Overwhelmed by Disney with a one year old - tips?
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Anonymous
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How old is your one year old, OP? My extended family just went with a 25 month old, a 12.5 month old, and a 4 month old, so our older two kids are at the extreme ends of what your one year old could be. We all had a great time. Their favorites were:
- Animal Kingdom: Boneyard, safari ride, Lion King show - Magic Kingdom: basically everything without a height requirement! But especially It's a Small World and Dumbo (especially the play place in the Dumbo line). - EPCOT: the Frozen ride - Hollywood Studios: the oldest liked Toy Story Mania, even though he couldn't do the shooting Depending on your kid, I'd consider skipping the Pandora boat ride, as it absolutely terrified our two year old. Have fun! |
Anonymous
| Use Rider Swap |
Anonymous
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Be very careful taking him on rides even without height requirements. Some of them can still be bumpy and they won't be good for his brain development. |
Anonymous
| Even if you don't get the fast passes you want at first, keep checking back. Other guests change their plans and cancel/modify their own fast passes, which leaves openings. |
Anonymous
Yes! This is so true. I usually plan Disney trips far out and get fast passes and reservations on the first day that you can. That said, last January we went at the LAST minute and I kept checking while we where there and got everything I wanted. |
Anonymous
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We have 3 kids under 10 and annual passes so I've done Disney a LOT with 1 year olds. The Baby Care Center in MK has one nursing room with a few rocking chairs but I was also always able to find a bench or seat somewhere in the shade to just sit and nurse.
Ride Swap with Fast Passes also means that your older kids could go twice on those rides because they can go once with each parent while the other parent stays with the baby. When you request the Ride Swap with the first parent, they give a pass for 3 people to ride again and then the second parent can use their own FP and let the 3 older kids use the Ride Swap pass. My older kids loved this while the youngest was still too short for many rides. We did spend a lot of time separately, but not all of it. Rides that are fine for the baby: Railroad Magic Carpets Jungle Cruise Pirates of the Caribbean Riverboat Peter Pan it's a small world Carrousel Dumbo Under The Sea PeopleMover |
Anonymous
| Just know when to pull the plug and go back to the hotel or split up so one of you can find a place to chill out with the baby while to other forges ahead with the older kids. Don't try too hard to make everything a "family activity." |
Anonymous
| Remember you can’t take strollers into lines. So have a plan for dealing with the baby in line. |
Anonymous
| At age one you should be taking a parent-centric vacation. A one year old will get nothing from Disney. |
Anonymous
Did you not read the OP? There are also three other kids ages 7 and 10. |
Anonymous
| Appreciate all the tips, thank you! |
Anonymous
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We took our 16 month old to MK at the beginning of December for one day and it was actually really great. We got there at rope drop and stayed until about 7 pm, so we didn't see the fireworks but we didn't plan on it anyway. DD's bedtime is 7 so it was already late for her to be out.
We brought our own stroller and TONS of snacks. Keeping her occupied with snacks and sippy cups definitely helped whenever we were waiting in line. DD isn't great at sleeping in public so at her normal nap time (around noon) we headed to the baby care center. It's at the front of the park near the Crystal Palace. I got in one of the chairs in the nursing room and sat there for a couple of hours while DD napped. I would have gotten up if anyone came in and there wasn't another available chair for someone who needed to nurse or pump, but luckily that never happened. DH just relaxed on a bench or something somewhere and occupied himself on his phone. Even if you get your little one to nap in the stroller, I recommend using the care center if the baby does need a break. While you do that, perhaps your DH could take the older kids to do something fun. DD had fun and was able to ride most of the rides. Her favorite things were: Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, It's a Small World (rode it twice), the Tiki Room, and the Country Bear Jamboree. She also loved watching the parade and dancing in the street. We had more fun than I thought we would, honestly. I'm looking forward to taking her again! You will have fun, OP - just go with an open mind and take your cues from baby. |
Anonymous
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OP - I have been to WDW with my kids countless times. I swear the best trip we ever took was when my son was just 13 months old.
-Use Rider Swap. -Have a plan -Find things to do with the baby while big kids are riding. For example , while your kids and husband are riding Thunder Mountain, take your child to the little playground by Splash Mountain or Country Bear Jamboree or to meet a character -Make a list of all attractions that can be experienced as a family and spread them out through the day. |
Anonymous
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The fact that your other kids are all at least 7 is perfect - 7 is the age when children can ride alone, which means there won't be any worries about do you have enough adults on hand to take the kids on rides (a child younger than 7 must have an adult with them in the ride vehicle - so for big families certain rides can be tricky if you can only fit 2 people per vehicle). You can even drop all three big kids off at the start of the line and pick them up at the exit, if there's something they want to ride obsessively and you want a break. My 7 yo rode the Buzz Lightyear ride six times in a row while his 2 yo brother napped in the stroller - I just kept walking him to the entrance, waiting at the exit, and repeat.
The Dumbo play area is great - and air conditioned! (maybe not relevant for OP's trip but good for others to know) There's also a little play area on the path to Splash Mountain from Frontierland. An older 1 would like it. |