper changing stuff, bottle stuff, disposable bibs). I plan on leaving all of it in the strollers unless we need it (but I did pack backups of everything to leave in the room in case any of it magically "walks away" when left unguarded). We will be using the busses, so I figure we will each wear a baby on the front, wear a backpack on the back and hold our stroller. We traditionally go bagless, so our phones and such will be kept on our person. We rented DVC so we will have a small kitchen, but I have been giving the babies a playtex bottle with the disposable liner once a day (we normally use Dr Brown) so they will be used to them and it will be less cleanup. I plan on only carrying three of the bottles in the parks (1 for each twin and one extra) and probably 6 nipples and a small bottle of dish soap so I can wash them once or twice a day in the parks. And I bought microwave disinfect bags to steam the nipples every night just to make sure they are grime free. They are on powdered formula and I have water bottles on order from garden grocer. On that note, Amazon does sell powdered coconut milk that you add water to just like powdered formula. If coconut works out for your dd, that might be an option to not have to deal with coolers. I ordered wipes from garden grocer as well since they are heavy, but I am bringing our own diapers because they are relatively light and cheaper in bulk and it will give us souvenir space on the way home.
 
I second the thermos suggestion. My son is milk, soy, and tree nut allergic (among other things) and was switched from formula to rice milk at 9 months. We used a thermos to carry his rice milk everywhere we went. Just fill it with ice from the hotel ice maker and let it sit for about 15 minutes, then dump the ice out and fill with your milk.

Also, we found Disney to be our most relaxing vacation where allergies are concerned. They do a great job of accommodating special requests and dietary restrictions. We were able to order alternative milk (rice, in our case) at almost every TS restaurant, so you may not need to carry a lot of almond/coconut milk with you to the parks.

I always overpacked when my kids were babies. I wanted to be prepared for every possible situation, but it created a ton of baggage that we had to haul everywhere and made traveling more difficult than it needed to be. My only advice would be to be really selective when deciding what to take and what to leave behind. Have a really great trip!
 
-Baby wipes, baby wipes for everything and everyone!
-Backpack with an extra change or 2 of clothes.
-Pack everything in the diaper bag/backpack in gallon size zip bags. I've had to change tops/bottoms/whole outfits
-Baby carrier
-Hat with a strap
-Lots of little snacks

Disney is pretty amazing when it comes to food allergies, and we look forward to going back again!
 
What kind of bag do you all recommend. Want it to be a backpack. I was going to invest in a dadgear backpack or a large Oakley backpack (kitchen sink). Will be going in nov with 1 year old daughter.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top