9 months old vs 18 months

Hi, we are currently expecting twins and we have the opportunity to go to Disney World (we are from the UK) we have the option of going to Wdw with them 9 months old with my parents (which we would all love) or waiting till they are 18 months and going without the help of grandparents.

What would be peoples suggestions, these are our first babies so I have no idea!

Thanks in advance!

Either way, they will not remember the trip, and they will be too little for certain rides. So I would choose the trip that works best for the adults. This one is for you to initiate them into the wonderful world of WDW, to make life-long memories that you and your spouse will bond over for years, and to take the cutest pictures that will ever grace the walls of your home. Grandparents love to be a part of this. My grandma just turned 90, is in the early stages of Alzheimers, and still talks with my dad about my first ride on IASW.

I'd go for 9 months because:

• They probably won't be walking yet, so easier to corral
• Babies are generally happier, with fewer temper tantrums at 9 months
• You'll have the grandparents along, great memories (for you, great pictures for them later) and great helpers!

My only con:

• They wont be fully vaccinated yet, so they'll be susceptible to stuff like measles that spread at Disneyland recently.

Thanks for your advice guys!!

Himmin said:

Hi, we are currently expecting twins and we have the opportunity to go to Disney World (we are from the UK) we have the option of going to Wdw with them 9 months old with my parents (which we would all love) or waiting till they are 18 months and going without the help of grandparents.

What would be peoples suggestions, these are our first babies so I have no idea!

Thanks in advance!

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Congratulations! Our twins just turned one yesterday and we took them when they were ten months old. It was a great trip! I would do it again in a heart beat!

• we bought little baby head phones for the plane- much to our surprise they kept them on and slept for 90% of both flights
• we opted for an early morning direct flight even though it meant driving two hours to Chicago instead of a regional flight (we're doing the opposite in a month flying to San fran with the babies so we'll see the difference!)
• my parents came to help but they didn't come until we had already been there for four days- we wanted some "just the four of us" time at wdw and that worked out very well
• we made two table service adrs every day- this may be controversial however we found counter services meals to be immensely more stressful than table aervice meals. At table service our kids were perfectly content to sit and eat the food we gave them, they loved sitting at the big tables and loved trying new foods. At counter service it was much too stressful eating with kids so we stick with table service- we brought disposable mats that we could put on the table in front of them so they weren't waring off the dirty tables and plenty of wipes to clean the chairs.
• some of their favorite meals were 50's prime time, sanaa (loved the naan), and rose and crown for the fireworks
• we shipped lots of disposables to the resort using Amazon- worked out great
•we used magical express but brought our own luggage from the luggage rack instead of having dme pick it up- that way wen weren't without essentials
• we did a few rides but mainly enjoyed the sites and sounds and took it at our babies' pace
• we had each day's diapers snacks etc organized in separate plastic baggies so in the morning we just grabbed one and were good to go
• we stayed at the beach club so spent almost no time on buses (walked to dhs and epcot- most of the time to get to mk we just walked through epcot and got on the monorail)
• we had a nice twin stroller that we brought ourselves - of course our girl just wanted to be held so I spent most of the trip wearing her- it was great
• the babies definitely woke up often at night so some mornings I took the babies to the park or the quiet areas of the resort myself while mom caught up on sleep

I'm sure I could come up with more tips given time too- I really enjoyed the trip and the family time- we are going back in November when they'll be 20 months and can't wait!

Out of the two choices, I've only actually been with an 18-month old. I can say it was so much fun, and a fabulous memory! I think you will definitely enjoy it if you go then.

But... I think in your case, I would chose 9 months to include the grandparents. I still believe you would have a great time, and that it would be really precious to the grandparents.

Nine months is actually easier than 18 months with a lot of children, and that's without considering the grandparents. I'd definitely go when they're younger.

They'll be less opinionated and go with the flow, and they probably won't be mobile. Babies who are walking NEED lots of time to walk around and stretch their legs every day, and it's a little difficult in the parks and in the hotel room.

The only potential reason I wouldn't want to take 9 month olds would be if they were premature, and you just don't know that yet. The lungs develop last, and then preemies are more likely to develop complications if they do catch a cold or something. I had a baby at 35 weeks, and I was cautioned to treat him extra cautiously for the first year.

Lilliputian said:

Nine months is actually easier than 18 months with a lot of children, and that's without considering the grandparents. I'd definitely go when they're younger.

They'll be less opinionated and go with the flow, and they probably won't be mobile. Babies who are walking NEED lots of time to walk around and stretch their legs every day, and it's a little difficult in the parks and in the hotel room.

The only potential reason I wouldn't want to take 9 month olds would be if they were premature, and you just don't know that yet. The lungs develop last, and then preemies are more likely to develop complications if they do catch a cold or something. I had a baby at 35 weeks, and I was cautioned to treat him extra cautiously for the first year.

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Yeah our twins were born at 29 weeks- we had to be extra careful with them in the winter and they got immune system booster shots every months- they did very well at Disney and we did the best job we could to keep things around them clean. Doctors had no qualms about us taking them to wdw though

I went when one of my sons was 4 months old. It was super easy. He was in a carrier most of the time. The three year old was much more trouble.

9 months!! I have gone with my DDs when they were 8, 9 and 20 months old. When they are 8 and 9 month old, we would have them in the carrier (Ergo baby... awesome!). They would nap in the carrier... they barely fussed. At 20 months, while still pleasant, the little one was exhausting! lol! They want to walk and move around... my LO refused to be in the stroller... and would throw tantrums when getting out of a ride she liked. What really made the trip great was having my parents. So if the grand-parents can be there, I would chose that option!

Thanks everyone looks like we will be going at 9 months then!! Hehe!!

We will speak to doctors about precautions over winter. We live in the uk so florida will be a lot warmer for them, i think the plane ride is my most concern re germs etc.

Thanks again!

I have taken my kids at every age starting at 9 months and the ONLY age I would not take again is 18-24 months. Hell on wheels!!! Go with 9 months.

I agree with going at 9 months. We took our son for the first time when he was 7 1/2 months, and I was surprised how much he got it (he knows Mickey, and our best memory was waiting in line to meet the Mouse and watching his reaction when he realized who it was).

We are taking him back for his first birthday, and it was definitely easier before when he was content just taking everything in from the stroller or carrier (now he wants to be out and constantly moving). We enjoyed most of the rides as a family, and did child swap for other rides when he napped in the stroller. It would be nice for you to be able to ride those rides together while the grandparents watch the twins.