Originally Posted By tfdeere Hi everyone. I'm hoping to get some advice from those of you that are parents. My wife and I are going to Disneyworld some time in October. By then our son will be around 5 months old. We were planning on taking him with, but now I'm thinking that may not be a good idea. I'm worried about the trip being hard on him and us. So, to those of you that are parents, would you take your child to Disneyworld at five months of age? If you have, can you share some of the good and bad things? I really hate leaving him at home, but I'm just worried he's too young. Thanks!!!!!
Originally Posted By Amynleroy Wow I am surprised that no one has commented! I cannot speak for WDW, but my sons first trip to DL was at 5 months old and it was nice! He loved the colors and characters. He rode alot of rides and didnt cry...But you know your child the best if they get scared easy it may be to stimulating for him. I would recomend bringing somone along to help so that you dont have to ride the rides alone! I packed too much each day for him and that is the only thing I would change! You would be surprised at how much more you enjoy a Disney park looking at it through you lil ones eyes! Good luck!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 my guess is because, like the refillable mugs threads - we could benefit from an archival procedure here as this is a topic that brings out the best ( and worst ) - short answer from me: My oldest (22) went to WDW when she was 2 and my youngest (13) went when she was 3 months -- ( both have a minimum of 20 trips behind them) - family time is family time and as long as parents behave like they actually do have a very young person with them, it is all good. It changes the trip, but that is not always a bad thing... p.s. I went to DL when I was 3 months old -- opening month in 1955 ! I have pictures of being there then, that is cool. So maybe it's in our blood here.
Originally Posted By Amynleroy <maybe it's in our blood here.> LOL...my husband isnt into going to DL as frequently as myself and I told him that It's in my Gene's and that I have will will continue to pass it along to our children!!
Originally Posted By Brer Jules Personally I wouldnt take a 5 month old baby (or one under at least 2, really). They cannot enjoy the magic, the rides, the ambiance.....you would be better off enjoying it to your fullest with your partner and waiting til he's older to enjoy and hopefully remember it in my opinion.
Originally Posted By dsnyredhead Our son was going to Disneyland at about six weeks old and I know others who took their children younger than that. It was a local trip for us so we didn't need to spend more than a few hours there. You might want to think about how far you are traveling, how much time you want to spend in the parks and so forth. For us, being locals to Disneyland it wasn't a big deal. We took him for a few hours on one day and expected that we weren't going for the rides. We were going to get us all out of the house. Baby's immune systems are better than thought and being outdoors isn't going to kill your child or make them horribly sick. We took him on one ride (Small World) and took him to meet Mickey Mouse at his house in Toon Town. We have a great picture of me holding our son standing with Mickey Mouse. I don't get the whole "take your child when they are old enough to experience it" deal. Maybe if you are going to Disneyland or Disneyworld for a one time only visit and you are never ever going to come back then it might be wise to wait until they are old enough to remember it....but if you are going to make several trips there, I have no problem bringing an infant to the park. Family bonding time is important at any age and Disney is a great, fairly safe place to do so.
Originally Posted By lilgoofymom We went to WDW when our DD was 10 months old. We had a very nice time. They have a very nice baby changing station in the Magic Kingdom. You can go there to feed/nurse your baby, change them, pretty much what ever a baby needs you can do it there. Take advantage of the baby-swap at the rides so you both can enjoy the rides. Remember, you pretty much have to let baby set the pace when they are that young. We had no problems, just a very enjoyable vacation. Take care of baby and yourselves and enjoy the vacation. Take plenty of pictures too.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Just remember that if you decide to take your son, you will move a lot slower. WDW does have great baby stations and that helps. I'm one of the parents that when my oldest DD was 5 months old we left her with her grandma. It was my DH first time to DL and we went comando, speed all the way. #years old has been the youngest that I have brought my kids to DL or WDW. Which I just got back from WDW with our son, he is 3. So I guess the finnal desion is yours... it just depends on what kind of pace you want.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<but I'm just worried he's too young. >>> HAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA BAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHA OMG OMG OMG *deeeeeeep breath* *l o n g p a u s e* BAAAAAAAAAH HAHAHAHAHHAA Somebody, *tried to catch breath* some *deeep inhale* someboday please, help me BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Ok sorry. That was probably not the way I should have answered. Let me start by saying this. My 5th child, and that was 2 kids ago, rode spaceship earth toward the end of the first trimester, in the womb. We were a little worried that the G forces might centrifuge him down into ... well something other than a healthy baby. But he's totally normal and healthy, and smart as a whip. Personally, I would be totally 100% confident taking your 5 month old with my family into any WDW park and have total confidence that he would have a blast. I would return him at the end of the trip unscathed and happy. Now here is the part that may strike you as ... condescending, but I don't mean it to be. If this is your first child, you may want to take a grandma or something to share the holding and feeding and diaper changes. If this is your second or third, or in our case seventh, *pffffft* at five months you are about as durable around our house as a Teflon coated anvil. Bottom line, the baby would be fine, but leave all that "first baby gear" and gigantic diaper bag full of toys he won't play with in the room. Take only what you need and then half of that. Give him lots and lots of liquids so that he well hydrated and go for it. You will all be better for the experience. If your wife is nursing him, do it just as often and wherever you can. My wife was very skilled with a receiving blanket as a shield until about our 5th baby. Now