In May my DW, DD (6 Months) and mother (first real trip to WDW) are going to OKW for a weeks. DW & I have been down many times, but this is the first with a little one. I was wondering what are some of the do's and don't with one so small? Please help, dont want to make trip bad for little one and mother.
Things to do with a 6 month old DD?
- Thread starter WDWDaisy
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
I'll start out - I'm sure lots of others will also post suggestions for you.
Protect your little one (and yourselves) from the sun. Offer water/other liquids often so that the baby doesn't get dehydrated. (Good advice for the adults, too). Ask your pediatrician about sunscreen and if recommended, what brand.
Bring your own stroller if at all possible - it seems that a sunshade, basket and ability for the "occupant" to recline are essential features. If you plan to use the buses at all, it's very nice to have one that folds quickly and easily.
Check out the location of the baby care centers in each park. These are great places for parents and babies.
My daughter was very easy to take places when she was 6 months old, as she was content to be wherever we were. (She was just starting to crawl about that time, so she didn't balk at the stroller at all). If she got overstimulated, she just fell asleep.
Most importantly, try to take it easy - set a pace based on your little one and also on your mother. We still schedule a rest period in the afternoons (daughter is now in college). I think the adults will appreciate this as much as the baby. It's more important to enjoy the trip than it is to see and do it all!
Enjoy the trip!
P.S. Check out the Disney for Families Forum - there are lots and lots of people who post there that have young children. You'll be sure to get lots of ideas and good suggestions.
tink2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2003
I have taken my DD and DS when they were 6 months old. These were pretty easy trips- just wait until she's 2 1/2! LOL We went in Nov., so heat wasn't that big of a problem. I would definitley take my own stroller for comfort. The strollers at MK and AK are hard plastic and hard to take a nap in. Both of mine slept through a lot a this age. Take advantage of the baby care stations- great place to make a bottle, change diapers, and take a break in a rocking chair. A lot will depend on your DD also. My DD was a very easy-going baby- nothing phased her. If she was sleepy, she would nap in the stroller with no problem. She did, however, not eat as well the first 2 days. As a first time mom, it stressed me a little that she wasn't completing her bottles. But by the 3rd day, she was back on schedule. My son was a little more difficult- and he is definitley still more "challenging" than his sister. Just different personalities. We did not go back to the hotel for breaks in the day. We would just find a nice shady spot and rest during nap time. We also made many rest times for bottle feeding, etc. We did make PS, but just remember that your meal may include bottle feeding or rocking back and forth in your hard chair. My best advice is to have a good time- don't let little things stress you out. Everything- more than likely- won't be "perfect". You have to be willing to go with the flow!
I found that both DD and DS got lots of attention from characters at this age- parades and all. Good luck and enjoy every minute with your DD!
I found that both DD and DS got lots of attention from characters at this age- parades and all. Good luck and enjoy every minute with your DD!
I agree with the posts above. We took DD to WDW last September, she was 6 months old. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She slept in the stoller when she was tired and was very sociable when awake. The only rides we didn't go on were things like the Hall of Presidents, she didn't have patience to sit on my knee that long
. I kept her pretty much in her bedtime routine but put her in the stroller instead of the cot. This meant we were able to go out for meals etc in the evening, even got to Pebbles once. We brought ear defenders with us for when we went to the fireworks and this worked very well especially for Fantasmic which is quite loud. HTH.
. I kept her pretty much in her bedtime routine but put her in the stroller instead of the cot. This meant we were able to go out for meals etc in the evening, even got to Pebbles once. We brought ear defenders with us for when we went to the fireworks and this worked very well especially for Fantasmic which is quite loud. HTH.
We took our DD to WDW in January at 3-1/2 months. She fell asleep on most rides. You can take them on anything without height restrictions.
We did limit ourselves to only 2 parks, MK and Epcot. She didn't like being in the stroller and had to be carried by DH alot. Thank goodness for the snuggli.
She is currently 6 months old. It must be nice to have an easygoing baby. Go out to eat with her? Forget it. It doesn't matter what time of the day. As soon as we get there, she starts fussing and has to be held, standing, not sitting.
We are going back in May. She will turn 8 months old on the trip. I don't really know what to expect, but we will go at her pace, not ours. We hope to use Fairy Godmother's so we can go out to eat without a crying, fussing baby!
We are lucky in that we own DVC. We don't have to try to see everything, we will be back soon!
Good luck!
We did limit ourselves to only 2 parks, MK and Epcot. She didn't like being in the stroller and had to be carried by DH alot. Thank goodness for the snuggli.
She is currently 6 months old. It must be nice to have an easygoing baby. Go out to eat with her? Forget it. It doesn't matter what time of the day. As soon as we get there, she starts fussing and has to be held, standing, not sitting.
We are going back in May. She will turn 8 months old on the trip. I don't really know what to expect, but we will go at her pace, not ours. We hope to use Fairy Godmother's so we can go out to eat without a crying, fussing baby!
