[tigger03]

Hello. I am new to the forum and I am very thankful for message boards like this. I have learned alot. I am scheduled for a five night trip the week after Easter with my DH and 3 DD, ages 7, 3, and 19months(at time of trip). My relatives and husband think that we should leave are youngest with grandma or postpone the trip till the kids are older. My seven year doesn't care about any of the big rides and from what I understand the younger ones would be able to rides most everything else. Is it a nightmare to stand in the lines for rides with little ones. It won't be the family vacation I have been planning for and dreaming of if my youngest isn't there. Do we immediatley abandon the stroller at the begining of the line for rides? I haven't been to disney since I was 14 and didn't really pay attention to those with little ones. Am I making a huge mistake by taking her so young? Any advice welcomed. By the way we are staying on property with our own car as we will be making the 18 hour trek from Michigan.
Thanks.

[mattomouseman]

Our first trip to WDW was when our youngest was 23 months old. Granted those two-three months can make a big difference but in my opinio you shouldn't have a problem. You can actually do a baby handoff: For example your husband can get on the ride with your children who can and you would wait right at the end of the ride with the baby. When the ride is over your husband would get off and you can get right on. As for the stroller and rides that you could take the baby on: You would park the stroller outside the ride and get in line, you would have to carry the baby the length of the line. At Easter time the parks will be very crowded and the lines will be long. It will be up to you or your husband to carry the baby. I'm not sure which week will be most crowded, the week before or the week after Easter.
As I write this I realize that both you and your husband will have to be committed to and resigned to the fact that you will be spending quite a bit of time carrying the baby while waiting in line. :)

[brumcg]

Tigger03,

Welcome to DC!

We've gone to WDW twice in the last 2+ years with my youngest - first 12 months and then 26 months.

The scariest thing, IMO, that I heard is the 36 hours you'll be spending in the car. We drove (from the Cincinnati area - about 15 hours) two years ago. I vowed not to drive again until she's older. We flew last time, and that worked out much better.

Mattomouseman handled the line waiting question perfectly.

The one thing you will definitely want to do - especially since you are staying on property - is to take a mid-day break. Everyone in the family will appreciate it. Also, search through the forums for other tips such as strollers, food, etc...

You can have a great time in WDW with a 19-month old, but be sure you and your husband are on the same page... ;)

Bruce

[tigger03]

I am a little afraid that my husband isn't on the same page. He would just assume leave her with his mother. It will just have to be one of the those wait and see, pray for the best, prepare for the worst things. Handling just the baby is one thing, but the dynamics of all three girls together, will either be very magical or a disaster. Luckly my sister-in-law is lending us her vcr for the van trip and with my kids being the disney movie junkies that they are, this should help ease the road trip. And we are very excited about the resort pools, so their will have to be some breaks. Any tips for handleing the kids in line?:)

[trishb]

You ask a very good (and complicated) question. I have taken my little boy at 4 mos, 8 mos, and 21 mos. The last time was the most fun!

You have to keep in mind that you do have a toddler. That means standing in any line will be a challenge. If you accept that, and understand that you will not be able to do everything, or even half of everything...you will be fine.

Our trip was a success, because we established priorities. What do you want to see? What do you want to do? Make a list and be sure to do those few thing, if you don't do anything else.

Family trips should involve the whole family. It might be easier if you leave the littlest one behind, but it won't really be a family vacation. Some sacrifices are worth the trouble.

I'll be happy to answer any more specific questions that you have.

[Goofette]

I agree with the other responses. It doesn't seem like a family vacation to leave one out, but only you know your baby and her limits. There were days I was very tired with just one child who was older. She would get tired and hot waiting in lines. Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh were the two rides that were horrible. Be sure to get fast pass early in the morning for these two rides. You do not want to wait in line for these, and the fp run out early (or did when we were there).

There were actually lots of baby tips someplace, and now I can't think of where I read them. I'll try to IM you if I can think of them.

If I were you, I would start a seperate thread and call it tips for waiting in line, or something like that. And get ideas from members about ideas. The people here on this site have great ideas.

Goodluck


forgot to say...dd was easier to travel with when she was young. We drove to Arizona from Arkansas when she was one, and she was probably better at times during that trip. So it's hard to tell how they'll behave. Movies are great for the car though.

[BDavis932]

Yes, bring the whole family. We brought our son when he was 2, our daughter when she was 9 months, and our daughter again when she was 28 months. I wouldn't change a thing. It does require a little more planning and a little more patience, but just wait til you see that smile on her face when she's riding Dumbo! It will be so worth it.