I don't think she much cares who looks or not. I mean don't get me wrong, she still is socially responsible with the nursing, it's not just "out there for all to see" but it's not a big deal unless you make it one. Tell you a story. This will give you the information that you seek. It sounds like I am tooting my own horn, but I am not. I am just making a point that you will get easily. And this will help you more as a parent than the advice on taking a 5 month old to the parks. Just TODAY, I took 5 of my kids (left the oldest at home) and my 8 year old niece, and my 4 year old nephew to McDonald's. Just me and they. That's one adult and 7 children, ages 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 1 year old. We were sitting in the play ground area at three tables there, everyone eating, drinking, whatever. In comes this lady, about 32 or so, one child about 4 years old. Right off the bat she starts yelling at him to sit down and eat before he starts playing. He doesn't even hear her. He is off to the races on the playground equipment. He is running up the slide the wrong way and having fun. She has to literally climb up inside the tube to physically get him and drags him back to their booth. She has to tell him about 1000 times to eat and quit getting up, blah blah blah... I quietly praise my brood and tell them (and she cannot hear this) how great they are being. Finally she just lets that kid go and off to the slide tunnel, and up the wrong way he flies. After another 10 mins or so, I tell my kids to put everything that is trash into their happy meal bags and drink the last of their drinks, then they can go play, no running. Like Stepford robotic children they do this. After they all are playing, except for the 1 year old who is still seated with me in a high chair and still eating, this lady comes over. I get the standard, "How do you do it?" I like that better than the old, "You have X kids and they are so good, I have X kid(s) and can't keep it together," or some variation. I tell her that, "I truly think that large families with lots of kids have an unfair advantage. We are able to do this..." I call my 6 year old boy over and ask, "Son what did you just do that was wrong?" He replies, "I ran up the slide the wrong way." I ask, "Why is that wrong?" He says, "If someone was coming down they could hit me and someone could get hurt." I calmly said, "Ok you know what to do." And he comes quietly over and sits down next to me. He can't play for a while. I look at the lady and she is both surprised, and appalled. I can hear her thinking, wow this guy must be a total jerk/a-hole/tyrant whatever. The point is be consistent. Be in control but not over-bearing. Be the father/mother and don't be afraid to punish unacceptable behaviour, and never forget to reward positive behaviour. Lay down the boundaries and ALMOST never let them slip beyond those limits. It is possible to raise fantastic kids in today's world. Now back to reality, All of our children have gone at whatever age they just happened to be. Most go while an embryo, and most go before 6 months old. It isn't all roses, but you adapt and you will enjoy it if you let yourself relax. If you are all worried that the baby is too hot/cold, or needs to eat, or will get sick on Dumbo, or some weirdo might cough on him, then you may want to wait. But as for me, the age of the child is almost not relevant. I think the youngest we have taken to WDW was 4 months, and we had no problems.
Originally Posted By Native Californian He's not too young. We took our 5th child to WDW when he was 8 months old. We never considered leaving him behind - we all would have missed him terribly! We live in the west so there was also a long plane ride involved. He was a joy and just happy to be with us. If you are nursing, it will be so easy. Our little guy decided he was hungry when we were about to get on Dumbo. So I put our Dumbo up at the highest level and nursed him right there. We like to say that he's the only baby who was nursed inflight on Dumbo - but he probably isn't the only one! I took him into the baby center at Epcot when we needed a break from the noise and action. It is quiet and cool. They have a softly-lit room full of rocking chairs. A comfortable reclining stroller that folds nicely is helpful. I took a lightweight blanket to drape over it when he was napping. I was surprised at how many older ladies stopped to see him and "coo" over him. Some of their husbands seemed to be thinking "We're at Disney World and you stop to see a BABY?!" We have 8 children now and we have been all over with our children - even to Europe. They know they will have to take a little time out and miss out on some of the fun if they don't behave. That is the worst consequence possible because our family has such a great time together. Of course we are careful not to push them beyond their limits. Have fun and enjoy your little one. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for taking him along. He belongs with you. They grow up so fast!
Originally Posted By Native Californian Oops! I went back and reread the original post and discovered that you are the Dad! So let me rephrase one part of my post - "If your wife is nursing, it will be so easy." Sorry about that!! If you are bottle feeding, there are baby stations in every park where you can mix and warm bottles. The cast memebers are so helpful there.
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove The key to DVC Dad, he was born in 1955. That's what makes him so cool and such the uber parent. Like me. Anyway, we took our now-17-year-old Julie when she was 6 months old (nursing) and our only problem, honestly, was when my straw hat with the pink mickey-print fabric accent (that matched her pink bonnet) flew off and was lost forever as we went down the waterfall in Pirates as I snuggled. We did the baby swap and things were great. Relax, enjoy your day. You won't be a carefree teenager running here and there. You'll be a responsible, caring parent who knows their child to a T and will have a lovely time. Be patient and expect the baby pace of life. Congratulations to all of you wonderful parents out there, and DVC Dad, way to go.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <The key to DVC Dad, he was born in 1955. That's what makes him so cool and such the uber parent. Like me. < well me, VBdad was born in 1955, I know DVC dad is younger than us..... ( but he is cool )
Originally Posted By vbdad55 when I need a psychoanalyst I will ask for one....I felt she mixed us up on birthdates ( and likely did ) as it happens often here...
Originally Posted By vbdad55 if you had been around a little longer you would know more about me....as opposed to this dimestore analysis