We are lucky in that we own DVC. We don't have to try to see everything, we will be back soon!
Good luck!
Baloo
<font color="red"><br>Laughter is the bloom<br>of
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2000
I agree on 6mths being an easy time with a child.It's also what slowed me down and got me to actually RELAX and ENJOY my trips to WDW!!! I had been pretty much a commando style tourer of the parks B.E.(before Erich!)He was 6 mths when I took him for the first time.It was a quick trip we only did EPCOT and DDMKTPL.But it was so great.The WS is a great place to walk leisurely around while pushing a stroller.We took him on most of the rides and he'd either be sleeping or looking around with big blue eyes! Erich liked the band British Invasion at GB. This is a GREAT age to take your child yet still enjoy a grown-up style trip!
Enjoy! =0)
Enjoy! =0)
we are just back from a trip with our 6 months old and were staying at OKW, too...
What can i say.. first of all.. take it easy.. you will probably enjoy sitting in the sun ( you, not the baby ) more than rides, we did find out that we could do maybe 4-5 hours a day max. due to the heat and the baby getting sweaty and cranky....
Offer lots of water and mix a littel bit of fruit juices in... the little ones need lots of hydration.
We did bring our own stroller for the reasons mentioned, too they tend to fall asleep easily in there and we had a sun protection set up all the time and did use a special baby sunscreen for the legs and arms....just in case....
We did some rides.. jungle cruise, Safari at AK and Spaceship earth, the shows seem to be too loud at all, so we did leave most of them after a few minutes...
Baby loved the characters.. make sure to go to Camp Minnie Mickey at AK and let them play with your baby)
Baby care centers are a must for a nice cool break during the day !!! We did use them daily and the CM are very very nice !!!
Have fun if you need more info please send a PM
Stephan
What can i say.. first of all.. take it easy.. you will probably enjoy sitting in the sun ( you, not the baby
) more than rides, we did find out that we could do maybe 4-5 hours a day max. due to the heat and the baby getting sweaty and cranky.... Offer lots of water and mix a littel bit of fruit juices in... the little ones need lots of hydration.
We did bring our own stroller for the reasons mentioned, too they tend to fall asleep easily in there and we had a sun protection set up all the time and did use a special baby sunscreen for the legs and arms....just in case....
We did some rides.. jungle cruise, Safari at AK and Spaceship earth, the shows seem to be too loud at all, so we did leave most of them after a few minutes...
Baby loved the characters.. make sure to go to Camp Minnie Mickey at AK and let them play with your baby
)Baby care centers are a must for a nice cool break during the day !!! We did use them daily and the CM are very very nice !!!
Have fun if you need more info please send a PM
Stephan
skoba-nelson
Back Off, I'm Grumpy
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2002
We went in January with our then 5 month old DS. We had some doubts, but they quickly went away. DW and I both work full time so spending the entire week with our new son was fantastic.
DS is never fussy so we didn't worry too much about how he'd react or handle things. It was funny though that on the drive from OH from about 6am to arrival at WDW at 8pm he did not sleep. We thought oh well he'll sleep the next day. We went to DTD and resort-hopped the monorail line, then had dinner at Ohana's, still no naps. The 2nd day at AK he fell asleep in the snuggli on the Kilamanjaro Safari ride. It was hilarous, his little neck all bent over and totally bouncing around but it could not wake him, for the lack of naps finally caught up to him.
It was super-slow when we went (our car was the only one in Pantere Place's at PO-R parking lot during our stay), therefore I noticed we got a lot of attention from CM's and characters. 2 different Mickeys, a Minnie, and a Tigger held him for photos at different points during the week.
We only noticed him really paying attention to a couple of things; the Lion King show at AK, Pooh Ride at MK, and Journey into Your Imagination at Epcot. What he really liked (and still does) was the CM's from other countries at Epcot (mostly) that had strong accents or broken English. This amazes him. He recently enjoyed some extra attention from the busboys and busgirls at a Chinese restaurant.
One thing we never even thought about on our previous WDW trips was this. The thing we enjoyed the most was eating out every day with our baby. Sure we eat out at home (mostly faster meals like Ruby Tuedays or Applebees), but it was nice to have some good, long meals at nice restaurants with DS. We would never think of taking a baby to a place like LeCellier at home, or Wolfgang Puck's, but at WDW you can. Our DS didn't fuss, but if he did so what, look and listen around, probably a half dozen kids/babies somewhere in the restaurant are fussy at one given time but no one notices or cares.
Enjoy the extra attention from CM's, characters,and other guests. The smiles from strangers when they see a baby still amazes me.
