What's getting ready for Disney like with a baby? It's stressful,magical and filled with so much pixie dust that you might cry! My oldest had his first Disney Experience at Disney springs when he was 3 months old and his first park experience at 7 months old. My youngest had his first Disney Springs trip at 4 weeks and his first park experience at 11 months. I guess you can say that a trip to Disney before 1 is a right of passage in my family. In this blog I'll share my experience with going to Disney with a child under 1!
First, make sure that you have a stroller that has cup holders and a
good size basket (you will need it)! Cup holders are essential for all
of the amazing drinks that you can get while visiting the parks as
well as Disney Springs. Since both of my boys were small when we went
we used our travel system (car seat and stroller combo) and it was
wonderful. Please keep in mind that strollers MUST be folded when
boarding a bus, tram and smaller ferries, You can leave them open on the
larger ferries as well as the monorail. One of the good things about
the travel system is that the car seat detaches from the stroller, which is nice since
you won't have to wake the baby up when they fall asleep for a dining
reservation. Also, in most cases it will provide extra shade from the
Florida sun (car seat canopy and stroller canopy). In this blog I will
be sharing my packing and planning tips.
In a future blog we will go on a field trip to BuyBuy Baby where we
will take a hands on look at strollers and car seats and I will share
my two favorites for each price point,
Come along for the ride and please keep hands, feet, arms, and legs
inside at all times and supervise young children!!
Let's get started with the planning process! This can be stressful but
with a travel agent who has young kids herself there's no need to
worry. I am here to hold your hand and be your fairy godmother! Here
are my top resort pics for those with young children.
Lets start with one of my personal favorites, Fort Wilderness
Campgrounds and Cabins! Did you know that you don't need too own an RV
or camper too stay at Fort Wilderness?! You can rent a camper or stay
in one of their beautiful cabins! Enjoy the meadow pool as well as the
wonderful food options and the newly renovated Circle D Ranch where
you can visit and say hello to some very lucky and beautiful horses!
Transportation options:
Boat, bus and Minnievan
If Fort Wilderness isn't your cup of tea let's take a look at
Wilderness lodge right across Bay Lake! Wilderness Lodge offers a
wonderful pool, beautiful grounds and a great selection of room
categories. Wilderness lodge is also home to Boulder Ridge and Copper
Creek Disney Vacation Club locations which offer many wonderful amenities!
Transportation options:
Ferry, bus and Minnievan
If you want something on the monorail loop you have your choice of The
Contemporary Resort, Polynesian and Grand Floridian. All three of
these resorts offer something unique whether it's an over the water
bungalow at Disney's Polynesian Resort, a 1 bedroom suite at Bay Lake
Towers or a Theme park view at the Grand Floridian being on the
monorail loop is especially helpful with little ones.
Transportation options:
Monorail, Bus, Ferry and Minnievan
If you still want transportation that still allows you to use your
stroller with a more budget friendly price tag then let's hop on the
Skyliner loop! The Skyliner is a gondola that takes you from select
resorts to select parks. Double strollers will need to be folded in
order to fit.
First resort on the Skyliner loop is Disney's Caribbean beach resort
where you can stay in a pirate room pool view overlooking the
fabulous pool or a regular pool view room if you don't want the pirate
theme. If you want to stay in a Finding Nemo, Cars, Little Mermaid or
Lion king themed room head over too Disney's Art of Animation. If you
want something a little more luxurious head over to Disney's newest Vacation Club
resort Riveria where you can enjoy a wonderful breakfast at Toppolinos
(character meal for breakfast ONLY). Parks that are available VIA
Skyliker are Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
If you want to be able to walk to EPCOT come visit Disney's Boardwalk!
Along the boardwalk, you will be surrounded by amazing food, games and
resorts! If you are looking for an amazing pool be sure to check out
Disney's Beach and Yacht Club. Relax in the lazy river and enjoy a
swim in the sandy bottom pool! While staying there you can also walk
to EPCOT where you will enter through the international gateway and
get to experience the different countries (DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE
A BASE TICKET)
If you don't mind having to use the bus and want to possibly have your
morning coffee with a giraffe lets check out Animal Kingdom Lodge! Be
sure to get the Savannah view to see some amazing animals!
Don't forget those park passes and meal plans!!
CONGRATS!!! You've booked your baby's first Walt Disney World
Vacation! Now, on to the packing.
This is where it gets either really fun or really stressful! Here are
some of my tips to help you! First, get those Disney themed outfits
picked out! You can find them at Walmart, Disney.com, your local
Disney Store, Target and Kohls. In order to save space while packing
grab some zip lock gallon sized bags and pack each day in there, if
you are like me you can go ahead and label what park it is for. Once
baby is dressed for the day just put the ziploc bag in the diaper bag
and enjoy your day! The ziploc bag also serves as a bag for spit up
incidents as well as spills, clean clothes come out and dirty clothes
go in. I pack 3 outfits a day. One Disney theme, one back up and a
pair of Pajamas. Make sure to squeeze the air out of the bags to
maximize the space.
Now it's time to pack the diaper bag! This can be overwhelming! I have
the Skip Hop duo weekender and it's perfect (this bag is no longer
made but I will try to find something comparable). What I love about
this bag is the size of it and all of the pockets that are on the
inside. I keep a regular container of wipes, in the center diapers on
one side and receiving blankets on the other side, then diaper cream
and formula, sunscreen, big spray, hand sanitizer and some other
things we needed for the day.I kept bottles filled with water on each
side and 2 more water bottles (16oz) in the bag also.There was even
space left over so I was able to get my wallet and wrist let in the
big part and my cell phone went the the front zipper part.
Now that you have baby packed time to get yourself packed and on the
road or to the airport.
If you are driving I suggest that you leave early in the morning or
late at night so that baby is sleeping for a good portion of the ride.
If you are flying make sure that baby has a ticket so that they can be
in their car seat for the flight.This is for their comfort as well as
everyone's safety. Also, checking a car seat can cause it too get lost
or damaged.
Once you have landed at Orlando International Airport (MCO) follow the
signs for the Magical express (car seats can't be used and will be
stored under the bus) and let the fun begin!!
In my next blog I will talk about going to the parks and give little
tips and tricks..
As Tigger would say TTFN, Tata for Now!
