[Paul S]

I'm a new daddy of an 8 month old. I find parenting a joy. I wasn't scared or caught off guard by anything. He wants something at 2am I'm there with bells on-- and what's a little poo between a father and son? But what really freaks me out is that this October (23rd) I'll be doing my first Disney trip with a child (besides the two of us ). I really want to know what to expect; what to bring; what to do; Namely:

1. He'll still be quite young (1 on October 9th) should we plan a lot of character things?

2. What would you not leave home without-- what's indepsensible?

3. What would you leave at home-- what could we do without?

4. Any other wise advice would be greatly appreciated.

Details on our trip: Staying at Carribean Beach w/ the raging hordes (My parents & two younger brothers (18 & 21); Sister, brother-in-law, niece/nephew (7 and 6) Starting October 23rd for 7 nights.

[karliebug]

cant do without: diapers, buying them on site is expensive. Also, swim diapers. sunscreen and lots of it for that baby skin, disposable bibs, sippy cups. Little snack items like goldfish or cherrios. Bring your own umbrella type stroller (with a canopy is best). That will save you $7 a day. Plan on going back to the resort after lunch for a nap break. Take advantage of the baby rest spots in each park. They are air conditioned and have basic supplies you may have forgotten.If you have a cooler or a fridge in your room, bring your own juice and milk. You can make a grocery stop on your way to the resort. I also recommend bringing infant tylenol and cold medicine just in case teething kicks in while your there or if he catches a cold. We have taken our three girls every year since they were babies. Now they are 14,9, and 5. Oh, I also brought toddler sized spoon and fork with me,too.

[gracie]

We have travelled plenty with my DD (she is now 3 yrs old). The stroller is a must, as well as the snacks and toys to entertain him when he is in his stroller.
As for the character meals, I would probably do one or two. At that age, they are still not too afraid and they might enjoy it a lot. My sister has pictures of my nephew at 1 yr old at Chef Mickey's and he looked like he was having a blast.
Plan on plenty of naptimes in the afternoon when the sun hits and try not to overdo it with the activities.
I don't know about your son, but my DD was great for falling asleep in the stroller when we would walk around, so we still got to go out a little in the evenings while she slept in her stroller.
I'm sure you'll have a great time. Enjoy!

[inluvwithdisney]

All the above mentioned are great! ie: snacks, drinks, changes of clothes, bibs, sunscreen etc.... all in a very versitile stroller!! They also have stroller covers for rain at Toys R Us for about $10 that might be a good idea depending on the weather pattern at that time!!!

Character interactions at age one are usually good!! They are not afraid yet!!! At two it is not always so much!!! When our daughter was one she loved the characters!!! When she was two was scared of them and back to loving them when she was three!!!! So take advantage of the character pictures and interactions now!!

A definite MUST have LOTS OF FILM!!!!!

[MickeyMamma]

1. He'll still be quite young (1 on October 9th) should we plan a lot of character things?
This depends on your son. Some kids get very shy and frightened around the characters. We found with our DS that he was more comfortable with the fuzzy characters than with the face characters. Also he was more comfortable interacting with them towards the end of our trip when he had seen them a bit and knew what they were. Of course, this will depend on your DS's temperment.

2. What would you not leave home without-- what's indepsensible?
Take his security object and one of his blankets for him to sleep with. Helps them feel more secure, especially at night. I agree with above about diapers, sunscreen and the stroller too. ** You may want to get one of the umbrella strollers with a canopy on them which is great for when the sun is beating down or he wants to take a nap - definately worth the extra few $$ to protect baby's skin. Also, don't forget his hat.

Depending if he is nursing, on formula, or drinking milk you want to be prepared for that too. Make sure you have his bottles or cups if he is using them. Oh yes, bring snacks - a bag of Cheerios can do wonders for a bad mood.

3. What would you leave at home-- what could we do without?
Large play items. Try to keep the toys you bring to a minimum. He will probably be tired out from the parks all day so he shouldn't need too much at night.

4. Any other wise advice would be greatly appreciated
Take it easy on this trip. Be prepared to take it slow. Make a few meal PSs and make them on the earlier side (especially for dinner) so that way you are not trying to eat when he is beyond cranky. While it may seem odd to try to do Disney slowl, you will get to really enjoy seeing WDW through your son's eyes. It is really great fun!

Oh yes, bring your camera, and LOTS of film!!!!

[KarenT]

My DD was 9 months old the first time she went to WDW

Things I could not live without

Stroller! snacks, diapers, juice

The baby care stations are all really nice to feed or nurse a baby.

I may get some other opinions but bringing the car seat on the airplane was the biggest pain in the #$%^ ever !

If your child gets uncomfortable there is no where to put it. Every time my DD
moved her legs she kicked the seat in front. This was due to the way the seat fits on to the airplane seat.

She did character meals and seemed to enjoy them.