DS is never fussy so we didn't worry too much about how he'd react or handle things. It was funny though that on the drive from OH from about 6am to arrival at WDW at 8pm he did not sleep. We thought oh well he'll sleep the next day. We went to DTD and resort-hopped the monorail line, then had dinner at Ohana's, still no naps. The 2nd day at AK he fell asleep in the snuggli on the Kilamanjaro Safari ride. It was hilarous, his little neck all bent over and totally bouncing around but it could not wake him, for the lack of naps finally caught up to him.
It was super-slow when we went (our car was the only one in Pantere Place's at PO-R parking lot during our stay), therefore I noticed we got a lot of attention from CM's and characters. 2 different Mickeys, a Minnie, and a Tigger held him for photos at different points during the week.
We only noticed him really paying attention to a couple of things; the Lion King show at AK, Pooh Ride at MK, and Journey into Your Imagination at Epcot. What he really liked (and still does) was the CM's from other countries at Epcot (mostly) that had strong accents or broken English. This amazes him. He recently enjoyed some extra attention from the busboys and busgirls at a Chinese restaurant.
One thing we never even thought about on our previous WDW trips was this. The thing we enjoyed the most was eating out every day with our baby. Sure we eat out at home (mostly faster meals like Ruby Tuedays or Applebees), but it was nice to have some good, long meals at nice restaurants with DS. We would never think of taking a baby to a place like LeCellier at home, or Wolfgang Puck's, but at WDW you can. Our DS didn't fuss, but if he did so what, look and listen around, probably a half dozen kids/babies somewhere in the restaurant are fussy at one given time but no one notices or cares.
Enjoy the extra attention from CM's, characters,and other guests. The smiles from strangers when they see a baby still amazes me.
Belle5
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 10, 1999
We took our five year old son when he was 4 months old to WDW for the first time. What a wonderful trip. Warning: try not to go on rides that you where you are held captive and can't get out (Universe of Energy). Go on the short rides or shows that you can make a quick exit from. There is nothing worse if they do start to fuss and you know your child is ruining the presentation for everyone else.
Take him on any ride that has lots of color like Small World and the boat ride in Mexico. Try to get his stroller parked in the front row for parades. We have wonderful pictures of our 4 month old sitting up in the stroller (propped) and staring in awe at the parades. For parents the highlight of those trips when their babies are little is pointing out all the exciting things to them and watching their expressions. No, they won't remember it for long but they will have expanded their minds because of the experience.
Take him on any ride that has lots of color like Small World and the boat ride in Mexico. Try to get his stroller parked in the front row for parades. We have wonderful pictures of our 4 month old sitting up in the stroller (propped) and staring in awe at the parades. For parents the highlight of those trips when their babies are little is pointing out all the exciting things to them and watching their expressions. No, they won't remember it for long but they will have expanded their minds because of the experience.
we will be going in December with our new baby who will be 3 or 4 months old.
We also have a dd who will be 6 - so it should be an interesting trip - she will be getting to an age where she is a bit braver and wanting to do more of the rides, and obviously that won't suit a little baby - so I imagine we will be using the baby swap a lot.
Anyway - I am wondering about restaurants. At 3 or 4 months, the baby won't be using a high chair yet. At home, we would bring in our car seat, and baby would sit in that, but in the parks we won't have a carseat with us. I know strollers are normally left outside - is this relaxed at all for tiny babys? Or should we plan on holding the baby throughout the meal?
Bev
We also have a dd who will be 6 - so it should be an interesting trip - she will be getting to an age where she is a bit braver and wanting to do more of the rides, and obviously that won't suit a little baby - so I imagine we will be using the baby swap a lot.
Anyway - I am wondering about restaurants. At 3 or 4 months, the baby won't be using a high chair yet. At home, we would bring in our car seat, and baby would sit in that, but in the parks we won't have a carseat with us. I know strollers are normally left outside - is this relaxed at all for tiny babys? Or should we plan on holding the baby throughout the meal?
Bev
tink2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2003
Bev,
At Crystal Palace, they have an 'infant seat'- similar to those you see at grocery stores for the buggies. THis worked great. At Garden Grill, they let us bring the stroller in. When you are arriving and putting your name down, go ahead and address this issue with the host/hostess. Explain that your child is too young for a high chair and ask what the best thing to do is. We found everyone was very accomidating. If they didn't have an appropriate chair, we were always allowed to bring our stroller in.
At Crystal Palace, they have an 'infant seat'- similar to those you see at grocery stores for the buggies. THis worked great. At Garden Grill, they let us bring the stroller in. When you are arriving and putting your name down, go ahead and address this issue with the host/hostess. Explain that your child is too young for a high chair and ask what the best thing to do is. We found everyone was very accomidating. If they didn't have an appropriate chair, we were always allowed to bring our stroller in.
skoba-nelson
Back Off, I'm Grumpy
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2002
See my recent restaurant review post pertaining to my Jan 03 trip. Every restaurant we went in we took the stroller right in and everyone was great about making room or seating us in a place easier to be at with the stroller.
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