Hello fellow WDW parents!

We (my husband, my mother and myself) will be taking our 10 month old to WDW in just 3 weeks. We are very excited about the trip, especially R.A. (our little one)’s reaction to everything. I have just a few questions:

(1) Has anyone attempted a visit with a backpack carrier? After reading the great “Stroller debate”, I purchased the carrier thinking it might be an alternative for more crowded parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom come to mind). Is this an exhausting option? I do have to admit that at nearly 30 pounds (he’s a big boy) I do feel myself fatigued with the limited carrying practice I’ve had. Plus, with him still being such a young age, additional supplies are needed (pampers, food, a change of clothes, etc.)

(2) Stroller usage…as someone who is not patient with ignorance, am I looking at a miserable day if I do use a stroller (we’ll be bring our own, thanks)? I have been known to hit people who stop immediately in front of me (please move to the side to discuss things) or cut me off. Should I let someone else handle the driving?


(3) What should we expect to ride? I think he would enjoy the Fantasyland rides—Dumbo, Dark Rides, Small World, etc.—but what about others like Pirates, Spaceship Earth, Kilimanjaro, etc.

(4) How does a typical day flow? We are prepared for slower days, with breaks as need. But, R.A. can usually take a nap anywhere, so afternoon breaks may not be necessary. Any suggestions on quite places to take a break?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Amanda

To answer your number 2 question: Just try to maintain adequate spacing between you and the person in front of you. If they stop suddenly you'll have plenty of time to avoid hitting them. If you have a hard time pushing the stroller and remaining patient then hand it off to someone who can. You don't want the "stroller rage" ruining your day, and those around you don't need an angry person shoving a stroller through the crowds.

Just relax, have fun, enjoy the atmosphere, take it slow (you'll really need to), and everything will go just fine. :)

Oh Boy!

We took my DS to WDW for the first time when he was 9 months old. He will have a blast.

If you are going in three weeks, believe me, the parks are not going to be that crowded. It's a wonderful time to go, especially with a little one. I didn't note where you were from, but remember that the weather is going to be really nice during the day, but a night it will get a tad cool, so make sure you have some warm clothes for the baby.

When we took DS, I thought he would really enjoy the shows (Country Bears, etc.). But he liked anything that moved! We did not take him on Dumbo (it seemed pointless to stand it that long line), but he did like Pooh, and we must have gone on the people mover 5 times! He also was fine on Pirates, Spaceship Earth and the Safari. And absolutely ride Small World, the music may be annoying, but right up a 10 months old's alley.

My DS never slept better than he did in the WDW parks. He logged many hours sacked out in his stroller.

As the previous poster noted, just take it really slow, know you are not going to see everything, and enjoy!

One more thing, make use of the Child Care Centers in each park. They were wonderful, and a great place for a break!

I would take a stroller. Think about this - you're back at the American pavilion at Epcot, you want to leave but you have to walk all the way to the front entrance. Wouldn't it be better to push a stroller than carry a 30 pounder?

As far as the great stroller debate, well, when the shoe is on the other foot, you get a huge eye opening experience. My son never needed a stroller. So all my trips were stroller free. Until we took our five year old granddaughter last year. We weren't sure she'd need one but, boy, we were glad we had it. The thing with strollers is that people walking are normally looking anywhere but down. Either at a map or up or out or wherever. So the pusher needs to be more alert. I learned a ton when I had to push my husband around on a wheelchair (problem since gone away) for a visit. We slowed our pace quite a bit during that trip.

I think your little one will like just about any attraction he can go on. Spaceship Earth will have lots of visuals for him, the Safari can be bumpy so make sure you sit in the middle of the seat and not towards the ends. Pirates is fine but be prepared for the small drop at the beginning.