She loved It's a small world... still one of her favorite rides.

Karen

[queensmama]

Be sure that you bring a sun hat for the little fellow, make him wear it. He may turn into the devil if he gets burned!

[BDavis932]

We took our DD when she was 9 months old. The only drawback to that was she was still on the bottle and it is not very convenient to wash bottles in the hotel sink so keep that in mind.

You may need a fridge at the resort, or if you have a car or a towncar service, you could pick up a styrofoam cooler at a local grocery store and refill the ice from the hotel vending machine daily.

What everyone said above is great. If you plan on staying in the parks all day, make sure you have a stroller that will lean back (so he can lay down). We always stay in the parks all day (never take an afternoon break) even when our kids were that age. We would take turns on the "big rides" while they took naps. It was a win-win!!

Be sure to pack tylenol/advil (fever reducer...pain releiver). Wet wipes for your room and then the smaller travel pack for the diaper bag. Oh, that reminds me, it also nice to have a stroller with a basket underneath of it so that you can put the diaper bag tucked out of the way. We always leave the diaper bags (with no "real" valuables" in the stroller, even on rides). Also, be sure to pack an extra couple of outfits in the diaper bag each day...if your son is like mine, we were changing clothes all the time from something spilling or leaking!! Saves a trip back to the hotel!!

I would also pick up one of those battery powered fans that you can clip on his stoller while napping, in case it is warm out.

October is a GREAT time of year to go! And you chose a great day! 10/23 is my son's 9th BDay!

[roxie]

I saw this mentioned only once - take lots of baby wipes! (Along with everything else mentioned.) We would take a refill pack of wipes - the stack was about 3 inches thick - and just put it in a plastic food storage bag and stick that in the bottom of the stroller. We always took out big stroller with us, too. That way our DD was comfy, could sit up or lay flat, and it had a big storage bin underneath. We crammed that full. When she got tired, we just flattened the stroller out and she fell asleep. It is amazing what they can sleep through. They get exhausted. But then they wake up refreshed! Also, if you are using a bottle, don't premake your bottles, take the powder and bottled water. Make them there and ask a restaraunt to microwave for you. We never had anyone refuse to do this. That way you don't have to worry about freshness. Just take it easy and have fun!

[pbharris4]

We're leaving July 24th and my DD w3ill be 13 months old on that day. All the things people mentioned above are great. I would like to add that my DD is still on the bottle and we'll take a bottle brush and dish detergent. Also, I don't know if it was mentioned, but there are clip on fans that are battery operated that clip onto the stroller and the blades are made out of sponge type material so it won't hurt them if they grab it. This helps keep them cool....I might use 2!!! I would also have to say to be flexible. Make sure your child gets naps because if you push them to do too many things every day for several days in a row..you'll have a tired "bear" on your hands and it'll be hard on the baby and everyone else. I'd also have to say make sure to make PS arrangements before you leave so that when you go you won't have to wait an hour to eat while your child is hungry. Normally, (I am a SAHM) I plan whatever I do around meals, and naps..and WDW will be no exception. My DD is a very happy child because of this. Except when she got 6 teeth at once! :0)

[Paul S]

Thanks so much everyone-- these replies are fantastic. I didn't even know about the baby care stations at the parks, so that alone was priceless advice. We travel with many of the aforementioned items anyway, so we'll have things like crackers & juice, sunscreen, etc.

We're kind of leisurely about it anyway, so it won't be hard to take it easy. Funny thing is we see everything the harried and active crowd sees anyway; and we enjoy it more. Ever since we started staying on-site, the afternoon nap has been a staple of our Disney experience. We go to Disney to induldge. Is there anything more decadent than a nap in the middle of the day? I say nay, there be not, maties!!!

Anyway-- like I said-- this is all great. Keep it coming if there's more. I'm taking notes.

[Paul S]

I have a few more specific questions... Will we be able to do things like Haunted Mansion with a 1 yr old? Does anyone know the rules about riders on certain rides as it pertains to our situation? Some are obvious-- like Test Track & Splash Mountain for example but we're wondering about things like the Haunted Mansion, and some of the EPCOT things like the ball, the shows, and the Mexico Exhibit-- even Pirates???

[Paul S]

How's the weather October 23rd-30th?

[Disney6]

We have taken our 3 oldest all before they were a year old and one thing you should consider is a fan that mists water. It can be quite warm even in October. We are leaving this Saturday and it will be our 8 month old's first trip. We have 4 of the fans(all bought from the Disney Store) so each child will have one and there has been many a time I ended up using them too. With a child don't try and do everything and just enjoy watching their eyes light up at all of the sights and sounds.

[skwak]

Originally Posted by Paul S

How's the weather October 23rd-30th?

Paul S we went last October around that date and it was 85 deg and sunny every day. Nice weather with no real rain. You picked a good time of year.

Good Luck!