I'm sure your other children will keep her entertained in line, as well. And buy her a light up "spinner", my kids loved them (and still do for that matter!) Also, try the spinning lollipops. Bring sugar free suckers from home (the ones on the sticks) and buy one of the Disney character lollipop spinners. Just let her have it while in line. It worked for my kids!!

[mattomouseman]

You didn't ask about meals! I would strongly suggest,, if you haven't already, that you make PS arrangements for your meals at night. PS arangements or "Priority seating" is best explained at www.pscalculator.com , There is nothing like knowing you have a place to sit down and rest your feet and feed the kids. Most of the restaurants are either family style (for example-Liberty Tree, Garden Grill) or they are buffets (Fro example-Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's). There are also some regular sit down restaurants (For example- The Brown Derby, LeCellier) The character meals can get pricey but they are well worth the price and are usually buffets so you can really get your monies worth! :)

[Goofette]

Plus, WDW is very baby friendly. Do you have the unofficial guide to WDW? It has some very good tips in it, plus it's fun to read!

[trishb]

I agree with Mattomouseman! My boy did really well with buffet meals. The informal, sit down atmosphere and quick food were real winners with him.

[ArielBelle]

Oh, please take that baby with you. We took our then 20 mos old and 3 year old to Disneyland. We made the kids "needs " our top priority. I always carried juice or water and some kind of carbo snack. Dehydration and hunger can cause a meltdown in our clan. When it was close to nap time for him...we left the park. I took my DD to the pool and my DH stayed in the room with the baby to nap. I am certain my DS had a great time. We had no problems and had our best vacation ever.

It is true you need to be on the same page. My DH and I just had a sense of humor about everything. Hey, we were in Disney! :)

By the way, we are Disneybound in August with a DD5, DS3, and (yep you guessed it) DS1.5.:dazed

[disneyfan]

I would definetely leave the young one with grandma. You'll spend more quality time with the older ones, and she will skip the loooong hours in the car. A couple of years ago I left my 18 months old daughter with my mother and I have no regrets. We stayed longer in the parks and did not have to worry about diapers, baby food, etc. My older daughter got all the attention, she really enjoyed the trip.
We are going back on April, this time with the little one, which is now 3 1/2. I think now she is ready to enjoy WDW- and let me enjoy it as well ;)

[BuzzLightyear]

We took our son last May , when he was 16 months old. He had such a great time that we booked again for this May.
You do have to realize that the little one will slow you down and you won't get to do as much. But sometimes its nice to take it easier and go at a baby's pace for a change.
Just the look on his face during the Character meals was worth any extra effort on our part to bring the "youngest" one with us.
Just my opinion.

[mattomouseman]

Yes I would have to agree with Buzzlightyear, you will have to go at the baby's pace. I have given this thread a great deal of thought, another thing you have to take into account is how much help your going to have with the baby. I hate to be this way (Expecially being a male and all) but a lot of guys aren't very helpful when it comes to the more mundane baby chores (Diapers, burping :nervous etc) associated with child rearing:dazed . I guess your going to have to take then into account also. Myself I always dove in headfirst when it came to my kids and as my wife realized this she was sorry that she insisted on putting off some of the trips that I wanted to take when our first one was born (She lsitend to her sisters ). One such trip was a vacation we had planned for Arizona, but that's another story for another time. My point is this: If you and your husband are NOT on the same page and he is not inclined to help out and see the joy in the total baby experience, it might be better to wait until the child is older, I'm not one for splitting up the family for a vacation (It's either all off us or nothing). That is unless you feel you can get past that and handle the baby on your own without any help! It is a real tough call. :)

[alexatdisney]

If it's a family vacation then your 19 month DD is part of the family, so yes do bring your DD with you.


1- Do remember this and repeat as necessary,
" No panic, relax, this is a vacation"

2- With a big group children or not, you need to organize.
Get reading material like "DisneyWorld with Kids" or
any other good books about Disneyworld.

3- Don't plan by the hour, plan by day and as you go.

4- Add "day off" at the hotel, I learned the hard way that
everyday at the park is a lot for small kids.

5- Use the FastPass system, it's does work.

6- You might want to try those little hand walky-talky, it's great when your withing a park and the group need to find each other
after a spilt.

100. HAVE FUN!!!!!!:)


These are the points that comes to mind right now.
Anyone, feel free to add small easy points to remember.