Quiet spots - check out the Baby Centers at each park. Other spots - the old Swan Boat area to the right of the Castle as you are facing it. There's a Rose Garden down there and benches and hardly anyone goes there (as long as it's not during a parade or other event). At Epcot, go back into the gardens in Japan. At Animal Kingdom, take a break during a non meal time and get a table at the Flame Tree BBQ down by the water. At MGM, there's a nice seating area back near the entrance to the Backlot Tour. There's an ice cream stand and counter food place here as well as rest rooms.

Have a great trip!

Thanks for all the recommendations. We are very excited about the trip and I will try to stay calm and avoid the rage.

Disnut8, I think I know your story. I've read all the reports--selling the house, Off Kilter, son's engagement, Off Kilter, trip with soon to be granddaughter, did I mention Off Kilter?

P.S. We'll definitely be taking your recommendation on New York Pizza World and hopefully catch an Off Kilter show.

Thanks everyone, I hope to write a trip report to help other first time parents.

Amanda

Regarding backpacks: We spent 4 days at WDW during Christmas week in 1997 with our 2 1/2-year-old in a backpack on my shoulders. It worked out great. I had been suffering from stress-related lower-back pain prior to the trip, but I felt great throughout the 4 days (I'm male, by the way, and have a lot of experience in backpacking). The backpack was bulky, but no more than a backpack full of drink bottles, cameras, diapers, etc. It took a little care to negotiate crowds and make the transitions onto rides, but I found it more convenient than strollering (with which I also have extensive experience...we have 5 daughters). She took her naps in the backpack, too, her head resting on top of mine.

Regarding rides: WDW offers Baby-Swap passes that work like this: The whole group approaches the queue of an attraction that has age or height restrictions. You ask the first CM you see for a Baby-Swap pass, a little slip of paper (sometimes laminated) showing the name of the ride and some rules. One person in the party stays with the baby while the rest ride. After they ride, the adult that stayed with the baby and one of the group that already rode, get to ride without standing in the stand-by line again. At least one ride at DLR (Grizzly River Run at DCA) offers a single-rider line instead of a Baby-Swap pass, which I find annoying...the same might be true at some WDW attractions.

More about rides: Other than those with height and age restrictions, the only rides we have found inappropriate for infants are those with loud noises (e.g. Honey I Shrunk The Audience) and those with motion the baby might not like (e.g. The Mad Tea Party). Everything else our babies have loved. Of course the best ride for an over-stimulated baby and a tired parent is the train around the park.

Oh, I just remember another thing. I don't know if this is the case anymore, or if it was really ever the case and we just lucked out. When we were visiting Epcot with our (then) 3-week-old 7 years ago, a cast member spotted us carrying the baby through one of the pavilions and looking rather worn and tired. She approached us and told us that we could go to Guest Relations and get a pass that allowed us to take the stroller into stroller restricted areas that are wheelchair accessible.

Since there's a lot to see in some of these pavilions and strollers aren't allowed, and your 10-month-old isn't really old enough to be doing that much walking (if he can walk), you would be doing an awful lot of carrying.

Of course, they might have changed the policy on strollers, I don't know. This is also another point toward using the backpack instead, at least at Epcot. But if you decide on the stroller, go visit Guest Relations and ask them about using the stroller in restricted areas.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by aalexander
[B]

(2) Stroller usage…as someone who is not patient with ignorance, am I looking at a miserable day if I do use a stroller (we’ll be bring our own, thanks)? I have been known to hit people who stop immediately in front of me (please move to the side to discuss things) or cut me off. Should I let someone else handle the driving?


/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, in my opinion, people walk the way they drive. There are people who will cut into your lane without adequate clearance or signal. two people or cars will try to occupy the same space at the same time, and both will think the other to blame when they collide. People will move into the safe following distance that I try to keep when I drive on the interstate, since they really don't believe that it will take 6 car lengths to stop at 60 mph, and, besides, the other driver is to blame if you are rear-ended. People who think it is foolish to drive slowly enough in icy weather so you can stop and avoid sliding off the road. So you push your stroller the way you should drive your car--patiently, watch the traffic around you, adjusting for conditions.

