By Pixie Hollow Diva
Photo courtesy Pink Diva
Many people have their own opinions of how old a child should be when taking them to Disney World. You will hear people say,”Oh they won’t remember anything, they are too young.” or “I can’t believe your are going take a little baby to Disney!” I have heard those comments myself. Traveling with a little one can be easy and not overwhelming! I’m sure you’re thinking diapers, food, formula, milk, etc, but that is all perfectly okay. Everything works out and packing a little heavier is not that bad.
My family travels to Disney World every year. My girls are 6 and 2 years old. My oldest was around 15 months when we took her for the first time. My youngest first went at 9 months old. I found taking her at 9 months was much easier than being between a year and 18 months old.
At 9 months old my daughter was crawling but not walking. She did not have that strong desire of independence. Therefore, she was very content hanging out in the stroller and sitting in a high chair. She was just learning to eat finger foods. This was great because it was something new that kept her busy at restaurants. My oldest at this time was 4 ½ so my husband and I just took turns with the rides with her. This worked out totally fine for us. Even though we knew the baby would not remember, that was totally fine! My oldest one had a blast and the little one loved watching everything, it was a win win for everyone! Once young children learn to walk, I think they look for that independence and might give you a hard time with sitting still. My daughter was about 18 months old this past summer and it was much harder. She wanted to walk everywhere which became tough at times. But you make the best of it and move forward. Packing for a baby does not need to be scary either
I know, babies need a lot of stuff! It’s hard packing just to leave the house for a few hours, let alone a week vacation! IT IS OK! BELIEVE ME! We drive to Disney World because we live in NJ and the drive is not bad. By driving it allows us to pack extra things and bring more food items with us. This is an advantage to driving because I can pack all I need for the baby. I can pack the extra diapers along with food and formula. However, if you are flying, that works out also because you can pack the extra diapers and baby items in suitcases or carry ons. There are also many stores and services where you can have no issues picking up extra baby needs. You can check out Garden Grocer and have items delivered to your hotel. If you do have a car, Target and Publix is nearby! Formula or bottle tips can also make feeding the baby in the parks easier.
My daughter was on powdered formula, so I would bring a couple bottles of water with me and an empty bottle. The formula was measured out in the formula cup. When she needed to eat, I had all I needed at my fingertips. I was able to mix a bottle anywhere I was in the parks. If you are bringing pumped milk with you, I’m sure you have a cooler for the bottles. Pack a few bags of milk and a bottle. You can fill wherever you are! I would then go into the bathrooms or the baby care centers and wash the bottle thoroughly out. Now I was ready for the next feeding.
Photo courtesy Pink Diva
Baby care centers also make traveling to Disney World with a baby much easier. There are baby care centers in all four Disney World Theme Parks. These care centers are air conditioned to help the baby with the heat of Florida. The centers also included changing stations, microwave, nursing rooms, high chairs and more! They also have a shop inside for any baby items you might need. This includes diapers, wipes, formula and more. I visited the one inside Magic Kingdom and it was very nice. It is very clean and there is privacy if needed. I did not see any issues with people using the center who did not truly need it for a small child. It is a nicer spot for changing your baby and taking a break from the heat. You can read all about it here.
Photo courtesy Pink Diva
Do what works for your family. Traveling with a baby can be fine no matter what their age. Everything will work out and it is not as scary as you may think.
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