(1) Has anyone attempted a visit with a backpack carrier? After reading the great “Stroller debate”, I purchased the carrier thinking it might be an alternative for more crowded parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom come to mind). Is this an exhausting option? I do have to admit that at nearly 30 pounds (he’s a big boy) I do feel myself fatigued with the limited carrying practice I’ve had. Plus, with him still being such a young age, additional supplies are needed (pampers, food, a change of clothes, etc.) My one concern about the backpack carrier is that with every ride you go on you would have to take him down. Where as with a sling or front carrier, he would be on your front thus sitting in your lap for the ride. I did this with my 5 week old and made sure that I lifted her when the bar came down so that she was above it. She rode most rides other than the roller coaster type of rides. If your stroller is larger, you may want to buy a cheaper one that has a small basket but still reclines and has a cover so that he can nap in it. We did that and it is called our disney stroller. It worked perfectly rather than taking our $200 stroller. Plus you have room for the diaper bag (keep in mind that they will check the diaper bag and all of its compartments.

(2) Stroller usage…as someone who is not patient with ignorance, am I looking at a miserable day if I do use a stroller (we’ll be bring our own, thanks)? I have been known to hit people who stop immediately in front of me (please move to the side to discuss things) or cut me off. Should I let someone else handle the driving? As long as you are not running through the park, they do not tend to get in the way too much. Plus, if they want to walk in front a moving object and happen to get hit, oh well. :rolleyes: And no I do not try to hit people.


(3) What should we expect to ride? I think he would enjoy the Fantasyland rides—Dumbo, Dark Rides, Small World, etc.—but what about others like Pirates, Spaceship Earth, Kilimanjaro, etc. At that age, he will love it all. They do not know to be afraid yet.


(4) How does a typical day flow? We are prepared for slower days, with breaks as need. But, R.A. can usually take a nap anywhere, so afternoon breaks may not be necessary. Any suggestions on quite places to take a break? Usually what we do is leave about 8, stay until 1, go back for cool down/naps (forced relaxation) then head out for dinner at one of the parks. Naps in the parks are fine but I find there are more meltdowns if we don't take the forced rest periods. We did find that the porch of the Exposition Hall (on right as you walk through train station) is a good place for naps because they have rocking chairs for the adults. Also, my son took a nap in his stroller up on the train station as we waited for the parade. Also the forced rest periods allow you to restock bags/formula and such. Also, don't know if your son is on formula but typically if you request a fridge for the formula they will not charge you. Hope this helps - PM me if you have any other questions.

Also, make sure if you take the stroller in the park that you have a rain cover handy. Wet strollers are YUCKY. My son got a kick out of riding in his stroller with the cover on it.

We took our 18 mt old to WDW with a good backpack and it worked great!! He really loved the view (much better than the rear ends of the crowds at the stroller level). But we had a pretty good backpack- with a hip belt and lots of adjustments. I would definately try out walking for some real distance see if this will work for you. We loved it.

For our child we ramped up in the fantasyland rides to see when our youngest would have trouble. Starting with it's a small world (not dark- no sudden moving things) then to Winne the Pooh, then Peter Pan. Each ride added a new thing to get used to- but I think by ramping him up, our son got used to it gradually and then went on every ride he could go on! Even Haunted Mansion etc. 10 mt olds don't have much imagination- so they actually go on rides that 3 or 4 yr olds might have trouble with. I just sang softly in my son's ear if he looked too flustered and also looked at the boat ahead of me to anticipate drops etc and then said "wee" just before we dropped, or turned etc. It worked very well.

Front packs might be a lot easier to maneuver with.
(Been a while since I carried a 10-m.o.)
Oh nevermind. Just saw the weight.

I suggest an umbrella stroller and two backpacks for the necessities. When he needs carrying, the stroller can carry a backpack for that time.

As for poor stroller driving, simply watch where you're going while others handle the directing. Go as slow as you want. People can go around you. Please, do not allow your party to create a horizontal line, though. Even better, have hubby walk in front of you. At least you'll know the person you hit.